The City of Port Orchard is preparing a park plan for the recently annexed 63.5 acre McCormick Village Park located north of Old Clifton Road. A kickoff meeting for the park planning effort is scheduled for March 15, at 7 p.m. at Port Orchard City Hall, 216 Prospect Street, in Port Orchard. The park plan kickoff will be a part of the regular Port Orchard Planning Commission meeting. This kickoff meeting with the Planning Commission and the attending public will be the first step for the McCormick Village Park planning process to identify a vision and goals for the park, and ultimately develop alternatives for potential use, design, and development of the park property. read more »

Earth Day celebrates 40 years. Kitsap County Solid Waste Division is sponsoring the 18th annual Earth Day Awards, presented to individual citizens, organizations and businesses for their innovative environmental programs or projects. Nominations are sought for exemplary environmental leadership in sustainability, waste reduction, recycling and hazardous waste management. Outstanding achievers make a difference in their choices and lead the way as they make others aware of environmental issues. read more »

The Washington State Conservation Commission will begin accepting applications for proposals seeking Commission sponsorship of Farmland Preservation Program grants. Applications will be accepted by the Commission beginning Feb. 23 and concluding on March 12 at 5 p.m. for grants to protect farmland.

In 2009, the legislature amended the Farmland Preservation Program (FPP) within the larger Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) to include the eligibility of the State Conservation Commission (SCC) to apply for funds through the program. According to the new statutory language, a match is not required for proposals from the SCC. read more »

Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, announced on Thursday that it would cut some 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from its supply chain by the end of 2015 — the equivalent of removing more than 3.8 million cars from the road for a year. read more »

The Nissan LEAF Zero-Emission Tour culminated recently with an appearance in New York City. The three-month tour, which made 63 stops in 24 cities, offered the opportunity for interested drivers, media, civic partners, businesses and university students to learn more about the Nissan LEAF and the benefits of zero-emission driving.

The tour helped pave the way for the 2010 introduction of Nissan LEAF, the world’s first all-electric, zero-emission car designed read more »

The Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors adopted a resolution to use the Natural Step approach in fostering an environment that allows for sustainable businesses to thrive on the island. Natural Step, founded by leading scientists in Sweden, has become a model for communities desiring to aspire to develop an ecologically, economically and socially healthy community for the long term. read more »

Large ‘Silicone Valley’ corporations have been testing a new device created to generate power on the spot, without being connected to the electric grid. After almost a decade of development and hundreds of millions in investment, Bloom Energy is coming out with theirs having unveiled their little “power plant-in-a-box” on 60-minutes aired Sunday, February 21. Until now, all journalists were able to garner were “no comments” from their marketing people. read more »

Washington state hopes to make owning an electric vehicle easier, and a project is in the works to add charging stations around Puget Sound.

Last year, the state Legislature adopted a bill directing the state to install charging outlets for electric vehicles at places like rest stops and state parks. The bill also provides tax incentives for EV infrastructure. read more »