Davis will soon slim down its carbon footprint with an environmental diet.

The city of Davis plans to reduce carbon emissions by as much as 50 percent by 2013 using do-it-yourself methods from Empowerment Institute CEO David Gershon’s “Low Carbon Diet.” The program begins in fall 2010.

Part of the city’s larger Cool Davis Initiative, the Low Carbon Diet is expected to attract the participation of 75 percent of Davis households.

“[The Cool Davis Initiative] is an effort to engage the community around carbon-saving actions, and one of those tools we’re looking to use is the Low Carbon Diet to help people make [carbon] savings within their own households,” said Mitch Sears, Davis’ sustainability director.

The City Council voted in November 2008 to take on an even greater challenge: to achieve total carbon neutrality, or absolutely zero carbon emissions, by 2050.

“[Davis will be] the first nation in the country to be carbon neutral,” Gershon said. “[It] is among the top five communities in the country prime to be a leader in climate change.”

Davis has had a history of dealing with conservation-related issues over the past 30 to 40 years, according to Sears. Davis was the first community in the country to feature bike lanes, which were established in the 1950s, and made strides in energy conservation when it rolled out the Prime Time program in 1980 to reduce peak energy usage by 20 percent.

“One of the first utility-scale solar power plants in the country is built on city property, just north of town on Pole Line road,” Sears said.

The Low Carbon Diet asks households to use an accompanying workbook to independently reduce carbon emissions through small changes in everyday routines, such as taking shorter showers to conserve water or driving less to reduce gasoline consumption. Participating households then band together in “Eco-Teams” that serve to provide a sense of camaraderie and social pressure to commit participants’ permanent involvement.

“What we needed to get people to actually follow through on their intentions was a peer-support system,” Gershon said, claiming participation is further incentivized by the “co-benefit” of building a closer-knit neighborhood. “What I’ve learned is if you create a checklist, it’s very difficult to get anyone to change their behavior.”

Gershon wants students to take part in the program as well.

“We want to engage students to do the organizing around this model,” he said, referring to the city’s attempt to enlist students to manage certain activities of the Low Carbon Diet. “UC Davis is a key part of the puzzle.”

UC Davis students already help reduce their carbon footprint on the environment. Sophomore biological sciences major Carmen Craven said she has been trying to pass on her own sense of environmental consideration to her roommates.

“If everyone just took five minutes less in the shower, that would make a big difference,” she said. “We save water by not using the dishwasher. During the summer, we keep all the windows shut.”

Others like Jenna Paul-Gin, a sophomore psychology and human development double major, feel Davis lacks certain commonsense environmental precautions.

“There’s no compost program,” Paul-Gin said. “In San Francisco we have a big compost program, but not in Davis.”

A pilot program for the carbon-reducing diet took place in Davis in October of 2008, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by an average of 5,398 pounds per household and drawing over 100 participants, according to the city of Davis website. Its success ensured another test-run in October 2009 and ultimately the continuation of the program on a much broader scale today.

In the introduction of the Low Carbon Diet workbook, Gershon writes that fossil fuel-borne carbon dioxide emissions are the primary cause of global warming, and that the average American household releases 55,000 pounds of carbon dioxide through its energy use every year. Contrastively, a typical household in Sweden annually generates 15,000 pounds.

YARA ELMJOUIE can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Washington – Students will be among the first to feel the effects of health care reform legislation after President Obama signs the final pieces into law this morning.

By the end of September, young adults will be eligible to stay on their parents’ health insurance plans until their 26th birthday. But along with the new benefit comes a legal obligation that everyone carry insurance, including healthy college students and recent graduates. Those who do not comply will eventually face fines as high as $695 or 2.5 percent of their income.

Many students supported the broad concept of universal health coverage and rallied on behalf of the bill. Fewer fully appreciate the real life consequences the bill will have as it becomes law.

“This is a positive thing for this age range in general … because that’s a population that’s not always insured,” Kim LaPean, a spokesperson for UC Berkeley’s University Health Services. “It’s absolutely great.”

The insurance reforms hold particular bearing for college students. Currently, an estimated one in five has no insurance. A study by the Centers for Disease Control in 2008 found that 18-24 year olds were the least likely to carry health insurance, with nearly one in three having no coverage. Those between 19 and 29 are the nation’s fastest growing group without insurance, according to a study by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonpartisan organization that focuses on health care.

Starting in 2014, even healthy college graduates with no jobs or money will be required to find policies, the cheapest of which cost roughly $1,000 a year. The penalties for those who do not carry insurance will be phased in, starting with penalties of $95 or 1 percent of income, whichever is greater. In 2015 the penalty goes to $325 or 2 percent of income, and $695 or 2.5 percent after that.

People under 30 will have the option to purchase a cheaper plan that only covers medical catastrophes.

Many young adults forgo insurance because they are typically healthier – and earn less money – than the general population. The bad economy has made it even more difficult for those who want it.

No matter what an individual’s financial situation, the new law will make health insurance, like car insurance, an obligation regardless of their risk. The Obama administration says this will bring down the cost – in part because of the flood of new young customers – and make insurance more affordable for everyone.

“There’s this myth out there that … they don’t want it because they [feel] invincible,” said Larry McNeely II, a health care advocate for U.S. PIRG in Washington. “No, the reason they don’t have health coverage is because they can’t afford it.”

The University of California system requires students to purchase a school-run insurance plan if they aren’t covered by their families. Recent graduates, however, must fend for themselves. Their most likely source of coverage is through an employer, but the weak job market means this isn’t always possible. Even those who find jobs after graduating may not be covered, as fewer jobs are offering medical benefits

Unless they decide to purchase their own insurance, recent grads often live without it. One in three graduates was uninsured at some point in their first year after college in 2007, according to the Commonwealth Fund study.

Extensive subsidies will be available to those who cannot afford to purchase insurance. Individuals earning less than 400 percent of the federal poverty level, which amounts to $43,320 annually, are promised a subsidy to help pay for insurance.

In addition, millions of young adults are expected to remain on their parents’ insurance policies. To prevent students or recent grads from feeling punished by the new mandate, the expansion of parents’ coverage will act as a safety net for students and recent grads who might otherwise have a hard time obtaining affordable insurance after graduation.

Requirements vary by state and policy, but most adults are no longer eligible for their parents’ plan by age 22, and some are cut off as early as 18. The new law extends their eligibility until age 26.

While most elements of the new legislation, such as the mandate to purchase insurance, won’t take effect until 2014, this provision will be in place within six months.

Additionally, the bill could have important long term benefits for young Americans. Families would end up spending nearly half of their annual income on health insurance by 2016 if nothing is done to reform the system, according to recent study by New America Foundation.

The legislation also stipulates that people younger than 30 will have the option of purchasing a “catastrophic” plan with lower premiums.

Health insurance isn’t cheap even for a young, healthy person. For a 21-year-old female with no medical complications, Kaiser offers a $126 a month HMO plan – $1512 a year – with a $1,500 deductible and $30 co-pay for visits to a doctor or specialist. Kaiser also offers a plan without a deductible, which costs $237 monthly, or $2844 a year. Blue Shield offers a $79 monthly PPO plan – $948 a year – with a $2,900 deductible and $40 co-pays for visits to a doctor or specialist.

The legislation to be signed today at a Northern Virginia college also contains changes to the student loan program having nothing to do with health care which will affect millions of students. Under the new law, the federal government will take over the student loan program from private lenders and limit payments to no more than 10 percent of a graduate’s disposable income.

The California News Service is a journalism project of the University of California Washington Center and the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. They can be reached at cns@ucdc.edu.

A lot can change in a few months, and this is definitely the case for the June 8 Davis City Council election.

During the upcoming election, Davis residents will choose from among a group of five candidates who include parents, students, environmentalists, longtime Davis residents and UC Davis grads. The names Joe Krovoza, Daniel Watts, Jon Li, Sydney Vergis and Rochelle Swanson will appear on the ballot.

Mayor Ruth Asmundson recently announced she would not seek re-election, while, Councilmember Lamar Heystek announced in the fall he would not run again this spring. Even after a petition circulated urging him to reconsider his decision, he stood by his original choice. With Mayor Pro-Tempore Don Saylor running for County Supervisor and Councilmembers Sue Greenwald and Steve Souza not up for re-election yet, two seats will be open.

Candidate Joe Krovoza, who is currently directing development and outreach activities for the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center, was surprised when the incumbents decided not to run and believes much has changed since he announced his candidacy in October 2009.

“Since I decided to run, I have been able to learn the breadth of knowledge of issues you have to have on City Council by talking to community groups,” Krovoza said. “One of the challenges going into election day is communicating with voters through new media and other sources.”

Candidate and second-year UC Davis School of Law student Daniel Watts hopes to represent student needs in City Council.

“None of the other candidates are students and I don’t think any of the other candidates are talking about student issues,” Watts said. “Half of the town is students, but they don’t have a voice in on City Council. The city feels they can disregard students’ rights.”

Watts talked about how he believes Davis Police violated students’ rights on Halloween, searching students at random in the streets.

“Students don’t know any better,” Watts said. “Not only is City Council out of touch with students, but they are out of touch with the needs of the community. If they spent less time yelling at each other and spending an hour and half giving out awards, while breaking for cake and punch, they could fix a lot of problems. Parts of the municipal code are even unconstitutional, such as saying offensive words in public.”

Watts’ goals include annexing UC Davis and adjacent areas into the city, so students living on campus can vote in city elections.

Though Councilmember Sue Greenwald has endorsed Krovoza, she does not feel any of the candidates have presented substantive issues.

“There’s nothing particularly interesting anyone is running on,” Greenwald said. “In the past, candidates have run on more issue-based causes, though I’m hopeful that the new council will be less factional or at least take issues one at a time.”

Jon Li, listed as a local public policy analysis, was the final candidate to file election papers. He plans to restructure City Council in order to make it more effective by implementing City Council evaluations and a strategy he calls the viable system model, which clarifies specific responsibilities.

Li officially endorsed Krovoza and said that if Krovoza comes in third and Li in second, he will give up his seat.

“The Council is erratic,” Li said. “It’s supposed to make decisions, but they don’t know how to. Institutional problems are getting bottlenecked because of chemistry issues within Council. The relationship between the Council and city staff is even strained.”

Other candidates are UC Davis alum Sydney Vergis, who has worked on city planning and policy analysis. Vergis filed her papers first on Feb. 16. Davis High School Blue & White Foundation President Rochelle Swanson filed her papers on March 8.

The Davis Chamber of Commerce will host the City Council Forum on April 6.

ANGELA SWARTZ can be reached city@theaggie.org.

The city of Davis received a brief reprieve from the weary economy with its 2009 Business and Economic Development Awards.

The ceremony, held at City Council’s March 16 meeting, celebrated the achievements of three distinct recipients. Company Hibbert Lumber was applauded for Extended Excellence in Local Economic Development, Davis local Reed Youmans was honored for Individual Contributions to Local Economic Development and the Davis Farmers Market was recognized for Business Contributions to Local Economic Development.

Youmans said despite being a partner in Hallmark Properties and President of the Yolo County Visitors Bureau, he was astounded by the distinction.

“It was quite humbling,” Youmans said. “I was totally surprised. I had no idea. It was an amazing evening. When they called me up on the phone [to say I had received the award] I said ‘You’re kidding me.'”

Although Youmans was shocked at his nomination, his list of Davis community projects is extensive. Along with his role as president of the YCVB and partnership in Hallmark Properties, Youmans has served on the Board of the Davis Downtown Business Association and helped coordinate fundraising and planning for the 2009 Amgen Tour of California bicycling event in Davis.

The Davis Farmers Market was crowned “America’s Favorite Farmers Market” for 2009 by the American Farmland Trust. The distinction was decided not by the association, however, but by the thousands of voters who chose the market over 800 others. 30,000 votes were cast in total with the Davis Farmers Market receiving 10 percent of all votes.

The Davis Farmers Market’s Market Manager, Randii McNear, said the market prides itself on being an integral facet of the community. McNear estimated 50 percent of the votes were from university students, which she hopes is an indication of the sense of community the farmers market gives to even temporary Davis residents.

“Family and friends may be suffering and losing jobs, and it’s kind of like you come to the market and for just that brief moment in time everyone comes together and it’s just a happy place to be,” McNear said. “It’s a moment of respite form the stresses of the world. It nourishes your soul and body.”

Hibbert Lumber has been a Davis business for over 60 years and was honored for this longevity at the Business and Economic Development Awards. Still a family-run business – sisters Becky, Jane and Molly are now in charge – Hibbert Lumber is well known in the Davis community. After receiving recognition by the City Council, the Davis Enterprise entitled the company the number one Best Independent Retailer.

Residing General Manager, Becky Hibbert, said Hibbert’s accomplishments are due to their dedicated staff, many of whom have worked at the company for more than 20 years.

“Nancy Grimes has worked here over 34 years and Carla Knee has worked here more than 40 years,” Hibbert said. “The expertise and dedication that have been contributed by Carla and Nancy is irreplaceable.”

The Business and Economic Development award was first established three years ago in order to celebrate local businesses, organizations and individuals with exceptional contributions to the Davis community.

KELLEY REES can be reached at city@theaggie.org.