FW: Verizon Launches Green Energy Project to Power 19 Company Facilities Across the Country

NEW YORK – Verizon announced today that it will invest $100 million in a solar and fuel-cell energy project that will help power 19 of its facilities in seven states across the country.  When completed next year, the project will enable Verizon to annually generate more than 70 million kilowatt hours of its own green energy -- enough to power more than 6,000 single-family homes a year -- while eliminating more than 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide -- enough to offset the annual CO2 emissions from more than 1 million gallons of gas. http://newscenter.verizon.com/corporate/news-articles/2013/04-30-green-energy-project/

 

 

 

 

Verizon Launches Green Energy Project to Power 19 Company Facilities Across the Country

NEW YORK – Verizon announced today that it will invest $100 million in a solar and fuel-cell energy project that will help power 19 of its facilities in seven states across the country.  When completed next year, the project will enable Verizon to annually generate more than 70 million kilowatt hours of its own green energy -- enough to power more than 6,000 single-family homes a year -- while eliminating more than 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide -- enough to offset the annual CO2 emissions from more than 1 million gallons of gas.

 

 

 

20-foot boat that drifted to California is tsunami debris

The barnacle-covered boat with Japanese lettering spent 758 days at sea before it drifted onto a Northern California beach.

Nearly three weeks after the 20-foot boat washed ashore in Crescent City, about 20 miles south of the Oregon border, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration determined it was from the 2011 tsunami, the first confirmed debris to reach California. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tsunami-debris-20130427,0,3140009.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Kate Mather

 

Supersonic flight brings Virgin Galactic closer to space tourism

With a sonic boom that resounded above the Mojave Desert, a rocket plane belonging to British billionaire Richard Branson's commercial space venture Virgin Galactic got one step closer to carrying tourists into space.

On Monday the company's SpaceShipTwo ignited its rocket motor in mid-flight for the first time and sped to Mach 1.2, faster than sound, reaching about 56,000 feet in altitude. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-virgin-galactic-20130430,0,507052.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by W.J. Hennigan

 

 

Details about new plan for San Gabriel Mountains raise questions

The Interior Department announced Wednesday that it is recommending to Congress that the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service collaborate in the region, which includes a portion of the Angeles National Forest stretching from Sylmar to roughly five miles west of Interstate 15.

Under the proposal, the region essentially would remain national forest land managed by the cash-strapped Forest Service. But it would draw upon the National Park Service for additional law enforcement, signage, trail maintenance and services such as trash pickup

Article courtesy of Los Angeles Times by Louis Sahagun

 

 

Officials battle giant, rat-sized snails in Florida

Florida has a snail problem. And it's a big one.

The southern part of the state is being invaded by the giant African land snail, a species of snail that can grow up to 8.5 inches in length and that snacks on stucco, car tires and 500 types of plants.

"Just about anything you grow in the garden is on their menu," said Denise Feiber, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services  http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-giant-african-land-snail-20130415,0,2472882.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Deborah Netburn

 

New teaching standards delve more deeply into climate change

The Next Generation Science Standards, developed over the last 18 months by California and 25 other states in conjunction with several scientific organizations, represent the first national effort since 1996 to transform the way science is taught in thousands of classrooms. The multi-state consortium is proposing that students learn fewer concepts more deeply and not merely memorize facts but understand how scientists actually investigate and gather information. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0410-schools-science-20130410,0,6820335.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Teresa Watanabe

 

 

And Guess What's Down?

The good news just keeps coming, because the answeris “driving.” For the eighth year running, individualsare driving fewer miles, per a Federal Highway (FHWA) Administrationstudy. The average American drove 37 fewer miles in 2012 than in 2011—a .4% drop. (Overall traffic didn’t go down,however, because population increases meant that total vehicle miles traveled roseslightly, by .3%.)

The FHWA says people are driving fewer miles due toa variety of factors, including high gas prices, a faltering economy and a younger generation that’s less interested in driving.

Article courtesy of Commute Smart News April edition

Proximity to Public Transit Boosts Home Values

According to a new study from the Center for Neighborhood Technology, property values for homes located near public transportation weathered the housing bust much better than homes without easy access. The study found that residential property values performed 42 percent better on average if they were located within a half-mile of public transportation with high-frequency service — called the "public transit shed" — underscoring that homes closer to public transportation hold their value better.  http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/NewRealEstateMantra.pdf

Article courtesy of Smart Growth Online from a report

 

COMMISSIONED BY AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

PREPARED BY THE CENTER FOR NEIGHBORHOOD TECHNOLOGY

In Many Markets, Rail Beats or Competes With Air Travel

Intercity rail is gaining market share from air travel on many routes between 100 and 500 miles in length. Commuters are finding that train travel can actually be faster when total travel time is considered, including passing through security, waiting to board, taking off and landing, and commuting from an airport to downtown

 

http://streetsblog.net/2013/03/22/in-many-markets-rail-beats-or-competes-with-air-travel/#.UU0QRntDruk.gmail

Article courtesy of Smart Growth online -Streetsblog.net posted by Angie Schmitt

Nobody is declaring a state of drought in California, but ...

When snow surveyors headed into the Sierra Nevada on Thursday for the most important measurement of the season, they found only about half the snowpack that is normal for the date.

It could have been a lot worse — considering that the last three months in California have been the driest of any January-through-March period on record, going back to 1895. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-water-dry-20130329,0,2408609.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Bettina Boxall