Who doesn’t love new toys? And if they improve your performance in the surf, snow and mountains—or just make you look cool tooling around town—all the better. Like Swobo’s Baxter ($1,099), an 8-speed commuter bike. It’s got a lightweight aluminum frame and carbon fiber fork so you can ditch the car and speed around town without breaking a sweat or ditching your work-to-happy-hour-appropriate attire. The rear brake cable is hidden in the top tube, which means it won’t catch on your clothing. Other cool features: Shimano hub and disc brakes and 36-hole wheels for better durability and riding ease on rough roads, potholes and railroad tracks. Plus there’s no need to worry about the limited daylight hours on this bike. The seat post has an integrated taillight and the tires come with patented 3M reflective strips, so cars can’t miss you. You’re highly visible—and looking good—on this bike.
Articles by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle
Ecology Action’s $33M Green Energy Bonanza
It took a series of court decisions, two bottles of scotch and a whole lot of nail biting, but the statewide program to offer financing for home and business owners for energy efficiency projects is back on—with Santa Cruz-based Ecology action playing a key role in the landmark $33 million program.
Gift Guide: Hats, Mittens & Socks
It’s easy to lament the onset of winter’s shorter, chiller days, but to do that is to ignore the opportunity to accessorize. Holiday shopping offers the perfect chance to snap up some of the more wild and wooly options that Californians don’t need 10 months of the year. So now’s the time to seize the stockings (and scarves, hats, mittens and muffs) and relish the fashionable add-ons of the season. Here are some style guidelines to keep in mind.
Graywater Rebates Going Unused
“Graywater is a great thing,” effuses Ron Duncan, conservation and customer service field manager for Soquel Creek Water District. “We call it wastewater when it goes down the drain, but it’s not. It’s a resource waiting to be had.”
Skate Local First
Long before chambers of commerce adopted the “buy local” slogan, before slow food and farm-to-table entered the popular lexicon, Steve ‘Birdo’ Guisinger, founder and co-owner of Consolidated Skateboards, battled mega-corporations and made it his mission to educate skaters about the importance of supporting their local skate shops.
Santa Cruz County: A Bag-Free Zone?
For the most part, complaints about a ban on plastic bags come from three constituencies: dog owners that don’t want to pay for puppy poo bags, grannies that reuse their CVS bags as garbage can liners and the American Chemistry Council, a.k.a. Big Plastic.
Decoding The 2010 Election
While the GOP won the House and key state posts in the rest of the union last Tuesday, California saw its own Tea Party takeover of sorts—albeit one with a Left Coast bent.
Santa Cruz Carbon Plan Leads To All Roads
People Power, along with eco allies Transition Santa Cruz and the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, wants to see the Climate Action Plan become less car-friendly. Activists have met with planners and sent letters to the city suggesting that 30 percent of traffic impact fees should be set aside for bike and pedestrian projects, among other measures.
Grave Matters In Santa Cruz
Ocean Street Extension is a dead end—quite literally, for its residents interred at Santa Cruz Memorial Park, catching up on their eternal rest at the mausoleum or awaiting the fiery furnaces at the crematorium.
