CITY HALL — While times might be tough financially — as reflected in a city budget that’s 8 percent smaller than last year — a handful of neighborhood improvement projects that residents have demanded for years could survive the cut.
Dear EarthTalk: Are plans to mine uranium near the Grand Canyon, as proposed by the Bush administration in 2008, still underway? — Denton Chase, Half Moon Bay, Calif.
Dear EarthTalk How does the microwave compare in energy use, say, to using a gas or electric stove burner to heat water for a cup of tea? Tempie Dexter, MI The short answer is that it depends upon several variables, including the price of electricity versus gas, and the relative efficiency of the ap
DOWNTOWN — There is finally some good news to come out of Heal the Bay’s 19th Annual Beach Report Card for the Santa Monica Pier. While the beach is still among the dirtiest in the state, making the top 10 “Beach Bummers” list and earning an F for water quality once again, the outlook is positive fo
Dear EarthTalk What is “nanotechnology?” I’ve heard that nanoparticles are already in consumer products, yet we haven’t really studied their potential health impacts.
<i>Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures appearing on upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agendas.
Dear EarthTalk: Has anyone been tracking whether climate change is causing more loss of human life as it gets more pronounced? — Gordon Gould, Compton, CA Researchers believe that global warming is already responsible for some 150,000 deaths each year around the world, and fear that the number may w
DOWNTOWN — There’s the cost of going green, and then there’s the cost of letting everyone know about it. One of the largest local developers of affordable housing, Community Corporation of Santa Monica owns approximately 80 properties in the city, a combination of apartment rehabilitation and newly
CITYWIDE — Using a leaf blower within the city limits has been off limits since 1991, but a daytime walk through most neighborhoods would seem to suggest otherwise, and some residents are steamed.
Dear EarthTalk I run a sorting machine at the post office, and am worried about all the paper dust swirling around the building. I asked both management and our union if this was a health or safety problem and both said no, but I’m not sure they really know.
CITY HALL — A 112-year-old cemetery where more than 60,000 Santa Monica residents have been laid to rest could soon be open to outsiders. City officials plan to change an old ordinance that limits interment at Woodlawn Cemetery to only current residents or former Santa Monicans who lived in the city
CITY HALL — The shrinking surf camp universe in Santa Monica is getting even smaller. More than a year after City Hall instituted a new permitting system to regulate surfing instruction, dramatically decreasing the presence of camps on the beach, the number of licensed companies is slated to go down
