June 13, 2008 Now Entering: New Orange County Sign The Orange County Transit Authority (OCTA) (http://www.octa.net) may be running on clean-air fuel, but are their minds just as clean? Heads are planning to erect a 18-foot "Orange County" (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/06/orange-county-w.html) monument on the five freeway when motorists cross the border and spend $250,000 while doing so. Yes, their plan is to spend a quarter of a million dollars on a sign instead of improving public transportation. And $25,000 to maintain the aesthetic every year thereafter. After a board meeting earlier this week, the OCTA committee (http://latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-sign10-2008jun10,0,5615447.story) decided to continue to debate about the overall look of the sign.  Survey: What are your thoughts on the sign? How do you think the city should spend your tax dollars for public transportation? Talk about it in our forum. April 17, 2008 Orange County Ranks Among Top Producers of Greenhouse Gases Orange County ranks 47th among 3,141 counties nationwide in releasing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (C02) into the atmosphere, says a new study by Purdue University. The county produced 4.71 million tons of C02 in 2002, the last year for which comprehensive data was available from the Environmental Protection Agency when Purdue began its study. According to researchers, about 74 percent of the C02 was released by cars, trucks and other vehicles. The top three producers of C02: Harris County, Texas, where Houston is located, with 18.62 million tons; Los Angeles County, with 18.59 million tons; and Cook County, Illinois, where Chicago is located, with 13.20 million tons. February 28, 2008 State Treasurer Lockyer Unveils Green Building Bond California Treasurer Bill Lockyer recently announced a $5 billion bond measure proposal which would implement green building measures for state-owned buildings. If passed, the bill would hopefully show leadership from the State of California by retrofitting and adding renewable energy sources to as many state owned buildings as possible. Currently, the state of California is the largest property owner in California with over 200 million square feet of office buildings, most of which are old and extremely inefficient. February 7, 2008: 241 Toll Road Extension Denied After nearly 12 hours of deliberation, yesterday, the California Coastal Commission (CCC), voted 8-2 to deny an extension of the 241 toll road. The extension would have cut through a habitat reserve in Orange County and San Onofre State Park. The crowd at the hearing, a mixture of supporters and critics of the tollway project, was the largest turnout for any meeting in the CCC’s 36-year history. February 5, 2008: The New Green Card. Emissions Reducing Credit Cards The latest pitch from credit card companies is that your credit card can help save the environment. Now, typically plastic and the environment don’t go hand-in-hand but these new ‘green’ cards would allow a consumer to channel a percentage of their total spending towards emission reducing initiatives. Some companies target 1% of the spending towards such projects while others match dollar for dollar. So far Bank of America and General Electric are the two prominent companies backing such cards, but check with your personal bank to see if other options exist. January 20, 2008: Lake Forest Recycling Program Lake Forest City Council has agreed to let city staff apply for a recycling grant that if approved would place drop boxes at City Hall for batteries and medicines among other items. Orange County has allocated $1 million for the 2007-08 fiscal year to promote recycling. The grant awards are scheduled to be announced in March. January 18, 2008: Clorox launches line of green cleaning products (Yes, not an Orange County company but big news nonetheless). The Clorox Company has announced the addition of a line of natural, biodegradable cleaners that they’re calling Green Works. The Green Works products will also carry the logo of the Sierra Club; both Clorox and the Sierra Club hope the alliance brings these kind of products into the mainstream. January 9, 2008 Eco-Friendly Smart car coming to Orange County Mercedes-Benz of Laguna Niguel will be selling the popular European Smart Car. Mighigan’s Smart USA will be selling the 2008 Smart ForTwo model. The eco-friendly Smart car is sold in 36 mainly European countries. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the diminutive Smart Car, it’s a two-seater that measures under 9 feet long and is 5 feet wide and 5 feet tall - the selling point is the 40 miles to the gallon fuel economy. This cute, fashionable and efficient car is priced in the $12,000-$13,000 range. January 8, 2008 Clean Energy Fuels finishes the year with 26% gain Seal Beach-based Clean Energy Fuels finishes the year with 26% gain and a market value of roughly $660 million. It’s May Nasdaq IPO helped raise $120 million including $110 million for the company. January 8, 2008 Surterre Properties launches with green in mind When Surterre Properties launched last year with an ad campaign that ran in local publications with the signature rock, beautiful seashell and lush greenery, it quickly generated attention. Within one short month since its premiere Surterre Properties had secured 45 top agents, marking an astounding 450% growth with absolutely no end in sight. Now, at just over 1-year new, Surterre commands a strong prescence in Orange County real estate and has grown to 180 agents. January 6, 2008 Fisker Automotive Unveils Battery-Powered Luxury Car Fisker Automotive Inc., based in Irvine, recently released an $80,000 battery-powered car which it hoped to release in late 2009. The Fisker Karma achieves a 50 mile range on pure electricity before a small gasoline engine kicks in to generate the electricty needed to charge a lithion-ion battery pack. Aside from hitting the environmental niche the Karma also tugs the strings of those concerned with 0-60 mph times, 5.8 seconds to be precise. January 3, 2008 Great Park Balloon Open Formerly closed for maintenance and repairs due to heavy winds, the Great Park Balloon has opened once again for flights. Thursdays-Fridays from 10 am to 3 pm. Weekends from 9 am to 3 pm. January 3, 2008 Firm Green Inc., Extends Leadership in Renewable Fuels Firm Green Inc. and PlasmaTech recently announced that they just completed an agreement for PlasmaTech to become FirmGreen’s exclusive sub-Licensee of CO2 Wash® technology for the Caribbean region. OC Green Guide Copyright 2008http://www.octa.net/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/06/orange-county-w.htmlhttp://latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-sign10-2008jun10,0,5615447.storyForum.htmlshapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2shapeimage_1_link_3
Orange County Green News
There is a lot of information out there. OC Green Guide is striving to deliver interesting, relevant and even quirky news about green companies, local initiatives, new eco-friendly products as well as upcoming events in Orange County. We believe green news is good news and are always open to suggestions. Share here.
 
Contact How-to Green Guides OC Green Guide Community About Articles