Award-winning nonprofit media in the public interest, serving San Diego's inland region

Award-winning nonprofit media in the public interest, serving San Diego's inland region

SDG&E MOVES FORWARD ON NEW SUBSTATION IN EAST COUNTY

Printer-friendly version September 3, 2009 (San Diego)—San Diego Gas & Electric Company has announced plans to develop a new ECO Substation and electrical infrastructure in East County that the company says will connect with its existing power network and enable delivery of clean energy to its customers. The move has drawn praise from key alternative energy interests, but some backcountry

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HORTICULTURAL HELP LINE NOW ACCESSIBLE 24-HOURS A DAY

Printer-friendly version Water Smart Pipeline has new message option RANCHO SAN DIEGO, CA—The Water Conservation Garden’s Water Smart Pipeline is now accessible to the public 24 hours a day. Callers may record their questions day or night on the “Pipeline’s” voicemail, and will get a return phone call during Pipeline hours from local gardening expert, Nan Sterman, author of the

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2 ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS GET KIDS INVOLVED IN KEEPING AREA CLEAN & GREEN

Printer-friendly version “Sustain La Mesa” Environmental Festival – Sept. 12 Coastal Cleanup Day at Lake Murray – Sept. 19   By Kristin Hobbs Kjaero   If young people are our future, then the environment will ultimately be in their hands. Two events in East County this month provide perfect opportunities for families to spend quality time together, and for community

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21% WATER RATE HIKE TAKES EFFECT TODAY FOR HELIX WATER DISTRICT CUSTOMERS

Printer-friendly version CONSERVATION IS WORKING AS CUSTOMERS CUT WATER USE COUNTYWIDE   By Miriam Raftery September 1, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) –If you’re going to be a water hog, it’s going to cost you.  But even those who have already conserved will see a water rise on their next bills. Homeowners and businesses in the Helix Water Distirct will

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GARAMENDI OFFERS SOLUTIONS TO ATTAIN A SUSTAINABLE CALIFORNIA

Printer-friendly version GARAMENDI OFFERS SOLUTIONS TO ATTAIN A SUSTAINABLE CALIFORNIA   By Jackie Hanson   August 26, 2009 (San Diego) – What would it take for California to become energy self-sustaining? As surfers caught waves just a few yards away, Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi spoke at the new Scripps Seaside Forum in La Jolla on August 5th, offering ideas to

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SEMPRA ENERGY FOUNDATION SETS $1 MILLION ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGE FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Printer-friendly version  SAN DIEGO, Aug. 10, 2009 – If you had $100,000 what would you do to “green” Southern California? That is the challenge that the Sempra Energy Foundation has posed to non-profit organizations with an environmental focus. Those chosen will receive between $25,000 and $100,000, as part of a new $1 million Environmental Champions Awards program created to recognize

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SAN DIEGO SELECTED AS TARGET MARKET FOR LARGEST TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIFICATION PROJECT IN U.S. HISTORY

Printer-friendly version U.S. Department of Energy Chooses ECOtality’s eTec to Implement Project: 1,000 Electric Cars to be Tested in San Diego County    August 5, 2009 (San Diego) – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation (eTec) today announced that eTec, a leader in development of advanced transportation and energy systems, has been

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A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR CALIFORNIA? LT. GOVERNOR JOHN GARAMENDI SPEAKS IN SAN DIEGO AUG. 5

Printer-friendly version  July 28, 2009 (San Diego)–How can California achieve energy sustainability?  Our state’s lieutenant governor, John Garamendi, wll speak on this topic in San Diego on Wednesday, August 5 from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m.  This special event will take place at the new Scripps Seaside Forum at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography on the UCSD Campus.    The event is organized

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FRUITS OF THEIR LABORS: RAMONA FORUM MEMBERS REAP REWARDS OF COMMUNITY GARDEN

Printer-friendly version By Miriam Raftery July 19, 2009 (Ramona)—“We started looking at the economy and saying hey, people are going to need to start doing community gardening,” Dave Patterson, founder of the Ramona Forum, told East County Magazine. Most members of the forum, which was founded as a political discussion group, had little experience in farming. But they did some

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2 LEGAL DECISIONS ON POWERLINK ISSUED, CLOUDING FUTURE OF $1.9 BILLION PROJECT

Printer-friendly version By Miriam Raftery   July 15, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) – A pair of state and federal legal decisions further muddy the future of Sunrise Powerlink, the 150-mile-long high voltage line proposed by San Diego Gas & Electric  (SDG&E), a Sempra Energy company. One cleared a hurdle for the utility company at the state level while also opening the

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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting — not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine’s local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

LOCAL GROUPS FILE APPEAL, ASK BLM TO REVERSE POWERLINK APPROVAL

Printer-friendly versionMarch 24, 2009 (Boulevard) — An appeal to the U.S. Department of the Interior over its Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approval of San Diego Gas & Electric’s Sunrise Powerlink transmission project was filed Monday by three local organizations in San Diego County. The appeal notice to the Interior Board of Land Appeals is the first step to a

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SPRING GARDEN FESTIVAL APRIL 25: CONSERVATION IN BLOOM

Printer-friendly versionMarch 26, 2009 (El Cajon) – If you haven’t yet experienced the Spring Garden Festival, be sure to mark your calendars for April 25th. The annual event drew more than 7,000 people last year and is quickly becoming one of East County’s premier attractions. Live music, Native American dancing, arts and crafts, food, plant sales, water-wise gardening, tree-care advice

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BILBRAY COAUTHORS BILL TO EXEMPT SOLAR FARMS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW; FEINSTEIN SEEKS TO BLOCK DESERT SOLAR FARM DUE TO SEVERE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery March 23, 2009 (San Diego)–Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-San Diego) has coauthored H.R. 964, a measure that would exempt any solar energy project on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands from Environmental Impact Report requirements. Sempra Energy, Bilbray’s third largest campaign contributor, seeks to import power from desert solar farms on BLM lands.   On Friday, California’s

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MORE THAN PLANTS AT WATER-WISE PLANT FAIR

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery Flowering perennials from Daylily hill Maic Palmiere of Crest displays baskets and jewelry made from pine needles March 14, 2009 (El Cajon) — Birdhouses, eco-friendly jewelry, and water-saving wizardry awaited visitors at the Water-Wise Plant Fair, held today at the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College. If you thought low-water landscaping means gravel and cacti, think

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IT’S NO LONGER SANTEE, BUT MORE LIKE SANTREE

Printer-friendly versionBy Karla Moran (Karla Moran) March 14, 2009 (Santee) —The working power of a city makes a difference–as evidenced at the 8th annual SanTree Fest and Earth Day Celebration. Sponsored by the City of Santee, this year’s event had its best turn out yet. The community worked together to improve the environment and create a cleaner tomorrow. Parents and

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POWERLINK MEETING DRAWS PROTESTS IN ALPINE; PARENTS OPPOSE HIGH-VOLTAGE LINES NEAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery Megan Werland, right, worries about health effects of Powerlink on children including her 5-month old daughter, Eleanor March 10, 2009 (Alpine) — Children and parents staged a protest rally outside the Alpine Community Center, where SDG&E held a public meeting on Sunrise Powerlink. Holding signs that read "Class 1 Fire Risk" and "Save the Cleveland National

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CUYAMACA COLLEGE HOSTS ITS FIRST SUSTAINABLE URBAN LANDSCAPE CONFERENCE

Printer-friendly version2-day event to be followed by plant fair open to the public March 10, 2009 (El Cajon)–Cuyamaca College is hosting a conference featuring leading landscape professionals and bus tours of eco-friendly sites Thursday and Friday, March 12 and 13, a precursor to it becoming among the first community colleges in the nation to offer a degree in sustainable urban

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SANTREE FEST AND EARTH DAY CELEBRATION MARCH 14

Printer-friendly versionMarch 10, 2009 (Santee)–Santee invites the public to participate in "SanTree Fest," an Earth Day celebration from 9:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 14th at Mast Park, located at 9125 Carlton Hills Blvd. Festivities begin at 9:45 with a nature walk departing from a trail entrance at the northwest side of the Wal-Mart parking lot. A community

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WATER-WISE PLANT FAIR MARCH 14

Printer-friendly versionMarch 10, 2009 (El Cajon)–Cuyamaca College hosts a water-wise plant fair on March 14th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A large selection of water smart perennials, shrubs, trees, grasses, cacti and succulents, and more will be on sale from Southern California vendors. Now you can shop for water-wise plants–and support public education in an era of dwindling funds.

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SUSTAINABLE JULIAN: IS IT POSSIBLE? MARCH 21 WORKSHOP WILL UNVEIL AMBITION COMMUNITY PLANS

Printer-friendly version Kathleen Beck and Jeanette Hartman (Brian Kramer) March 8, 2009 (Julian) — Julian residents and environmentalists are embarking on an ambitious plan to make this historic mountain town energy-self-sufficient using renewable resources. Starting with a wind demonstration project at the library, the plan calls for 200 homes in Julian to become self-sustaining through wind and solar energy. "The

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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting — not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine’s local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.