Are California's Renewable Energy Goals Attainable?
Next week, engineers will connect the first utility-size, pure-solar power station to California's electrical grid. It's the next step toward a goal officials have set for the state: to have 33 percent of electrical power from renewable sources by 2020. But is that goal too ambitious? Over the next several months, we'll take a hard look at that question with a series of reports from KQED's Climate Watch and Quest initiatives. In this first report from our series, "33 x 20: California's Clean Power Countdown," we look at California's history and hopes in pioneering renewable energy.
Marketing Pot
As California voters consider a ballot measure this fall to legalize the sale of marijuana, the pot movement is going for a glossier image. Marijuana is increasingly being marketed with claims of better highs and shorter lows. One medical pot dispensary even sells a variety it promises won't get you stoned. But is it all just savvy marketing?
A Quest to Save Santa Monica's Honeybees
Honeybees throughout the world are disappearing in large numbers because of a disorder known as colony collapse. Dwindling numbers of hives could lead to a crisis in California, where honeybees pollinate the crops that drive the state's agricultural engine. But keeping honeybees is illegal in many parts of the state.
School Nurse Shortage
By law, public schools are required to provide adequate medical care for students who need it during the school day. There was a time when practically every school in California had its own nurse. But with education budgets slashed, the school nurse has become an endangered profession. We talk with one school nurse in the suburbs east of Oakland to get a picture of the pressures she and others across the state are facing.
Kids Learn Survival Skills at Mariners Camp
After school lets out for the summer, some kids will spend their time playing sports, heading to camp or otherwise spending time outdoors. Some Bay Area teens are getting a crash course in survival skills by land and by sea.