Earth Day: April 22

Burbank Recycle Center celebrates Earth Day
Burbank Leader: 4.21.2012 by Megan O'Neil

The nuances of waste took center stage at an Earth Day celebration Saturday at the Burbank Recycle Center, where attendees were schooled in the differences between trash and recyclable goods and encouraged to start compost piles.

“I would love to see more food recycling,” Ferris Kawar, recycling specialist with the city of Burbank, said of his goals for the community. “I think we do very well on recycling bottles and cans and glass. We are way above average in terms of the state and certainly the country. But food recycling, which is composting, is where we do OK.”

The Family Fair marked the first time the city has hosted its own such Earth Day celebration, Kawar said. Volunteers distributed reusable bags, while others demonstrated what sorts of items should be placed in recycling bins and what items need to go in the trash. READ MORE !

BWP - Smart Meters & Facebook

Smart meters join Facebook
Burbank customers can compare their energy usage via the social networking site.
Burbank Leader: 4.03.2012 by Jason Wells

A Facebook application that allows smart-meter customers to gauge how much energy they're using compared to others went live Tuesday, Burbank officials announced.

Burbank Water and Power customers can connect their utility accounts to the Opower app via Facebook and see how they stack up to others in terms of energy consumption.

The app plays into what city officials have said is a key element of the smart meters — the ability of customers to track their consumption in near real time to better control costs.

Burbank Water and Power is one of the first utility companies to join the pilot program featuring Opower, which will allow roughly 4 million energy users from California to Chicago to create competitions and share insight. READ MORE !

Burbank Green Spotlight Award: February 2012

Burbank Sustainable Commission Green Spotlight Award
Each month the Commission will present the award to a resident or business for sustainable efforts. The Award was established at the December meeting.

SUSTAINABLE BURBANK COMMISSION

February 27, 2012 MINUTES
III. BURBANK GREEN SPOTLIGHT AWARD PRESENTATION: Ms. Springer announced that the February 2012 recipients of the Burbank Green Spotlight Award are Margie and Louis Dell. The Dells planted California native plants at their Burbank residence that significantly reduce water usage. Ms. Springer introduced Margie and Louis Dell and provided a brief Power Point presentation with photos of the landscaping. A variety of plants provides pleasant aromas and different shades of green throughout the garden. The Commissioners congratulated the Dells, and Mr. Lewis presented them with the Burbank Green Spotlight Award. Mr. Smith will choose the March Green Spotlight recipient.

High-tech charging stations are set to keep electric cars rolling
Eleven stations have opened in Burbank and are free of cost until July 1.  Burbank Leader: 3.27.2012 by Mark Kellam

Eleven charging stations for electric cars now are up and running in downtown Burbank. City officials hope they will spark interest among drivers of the high-tech cars to patronize the business district. Drivers can even be sent a text message when the cars are fully charged.

Use of the stations is free until July 1. After that, the cost will be $2 an hour, but the texts will remain a free perk.

.       .       .       .       .

On average, five cars are charged a day, with each session lasting about two hours, said, Bruce Hamer, smart grid program manager for Burbank Water and Power, which installed the stations.

The first two stations were unveiled in December, Hamer said, adding that the last two stations went online on Valentine’s Day.

Two stations are operating at each of the following locations: 201 E. Magnolia Blvd., 327 N. Pass Ave. and 120, 133 and 240 E. Orange Grove Ave.

One station is in the parking lot of the city’s Community Services Building, 150 N. Third St.

The utility installed the stations with help from a portion of a $20-million, four-year smart grid grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Hamer said. READ MORE !

Burbank Green Spotlight Award: January 2012

Burbank Sustainable Commission
Green Spotlight Award

WHAT’S IN THE WORKS
Public Works Newsletter: February 2012
At their December meeting, the Sustainable Burbank Commission established the Burbank Green Spotlight Award. Each month the Commission will present the award to a resident or business for sustainable efforts.

February Newsletter: On January 23rd, the Commission presented the Burbank Green Spotlight Award to Jodie Venturelli [the 1st Award]. Ms. Venturelli and her family planted an edible organic garden in the front yard of their Burbank residence that dramatically reduces water usage, increases their physical activity, reduces produce costs, and increases community building. Ms. Venturelli said that she was inspired to plant an edible organic garden after listening to a radio show and reading ―Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden and Your Neighborhood into a Community, by Heather Flores.

-published in the Public Works Newsletter -

SUSTAINABLE BURBANKCOMMISSION

December 19, 2011 MINUTES
VII. PROPOSED GREEN GRATITUDE/GREEN THUMBS UP PROGRAM:
Mr. de Wolff made two suggestions for a “green” reward that could be given to recipients as a form of recognition that would encourage residents and businesses to pursue sustainable activities: 1) a reduction in the recipient’s BWP bill or 2) a gift certificate donated by Lowes. Ms. Riley suggested that Commission members take turns choosing a Burbank business or resident as an award recipient each month. The recipient would be invited to the Commission meeting during which their sustainable activity or project would be discussed as part of the meeting’s agenda. Commission members could also take photos of the recipient’s project or activity (Ms. Riley will provide photo release forms). Mr. Lewis suggested having the City Council recognize all twelve award recipients during the final Council meeting of each year. The Commission engaged in discussion and asked questions of staff.

Mr. Lewis moved and Mr. de Wolff seconded, to have the Commission recognize a business or resident with a certificate for sustainable practice once every month. Each month a Commission member will volunteer to select a winner. At the end of each year the Commission will request Council to recognize the past year’s winners. The motion was approved by all present.

Mr. de Wolff volunteered to choose the January 2012 recipient and will provide Ms. Teaford with his/her name one week prior to the January 23, 2012, Commission meeting.

Mr. Lewis moved and Mr. Aboulsaad seconded, to name the monthly award received by a business or resident for sustainable practice the Burbank Green Spotlight Award. The motion was approved seven to one. Mr. de Wolff opposed and Mr. Carlson abstained.

Green Day Planner: March 2012

Burbank Library Green Pages
March 2012 Calendar

March 22: World Water Day
March 31: Earth Hour @ 8:30 pm

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Burbank and the Valley
Mar 6: SFV Critical Mass Bike Ride 7pm
Mar 19: COB Sustainable Task Force 4:30pm
Mar 21: Green Living Workshops – S Oaks 7pm

Southern California
Mar 1+: Green Living Workshops – LMU 7pm
Mar 5+: Green Living Workshops – LA 7pm
Mar 6: Plastic Ocean-How Bad Is It – Long Beach 7pm
Mar 7+: Green Living Workshops – Venice 7pm
Mar 7+: Green Living Workshops – Brentwood 7pm
Mar 13: Seeing Climate, Seeing Change – Long Beach 7pm
Mar 15+: Good Jobs Green Jobs – LA
Mar 17: WRD Groundwater Fest – Lakewood 10am
Mar 27+: Ocean Frontiers Ocean Stewardship - Long Beach 7pm
Mar 28: Smart Grid Forum – UCLA

California
Mar 7+: GridCom Forum West – S Diego
Mar 7+: Arbor Week
Mar 8+: California Water Policy Conf – LA

National and International
Mar 5+: Green Truck Summit - Indiana
Mar 7+: GLOBALCON – Atlantic City
Mar 14+: VERGE 2012 - Virginia
Mar 14+: Globe 2012 – Vancouver BC
Mar 16: Environmental Film Fest – Wash DC
Mar 19+: EnergyBiz Forum – Wash DC
Mar 27+: AridLID Conf – AZ

California Watch: Wind Power

Wind energy milestone: California now gets about 5 percent of its electricity from wind power
Mercury News: 1.31.201 by Dana Hull

California now gets about 5 percent of its electricity from wind power, according to data released Tuesday by the California Wind Energy Association.

The majority of California's electricity -- 42 percent -- comes from natural gas, followed by nuclear power and hydropower. According to 2010 figures from the California Energy Commission, wind made up 4.7 percent of the state's electricity mix and solar was 0.3 percent.

But in 2011, wind projects that generate 921 megawatts -- enough electricity for more than 400,000 homes -- were installed across the state, which the wind association says should put it above the long-sought-after 5 percent threshold. California has set an ambitious goal of getting 33 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020, and utilities are increasingly signing contracts for renewable projects.

"2011 was a banner year for wind generation in California," said Nancy Rader, executive director of CalWEA, based in Berkeley. "Wind has come a long way and is helping to drive California closer to reaching its goal of 33 percent renewable energy."

In California, the vast majority of wind turbines are clustered in three regions: the Altamont Pass between Livermore and Tracy, Tehachapi near Bakersfield and the San Gorgonio Pass near Palm Springs. While solar panels are visible on homes across the state, massive wind farms tucked away in windy mountain passes that many Californians never see produce much more energy. READ MORE !