October 2011 - Sustainability - list.sfgreens.org

[Sustain] Wow! SFPUC Staff To Make Urban Composting Toilets Presentation Tomorrow
by Eric Brooks 24 Oct '11

24 Oct '11

Hi all, Exciting note on tomorrow's SFPUC hearing! Wastewater Enterprise staff responded to my request that they study composting toilets, and are doing a great presentation on them early in the SFPUC meeting tomorrow, which shows that in some applications their installation can meet or beat sewer system upgrade costs. The hearing is in SF City Hall, Room 400, 1:30pm. Attached is the presentation power point, and the URL for the hearing information is at: http://sfwater.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=1646 cheers Eric B

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[Sustain] FYI: SF Clean Energy Stewards, Wed Oct 26 - State Renewables Standards Enforcement
by Eric Brooks 18 Oct '11

18 Oct '11

Bart Broome (SFPUC) wrote: Energy and Renewable Power Stakeholders: The SFPUC invites you to the next Clean Energy Stewards meeting on Wednesday, October 26 at 5:00pm. At this Stewards meeting Power Enterprise staff will discuss the Enforcement Program for the state’s Renewable Energy Resources Act (SBX1-2) signed into law earlier this year. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission will consider the Enforcement Program in their meetings on November 8 and December 13. We look forward to reviewing the Enforcement Program at the Clean Energy Stewards meeting. Details: What: Clean Energy Stewards When: Wednesday, October 26 – 5:00 to 6:30 pm Where: San Francisco Public Utilities Commission offices, 1155 Market Street, 6th Floor Please RSVP by replying to this email. Best regards, Bart Broome Government Affairs Manager 1145 Market Street, 7th Floor San Francisco, CA 94103 Office: (415) 554-0706 | Fax: (415) 934-3918 | bbroome(a)sfwater.org Please consider the environment before printing this email. San Francisco Water, Power, and Sewer | Services of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

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[Sustain] Shark Fin Ban Becomes Law!
by Eric Brooks 07 Oct '11

07 Oct '11

http://na.oceana.org/en/blog/2011/10/victory-west-coast-shark-fin-ban-compl… Oceana: The Beacon Victory! West Coast Shark Fin Ban Complete <http://na.oceana.org/en/blog/2011/10/victory-west-coast-shark-fin-ban-compl…> Posted Fri, Oct 7, 2011 by Emily Fisher oceanic whitetip shark At last, the good news you've been waiting for: California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill banning the trade of shark fins. California has joined the ranks of Washington State, Oregon and Hawaii, who have all passed similar bans. Oceana supported this legislation from the beginning, and we are thrilled that Governor Brown has passed it into law, completing a West Coast ban. Each year, tens of millions of sharks <http://na.oceana.org/en/our-work/protect-marine-wildlife/sharks/overview> are killed for their fins, mostly to make shark fin soup. In this wasteful and cruel practice, a shark’s fins are sliced off while at sea and the remainder of the animal is thrown back into the water to die. Without fins, sharks bleed to death, drown, or are eaten by other species. In recent decades some shark populations have declined by as much as 99%. Removing sharks from ocean ecosystems can destabilize the ocean food web and even lead to declines in populations of other species, including commercially-caught fish and shellfish species lower in the food web. While shark finning is illegal in the U.S., current federal laws banning the practice do not address the issue of the shark fin trade, so shark fins are imported to the U.S. from countries with few or even no shark protections in place. “Today is a landmark day for shark conservation around the globe” said Susan Murray, Oceana’s Senior Pacific Director. “The leadership shown by legislatures and governors of California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii sends a strong message that the entire US West Coast will no longer play a role in the global practice of shark finning that is pushing many shark species to the brink of extinction.” *A huge thanks to everyone who called your legislators and Governor Brown and helped secure this enormous victory for our oceans' top predators!*

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