News
TCEC members receive the Eco-Logic Newsletter, which is published monthly except for July/August and November/December issues. Each issue is full of local environmental news, events and activities, and ways you can get involved in environmental issues. Review a sample (past) issue.
Online, we feature the Closer Look column, written for our newsletter by TCEC Publications Chairperson, Donna Olsen.
Closer Look — July 2017
VISIT……..TCEC Lemonade Booth!!
What? Fremont Festival of the Arts in Fremont
When: Saturday & Sunday, August 5 and 6, 10am to 6pm
Where: We are located on Paseo Padre Parkway near Walnut Ave. between Chase Bank and Union Bank. (This about one city block from our past location)
Join us for a refreshing glass of lemonade! 2015 and 2016 were great years at the Lemonade Booth. Let’s make it another…remind your friends, relatives and neighbors to drop by!
Coffee for Conservation
With Peet’s Yosemite Dos Sierras blend, your next cup of joe counts for conservation. This organic, sustainably sourced coffee is a complex and full-bodied blend with milk chocolate sweetness and hints of caramel — yum! Best of all, 5% of proceeds benefit Yosemite Conservancy.
Situated in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Finca Agroberlin is a sustainably-farmed estate renowned for its birdlife, shade trees, and organic production. Inspired by the surrounding beauty, farmer Dario Delgado is an environmental steward, maintaining the farm’s nature reserves and tropical rainforest while growing this elegant coffee—a complex and full-bodied cup with milk chocolate sweetness and hints of caramel. Grown with the utmost care for the environment, this coffee continues to do good: we’re donating a portion of the proceeds to the Yosemite Conservancy.
All Clear in Union City
The Masons have pulled their latest proposal which included a hospital and Memory Care unit. These buildings were to be located behind the existing historic building. The reason for the change? The cost for undergrounding old and new utilities was too expensive. The plan probably didn’t impact the Union City Hill Ordinance. The Save Our Hills Committee is happy with results and all is quiet on the Union City front for now.
Also, the City of Union City will be holding a study session later this summer to discuss the open space issues for the community. Thanks to Virginia Cummins and Dick Oliver for updated information.
Bottle Bill Hits a Dead End…at Least for Now
Senator Bob Wieckowski’s Bottle Bill Update has died in the senate. It was a comprehensive bill. And, at the end of the day, each interest group involved in the bill sought to protect their specific part of the current program rather than looking at the entire system. Short sighted in the extreme!
Shortly after this unfortunate turn of events, the East Bay Times featured an article that pointed out that recycling in California has fallen below 80% for the first time since 2008. This is largely due to bottle and can redemption sites are closing down and grocery stores decline to redeem them because of there is no way to store them in a sanitary way and the value of scrap metal has declined.
Ocean Trash by the Numbers
Recently, we released the results of last year’s International Coastal Cleanup. During the 2016 ICC, more than half a million volunteers from 112 countries worked tirelessly to collect over 18 million pounds of trash. That is a lot of trash. To put it in perspective, here’s some stats of what we collected:
- Enough balloons to lift a 2,200-pound walrus
- Enough beverage cans to weigh as much as a Jeep safari
- Enough cigarette lighters to equal ten times the height of the Eiffel Tower
- Enough fishing line to reach the bottom of the Marianas Trench (the deepest point of the ocean)—nine times over
- And, volunteers walked enough miles of coastline to circle the moon twice
Want to learn more about the numbers behind last year’s Cleanup? Check out the graphics below to see the top items collected, some of the weirdest finds and more. And don’t forget to read the report for the full story.
Source: Ocean Conservancy
Coastal Cleanup Day is September 16
Join this event in Fremont. People around the state will gather together to remove litter and debris from our local creeks to our California shorelines. To sign up for Fremont activities go to www.Fremont.gov/CoastalCleanupDay
Mayors Sign on to Energy Resolution
On June 26, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) passed the “100% Renewable Energy in American Cities” resolution establishing support from the nation’s mayors for the goal of moving to 100% clean energy in cities nationwide. This resolution represents one of the most ambitious energy policies ever supported by USCM, and could pave the way for cities throughout the United States to commit to a just and equitable transition to 100% clean, renewable energy.
The ecology center is happy to announce all of our mayors in the Tri-City area have signed on to the resolution. Thank you to Mayors Lily Mei, Carol Dutra-Vernaci and Al Nagy.
If all 1400+ cities that are members of the USCM were to transition to 100% renewable electricity, it would reduce electric sector carbon dioxide emissions by 619 million metric tons — equivalent to the total electric sector carbon emissions of Texas, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Florida, and Ohio combined!1 And it could help the United States fill the gap needed to meet the Paris climate agreement.
Another Affirmation. On June 27, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors pledged it support for the Paris Climate Accord. The Board recognized the effects of climate change and the need for reducing gas emissions. Sources: Sierra Club and Tri-City Voice.
Preventing Food Waste – Tips to Help You Eat Well and Waste Less
Did You Know? 63 million tons of food is wasted in the United States every year!
Wasted food is a growing problem with profound financial, social, and environmental impacts. Food scraps and food-soiled paper are the largest single item in our waste stream—making up about 35% of what we throw away in Alameda County. By making small shifts in how you shop, prepare, and store food, you can toss less, eat well, save money, and save resources used to produce and distribute food.
StopFoodWaste.org aims to help residents keep food from going to waste, with tips on how to plan, shop, store and prepare food, so households save money and less food ends up in the landfill. Downloads include a fruit and vegetable storage guide, shopping list and more. Sign up on the mailing list to get tips and recipes to help reduce food waste and save money. Source: StopFoodWaste.org and Jennifer Maken, Republics Services