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Since I started on this beat nearly two years ago, I’ve been lucky enough to share some inspiring stories about Southern California residents who’ve electrified their homes, turned their yards into native plant havens and even designed entire houses that prioritize sustainability.

This is great news for all of us, since 40% of the country’s total energy consumption comes from buildings. That’s why there’s a growing catalog of resources and financial incentives to help property owners make these sorts of changes, which can make homes greener while also saving residents money over time and improving their health and quality of life.

But what about renters?

My husband and I are among the nearly half of Californians who rent our home. I wrote a story about how renters are often left out of the eco-home movement not long after I started covering climate and environment issues for Southern California News Group. And I found some encouraging progress around incentivizing apartment building owners to go sustainable.

As renters of a single-family home, though, it can still sometimes feel like our hands are tied when it comes making our abode more environmentally friendly. We can’t install solar panels or energy efficient windows, for example. We can’t rip out our lawn or convert our entire home to electric appliances. And with the rental market so tight, even asking our landlords if they’d consider taking advantage of rebates available to, say, replace our gas water heater with an electric heat pump version can feel a bit scary.

I was happy to see this new online tool from Rewiring America, a nonprofit working to electrify homes and other buildings across the country, that offers strategies for helping renters decarbonize their homes. My husband and I have been trying to adopt some of these same strategies over the past couple of years. So I thought I’d share examples of small steps we’ve been taking to make our single-family rented home healthier and more environmentally friendly.

To avoid using our gas-powered furnace as much as possible, we tapped Facebook Marketplace to buy a used version of one of those electric heaters that’s disguised as a fireplace. It quite easily heats our small home on all but the coldest of mornings. I also recently broke into my crafting supplies and did a fun mosaic design on top, so it feels like a custom piece of furniture!
To use our gas-powered oven less, we use an electric air fryer and toaster oven whenever possible. We haven’t yet purchased a portable induction burner, but it’s on the list.
We bought a mix of new and used all-electric equipment to do our landscaping. The power and battery life has been excellent, plus we’re saving money and enjoying the quieter operations.
We pay attention to weather forecasts and patterns in our home so we can try to naturally heat and cool it as much as possible. That means closing blinds on sunny sides of the house when it gets warm, for example.
While we still have grass, we also have fruit trees and room for a garden. I wish my thumb was greener, but we dependably have tomatoes, some herbs and plenty of citrus. That cuts down on buying produce trucked in from miles away. We also often have enough to share the spoils with neighbors by hanging bags of fruit on our front fence! And we’ve planted some native and drought-tolerant plants all around the yard.

Any fellow renters out there with strategies for making your home greener? Share your ideas with me at [email protected]!

— By Brooke Staggs, environment reporter

 ENERGIZE

Solar baking: Bimbo Bakeries’ Montebello facility is now home to the company’s newest and largest microgrids, made up of solar arrays and battery storage that will help reduce carbon emissions. Our Christina Merino has the story. …READ MORE…

Hydro help: Another wet winter will help keep the lights on in California this summer. Sammy Roth with the Los Angeles Times dives into the role hydropower plays in California and the American West, along with the environmental challenges it causes. …READ MORE…

Quote: “We shouldn’t have to choose between free-running rivers and clean power.”

 REGULATE

Asbestos ban expands: The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday announced a comprehensive ban on asbestos, a carcinogen that is still used in some chlorine bleach, brake pads and other products and that kills thousands of Americans every year. We’ve got the story from the Associated Press. …READ MORE…

California missing target: A new analysis says that unless California nearly triples its rate of cutting greenhouse gases, the state won’t meet its 2030 climate change target. Some emissions have even been rising. Alejandro Lazo with CalMatters has the story. …READ MORE…

 PROTECT

Help wanted: Short on funding, the U.S. Forest Service hasn’t had enough rangers to safeguard the 700,000-acre Angeles National Forest. So Steve Scauzillo reports they’re using grant money to hire eight young field rangers, 18-25, to help out from May through August. …READ MORE…

Climate change impacting kitten season: Summer is the height of “kitten season.” But Sachi Mulkey with Grist reports that for over a decade, animal shelters have noted kitten season starting earlier and lasting longer. Some experts say the effects of climate change may be to blame. …READ MORE…

‘Don’t trade shade for saplings’: Whittier wants to remove 108 mature trees as it makes over the city’s main business district. But residents are pushing back, Christina Merino reports. Dozens recently rallied with signs saying “tree-mendous mistake” and “leaf the trees alone.” …READ MORE…

‘Irondad’ circles Salton Sea: “I’ll run until there’s no sea left.” Amanda Ulrich with The Guardian has a tale about a gas-mask wearing ultramarathoner who plans to circle the Salton Sea’s 92 miles annually to draw attention to environmental issues plaguing California’s largest lake. …READ MORE…

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 HYDRATE

Water wonderland: Flowing falls, rivers, full reservoirs… Andre Mouchard has a story, with great photos from our team across the region, on how two winters of solid rain have transformed Southern California’s waterways. …READ MORE…

Drought ahead?: it may be hard to believe with more rain potentially ahead this weekend. But new forecasts show an 82% chance that La Niña may move in by late summer, Brian K. Sullivan with Bloomberg reports. And the climate pattern — which often follows intense El Niños, like those that have brought rain over the past two winters — can mean drought in California. …READ MORE…

 TRANSPORT

Lifeline for ferry: “It’s not all the money we need, but it’s a big chunk.” Erika Ritchie has news on the Balboa Island Ferry getting a $7.9 million grant to help meet new emissions rules and keep the historic ferry running. …READ MORE…

 CELEBRATE

Bald eagle babies: Sad to see eggs laid by my hometown’s famous eagles aren’t going to hatch this season. But Kaitlyn Schallhorn has news on two eaglets spotted in a nest in Orange County, near the Santa Ana River. And check out the amazing photos our Mark Rightmire made! …READ MORE…

Gray whales rebounding: Hundreds of North Pacific gray whales have washed up dead along the West Coast since 2019. Researchers blamed ecosystem changes that limited food. But Laylan Connelly reports populations are starting to rebound and the “Unusual Mortality Event” is now officially over. …READ MORE…

Beach access coming back: Crews are scheduled to start work Monday to fix the road into the Surf Beach at San Onofre State Beach, which was taken out by winter storms. Laylan Connelly is back to report that should allow visitors access to the beloved spot again by April 1. …READ MORE…

Local team helps discover new species: A tiny, orange-vermillion colored fish has been named a new species, Erika Ritchie reports, after a team of divers from Southern California and Mexico found the wrasse in deep water near the remote Mexican Revillagigedos Islands. …READ MORE…

Hikers take photos at the vernal pools at the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve near Murrieta on Friday, March 15, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

 EXPLORE

Go shrimp spotting: Want to see a rare shrimp that exists nowhere else on earth? Head to the Santa Rosa Plateau’s elusive vernal pools, near Murrieta, within the next few weeks! Our Terry Pierson has the details and great shots. …READ MORE…

Be smart: On a sober note for explorers eyeing the Mt. Baldy area, our Joe Nelson reports that “in the past 14 months, three people have died hiking the Baldy Bowl Trail. San Bernardino County search-and-rescue teams have conducted 20 missions in the area…” Mt. Baldy can be deceptive for novice and skilled hikers alike, with winter hiking not recommended in the area unless you’re trained and prepared. …READ MORE…

 PITCH IN

Help law enforcement track a polluter: For this week’s tip on how Southern Californians can help the environment… San Bernardino County authorities want help tracking down whoever dumped hundreds of gallons of used motor oil on the edge of the San Bernardino National Forest, reports Brian Day with my former paper, the Victorville Daily Press. They have photos of a van believed to be responsible. Click here to see the photos and learn more, including how to offer any tips that might help.

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