standforless: C'mon TeamUSA.... RT @TreeHugger: China Beat US in Offshore Wind, Europe Still Trounces Everyone Else in Solar Power http://bit.ly/aI7byBTue, Sep 7th @ 10:29am
Drive down pollution! You can also eliminate one pound of greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating just one mile of driving.
Californians bought 21.9 billion drinks in aluminum, glass, plastic and bi-metal containers last year. More than 16.2 billion of those were recycled, saving natural resources and extending the life of our landfills.
The U.S. transportation sector as a whole is responsible for almost 9% of the world's total CO2 emissions. That stinks.
Cut your monthly energy bills by as much as 30% by replacing the old equipment in your home with state-of-the-art Energy Star appliances.
CRV stands for California Refund Value. It equals 5¢ for each beverage container less than 24 ounces and 10¢ for each container 24 ounces or greater.
Report "smoking" vehicles. Call 1-800-28-SMOKE to report vehicles with excessive tailpipe emissions.
Shade provided by trees can reduce your air conditioning bill at home by 10-15%. Cool.
Save paper...save resources. Change your printer settings to 2-sided printing to reduce the amount of paper you consume at the office.
Close the loop! Visit greengiftguide.com and discover a wide range of household, recreational and beauty products made from recycled materials.
Unplug your cell phone charger and other household electronics from the wall when you're not using them. Even when they are turned off, they use phantom power.
Use cold water when you can. Water heating accounts for about 13% of home energy costs.
Carpools and vanpools can use High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes and HOV by-pass on ramp meters, which allows you to get to work faster.
Help eliminate the use of disposable plates, cups and utensils. Bring re-usable dishware to work.
Jacy Bolden stands for natural lighting inside of the model city hall in Encinitas.
One reason San Diego County was chosen for the innovative STAND FOR LESS campaign is the many leaders in the public and private sectors who are already taking a stand for sustainability. One example is the county’s leadership in the adoption of solar electricity. Encinitas, a coastal community of 60,000, uses solar electricity as well as many other innovations on its model city hall.
Last week, Encinitas proclaimed itself a STAND FOR LESS city. Mayor Maggie Houlihan read the proclamation and presented it to Bridgett Luther, Director of the California Department of Conservation, which organized the collaboration of state and local partners promoting STAND FOR LESS. After the ceremony, Luther took a tour of Encinitas City Hall, a model of green construction and standing for less resource use.
The natural lighting is one of the first improvements highlighted on the tour. To cut down on electrical use, skylights and solar tubes were used liberally throughout the building. In addition to using fewer resources, natural lighting creates a pleasant atmosphere for workers and visitors.
The building itself is worthy of note. Rather than tearing down the existing structure, and starting from scratch, the city chose to update and retrofit it with green features. This decision alone meant fewer resources were needed for construction. The building was built in the 1960s and was originally used as a strip mall.
Installing solar panels may be one of the more exciting enhancements. City Hall now has a 96.4 kW photovoltaic system. The solar panels handle about 38 percent of the building’s energy needs. Solar electricity isn’t the only new feature on the roof. The city installed a 50,000 square foot reflective cool roof that counters the urban heat island effect and cuts down on energy needs. City Hall also replaced most of its old heating and cooling units with a new energy efficient system.
The cost of the project was $3.5 million, however, it will save the city $4.3 million over 25 years due to increased efficiencies.
Beavan decided to eliminate his personal impact on the environment for a year. This meant eating vegetarian, buying only local food, turning off the refrigerator, no elevators, no television, no cars, busses, or airplanes, no toxic cleaning products, no electricity, no material consumption, and no garbage.
No problem – at least for Colin – but he and his family live in Manhattan. So when his espresso-guzzling, retail-worshipping wife Michelle and their two-year-old daughter are dragged into the fray, the No Impact Project has an unforeseen impact of its own.
Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein’s film provides an intriguing inside look into the experiment that became a national fascination and media sensation, while examining the familial strains and strengthened bonds that result from Colin and Michelle’s struggle with their radical lifestyle change.
No Impact Man will be in San Diego on October 2, 2009. Visit the No Impact Man Web site for more information.
Chief Deputy Director Derek Chernow of the California Department of Conservation (DOC), San Diego City Councilman Kevin Faulconer, and DOC Director Bridgett Luther.
Councilman Kevin Faulconer read the proclamation on behalf of the city of San Diego. Director Luther thanked the council and discussed the STAND FOR LESS campaign.
On August 30, 2009, The Chula Vista little league team won the World Series Championship title against Taoyuan, Taiwan.
The Chula Vista City Council presented Bridgett Luther, director of the California Department of Conservation, with a proclamation today declaring that Chula Vista is a STAND FOR LESS city.
Chula Vista’s little league team won the World Series Championship on August 30, 2009. They were also at the City Council meeting today. Disney gave the team a trip to Disneyland. Legoland did a display to honor the team and they gave them a Lego hat to present to President Obama when the local champions meet the president.
Director Luther, a member of the governor’s cabinet, was thrilled to share the spotlight with the young heroes. STAND FOR LESS is dedicated to raising awareness regarding stewardship so that Chula Vista’s young baseball champs can live their lives on a safe, healthy and prosperous planet.
El Cajon City Council Member Bill Wells and CA Department of Conservation Director Bridgett Luther.
Charles Muse, director of the Helix Water District and President of the Water Conservation Garden, reads the proclamation on behalf of La Mesa.
The cities of La Mesa and El Cajon met together with Director Luther along with leaders from the private sector. We will be posting future articles about some of the people and projects we learned more about today. One of the private sector STAND FOR LESS achievers at the meeting was Gregg Hamann of Hamann Construction–Director Luther recognized Hamann’s contributions in green construction with an award today.
San Diego County Supervisor Pam Slater-Price and Bridgett Luther of the CDOC.
The STAND FOR LESS campaign is innovative because of the diverse interests that it brings together.
California Department of Conservation Director Luther, representing the State of California, works hard to include city governments, county governments, businesses, non-profits and average citizens in the conversation for conservation.
Luther is passionate about passing on a healthier California to the next generation and she works tirelessly every day toward that goal.
This morning she met members of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.
Photographed at 2:15 PM Pacific Daylight Time today, Oceanside Council Member Jerome Kern, California Department of Conservation Director Bridgett Luther, and Council Member Rocky Chavez.
Bridgett Luther of the California Department of Conservation met today with officials from Oceanside.
Oceanside declared that it is a STAND FOR LESS city. STAND FOR LESS excels at bringing together state and local governments, businesses, non-profits, and inidividuals to create a more sustainable future. Officials in Oceanside emphasized the importance of establishing metrics to associate with the campaign. Luther reported that the Department of Conservation is tracking progress in the following four areas: recycling, energy use, water conservation, and vehicle miles travel.
Luther discussed county-level vehicle programs that help people find ways to drive less. She was updated on progress in San Diego County this morning by SANDAG.
An Oceanside resident told Luther about a bike share program that help makes it easier for people to use public transit and to drive less around town. The discussion was wide ranging. It was exciting because it’s not every day that a member of the governor’s cabinet meets with local officals in Oceanside.
Councilman Rocky Chavez pointed out that Oceanside is a conservative community. Four out of five council members are Republicans. Chavez, a Republican, cares about creating a sustainable community and strongly supports the STAND FOR LESS campaign.
Luther is in San Diego today and tomorrow meeting with STAND FOR LESS partners, supporters, and representatives from communities around the county.
Encinitas joined the STAND FOR LESS movement today. The city brought together a group of leaders who are doing great things for their community.
Front row from left: Jacy Bolden, environmental coordinator; Mark Wisniewski, member of the Environmental Advisory Commission; Mayor Maggie Houlihan; CA Department of Conservation Director Bridgett Luther; Councilwoman Teresa Barth; Bill Wilson, Public Works Department.
Rear row from the left: Phil Cotton, city manager; Councilman James Bond; Public Works Director Larry Watt; Councilman Dan Dalager.
Del Mar Mayor Crystal Crawford reads the proclamation at today's city council meeting while California Department of Conservation Director Bridgett Luther listens.
Kirei’s Teresa Cooney relaxes in a chair that incorporates Kirei Board at the company’s Solana Beach headquarters.
STAND FOR LESS recently sat down with Teresa Cooney of Kirei to discuss sustainable building materials.
Solana Beach-based Kirei is the national distributor of a several lines of products that are made from rapidly renewable or reclaimed agricultural fibers.
Kirei embodies the spirit of STAND FOR LESS and the company’s innovative products have been noticed on a national level. Treehugger, a leading green Web site, has written several articles on Kirei, including one this July titled: “Kirei Board: A Radical Material with a Big Impact.” The Kirei web site includes links to dozens of stories that have been written about their innovative products.
Product lines from Kirei include:
Kirei Board—made from a minimum of 90% sorghum straw, a material that is an agricultural byproduct. Kirei Bamboo—made from 90% renewable material, the fast growing moso bamboo. Kirei Wheatboard—made from 90% wheat straw, an agricultural byproduct. Kirei Coco Tiles—made from 30-40% coconut shells, an agricultural byproduct.
Kirei has garnered so much attention because its products are beautiful. Architects and designers are increasingly demanding green construction materials. LEED is a set of green building standards developed by the US Green Building Council. Kirei products help with your LEED certification efforts by earning LEED credits.
Visit kireiusa.com for more photos and information.
Kirei Board is a versatile product used to make furniture, cabinetry, flooring, and in other applications. This image shows a home in Del Mar with Kirei Board used as a wall covering.
