Sustainable Novato

Not good! We’ll need to take a hard look at the way we use our precious and limited resources- like fresh water. The age of unlimited water use needs to end, and we need to take a close look at our biggest consumers!

Scientists warn that the alarmingly low waters in Lake Mead and Lake Powell are unlikely to change anytime soon. Both bodies of water are located in the main channel of the Colorado River basin, which supplies approx 25% of the water for coastal Southern California. Read more: https://go.nowth.is/3RFLU6y

In 2000, Lake Mead was filled with so much water that it was splashing against the lake’s spillway gates. In 2023, after years of global warming and megadroughts, Mead is estimated to be nearly 70% dry.

Meanwhile, Lake Powell is now at 23% from its full capacity. Powell’s water levels are so low that the nearby Glen Canyon Dam is at risk of no longer being able to properly provide electricity for nearly 6M customers across Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Nebraska.

‘Now the water use is maxed out. Every state is taking too much, and we have to cut back. And so there’s just not enough. You would need wet year after wet year, after wet year after wet year, after wet year. Even then, because the demand is so high, it still wouldn’t fill,’ said Bill Hasencamp, manager of Colorado River resources for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, to the Los Angeles Times.

Scientists warn that the alarmingly low waters in Lake Mead and Lake Powell are unlikely to change anytime soon. Both bodies of water are located in the main channel of the Colorado River basin, which supplies approx 25% of the water for coastal Southern California.

Similar enzymes discovered in 2020, but this new discovery involves a natural process and has some VERY promising implications as we clean up our mess and recover / move away from our dependency on single use plastics!

Wax worm saliva and the enzymes therein are the key to polyethylene degradation by Galleria mellonella - Nature Communications The crucial first step in the biodegradation of polyethylene plastic is oxidation of the polymer. This has traditionally required abiotic pre-treatment, but now Bertocchini and colleagues report two wax worm enzymes capable of catalyzing this oxidation and subsequent degradation at room temperature.

This is a fantastic service! We’re lucky to be in a community that had invested in future-proofing our city and conserving our resources.

💦♻️💦 𝙉𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙤 𝙎𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙩 has been providing high quality recycled water to North Marin Water District to irrigate large landscapes for over a decade.

Recycled water frees up potable water for homes and businesses and helps KEEP NOVATO GREEN, especially during the drought!

This is a great local resource, and such a convenient way to de clutter / keep e-waste (ie heavy metals) out of our landfills! 🙂

EVERY THURSDAY!!! Conservation Corps North Bay (CCNB) is providing Free E-Waste Pick-Up for Novato Residents. Pick ups are made by appointment only. Schedule yours today!

➡️ EMAIL: [email protected] or
➡️ CALL: (415) 454-4554
➡️ For more information visit the CCNB website: https://www.ccnorthbay.org/events/recycling-specifics/

Fun activities for the family or just with friends this spring!

Common misinformation about our EV future and ! EV’s are the future and they’re here to stay 🙂.

Engineering Explained: Yes, The Grid Can Handle EVs We’ve all seen it. Insufferable fanatics of fossil fuels, seeking to win an argument against electric vehicles, pull out what they think is the ultimate argument against them: “Where does that power come from?” They have all of their facts from decades ago in order. All power comes from coal-f...

This has the beginnings of some real progress! We as citizens still need to iron out some important details with the City to make sure that the commission members have the voice they need and the local support to act.

Let us know your thoughts, we are here to help represent our members. Sustainable Novato will be staying on top of the process as the commission gets defined and moves forward!

Novato seeks to form climate commission The proposal calls for a five- to seven-member panel that would include one or two students in high school or college.