Community Bus Stop Improvement Survey

Posted on May 10, 2022May 10, 2022 by Alexandra Reagan

Civic Thread is partnering with Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) to develop a Bus Stop Improvement Plan, which will create a list of necessary and desired improvements to bus stops, amenities, and sidewalks in the SacRT system. We need your opinions and feedback to identify priority bus stop needs. Please share your thoughts about your bus stop priorities to help ensure that this planning process is led by community. This survey will also help us identify areas of concern to hold community walking tours. By taking this survey, you have the chance to be entered to receive a free month of transit on the SacRT system (includes bus service, light rail, and SmaRT Ride).

All questions are optional. The survey will take approximately 3-5 minutes.

Click here to take the survey.

Sacramento among California cities with filthiest air in the US, new study says. What to know

Posted on April 23, 2022May 6, 2022 by Alexandra Reagan

By Brianna Taylor | April 22, 2022 | The Sacramento Bee

Sacramento has some of the filthiest air, according to a new air quality study. The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air 2022” is based on the data of air quality throughout the United States, obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality System. The study focuses on the years 2018 to 2020. According to the 155-page air quality report, the area ranked No. 7 out “25 Cites Most Polluted by Daily Particulate Matter.” The 11 other state cities ranked include: Fresno, No. 1, Bakersfield, No. 2, San Jose, No. 4, Redding, No. 5, Chico, No. 6, Los Angeles, No. 8, Visalia, No. 9, San Diego, No. 13, Salinas, No. 14 and San Luis Obispo, No. 22.

We suggest you also read a letter to The Sacramento Bee written by 2021 Environmentalist of the Year Anne Stausbol, written in response to this article.

Kudos to The Bee for bringing attention to Sacramento’s ranking, once again, as one of the country’s regions with the worst air pollution. The American Lung Association report also shows that we rank ninth worst for ozone pollution. Both particulate and ozone pollution have serious health impacts, especially for vulnerable populations. The report tells us the first thing local governments must do is adopt a climate action plan that supports walking, biking, transit and zero-emission-vehicle infrastructure, with supportive building and parking policies. The Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change made this exact recommendation to the City Council in June 2020. Yet almost two years later, the city has not produced its climate action plan. How can our leaders allow Sacramento to remain on this list year after year? The city must act now to address this public health crisis by enacting a plan that embraces and funds our recommendations.
– Anne Stausboll, Sacramento

Community Earth Month 2022 Events

Posted on March 30, 2022April 26, 2022 by Alexandra Reagan

Although we honor the earth every day, April is often known as Earth Month. Here is a compilation of Earth Month events happening in the Greater Sacramento Region this April!

Thursday, April 21

11:00am – 3:00pm Sacramento City College Earth Day Event.

Friday, April 22

4:00pm – 9:00pm Auburn Earth Day Festival. Hosted by the Placer High School Environmental Club. Overlook Park, 855 Pacific Ave, Auburn, CA 95603. Details: https://enviroalliance.org/events/earth-day-festival/

Saturday, April 23

9:00am – 1:00pm The Great Sacramento clean-up event! Details: https://www.handsonsacto.org/opportunity/a0C5c00000O4XwnEAF/the-great-sacramento-clean-up-event

10:00am – 12:30pm Sacramento EJ Coalition Earth Day Mixer. Details: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sacramento-ej-coalition-earth-day-mixer-tickets-303165806087

12:00pm – 6:00pm Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum Community Earth Day Celebration. 2251 Florin Rd, Sacramento, CA 95822. Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/295569172716632

1:00pm – 9:00pm Earth Day Celebration Hosted by Sac Yard. Sac Yard Community Tap House, 1725 33rd St, Sacramento, CA 95816.

Sunday, April 24

11:00am – 4:00pm SACRAMENTO EARTH DAY! Hosted by ECOS. Southside Park, 700 T St, Sacramento, CA 95818. Details: https://www.ecosacramento.net/our-work/events/sacearthday/about-sacramento-earth-day/

April 22 – 26

Wild and Scenic Film Festival selections. Hosted by Sacramento Citizens Climate Lobby. Details: www.tinyurl.com/WSFF2022

Wednesday, April 27

6:30pm – 7:30pm What Will it Take to Tackle Climate Change? — Kathy Dodson. Hosted by Sacramento Citizens Climate Lobby. (Free Zoom Event) Details: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/earth-day-climate-change-speaker-series-tickets-289994510387

Saturday, April 30

Environmentalists’ Spring Social. Hosted by the Sierra Club Sacramento Group, ECOS and the Sacramento Climate Coalition. Sierra 2 Center, 2791 24th St, Sacramento, CA 95818. Details: https://www.ecosacramento.net/2022/03/environmentalists-spring-social/

Wednesday, May 4

6:30pm – 7:30pm Hope in the Face of Climate Change – Lisa Howard. Hosted by Sacramento Citizens Climate Lobby. (Free Zoom Event) Details: www.tinyurl.com/SACCCL

ECOS letter on Water Agencies’ Participation in Sacramento Area Turf Replacement Study

Posted on February 14, 2022February 14, 2022 by Alexandra Reagan

On February 14, 2022, the Environmental Council of Sacramento submitted a letter to Sacramento Area Water Agencies regarding their participation in a Sacramento Area Turf Replacement Study. Below is the content of the letter.

To: Sacramento Area RWA Water Agencies
The Environmental Council of Sacramento’s Water Committee has begun a project to calculate the potential water savings from conversion of ornamental grasses (turf) to drought-tolerant landscaping in the American River water purveyor area (i.e. Regional Water Authority member agencies). We are interested in your input and participation in this study. This letter describes the study plan. For more information or to participate, please contact Katrina Harrison, PE, ECOS Water Committee member and Project Manager, at kandchf[at]gmail[dot]com or (408) 644-9108.
The Water Committee has met with representatives of the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to share methodologies and inquire about data sources. DWR staff has been helpful but has suggested relying on publicly available datasets. Therefore, Water Committee plans to calculate the area of current ornamental grasses using 2019 or 2020 publicly available fine scale (~1 foot pixel size wherever possible) aerial and infrared imagery. Aerial images include National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP), Bing imagery, Planet, and NearMap.
This imagery dataset will be analyzed using the machine learning, or neural net, algorithms of the software program eCognition to determine turf grass area. Land classifications will be digitized in several sample areas, and the computer model will be trained using those areas including calculating the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as well as a Tree Grass Difference Index. The aerial imagery processing will be validated manually to develop a calculation of the accuracy and estimated error bounds of the analysis.
Following calculation of the area of turf grass, ECOS Water Committee members plan to use California Native Plant Society information on the evapotranspiration and density of different plant palettes – lawn versus drought-tolerant landscaping – to determine the difference in water use. This difference will be multiplied by the area to determine potential water savings.
We appreciate any insight or methodology suggestions you may have. We would like to share our draft results with study participants and will make the final product available to the Water Forum for its consideration in the ongoing Water Forum 2 discussions. If you have an interest in participating, please contact Katrina Harrison at kandchf[at]gmail[dot]com or Ted Rauh at tnrauh[at]att[dot]net. We would appreciate hearing from you before the end of February so that your input can be included in the study.

Click here to view a PDF of the letter.

If the Sierra snowpack vanishes as feared, California will need ideas like this for water

Posted on February 7, 2022February 7, 2022 by Alexandra Reagan

By the Sacramento Bee Editorial Board | February 2, 2022 | The Sacramento Bee

Sacramento — which once only had to worry about seasonal floods — now worries each year about delivering water to its citizens in a hotter and drier California. But there is a way for Sacramento to capture rain and snow, and for the broader region to keep surface reservoirs like Folsom and Oroville lakes nearly full. This same technique could help Sacramento capture enough water to share with neighboring areas in dry years, as well as to store it when we need it most.

black high rise building under grey and white sky during night time

Local Development and EV Charging Stations – Dec 13

Posted on December 10, 2021January 12, 2022 by Alexandra Reagan

Join ECOS Monday December 13, 2021 at 6:00pm for one or both of the discussions on our agenda:

A review of active development projects in the Sacramento area, and discussion of whether ECOS should support or oppose any of them

Proposed state and local zoning changes to assure enough electric vehicle charging stations will be available in new multi-family housing, with a presentation by Guy Hall, President of SacEV

Click here for the agenda.

Click here to join this Zoom meeting.