San Diego Unified School District: Trying to Go Green
By Marilyn Bruno, Climate Writer The April 25th vote of the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) to pass a Resolution to cut CO2 emissions was a major step towards achieving net zero by 2035. The Resolution calls for the electrification of the SDUSD fleet of buses and maintenance vehicles and the replacement of water heaters, gas stoves, etc. in the 226 educational facilities in the District. In this article, I’m spotlighting two high school leaders who led the Climate Action campaign that helped to make this happen: Emma Weibel (Sophomore at La Jolla H.S., age 15) and Theo Martien
SanDiego350 Kicks Off Earth Week with Our First Carnival for Climate
By Deanna Alderson, Climate Writer The sun was shining and the crowds were full of enthusiasm at SD350’s first Carnival for Climate, held on Saturday, April 15th in Balboa Park. It was a fantastic way to kick off Earth Week, with hundreds of guests enjoying games, entertainment and the festive atmosphere, all while learning about the importance of climate action. Thanks to our generous sponsors, we were able to make this event free and open to the public, and we ended up raising over $11,000(!). But this event wasn’t just a fundraiser—it was a way to bring our community together
We’re Taking Transit to the Ballot with Let’s Go! San Diego!
By Steve Gelb, Transportation Team Co-leader “Let’s Go! San Diego” is a campaign to put an initiative in front of voters on the November 2024 ballot that would fund transit infrastructure and operations in San Diego County, prioritizing investment in communities of concern. This initiative is crucial to achieving our goals of climate justice, environmental health, and a connected, equitable future for all San Diegans. SanDiego350 and the Environmental Health Coalition are launching a coordinated grassroots effort that brings together a coalition of community-based organizations and hundreds of volunteers in order to collect thousands of signatures from June to November,
Earth Day – We need to act now!
By Marilyn Bruno, Climate Writer Last year, I wrote an article about the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 and how it was created to divert the attention of young voters from the Viet Nam War. In 2015, most countries of the world signed the Paris Agreement, pledging to meet UN emission reduction targets to ensure that 2030 temperatures do not exceed 1.5 degrees Centigrade above 1997 levels, they have failed. Despite some progress (replacing fossil fuels with biofuels, building wind farms, installing solar panels, and transitioning to electric vehicles), Earth Day 2023 looks gloomy. Most countries have failed
Transportation for All – Lifting Up Communities with Microtransit
More than fifty community participants, panelists, advocates, and experts participated in a community workshop on microtransit organized by SanDiego350 on Saturday, March 4, at the Malcolm X Library in southeast San Diego. Barry Pollard of the Urban Collaborative Project welcomed the participants and laid out the challenge to decision-makers to stop speaking of equity and start doing something to address transportation inequities in communities south of Route 8. Microtransit refers to pooled rides in shared vans running on fixed or on-demand routes and schedules serving locations within a zone that is underserved by last-mile connections to transit. John Niles, a
Rally Against Banks Over Climate Change Funding
By Diane Lopez Hughes Over 50 San Diego climate activists rallied at Chase Bank Plaza at 101 West Broadway and marched to Citibank today as part of a national day of action across the US to pressure the major banks to stop financing the expansion of the fossil fuel industry. Organizers included Third Act SoCal, Sierra Club, SanDiego350, SanDiego350 Youth, Climate Action Campaign, ACT, Hammond Climate Solutions, Surfrider, and the Interfaith Coalition for Earth Justice. The rally was among the more than 100 events that took place in over half the United States involving rallies, art installations with activists cutting
World Planting Day: Why More Trees Equals a Healthier Planet
By Deanna Alderson, Climate Writer World Planting Day is March 21st, and there’s no better way to usher in the start of spring than by making our planet a bit greener. This month, we’re supporting Kate Sessions Commitment, an organization dedicated to planting trees throughout every San Diego neighborhood. They’ve partnered with local nurseries to make healthy trees readily available, and they’ll help you find a tree that suits your growing location. Here are five ways that trees keep our planet—and our neighborhoods—healthier and more resilient to climate change. 1. Trees play a critical role in the global carbon cycle.
Advocate for Your Local CAP!
By Brenna Farris, SanDiego350 Intern The time to advocate for and enable CAPs is now! A Climate Action Plan, commonly known as a “CAP”, is an integral outline of how a specific jurisdiction, such as a town or city, plans to tackle climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions created within that jurisdiction. These plans propose new ways to deal with the effects of climate change that we are already experiencing. CAPs are incredibly important tools when it comes to fighting the climate crisis. At SanDiego350, we are here to encourage and support you in your efforts to advocate for
Climate Action Is My Calling
By Joyce Lane, SD350 Board President How I got Involved in the Climate Movement and Why There is this idea that when you retire from the work world you will take a break – travel, take up artistic endeavors, take classes or just “veg out” and do nothing. Yet there are other people who use the additional time to get involved with a cause or a volunteer effort. A few years after I retired I was looking for some way to get involved using my skills and to keep active. I was trying to find a meaningful volunteer “job.” Health
President Biden: Declare a Climate Emergency Now!
By Denika Tamayo, Action & Equity Coordinator On Saturday, January 21st, SanDiego350 and hundreds of San Diego climate advocates marched around the Federal Building calling on President Biden to declare a climate emergency and end fossil fuel extraction alongside dozens of events held around the nation. San Diego 350 and nationwide environmental justice, frontline and Indigenous organizations in collaboration with the People vs. Fossil Fuels coalition partnered in one of dozens of nationally coordinated demonstrations across the country calling on the President to act boldly and ensure the nation continues to advance climate justice solutions despite a divided Congress. Protestors
“PFAS” in our Drinking Water
By Marilyn Bruno, Climate Writer One of the saddest realities of our lifetime is the contamination of our drinking water by the manufacturers of PFAS – per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances – a class of about 12,000 chemicals used for the past 50 years in consumer and industrial products that we use every day: non-stick pans, plastic packaging, waterproof apparel and furnishings, fire retardants, etc. PFAS are linked to cancer, liver disease, kidney stress, and other serious health problems. PFAS are particularly dangerous because they do not degrade in our bodies or in the environment for centuries. Yes, centuries. This is
Tips to Reduce Your Energy Usage Amid SDG&E’s Dramatic Price Hikes
By Deanna Alderson, Climate Writer Energy costs soared this winter, and San Diego residents were in for an unwelcome surprise when they opened their gas bills. San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) was already charging the highest electricity rates in the nation, and the rate for natural gas doubled from December to January. About 25% of customers are now behind on their bills, and it’s even led some residents to organize a payment strike. SanDiego350 has joined an effort calling on the city council to investigate the rapid rate increases, and Governor Newsom has asked for a federal investigation. We’re
Member of the Month: Alli Dangio
This month, we interviewed SanDiego350 volunteer, Alli Dangio to share about their climate activism. Alli is a dedicated member of SD350’s Youth v. Oil. How did you first get involved with SD350, and when was that? I first became involved with SD350 at the end of September 2022, through Youth v. Oil. I first heard of SD350 at a protest I attended during the summer protesting the decision of the Supreme Court to remove the ability to place state level caps on carbon emissions from EPA. What drives your activism? The main thing that drives my activism is the realization
Extreme Cold is the Direct Result of Global Warming
By Marilyn Bruno, Climate Writer Did you know that global warming can actually cause extreme cold snaps, too? Anyone who has seen the 2004 movie, The Day After Tomorrow, has imagined a world where weather disruptions such as the arctic blast over the northern hemispheres can be the result of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions exceeding the tipping point. This process thins the protective atmosphere and triggers shifting of high pressure air layers to areas of lower pressure (causing a lot of wind). In the movie, the winds turned into Superstorms, which is the stuff of science fiction. What is not science
Member of the Month: Danny Fuchs
This month, we interviewed SanDiego350 volunteer, Danny Fuchs to share about their climate activism. Danny is a dedicated member of SD350’s Transportation Committee. How did you first get involved with SD350, and when was that? Back in Sept. of 2021, I was feeling a bit down after the latest IPCC report was released and was looking to help out in any way I could. I was already an SD350 sustaining donor and Masada actually reached out to me around that time and asked if I wanted to be more engaged with the organization. She introduced me to the different policy
Year end message from SanDiego350’s Executive Director
As we approach the end of 2022, I wanted to share some of SanDiego350’s accomplishments for the year and reflect on how the climate movement’s progress and momentum this year sets us up for bigger and bolder strategies in 2023. I also want to express my gratitude to our volunteers and donors who make everything we do possible. To me, 2022 is the year when I can first see all the hard work we’ve put in over the past decade really starting to pay off. It’s been a long time coming, and all of us should be proud of what
A Roundup of COP27 with Firsthand Insights from Climate Activist Monica Nelson
By Deanna Alderson, Climate Writer The United Nations Climate Change Conference, the COP27, ended last month without a global commitment to phase out fossil fuels. Frustratingly, the deal reached at the end of the two-week summit did not attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions beyond the modest pledges made in Glasgow last year. The new agreement also made reference to “low-emissions energy,” which raised fears that some governments are looking to expand natural gas operations instead of transitioning to renewable energy. This certainly wasn’t the bold, immediate action needed to drastically reduce global emissions, but there were a few encouraging
Team Wins and Accomplishments in 2022
By Alexa Lewis-Rosenfeld, Communication and Marketing Team Co-leader As 2022 comes to a close, it is a great time to reflect on SanDiego350’s momentous wins and accomplishments this past year. Our community worked relentlessly to fight climate change and climate injustice and it has paid off. See some of the highlights below. Food and Soil Team The Carbon Farming Working Group (CFWG) wrote a proposal to the County in 2021, asking that they include carbon sequestration from carbon farming techniques as a primary measure in revision of the Climate Action Plan (CAP). The CFWG kept up the pressure in 2022
Post Election Wrap-Up
By Augusta Lewis, SanDiego350 intern Election Results: Proposition 1: PassProposition 30: FailMeasure B: PassMeasure C: PassMeasure D: Pass SanDiego350 sent out a November 2022 Ballot Measure Recommendation email that stated SanDiego350’s positions on the state propositions and San Diego City ballot measures related to climate change, the environment, and social justice. California state proposition and San Diego City ballot measure results have now been certified. Here are how the SanDiego350 endorsed ballot measures and state propositions did in the November 8th election. Measure B – PASSED 50.41% – Amend the People’s Ordinance to ensure equitable trash costs SanDiego350 recommended a
A Climate-Friendly Holiday Season: SD350’s Guide to Celebrating Sustainably
By Deanna Alderson, Climate Writer Celebrating with family and friends is a wonderful way to share the joy of the holidays, but parties, presents and abundant feasts can have a hefty carbon impact. Here are a few ways to make your celebrations climate-friendly and ring in the holiday season sustainably. 1. Just say NO to food waste Americans throw away over 200 million pounds of leftover turkey during the holidays! It’s a staggering amount of waste, and most of this extra food ends up in landfills, where it decomposes and produces methane. Nearly a quarter of all waste in American