Benicia Sustainability Commission to host electric vehicle exhibit at Mini Maker Faire

(Originally published in the 4/15/16 edition)

   A 2006 documentary asked the question “Who Killed the Electric Car?” The answer 10 years later: nobody. As attendees of tomorrow’s Mini Maker Faire will learn, the reports of the electric vehicle’s death have been greatly exaggerated.

   The Benicia Sustainability Commission will have an exhibit highlighting the growth of electric vehicles as well as the potentially positive impacts they could have for the future. 

   “The Mini Maker Faire’s very future-oriented, and I think people are getting more into doing things themselves and hands-on projects, and electric vehicles are very much the way of the future,” BSC commissioner Kathy Kerridge said.

   Kerridge owns a Chevrolet Volt, which will be on display at the Maker Faire along with a Chevrolet Spark, Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S. Kerridge says she has been a proponent of electric vehicles for a long time, and owning a Volt has only deepened that appreciation.

   “I am now more of a proponent than ever just because of my own personal experience with the car,” she said.

   Among the benefits of electric vehicles that Kerridge cites are lower greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint, air pollution prevention and lower fuel costs.

   “They’re also super fun to drive,” she said. “They have incredibly fun acceleration, so if you like to go fast, they’re great.”

   The booth will have owners of electric cars answering questions from attendees and a video on why people drive electric cars. Unfortunately, Kerridge said, attendees will not be able to test drive these cars at the event.

   “We’ll be able to steer them to local dealers who have these vehicles and can do test drives,” she said. “Once people get in and test drive an electric car, it sells them on it. We hope people have enough interest that they go and test drive one.”

   Benicia Sustainability Commission will not be the only ones with an electric vehicle exhibit. Benicia company California E-Bike will be showing off electric assist bikes, and SolTrans will also have a bus on display. 

   “We hope people take away that these cars are great to drive, they’re economical and they’re great for the environment,” Kerridge said.

   The Mini Maker Faire will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, April 16 at Benicia Middle School, located at 1100 Southampton Road. For more information on the event, visit BeniciaMakerFaire.com. 

Benicia businessman attends Paris climate conference

(Originally published in the 1/7/16 edition)

   A month ago, the United Nations held its Climate Change Conference in Paris where representatives from 196 nations gathered for a historic agreement, and a Benicia businessman was there to witness it.

   Grant Cooke, the CEO of Benicia mechanical engineering firm Sustainable Energy Associates, has authored books on the topic of climate change, including “The Green Industrial Revolution” and “Global Energy Innovation,” which he wrote with Woodrow Clark. Clark worked with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 and has also served with Beverly Hills’ United Nations Association.

   “This group was trying to put together representatives to attend the Paris conference, and I became one of their representatives,” Cooke said. 

   The conference was held in multiple venues in the Paris suburb Le Bourget from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11. The event fell just two weeks after a series of terrorist attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead.

   “There was a lot of security and a lot of separation in the various activities,” Cooke said.

   Nonetheless, approximately 40,000 people from across the world attended the conference, which had the goal of getting the nations to agree to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius by 2100. 

   “The interesting thing about the conference is that most of the work that was done in the agreements were done behind closed doors with a variety of high-level government officials,” Cooke said. “The negotiations of the agreement were announced at the end.”

   During the conference, Cooke attended events like the Earth to Paris summit, which saw presentations from figures like Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, actor Alec Baldwin and California Gov. Jerry Brown. 

   “(Brown) made a presentation on what California was doing,” Cooke said. “He talked about the necessity for developing political will and that the reason California is moving forward at such a rapid manner had to do with the fact that the California voters were completely in support of non-carbon energy generation.”

   Cooke was also impressed with the large number of college students he saw as well as the people he met with in the field of emerging technologies.

   “A guy from Berkeley that was there had developed a biogas processing system that I had never seen before,” he said. “There was also a fellow from New York that I had a chance to talk with who’s developing an ECHO community in the Virgin Islands.”

   “It was nice to see that there was a large contingent of young people that were actively pursuing a more environmentally friendly planet.”

   For Cooke, one of the highlights of the conference was seeing the United States and China, two countries known for high pollution rates, come together to draft an agreement on greenhouse gas reduction.

   “The Chinese dream was built on cheap coal generation, as the American dream was built on cheap carbon generation,” he said. “Now, both nations have realized the damage that’s being done to the planet and are slowly changing their perspective to help reduce the amount of climate levels going into the atmosphere.” 

   Cooke believes that political structure and financial investment can drive an economy not based on oil and that Benicia should adopt that model.

   “Benicia is primarily a carbon-based economy,” he said. “They’re going to have to change, and unless the city itself understands how this world is evolving, it’s not going to be able to sustain the city budget and the city services that we have now.” 

   He noted that the oil era is winding down, and the refineries in cities like Benicia will have to figure out how to adapt.

   “The logical thing to do is not wait for these refineries to lock their doors and walk away,” he added. “The logical thing to do is begin a conversation with these refineries and figure out what their plans for the future are and how that future of a diminished capacity and diminished profits and tax revenue is going to impact the city.”

   Cooke and Clark will have a new book out in February titled “Smart Green Cities.” 

Photo courtesy of Grant Cooke

Superhero teaches students about environmental awareness

(Originally published in the 11/25/15 edition)

   As you read this, a caped Avenger is touring Solano County promoting justice. She may not be Captain America or Iron Man, but her goals are just as noble.

   She is…Petrolia, the Used Oil Avenger!

   Petrolia, a life-sized recycled drop of used oil, is visiting classrooms across the county as part of the Suisun Marsh Watershed Program. In 2014, the cities of Solano received a CalRecycle Competitive Used Oil Grant, which promotes the importance of recycling used motor oil to protect the land and waterways. 

   However, Petrolia is not the only environmental superhero in Solano County. Since 2001, a giant bilge pad named Bilgee has been the mascot for the Lake Berryessa Watershed Partnership, which aims to keep engine fluids out of the lake since Berryessa is a primary drinking source for Solano County.

   “Berryessa’s always been a huge hit,” Marianne Butler, the environmental education program manager for the Solano Resource Conservation District, said. “We thought ‘Let’s see what we can do about getting a new character for Solano County since Bilgee’s up in Berryessa.” 

   As the story goes, Petrolia began life as a small oil droplet on the East Coast. After being involved in an oil spill on the Chesapeake Bay that killed thousands of sea birds, Petrolia was so aghast that she vowed to make a difference. She began encouraging people not to pour their oil down drains and educated them on how to recycle used oil. She met Bilgee at a superheroes conference, and with Bilgee’s devotion to Berryessa, he felt Petrolia would be a beneficial educator for Solano County.

   “He texted her about an open position in Solano County to talk to kids about keeping the storm drains clean,” Butler said.

   Students from across the county helped design Petrolia’s costume, which consists of a green cape, black high-heeled boots and a blue leotard with a multi-colored recycling symbol. They also helped brainstorm ideas for her introductory comic book.

   “This is a really meaningful experience for children to connect with a cartoon character,” Butler said. 

   The response from students upon seeing the character has been very positive.

   “They get this bright-eyed look on their faces with intrigue and interest,” Butler said. “She captures their attention. The reason we created her was to capture their attention and to really push home the importance of keeping storm drains clean.” 

   In December, Petrolia will be visiting 21 classrooms in schools that are partnered with the Suisun Marsh Watershed Program.  As fifth through seventh graders in Vallejo, Fairfield, Suisun City, Dixon and Rio Vista learn about the program, they will receive a visit from Petrolia. 

   “By the end of December, we will have had about 1,300 students go through the program,” Butler said.

  Additionally, the Used Oil Avenger will visit third graders in the spring as part of the Watershed Explorers Program. 

   “We bring the students to an outdoor open space to learn about their watershed,” Butler said. 

   As of now, Petrolia is scheduled to visit around 80 classrooms and 2,200 students in the spring. This will include Benicia third graders, who will be hiking from the Glen Cove Marina to the Benicia State Recreation Area. 

   “They’ll be doing different types of plant propagation,” Butler said. “Petrolia will then visit their classrooms after they participate in the program.”

   Butler hopes that students will become more educated on how they can be mindful of their own environment.

   “Our long-term goal is for students to become watershed stewards of the local resources in our county,” she said. “It’s really important for us that students go outside to visit the open spaces, and they form a connection to the spaces outside around their houses. That’s why we’re working now to bring students to their local parks.”

   Moreover, Butler sees Petrolia as a good way to get kids excited about protecting the Earth. 

   “We’re working to keep our streets and cities clean, and Petrolia is one avenue that takes us there,” she said.

   For more information on Petrolia or the Solano Resource Conservation District, visit SolanoRCD.org or contact Jamie Solomon at (707) 678-1655 x 116.