This article is an offshoot of California community action focusing on community resources and assets. Resources such as networks, events and community involvement (people and relationships) can be considered as primary resources. Also resources are the activism and physical assets (or what citizens value), such as green spaces and biodiversity, cycle lanes, food initiatives, etc, from the other California community pages.
Community resources[edit | edit source]
- omnicommons.org
- Library of Things, service from the Sacramento Public Library
- Northern California Land Trust, the oldest CLT in California
Food activism[edit | edit source]
- Lunch at the Library, free meals and learning opportunties added 16:04, 30 September 2020 (UTC)
- Bay Area Seed Interchange Library (BASIL)
- Benicia Community Gardens
- Food Commons Fresno
- Harvest Club of Orange County
- Homeless Garden Project, Santa Cruz
- Altadena Community Garden
- OC Food Access Coalition
See also: Urban agriculture in California, Category:Locally Delicious
Commons[edit | edit source]
Embassy Network Coliving, Silicon Valley
In 2006, Jessy Kate Schingler and four young engineers landed jobs at NASA in Silicon Valley. Instead of opting for cheaper housing with a long commute in one of the most expensive housing markets in the U.S., they rented a large house nearby and started the first coliving community, Rainbow Mansion. They discovered there was a glut of mansions in the area. They saw a way to create a better quality of life at a lower cost by sharing a mansion, but what was most important to them was growing as people. So, they created an environment to accelerate their personal and professional development through collaboration. In addition to sharing rent, utilities, cars, and food, they began supporting each others' professional projects including startups. They also sought out other people who were interested in changing the world for the better. They hosted workshops and events to learn and network beyond the four walls of their home. They often kept one or two rooms open so young innovators from other countries could visit.
Following Rainbow Mansion's example, many early coliving communities became hubs of learning, innovation, and social activity. Thus the pattern for coliving was set. Now there are hundreds of coliving communities worldwide.
Jessy took this one step further by creating Embassy, a network of coliving houses that give tenants access to many communities. She describes this lifestyle as, "one rent, many locations." Others have followed her lead, and the coliving movement grows as young workers have a great need for affordable housing, meaningful friendships, and professional development. My friend Chelsea Rustrum says of the coliving experience:
"You develop deeper, more real relationships and have the potential to actually work together, actually help each other. Not just in professional ways but in personal ways also."[1]
Community energy[edit | edit source]
- Local Clean Energy Alliance, Bay Area membership organization
- Lancaster Choice Energy
Solar power in California[edit | edit source]
Solar power has been growing rapidly in the U.S. state of California because of high insolation, community support, declining solar costs, and a renewable portfolio standard which requires that 60% of California's electricity come from renewable resources by 2030, with 100% by 2045. Much of this is expected to come from solar power via photovoltaic facilities or concentrated solar power facilities.
At the end of 2023, California had a total of 46,874 MW of solar capacity installed, enough to power 13.9 million homes in the state. California ranked as the highest solar power generating state in the nation, with solar power providing for 28% of the state's electricity generation. 63% of solar generation was produced by utility-scale solar farms, with the other 37% produced by distributed generation. The Solar Energy Industries Association predicts that California will increase its solar capacity by over 20,000 MW over the next five years, the second highest increase in solar capacity in the country behind Texas at 41,000 MW.
The state government has created various programs to incentivize and subsidize solar installations, including an exemption from property tax, cash incentives, net metering, streamlined permitting for residential solar, and, in 2020, requiring all new homes have solar panels.
Wind power in California[edit | edit source]
Wind power in California had initiative and early development during Governor Jerry Brown's first two terms in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The state's wind power capacity has grown by nearly 350% since 2001, when it was less than 1,700 MW. In 2016, wind energy (including that supplied by other states) supplied about 6.9% of California's total electricity needs, or enough to power more than 1.3 million households. Most of California's wind generation is found in the Tehachapi area of Kern County, California, with some large projects in Solano, Contra Costa and Riverside counties as well. California is among the states with the largest amount of installed wind power capacity. In recent years, California has lagged behind other states when it comes to the installation of wind power. It was ranked 4th overall for wind power electrical generation at the end of 2016 behind Texas, Iowa, and Oklahoma. As of 2019, California had 5,973 megawatts (MW) of wind power generating capacity installed.
Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle[edit | edit source]
- Californians Against Waste
- Repair Café Palo Alto
- Wikipedia:City of Oakland's Zero Waste Program: The City adopted a Zero Waste Strategic Plan in 2006, detailing a road map for the City to follow toward the implementation of a Zero Waste System by 2020. Oakland residents have played an important role in moving the City toward Zero Waste. Using their buying-power, consumers can tell industries that products must be non-toxic, reusable, recyclable or compostable or they will stay on the shelf.
Sharing[edit | edit source]
Toy Cycle, Platform for Families to Swap Toys
Video for community action[edit | edit source]
Citizens data initiative[edit | edit source]
The Wellbeing Project, information from the City of Santa Monica's Office of Wellbeing.
Other resources[edit | edit source]
- The Ecology Center, Berkeley
- Energy and Sustainable Development, information from the City of Berkeley
Past events[edit | edit source]
2014
May 3 Pasadena Earth & Arts Festival
Near you[edit | edit source]
See also[edit | edit source]
- Topic overview: Community resources, Community energy, Citizens data initiative
- US context: Resources USA, Community energy USA
References
