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Save Water, Energy, Money and the Environment

Volume 10, Number 11

 November 2014 

IN THIS ISSUE...
Calling Volunteers!
SCG
SCE
L.A. Metro
Sanitation Districts
West Basin
City of Torrance
Legislation Corner
South Bay in the News
Consider a Living Tree This Holiday Season
November 2014 Events & Workshops
A Worthy Read
Interesting Domestic and International Articles Discussing the Environment, Energy Efficiency and Water Conservation







 

Upcoming HHW/E-Waste Collection Events



Recycle in the South Bay: Palos Verdes Recycle Center

CALLING VOLUNTEERS!

There has never been a better time to help out and be recognized.
  

Check out our volunteer program and learn how to get involved.   
You can make a huge difference! 
 

 Visit Our Cities


Carson
El Segundo
Gardena
Hawthorne
Hermosa Beach
Inglewood
Lawndale  
Lomita

Manhattan Beach
Palos Verdes Estates
Rancho Palos Verdes
Redondo Beach
Rolling Hills
Rolling Hills Estates
Torrance

SCE Customers in
San Pedro, Harbor City
 / Harbor Gateway & Wilmington

County Unincorporated Areas in South Bay 

2014 REBATE INFORMATION 

  

Southern California Gas Company  

 

Southern California Edison

 

West Basin Municipal Water District  

 

 En Espa�ol

 

Southern California Gas Company


Southern California Edison

 

Sanitation Districts of LA County


Metro - "El Pasajero"

 

 

 

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www.sbesc.com 

  
To read the South Bay Cities Council of Governments' latest edition of its newsletter, 
South Bay Watch,
click here

Where Does Your City Rank in the 

SCE Energy Leader Partnership Program?

 

Platinum Tier
20% Energy Reduction 
City of Lawndale
City of Lomita
City of Manhattan Beach

 

Gold Tier
10% Energy Reduction 
City of El Segundo
City of Hawthorne
City of Inglewood

City of Rancho Palos Verdes

 

Silver Tier
5% Energy Reduction 
City of Carson
City of Hermosa Beach
City of Redondo Beach
City of Torrance 
 
Valued Level
City of Gardena
City of Palos Verdes Estates
City of Rolling Hills
City of Rolling Hills Estates

Did You Know?

According to a study by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP): "Two of the industries in which firms say they are most exposed to substantial water risks are oil and gas, and power utilities (with over 80% of respondents reporting this in each case). Yet only 14% of utilities and energy firms say they have targets for cutting their water intake."

Message From the Executive Director of SBCCOG


It's Thanksgiving month and time to give thanks for how fortunate we are to live in this beautiful place, the South Bay, with our great scenery, growing economy and rich cultural and recreational opportunities. It is also time to reflect on the importance of protecting and preserving what we have by being good stewards of our environment. 

 

And, a good reminder this month is this famous Ancient Indian Proverb:

 

Treat the earth well.
It was not given to you by your parents,
it was loaned to you by your children.
We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors,
we borrow it from our Children.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Jacki Bacharach

Southern California Gas CompanyThe Gas Company

Download the Mobile Energy App

  

Download SoCalGas' mobile app today! You can pay your bill, find a payment location or the nearest CNG station; all while on the go. 

iPhone/iPad 

Android 

 

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Southern California EdisonSCE  

Report Outages and See Outage Maps with Our New Mobile App

 

Your fully charged smartphone is always a "go-to" communication option, especially in an urgent situation when safety is key. SCE realizes that power outages are an unfortunate inconvenience so they've made it easier for you to report and check on the status of power outages using your web-enabled mobile phone. (Data usage charges may apply. Please check with your carrier.)

Download Here

 

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L.A. Metro
Metro Considering Ceding More Power to Subregions, COGs and Cities

  

Metro is considering changing its primary focus from congestion relief to reducing overall Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). This action is intended to accommodate the legislative intent of Assembly Bill 32 (AB32) and Senate Bill 375 (SB375). The motion (as amended) by Directors O'Connor, Dupont-Walker, Najarian, Dubois and Bonin, would suspend future Calls for Projects past the 2015 Call and incorporate an evaluation of this process into the LRTP-update and ballot exploration process with the stakeholding COG's and subregions.

Read Motion

 

Metro Rideshare: What is the Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) Program?

One of the most common concerns shared by commuters is being stranded without access to a car. The Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) Program helps alleviate this concern by providing employees who rideshare to work with a reimbursed ride home in the event of a valid emergency. GRH is a free benefit offered to commuters who carpool, vanpool, take transit, bicycle, or walk to work and work for a company enrolled in the GRH program.
Read More

ExpressLanes - Get 20% off the initial pre-paid toll deposit of $40 

 

Enjoy the benefits of getting through traffic faster with a Metro ExpressLanes FasTrak transponder. Just a reminder to all Auto Club members, receive 20% off the initial pre-paid toll deposit of $40. AAA members will pay $32 for $40 worth of toll credits. Maximum discount is $8 per new account set-up. 

Read More

 

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Sanitation Districts of LA County

Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County

MSNBC News Clip on Sanitation Districts' Food Waste Pilot Project

  

According to the EPA, food waste is the single biggest contributor to U.S. landfills. The Sanitation Districts are testing a program to convert food scraps to usable energy. 

View the Coverage Here
 

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West Basin Municipal Water DWest Basinistrict 
West Basin Sets Water Recycling Record During Drought

 

West Basin's Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility, the only facility of its kind that produces five types of "designer" recycled waters, produced 12 billion gallons of recycled water in Fiscal Year 2013-2014...a record year! As California enters its fourth consecutive year of drought, the recycled water produced this past year would meet the needs of approximately 74,000 households. 

 

City of Torrance 
City of Torrance

Learn More About Torrance's Water Supply

 

The Torrance Municipal Water Department serves approximately 105,000 residents and business customers covering 78 percent of the City. The Department is responsible for local water supply, the monitoring and maintenance of water quality, planning preventive and predicative maintenance, the operation and repair of the water system, distribution system, and interfacing with the State Health Department and other agencies regarding water quality matters.

Legislation Corner 

Californians Pass $7.5 Billion Water Bond: Now What?
 

Passing a $7.5 billion water bond doesn't just turn on a tap somewhere. The money won't flow like all that water California wishes it had. First, the state has to sell bonds to generate the cash. Some Proposition 1 money already exists: There's about $425 million in unsold bonds related to unspecified environmental issues. By passing the proposition, voters have just granted the state permission to use that money for drought resiliency, so now those old bonds will get sold. On top of that the state will get to sell $7.1 billion in new bonds. It may take a decade to sell that whole pile.


South Bay in the News 
Inglewood Prepping For Big Crenshaw-Line-Adjacent Project

 

Just a few blocks west from the townhouses heading to the old Daniel Freeman hospital site, Inglewood's moved one step closer to getting some transit-oriented development up on six parcels facing Market Street, near the in-the-works Florence and La Brea stop of the Crenshaw Line, says the LA Business Journal. The new project would be aimed at revitalizing Inglewood's downtown area along Market, injecting it with pedestrian-friendly shopping, residences, and possibly entertainment that could breathe some life into the dead-ish stretch.

Read More

 

L.A. County Supervisors Expand Reuse, Recycle Efforts

 

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently set a goal of diverting 80 percent of waste from unincorporated communities away from landfills by 2025, equivalent to disposing no more than three pounds per person per day. 

Read More

 

California Drought Boosts South Bay Synthetic Turf Businesses as Homeowners Turn to Artificial Grass 

 

As drought-conscious Californians look for ways to reduce their water consumption, business is blooming for the synthetic turf industry. Chris Hayman of Earth Design Landscape in Redondo Beach said annual revenues have jumped from less than $300,000 in 2012 to more than $2.5 million in the first nine months of 2014.

Read More 

 

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Consider a Living Tree This Holiday Season
Sustainable Tree Features at Annual Holiday Light Exchange 

South Bay Cities Council of Governments wants to thank The Living Christmas Company for loaning a living Christmas tree to kick off our Annual Holiday Light Exchange!  Scotty Claus aka Scott Martin and all his merry helpers helped to ensure that the SBCCOG's message of a sustainable holiday season can be promoted not only through changing out old energy guzzling lights for LED holiday lights but to provide a living example to prompt people to think about a different way to experience a Christmas tree without adding to our landfills.

 

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November 2014 Events & Workshops 
Click Here to See a List of Upcoming Workshops & Events