California seeks to build one of world's largest recycled water programs

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is in talks with Los Angeles County sanitation districts about developing what could be one of the largest recycled water programs in the world.
In a committee meeting Monday, the agency’s staff presented the framework of a plan to purify and reuse as much as 168,000 acre-feet of water a year – enough to serve about twice that number of households for a year  http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-mwd-recycled-water-20150922-story.html
Article courtesy of Los Angeles Times/ latimes.com by Matt Stevens

Uber’s Plan for Self-Driving Cars Bigger Than Its Taxi Disruption

Uber has fundamentally changed the taxi industry. But its biggest disruption may be yet to come.
The ride-hailing company has invested in autonomous-vehicle research, and its CEO Travis Kalanick (pictured above) has indicated that consumers can expect a driverless Uber fleet by 2030. Uber expects its service to be so inexpensive and ubiquitous as to make car ownership obsolete. Such ambitious plans could make its disruption of the taxi industry look quaint in comparison
- See more at: http://mobilitylab.org/2015/08/18/ubers-plan-for-self-driving-cars-bigger-than-its-taxi-disruption/#sthash.cak7Sysz.ohfyOuOc.dpuf  http://mobilitylab.org/2015/08/18/ubers-plan-for-self-driving-cars-bigger-than-its-taxi-disruption/
Article courtesy of Mobility Lab by Paul Goddin

Forget the "Next Brooklyn," Bring In The Next Newark

Real estate developer Ron Beit is passionate about Newark, New Jersey. Dedicated to its downtown revitalization, he has worked on dozens of projects in the city’s core, including the mixed-use Teachers Village and Makers Village, with its noteworthy indoor vertical farm design. I talked to Beit recently about the potential he sees in Newark, working within a historic district, New Jersey politics and more.http://smartgrowth.org/forget-the-next-brooklyn-bring-on-the-next-newark/?utm_source=SGN+2015-0824&utm_campaign=sgn-news-2015-0824&utm_medium=email
Article courtesy of SG online blog by By Tom Dallessio AICP/PP via NextCity

Taste Test: Five Foods Made From Trash

At least 30 percent of food ends up in landfills each year in the United States. Thanks to these five noshes—all made from castoffs—the trash piles are a little smaller. http://sierraclub.org/sierra/2015-5-september-october/taste-test/5-foods-made-trash?pi_email=pmorris%40transactionassoc.com&pi_state=MA&suppress=true&src=1btn&utm_source=greenlife&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter
Article courtesy of The Green Life -Sierra Club by Chelsea Leu

Uber and Lyft could start operating at LAX within weeks

After weeks of debate, the Los Angeles City Council today approved a policy that would allow ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft to apply for permits to fully operate at L.A. International Airport.

Uber and Lyft could be operating at LAX in a matter of weeks. Los Angeles will be the largest city in the nation to allow such services to pick up passengers alongside taxis at its airport.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-uber-lyft-lax-20150824-story.html
Article courtesy of Los Angeles Times by Laura J. Nelson

Astronomers discover the smallest known supermassive black hole

Here's a cosmic contradiction: A tiny supermassive black hole. Astronomers using the Magellan II telescope in Chile and NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have discovered the smallest supermassive black hole yet found at the center of a dwarf galaxy. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-tiny-supermassive-black-hole-dwarf-galaxy-oxymoron-20150812-story.html
Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Amina Khan

California will soon have toughest shower head requirements in nation

Current rules, established in 1994 at the federal level, allow a maximum flow of 2.5 gallons per minute from a shower head.
Effective next July, the limit will fall to 2.0 gallons per minute and will be reduced again in July 2018, to 1.8 gallons, giving California the toughest standard of any U.S. state http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-shower-heads-20150812-story.html
Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Kurt Chirbas and Taylor Goldenstein