Programmes Cutting Edge California

1 - Natural Heritage - California

California has a long tradition of designating substantial areas of the state as national parks, ensuring conservation of its natural heritage. This programme looks at Death Valley, one of the hottest, driest, lowest places on earth but where some of the most advanced geological and climate change research is currently being conducted. On the other side of California, in San Diego, scientists are pioneering a different kind of conservation. They’re working to save endangered species and return some of them to the wild.
Duration: 30

2 - Energy - California

California is known as the home of the car and images of vehicles clogging up freeways all belching out fumes have contributed to its image as a major polluter. It’s the 2nd largest producer of carbon emissions in the US and the 12th largest in the world, and is strongly associated in the public mind with every form of energy excess. Yet the paradox is that California today is actually at the global forefront of new green laws, radical green initiatives, and new green technology and companies as diverse as Universal Studios and Google are all rising to the challenge.
Duration: 30

3 - Buildings - San Francisco

San Francisco is home to two exciting new buildings which opened this year: The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park and The Contemporary Jewish Museum. This programme explores how sustainable features can be incorporated into building design and shows how Jewish culture is being celebrated in the heart of downtown San Francisco. Further down the coast in Malibu, The Getty Villa is leading the way with cutting edge techniques to conserve and restore its Greek and Roman antiquities, and has developed revolutionary technology to prevent these ancient treasures from being damaged by earthquakes.
Duration: 30

4 - The Ocean - Monterey Bay

In 1992 an area of more than 5000 square miles of some of the most spectacular coastal scenery of northern California was designated a national marine sanctuary - a rare and trend setting initiative. Supporting one of the world's most diverse marine ecosystems, Monterey Bay is also home to the World's leading marine research community. This item takes a look at the work of a number of organisations including Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and the University of California, Santa Cruz and shows how they are world leaders in the advanced study.
Duration: 30

5 - Technology - California

California has long been at the cutting edge of technological know-how and innovation. This programme shows how California maintains that tradition today. It examines NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, which is at the global forefront of unmanned space exploration, including the most recent Mars landing craft; the new Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco which will eventually replace the existing heavily-used bridge with the world’s most advanced earthquake-proofing technology; and George Lucas’s Industrial Light & Magic, the world’s leading company for special effects in the movies
Duration: 30

6 - Wine and Food - California

The Californian climate is perfect for growing grapes and is one of the most diverse wine regions in the world, with close to 100 grape varieties grown in areas with dozens of different microclimates and soil types. Paso Robles on the central coast is evolving into one of the most exciting wine making regions in California. Winemakers here are experimenting with different varieties of grapes and different blends to create world class wines. California also has the perfect combination of climate and natural resources to produce food on a massive scale - lettuce, asparagus, broccoli, dates, strawberries and numerous other crops, but when Laurence Hauben arrived in the 1980s she wasn’t impressed by the diet of the average Californian. She is a leader in California’s Slow Food Movement and runs ‘Market Forays’ from her home in Santa Barbara which teach people how to shop for food!
Duration: 30