Envision San Diego

From the buildings we work in, to the homes we live in, energy usage is one of the largest impacts in our carbon footprint. Living in southern California, we are lucky to have plenty of sunshine, and reporter Ed Joyce, shows us how the sun can lesson our impact, and save us money.

In response to growing greenhouse gas emissions, Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law in 2006, the Global Warming Solutions Act. This law requires California's greenhouse gas emissions be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020. It's the first enforceable state-wide program in the United States. It's bound to affect many industries, including businesses small and large. Tami Rogers and Joanne Faryon have the story.

With the reality of how much cars are polluting the air, and the ever increasing gas prices, reporter Pat Finn takes a look at some of the options in choosing an environmentally friendly car.

KPBS News has learned the California Air Board has been under-estimating greenhouse gases from San Diego County landfills. Landfills create methane gas – 21 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Joanne Faryon has more.

About one-third of everything dumped here at the Miramar Landfill is construction waste. More dry wall, concrete, wood, metal. It’s all the stuff left over from house remodels, demolitions, and new construction of homes and buildings. About 300,000 tons of it. KPBS reporter Joanne Faryon has the story.

Do you know who owns and operates San Diego's landfills? We sent KPBS reporter Andrew Phelps to dig up that information.

The police in San Diego just got more powerful -- the trash police that is. For years, the city’s code enforcers have rifled through your garbage in the blue bins checking for waste that cannot be recycled.But this year, San Diego’s trash inspectors get to examine your black bins to make sure you’re not dumping what can be recycled. KPBS reporter Amita Sharma has the story.

Think of Alzheimer’s as a big mountain of a problem. If scientists could climb this particular mountain easily, none of us would slip away into the crevasse of lost memories. But we do, in ever larger numbers, and as yet, no one knows why.

Eighty-one-year-old Antonia Lopez has enjoyed a full life, proudly raising seven children. She is still able to do things for herself. But at 77, she began noticing significant changes. Her daughters would soon find out Lopez was battling Alzheimer's. A secret they've kept from their mother until this day.

One in eight families in San Diego County is affected by Alzheimer’s Disease. The mammoth task of taking care a loved one with the devastating disease usually falls on a relative. Reporter Amita Sharma spoke with a San Diego man who quit his job to look after his father who is in the middle stages of Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer's disease was first diagnosed more than 100 years ago by German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer. He followed the case of Auguste D, a 50 year-old woman with dementia. Dr. Alzheimer would ask her to write her name. Auguste would forget and repeat, "I have lost myself." Back then, Alzheimer's was believed to be a disease of the middle-aged. Today, it's considered a form of dementia - one associated with increasing age. Andrew Phelps explains how the disease affects the brain.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the fastest growing segment of the population is over 85 years old. In the past 30 years, the number of Americans over 85 has tripled. And the number of people who are 100 has doubled in the past decade. This longevity comes with a price. At age 85, you have nearly a 50 per cent chance of developing Alzheimer's. Joanne Faryon tells us more about what the diagnosis means.

We often figure fire burns randomly as it destroys one home but not another on the same street. But many fire experts say it’s more predictable than that: defensible space, building materials and an often forgotten issue plays a pivotal role. You guessed it: Location, location, location. Many fire experts say it’s the number one risk factor. Yet the Department of forestry says 5 million California homes are in wildfire-prone areas. And there’s little being done to limit development in such places. For KPBS, reporter Rebecca Tolin has the story.

Many San Diegan’s may not realize that undocumented people living in this community suffered the biggest loss in this firestorm. Eight people were severely burned in the Harris fire as they made their way through the mountains-- six border crossers perished. Freelance journalist, Laura Castaneda has the story of one of the victims who is not being forgotten.

For all the attention devoted to preventing another catastrophe like the deadly 2003 Cedar Fire, San Diegans witnessed an almost eerie rerun when massive wildfires hit last October. Even though the city and county had four years to prepare for the firestorm, the region still does not have enough firefighters and equipment. KPBS investigative reporter Amita Sharma has the story.

Meth has been a major headache in San Diego County for 60 years. Some might say that’s long enough to figure out what to do about it. Others might reply that it’s a complicated local, national, regional, even international problem. So how can we asses our progress against meth?

This is the face of a teenager who uses crystal meth. The face of Abbie Richardson who started drinking and smoking marijuana at 14-years old. By 16, she was hooked on speed.

 Former Meth Addicts Discuss the Drug That Nearly Ruined Their Lives

Methamphetamine, also known as "speed," "crystal," "crank" or "ice" is a highly addictive drug that plagues communities across the country. San Diego is no exception. But major efforts have been taken to curb the use of meth and the crimes that result from the addiction. We'll explore the problems with the drug, its impacts on the community and what's being done to stop its use.

 UCSD Program Promotes Safe Sex for Gay Men who Use Meth

It’s hard to get people to practice safe sex. It’s even harder to convince methamphetamine users to do so. Researchers at UCSD are trying to influence the behavior of gay men who use meth and have HIV. It’s a challenge. KPBS Health Reporter Kenny Goldberg has the story.

How many times have you done this…(drop mail in blue box). Or this (put mail in box and raise flag) Or maybe just left your mail in the box an extra day or two. Well, you may want to think twice about how you send and receive your mail.