How an isolated city is creating a climate-friendly ride-sharing service

Long before Uber and Lyft, the small, primarily Latino city of Huron, California already had an informal ridesharing service.

It's all clear ahead for an informal ride
sharing service in Huron, California.

Leon: “It’s been happening for as long as I can recall.”

Lifelong resident Rey León says the drivers, known as “Raiteros,” are mostly retired farm workers.

They use their own vehicles to drive carless residents to doctor’s visits and other appointments in Fresno, which is about 50 miles away and hard to reach by bus. León says the Raiteros provide a critical way to connect the town’s low-income residents with the services of the larger city.

Read Eileen Mignoni’s story from Yale Climate Connections - “How an isolated city is creating a climate-friendly ride-sharing service.”

Father and son build this minimalist, energy-efficient family cabin (Video)

What does it take to build a small, sustainable home close to nature? 

The energy efficient family cabin.

For William and Daniel Yudchitz -- father and son and both architects -- that meant thinking in a modular way for fitting the interior spaces of their 340-square-foot family cabin on the shores of Lake Superior, as well as carefully selecting materials and designing custom-made, multipurpose furniture that maximizes space. Seen previously in Lloyd's post, we now get a personal tour of how this energy-efficient home works via Fair Companies.

Read/watch the Treehugger story by Kimberley Mok - “Father and son build this minimalist, energy-efficient family cabin (Video).”

Harness the power of nature

Dan Menezes knows renewable energy is the way of the future.

The electrical engineer recently started GV Wind and Solar to provide solar installation solutions for small and large-scale operations.

Dan Menezes understands the renewable energy is the way of the futrure.

The Shepparton resident is hoping to raise awareness of this new frontier for the solar industry.

‘‘I work closely with clients to understand their current energy usage,’’ Dan said.

‘‘I then design personalised systems which are suited to their homes and will offer them the best results.’’

With electricity costs rising rapidly, Dan believes renewable energy provides the solution for the future with wind, solar and battery storage solutions available to clients.

Having lived in Shepparton most of his life, Dan has seen first-hand the effect electricity prices can have on people.

‘‘I am here to help people in the Goulburn Valley by offering them my best advice at the best price,’’ he said.

Dan specialises in battery storage solutions which he believes offer people a number of benefits.

The batteries mean people can store solar energy from the day to be used later on that night.

Dan is hoping to eventually have a shopfront to offer his services on a larger scale.

Dan encourages anyone interested to give him a call and have a chat about how solar energy can benefit them.

● Dan can be contacted on 0432 727 377 or via email gvwindandsolar@gmail.com

Story from the Shepparton News - “Harness the power of nature.”