Ecology Action, Regeneracion Pajaro Valley, and other regional groups are providing personal advocates, events, and other resources to help residents take advantage of electric vehicle incentives.
Climate
Posted inEnvironment
Will climate change make water unaffordable in Santa Cruz? The city’s water director weighs in
Lookout sat down with Rosemary Menard, the longtime water director for the city of Santa Cruz, for a discussion on climate change and the need for investment in water infrastructure here and throughout the state.
Posted inEnvironment
New Leaf Community Markets to ban single-use water bottles, beginning on Earth Day
‘By committing to using reusable bottles, we can remove almost 70,000 single-use plastic, aluminum and glass bottles a year,’ Athena Petty, senior sustainability manager at New Leaf Community Markets, says.
Posted inEnvironment
Art returns to walls of Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History for first in-person exhibit there since 2020
Combining art and science, the Museum of Natural History will open its doors in mid-April for its 33rd annual Art of Nature exhibit, showcasing local artists inspired by California’s natural beauty. There will be a virtual component that kicks off this week, too.
Posted inEnvironment
Tapped for California fish and game commission, UCSC ecologist wants to invite more voices to the table
If her appointment is approved by the state Senate, UC Santa Cruz ecologist Erika Zavaleta would become the campus’ only faculty member actively serving on a state government commission.
Posted inLatest News
Newsom green lights more firefighting resources: What that means for fire-ravaged Santa Cruz County
In Santa Cruz County, the funding announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday will supplement current staffing levels by adding a Watsonville-based seasonal crew from the California Conservation Corps
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County might delay 25-cent charge for disposable cups until 2022, eyes potential ballot measure
Originally, the cup charge was supposed to take effect on July 1, 2020. But then the pandemic hit, prompting the county to delay the launch until the start of 2021. Now, with the pandemic still ongoing, another delay is being pitched.
Posted inLatest News
Rising seas, worsening wildfires endanger Big Basin, other California parks
Big Basin, nearly wiped out by fire, remains closed as the state struggles to protect nearly 300 parks from climate change. Solutions are costly: thinning forests, adding sand to beaches, moving parking lots and buildings.
Posted inEnvironment
Rep. Jimmy Panetta, other lawmakers aim to free up $120M-plus to protect monarch butterfly from extinction
A pair of Democratic lawmakers — including U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, whose district includes Santa Cruz County — introduced two bills Wednesday to tap federal dollars to help protect the struggling species.
Posted inEnvironment
SPECIAL REPORT: With world’s major kelp forests in jeopardy, sea otters coming to the rescue in Monterey Bay
Global warming has disrupted the delicate ecological dance of sea otters, urchins and kelp. But in Monterey Bay, small patches of kelp continue to thrive, and new research credits their survival to the otters.