~by Kim Jelfs California has become the first state in the nation to address the issue of single-use plastic pollution with its straws on request policy [1].  Beginning January 1, 2019, dine-in, full-service restaurants can provide straws only when requested by customers. (Fast food restaurants are exempt). In his signing statement for Assembly Bill 1884, Gov. Brown drew attention to the devastating effects of plastic pollution on marine life. But some cities are taking even tougher measures – Santa Cruz, Seattle, Fort Myers, Vancouver, and San Francisco have all approved bans on plastic straws. Malibu has expanded the ban to include other plasticware like stirrers and cutlery [2] and our neighbors in Sunnyvale are considering a study issue to ban single-use plastics. These efforts are essential if we wish to reduce the estimated 8 million tons of plastic entering the oceans every year [3]. References: https://www.ecowatch.com/plastic-straws-california-2606762227.html https://www.malibucity.org/861/Plastic-Bans https://www.plastic-pollution.org

~by Margie Suozzo GreenTown Los Altos’ next ReCycle Bike Drive is coming Sunday, October 14! We are seeking YOUR donations. Please donate gently used bikes so that we can clean, repair and distribute them to kids in need. We will be collecting bikes from 10AM-2PM at Los Altos High School. Community activist, Kathleen Santora, started the bike drive 21 years ago at St. Nicholas School. In total, Santora and friends collected and distributed more than 600 bikes to Sacred Heart Community Services in San Jose for families in need! In 2012, Santora approached GreenTown about partnering on the bike drive and we haven’t looked back! Now in its 6th year hosting the Recycle Bike Drive, GreenTown is partnering with Los Altos High School (LAHS) and the LAHS Green Team. LAHS generously provides the site for the bike drive and both the Green Team and LAHS administration help us get the word out. Last year, we refurbished 80 bikes for kids in local schools. Many were distributed to low-income students at Castro School in Mountain View and at Los Altos High School. The rest went to Hope Services to help provide gainful employment for disabled adults. So clean out your garage and consider donating a gently used bike. Volunteers will be on hand at LAHS (near the U) Sunday, October 14, from 10AM to 2PM to accept donations. Stop by during that time with your underutilized bike. And make a student in need smile! Gently Used Bike Intake Guidelines* Was your bike stored outside? Dirty/dusty (some grease/dirt is OK) Bent wheels or damage to rims? Rust spots on a frame? (larger than a dime)? Is the chain/cogs rusty? Has the bike been in a crash? Are the tires cracked? Check sidewalls? Is the cable housing cracked or broken? Are the derailleurs bent or damaged? Can you move the seat post up/down? If “Yes” for any of the above questions, we cannot refurbish or repurpose your bike. You have the following options: We can collect it for Hope Services. You can have your waste hauler (Mission Trail Waste Systems or Recology South Bay) to collect the bike through their bulky items collection program. Or you can recycle the bike at: San Jose Metals Recycling, 1032 N. 10th Street Ranch Town Recycling, 775 Lincoln Ave Recycle Bike Drive-Repair Station Recycle Bike Drive-Margie and friends

~by Gary Hedden Started six years ago, GreenTown led another bike tour of historic homes and places in Los Altos Sept. 23. With almost thirty riders, many of them kids, this family-friendly bike ride of eight miles visited over twenty spots. We started at the History Museum, stopped at the grand Marini Estate, saw the homes of both Guy and Paul Shoup, visited Redwood Grove and the Winchester-Merriman house and so much more. Several homeowners came out to talk to us and offer their thoughts about living in such special places. We ended up back at the Museum for lunch and a batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. The bike group at the Museum. Margie Rauch speaking of her cottage nestled in a grove of redwoods. Jerry Behar telling us some tales of life in historic places. #historicbiketour #LosAltosHistory

By Eric Warmoth Lately, straws have dominated the national conversation surrounding plastic pollution in the media. While many people absentmindedly place them in their sodas, coffee, and smoothies without a second thought, they pose a grave danger to marine life and are among the top ten items found in beach cleanups every year. Across the world, cities, states, countries, and businesses are considering different types of legislation or actions in hopes of reducing or eliminating plastic straw and other single-use plastic consumption. An Impressive Worldwide Movement Major companies like Marriott hotels, Disney, and Starbucks have agreed to phase out plastic straws in their businesses, while California looks to adopt an “on request only” policy. England hopes to implement limiting straws and plastic stirrers across the whole United Kingdom in the future, while Malibu, California and Seattle, Washington have fully implemented plastic straw bans. Individuals and powerful organizations worldwide have begun realizing the simplicity and ease of eliminating plastic straws and taken action. Lonely Whale, described as an “ideas incubator” by Director of Strategic Partnerships Emma Riley, took ownership of this movement on social media as part of its overall goal to create a healthy, plastic-free ocean. Riley explained that she hopes to utilize entertainment media and a coalition of influential people to change the current conversation and set the stage for future action. They were the organizers behind the first-of-its-kind citywide campaign called “Strawless in Seattle” that led to the city’s ban, and have been strong supporters of similar legislation in San Francisco and New York City, establishing heavy presences in both cities to support rallies and give supporters a voice. But while major businesses and cities are pledging against plastic straws, how do we reach our local towns and restaurants? GreenTown’s Skip the Straw Campaign GreenTown Los Altos’ “Skip the Straw” campaign has aimed at doing just that. To date, we have connected with 11 businesses to discuss their current policies and query them about their support for decreasing plastic straw use. Several businesses, such as Bumble, Morsey’s Farmhouse, Pompeii Ristorante, The Post, and The Sweet Shop, already offer straws on request or paper straws for certain applications (e.g., water glasses). Concerns over Customer Service and Price But many others feel that a switch to an “on request only” straws policy  will be viewed as a decrease in their level of customer service. Other concerns include price: paper straws do cost more money than their plastic counterparts; and longevity: some restaurant managers were concerned that paper straws get soggy too quickly. GreenTown addressed the latter concern through research into straws that are long-lasting, which we share with the businesses we visit. Among the best products, Aardvark Straws has several excellent options that are long-lasting and come in form factors that businesses desire. Consumers Have a Key Role to Play But how can we address business concerns about service and price? It’s up to consumers. If we can’t change the supply, then we have to change the demand. If every person who agrees with the goals of our Skip the Straw campaign–reducing plastic pollution–could talk to a waiter or waitress at just one restaurant, we would begin to see a difference. Restaurant owners are very responsive to their customers. If customers demand no straw or paper alternatives to plastic straws, change is possible. Concerned that age will prevent you from being able to have these conversations with restaurants and business owners? Will business owners listen to kids who aren’t their main paying customers? Here are some examples of kids who have helped orchestrate major impacts and real change: 17-year-old Shelby O’Neil is the girl who made it her mission to get Alaskan Airlines to ban plastic straws and stirrers. Through her creation of the company Junior Ocean Guardians, she helped them to move towards a solution. The airline agreed to switch to eco-friendly straws and wooden stirring sticks by the end of 2018, starting a trend that spread to American Airlines and has the potential to convert other major airlines to the same environmental cause. 9-year-old Molly Steer in Australia started the Straw No More Project, convincing 16 schools across Queensland, starting with her own, to join her campaign and pledge to stop using plastic straws. She also had the chance to give a TEDx talk at James Cook University, which has amassed over 42 thousand views, spreading the no straw message far and wide. As consumers of any age, we have the power to change the course of our environment for future generations. Please join GreenTown and Skip the Straw! Email us for more info or if you’d like to get involved in our local movement.

With all this talk about the perils of plastic straws, you might want to consider purchasing a reusable straw. Epicurious did the work to review those they found were best. Check out their reviews here.

by Gary Hedden GreenTown Los Altos hosted another successful Energy Day on the Green August 19. The highlight was the give-away of 20 electric chargers to some very happy electric car owners. GreenTown wants your next car to be electric and this is one way to promote the idea. Thank you PowerFlex, a Los Altos company, for the generous donation. We also had HomeIntel telling us about their energy saving program that can save 10-12% on your gas and electricity bill. They gave smart power strips to people who signed up for an audit of their energy use. Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE), our provider of fossil-fuel-free electricity, was there to answer questions and tell us about some new programs heading our way next year. We had solar panel installers SunWork, Slingshot, and Clean Solar, Acterra with information on smart energy and water use, electric cars, electric bikes and more. We also had the always popular solar cooker baking some fresh cookies and coffee cake. It all made for a very fun day! Derek Lee with PowerFlex giving away some chargers. James Tuleya talking about home energy audits. SVCE representatives Julia and Joanna. Gary with summer interns Lia and Gillian.

If you were anywhere near the Los Altos Library Sunday afternoon on June 24, you’d have seen a group of about 50 people walking around talking about trees and the food they produce as part of GreenTown’s Second Annual Edible Tree Walk. Greentown’s executive director, Kris Jensen, was joined by local food historian and policy expert Peter Ruddock and “Silicon Valley’s Favorite Personal Chef” Joni Sare for an in-depth walk and talk about the abundant food growing all around us. We started with a history lesson by Los Altos Park Maintenance Supervisor Chris Costanzo who spoke about Los Altos’ Heritage Apricot Orchard and then walked across San Antonio Rd. to begin our walk. We stopped at trees along the way to talk about their edible parts—from the expected apricots, pears, citrus and so much more, to the unexpected—syrup made from birch sap and maple leaves cured and made into tempura in a traditional Japanese manner. What made the walk especially fun was the expertise among our walkers. We learned a lot from these friendly folks. Our walk ended in front of DeMartini’s Fruit Stand with an encouragement to purchase some of the incredible Blenheim apricots grown in our very own orchard! Here’s some information we talked about along the way: For those interested in purchasing organic, heirloom fruit trees for your garden, consider purchasing them online from Trees of Antiquity Be sure to check out Jam for Good, a fun local group that makes jam to benefit kids in Nicaragua If you’re interested in learning more about the slow food movement, check out our co-sponsor Slow Food South Bay and their upcoming Tour de Coupa bike-ride that visits backyard chicken coops If you’re interested in taking some incredible cooking classes, Joni Sare offers classes That include Italian, Spanish, French, Thai. Check out Slow Food’s Ark of Taste, especially the Blenheim Apricot, which was boarded locally. Transition Palo Alto holds a range of events including films and lectures on 4th Fridays, quarterly Share Faires – Goods, Skills and More – and many others.  You can sign up for the monthly newsletter by e-mail. Transition Palo Alto also sponsors 3 regular Garden Shares: 1st Saturdays, 12-1, Soil & Water Garden, Heritage Park, Mountain View 2nd Saturdays, 10-11, Mar-Oct, Portola Valley Town Hall 4th Sundays, 11-12, except Dec, Charles Street Gardens, Sunnyvale You can get more information and/or sign up for Garden Share listservs by e-mail. Peter Ruddock will be leading a private group to pick a prolific grapefruit tree in Menlo Park at 10:00 AM on July 5.  There is room for others to join. Please e-mail him for more information – PeterRuddock@yahoo.com And don’t forget Joni’s amazing recipe: Valencia-Orange-Cake.pdf

by Gary Hedden GreenTown led over 30 cyclists on this year’s Summer Solstice Night Bike Ride. We had a good group of riders, including one family and several members or former members of the Los Altos High School Green Team. The weather was perfect as we headed from Peet’s on State Street, turned north on Los Altos Ave. and continued to the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve. The tide was up, there were lots of shore birds and sunset was spectacular. We put decorative lights on the bikes and headed home by way of Stevens Creek Trail. The moonlight made it a very special ride. It was getting chilly, so several of us stopped at Cascal in Mountain View for hot chocolate. That was a welcome and tasty treat. It was after 10 when we got back to Los Altos, but well worth it. It’s a lot of fun riding in the dark! Leaving Los Altos Waiting at a traffic light Sunset Group shot

by Gary Hedden The sun wasn’t out but it didn’t matter – the ribbon cutting on the new solar array at Oak School made it a great day for solar. The ceremony marked the official start, but the panels at the nine LASD schools were already producing electricity, and according to Jeff Baier, LASD Superintendent, the system is expected to off-set $175,000 per year for the district, money that can go to the schools and not the power company. Jan Pepper, Los Altos City Council, spoke about her vision of a future that uses clean electricity. Another speaker made the point that the arrays are an inspiration to the kids, their parents, and the community. People see the panels and think, “If it can work for the schools, maybe it can work for me.” The schools will be adding solar into their science and technology assignments too. It connects to all aspects of STEM – science, technology, engineering, and math. Starting next week, the clean electricity will be put to some good use. George Lee with PowerFlex Systems, using a grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, will install up to 30 Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations at each school. The wiring was installed during construction, and now the chargers can be added. The chargers used by PowerFlex are state-of-the-art and can provide almost free power when the sun is shining, but will charge more when its cloudy and the electricity comes from the grid. That keeps the cost of the benefit low. It is in place at the high schools and according to Lee the number of teachers and staff now driving EV’s to work has doubled in the past year. Jessica Speiser, LASD Board member, cut the ribbon with Oak Principal Amy Romem standing to her left. In the front row, wearing bright yellow WOW t-shirts, representing GreenTown Los Altos you can spot me and Margie Suozzo. We used the traffic disruption during the project as an opportunity to encourage more walking and wheeling to school. We worked with the school district, the PTA’s and the Principals to create awareness, offer prizes and generate some interest in a little behavior change. Turns out, the project went a bit too smoothly and we only got a little improvement over past years. Oh well, we aren’t giving up, and with our new connections, we are in better shape than ever to make some progress. Ribbon cutting with Jessica Speiser. Amy Romem to her left and Jeff Baier and Byran Johnson to her right. Randy Kenyon is behind her and to her right. The others mainly represent the energy consultant, TerraVerde, the installer, SunWorks and the owner of the arrays, ForeFront Power. Ben Schneider, ForeFront Power, and Jeff Baier, LASD Superintendent. Jeff was Ben’s Principal at Almond – a few years ago. George Lee, PowerFlex, with Gary Hedden. Jan Pepper congratulating the school district on their successful project.

by Gary Hedden For the second year, GreenTown Los Altos led a bike ride in memory of the late Dr. Hardy Jones of Los Altos. Hardy collected scrap metal and turned it into what he liked to call “found art.” As an orthopedic surgeon, he also called it “orthopedic art,” turning broken pieces of metal into artwork. Most of the schools in town have his artwork depicting their mascot. Sixteen of us were on the memorial ride and we saw Bobcats at Santa Rita, an Eagle at the High School, another eagle at Almond, a Lion at Loyola and Coyotes at Covington. At each stop, Hardy’s good friend Sam Harding would tell us a story. He told us that Hardy checked books out of the library to research the animals and make sure he got the look just right. Sam told us that the eagle at Almond has individually cut and welded feathers and the whole piece took a year to produce. There were good stories at each stop. About half of us finished up with lunch at Urfa Bistro on State Street; that’s becoming a fun part of the tradition as well. When asked if GreenTown will be back for a ride next year, Sam said without hesitation, “Yes.” Sounds good to me. The group at the first stop, the library Sam and one of the Bobcats Sam and the High School’s Eagle

by Gary Hedden We need to switch from fossil fuels to electricity, but can we? Yes, says David Kaneda and he knows how to make it happen. Kaneda is an architect and engineer with Integral Group and he has over 30 years of experience designing electrical systems for buildings. He spoke May 9 at a workshop held before the regular meeting of the Board of Silicon Valley Clean Energy. He told the group about some of the Zero Net Energy buildings that he has worked on, many in our area, and he showed pictures. Turns out ZNE buildings are beautiful as well as energy efficient. A building doesn’t have to be all electric to be ZNE, but Kaneda recommends it. With residential buildings, the sticky point often is the water heater and the cooktop. The efficiency of heat pump water heaters is so good that the payback to cover the higher installation cost is quick and that makes it a good deal. The cooktop is more about giving up the familiar gas-fired cooktop to try something new. Kaneda’s wife certainly wasn’t interested, but he got her to try a Küppersbusch induction cooktop with a “dimple” for the wok and she loved it. The cooktop doesn’t get hot so she could spread a cloth under the wok to catch all the splatters. Quick and clean. Another test was from a restaurateur. He told Kaneda he wouldn’t allow it in his new kitchen unless it would work with scallops. He went to a test kitchen, tried it and it passed with flying colors. Isn’t that often the case? We need to try things to become convinced. So what else should we try? Ice is a phase change material that uses and generates a lot of energy without a temperature change. That could put some of the excess electricity we now have in the middle of the day to good use. Dirt could store energy by circulating hot water in pipes buried in the ground in the summer and then reversing it in the winter. Hydrogen is a source of stored energy. Kaneda does say that the first thing is to build as efficiently as possible. He described a retrofit of a concrete building in Sunnyvale that used the concrete in the walls and floors as insulation to maintain the inside temperature. On a day when it hit 90 degrees, the air conditioner wasn’t even needed! He had a few thoughts about electric cars as well. Since 1/3 of our energy use goes to transportation, we should switch to electricity and building codes and incentives can help with that switch. He also wondered about the transition to autonomous vehicles. He thinks it will happen, but he doesn’t think it will reduce traffic or energy use. He sees these cars becoming an office or just a place to ‘hang out.’ It will allow the commute time to be put to a reasonably good use. It was an entertaining and thought-provoking presentation. ~ Gary Hedden

by Linda Ziff On GreenTown Los Altos’ Get the Dirt Tour, participating Greentowners and guests learned that Mission Trails owner Louie Pellegrini is drawing from his past to plan for the future. As a third generation garbage professional, Louie remembers the thousands of pigs his grandfather raised. Today it is estimated that approximately 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted globally each year with most of it going to landfill.  As a “garbage man’s” solution to the sustainable management of food scraps, Mission Trail has developed patented technologies to convert food scraps to dry animal food. Tour participants had the opportunity to visit the Garden City Sanitation Facility of this SAFE (Sustainable Alternative Feed Enterprises) process. Although not yet available in Los Altos, you can learn more at www.ForktoFeed.com. With the China ban on accepting less recyclable material from the US, Louie reported that about 40% of our recyclables now are not accepted. This ban mostly affects mixed paper, because it is heavier than the recycled plastics. How can you help? contact organizations that send you junk mail and ask to be removed from their lists. use brown cardboard for mulching in your yard. read newspapers and magazines online. The good news is that Los Altos is tops in the County on our diversion rate, keeping material out of the landfill. Hooray for Los Altos residents! Mission Train Tour 1 Mission Trail Tour 2