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Registration is open for This Way to Sustainabil- ity XI, the nation's largest student-run sustainability event drawing environmen- tal leaders from around the nation. The two-day confer- ence is slated for Thursday and Friday, March 24-25, at California State Univer- sity, Chico's Bell Memorial Union. Themed "Many Voices, Common Ground," the con- ference will focus on ways to prepare for a dynamic future which promises un- certain, but generally in- creasing, socio-ecological stresses. This 11th event is hosted by CSU, Chico's Institute for Sustainable Develop- ment (ISD) with extensive involvement by the Asso- ciated Students, a campus auxiliary. ISD Director Jim Push- nik said that this year's key- noters were selected with a few key topics in mind: health, water and food. "At this year's conference, we're all going looking at the same topic (sustainabil- ity), but coming from differ- ent perspectives," Pushnik said. "From politics to eco- nomics to where our food is grown—as people hear these different ideas, they'll realize they're all con- nected." The keynote speaker at a luncheon on Thursday, March 24, is Dr. Daphne Miller, a family physician and associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of San Francisco. Miller will give the talk, "Farmacol- ogy: Total Health from the Ground Up," followed by a signing of her most recent book, "Farmacology: What Innovative Family Farming Can Teach Us About Health and Healing." Later on March 24, San- dra Postel, director of the Global Water Policy Proj- ect, will discuss the ef- fects of a disrupted global water cycle in her key- note presentation, "The Global Freshwater Chal- lenge: New Solutions for a Thirsty World." A keynote presentation on Friday, March 24 will be given by Roger Doiron, founder and director of Kitchen Gardens Interna- tional. Doiron will discuss the benefits of re-localizing our food supply in his talk, "Eat the View: The Fight for Edible Landscapes." Nu- merous breakout sessions will be offered by other ex- perts and leaders through- out the conference, includ- ing a campus sustainabil- ity tour. Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, March 23, students in CSU, Chi- co's International Festi- vals and Events Associa- tion will host a pre-con- ference kick-off from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Trinity Commons featuring live music and dance, games and activities and pre- registration. Each year, students play an important role in This Way to Sustainability, run- ning registration, hosting speakers and acting as cam- pus liaisons. The conference is known as the largest of its kind in the U.S. Online registration ends March 11. Regular confer- ence sessions are free for students. General admis- sion, including faculty and staff, is $35 per day or $50 for both days; a buffet lun- cheon each day is $13. The full conference pro- gram is available online. Sponsorships are still avail- able; for more information, call Teri Randolph at 898- 3333. People who require an accommodation in order to participate in the con- ference or who have ques- tions about accessibility should call the Accessi- bility Resource Center at 898-5959. CHICOSTATE Su st ai na bi li ty conference set for March 24-25 June 11 marks the 4th an- nual California 100, a one- day, 100-mile paddle race from Redding to Chico down the Sacramento River. The race is an epic ordeal, as finish times can be up to 16 hours. This race supports Rivers for Change, an orga- nization dedicated to con- necting people to rivers, en- gendering stewardship by direct experience. Stand up paddle boards, kayaks, canoes, outrigger canoes and surfskis and in- vited to enter. This year organizers have added 50-mile and 25-mile options, all starting in Redding under the Sun- dial Bridge. The finish is in Chico at Pine Creek River Access at Bidwell Sacra- mento River State Park. There will be a check- point where racers must check in and eat a snack and hydrate at River Park in Red Bluff, making this a good spot for spectators. There will be three Cali- fornia 100 Training Clinics in March, April, and May addressing distance pad- dling preparedness, a pow- erful forward stroke and paddling in dynamic water on a river. SACRAMENTO RIVER 4th annual California 100 race set June 11 COURTESYPHOTO A student assists with registration at a past This Way to Sustainability conference. The Internet is a won- derful thing. In what seems like just a few short years, this phe- nome- non has changed our lives — and the world. Some days I won- der how we lived with- out it. But even with all of its wonderful qualities, the Internet can be very intimidating. Sometimes you just need a friend (like me) to slog through all of the nonsense and point you to websites that are highly useful and — most of all — free! A BOWL FULL OF LEMONS. Just in case one of your resolutions this year is to get more organized, check out A Bowl Full of Lemons, an online community for those striving to get their lives in order. The web- site is loaded with ideas and weekly challenges to get you into organization mode. You'll also find tips on budgeting and ways to clean your house. RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS. Watching the news these days can make us want to run for cover. But instead of hid- ing, make your own cor- ner of the world a bet- ter place to be. Visit the Random Acts of Kindness website. You'll find lots of free and low-cost ideas for spreading kindness, such as letting someone go ahead of you in the shopping line or giving someone you meet a sin- cere compliment. Person- ally, I am drawn to the "sew for free" idea. I love needle-and-thread crafts, so the idea of offering to mend, hem or sew some- one's clothes for free, as a simple act of kindness, appeals to me. NEIGHBORHOOD SCOUT. If you are plan- ning to move to a new area or you're simply cu- rious about how your cur- rent town fares overall, check out Neighborhood Scout, a site with real es- tate resources for people considering buying a new home. Once you've searched for your town, you'll find neighborhood informa- tion on crime rates, pub- lic schools, real estate appreciation and much more. Some crime indexes or school ratings may re- quire a subscription fee to access, but an exten- sive amount of informa- tion is free. This is worth checking out. SENIOR DISCOUNTS. If you're over 50, you can take advantage of some great discounts. It's just a matter of knowing where to find them. Visit my website and search for the "Senior List" page. Simply enter your ZIP code to find savings in your area. THE BUY NOTHING PROJECT. If you're fa- miliar with the Freecycle Network, the online non- profit movement that lets you give and get almost anything for free, there's a second option in town: the Buy Nothing Project. This network is built on the same premise as the Freecycle Network, but you make connections with others through Face- book specifically. Maybe you'd like to un- load some furniture with- out paying a take-away fee, or perhaps you're looking to buy a specific piece. It can all happen through a Buy Nothing group. Find a local Buy Nothing group and join through Facebook to get started. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE Five highly useful free websites Mary Hunt Pacific Gas and Elec- tric Co., one of the clean- est utilities in the nation, announced recently that the renewable energy it de- livers to its customers has reached nearly 30 percent. California and PG&E continue to set the pace as national leaders in clean energy and greenhouse gas reductions. State goals called for an average of 23.3 per- cent Renewables Port- folio Standard between 2014 and 2016. PG&E far surpassed that tar- get, serving 29.5 per- cent of its retail elec- tricity sales with re- newable power in 2015. Additionally, PG&E is well ahead of schedule in meeting the state's 33 percent target by 2020. When looking at the company's entire energy portfolio, more than 58 percent of the electric- ity that PG&E delivers to its customers comes from greenhouse gas-free re- sources when including large hydroelectric and nu- clear energy. Geisha Williams, presi- dent of PG&E Electric, said she is proud of the compa- ny's track record as a clean energy leader and this lat- est achievement. "The clean energy trans- formation that began with energy efficiency programs in the 1970s has made quantum leaps through new technologies like so- lar and wind energy, which are part of the green power we deliver to our custom- ers every day," Williams said. "We've made great progress on renewable energy and we aren't done yet. We stand ready to help Governor Brown deliver on the new goal of 50 percent renewables by 2030 because we want to demonstrate to other states that a clean energy future is achievable, and essential for future gen- eration." PG&E delivers a re- newable power mix of solar, wind, geothermal, bio-power and small, el- igible-renewable hydro- electric energy. That diverse portfolio has helped PG&E achieve a carbon emissions rate that is two-thirds cleaner than the national utility average. The company also leads the nation in having con- nected more than 215,000 customers with rooftop so- lar to the grid. PG&E is expanding its clean energy portfolio as large renewable energy projects come on line af- ter years of development, and PG&E customers are enjoying a surge of greener electricity. The company's new So- lar Choice offering gives customers the option to lower their carbon foot- print and purchase 50 percent or 100 percent of their electricity from solar power, without the need to install panels. PG&E has been named one of the nation's green- est utilities in the annual Global Top 100 ranking by Energy Intelligence's New Energy. The rankings are based on carbon emissions and renewable energy. ENVIRONMENT Utility reaches renewable energy milestone The following work- shops are being offered by the Chico State Herbar- ium. The proceeds from the workshops helps to fund the curator of the herbar- ium. • Introduction to Keying Manzanitas (Arctostaphy- los, Ericaceae) March 12 with Tom Parker and Mike Vasey A group considered dif- ficult by many people, the 90+ California manzanitas are actually easy to iden- tify once you understand the characters and how they vary. Tom Park, Professor of Biology and San Francisco State, and Mike Vasey, di- rector of the San Fran- cisco Bay National Estua- rine Research Reserve, will lead the workshop using keys from either the Jep- son Manual, 2nd edition or from their new book, Field Guide to Manzanitas: Cali- fornia, North America and Mexico, written by the in- structors and Michael Kaufmann. The workshop will run 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in 129 Holt Hall at CSU, Chico. Registration fee is $100 personal. Register in ad- vance. • Rosettes, Jellies and Frosts-in-depth with four lichen genera March 19 with Tom Carlberg This workshop will fo- cus on species of five li- chen genera found in the Sierra and Cascade foot- hills. Tom has a degree in bot- any from Humboldt State University and has been a cryptogamic botanist for 16 years. His current interest is jelly lichens and ageing lichens that grow on the leaves of evergreen vascu- lar plants. This workshop will meet from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in 129 Holt Hall at CSU, Chico. Registration is $100 personal. Register in advance. For more information about the workshops, visit www.friendsofthechico- stateherbarium/events- viewcalendar/. For more informa- tion about registration, call 898-5356 or write to epurvis@csuchico. edu. CHICO STATE Herbarium offering workshops in March PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. 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