Showing posts with label Sierra Club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sierra Club. Show all posts

Monday, February 4, 2008

Welcome to 08, will this be the end of Trestles??



Wow, where has the month of January gone... Sorry for the lack of updates. A few good swells to start the year off, ramping the business up for the spring, and trying to stay ahead of the "recession" which the media keeps hyping despite GDP growing (albeit not as strongly as the past few qtrs...) has made this month just fly by.

Don't get me wrong, I am certainly not saying there has not been a slowdown in our economy. My daughter dragged me into a mall last week for the first time in years and it definitely was not bustling. But if you delve into the numbers and don't just listen to the over zealous media machine, the economy "appears" to be doing "o.k." Fortunately we are going into spring and a time that traditionally brings solid consumer spending, so we will know soon.

So what's new? Snow, snow, and more snow! There's lots of good snow all around the world; Europe, Japan, Canadia, and most importantly the good ole US of A all are having epic snow sliding seasons. Yet somehow this season I don't have a single day on snow for the first time in almost my entire life. Gotta change that for sure, can you say Spring Skiing!

The good news is all those watersheds that were dwindling in supply particularly on the west coast here will fill back up with the spring melt off!



One of the biggest environmental battles to face Southern California in years is the proposed 241 toll road right through the middle of our beloved Trestles and San Onofre' state park. For those of you not familiar with Trestles, it is the last remaining relatively untouched watershed and wildlife areas on the coast of So.Cal. And the waves aren't too bad either!

Set aside by President Reagan in the early 70's with a decree to never be touched and with a long and steeped history in the surfing community, many say that Trestles / San O' were the birthplace of west coast surfing. Spanning over 3000 acres of beautiful coastline and home to many endemic and endangered species that can now only be found here this area is certainly a place of solace in the hustle and bustle of So.Cal. Access is by foot, bicycle or skateboard so you truly feel like you are away from everything when you spend a day at Trestles.

On Wednesday Feb 6th @ 9 am the California Coastal Commission will be holding a meeting at the Del Mar fairgrounds and will be (once again) hearing arguments for and against this road. Every major coastal city in So.Cal has voted to against this toll road yet the TCA believes that paving over one of the last remaining coastal resources in California will all the sudden solve the traffic issues we face here.

Check out the Surfrider Foundation website for all the info on this project and how you can help save THE LAST remaining piece of undeveloped coastal So.Cal. by clicking here and sending a letter to the Coastal Commission

Friday, December 7, 2007

Politicians making it happen!

While I usually try and steer clear of politically charged issues and discussions, I can't help but congratulate the House of Representatives on passing a new energy bill (H.R. 6) that could have a significant positive impact on our environment - Of course this seems like a no brainer to me but then that's probably why I am not a politician... :)

- Raising fuel economy standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 -- the first such increase in more than 30 years.

- Requiring 15 percent of our country's electricity to come from clean, renewable, homegrown sources such as the wind and solar by 2020.

- Will dramatically increase production of biofuels to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Now it's up to the Senate to pass the same bill and put it into law. To contact your local Senators and let them know this issue is important to you click here

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Global Warming, hot or not?

At the risk of taking a minor political departure from the melding of passionate lifestyle enthusiasm and contemporary furniture I submit 2 articles for your review.

The First article is from NASA saying they have overstated the rate at which the earth is warming. Click Here

The Second article I found while perusing the BBC news website talking about the alarming rate in which Arctic Sea Ice is shrinking. Click Here

It's no secret that I have long been a fan of taking care of our environment. From growing up in the mountains and joining the Sierra Club at the age of 14 on through moving to the beach and being a longtime supporter of The Surfrider Foundation (and more recently 1%FTP) I have seen firsthand the effects we as humans can have on our environment and the blatant disregard that many people take towards their surroundings.

Mind you I am not an overzealous "eco-nazi" or anything but it's not that hard to do little things like recycle or turn off a light in an empty room. If you get a chance, grab a copy of "The Lazy Environmentalist" written by the ever passionate all around nice guy Josh Dorfman.

To see "Green Products" continue to infiltrate mainstream life and media is great and only good things can come from added awareness.

My take, we are seeing a pattern of global warming that modern society has never experienced. Has this pattern taken place in the past before meteorological records were kept or are we going down a path that Mother Earth has never seen, we will never know...?

But one thing is for sure - Each and every day people across this planet take a new interest in our environment and what they can do to make a difference and thats a good thing!