The Daily Transcript takes a look at sustainable development and green building across the country and how it is implemented in the San Diego region.
Funded in-part by the California Coastal Conservancy, the city of Imperial Beach held a second public workshop on Feb. 8 as part of the six-month "Urban Waterfront and Ecotourism Study."
Two of San Diego region's most important economic activities - tourism and agriculture1 - rely on the area's exceptional climate. San Diego County ranks as the 20th largest agriculture producer in the nation, and we are clearly one of the favorite tourism destinations. That translates into more than $5 billion annually for the region. What happens if the weather becomes more extreme, for example more days above 100 degrees and more serious storms? Is San Diego particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change? Yes, and here are some reasons why:
A complete analysis of a company's risk management and insurance program is critical to a successful merger or acquisition. Risk management analysis involves evaluating a company's entire operation to determine exposures to loss. The objective is to understand the firm's risk profile and avoid assuming unknown and potentially costly exposures.
Loreto Bay - the name is almost as lovely as the place. Located on the Baja Peninsula, approximately 700 miles south of San Diego, the charming town of Loreto is a hidden treasure, known mostly to fisherman and history buffs. But word travels fast when you're building North America's largest sustainable development.
The new buzzword in the architectural, engineering, and construction fields is sustainable development. But it is more than a buzzword in the design industry. There are better ways to deliver projects, and design and construction firms are using them.
When a prominent engineering firm chose a rectangular 19,000-square-foot, one-story pre-cast, concrete building in Sorrento Valley to be its local office headquarters, they knew that they wanted to make it a green building. Occupied in April 2004, the building has been completely remodeled and recently received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold level certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) review - the first in San Diego.
Using unique, patented solar technology, WorldWater & Power Corp. (OTC BB: WWAT.OB) helps businesses save money and reduce pollution. Several of the company's most significant recent projects are located in or near San Diego County.
Background
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires facilities that use, manage or store oil to prepare and implement Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) plans.
As 2005 unfolds, businesses nationwide are making more concerted efforts to be environmentally responsible by going beyond standard due diligence and compliance to applicable environmental regulations.
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is gaining increasing attention from architects and builders.
An article in the Wall Street Journal reported on plans for the redevelopment of a superfund site a short boat ride from Manhattan, NY into a world-class golf club. In Newport Beach, Calif., plans are underway to redevelop the Coyote Canyon Landfill into an upscale golf course. The approximately 300-acre landfill has been an operating solid waste disposal facility since 1963 and is presently classified as a Class III Solid Waste Sanitary Landfill.
As building owners continue to demand healthier, more sustainable facilities, one factor will often dictate their final decision to go green: affordability. Hampering their decision is a widely held perception that sustainable building costs more than conventional construction.
San Diego school districts are building new facilities at a blistering pace to satisfy the region's exploding population and its impact on the overburdened school system infrastructure. Many districts now require their design professionals to incorporate "high-performance design" into new facilities and modernizations of older facilities in order to meet and exceed stringent new energy code requirements.
The San Diego County Water Authority will provide financial incentives to residential and commercial customers for installing new, self-adjusting, weather-based irrigation controllers.
Sempra Commodities, the commodity-marketing unit of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), announced Monday an agreement with New Hope Partners, a renewable energy developer, to create a joint venture focused on ethanol production in the United States. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
A portion of a $207 million lawsuit settlement against Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) will be used to create the Energy Policy Initiative Center at the University of San Diego School of Law.
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- The Southern Nevada Water Authority and the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association have proposed a program that could dramatically increase the efficiency of water use in new homes.
After observing the current interest in green buildings ("Good to Go Green," Dec. 17, 2004), I discovered also that there are perks from green automobiles. Last month both The Economist and the Automobile Club of Southern California in Westways praised the future of hybrid cars for saving fuel and keeping air less polluted.
RENO (AP) -- A Carson City company is looking into the possibility of generating power with a wind farm in northern Nevada.
BERKELEY -- Haute cuisine is going green in a program that recycles restaurant and household food scraps into high-grade compost for Northern California vineyards.
OAKVILLE, Wash. -- John Henrikson logs his own land, downing the worst wood first and letting the best stuff keep growing.
Keith Lewinger, a common name to anyone who knows anything about regional water, is haunted by the distinction between a bureaucrat and a public servant.
RENO (AP) -- A Carson City company is looking into the possibility of generating power with a wind farm in northern Nevada.
BERKELEY -- Haute cuisine is going green in a program that recycles restaurant and household food scraps into high-grade compost for Northern California vineyards.
OAKVILLE, Wash. -- John Henrikson logs his own land, downing the worst wood first and letting the best stuff keep growing.
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