Results matching “license plate” from NEXT100

Posted by: Jana Morris

"Nature Within Reach" is a slogan you may soon see on a license plate near you. That is if the California Coastal Conservancy can get the 7,500 pledges required for DMV to adopt the new plate, which was created by several environmental groups including the California Coastal Conservancy, the Bay Area Open Space Council and the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture. All proceeds from the sale and renewal of the plate will directly fund restoration, conservation and public recreational projects throughout the Bay Area.

"The program allows any individual who owns an automobile in California, to be able to purchase a special Bay Area license plate," said Bettina Ring, executive director, Bay Area Open Space Council. "The Conservancy in turn provides funding to organizations to improve public access, recreation and educational facilities and programs in and around the San Francisco Bay. The funding will protect and restore natural habitats and connect trails, parks, watersheds, scenic areas, agricultural land and other regionally significant lands."

Getting your hands on a plate is simple. Go to www.bayarealicenseplate.org then enter your current plate number, mailing address and pay with a credit card. The plates cost $50 for initial registration ($90 for personalized plates), with a $40 annual renewal fee ($70 for personalized plates). The goal is eventually to raise $1 million per year for Bay Area projects via the license plate and have more than 25,000 of the plates in circulation.

"It provides a secure, sustainable source of funding for the protection and restoration of important lands throughout the San Francisco Bay Area," Ring said. "It allows us to take care of what we already have and ensure more parks, trails, farmland and natural areas are protected for future generations.
 
The name of the plate, "Nature Within Reach," was submitted to an online survey by Brian DiGiorgio of Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

For more information on the license plate project visit www.bayarealicenseplate.org.

Posted by: Leonard Anderson

Several items relating to the business and technology of clean energy and the environment caught our attention this week:

Worldwide venture capital funding in green technology companies fell 33 percent in 2009 to $5.6 billion amid the global recession, according to a survey by consulting firms Deloitte and Cleantech Group. Investments in solar power plunged 64 percent but the industry remained the top green tech sector and accounted for 21 percent, or $1.2 billion, of total investment. Energy efficiency companies drew $1 billion in venture financing and transportation ventures took in $1.1 billion. The top three green investors were Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, SAIL Venture Partners and RockPort Capital Partners.

Specialized California license plates with environmental themes are failing to attract very many takers. A plate featuring a bear and a mountain would fund projects of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy but only 256 copies have sold. A Golden Gate Bridge plate sponsored by the California Coastal Conservancy has only 455 takers. Commemorative plates costing $50 a year help pay for new parks, hiking trails, beach restoration and other projects but the bad economy and gas prices are hurting sales. "For a lot of people these days, specialized plates are a luxury," says a spokeswoman for the Department of Motor Vehicles.

A controversial wind farm project proposed off Cape Cod may see further delays after the National Park Service ruled that Nantucket Sound was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Two Massachusetts Indian tribes said 130 wind turbines would thwart their spiritual ritual of greeting the sunrise and disturb ancestral burial grounds, the New York Times reports. The wind project, in the works since 2001, is strongly supported by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and opposed by Cape Cod homeowners and boaters. The late Senator Edward Kennedy, whose Hyannis Port compound looks out on the proposed site, was the project's most powerful opponent.

Posted by: Jennifer Zerwer

The Ohio State Highway Patrol has installed five-watt solar panels on its fleet of 1,150 cruisers in effort to reduce fuel consumption and extend the vehicles' battery life. The new solar arrays will allow officers to turn vehicles off during stationary patrols and continue to operate their radios without draining the vehicle battery. To help mount the panels, the agency created custom brackets from recycled, mis-printed license plates.