How getting your water generates greenhouse gas, and what can be done about it

It’s not just about the car you drive. A key step in reducing reliance on fossil fuels is to understand how -- and how much -- they are used in daily life, including the delivery of essential services. The huge job of storing, moving and... Continue

Going to an event on Sonoma Plaza? Forget plastic bottles

The year's first large outdoor events on Sonoma Plaza will test the City's new ban on Single Use Plastic, such as water and beverage containers. Under the rule that went effect this year, vendors will no longer be allowed sell beverages in Single Use Plastic... Continue

Generation Ag: The new faces of farming

By Stacey Tuel In Sonoma, we’re lucky to have a new generation of farmers taking to the frontlines. A dedicated group of young valley farmers are doing more than feeding us delicious produce; they are also stewards of our land and soil. Recently, I spent... Continue

New grant program will fund sustainable winegrowing

Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW) have launched a new grantmaking program to support county-wide sustainable wine growing efforts. SCW has set aside $100,000 and will be funding 250 vouchers, valued at $400 each, to offset sustainability certifications. In order to participate, growers have to have completed... Continue

Replacing water-hogging plants

Sustainable landscaping? Xeriscaping? Drought-scaping? Whatever the gardening term, the days of thirsty plants are over, according to Aaron Ryan of Cottage Gardens. At the Valley of the Moon Garden Club meeting on May 7, Ryan will discuss “Switching-out ‘water-hog plants’ for ‘water-conservation’ plants.” The Bay... Continue

Sustainability…. What does it mean?

Sustainability is a term in widespread use, if not overuse, and its precise definition continues to evolve. We’ve asked a variety of people involved in exploring sustainability to provide their view of it from particular points of view. As you will see, like beauty, sustainability is... Continue

‘Sustainability’ must be more than a word

Since the Industrial Revolution humans have set in place trends resulting in excessive global warming, alarming species extinction, air and water pollution, and over-consumption of natural resources, the consequences of which threaten not only the integrity of our environment but our very survival. Sustainability --... Continue

Sustainable, with a hint of oak

There was an audible gasp earlier this year when thieves reportedly stole bottles of very expensive wine from a prominent Napa restaurant. Immediately, readers wondered: What can possibly make a bottle of wine worth $5,000? Longtime Valley residents know the key ingredients of expensive wine:... Continue

Sustainable Ethics

The current discussions surrounding the topic of sustainability generally revolve around systems analysis and a scientific approach which evaluates resources, utilization rates, waste production, economies and other quantifiable and measurable elements. As far as this goes it's useful and necessary; a world of finite resources,... Continue