Category: California
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Cost-Effective Net-Zero Houses Built in a Matter of Days
The Santa Monica-based award-winning green design studio Minarc partnered up with Habitat for Humanity, and a local non-profit firm Restore Neighborhoods LA to design and build affordable, net-zero energy prefabricated homes in the low-income areas of South Los Angeles. Together they built 3 homes, which were all built on vacant lots in the poorest neighborhood…
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22 Cosmetics Companies File for ‘Trade Secret’ Status to Skirt Toxins Law
Twenty-two companies have requested trade secret status to avoid telling the public about toxic chemicals found in nearly 1,500 cosmetic products included in the new California Safe Cosmetics Program Database. The database was released earlier this month as part of the state’s Safe Cosmetics Act, which requires companies to report ingredients in their cosmetic products…
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Groundbreaking Legal Agreement to End Use of Toxic Flame Retardant in Foam Furniture and Children’s Products
Today, the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) announced groundbreaking legal agreements that for the first time aim for an end to the use of harmful flame retardant chemicals in foam furniture and children’s foam products from major companies. The agreement with Playtex (Energizer Personal Care), West Elm (Williams Sonoma), Britax and 11 other companies comes…
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Amidst Mega-Drought Hundreds Urge Gov. Brown to Ban Fracking at State of the State Address
Around 200 concerned Californians gathered outside the Capitol building today to urge Gov. Brown (D-CA) to mitigate the state’s drought by halting the water-intensive drilling technique called fracking, and other extreme oil extraction methods. [caption id="attachment_318931" align="alignnone" width="500"] Activists unfurled a three-story banner across the street from the State House, where Gov. Brown was giving…
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California’s Drought: The New Normal
Gov. Jerry Brown has officially declared a drought in the state of California. Californians are being asked to reduce their personal water usage by 20 percent in 2014, projected to become the driest year on record. [blackoutgallery id=”318413″] Scientific projections regarding climate change suggest that these dry conditions could become the new normal. The drought proclamation…