From the Director's Desk
Don’t Give Up on a Clean California
Just because unemployment is high
We’ve accomplished a great deal in cleaning up California’s environment, particularly the air quality, during the past fifty years. You may not remember the dirty 1960s with all the air pollution and large amounts of trash on our roads and chemicals in our rivers and streams, but we are much better off today. Read more.
Awards Honor Local Energy Heroes
Winners show their commitment to sustainability
In a gala celebration, CCSE recognized local businesses, organizations and individuals who made noteworthy energy savings in 2009 at the sixth annual San Diego Excellence in Energy (SANDEE) Awards held at Market Creek Plaza March 25. Read more.
Second Life for EV Batteries
CCSE to lead study on reusing electric vehicle batteries
With potentially hundreds of thousands of new electric vehicles driving onto America’s highways within the next decade, environmental questions arise about what to do with all of the high-performance lithium batteries after they run down. While processes for recycling them are established, a new study spearheaded by CCSE will examine how to extend the batteries’ usefulness in smart grid energy applications. Read more.
Sun Shines on Harrah's Rincon
Solar PV offsets 25% of casino’s energy consumption
With some 4,000 panels covering more than 5.5 acres, Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort in Valley Center became the first casino in Southern California to adopt solar electric power. They also installed energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, retrofitted 10,000 light fixtures with energy-efficient lamps and implemented a host of measures to reduce their electricity use and carbon footprint. Read more.
Breaking Into the Solar Industry
Solar career expert shares advice for green job seekers
The belief that jobs in the solar industry are limited to working on the roof or chasing after sales leads is not really accurate today as other opportunities are available and increasing, according to solar career expert Liz Merry. Read more.
Greening Commercial Restrooms
Retrofitting can produce savings and boost image
While facility managers wrestle with ways to make their buildings more cost effective and energy efficient, they often overlook green options for retrofitting restrooms where small changes can have large impacts on water use, waste reduction and improved image. Read more.
Community Energy Action Hero
Beer that wants to be green
Founded in 1996, Stone Brewing Company of Escondido carries out its commitment to the environment and sustainability in every aspect of their business, from the brewery to its gourmet restaurant. Read more.
 Inside the ERC
CCSE’s Energy Resource Library now has its complete catalog of books, DVDs and tools online with advanced hold for items you want to check out. Simply search by subject, author, title, manufacturer, name or type, and if what you want is available, you can put a hold on it until you come by CCSE to complete the check-out process. Go to the library website.
Display
SKYShades Solar Car-Port Structure
SKYshades of Southern California, in partnership with CCSE and the NewSchool of Architecture, hosted the inaugural sustainable tensile architecture design competition. The design competition allowed architecture students to develop a commercial carport structure model highlighting tension membrane and thin-film, organic photovoltaic ( PV) technologies.
Read more.
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Tool
SDT Ultrasonic Detector
The SDT Ultrasonic Detector lets you hear above the noise! You’ll be able to listen for failed bearings, ail leaks and faulty electrical systems. It will also enable you to sense machine failures and factory inefficiencies. It will allow you to pinpoint leaks, friction and electrical discharge. For use with compressed air, steam, vacuum, process gasses and refrigeration gasses. Earphones, power transducer and case included.
Read more.
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Book
Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development
Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development analyzes the problems, places and people where environment and development come together, illuminating concerns from the local to the global. More readable than specialized journals and more timely than textbooks, Environment offers peer-reviewed articles and commentaries from researchers and practitioners who provide a broad range of international perspectives. This ISI-rated magazine also features in-depth reviews of major policy reports, conferences and environmental education initiatives, as well as guides to the best websites, journal articles and books.
Periodicals are NOT available for check-out.
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DVD
“French Fries: To Go”
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“French Fries” is an award-winning film that documents the origins of Telluride's biodiesel project, which resulted in the launching of the first city bus in the nation to run on 100% pure biodiesel.
This funny and thought-provoking piece is pure Telluride, Colorado, having been made by a local filmmaker and featuring a cast of colorful characters from around the region. “French Fries” is the story about a guy, his truck and a bunch of used vegetable oil. This timely film is about an ecologically safe, renewable fuel and follows the “Granola Ayatollah of Canola” (a.k.a. Charris Ford) as he makes the rounds educating and inspiring folks in his veggie powered rig.
Read more.
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In our commitment to be on the cutting edge of providing educational materials, CCSE has recently subscribed to Environment magazine. The first issue will arrive this month and will be available at the Energy Resource Library.
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 Event Calendar
Did you know CCSE offers free, ongoing workshops on energy efficiency, solar energy, green building, transportation and climate change? Register now! Click on the links below or call (866) SDENERGY.
Overview of Solar Power Purchase Agreements (PPA)
Date: Monday, Apr. 19, 2010
California AB 1103: What It Means for Building Owners & Tenants
Date: Thursday, Apr. 22, 2010
Solar Water Heating Contractor Transition Workshop
Date: Thursday, Apr. 22, 2010
Solar Water Heating Basics for Homeowners
Date: Thursday, Apr. 22, 2010
Solar Water Heating Contractor and Self-Installer Training
Date: Monday, Apr. 26, 2010
Energy Careers and Opportunities
Date: Tuesday, Apr. 27, 2010
Other Events
Environmental Leader at CCSE April 23
Meet one of the nation’s foremost environmental advocates, Jerome Ringo, at CCSE as he discusses the latest policies and practices that are spurring clean-tech industries and the green job marketplace from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Friday, April 23. Ringo is a driving force behind the Apollo Alliance, a coalition of labor, environmental, national security, civil rights and business leaders fighting to make America independent from foreign energy in 10 years. For details and registration, click here.
Community Energy Systems Conference
“The Global Rise of Local Energy” is the theme of the two-day CADER Conference 2010 to be held April 28-29 at the Scripps Seaside Forum in La Jolla. The meeting, sponsored by the Communities for Advanced Distributed Energy Resources (CADER), brings together many players in the energy industry with government officials, regulators and others to promote local sources of efficient, sustainable, grid-integrated, secure and reliable energy for communities internationally. For more information and registration, visit their website.
Join in the Energy Evolution
Whether you are exploring a green career, wanting to expand your horizons or simply lending a hand to further the mission of a sustainable energy present and future, volunteering at CCSE is a wonderful way to become part of the clean energy evolution. Volunteer orientation meetings will be held during the early evenings of Tuesday, May 11, and Tuesday, June 8. For details, call 858-244-1177 or visit our website.
Future of Electric Car in SoCal
UC San Diego’s Environmental Policy and Business Forum will focus on the “Future of the Electric Car in Southern California” during the evening of May 27. Speakers are Mike Ferry, CCSE’s transportation programs manager; Joel Pointon, SDG&E’s clean transportation manager; and Josh Zivin, UCSD associate professor of economics. For information and registration, click here.
Take Part in EarthFair 2010
Join the tens of thousands of visitors at EarthFair 2010. Billed as the largest free annual environmental fair in the world and celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the event takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 18, at Balboa Park. With more than 350 exhibitors, theme areas, kids’ activities, entertainment and art, there is something for everyone. Check out the EarthFair website.
New Ventures and Clean Tech
The San Diego Venture Group, a nonprofit that fosters ideas on how to form, fund and build new ventures, is holding a Clean Tech breakfast meeting on April 20 from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency in La Jolla. CCSE is cosponsoring the event. To see a list of panelists and registration, go to their website.
Federal Dollars Help Grow Business!
Businesses can tap into the federal government’s On-the-Job Training Subsidy Program and save money on hiring and training new employees. Managed locally by the San Diego Workforce Partnership and Manpower, the program reimburses employers for 50% of wage costs for new hires recruited through the OneStop career center network. There is absolutely no cost to participate, and additional funding is available for associated expenses such as tools, uniforms and training certificates. The program is open to any company and covers most industries. For information, contact Trevor Blair, Manpower business development manager, at (760) 889-2707 or
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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Employee Spotlight
Melanie McCutchan
Analyst
Melanie McCutchan is a member of CCSE’s California Solar Initiative program team. She assists with official program reporting, monitoring and evaluation and regional renewable energy installation tracking.
Melanie has worked as a business development associate for adaptiveARC, a waste-to-energy company, and as an intern at IFMR Trust on a project to reduce small-scale salt producer’s dependence on diesel fuel in India. For nearly seven years, she was a research associate and air toxics policy expert for the San Diego-based Environmental Health Coalition, where she advocated for local government sustainable energy policies and air quality issues.
Melanie has a B.A. degree in economics and environmental sciences from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.A. degree in Pacific international affairs from UC San Diego.
Greening Your World® Monthly Tip
New Appliance Rebates
It’s a good time to consider chucking your old refrigerator, clothes washer or room air conditioner for new energy-efficient models as the California Cash for Appliances program gets under way on April 22 – Earth Day. Funding comes from the federal stimulus program for qualifying appliances: $200 for refrigerators, $100 for washers and $50 for AC units. These rebates can be combined with others offered by manufacturers, retailers or utilities. Locally, that means an additional $150 from the San Diego County Water Authority for certain clothes washers and $25 from San Diego Gas & Electric for ENERGY STAR-qualified refrigerators. Check out Cash for Appliances, SoCal Water$mart and Flex You Power.
Notable Quotable
“The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least not try to defy them.”
- Paul Hawken, environmentalist and author
Stand for Less
Help us STAND FOR LESS. So that everyone can enjoy life more.
Please take a few minutes today and join us at www.standforless.com.
Contact Us
Energy Connection is a monthly e-newsletter of the California Center for Sustainable Energy.
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