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The Butte Environmental Council (BEC) is a non-profit environmental organization based in Butte County, California. Our mission is to protect and defend the land, air and water of Butte County and the surrounding region through action, advocacy and education. BEC was formed in 1975 and for over 40 years, BEC has had a significant voice in shaping the environment and policies of Butte County and beyond.
BEC in the News
Highlights and Sticky Notes:“Vampire energy drain,” as it’s often called, costs U.S. households about $19 billion annually, according to a study by the Natural Resources Defense Council that analyzed the utility meters of 70,000 Northern California homes.Becky Holden, education outreach coordinator for Butte Environmental Council, said not only does the local population continue to grow, but technology has advanced to the point where it’s common for one person to own many devices, like a tablet, laptop, cellphone, iPod and GPS device. “All the outlets are full,” she said.Tags: no_tagby: ndcarter
Highlights and Sticky Notes:It’s worth noting the city has approved the main components of the waste hauling agreement, but has not finalized the details. There will likely be more tweaks made before the October date. The agreement returns to the City Council on July 5.“A lot of people aren’t quite sure what can be recycled,” Holden said. When in doubt, some people tend to just throw things out, or throw too much into the recycling bin.maximizing use of recycling bins, using donation stations and learning to compost can help costs drop “enormously,” especially for people using the largest bin size.Once people realize how easy it is to compost, Holden said they can create their own nutrient rich soil and put organic waste back into the ground instead. “It’s water, food, brown material, cardboard and sunshine,” Holden said.Residents and businesses can end up being slammed with extra fees if they are not disposing of waste correctly. Learning what not to do can help people avoid unnecessary fees.“The goal is to deliver clean recyclables to manufacturers to create new materials and clean green waste to return as compost,”Tags: no_tagby: ndcarter
Highlights and Sticky Notes:The city has scheduled home energy-efficiency workshops in three neighborhoods composed predominantly of older houses: Barber, Chapman and the Avenues. Speakers from the Butte Environmental Council and North Valley Energy Watch will describe quick retrofits, upgrade options and rebate programs. The workshops will take place on successive Wednesday evenings starting May 31 (see “Power to the people,” Greenways, page 16).
You can’t beat the price: free. Organizers hope to boost attendance by serving ice cream—also free—and handing out prizes.Tags: no_tagby: ndcarter
BEC News Interests
Highlights and Sticky Notes:"Oroville Dam may be facing a breach danger from a serious and a dangerous form of a slow motion failure mode of the left abutment of the dam," the report reads."Do not try to ignore persistent 'wet spots' in the nation's tallest embankment dam," Bea said to SFGATE. "Do not try to explain them away using 'trite explanations' like 'all dams have leaks' or 'it is a natural spring.' This dam is an extremely important part of our California water supply infrastructure system. If this dam failed catastrophically during high water in the reservoir, there would be significant deaths and injuries, loss of property and productivity, and damage to the environment."Tags: no_tagby: ndcarter
Highlights and Sticky Notes:Butte Creek’s ecosystem is not in a natural state, however. The spring-run salmon depend on releases of cold water from the DeSabla-Centerville Hydroelectric Project, a 20-megawatt hydroelectric system owned and operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. that encompasses more than 20 miles of canals, flumes and tunnels. For more than a century, the project has connected two distinct watersheds, diverting water from the west branch of the Feather River to three small powerhouses and providing additional flows to Butte Creek.
This is critical for spring-run salmon because they need cold water to survive the summer months and complete their spawning cycle, said Clint Garman, an environmental scientist for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW).As for solutions, the report emphasizes that saving the salmon relies on human investment into currently productive ecosystems and “restoring function to once-productive but highly altered habitats.” For instance, research conducted by CalTrout demonstrates that agricultural activity and healthy fish populations are not mutually exclusive—that, in fact, off-season rice fields can mimic natural floodplains and support rapid growth of juvenile salmon.Tags: no_tagby: ndcarter
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