Plastic bags’ days are numbered in Sunnyvale
After years of environmental lobbying, plastic bags are on their way out in Sunnyvale, one of many communities in California ditching plastic in favor of paper and reusable bags.
Environment
Beauty with a price – Thanksgiving flower arrangements may not be eco-friendly
Thousands of flowers will adorn Thanksgiving tables today, but according to Stanford earth science students, many professional and store-bought arrangements are grown with heavy pesticides and may not make for eco-friendly centerpieces.
Palo Alto voters approve composting measure by a large margin
Palo Alto voters approved Measure E, reallocating 10 acres of Bxybee Park for the possible construction of a new composting facility.
Study finds fewer Americans concerned about climate change in 2010 than in 2008
Stanford Earth Science students answered a reader’s environmental question: does anyone really care about climate change? According to a Yale study, fewer people did in 2010 than in 2008.
Can art save the planet? New eco-cultural movement has its roots in the peninsula
Critics are buzzing about a new movement known as “ecological art.” Ecological artists are using their paintings, sculptures and photography to start conservation conversations.
Stanford artists promote green living at Vision eARTh showcase
Stanford University artists are part of a growing trend using art to promote “green” living. This spring’s Vision eARTh event aimed to inspire social change through community activism.
Corn ethanol is inefficient and drives food prices higher
Corn ethanol has environmental, economic and social impacts that reach far beyond the gas tank. And by almost any analysis, those impacts make it a poor choice for fuel in the United States.
128 San Mateo County landowners must farm natural land or pay higher taxes
For decades, the Williamson Act kept taxes low for property owners who protected open land from development. Now, as state faces budget crunch, some landowners must farm or see tax rates nearly double.
Debate over developing Redwood City’s Saltworks continues, Peninsula seeks more housing
Environmentalists on one side of the Saltworks development debate want to restore the site to bay wetlands. Others insists the community and environment would benefit more from smart-growth housing.