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Just a reminder that there are a few spaces left in the building with earth class this Saturday. Don’t forget to sign up!

When:  Saturday August 23rd from 9AM - 2 ish
Where: GOOD - 5th and B Streets in West Sacramento
Cost: $10 Per person
Food: Lunch included

All you need to do is send an email Steve@ljurban.com and let him know you are interested.

Levi

Just a little tidbit on what we want to try to do sometime.

PG&E to buy power from solar farms on Calif. coast

August 14, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO - Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said Thursday it has signed contracts to buy electricity from two huge solar power plants to be built near the Central California coast. The utility said it will buy a total of 800 megawatts of renewable energy - enough to power 239,000 homes each year - from subsidiaries of Hayward-based OptiSolar Inc. and San Jose-based SunPower Corp. Officials said the projects represent a major expansion of photovoltaic solar technology, which has been mostly confined to the rooftops of homes and businesses. The two plants in San Luis Obispo County will be able to generate more electricity than all the PV solar-electric systems panels installed in the U.S. in 2007, when 473 megawatts of capacity was added, according to the Solar Electric Power Association. Julia Hamm, SEPA’s executive director, said PG&E’s announcement “represents the largest single photovoltaic commitment from an electric utility anywhere in the world.” Privately held Optisolar’s 550-megawatt Topaz Solar Farm project is expected to begin delivering power in 2011, while SunPower’s 250-megawatt project is expected to start power delivery in 2010. PG&E said it has now entered contracts to buy more than 3,600 megawatts of renewable energy, which represents more than 24 percent of its future power deliveries. California’s investor-owned utilities are required to secure 20 percent of the electrical supplies from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar by 2010. Shares in SunPower rose 7 percent, or $5.67 to $84.24 in after-market trading Thursday, after ending the regular session down 3 cents at $78.57

You see a lot of semis on I-5, but one caught my eye last week as I headed out of town on vacation.  On the back and side it said “OK Produce.” That’s it. Why would anyone name their company OK Produce? Do you want to take a bite of someone’s peach if they say it is just OK? I want a delicious peach - I expect it and expect to pay extra for it.

I had the same kind of feeling when I read a recent article that showed a couple new affordable housing projects in Sacramento. I guess I would call it OK Housing and it makes me sad we have it here. When people come home there should be a good feeling there that results from a well designed
place. Even affordable housing should have that - or don’t build it! Just like there shouldn’t be any OK peaches.

When people come home I think there should be some special touches there to greet them. Not Geography of Nowhere stuff, but distinctive lines and natural materials.

Steve

Michael Zwahlen the incredible photographer from Living in Urban Sac contacted us a few weeks ago and offered to go shoot the Good project. I love his work and have been following him for the past few years so getting an opportunity to have him photograph something we built was an honor.

I got the disk in the mail a few days ago and finally got the pictures uploaded onto a slideshow. You can see it here.

Levi