In 1990, the average San Francisco taxi emitted 59 tons of GHG every year. Today, the average city taxi emits 30 tons; a 49% reduction in GHG emissions!

“San Francisco’s clean taxi program has exceeded all expectations,” Mayor Lee said. “San Francisco taxicabs are the cleanest in the U.S. and a model to other taxi fleets around the world. The vision and leadership of Mayor Newsom and the Taxi Commission on this ground breaking program set us on this path, and the taxi companies and taxicabs drivers have embraced this program to make San Francisco a model for the rest of the world.”

Lieutenant Governor Newsom added: “When I announced this goal, many people didn’t think it could be done. The clean taxi program has shown that aggressive action is possible at the local level to make major reductions in carbon emissions, reduce our independence on fossil fuels and accelerate a new green economy. Now we are here today recognizing San Francisco as the ‘Greenest Taxi City in America.’”

SFMTA Director of Transportation Edward D. Reiskin said “The collaboration between the SFMTA, the Department of the Environment, our funding partners and the taxi industry is an important part of creating a comprehensive transportation system that is environmentally sustainable and supports our Transit First policy. We will continue to work with the taxi industry to improve taxi service while advancing our environmental goals.”

Former Taxi Commission President Paul Gillespie said “Cutting global carbon dioxide emissions is the most crucial issue of our time, and the San Francisco taxi experience has shown that taking aggressive, collaborative action at the local level can be both profitable and effective. I know the San Francisco taxi industry will continue to play the role of pioneering, early adopters of the cleanest vehicle technology available.”

So, it comes as no real surprise that 9er’s coach Jim Harbaugh was honored as NFL Coach of the Year in Indianapolis last night.

Alex Smith, the team’s quarterback, accepted the award on his coach’s behalf at the new gala event “NFL Honors” that is to be held the night before every Super Bowl from now on.

“He probably would say he doesn’t deserve this,” Smith said. “That’s the type of guy he is. He would give all the credit to the players, to the assistant coaches.

“As someone who has had one of two coaches in his career, I would just like to tell you that this is well deserved,” Smith added.

Harbaugh is the 49ers coach to be honored by the Associated Press, following his late mentor Bill Walsh. Other 9ers were in the running for last night’s awards as well. Aldon Smith came in behind Denver’s Von Miller as Defensive Rookie of the Year, while Alex Smith just missed Comeback Player. Defensive Player of the Year votes went to Matthew Stafford, Justin Smith, Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman.

The 49er’s 13-3 regular season was the best in over a decade. Harbaugh’s first-year win came from 45 votes from the 50 nationwide media members who traditionally cover the NFL.

The rookie coach was complimented back in November, when Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott said his “might be the greatest coaching that I’ve ever seen in the history of the game of professional football.”

Inspired by the wholesome tone of yoga studios, the room is filled with calming shades of blue, a floating wall and warm, low lights to create a relaxing atmosphere. Yoga mats are also available. The room is located right past the security checkpoint, so that travelers can use their waiting time to stretch and release any tension or stress from their previous or ongoing travels.

According to Melissa Mizell of Gensler, the architecture firm that created the Terminal 2 yoga room, “The room gives modern travelers a space that fosters and supports quiet and reflection. Those aren’t emotions that people typically encounter at the airport.”

The creative idea was actually suggested in passing by a traveler, and the room has thus far been met with enthusiastic approval.

“Relax passengers between flights? Help them find balance in the crazy world of travel? How wonderful!,” said Anya Clowers, a nurse consultant of JetwithComfort.com.

President of Airports Council International- North America Greg Principato said “Airports like SFO get it. They are looking at the big picture and meeting the needs of travelers by offering products and services that contribute to their overall comfort.”

The state is preparing to vote on the matter, with the California Air Resources Board hearing the first testimony later today. The vote can have a wide range of impact, as several other states have adopted California’s smog emission standards in the past, including Washington, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts.

The standards are a continuation of California’s greenhouse gas emission rules that were put into effect in 2009. The new proposal was designed alongside federal regulators to suit national guidelines. If approved, the new measures will include large reductions in greenhouse gas pollutants beginning in 2015. The rules would largely require a 75% decrease in smog emissions, as well as a 34% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Tom Cackette, deputy director for the California Air Resources Board, explained: “When we did the first greenhouse gas standards, it was war. They sued us in two federal courts. Fortunately, from our viewpoint, they lost. Over that time, with the increase in gas prices, the shake-up in the auto industry brought new management which looked at the future. Where’s our future? It’s not profits next quarter but how do we make a sustainable business.”

The project comes as part of the finals of the Zero Robotics SPHERE Challenge, following months of trials and three qualifying stages for the high school students. Participants in the challenge are to fly miniature satellites with the help of computer programs they themselves have written.

The competition is divided into twelve “alliances,” each consisting of three teams, in both U.S. and EU tournaments. The precision and strategic control of the satellites of each team is determined by a panel of judges.

“To have your code moving something on the International Space Station is like nothing I ever imagined,” said 17-year-old Eric Bakan, a high school senior. His team, called the “Cheesy Poofs,” qualified as one of the top teams in the U.S. ‘Alliance.’

Another team’s co-captain Shilpa Yarlagadda, 15, said “When I was little, I always wanted to go to space. Now I’m able to get back in to that.”

The competition does in fact bring the competitors ‘back in to that.’ The SPHERES, or Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites, are soccer-ball sized robots that will be controlled solely by the student’s programs once placed in starting position by a U.S. astronaut at the station. Points will be granted based on flight patterns as a result of both math-based strategy and programming.

There is no grant or fund waiting for the first place winners. “Getting to the space station is pretty much the reward,” explained Jacob Katz, one of the competition organizers. However, the winning teams gains an incredible experience, bragging rights, and official NASA flight patches for those who have traveled to and from space.

This week’s playoff battle was tight, ending in a 36-32 victory over the New Orleans Saints with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Vernon Davis with 9 seconds left in the game.

“This is huge for us,” Davis said. “It’s history, legendary, anything you can describe.”

The tension escalated in the last few minutes of the game, beginning when Smith ran for a 28-yard td with 2:11 left. Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees then completed a 66-yard touchdown pass with 1:37 in what seemed to be the game-deciding play. 9ers fans were thrilled, however, when Smith got the job done and connected with Davis to seal their victory.

“You’ve got to call it ‘The Grab’,” Davis said. “We were down. I had to make it happen to take my teammates where we want to go.”

Drew Brees, who threw 462 yards and four touchdowns, said after the game: “It stings right now because of the expectation level that we had coming into this tournament and understanding that if we win here we’re into the NFC championship game and anything can happen. That’s tough. Tough to swallow at this point.”

Sean Payton, Saints’ coach, said “Kind of an unbelievable game, the way it went back and forth. It’s obviously a difficult game to lose.”

Lily’s mother Joanne said: “She is doing so well. She has even joined a musical theatre class and joins in doing little movements with her feet.”

Joanne and David Gordon, living in North Tyneside, never thought they’d see their daughter learning to walk, let alone joining a dance class. In fact, they stumbled upon the helpful surgery by accident, while watching a TV show that exposed them to the option.

They learned of a little boy, also suffering from cerebral palsy, who received Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy surgery in the US in an effort to help him walk. Joanne, 39, then contacted a finance and commercial manager and made plans to raise the 50,000 pounds needed to send Lily to Missouri. The four week stay at The Children’s Hospital was the beginning of a new life for Lily.

Joanne explained: “It was just by the off-chance we had seen the program, and if we had not heard about it we may never have gone along that road. Last year we were just thinking about it around Christmas, we did not know how much it would cost. It’s hard to believe it is 12 months later and it is all over and on her way to recovery. We are so glad we did it.”

“It is all the little things that mean the world to us such as Lily’s handwriting improving since the surgery. Some people may expect her to be walking fully by now, but it is things like her sitting on the sofa on her own and the fact we can leave her to sit on a chair whereas before she would have fallen off it. We can see as the weeks go on she is getting stronger. She wants to walk now, and she can if we hold her hand.”

“This celebration is so important for our families every year. It’s a time to unite together and share the good fortune of the coming year,” said Eleanor Lew, SFBGS community organizer and volunteer.

At this year’s celebration, Alice Fong Yu School and West Coast Lion dancers will perform classical stringed instruments and cultural dances. Other activities include a magic show by Jaden Huang, a puppet show by the Chinese Historical Society of America, a Vital Tea Leaf Tea Room and Tea Tastings, story time, Asian arts and crafts for children, a talk by Chinatown historian Lyle Jan and much more.

Pacific Coast Farmer’s Market, Tru Courmet Organic Dim Sum, Little Vietnam Café and others will also offer Asian cuisine at the event.

The San Francisco Botanical Garden will provide a perceptible perspective of Asian culture and nature by presenting a collection of rare and endangered plants from across the continent.

According to Associate Curator David Kruse-Pickler the Garden provides “an immersive experience in four of our garden sections for those that might want to take a botanical journey from Burma to China and Thailand to Indonesia, Japan and even New Guinea.”

One of the main organizers of the Lunar New Year event added that “Bilingual signs for some of the trees and plants in the Garden are put out during the LNY Event.”

Saratoga, CA’s Alpine Travel is one of 58 travel agencies teamed up with Virgin Galactic in efforts to send passengers to the very border between earth’s atmosphere and outer space.

Until now, the only people sent to space were professional astronauts, trained for years by organizations like NASA and sent on specific missions. Travel beyond earth’s atmosphere is reserved for research, not for personal entertainment. The Virgin Galactic project, however, is changing all that. Now, for $200k, the average (though wealthy…) person can book a flight on a space-skimming ship.

“Just to be able to sell space travel as a regular part of your business, really, just how cool is that?” said Lynda Turley Garrett of Alpine Travel. She added that “It’ll be just like scheduling a flight to L.A.” by 2017.