Features
Agriculture and Food Systems
First place in coverage of the environment in CNPA’s 2022 California Journalism Awards — Comstock’s: What a Waste – (PDF) Californians throw more than 11 billion pounds of food in landfills each year. Effective in 2022, a new food recycling law aim to reuse it.
First place in agricultural reporting in CNPA’s 2020 California Journalism Awards — Comstock’s: Promise for New Proteins – Advancements in the alternative-protein space ignite in the Sacramento area and forge a global footprint.
Fourth place in agricultural reporting in CNPA’s 2021 California Journalism Awards — Comstock’s: Regenerating our Soil (PDF) – A shift in agricultural practices can help the planet — and the bottom line.
A Change in the Grapevine (PDF) – Wineries and vineyards in the Capital Region are cultivating an environmentally friendly way of life.
Comstock’s: A New Deal for School Meals (PDF) – Providing food to school children is big business and Sacramento City Unified School District aims to do it better.
Wildlife, Conservation and the Environment
Comstock’s: Protecting Open Land (PDF) – California Rangeland Trust monetizes the environmental value of ranches.
Comstocks: California Plans to Conserve 30 percent of land and coastal waters by 2030 – Climate change poses unprecedented threats to California’s threatened biodiversity and degraded habitat. The state’s 30x30 plan aims to protect against it. Will it work?
Comstock’s — The Eco Report: Pass the Salt – Winter road maintenance practices have evolved but salt is still the primary product used to melt snow and ice, despite environmental concerns. Scientists in the Sierra Nevada are looking to study those impacts to help public agencies better balance public safety and environmental health.
Energy and Technology
Third place in in-depth reporting in CNPA’s 2021 California Journalism Awards — Comstock’s: Energy Revolution (PDF)– Emerging technologies in the Capital Region are driving efforts toward electrification of the two most polluting sectors — mobility and buildings.
Comstock’s: Breaking Ground (PDF) – Women in the Capital Region are founding biotech companies with a global reach and working to overcome the gender and equity gaps.
Art, Science and the Environment
Comstock’s: STEAM Engine – (PDF) Proponents of adding art to STEM education say it develops creativity that bridges the sciences with the development of personal expression, emotional intelligence and social awareness: the human factors that define how we relate to the world.
Vocalist Majel Connery performs in Sacramento as a call to action for environmental activism – Blending classical music with modern technology, Majel tells the story of a tree from birth to death from the tree’s perspective, using her music and its influence to move the environmental conversation forward.
News Stories
Environment
Capital Public Radio — California’s freshwater ecosystems are in urgent peril: new report suggests a portfolio of tools may help – A new report sponsored by the Public Policy Institute of California calls for a comprehensive set of tools to revamp management of the state’s watersheds before its too late.
Comstock’s — The Eco Report: The City of Roseville Restores Its Crown Jewel – After years of erosion, the city secures funds to restore a section of Dry Creek that serves as valuable salmon habitat and a recreation destination.
Energy
Comstock’s — The Eco Report: Energy Justice for All – Efforts to secure an equitable clean energy revolution are making headway, but there’s still a long way to go.
Radio
Wildlife and Nature
Living on Earth and The World: Wildly Magical — Animal Encounters in the Galapagos — Travel with me to the Galapagos Islands into the world of wildlife that make the archipelago home.
Living on Earth: Midtown Coyote – A portrait of a mother coyote unfolds as she tries to eke out a living and raise her two pups in the heart of midtown Sacramento.
Living on Earth: How to Love the Stars – Remembering some of my fondest memories of my dad — my first and most influential environmental mentor — and his love of astronomy.
Living on Earth: Legends of the Forest – Discover the sacred giant Sequoias on a day trip to Northern California’s Calaveras Big Trees State Park.
Environmental Education
Wildlife
Sacramento Magazine: King of the River – Enter the fascinating world of the Pacific salmon — the largest of its kind and king of Sacramento’s watershed.
Sacramento Magazine: Alley Cats – Wild and unsocialized, the feral cats of Sacramento are at the center of a battleground between residents but responsible management practices can help.
Sacramento Magazine: Meet Your Neighbor: Virginia Opossum – This misaligned creature is not only fascinating but beneficial. Get to know them!
Sacramento Magazine: Springtime Babies – Learn how you can help wildlife stay safe — and in the wild — if you encounter young this spring.
Fodor’s Travel: 10 Amazing Animals to See in the Galápagos Islands – Meet 10 of the world’s most fascinating wildlife species through an unforgettable up-close-and-personal experience with wildlife in one of the world’s most magical destinations.
Sacramento Magazine: Coyote Guy – Join me for a morning along the American River Parkway with Sacramento’s coyote expert Guy Galante, for an up-close and personal look at coyotes and learn how we can responsibly and peacefully coexist with them.
Agriculture
Sacramento Magazine: Flower Power – Small farmers and agricultural giants are turning toward regenerative agriculture to restore the health of our planet’s soil after decades of destructive practices. You can, too!
Environment and Climate
TIME (contributing reporter to this climate crisis series by Jennifer Fergesen for TIME.com and C02.com — a division of TIME):
Here’s How the Ocean is Being Harnessed As a Climate Solution – In the race to slow the impact of climate change, the ocean is one of our best allies.
Trees Help Protect the Planet From Climate Change. But The World Isn’t Doing Enough to Protect Forests – Forests play a major role in reducing carbon emissions in the atmosphere, but intensifying wildfires and agricultural demands complicate the equation.
Soil’s Power as a Climate Solution Has Often Been Overlooked. Until Now – Soil. It’s the second largest carbon sink on the planet. How we tend the land will determine how powerful it can be.