Christmas trees have something in common with trees cut to make paper: Replacing them with other materials does not really save trees. Both types of trees are grown on managed land, essentially tree farms, and few of these sites would exist were it not for the market demand caused by the purchase of Christmas trees and paper. Although some of these sites are on land that was formerly forested, and imported paper may create market demand that could result in new land being cleared for more...

Special to Ventura County Star Billy Ridge, owner of Conejo Valley Electric, has recently been replacing gas stoves with electric ones at a rate of about three or four per week. The pace is not yet up to what he calls the "other big green effort." "My crews are installing about four electric car chargers per day in people’s homes,” Ridge said. “But it’s for the same reasons.” The reason is not just environmental concern. “It usually takes two or three reasons before people will spend that...

From stoves to trash trucks: Regulations, not confiscations If government agents “come for my stove, they can pry it from my cold dead hands. COME AND TAKE IT!!” tweeted a Texas congressman, recycling a phrase from the gun debate. Such was the reaction to Richard Trumka Jr., the United States Consumer Product Safety Commissioner, who sent critics into fits of exaggeration over the past two weeks with his comments about gas stoves. Trumka said “every option is on the table” for regulation of...

Special to Ventura County Star Gas stoves have been entangled by a social media kerfuffle in recent weeks after a U.S. Consumer Product Safety commissioner's comments prompted exaggerated responses that government agents would be coming for said stoves. Amid the drama, regulators have been described as technocratic authoritarians. But through examples in Ventura County, we can see how agencies actually address polluting products. First, regulators prioritize. For example, the Ventura County...