With the arrival of the month of April comes nicer San Diego weather and, of course, Earth Month. April is always full of sustainability initiatives to celebrate Earth Month and Balboa Park is no exception. This year, to celebrate and to avoid single-use plastic straws, staff members of 14 Balboa Park organizations have signed a pledge to go strawless for … Read More
San Diego Civic Youth Ballet: Recycling, Reusing & Redesigning Costumes
San Diego Civic Youth Ballet has been the resident classic ballet school in Balboa Park for over 70 years, providing high-quality, affordable, year-round training in the Casa del Prado studios for students ages 4 to adult. In addition, San Diego Civic Youth Ballet is able to provide a special arts and culture opportunity to over 600 students in San Diego public schools through their … Read More
Small Measures Make Big Impacts: Composting at the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory
2018 Balboa Park Sustainability Award Winner The arts and culture organizations within Balboa Park range in size from a staff of two to the largest with over 300 employees. We get excited when we can spotlight the sustainability initiatives in the small-but-mighty organizations because they usually face the biggest challenges with limited staff, time, space and budgets. The San Diego … Read More
Apply for a Sustainability Excellence Award!
The Balboa Park Sustainability Program (BPSP) has supported member organization’s sustainability efforts over the past ten years. We are proud of the accomplishments park-wide and appreciate PIC Green, a program of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), efforts to recognize innovative projects through the Sustainability Excellence Awards (SEA). PIC Green conceived the Sustainability Excellence Award in order to advance the mission of establishing museums … Read More
2017 Sustainability Partners’ Breakfast Recap
On its fourth year, the Balboa Park Sustainability Partners’ Breakfast and Sustainability Awards Ceremony keeps growing through partnerships with local sustainability organizations. The event brought together 149 attendees from 73 organizations including members, thought leaders and implementation specialists for a chance to connect, learn, and celebrate sustainability efforts in Balboa Park. Welcome Remarks Sustainability Director, Jessica Travis, introduced the theme … Read More
New Energy Utility Seasonal and Peak Periods
San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) will be putting into effect recently updated seasonal and peak periods starting December 1, 2017. This will affect residential and business customers, as high energy use periods may need to change to accommodate energy pricing. The California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) recent General Rate Case proceeding reviewed energy forecasts and costs and determined that … Read More
San Diego Natural History Museum: Passive Climate Control for Collections
The San Diego Natural History Museum (theNAT) has been working on a unique energy saving and collection preserving project that culminated with the opening of Extraordinary Ideas from Ordinary People: A History of Citizen Science in the fall of 2016. This permanent exhibit features a multitude of historic documents, photos and other delicate artifacts. The logistics of opening this exhibit took … Read More
San Diego Zoo Global: A Comprehensive Look at Waste Diversion
The larger the organization, the more potential for resource savings and change. The San Diego Zoo as the largest organization in Balboa Park by acre, has answered the call for waste diversion action. Waste diversion is any method of keeping waste out of a landfill. This can include recycling, composting, donating, or a number of other creative options. In January … Read More
Be Prepared for an Emergency
In light of recent natural disasters and global seismic activity, it is a good time to review emergency preparedness for your home and workplace. San Diego is prone to earthquakes and wildfires and should do an annual review of safety precautions, planning and supplies. Your safety may depend on how well-prepared you are. San Diego Gas & Electric has some … Read More
Balboa Park Conservancy Embarks on Urban Forestry Project
Tree Balboa Park is a comprehensive project by the Balboa Park Conservancy that will bring 500 new drought tolerant trees to the Park through a community-driven tree planting initiative. The project will increase San Diego’s urban forest, reduce storm water runoff, improve water savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Years of sustained drought has negatively impacted Balboa Park’s tree canopy. … Read More