Milestones: 10 Million Trees
In 2008, Trinity Oaks Winery in St. Helena started its One Bottle One Tree program (www.onebottleonetree.com), which funds the planting of a beneficial tree for every bottle of Trinity Oaks wine sold in partnership with nonprofit Trees for the Future. Trees are mainly planted in tropical locations around the globe, where they’ll have the most beneficial impact, using agroforestry techniques tailored to the needs of the community. That’s all well and good, but here’s the big news: In late 2013, the program surpassed the 10 million trees planted mark. The moment was celebrated with a ceremonial tree planting at Trinchero Family Estates (which owns Trinity Oaks).
Drive Into the Sunset
Sometimes you hear something that makes so much sense, you wonder: Why didn’t I think of that? The Pacific Coast Sun Trail is one of those things. The idea, the brainchild of Richard Sachen, CEO/founder of Sunspeed Enterprises, is to create a network of electric vehicle (EV) charging hubs along California’s coastal Highway 1—bringing ecologically conscious travel along the scenic route one step closer to reality.
In January 2014, a hub was opened in Pt. Reyes Station at the old Livery Stable (65 Third Street), offering two different connectors depending on whether you want to charge up fast or stick around a while and explore (the plan is for hubs to be located at inns, restaurants and resorts, where drivers can get a quick bite to eat and drink while waiting for their cars to charge).
Sachen envisions fee-based charging stations all along the Pacific Coast Highway, from Malibu to Eureka, located at convenient distances for travelers to recharge. Coming next will be hubs at St. Orres Hotel in Gualala and in Duncan’s Mill on Highway 116 just east of Highway 1 in Sonoma County; one or both should be open this summer.
To help finance the venture, Sachen is seeking first round investment funding to develop the Pacific Coast Suntrail Charging Hubs, and he’s also established a membership program for drivers who want to support the project.
Here Comes the Sun
2013 marked a significant tipping point in the history of clean energy: For the first time since 2000, the world installed more new solar photovoltaic generating capacity (36.5 gigawatts) than wind power (35.5 gigawatts). Total global wind power capacity is currently 2.5 times the size of solar, but with the installed cost of solar expected to fall around 7 percent annually, projections are that, by 2021, global solar PV capacity will surpass wind power.
