Tag: California

  • Diana Beresford-Kroeger, The Tree Whisperer

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    Writing this blog has exposed me to topics and individuals I’d probably never have discovered otherwise.  Sarah Hampson’s article introduces us to Diana Beresford-Kroeger, a scientific visionary who provides the “wisdom of an alternate voice in a scripted society that doesn’t always deliver on its promise.” ‘Grow, grow,” whispers Diana Beresford-Kroeger to a baby white cherry…

  • Meteorites May be Responsible for Life on Earth

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    Daniela
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    The Pentagon Post features an article by Ike Miller that delves into a fascinating hypothesis of how meteorites may have been responsible for life on earth: Scientists were surprised to find that a meteorite that landed in California in 2012 contained all the essential ingredients necessary for the evolution of life. The Meteorite that exploded…

  • Environmental Groups Sue to Stop Planting of GM Crops in Wildlife Refuges

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    Daniela
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    Several on-line sites have posted information about a lawsuit filed by environmental groups to stop the planting of genetically modified crops in wildlife refuges: Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to stop planting genetically modified crops in wildlife refuges in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri. The…

  • Mohsen Namjoo Stirs Things Up

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    Daniela
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    Jon Pareles introduces us to Mohsen Namjoo and his music in The New York Times: The songwriter Mohsen Namjoo stirs things up in Iran. Mr. Namjoo…plays the setar, a long-necked lute, and is steeped in Persian classical and literary traditions. But in Iran, where Western music was banned in 2005, Mr. Namjoo decided to fuse Persian music…

  • Resnick Sustainability Institute’s “RESONATE” Awards Focus on Paradigm Shifting Work

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    Daniela
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    The Resnick Sustainability Institute at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has announced that it has established an award that will honor cutting-edge work that addresses some of the hardest problems in energy and sustainability. The award winners will be announced in the Spring of 2014. The Resnick Sustainability Institute’s “RESONATE” Awards will focus on…

  • Farm Workers Get Help To Be Their Own Boss

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    Daniela
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    Kirk Siegler featured a piece on ALBA Organics on Morning Edition at NPR.  You can go here for the broadcast.  Although ALBA concedes that not everyone will make it, this still gives migrant farm workers an opportunity to become their own boss.  Here’s an excerpt from the story: Northern California’s Salinas Valley is often dubbed…

  • Water Injection Could Trigger Major Earthquakes

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    Daniela
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    Natalie Starke reports on a new study in The Guardian that suggests injecting water for geothermal power or fracking can lead to larger earthquakes than previously thought: Pumping water underground at geothermal power plants can lead to dangerous earthquakes even in regions not prone to tremors, according to scientists. They say that quake risk should be factored into…

  • Sacramento’s farm-to-food bank serves 100% locally grown produce

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    Daniela
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    A number of food banks in California are working to deliver more fresh produce to their clients.  The Sacramento Food Bank is a leader among them.  They used to be “one of those standard food distribution centers where bags of processed foods, carbohydrate-laden government commodities and day-old breads and sweets were bagged and handed to…

  • How Products Get Named

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    Daniela
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    Excerpted from Dr. Ong’s article The Poetry of Brand Naming in Business World On-line: In “Famous Names: Does it matter what a product is called?” (The New Yorker, Oct. 3, 2011), John Colapinto reports that product proliferation has made creative brand-naming a growing necessity. In 1980, fewer than 10,000 hi-tech trademarks were registered in the USA;…

  • San Francisco leading the way with sustainability development program.

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    Daniela
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    San Francisco is, again, ahead of the curve in working with California’s sustainability guidelines to establish a program to reduce water consumption, reduce waste and enhance community-scale energy resources.  Architect News  reports on a new tool called Eco-Districts that will help them get to their goal: To aid in the fulfillment of these goals, the program…