Want to give your family the best possible gift for Valentine's Day? Make 2024 the year you retire at least one gas appliance in your home.  Better energy efficiency and reducing your carbon footprint are two benefits but in addition, you can improve the health and safety for you and your family. Pretty good trade off! OOF! The Link Between Asthma and Gas Appliances Studies in recent years have shown that gas stoves leak, even when not being used, and that there are one-third more instances of childhood asthma in households with gas stoves, even when range hoods for venting are used. An added benefit is that if you make your home all-electric, you avoid any risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and exploding gas lines from the ever-aging gas pipeline infrastructure. Some people want to keep their gas appliances around in case of power outages.  But many of the newer gas appliances have electric starters that won’t work without power.   There are ways to keep the critical systems in your home running without gas. Ways To Lower Your Gas Footprint Admittedly, the optimal solution of solar panels with battery backups is cost prohibitive for some families, but prices continue to come down, and new technologies become available every day,  giving us more and more options.  You owe it to yourself and your family to at least take steps to electrify some appliances and stay informed about your numerous options. It is possible to make many electrification improvements to your home without having to upgrade your main electrical service panel.   We encourage what is called “A Watt Diet,” using appliances and adaptive techniques that don’t tax your main service panel.  Check out the GreenTown web site at https://www.greentownlosaltos.org/electrify-your-home for more information. Unless you have specifically opted out of it, you are probably getting your energy from Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) see your PG&E bill to verify.   SVCE is offering some incredible rebates for going electric https://svcleanenergy.org/offers-services/ .  Their web site is rich with names of appliances that their customers are buying and that qualify for the rebates. There are many approaches to get going towards an all-electric home.  Some households start with their oldest appliances first.   Some look to where they can make the most impact for toward their goals.  Some upgrade the appliances they can more easily plan for, such as heat pump water heaters, rather than wait for an emergency when the appliance fails.  Whichever approach you take, we courage you to start now.   It will be the Valentine’s present that will give back to your family for years to come.

Is your New Year's resolution to live sustainably and reduce waste? Here are some resources to help  get you there: Facebook Buy Nothing Group Join your local neighborhood group to regift/donate items you don’t need. Recent finds: ski poles, sunscreen, cocktail glasses, cookware and more! Can also borrow items if you need something one time for an event or houseguests. Similar sites: Freecycle and Trash Nothing. Too Good To Go App Restaurants and stores advertise “surprise bags” of surplus food (e.g. hummus, baked goods) at bargain prices. Enjoy some delicious treats whilst minimizing food waste. Support Local Shops: FabMo Sunnyvale non-profit sells designer samples of fabric, carpet, tile, sewing notions and more. Get creative and keep these textiles out of the trash by checking out their site here. Sprouts Supermarket With its bulk bins of dried fruits, nuts, flours, coffee, herbs etc. You can bring your own containers to their meat/seafood department where staff will weigh them and note the tare weight before filling. Right On Refillery Skip excessive packaging by shopping local bulk bins and refill stores. A local example? Check out Right On Refillery here, it's in downtown Los Altos for bulk cleaning and personal care items.

With the new Los Altos gas leaf blower ordinance, property owners, rather than workers, can receive a citation for the use of a gas leaf blower on their property. When a complaint is received by Code Enforcement, a "Courtesy Notice" is sent to the property owner.  Citations result in fines ranging from $100 for a first offense to $500 for a third offense. Residents are strongly encouraged to report all observed use of gas leaf blowers to the City's Code Enforcement. The City will not disclose the identity of anyone who reports the use of a gas blower. Report violations online here or through email here or by phone at (650) 947-2775. How is Code Enforcement Doing Citywide? Code enforcement for gas leaf blowers was moved from Los Altos Police Dept. to the City at the end of 2022 and in April 2023 Code Enforcement Officer Shauna McKimmie was hired . Since Code Enforcement Officer McKimmie was hired, warnings issued for gas leaf blower violations are up 599%! Citations issued are down 56% during that time with only 6 citations issued.  Thanks to Bruce McFarlane for obtaining this data from Public Records and for his analysis.

Festival of Lights Parade cleans up their act by making the switch to batteries. We all enjoy the beloved Festival of Lights Parade, the Los Altos tradition for decades. But behind all the bright lights and music have been dozens of gas-powered generators – until this year. These 2-stroke generator engines are noisy and smelly, disrupting the parade-going experience. Moreover, the oil and gas mixture they burn emit unsafe levels of smoke, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter, most notably exposing our vulnerable children who represent a large part of the Parade audience. Chuck Piercey, a new GreenTown Los Altos member, and board member of The Festival of Lights Parade Association (FOLPA) along with over a dozen high school student volunteers, saw the opportunity to decarbonize the floats by replacing the outmoded generators with batteries. With funding from GreenTown Los Altos, The Anne Wojcicki Foundation, Silicon Valley Clean Energy and various individuals, Chuck and his team of students were able to convert 21 of the 24 floats to batteries to provide a better, healthier experience for all parade goers this year. Said Chuck Piercey of the initiative, “This was a no brainer. It was important to FOLPA that we support our youth concerned about climate change and provide a healthier, more enjoyable experience to all who come to see the Parade. The student volunteers all learned about these benefits and battery technology during the process. Scientists estimate we only have six years to greatly decarbonize our planet. FOLPA hopes getting rid of our generators is just the first of many things we can do to make our Parade ‘greener’.” GreenTown applauds Chuck for seeing the need and reaching out to GreenTown and others to help make the project happen.

Home electrification is trending. Which is why this tour is perfectly timed. Check out an array of homes on a FREE Electric Home Tour, open house style. See why people are switching from using gas appliances to cleaner, healthier, and safer electric alternatives. Visit a few or as many as you have time for. More than 40 homeowners from Brisbane to Morgan Hill are opening their homes on Saturday October 14, 2023 to display the electric appliances and equipment they have installed to replace methane gas powered products. The free Electric Home Tour will take place from 10AM to 4PM. The tour is free but requires advance registration here: https://bit.ly/elec-home Tour goers will have the opportunity to see energy-efficient heat pump water heaters, heat pumps for heating and air conditioning, induction cooktops, electric fireplaces, electric vehicles, EV chargers, garden equipment, and more. Homeowners and student assistants will be on hand to share information about how to switch out of methane gas (so-called “natural gas”) to improve a home’s comfort and indoor air quality. For more information visit ElectricHomeTour.org. Tour Details When: Saturday October 14, 2023, 10AM - 4PM Where: more than 40 private homes across the Peninsula and South Bay Cost: Free, but advance registration required by October 12, 2023 (bit.ly/elec-home) Addresses of homes on the tour will be emailed to registered tour goers a few days before the tour. Homeowners and student assistants will be on hand to answer questions and provide information about available rebates. The tour is sponsored by Peninsula Clean Energy, Silicon Valley Clean Energy and the City of Palo Alto.

GreenTown held its fall fundraiser in the garden of Los Altos’ oldest house, a historic landmark. Guests were treated to delicious food, a signature cocktail and refreshing wines against a background of lovely piano music by Hana Shin. It was a chance to meet up with old friends, make new ones, get inspired and share your thoughts and ideas on tackling pressing environmental issues to help improve quality of life for, well, everyone. Thank you to everyone who bought tickets and attended the event, participated in our online auction and fund-a-need. Due to your support and that of our sponsors, we exceeded our fundraising goal! Policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions! We heard from Rep. Marc Berman who, is well known to the GreenTown community and much appreciated for his leadership on the environment. Marc's work at the state level aligns well with GreenTown's efforts to combat climate change and protect and conserve our natural resources. Marc spoke about a bill that was signed into law in Oct. 2021 that begins to reduce air pollution from new small off-road equipment (SORE) starting in January 2024. This equipment emits more ground-level smog forming air toxins than all of the light duty vehicles in California! Just let that sink in! When the law goes into effect, we'll get cleaner air plus bonus carbon emission reductions, given that the clean SORE alternatives are all electric. Next, Marc plans to take on industrial emissions, which is responsible for nearly a quarter of California's carbon emissions. It is great to have an advocate like Marc Berman in the state legislature, but this critical work needs our support to pass meaningful legislation! Our local heroes! Linda Ziff and the Clean Air Advocates team were recognized as this year's Environmental Heroes. They have pushed for years to have Los Altos’ ban on gas powered leaf blowers enforced, with success just this year! They were instrumental in advocating for homeowners to take responsibility for switching to electricity powered leaf blowers! Thanks to all our supporters & sponsors! Thanks to all those who made our Garden Party and the 2023 GreenTown Fundraiser a success. We exceeded our fundraising goal for the event and are so appreciative of your support. The funds from the event help GreenTown build a stronger and more sustainable future, supporting our programs in electrification, transportation, eating green, zero waste and conservation. One special program that GreenTown raised funds for this year, was the conversion of the Festival of Light's Parade floats from dirty gas generators to battery packs powered by clean electricity. We are excited to have raised at least $2,500 for this effort so far, which will pay for the conversion of 5 floats and some of the solar panels to support their charging. Learn more about our programs on our website.

Q&A with Nikki Hanson, a native plant consultant and supporter of GreenTown Los Altos’ efforts to promote native drought tolerant gardens to replace thirsty lawns. Question: Can you tell us more about how native grass can help protect the environment from wildfires? News media like Reuters and The New York Times in August have mentioned that non-native grasses like the Guinea grass have contributed to the risk of wildfires in Lahaina. “The spread of flammable non-native grasses such as Guinea grass in areas of former farmland and forest have created large amounts of small, easily ignited materials that increase the risk and severity of fire.” Answer: Here’s an article which goes into more detail on why invasive grasses contribute to more frequent and fast spreading fires. The crux of the problem is the same as anywhere-an invasive weed that’s densely growing, wide-spread, fine and quickly ignitable. Many of California’s wild land habitats also have increased fire frequency due in part to an invasion of easily burnable vegetation. Hawaii with its mild climate and prime growing conditions is unfortunately even more vulnerable to invasive species and so has been inundated with invasive plants which definitely change the dynamics of the ecosystem in many ways. While invasive plants are not the sole culprit they certainly contribute to the fire risk in a significant way. Question: The article mentions that the non-native grasses were brought to Hawaii in the 19th century because they were drought tolerant. So how are native grasses better? They could also be invasive. Answer: Native grasses are better because they are not invasive. Invasive means something takes over disproportionately and shifts the balance. Native grasses in California’s wild landscapes act very differently than our widely prominent abundance of exotic, invasive, and mostly annual grasses. Examples of locally, native grasses to our California San Francisco Bay Area include: purple needle grass, foothill needle grass, June grass, California fescue, California oat grass (completely different than the annual weedy oat grass), and a variety of melic grasses, all of which are perennial bunch grasses which typically stay somewhat green even in the dry season (i.e. contain moisture and are not as burnable). The other difference is the way native grasses grow. They grow slower, don’t produce nearly as much dead material, and grow in distinct clusters with space between bunches, creating a situation where fire does not spread as rapidly or easily or as widely. Assuming the area is not also chalk full of invasive annual, dead grass material. This is one of the many reasons I encourage land managers to use techniques and time mowing to favor native bunch grasses and deter invasive exotic grasses. Note that drought-tolerant doesn’t necessarily mean that the plants are native. The drought-tolerant demonstration garden at the Woodland Library in South Los Altos consists of plants that are both native and drought tolerant. That’s ideal. * The Woodland Library drought-tolerant demonstration garden is maintained by GreenTown Los Altos with the support of Nikki Hanson from cal-sisters.com and many community volunteers. If you’re interested in lending a helping hand at the garden or have a question for Nikki, contact volunteer@greentownlosaltos.org

By Ava Azar When I first heard about the California Coastal Cleanup Day that took place in September from Mrs.Chang at GreenTown Los Altos, I got excited to team up with some of my classmates to participate in a creek cleanup. On September 16th, Jennifer, Diego, Levi and I, who are current 8th graders at St.Nicholas School, participated in a Creek Cleanup at Adobe Creek. The portion of the creek that we cleaned lies on the border between Los Altos and Palo Alto going under El Camino Real. We learned that trash can travel through storm drains to creeks and rivers, ultimately contributing to the bay pollution, which eventually ends up in the ocean. In two hours the four of us, along with our parents, diligently picked up any litter we encountered, covering a distance of about 0.8 miles. Our efforts resulted in the removal of an astounding 99.49 pounds of waste! Talking with my classmates afterwards, we all agreed that we had a great time and felt an immense sense of accomplishment knowing that our efforts had contributed to the prevention of many pounds of trash from polluting the ocean. After the cleanup, we all felt empowered to seek other opportunities to make an impact in our local community, and maybe one day, on a global level. GreenTown Los Altos adopted Adobe Creek through Valley Water's Adopt-A-Creek program, fostering community involvement in creek and watershed protection.

Thanks Ava! For Your Diligence On Climate Change. Hello! My name is Ava and I am an incoming 8th grader at St. Nicholas Catholic School in Los Altos Hills. In 7th grade, I was the Commissioner of Ecology in the Student Council. To celebrate Earth Day back in April, all the students participated in a school wide bottle cap art project. As a school we collected more than 1500 bottle caps! Students and teachers collected plastic caps from daily items they use like a plastic water bottle or a milk jug. This mural shows planet Earth with a tree growing out of it. It serves as a reminder of the importance of recycling, reducing waste and doing whatever we can to save our planet. Our students are part of the generation that's going to need to save our Earth from unfolding, irreversible changes. This bottle cap project was a great way to get all the kids involved and to raise awareness.

We are excited to introduce our 2023 summer interns! Our summer intern program is now in its 6th year and we are delighted to welcome this year - Bella Castaneda, John Tahk, Mira Haldar and Trinity Willis. Mira and John will be working on "Electrify your Home" campaign. They will be researching and creating a guide and resources to enable homeowners to learn about the benefits of electrification and how they can go about Electrifying their home. The will be mentored by Gary Hedden & Connie Miller Bella and Trinity be will be working on "Eating Green Cookbook" campaign. The will help influence the community about the value of eating green through social media, and events like the Farmer's Market. They will be researching and compiling a cookbook with several eating-green recipes that are yummy and practical. They will be mentored by Glenda Chang. Bella Castaneda Hey! My name is Bella Castaneda and I am a rising junior at Homestead High school. What first got me interested in this internship was my love for cooking. I was also passionate on the idea of making a cookbook with recipes even non-vegans would enjoy. I believe it’s important for everyone to take action against global warming and food is a great place to start. My goal for the cookbook was to create vegan recipes that don’t feel like a compromise to the real thing. Outside of school, I teach swim lessons, play softball and field hockey. I’ve also been enjoying the challenge of making sourdough bread. John Tahk Hi! I’m John, a rising senior at Homestead High School. I’ve always really loved the outdoors, and often went hiking with my family and played sports from a pretty young age. Science Olympiad in middle school really allowed me to explore earth science and the inner workings of our Earth, but as I got older I realized that the policy and legislative part of climate science was just as important as the science itself. I’m super thankful to be able to work with Greentown on helping people electrify their homes, and hope that the work we do here makes the process of electrification much easier. On the more hands on aspect of environmental science, I’ve been working on a cool project with a mentor to try and reduce the environmental impact of tennis balls. A few fun facts about me: I love making model airplanes from scratch, my favorite gemstone is citrine, and my favorite books are the Dune and Wheel of Time series because of their immersive world building. Outside of school, I love tennis, swimming, and hiking with my friends. Mira Haldar Hello! I’m Mira, a rising senior at Homestead High School. Although I grew up being educated on the importance of the environment, it wasn’t until I started independently researching the topic, through activities like debate and an international policy competition, that I realized how many aspects of our life are affected by climate change. I’m excited to participate in GreenTown’s Electrification project and hope that it will encourage homeowners to take that next step. In my free time, I like to crochet and read. The book I’m currently in the middle of is Bliss Montage by Ling Ma. Trinity Willis Hi! I’m Trinity Willis, a rising senior at Homestead High School. I’m so excited to join GreenTown on its journey towards a greener and more environmentally sustainable planet! Cooking has always been a huge passion of mine so I’m excited to apply my experience towards creating a collection of sustainable recipes. Outside of school, I help run a Palo Alto food bank that provides free groceries and meals to over a hundred families in need by redistributing excess food otherwise discarded by local grocery stores. In my free time I create digital art and play with my two cats!

The city of Los Altos, in partnership with GreenTown Los Altos and the Electric Automobile Association of Silicon Valley, is hosting "Destination Electric”—a Los Altos electric vehicle (EV) showcase on Saturday, June 3, from 10 AM–⁠2 PM at the Los Altos Community Center parking lot. This event is free and open to all community members. EV Rebate & Incentives Resources Federal Tax Incentives California Clean Vehicle Rebate Project: Eligible Vehicles Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) Electric Vehicle Charger Rebate PG&E EV Incentives Page EV Rate Plans Acterra GoEV Resources Page EV Research Shopping Assistance Plugstar SVCE EV Assistant ElecltricForAll The Electric Vehicle (EV) Showcase will include display vehicles and e-bikes, and the opportunity to talk to EV owners about their experience. The following electric vehicles will be on display: Chevrolet Bolt EV Ford F-150 Lightning Ford Mustang Mach-E Hyundai Kona Jaguar I-PACE Kia EV6 Lucid Air Nissan Ariya Nissan Leaf Porsche Taycan Rivian R1T Tesla Model 3 Tesla Model X Tesla Model Y Volvo XC40 VW ID.4 Fiat 500e Additionally, representatives from 10+ organizations will be on site, with information about EV charging, financial incentives and rebates, e-bikes, home electrification, and related sustainability initiatives. Organizations include: GreenTown Los Altos Electric Automobile Association of Silicon Valley Breathe California Acterra GoEV Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) Bicycle Outfitter EVucation EVCharger Expert Los Altos High School PTSA Sustainability Committee City of Los Altos Environmental Commission Splitvolt, Inc. Volvo of Palo Alto Limited parking is available at the Los Altos Civic Center complex: carpooling or bike riding to the event is encouraged. EV Rebate & Incentives Resources Federal Tax Incentives California Clean Vehicle Rebate Project: Eligible Vehicles Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) Electric Vehicle Charger Rebate PG&E EV Incentives Page EV Rate Plans EV Research Shopping Assistance Plugstar SVCE EV Assistant ElecltricForAll For more information, including a complete listing of vehicles and information booths, visit losaltosca.gov/DestinationElectric.

For 2023, GreenTown Los Altos is offering 4 paid internships in 2 project areas. Each internship is for 10 hours/week for 6 weeks at $17.20/hour. Electrify Your Home, A Guide Eating Green, A Cookbook Application for 2023 summer internships is now closed! Please check back with us in early spring 2024 for next year's internship opportunities Key Dates: The application is due April 28. Interviews will be scheduled May 8-12. Candidate selections will be announced May 19. The internships start June 12 and end July 21. Additional Details: The ideal candidate will be a rising junior or senior high school student passionate about environmental issues. The skills required are effective communication, good research skills, good time management and familiarity with the preparation of documents, spreadsheets and slides. Interns must be willing to work as a team. Interns must be able to work with minimal supervision. The work will generally be from home. There will be weekly zoom meetings with a GreenTown mentor. The Electrify Your Home mentors are Gary Hedden & Connie Miller, and the Eating Green Cookbook mentor is Glenda Chang. The internship will culminate in a slide show presentation to the GreenTown Board on the summer accomplishments. 1 - Electrify Your Home, A Guide Two interns will work on creating a guide that helps homeowners learn about the benefits of electrification and how they can go about Electrifying their home. The work will include: Research: resources (online and other) from various organizations (ex: BayREN, FFBSV, SVCE, PCE etc.) Review the City of Los Altos CAAP’s strategy for electrification Organize: Gather and categorize resources from getting started to advanced. Case Study: Interview one or more homeowners that have electrified their home to learn about and document the conversion process. Expert Interviews: Speak with experts from SVCE and others to understand key homeowner pain points, Guide: Create a guide that serves as a map that a homeowner can use to navigate the conversion process Document & Share: Create a blog post summarizing your work and optionally create a social media campaign to share the work. 2 - Eating Green Cookbook Want to be a cook, social media influencer, advocate for the environment and have fun this summer? GreenTown is looking for two open minded and enthusiastic interns to help influence the community about the value of eating green. These interns will work together as a team. The work will include: Plan several eating green recipes that are yummy and practical. Compile these into a cookbook. Cook these dishes to try them out and post on social media. Research and interview several eating green experts to add a section in the cookbook about meat and dairy substitutes and other useful tips Recruit local restaurants to measure the carbon footprint of the dishes on their menus. Work on the look-and-feel, format and layout of the cookbook. Promote eating green in the community through events such as the farmer’s market. Develop a plan to promote the cookbook. https://www.greentownlosaltos.org/why-eat-green