U.S.

Green Resources

WVPE is your gateway to green and sustainable resources in Michiana. Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This is accomplished by finding a balance between businesses, the environment, and our society (people, planet, and profit).State, National and International resources on sustainability include:The Environmental Protection AgencyThe Natural StepSustainability Dictionary45 Sustainability Resources You Need to Know Explore ways to support sustainability in the Michiana area through the Green Links Directory.Sept. 17, 2019 from 2-3:30pm"Global Warming: A Hot Topic"Sept. 17, 19, 24, and 26All sessions are from 2-3:30pmGreencroft Goshen Community Center in the Jennings Auditorium1820 Greencroft Blvd.Goshen, IN 46526The event will look at possible solutions and suffering as well as consequences beyond warmer weather. The event will examine what other civilizations have or haven’t done when faced with environmental problems. Plus there will be an exploration of the biggest unknown in the climate system: What will the humans do? Paul Meyer Reimer teaches physics, math and climate change at Goshen College. The events are presented by the Lifelong Learning Institute. The Institute can be reached at: (574) 536-8244lifelonglearning@live.comhttp://life-learn.org/

California Appears Headed Back To Drought

By Richard Gonzales

Published February 1, 2018 at 9:48 PM EST

Frank Gehrke of California's Department of Water Resources checks the snowpack depth with Courtney Obergfell and Michelle Mead of the National Weather Service.

Federal weather officials say that California is headed into another drought with severely dry conditions in three counties that are home to one-quarter of the state's population.

That assessment, released Thursday by the U.S. Drought Monitor, says that 44 percent of the state is experiencing a moderate drought.

State researchers independently measure the Sierra Mountains snowpack which accounts for about a 30 percent of California's water supply. State officials say the snowpack is less than about a third of normal for this time of the year.

As the San Francisco Chronicle reports,

"If the weather continues to be warm and dry through the first week or two of February, as forecasters expect, even less water will come from the mountain snow.

"'Right now we have a snowpack that is very close to the all-time record low for this time of year,' said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA who closely tracks California's water supplies.

"Not only are we not adding to this dismal snowpack, but we're detracting from it," he said, noting that high temperatures may begin melting snow at lower elevations. "We're going to be going in the wrong direction for the next couple of weeks."

Less than a year ago, state officials lifted a state of emergency when a rainy winter in northern California interrupted five years of chronic drought that necessitated mandatory, and unpopular, conservation measures. However, residents in some areas of southern California say the drought never really ended for them. Southern California has seen only one major storm this season and warm temperatures most commonly associated with June are blanketing the region now. The lack of rain in Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties contributed to the conditions leading to the recent catastrophic wildfires.

But state officials aren't giving up hope on this season yet, reports the Associated Press:

"A bright spot, said Doug Carlson, spokesman for the state's Department of Water Resources, which carries out the snowpack surveys, was that reservoirs remain fuller than usual thanks to last year's rain in the state's north."