The electric car—quiet, fast and clean—has captured some media attention since the release of the sleek Tesla Roadster 18 months ago. But it’s not a new idea. Some of the first cars ever built, going back to the 19th century, were battery-powered. And the contemporary push to break away from the internal combustion engine dates back more than 40 years.
News
Too Much Junk
LAST Saturday, on 350 Day, the International Day of Climate Action, which forward-thinking people everywhere celebrated with carbon-neutral acts of faith in a sunshine-powered future, I was awash in a sea of smelly detritus from the past, flailing around in musty tides of old shoes, T-shirts, plastic Christmas decorations, screws, Tupperware, plastic soap caddies, collectible figurines.
The Campaign for Sensible Transportation Sues Caltrans
Paul Elerick explains why the Campaign for Sensible Transportation filed a lawsuit in Sacramento last week challenging the $22 million widening of Highway 1.
Aptos Elder Abuse Case Goes National
Looking back, James “Pops” Lee’s loved ones say they now read a lot more into things that, at the time they were happening, seemed like nothing special. Lee’s son Bob dwells on the first time he met Fenita Caldwell, a medical supplies saleswoman in her early 40s who lived down the street from his father on Dolphin Drive in Aptos. “She seemed like a sweet lady, professional, highly educated,” he says. “She said, ‘Oh, I love old people.’ I look back on that.”
Did Fire Crews Spark the Loma Fire?
With the 6oo-acre Loma Fire now contained, and residents returning to their homes, investigators are trying to figure out what actually caused the blaze.
School Lunches And Obesity
Another alarming statistic about the kids of Santa Cruz: according to the Santa Cruz County Community Assessment Project, about one in five kids between the ages of 4 and 20 is overweight.
Pot and Booze on the Rise in Santa Cruz
When you don’t want to hear the answer to a question, you probably shouldn’t ask it. That’s a lesson that the California Healthy Kids Survey should consider, now that it has released the finding of its new poll of 6,200 fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh graders.
Car Put on Trial to Mark International Climate Action Day
Automobiles may be a convenient way of getting around, but they are one of the greatest sources of greenhouses gas emissions in the world today. That’s why a group of local climate activists decided to put the car—represented by a beat-up old Honda—on trial for all the problems it has caused.
Another Wildfire in Santa Cruz Mountains
Dozens of families have fled their homes to escape a 600-acre wildfire in Summit area of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Some 100 homes were lost in the same area in May of last year.
The Female Gaze
Perhaps best known for her high-key colors, historic murals and consummate plein air pastels, Ann Thiermann is a tireless connoisseur of other people’s artwork—especially of the vibrant variety of women’s artwork.
