East County Magazine
A DAY WITHOUT A BAG GOES COUNTYWIDE
Printer-friendly version More than 25,000 reusable shopping bags to be given away Dec. 16 December 16, 2010 (San Diego)–To promote “green’” shopping for the holidays and beyond, San Diego County has declared Thursday, Dec. 16, “A Day Without a Bag,” with shoppers encouraged to forgo single-use bags, and retailers and volunteers planning to give away more than 25,000 reusable
PADRE DAM’S SANTEE LAKES WINS AWARD FOR SOLAR PROJECT
Printer-friendly version December 8, 2010 (Santee) – At the Association of California Water Agencies conference in Indian Wells on December 2, Padre Dam’s Santee Lakes received the Theodore Roosevelt Award, ACWA’s honor for innovative resource management. The award was given to Santee Lakes for its solar power project, which placed 14,000 solar panels on top of the newly-constructed 300
2010 “GREEN” RANKINGS ISSUED FOR 10 LARGEST PUBLICLY TRADED U.S. HOMEBUILDERS
Printer-friendly version Major new “Green Homebuilder” Survey ; Impact of Recession Gauged in Terms of Progress (and Lack of Progress) Among Major U.S. Homebuilders. December 7, 2010 (Bethesda, Maryland)–An updated ranking of the environmental and sustainable practices of the United States’ 10 largest publicly traded homebuilders has been released today 2010 in a new report from the investment firm
HOLIDAY IN THE GARDEN LIGHTS UP NIGHT AT WATER CONSERVATION GARDEN DEC. 3 & 4
Printer-friendly version December 3, 2010 (Rancho San Diego)–The public is invited to enjoy holiday-merry making at The Water Conservation Garden’s third annual ‘Holiday in the Garden’ event. The five-acre water-saving garden will be illuminated with thousands of energy-saving lights, courtesy of SDG&E. The glow of holiday lights will make an enchanting backdrop as visitors stroll the grounds and enjoy activities
WHY ARE SOME EAST COUNTY CITIES CHARGING 100 TIMES MORE THAN OTHER LOCAL CITIES FOR COMMERCIAL SOLAR FEES?
Printer-friendly version East County News Service High fees violate state law, and discourage rooftop solar, Sierra Club says November 29, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – The Sierra Club has launched a campaign to urge local municipalities charging exorbitant permit fees for commercial rooftop solar installations to lower those fees to actual cost-recovery levels. A survey by Sierra Club found
FREE JOB TRAINING PROGRAM IN GREEN BUILDING AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PRACTICES
Printer-friendly version November 20, 2010 (Rancho San Diego)– Cuyamaca College and three other community colleges will be providing free classes and hands-on work experience in green building and sustainable energy to 360 students through a training program funded by San Diego Workforce Partnership. The $1.6 million in funds for the program comes from federal stimulus money along with grants from
LAKESIDE DAIRYMAN DAVE VAN OMMERING NAMED FARMER OF THE YEAR
Printer-friendly version Farmer powers dairy operations with electricity from cow’s methane waste, diversified business by opening pumpkin patch and Christmas tree patch for visitors November 20, 2010 (Lakeside) – Dave Van Ommering, co-owner/operator of Van Ommering Dairy in Lakeside, was honored as the 2010 Farmer of the Year for San Diego County at the California Center for the Arts
NATIVE GARDEN PLANTING & COMMUNITY POTLUCK NOV. 20 IN SANTEE
Printer-friendly version November 14, 2010 (Santee) – Volunteers are needed on November 20 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon to help San Diego River Park Foundation complete creation of an East County native Plant Garden at the Edgemoore Polo Barn—future home to a museum on the history of East County and Santee. Volunteers will help install native plants and trees that were used
TURN OVER A NEW “LEAF”– STATE OFFERS TAX CREDIT FOR PLUG-IN VEHICLES
Printer-friendly version November 12, 2010 (San Diego)–Next month, San Diego will become one of the first and few markets in the country where Nissan will begin selling its plug-in electric vehicle called the Leaf. That model will be joined by the Chevrolet Volt, another plug-in electric vehicle, by year’s end. These models and other plug-in electric vehicles are eligible for
WATER-SMART GARDENING FESTIVAL NOV. 13
Printer-friendly version Water-wise, fire-wise and cool-season gardening resources available November 12, 2010 (El Cajon) — In many parts of the U.S., people would scoff at the notion that fall and winter can be prime gardening months. But not in San Diego, with its Mediterranean climate characterized by mild to cool, wet winters and warm to hot, dry summers. The
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Trump aims to open California coast to oil drilling; Senator Padilla and Governor Newsom denounce plan
Printer-friendly versionDraft proposal seeks six California lease sales despite clear legal limits and decades of bipartisan coastal protections By Miriam Raftery Photo: dead seabirds killed by the Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska in 1989. Source. November 20, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – The Trump administration today released its draft 2027 to 2032 Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing plan, the most

Long-awaited victory: Glorietta Canyon saved after two-decade quest
Printer-friendly version Some native plants have already begun to show up in Glorietta Canyon, like this chinchweed that’s growing on the pad where the previous owner of the property had his trailer. Photo courtesy Anza Borrego Foundation East County News Service Nov. 18, 2025 (Borrego Springs) — A nearly two-decade conservation effort has culminated in a major victory for the

Board of Supervisors to discuss land use on Nov. 19
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service Nov. 14, 2025 (San Diego County) — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is continuing a critical conversation about the future of housing and development in the unincorporated areas of the county, including Spring Valley, Lakeside and Casa de Oro. The Board of Supervisors will discuss land use legislations at its meeting

Governor Newsom attends COP30 Climate Summit that President Trump skips, after UN warns of highest C02 spikes in history
Printer-friendly versionCalifornia has reduced greenhouse gas emissions 20% since 2000, while state’s GDP rose 81% By G. A. McNeeley November 13, 2025 (Brazil) — Heat-trapping carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere jumped by the highest amount on record last year, soaring to levels never seen in human civilization. That’s “turbocharging” the earth’s climate and causing more extreme weather,

Pumpkin Smash event turns Halloween waste into environmental wins
Printer-friendly versionLocal students join I Love A Clean San Diego to divert organic waste from landfills Story and photo via I Love a Clean San Diego November 4, 2025 (Spring Valley) — On Monday, November 3, students at Sweetwater Springs Elementary School participated in a unique post-Halloween event aimed at reducing organic waste and promoting environmental education. Hosted by I

Vegetables sprout in new $1.67 billion County Crop Report
Printer-friendly versionBy Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office November 1, 2025 (San Diego) – Agriculture values rose by just over 1% to $1.67 billion, and vegetable and vine crops thrived in San Diego County’s Annual Crop Report released today. The new Crop Report, which covers the 2024 growing season, showed the county’s list of Top 10 crops changed

Federal government seeks to repeal protections for bighorn sheep on public land
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service Photo by Susan Massey: Bighorn rams on Bureau of Land Management property in Ocotillo, adjacent to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Oct. 28, 2025 (East County) – The Trump administration is proposing to repeal the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule in order to fast-track oil and gas exploration. The rule protects

Nonprofit saves San Diego County’s tallest waterfall
Printer-friendly versionBy Taina Fonseca, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association Photo: Mildred Falls. Photo by Alexander S. Kunz October 26, 2025 (San Diego) – The San Diego River Park Foundation has successfully purchased a 58-acre parcel from a private owner, the organization announced this week. Why is that important? Because

Climate Action Plan and Green Building Incentive Program: County hosts virtual meeting Oct. 28
Printer-friendly versionSource: County of San Diego October 23, 2025 (San Diego) – The County of San Diego County Planning & Development Services (PDS) invites you to attend a virtual public meeting on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. to learn about and share your input on the County’s implementation of the Climate Action Plan (CAP) and the development of the Green Building

Full Moon Walk in Anza Borrego’s South Palm Wash Nov. 5
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service October 21, 2025 (Anza Borrego)—You’re invited to walk by the light of a full moon in Anza Borrego Desert State Park’s South Palm Canyon Wash on November 5 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.. The hike will be led by Mike McElhatton, education director at the Anza Borrego Desert Natural History Association (ABDNHA). “Experience the unique
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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.