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Californians use 12% less gas per capita than the rest of American drivers (I'm betting Texas may use the most :( )

They also use less energy than any other state - about half the national average.

They use less water than back in 1975, even with 60% more people and an economy 2.5 times as big.

In 2001, while California was using 6,800 kilowatts per capita, Wyoming, Cheney's home state, was using 26,200, Texas was using 14,800 and the nation as a whole was burning 12,800. That record was largely due to 20 years of environmentally friendly building standards, pricing practices that encouraged conservation, energy-efficient appliance rebates and a range of other measures

Sacremento Bee article (http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=SCHRAG-05-10-06)

You're probably right but you also have to ask how much a/c do they HAVE to use. Being in the Houston area and you in the Dallas area you know that we'd have problems if we didn't use the a/c. I've been to LA in June and woke up to temps in the high 50's and topped out near 80. I know they get there share of 90 and 100's but I don't think they have it from April to Oct. Our next house(hope in 07) I'll be checking into a ground loop a/c. Still uses a compressor but from what I've read it saves somewhere in the 30- 40% range. kevin

I agree that they don't need the A/C near as badly as Texas.

I'm more impressed with the reduced consumption of gas and water.

How much manufacturing is done in CA anymore? I wonder where states like Michigan would be, that have a ton of manufacturing going on, or maybe Ohio or something. It's easy for California to be smug about not using a lot of power if they have to import all their goods from other states that use power to produce those goods for Californians.

How much manufacturing is done in CA anymore? I wonder where states like Michigan would be, that have a ton of manufacturing going on, or maybe Ohio or something. It's easy for California to be smug about not using a lot of power if they have to import all their goods from other states that use power to produce those goods for Californians.

I'll agree that not all states are on an level field in regards to energy consumption. The Sun Belt will use a lot of A/C in the summer - the Frost Belt is going to have a high heating bill....we could go on about disparties. I think the gas and water consumption is a valid accomplishment. This is a western state with more traveling than the East coast.

California has lost some business because of the cost of meeting higher environmental reqirements than other states. More aircraft were built in Southern California - now it's relocated to Seattle, Wichta Kansas, overseas....

The smug epithet might be a bit overused - no thanks to South Park. It's hard to be smug if business leaves the state. :(

I would not advocate doing everything like Kaleeforneeya (how do you like my AH-nuld impersonation? :D ), but maybe the rest of America can take a look on how to save energy.

A year ago on vacation, I noticed the gas pumps had the fume guards you must seal to pump gas - six months later it made it to Texas.

They use less water than back in 1975, even with 60% more people and an economy 2.5 times as big.I remember we had a pretty painful drought maybe 5-10 years ago. People finally got it driven home that much of this land is desert. Everyone stopped watering their lawns and planted xeriscapes, installed all this low-flow stuff, public fountains were turned off. You still never see anyone letting the faucet run or hosing off their driveway. But I wouldn't have dreamed the effect was still so huge.

I remember we had a pretty painful drought maybe 5-10 years ago. People finally got it driven home that much of this land is desert. Everyone stopped watering their lawns and planted xeriscapes, installed all this low-flow stuff, public fountains were turned off. You still never see anyone letting the faucet run or hosing off their driveway. But I wouldn't have dreamed the effect was still so huge.
Well actually I think Arizona is beating them in that metric. Supposedly Arizona uses the same amount of water now as it did in 1940, and the population has increased about 20x in that time. The reason is because Arizona used to mainly just be used for irrigated farming back then. Now while farming techniques have improved, mainly all the population growth came at the expense of farms anyway, and low density housing uses less water than irrigated farming.

Read somewhere that about 70% of residential water use is landscape watering. The contrast of watering in Southern California and Texas until recently could not be greater. Automatic sprinkler systems that have no rain detectors that activate during a shower anyway. Curbs sprinkled - people overwatering, overmowing, overfertilizing lawns until they get foundation problems (which is epidemic in Dallas/Fort Worth anyway).

A couple of years ago, Dallas finally passed an ordinance prohibiting daytime watering in the summer months.

Eight of the ten years in the 1950s, Dallas had below level rainfall to the point they had to get water from the Red River. The response from that era of drought was to build at least half a dozen lakes. It made the population explosion in North Texas possible, but now the capacity is being reached.

The 150 (200 km) easternmost part of Texas is the Piney Woods of East Texas. It looks a lot more like Arkansas and Louisana. There is a big fight over Dallas tapping water from East Texas lakes, possibly upsetting the ecology of the lakes there. If you was some of the wasteful watering up until recently, you would probably hesitate to indiscriminately drain water from East Texas wildlife.

Well actually I think Arizona is beating them in that metric. Supposedly Arizona uses the same amount of water now as it did in 1940, and the population has increased about 20x in that time. The reason is because Arizona used to mainly just be used for irrigated farming back then. Now while farming techniques have improved, mainly all the population growth came at the expense of farms anyway, and low density housing uses less water than irrigated farming.

The water in PHX is soooo bad you dont want to use it. I think crunchy applies. :) I tried to wash the Civic when I was there. That was a waiste of time and water. To drink the stuff is to have a death wish. After seeing the water on my car, I went and bought some 5g jugs of water to bath with.

Theres a reason why they dont use much water in AZ,,, its not fit for use.

Read somewhere that about 70% of residential water use is landscape watering. The contrast of watering in Southern California and Texas until recently could not be greater. Automatic sprinkler systems that have no rain detectors that activate during a shower anyway. Curbs sprinkled - people overwatering, overmowing, overfertilizing lawns until they get foundation problems (which is epidemic in Dallas/Fort Worth anyway).

A couple of years ago, Dallas finally passed an ordinance prohibiting daytime watering in the summer months.

Eight of the ten years in the 1950s, Dallas had below level rainfall to the point they had to get water from the Red River. The response from that era of drought was to build at least half a dozen lakes. It made the population explosion in North Texas possible, but now the capacity is being reached.

The 150 (200 km) easternmost part of Texas is the Piney Woods of East Texas. It looks a lot more like Arkansas and Louisana. There is a big fight over Dallas tapping water from East Texas lakes, possibly upsetting the ecology of the lakes there. If you was some of the wasteful watering up until recently, you would probably hesitate to indiscriminately drain water from East Texas wildlife.

Miffed at the prospect of job losses in the timber industry and destruction of choice wildlife habitat, opponents have begun calling Dallas a spoiled and selfish bully that wants its swimming pools and green lawns, even in droughts, and has the political muscle to do as it pleases

I concurr

Houston Chronicle Story (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3860873.html)