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On May 4, 2013, 60 lucky participants boarded a Google Bus and toured Permanente Creek from Rancho San Antonio to the Bay. Sponsored by the Committee for Green Foothills and GreenTown Los Altos, speakers talked about flood control to fish passage, from history to future and from climate change to creek dynamics. In the early 1800s, the Spanish settlers took notice of a significant steelhead trout creek with perennial flow, and they named it Arroyo Permanente. The headwaters in limestone-rich Black Mountain release their winter rains slowly through the year into the creek. Fast forward to 2013, this creek has changed substantially. The pristine headwaters still contain descendants of steelhead trout, but they are landlocked by manmade barriers. Lehigh Cement and Quarry occupy 3.5 miles of creek and for the last 70 years, the water flow has been dammed, diverted, filled with sediment and poisoned with selenium and mercury. Following the flow below Lehigh, the creek enters Rancho San Antonio Creek. This is the only accessible section of creek that bears some resemblance to its original form. Downstream of RSA the creek flows through residential area, Heritage Oaks Park and then a diversion channel. In 1959, Santa Clara Valley Water District built a trapezoidal channel to divert Permanente’s flow to Stevens Creek. The water flow beyond the channel’s location at Portland & Miramonte out to the bay was considered only a flood risk and not needed for any creek life. Although Stevens Creek does have steelhead trout, the fish have no chance of entering the diversion channel or swimming the 1.3 miles of channel. Despite the ignorance and abuses of the past, Permanente’s future is bright, especially for steelhead trout. On Earth Day 2013, Sierra Club and Lehigh signed a consent decree requiring restoration of the section of Permanente that runs through Lehigh and calls for a water treatment plant. Lehigh’s section of creek will be fish habitable by 2015. Once the Lehigh section of the creek is ready for steelhead trout, the remaining barrier is the diversion channel. A group of concerned citizens and environmentalist are investigating options diversion channel. The Water District estimates $12M to make the channel suitable for fish migration.

A suitable habitat for several native fish species was found Kit Gordon, GreenTown Los Altos team member, took a trip to look at Permanente Creek’s health and filed this story. On a cool crisp morning, Mondy Lariz and I waited in the parking lot with Alice Rich, Fisheries and Ecological Consultant. A white van drove up with government license plates carrying Gary Stern and Darren Howe from NOAA Fisheries. The two introduced themselves and we headed up to survey Permanente Creek starting at Heritage Oaks Park. A month ago, I called Gary with a proposal to remove a massive fish barrier, the 1.3 mile long, concrete Permanente Diversion Channel. Currently, steelhead trout swim past this barrier and up Stevens Creek. They can’t get far on Stevens Creek as there is a dam and its flow is controlled by the Water District for flood mitigation and water supply purposes, but not to sustain fish habitat. “I don’t want to send fish to their deaths,” Gary feared. He however decided to take a closer look at Permanente Creek to assess its habitat potential. By the 10th time my boots submerged, I stopped taking them off to empty. I copied Darren’s technique and just swung my heavy water filled boot up the creek bank and bent slightly to empty. Around 9:15AM we started walking up the creek. Gary and Alice were the most experienced but, dressed as near opposites. “There won’t be any deep pools,” I mistakenly proclaimed. Gary had full waders, up to his hip. Alice had shorts and hiking shoes. I soon realized either of these two footwear choices were better alternatives to my knee high boots. By the 10th time my boots submerged, I stopped taking them off to empty. I copied Darren’s technique and just swung my heavy water filled boot up the creek bank and bent slightly to empty. We found FISH, most likely resident trout along with roach and suckers. Yes, this creek can sustain fish, as least in the late spring. Happy to see steelhead trout swimming freely in the creek. “You have a nice little creek here,” Gary said several times. Mondy, with his depth of knowledge and contacts, answered Gary and Darren’s stream of questions. We found great habitat for steelhead: refugia, deep pools, cool water, and only a few minor fish barriers. But several more questions needed to be answered. What are the flows in the fall? When should we schedule a date for electrofishing to identify the species? What’s the plan for the minor fish barriers? What about Lehigh’s impact? The sediment increased and the variety of fish decreased as we approached Rancho San Antonio – evidence of Lehigh’s discharges into the creek. “It may take years for this sediment to clear up, but the potential here is quite good,” Gary concluded. “What are you doing?” asked Mike, the ranger at Rancho San Antonio as we emerged from 3.5 hours tangled in blackberries, nettles, poison oak, and brush. We didn’t look like the usual RSA guest with twigs sticking out from our hats, soaked pants, waders, and note pads. “Matt knows we’re here,” I said apologetically. Mike was very excited after hearing our findings and offered to check flows on the upper west branch for us. “You’ve got a great job,” I said to Darren. “Not all days are this much fun,” he replied. Kit Gorden, Green Town Volunteer

Over the last two years GreenTown Los Altos, working with public school teachers within Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, have surveyed how students travel to school. In the latest survey ended May 2013, 67% of 7-8th graders, 51% of 4-6 graders, and 41% of K-3 graders – Walked, biked, carpooled, bused, or scootered to school. WoW! 67% of  7-8th graders, 51% of 4-6 graders, 41% of K-3 graders -walked, biked, carpooled, bused, or scootered to school!!! After two years of tracking students, there is a noticeable trend. Most K-2 grade students are driven to school which makes sense given their age. In 3rd and 4th grades, parents organize carpools rather than solo trips. In 5th and 6th grades, the carpools become students who bike to school as parents recognize children are becoming old enough to transport themselves. In 7th and 8th grades, students transfer from local elementary schools to middle schools, usually farther away.  To travel to the longer distance, students opt to bike to school rather than be driven.  Again, the transition to middle school corresponds to students starting to show their independence and being more self reliant as well as parents giving the child more freedom to be accountable. For the 2013-14 school year, GreenTown’s Bike/Walk program is concentrating efforts to increase bike education in the elementary schools – specifically 3rd and 4th graders by: Organizing a program to increase student bike trains, providing maps with departure times, educating parents about the safety and benefits of biking to school. Continuing bike rodeo support in the elementary schools and bike safety education for 7th graders.  Our goal is to increase the number of WoW students by 10% from the May 2013 survey. Can We Count On Your Support? To help make a difference in our community, we count on our membership to support efforts to increase safety around our schools and support a better transportation method.  If you want to be the difference in student transportation, become a member at http://www.greentownlosaltos.org/

By Charley Pow On June 4, Prof. Dan Kammen spoke about “New Energy For A New Era” to conclude Acterra’s Beyond Fossil Fuels lecture series. Kammen holds an endowed Chair of Energy and is Director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Lab (RAEL) at the University of California, Berkeley. Kammen played NASA’s Sea Ice Yearly Minimum 1979-2012 (SSMI data), which shows the Arctic ice cap has decreased 50% in the past 30 years, a trend that’s accelerating. Kammen showed the Arctic ice cap has decreased 50% in the past 30 years and that the trend is accelerating. Many people wonder, is this climate change due to human activity? The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has studied this since 1988. In 2007 the IPCC concluded most warming is very likely (>90%) due to human activity, though studies continue.  The World Bank predicts more falling crop yields, less water, reef damage, species extinction, extreme weather events, and more risk of irreversible weather changes as the earth warming continues. A graph of US investment in energy research since 1978 shows that any significant funding increases is always accompanied by a rapid decline in funding. Kammen noted that it takes 8-10 years for a person to get a PhD, work for a company, then start up a company. US funding always declined before people could complete this process. The ramp downs damage people and programs seeking to grow. “The World Bank predicts more falling crop yields, less water, reef damage, species extinction, extreme weather events, and more risk of irreversible weather changes as the earth warming continues.” Kammen showed graphs illustrating human development (literacy, education, child and infant mortality, poverty, and sanitation) increases as more electricity becomes available. There is a knee in the curve showing human development dramatically improves when a nation achieves a certain level of energy availability. Lighting Africa has LED lights powered by small photovoltaic panels that sell for $12-$20. Currently, most people use tin lanterns that cost $.20 to purchase and $50 a year to operate. Kammen showed the relative efficiency of various approaches for CO2 abatement. The five most cost-effective approaches are switching residential lighting from incandescent to LED, residential electronics, commercial insulation retrofit, residential appliances motor systems efficiency. But the potential for improvement is relatively small. (Elton Sherwin, the second speaker in this series, gave specific examples and results from his family’s experience in tackling the four residential changes.) Coal accounted for nearly half of the new energy sources put online in the last decade, with most coal power produced by emerging economies.  Burning coal produces a lot of CO2, so this trend accelerates climate change. California’s AB32 requires increasing standards in order to cut emission by 25% by 2020. RAEL produced a model showing a path to low-cost and low-carbon futures. Solar energy continues to grow, and all-electric vehicles are entering the marketplace. More energy research, innovation, and funding are required.

Mike McTighe presents award to Oak principal Amy Romem and WoW parent Doug Hahn The Green Town Los Altos 2013 Drive Less Challenge is history and the environment is the biggest winner. Residents challenged themselves to drive less and make it a lasting habit. Children in the community formed new friendships walking, wheeling, and carpooling to school. Oak Avenue school took top honors as the Greenest Elementary School and Blach scored the Greenest Middle School Title. This year’s simplified format encouraged community members to review their transportation habits and make a personal pledge to use green alternatives for some or all of their trips to work, school or about town. Over 170 individuals pledged to drive less over the two-week period, a 15% increase over last year’s event. Over 60% of those reporting said that they had met or exceeded their pledge goals and many plan to continue using their newfound green transportation modes. This years new focus was our youth. Green Town recruited parents and schoolchildren in the district to compete for the title of Greenest Elementary and Greenest Middle Schools.  Green Town Walk or Wheels (WoW) program parent volunteers helped get the word out to increase participation by our youngsters. Some WoW parents offered incentives like hot chocolate or lemonade to kids who walked, cycled, scootered or drove in carpools. WoW Days generate broad enthusiasm Almond bike train Volunteers at Loyola and Almond successfully organized bike trains. Most notably, the Loyola elementary population, who face safety challenges crossing busy Foothill Expressway, organized a 40-student bike train that utilized a well thought out safe route down Magdalena and across Foothill to Berry Ave. Loyola parent efforts paid off as WoW participation was up 10% over previous counts winning them the “Most Improved School” award. A final award went to Gardner Bullis, the school with the “Highest Parental Participation” in the Drive Less Challenge. Challenge participants celebrated their accomplishments at a Bike to Work Day party held at the Costume Bank. Prizes donated by local businesses were awarded, tasty snacks were noshed, and all had a fantastic time. By the number of bikes seen around town, parked at the Y, and at the farmer’s market bike valet, it seems that the green trend is catching on! Congratulations to all who participated for a job well done! A special thank you goes out to all the dedicated parents who encourage their children to get exercise daily by Walking or Wheeling to school.

GreenTown Los Altos was well represented at the “2013 WEST Summit and Showcase of Solutions” Thursday, May 23, hosted by Sustainable Silicon Valley, WEST stands for Water, Energy, Smart Technology, all critical elements necessary to drive sustainability regionally and globally. I think the Governor nailed it when he said, “If we don’t change, 5 years from now it’s over,”  a comment picked up by the Mercury News.   As citizens, now our challenge is to hold him to it. The meeting was excellent and the location of NASA Ames Research Center was truly inspired.  If we can get to the moon we should be able to tackle climate change – right? It started with the usual grim run down on where we are going off the tracks: The CO2 Hockey Stick, just this month spiking above 400 ppm.  It has been verified 23 times now, so it is as close to indisputable as such scientific numbers can get.  Waleed Abdalati, Director Earth Science Observation Center at the University of Colorado, looks at the graph and says, “If this was a company’s stock performance we would say what an opportunity – buy it, it’s going up, up, up.”  The climate change deniers look at it and say, “Oh, I don’t know, it’s all cyclical.” If we can get to the moon we should be able to tackle climate change – right? Jim Hansen talked.  Yes, that Jim Hansen, former Head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies.  His message – we have already burned over half the fossil fuels we can without truly disastrous consequences.  His solution is the carbon fee with the dividend returned to all legal citizens.  He projected about $2000 per person. This levels the playing field for all forms of energy. Anthony Barnosky, Professor, Dept. of Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley, noted that climate change is only one part of the damage being done to earth’s life support systems.  There is also population growth and pollution.  He says we are on track for a major extinction event.  Earth has had these before (remember the dinosaurs went bye bye about 65 million years ago).  Such an event means 75% or more of the existing multi-cellular life forms disappear.  As he put it – look around you and note that 4 out of every 5 living things you see will be gone. Enough with the grim news already.  So why don’t more people seem to care? Banny Baberjee, Associate Professor and Director, Stanford ChangeLabs, talked about short term and long term benefits.  Climate change is too distant – there are more immediate concerns that always take priority.  We seem to have three choices – growth (economic prosperity), social issues (solving poverty for example) and environmental issues.  The dilemma:  You can have two, not three – take your pick.  So the environment gets dropped. The speakers did get into solutions.  The way we grow our food, more efficient use of our energy, more bicycling (Google wants all of its employees living in Palo Alto to be able to safely bike to Mt. View), restore marsh lands, allow utilities to use adjustable voltages (it’s technical), impose higher standards on our producers (Walmart had done this), build developments adjacent to public transit, and much more.  There is no silver bullet, but there is silver buckshot. In the afternoon there was a very fun presentation of specific proposals by groups.  A panel then passed judgement and gave each “contestant” a score.  It was very “Shark Tank” like.  The winners were a couple of guys who came up with a cheap portable toilet.  Yep, it got down to that level, but in places like Haiti this is important. They don’t have water for toilets, or sewer systems even if they had the water.  I’m not certain about the climate change potential here, but it was innovative. I liked the presentation by Craig Lewis, Clean Coalition, on local generation and distribution of electricity.  This has some real energy efficiency potential as well as introducing resiliency.  He is testing the concept in five demonstration projects in order to prove it to the satisfaction of his customers – the utilities. The Cool Cities challenge was presented by David Gershon.  Yes, that David Gershon, author of “How to Lose 5000 Pounds in 30 Days.”  They will select three early adopter California cities to demonstrate the methodology and then scale it throughout California and beyond. A presentation aimed at inspiring young people to take action on climate change was the Green Ninja.  This is an effort by a San Jose State team that targets the sixth grade.  They have developed short films and accompanying lesson plans that use the adventures of the Green Ninja as a mascot, unifying theme. There were many other presentations with good and interesting ideas – so there is some hope! The day concluded with remarks by State Senator Jerry Hill.  His told us, “We need to step up.  Too many people think someone else will take care of it.  Some even think the government will do it.”  That brought a laugh from the audience. We need to step up.  Too many people think someone else will take care of it.  Some even think the government will do it. The final speaker was NASA Astronaut (ret.) Col. “Bo” Bobko.  He told us, “Earth really is a small place from 190 miles up.  It looks like a Christmas ornament and just as fragile.”  That’s a final thought that we should always keep in our minds. Kids who care about climate change rap, “One Bottle at a Time (Save The Fishes)” We had some entertainment just before our lunch break – a rap by two guys from Redwood High School called, “One Bottle at a Time (Save the Fishes).”  This environmentalist found it very cool.

One Family Sheds Light on Switching To LED Bulbs By Charley Pow Inspired by people reducing their electricity usage, we wanted to do more. Years ago we replaced our incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFL), but we still have many halogen ceiling lights. We like the light from halogen bulbs, but compact fluorescent light (CFL) or light emitting diode (LED) bulbs generate less heat and use less electricity so we decided to make the change. Here’s our experience. First Trade Off: Not All Bulbs Are Alike Which bulb to use? We want an R20 bulb (a reflector bulb that’s 2.4” across) that behaves like the halogen bulbs we have, except that the replacement is more energy efficient. We asked GTLA members and read online reviews. Three GTLA members responded, each recommending a different LED bulb. We also read online reviews, summarized below: TCP LED  bulbs:           Mixed reviews, the bulb is shorter than a halogen bulb. Satco LED bulbs:          No online reviews. EcoSmart LED bulbs:  From Home Depot, these had some good reviews with photos showing good light coverage. Some reviewers report radio frequency interference (RFI) that can interfere with remote controls for a garage door opener. These LED bulbs cost about $20 each. In time you recoup the bulb purchase price because an LED bulb uses 1/6 the electricity of a halogen bulb. Based on reviews, R20 CFLs take too long to brighten so we didn’t try any. And The Winner Was…. First we purchased the 3000K EcoSmart LED bulb from Home Depot. We wanted a warmer, 2700K (Kelvin, the rating scaled used for visible bulb lighting warmth) bulb, but EcoSmart doesn’t have an R20 bulb in this color. Trying the LED bulb, we saw it had a whiter light than a halogen bulb. The EcoSmart LED bulb disperses the light as evenly as the halogen bulb. RFI isn’t an issue — the remote control for our garage door worked fine in the garage, about 30’ from these bulbs. The LED bulb takes about a second longer to get bright than the halogen bulb which we found acceptable. After living with the EcoSmart bulbs, we decided that the 3000K light didn’t fit with the room’s warmer lighting, a mixture of fluorescent, CFL, and halogen bulbs. We moved them to a bathroom where the whiter light doesn’t feel so stark, and they’re okay there. Then we tried FEIT 2700K LED bulbs from Costco for $12 each.  The color looks like a halogen bulb, it casts a wider beam of light than a halogen bulb, producing more glare around the room, a minor issue. No RFI interference with our garage opener. We kept the FEIT bulbs in the kitchen. We use these lights an hour a day, so based on the cost of electricity, we’ll save $2.50 a year per bulb. The reduced energy cost will pay for the purchase price in 6 years.   A higher daily usage would take less time, and more expensive bulbs would take more time. Our estimate was calculated simply: 42 watts/hr x 1 hr/day x 365 days/year x $.16/kw-hr / 1000 watt/kw = $2.45/year. Other Factor To Consider: Cost of electricity of part of the savings equation when it comes to LED bulbs. Consider the dollars paid upfront versus absolute dollars over time. At face value, LEDs are more expensive than any other bulb on the market. But are they really? Consider this. If a Halogen bulb cost $14.95, and an LED cost $32. In absolute dollars it’s more expensive. But if the halogen lasts 1.5 to 2 years and the LED lasts 10 years or more, the overall expense makes it 1/5th or less the cost, depending on usage and the bulb you choose. Add in the savings on energy and there’s no reason not to “switch”, no pun intended, to LEDs.

A Bike Route Paved With Leisure, Learning and Tips GreenTown Los Altos hosted a Native Garden Bike Tour Sunday, May 19, through Los Altos and a corner of Mountain View.  Led by Gary Hedden and Margie Suozzo, the leisurely 8-mile ride had 6 stops to see, and learn about, native and drought tolerant yards. Taking off from the Lazy Foot Chicken Ranch next door to Egan Jr. High, first stop was, a bake sale and fundraiser held by “A Living Classroom” allowing riders to “carb” up on cookies while checking out the historic one-acre property’s wonderful garden and chickens. First stop at Jim Evans’ home in Mountain View gave a glimpse of a 12-year old yard with a lot of sun exposure.  Although the California poppies are finished, the yard is still loaded with color.  The Cleveland sage at the front is especially dramatic.  Jim says fall pruning is the biggest job, otherwise it is easy, “One can go weeks with little to do [in a native yard].” Second stop was Rob Weltman’s.  His garden is only 2 years old and with its shady location features plants like currant, monkey flower, columbine, grasses and various ground covers.  There are also several varieties of the versatile manzanita. “One can go weeks with little to do in a native yard” according to Jim Evans Charley Pow, member of the California Native Plant Society, explained a little bit about the drought-tolerant “xeriscape” at the new Packard Foundation.  Last year he blogged about it, with photos, definitely worth reading. Next stop, Ruth Troetschler’s home.  A long time advocate of native plants, Ruth has an extensive garden with so much variety – and why not, she has lived at her home for over 50 years!  Her yard and garden are an ever changing and delightful work in progress.  Key plants are ceanothus, woolly blue curls, Cleveland sage, desert mallow, columbine and several varieties of buckwheat, such a variety there’s color every month of the year (with a little help from non-natives). Last stop was back at Egan to see the Living Classroom’s native educational garden.  Living Classroom is a K-8 program at Los Altos and Mountain View public schools that teaches children about the joys of gardening and a whole lot more with connections to biology, math, and even history.  Vicki Moore, Living Classroom founder, discussed the goal of the garden at Egan, which was to represent several different plant communities, including a wide range of native plants ranging from shade loving vine maple, creek dogwood and coral bell to sun loving (or at least sun tolerating) ceanothus, sage and manzanita.  This is a demonstration garden with many of the plants labeled, so well worth a visit if you’re considering going native. One final GreenTown thought – with all the demands on the California water supply it really does make sense to – go native, so read the tips below to get started. Tips For Planting A Native Garden A good looking native landscape does take some planning, but help is out there. Here are a few resources: The California Native Plant Society (CNPS): The local chapter provides loads of information plus photographs of all of the gardens that have been on its tours with a detailed description of each here. Water-Wise Gardening in the Bay Area: This is a very visual resource by the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency of gardens and plants that can be used for native and drought tolerant landscaping in our area. Click here for more info. Local Nurseries with Native and Drought Tolerant Plants (mentioned on the tour): Yerba Buena Nursery; Summerwinds Nursery; Common Ground Palo Alto; Suncrest (in Aptos – wholesale only); CNPS/Hidden Villa Native Plant Sale (held in the Spring). Rebate for Replacing Grass with Natives and Drought Tolerant Plants Replace your lawn with natives and drought tolerant plants and get “cash for grass”  from the Santa Clara Valley Water District ($0.75 a square foot up to $2000). Other Resources: Sunset article on water management. Packard Foundation plant list with photos. Los Altos Environmental Commission website click on “Landscaping with Natives.” #biketour #gardening #Nativeplants

Clarum sign at the front of the property GreenTown Los Altos visited the home of the future – and it looks great! Sold just two weeks ago, in one day, this passive-inspired modern home located in north Los Altos, designed by Modern House Architects and built by Clarum Homes was made available for a special GreenTown visit. Sean Misskelley, Director of Construction, led the tour.  For Sean, “a passive home is simply a building that employs a set of advanced building technologies to achieve extreme energy efficiency.  Energy consumption is reduced by 90% or more compared to that of conventional homes.” Sean told us about an owner in Danville who brought in his PG&E bill last year for the month of May.  “Look, it’s only $43. In my old home it would be $400!” Sherry Scott who helped organize the visit. When asked how Clarum does it – the answer was pretty long.  There are a lot of things that contribute – but the key things are enhanced insulation, greatly reduced thermal bridging, a virtually air-tight building envelope, high performance windows and a heat recovery ventilation system. Does it add to the cost?  About 5-6% to the hard construction costs, according to Sean, but it pays for itself with lower bills, increased comfort and healthier air.  Because the house is tight, it needs a system to bring in fresh outside air – the heat recovery ventilation system.  This house exchanges the air nine times a day.  The fresh air coming in is filtered so it is very clean and it is heated (or cooled) by a heat exchanger using the old air going out.  This process is surprisingly efficient and recovers 94-95% of the heat. Kitchen with Sean Misskelley in the background That’s how you get a $43 PG&E bill, clean air and a nice comfortable temperature all at the same time. When asked if the building code requires this – the answer was a resounding “no!” Los Altos has a GreenPoint Checklist that promotes energy efficiency, but nothing as comprehensive or demanding as this. We have seen the future and it is energy efficient, comfortable, well-built, healthy, conserves water and uses sustainable building practices. Sounds like the way to go, doesn’t it! By the way, the current exhibition at the Los Altos History Museum, “A Place to Call Home,” has a section on the future of sustainable development. Check it out. #ClarumHomes #energyefficient #GreenTownLosAltos

For the last 5 years GreenTown Los Altos has been working to get Los Altos to sign the Mayors Climate Action Plan.   On Tuesday, April 23rd the current city council  approved reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 15% from the 2005 level, and asked staff to provide a cost benefit analysis of several other items.  During the meeting, several members of GreenTown Los Altos spoke to the council about the importance of accepting the climate action plan.  With only 7 years to reach the 2020 goal, GreenTown Los Altos will be working with the city and the community to raise the awareness of changing behavior to reach these goals. During the council meeting each of the council members shared how green they were, from installing solar panels to being energy efficient.  With the single use plastic bag ban, the upcoming Expanded PolyStrene (styrofoam) ban, electric charging stations, and now accepting the climate action plan, the city is making significant progress to raise the awareness of these important environmental issues. Now is an excellent time to become a member and continue our work in making Los Altos and Los Altos Hills an environmentally sustainable community. #climateactionplan #Greenhousegasemissions #GreenTownLosAltos #LosAltosCityCouncil

GreenTown outreach volunteers at WholeFoods Market Over the last few weeks, GreenTown Los Altos supported a number of Earth Day events.  Starting with the Los Altos Chamber Business expo on Thursday April 18th, GreenTown volunteers were present on Saturday April 20th at Wholefoods and Sunday April 21st at the Los Altos Earth Day event.  Many people stopped by our table and learned more about our efforts in the community.  A number of people committed to signing up for the newsletter as they wanted to hear about the regular environmental events in town.  In addition, a number of GreenTown volunteers assisted the city this week, calling on Los Altos businesses to assist the city with the upcoming single use plastic bag ban starting on July 4th. Starting on Thursday, May 2 and running to September 28th, GreenTown Los Altos volunteers are hosting bike valet services for people downtown.  The bike parking is located on Third and State St across from the Costume Bank.  Besides having an EV on display, a special guest from various groups is scheduled each week.  If you have a few hours and want to support biking to town, we could use a few more volunteers. Overall, many people in the community are recognizing our efforts to inspire people to take action and make an environmental difference.

When I got my first job interview at Genentech, it was a no brainer, “what is the train schedule to South San Francisco?” Today I am a full time cycling, Caltrain-riding green commuter.  It is a fabulous way to get to work, no stress of freeway traffic, no gas, or car maintenance costs, and I have some free time before and after my day in the lab to catch up on reading or sleep!  I arrive at the lab refreshed, unstressed, invigorated from my bike ride, and ready for my day. Alex and her bike boarding the Caltrain to S. San Francisco My green commute habits started early.  I grew up in Los Altos, went to Oak Elementary, Blach Middle School and Mountain View High.  My parents did not drive me to Oak; instead we walked almost every day along with our dog Princess.  We got to meet others in the neighborhood and Princess became famous along the route to school.  When bike to school day came, I said to my Mom, “Bike to school day is every day for us!” and it should be for more kids.  As I got older and moved on to Blach, my friend and neighbor Tina Hsu would come over and Mom would have cinnamon toast ready before Tina and I headed out on our own.  It was great.  These days, kids don’t get enough exercise, they are stressed-out and that could be helped by walking or wheeling to school.  I hope our stories can inspire more parents and kids to walk or bike to school. My friend Tina is living proof that learning good habits early can integrate into your life as an adult; green transportation is her career.  Tina lives car-free and works in Oakland at TransForm, a non-profit that is working to create world-class public transportation and sustainable communities in the Bay Area and beyond. Tina says: I confess, I didn’t always like walking to school especially on cold winter mornings.  I preferred getting to school in a quick car ride.  Had it not been for Alexx and her parents stopping by my house every morning, I would never have walked.  In junior high, I biked or rode my stylish Razor scooter to school with Alexx, but then in high school, I gave up the bike for a car because that was the “cool” thing to do. Tina feels blessed that walking to school was an option for her. During my senior year of high school, I watched “An Inconvenient Truth” and started reading news articles about how global warming was threatening the future of our environment.  It made me realize how fragile our environment is and how humans are shifting its natural ways for the worse.  That discovery shook me out of my car-dependency and got me back on my bike. I hold a degree in Environmental Studies and am working at a non-profit that is changing policy to support public transportation and sustainable communities.  State and federal funding disproportionately goes toward automobile infrastructure.  We’re working on finding ways to ensure public transit and walkable neighborhoods are priorities when allocating funding and designing communities. I know that not everyone lives in a community like Los Altos, where it’s safe to walk and bike places.  Looking back now, I feel blessed that walking to school was even an option, and regret not taking advantage of it more often.  In the future, I want to see more people walking in neighborhoods than driving, and firmly believe that if kids are raised seeing walking and biking as a fun and easy way to travel around, they will grow up loving it.  Green transportation has always been a part of my life, and it’s definitely going to be a part of my future. Alexx Smith, Research Associate, Genentech Tina Hsu, Program Assistant, TransForm and ClimatePlan #bikecommuting #BikingtoSchool #greencommute