The Daily Catch

• Unsung hero of Bay Area green waste
  By Victoria Schlesinger 

  02/22/2011

  For more than ten years the local company Bayview Greenwaste has been collecting tree branches, palms, and bamboo and turning them into mulch. The kicker is the company then gives it away for free and has provided soil for umpteen Bay Area urban agriculture projects, including Hayes Valley Farm, Urban Edibles, and public schools with the Urban Sprouts program. [Grist]

• Brewing storm could bring snow to San Francisco
  By Victoria Schlesinger 

  02/22/2011

  The National Weather Service is speculating that a bitter cold front moving toward the Bay Area could bring snow not only to the region’s peaks, but to elevations as low as downtown this weekend. The last time San Francisco city streets saw snow was in 1976. On the bright side, expect a rain reprieve early this week. [Press Democrat]

• Government investigates Toyota Highlander 2006 hybrid
  By Victoria Schlesinger 

  02/22/2011

  Owners of the popular SUV Toyota Highlander 2006 have reported the hybrid car’s engine stalls when it hits speeds of 40 mph or faster. So far no injuries have been reported. Last week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began a preliminary investigation into more than 40,000 vehicles. [San Francisco Chronicle]

• Little chance of Mavericks surfing contest
  By Victoria Schlesinger 

  02/22/2011

  Swells big enough to host the annual Jay at Maverick’s Big Wave Invitational during its designated window of time just have not arrived on the San Mateo County coast this year. The potential contest period began December 1 and will close February 28, and contest organizers say, quite literally, there are no swells on the horizon. [SF Appeal]

• Wolverine watch
  By Victoria Schlesinger 

  02/21/2011

  While enjoying the fresh snow in Tahoe this holiday weekend you may have had a brush with an elusive and lone critter: the wolverine. A very large weasel-like creature not normally found in the Sierra’s has been living in the forests north of Donner Summit for the past three years. Today’s Sacramento Bee has a great update on the beastie’s status. [Sacramento Bee]

• Aging dams ready to burst
  By Victoria Schlesinger 

  02/21/2011

  A significant number of the country’s dams are not aging well and at least half of California’s 1,247 state-regulated dams are ranked “high hazard potential.” The Lake Isabella Dam east of Bakersfield is among those most in need of repair, but it is unclear where the $500,000 million needed to repair it will come from during hard economic times. [New York Times]

• SFPUC to treat sewage in its new lobby
  By Victoria Schlesinger 

  02/21/2011

  The San Francisco Public Utility Commission’s new super green digs, which it hopes to occupy in Spring 2012, will feature a well disguised s sewage treatment plant in its lobby. The “Living Machine” system will use indoor landscaping to purify waste water that can be reused for irrigation and in toilets, saving the PUC some 750,000 gallons of water annually. [Clean Technica]

• The Delta’s funding is in peril
  By Victoria Schlesinger 

  02/18/2011

  KQED’s Forum discusses the Delta and the GOP threat to its federal funding during its 9:00 am hour. [KQED]

• Room temperature and weather influence belief in climate change
  By Victoria Schlesinger 

  02/18/2011

  It’s often noted that when NASA scientist James Hansen first told the senate in 1988 about the dangers of a warming planet, the day was sweltering hot. According to a new study by UC Berkeley Haas business school professor Clayton Critcher, the heat influenced Hansen’s audience.  Critcher found that people are more likely to say they believe global warming exists if they feel over heated when answering the question. Participants in the study were posed the question both outdoors on a hot day and inside in a heated cubicle. [UC Berkeley]

• Muybridge’s historic San Francisco photos on display at MOMA
  By Victoria Schlesinger 

  02/18/2011

  A 250-piece retrospective of work by the photographer of horse galloping fame Eadweard Muybridge will open on February 26 at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Murybridge, who’s genius is credited with paving the way for cinematic film, composed hundreds of pictures of San Francisco and Yosemite Valley’s rugged terrain. [New York Times]

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