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The grownups in the room were few and far between but each was wide-eyed in amazement at the power of youth at the sixth annual Students for Green High Schools Conference held on Saturday, January 25. Organized by the Los Altos High School Green Team, led by co-presidents Audrey Chang and senior Elena Atluri, the conference boasted 120 attendees, about 10 booths, and a dizzying amount of energy, enthusiasm and calls for action to help protect and preserve our planet for future generations. Inspiring is an understatement! The conference started with an introduction by Andrew Chang, the Samsung host and dad of Audrey, who shared the company’s the sustainability practices. You could tell just when entering the campus that Samsung is leading the charge in sustainability: LEED platinum building, efficient recycling and composting stations, no single-use waste, etc. New This Year: Booth Displays Organizations and school clubs had an opportunity to display and discuss their accomplishments through booths and all conference attendees were given ample time to peruse the booths to learn details about initiatives that interested them. This was followed by standout student speakers: Jamie Minden, leader of St. Francis’ environmental club and co-founder of Silicon Valley Youth Climate Strike Peri Plantenberg, a student activist with the Sunrise Movement which advocates for aggressive policy change to combat the climate crisis. Next were breakout sessions on topical issues focusing on what can be done at school and how can they take the learnings home. These were skillfully led by LAHS Green Team facilitators using guiding questions prepared in advance to help prime the pump. Little priming was needed, however; I witnessed many lively and engaging discussions — from approaches to conserving water on campus to best approaches for legislative advocacy — as I traveled from one session to the next. Several middle schoolers attended and were equally engaged. Following the breakouts, each group presented key findings for others to learn from. The communication and outreach team even offered up a rap to share its findings! This is the sixth conference that I’ve attended and I have to say, it gets better each year. It’s a testament to the youth of today and the dogged determination they have to take control of their fate and the fate of our precious planet. We should all follow their enthusiasm lead!

She’s funny. She’s exuberant. She’s plant-based. On January 14, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau entertained a crowd of more than 75 people at the Los Altos Library for GreenTown’s monthly community forum. Patrick-Goudreu, who has written a slew of books, including the popular, “The Joy of Vegan Baking”, “The Vegan Table”, and, “The 30-Day Vegan Challenge”, shared her stories of becoming vegan and how to combat some of the cultural and social challenges of staying vegan. Her primary motive: compassion for animals. Her most recent book, “The Joyful Vegan: Everything You Need to Stay Vegan in a World that Wants You to Keep Eating Meet, Dairy and Eggs”, focuses on the practical aspects of living compassionately and healthfully. This talk represented the third talk about plant-based eating from GreenTown’s Eating Green team. The first, with Ocean Robbins focused primarily on the health benefits. The second, with Nil Zacarias, highlighted the environmental benefits of plant-based living, and Colleen Patrick-Goudreau examining the benefits to animals and our return to compassion. If you’re interested in learning more about plant-based eating, email us.

by Josephine Martensson and Donna Staton The California Assembly is packed with bills for eliminating single-use plastics. The first is Assembly Bill No. 619 (AB 619), AKA the “Bring Your Own” bill is good news for the fight against single-use plastics! AB 619 went into effect January 1st, 2020. This law amends sections of the California Health and Safety Code, and clarifies existing sections, to make it easier for consumers to use their own containers at restaurants when buying food “to go” or taking home meal leftovers. The containers used must be in compliance with Section 3-304.17(B)(1) of the 2017 Food Code published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. But fear not, it is simpler than it sounds! It just means that your containers must be clean and designed for, and capable of, reuse. This applies both to dine-in restaurants and vendors at concerts, festivals, and other events. You can also bring your own reusable container to grocery stores (bulk items, deli items) which choose to allow this. Ways You Can Help: Take advantage! Bring your own containers, bring your own reusable items, and use them when you carry out food. Spread the word! Tell your friends and family about AB619 and encourage them to “bring their own” too. Next time you eat out, don’t forget to grab your reusable water bottle and straw, utensils, and food storage containers! Senate Bill 54 and Assembly Bill 1080: Tackling single-use plastics in a BIG way. In 2019, the California legislature adjourned before voting on Senate Bill 54 (SB 54) and Assembly Bill 1080 (AB 1080). These bills, known as the California Circular Economy and Pollution Reduction Act, would require that 75% of single-use packaging of consumer products and foodware sold in the state be reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2030. The bills will come back to the Senate and Assembly floor of this session. To end our reliance on single-use items, which have disastrous effects on the environment, please share your concerns with our state legislators and representatives and let them know that you want their support in reducing single-use plastics. Want to do even more? Take action on SB 54 and AB 1080 here.

Thanks to the sustainability conscious residents in our community, what a great start to the 500 Trees campaign! We’ve planted more than 100 trees and will plant more in March. That will mark the end of the planting season for now, but we will be back encouraging and helping plant new trees in the fall. Trees are important – good for the environment and they look beautiful. We’ve enjoyed helping homeowners plant a tree or two but the best part is working with the kids. We’ve had scouts, the service league of boys, the girls service group Together We Can, the High School Green Team, students from Living Wisdom High School and more, and they’ve all been thrilled to plant trees. They love getting into the dirt and an hour later seeing a beautiful new tree ready to start its life. We’ve planted trees at the local schools too. The kids get it, trees are important as well as beautiful. I always ask why do we plant trees? One little girl at Almond Elementary, a kindergartener, immediately answered, “They give us oxygen.” Wow, she’s six years old. I was impressed. That’s why we will be back planting again next fall!

Last spring, in the spirit of reducing waste, GreenTown’s Waste Reduction Team held several sewing circles, creating produce bags from leftover fabric and handing them out at the Los Altos Farmers Market. It was a big hit! Team members’ new and improved sewing skills have come in handy during this pandemic as GreenTown volunteers have taken to sewing masks for healthcare workers. Kim Jelfs, a long-time Waste Reduction Team member, has been churning out masks – 40 so far! “But are these being put to use?” One organization notes that “Many hospitals are accepting donations of handmade masks for patients and providers who are not treating confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients. This ensures proper protective equipment is available for those most at risk of spreading or contracting the virus.” They maintain a list of hospitals throughout the country that are accepting masks here. Kim’s masks have been delivered to a friend who works in the ICU at Valley Medical and indicated that hospital’s need. Other volunteers, heeding our call to sew masks, have delivered masks directly to other local hospitals. GreenTown has researched or contacted local hospitals and hospitals that we know are accepting homemade masks include: Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara –  In addition to accepting direct donations and donations of unopened critical personal protective gear, is accepting homemade masks. They ask that donors follow their recommended directions here. Valley Medical– Is accepting homemade masks for non-patient care staff. In addition, they are accepting monetary donations and donations of personal protective equipment. Their specifications for homemade masks can be found here. “I want to get started. How do I make one?” One post that spurred the homemade mask-making craze was this one and the first masks that Kim made followed this protocol. The pattern can be found here and instructions here. Another option that also includes a nose clasp (made of a small piece of pipe cleaner or garden wire) can be found here. Joann Fabrics is offering free kits to make masks here. On their website, you can also find patterns for different style masks. Plus, Joann’s offers curbside pick up on any online orders! No big surprise, but it turns out that different materials have different effectiveness. Most homemade cotton masks are not up to the task of an N-95 mask, but can be used by non-patient staff or over an N-95 mask to help it last longer. Researchers at Cambridge University weighed the benefits of different materials in protecting against virus particles. They found that vacuum cleaner bags, particularly those with HEPA filtration, were highly effective with a mean filtration efficiency on par with a surgical mask. So some sewers have taken to using vacuum bags as their fabric of choice or creating a mask insert so that a vacuum bag or other filter can be inserted into the mask. “What hospitals are not accepting masks and what do they need?” A number of hospitals in the area are NOT accepting homemade masks, but instead, like the hospitals listed above, are looking for monetary donations and donations of new, unopened personal protective gear such as: gloves, isolation gowns, goggles, eye shields, shoe covers, nurse caps, disinfecting surface wipes, and N95 and surgical masks. Stanford Health Care – Donation Guidelines El Camino Hospital has created a COVID-19 emergency response fund for monetary donations. Thanks for your efforts to date to stem the tide of COVID-19 and to help keep healthcare workers safe! Happy sewing.

We all were thrilled when last summer California Assembly Bill AB619 took effect, allowing customers to bring their own cups, containers for bulk and deli items, and to-go containers to stores and restaurants. Then… COVID 19 hit, and restaurants and stores have now, understandably, limited use of such reusable containers. Theoretically, there should not be an extra risk because the reusable container should not contact goods for other customers, but given the possible severity of this disease, no one wants to take chances. But let’s not despair! All the efforts we still make in our shopping and at home to avoid single use plastic and reuse non-plastic items are still worth it! This is a temporary situation. We look forward to when we can resume our campaign to educate the community about the many ways we can reduce single use plastics at stores and restaurants. Stay tuned for more on our efforts to introduce reusable returnable multi-vendor cups in Los Altos! One potentially positive outcome from COVID 19–the severe shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for our valiant health workers has renewed interest in hospital quality reusable gowns, masks and gloves—which would greatly reduce the amount of single use synthetic materials heading by the ton to our landfills. Moreover, these items could be washed/disinfected onsite, reducing transport needs. Some good may come out of all this after all. We sure hope so.

A Reach Code ordinance is scheduled to come for a vote before the Los Altos City Council in the next couple of months, and while it is receiving push back from a small but vocal and organized group we are optimistic about its passage. To accomplish that, we need your help to voice support of these codes. Reach Codes are City selected enhancements to the state-mandated building codes that are revised every three years and were adopted by the City in late 2019. Reach Codes help California and its cities reach their climate action goals of greenhouse gas reduction. Without Reach Codes, these goals will be more difficult to meet which is why we’re hoping you’ll read up about it and support it. Behind vehicular traffic emissions, buildings are the single largest contributor to greenhouse gasses in our community. In our homes, gas powered appliances are the worse culprits (furnaces, water heaters, dryers, and yes, our beloved gas stoves.) Reach code researchers have built prototype homes and measured the cost/benefit of switching to electric versions of these appliances. Adoption of all-electric Reach Codes are being considered only for new construction in Los Altos even though GreenTown supports the inclusion of major remodels or additions where these systems might be replaced as a course of the construction. For a great primer on what Reach Codes are, click HERE for detailed text provided by the city of Cupertino. The actual Reach Code research, for those who like more data, can be found at the California Energy site. The Los Altos City Council has taken the forward-looking steps to vote for an all-electric version of the Reach Codes for new construction. While that represents only a drop in the bucket of our overall housing stock, we need to pass it. Email the council here by April 30th to show your support of the Reach Codes. For questions or more information, contact Connie Miller here. Watch for a separate e-blast for an invitation to a webinar Q & A on the subject hosted by City Council. Look for an article on the negative health effects of natural gas in the home in our May GTLA Newsletter.

I LOVE my gas stove. But as a pediatrician, I also love keeping families healthy and working to leave our children a clean environment for their kids. So how do I think about Reach Codes and the switch to all electric appliances in new construction in Los Altos? Two realizations convinced me that we must make the change, and the sooner the better. For background, I should tell you I moved here from Boston, where I lived in a wood house built in 1796. We heated with a wood stove and an oil burning furnace. So when I moved here to a home with gas heat and a gas stove, I thought, wow! This is so much cleaner—and it smells better too. A huge improvement in the indoor air quality my lungs were used to. I believed that gas energy was a bridge to a cleaner future, one where all our energy would be electric from renewable carbon free sources. The first thing that convinced me to support Reach Codes was understanding that our energy sources here in California are getting cleaner and cleaner all the time. Put in gas appliances, and the home burns fossil fuel for the life of the home, contributing to global warming. Put in electric appliances, especially modern induction cook tops, heat pumps for heating and cooling, etc., and as the energy grid becomes cleaner, the energy use for that home becomes cleaner and cleaner too. These Reach Codes will not take away gas from those homes that use it now. But going forward, the homes in Los Altos will contribute much less to global warming. It’s our way of helping the planet, and the time is now. For those who need more convincing, I highly recommend this short, beautifully written piece in the New England Journal of Medicine: The False Promise of Natural Gas Secondly, I realize that in addition to the community and global benefits of cleaner energy, there are very real direct benefits to one’s own health, in one’s own home. My work with the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health has given me a much better appreciation of the negative health effects of burning fossil fuel inside our homes. Did you know that: After cooking for one hour with a gas stove and oven, peak levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) inside the kitchen are so high they exceed both state and national outdoor acute air-quality standards in more than 90 percent of the homes modeled. Children who grow up in a home with a gas stove are 42 percent more likely to develop asthma than those who don’t. Even for adults, exposure to the combustion pollutants of gas stoves (carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, fine particulate matter and volatile organic compounds) increases wheezing, cough, bronchitis and vulnerability to infection (like COVID-19). Exhaust fans should be used every time we turn on a burner, but most people don’t realize this. There are so many exposures we can’t avoid, it’s all the more important to avoid the ones we can! I’m convinced that adopting Reach Codes for Los Altos is the right thing to do. Better for the planet, better for Los Altos, and better for our lungs and general health. No one is forcing me to give up my gas stove—but I’m going to use the exhaust fan every time I cook from now on, and when it comes to replacement, I’ll go electric.

Dear Friends, On behalf of GreenTown Los Altos, I wish you health and happiness during this challenging time. Too often environmental organizations have been harbingers of doom, while there might be a time for that, this isn’t that time. So, in the midst of all the craziness, I wanted to share with you glimmers of hope I’ve seen as, ultimately, the work we do at GreenTown is about hope for a better future for everyone. Each of you reading this is a messenger of that hope and have made it possible for us to do our work in good times and bad. With all the worthy causes appropriately demanding your attention, we hope that you consider GreenTown a cause worthy of your support and make a tax-deductible donation today. Around the world people are sheltering in place and with far fewer cars on the road the air is much cleaner. That’s not even taking into account the work out Clean Air Teams have done to enforce the gas leaf blower ban and encourage folks to stop idling their cars. Many of us are trying to live more simply and are cooking at home more. With the extra time you have, maybe you’ve even considered eating more of a plant-based diet. Our Eating Green Team has been busy posting cooking videos to help, like this one about a delicious tofu scramble. We are also getting outside to take walks and dusting off our bikes for those rides we’ve always wanted to take. Just this past year, you made it possible for 150 more people, mostly kids, to be able to take those rides, too, through our ReCycle Bike Drive. And, as you walk or ride, we hope you enjoy the more than 150 trees we planted in front yards, schools, and parks throughout Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. Each tree is a beacon of hope for the future, storing carbon, providing habitat for animals, and adding to the visual appeal of our already beautiful communities. It’s because of you and your support over the years that we’ve been able to do any of these things. We still need that support both financial and otherwise. So, if you are able, please consider a gift to GreenTown to help us continue spreading hope well into the future. And finally, where are you finding hope these days? Please do let us know as we’d love to hear from you. You can write me directly here. Be well, Kris Jensen Executive Director kris@greentownlosaltos.org

The Los Altos City Council is now considering building electrification Reach Codes. These upgrades to the California state building codes are important for the future of our health, our families and our planet. The topic is complicated and there is lots of misinformation. We need your help to get the Reach Code passed. Please read why we support Reach Codes and how you can show your support below. You can also visit the City of Los Altos’ Information Page on Reach Codes. Why we support Reach Codes Reach Codes help our community meet its climate goals. Reach Codes mean healthier buildings. Reach Codes result in buildings that cost less and work great! Reach Codes have lots of support. We’re in good company! How you can support Reach Codes and a better future We encourage you to take the following steps to let the City Council know that you support their efforts to protect Los Altos families and reduce carbon emissions for future generations. Complete the City survey here before May 30th to show you are in favor of Reach Codes. Write to City Council at council@losaltosca.gov by Friday, May 8 to express your support for Reach Codes. A sample letter is below. Attend one or more of the following important meetings and voice your support (details for watching and submitting comments at these live meetings will be on the City’s website a few days before the actual meetings): May 11 – Environmental Commission – 7pm May 12 – City Council – 7pm June 1 – City Council – 7pm Write a Letter to the Editor to the Los Altos Town Crier (200 word maximum). Email bruceb@latc.com. Questions? Feel free to contact us at info@greentownlosaltos.org. Want more details? Read more here…. Reach Codes help our community meet its climate goals. Buildings are the second largest source of Los Altos’ greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and most of those emissions come from natural gas. Shifting from natural gas to electric will reduce our community’s carbon emissions, especially since our power provider, SVCE delivers 100% carbon-free electricity. The proposed Reach Codes apply only to new construction – about 40 homes per year. To capture the significant GHG reduction potential in existing homes, GreenTown would like to see the Council also address fossil fuel use in major remodels and additions. Reach Codes mean healthier buildings. All electric buildings are far healthier than buildings with gas appliances (see story by Donna Staton, MD on our Board). They eliminate gas combustion by-products, like carbon monoxide, resulting in healthier indoor air for our families and reduce the risk of a San Bruno-type disaster. Reach Codes result in buildings that cost less and work great! California Energy Commission (CEC) found that an all-electric reach code for new construction is cost-effective in our area. Furthermore, natural gas transmission costs continue to increase as natural gas use declines from its peak usage in 2012. Electric appliances and equipment for water heating, space heating, laundry and cooking, required by Reach Codes, are proven technologies that are highly efficient and work great. Even celebrity chefs, like Thomas Keller of The French Laundry and Wolfgang Puck of Spago, use induction cooktops. They are safer, healthier, more efficient and heat up faster than gas cooktops! Reach Codes have lots of support. We’re in good company! More than 30 Bay area cities are committed to Reach Codes, including nearby neighbors in Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, San Jose, Saratoga and Cupertino. See the list of Santa Clara County cities. Environmental groups, in addition to GreenTown, including Los Altos Youth Climate Action Team, Los Altos High School Green Team, Sierra Club, Mothers-Out-Front, 350SV, and Acterra, all support Reach Codes. Here’s the sample letter to email to council@losaltosca.gov : SUBJECT: I Support Reach Codes Honorable Members of the Council, Thank you for your leadership in advancing building electrification Reach Codes for Los Altos. I support Reach Codes for the following reasons: 1) Reach Codes support our community’s climate goals. They will reduce Los Altos’ carbon footprint from buildings – the second largest contributor to our community’s greenhouse gas emissions – because unlike natural gas, our electricity from SVCE, is 100% carbon-free. 2) Reach Codes will result in healthier buildings. They reduce gas combustion by-products providing healthier indoor air for our families and reduce our community’s risk of a San Bruno-type disaster. 3) Reach Codes save money. The CEC has demonstrated that Reach Codes are cost-effective for consumers, so homeowners in our community will realize energy and cost-savings from all-electric homes. Thank you for your efforts to protect the health and well-being of our community and our planet. Please vote for Reach Codes when they come before the Council. Sincerely, (Your name)

The school closures put a stop to planting them in March as we’d planned. The poor trees sat in their containers at Gary’s house, dejected but getting regular watering, while we hoped for an early opening of the school campus. Our hopes were dashed when it was announced that the school would remain closed until next fall. Then, the very next day, we were happily surprised. An inquiry from Ventano preschool arrived! The preschool is located on the grounds of Christ Episcopal Church on Border Road. They had recently lost two redwood trees, noticed that GreenTown Los Altos was planting trees and said they would like two large trees as replacements. Specifically, they would like two cedar trees. I haveto say that gave me a little bit of a tingle. Montclaire school gave up the trees and the very next day, Ventano wanted them.  It must be divine intervention. Maybe, maybe not, we planted the trees and they look beautiful.

Interested in knowing how what you eat impacts the environment? Find out the size of your foodprint by watching this video and taking this quiz from Foodprint.org Then try these on for size for some ways to reduce it! The Joyful Vegan’s cooking classes. The Joyful Vegan, who GreenTown hosted in Jan. 14th continues to offer online cooking classes. The next one is June 7, 2020 at noon. She’ll be featuring a Mexican menu: sweet potato tacos, peach salsa and horchata. Yum! Register here! Let’s talk yogurt. The Minimalist Baker has tips and tricks for making coconut yogurt including the best brands of coconut milk and probiotics to use! View her video here. GreenTown’s Isabelle Cnudde who also started Clorofil, a local animal microsanctuary, has been using quarantine to teach folks some plant-based recipes including a yogurt made with cashews and soy milk. You can see her cooking videos here. Podcast for the planet. Climate One’s podcast – Rewind: Fate of Food/Plate to Planet –  examines the question: “How can we continue to feed a crowded planet without destroying it in the process?” Host Greg Dalton interviews authors Anne Lappe and Mark Kurlansky here. Questions? Email info@GreenTownLosAltos.org.