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Trouble parking at the Art and Wine Festival? Next year, bring your bike! “What a great idea to include an attended bike parking space at the Art and Wine Festival in Los Altos! This service made it a pleasure to come by bicycle. Thanks to the GreenTown Los Altos volunteers who very graciously manned the space.” – Curtis Abbott On July 14 and 15, GreenTown hosted a bike valet for festival attendees, making bike parking easy and convenient. Seventeen smiling volunteers parked 320 bikes, skateboards, strollers and scooters, during the two-day festival, up 17% from last year. Six parking spaces were occupied by the booth and the bike parking. A shout out goes to Bicycle Outfitter for lending us bike racks and thanks to the Los Altos Village Association for offering this service at the Festival. Just two weeks prior, GreenTown supported Los Altos Stride and Ride with a bike valet, parking 51 bicycles. Easy bike parking at events shifts the convenience balance between taking the car and taking the bike. Our next event is the Fall Festival. Consider taking your bike and parking it at the GreenTown bike valet. [slideshow] #bike #BikeValet #LosAltosArtampWineFestival

In just one month, the kids will be back in school. As we plan for the upcoming year’s Walk or Wheel (WoW!) program, which encourages kids to walk or bike more, notes from the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition’s (SVBC’s) Bicycle Advocacy Summit in April provide useful guidance on policies to help make our streets safer and practices that get kids (and commuters) excited about biking. Thanks to Katie Stern from Passerelle Investments for sharing her excellent notes! Most Important Take-Away Messages Be part of the bicycle advocacy movement – join  SVBC Start with fast, light and quick opportunities for change in bicycle infrastructure trim hedges to make it easier to see children at cross walks add green paint to bike lanes and bike boxes at stop lights add sharrows in the middle of the road take the street back for bicyclists and have messages like “bikes may use entire lane” add wayfinding to show the safest routes to school and downtowns place maps in strategic locations with bike parking and bike routes clearly shown change speed limits based on fast or slow (18 or less mph and 33 mph) that way drivers can easily gauge if their speed is appropriate drastically reduce downtown and neighborhood speed limits Make cyclists feel welcome in your community – Bicycle Oriented Development (BOD) put in covered/secure bike parking add sharrows and painted bike lanes make sure there is signage for bike paths and bike parking Start bicycle education when children are 10 years old make bicycling fun and safe bike rodeos, bike nights, helmet checks, bike maintenance, bike trains and walking buses, Walk Wednesdays or Foot Powered Fridays, Pedal for Prizes, etc. get children involved with the safe route design process (they know if they feel safe or not) Use social shaming or peer pressure to encourage friends, family and community members to ride their bike pick a few days a week or a few errands a day to use your bike start with the daily decision that you want to make a difference #BikingtoSchool #WOWWalkorWheel

Check out this fascinating video showing the deconstruction of the buildings that formerly occupied this space as well as the construction of the new building.  95% of the materials from the demolished buildings were recycled or reused.  All the materials for the construction of the new building were sourced from within a 500-mile radius of the site.  All the interior doors were created from the eucalyptus trees that were downed during the rebuilding of Doyle Drive leading up to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.  Most other materials used in the building contained recycled content. The Packard Foundation will be providing additional information on their 343 Second St. website, including — I am told — a list of the plants they have carefully selected for their native, water-conserving characteristics and beauty. For a quick overview of some of the design principles, take a look at Margie Suozzo’s blog post from last October and check out this diagram created by the architect, EHDD Architecture, showing the building’s role in fulfilling Packard Foundation’s sustainability goals. I hope this beautiful, functional and sustainable building will be an inspiration to other builders in our town and elsewhere. [slideshow] #LeadershipinEnergyandEnvironmentalDesign #PackardFoundation #LEED #GreenBuildingCouncil #LosAltos

By Gary Hedden Volunteer – GreenTown Los Altos A shot of the bridge over Highway 85. The Stevens Creek Trail now crosses Highway 85.  The bridge was opened to foot and bike traffic Saturday morning, June 23.  Several hundred people showed up for the Dedication Ceremony and to see the new bridge and the new landscaping along the trail. The crowd lined up to try the bridge. Over 100 trees and 1600 shrubs native to the Stevens Creek watershed were planted.  The bridge connects areas that were divided by Highway 85 and now makes it possible to hike or bike from near the Mountain View/Sunnyvale border all the way to Palo Alto without any contact with automobile traffic.  It makes for a wonderful, safe bike ride.  The connection for Los Altos residents is at the end of Sleeper Ave. in Mt. View. #bikeorhike #bridge #StevensCreek

On Monday, June 4, Gil Penalosa, Executive Director of the non-profit 8-80: Cities for All, and a key player in fostering healthy communities, spoke at Cubberly Community Center in Palo Alto. The talk was sponsored by the Sierra Club’s Loma Prieta Chapter and Sustainable San Mateo County. Several GreenTown members attended. Here, Joe Eyre shares his notes from the presentation. Gil Penalosa’s work, which focuses on pedestrian, bicycle, and transit access and transforming cities to be more livable, was very inspirational and complementary to what the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is doing. (GreenTown will be posting shortly on a June 16 Los Altos Forward Workshop with Fred Kent and Kathy Madden of Project for Public Spaces). Monday’s talk was not recorded though you can see Penalosa recorded here in a 2011 Tedx talk. Gil Penalosa, Exec. Dir. 8-80 Cities and expert on healthy communities, spoke at Cubberly Community Center in Palo Alto on June 4. Promote Health and Quality of Life. The evening began with a brief talk by a local health professional. She made the point that we need to encourage biking, walking and transit as ways to solve the twin challenges to health and quality of life of climate change and obesity. These are being “fueled” by our petroleum-based culture.  We need to provide “sustainable mobility”. Make City Safe and Accessible from 8 to 80. Penalosa began his presentation by pointing out that cities should be built to be safe and accessible for an 8 year old and an 80 year old. Access is a matter of equality and should be treated as a right. He stated that “quality of life is a tool of economic competitiveness.” Four Ingredients for Liveable Cities: Pedestrian-friendly streets that allow people to get to their destinations, to their bikes, to transit, and to their parked cars Cyclist-friendly access in town and and a network of bike routes throughout the city.  Bike lanes should be physically separated from cars and from pedestrians.  Where driveways cross a bike lane, do a big hump so the vehicle is forced to slow down before crossing the bike lane. Public transit Parks and public spaces, the glue that links a community together. Specific Policies for Achieving Livability: Lower Car Speeds. For livability, it is very important to bring car speeds down.  He suggested 20 mph max.  Drivers can see pedestrians and if they hit pedestrians the chance of injury is much lower. Higher Density. He is into higher density as a sustainable way of supporting more population.  He cited a rule of thumb that buildings can be as high as the width of the road. Parking Meters. He supported parking meters.  “Why should the public’s tax money pay for the privilege of parking?  The person wanting to park should pay for this.  Public money spent for parking is a waste and does not facilitate livability.” Road Closures. He applauded San Francisco for closing certain roads on Sundays.  He claims that the merchants on these streets are actually doing better on street closure Sundays compared to when the streets were not closed on Sundays. Keys to Creating Change: Sense of urgency Political will (it is not a financial issue) Leadership Doers Public engagement (mentioned SFBike.org as a great example) There is a three-legged stool of making things happen:  Community, the elected officials, and the city staff.  (I would also add property owners to this mix). Further Info: 8-80cities.org openstreetsproject.org

Freestyle Academy graduate, Ellie Vanderlip, presented her documentary, The Human Motor, at the June GreenTown Community Meeting and Social, held at Neutra House.  The short film focused on the genesis of Critical Mass — a monthly group bicycle ride that started in the early 1990s in San Francisco, and has since spread to more than 300 cities.  In the film, Ellie interviewed the founders and early participants of San Francisco Critical Mass and explored political motivations and challenges that the culture has faced.  The film won first place in the Bay Area Social Issues Documentary Film Festival in the flex category.  Ellie heads to University of San Francisco in the Fall to study film. The Human Motor A Documentary on the San Francisco Critical Mass Bike Ride Directed, Shot, and Edited by Ellie Vanderlip (c) 2011 Won 1st place in Bay Area SIDOC film fest in the flex category. #BayAreaSocialIssuesDocumentaryFilmFestival #CriticalMass #EllieVanderlip #FreestyleAcademy

By Maggie Kristian Junior, Los Altos High School As a member of the Los Altos High School (LAHS) Green Team, I can say that our school has accomplished a lot, from recycling to solar panels.  In fact, at one of the recent workshops I attended as a member of our Green Team, we were actually out of project ideas, and turned to the leaders of the workshop for help. Maggie Kristian, LAHS Junior, near the Egan Junior High School site where rainwater harvesting barrels will be installed. The Stanford students gave me a whole new spectrum of ideas with just one word; outreach.  A member of the Egan Green Team while I was in junior high school, I had given Egan little thought since I moved on to high school, but it seemed time for me to return to my green roots. To reach out to Egan, I decided to propose a project similar to one we had recently completed at LAHS: rainwater harvesting.  A rainwater harvesting system is an effective way to reduce runoff (especially important at Egan, given its large expanses of flat pavement) and reduce the use of treated water.  1,000 sq ft of roofing will actually yield 600 gallons of rainwater per inch of rain.  The rainwater harvesting system we designed consisted of two barrels of 55 gallons each.  This type of system takes about 5-6 hours to install.  At LAHS, we spread these sessions out over several lunch periods. At Egan, we began organizing to install a rainwater system fairly late in the school year, and so several conflicts arose with planning due to finals, sports, and Egan graduation.  We plan to schedule an assembly near the beginning of the next school year to allow Egan students to participate in installing the rain barrels.  I have been working with Egan science teacher and head of Green Team, Gina Moore, to get the project rolling and get kids interested in continuing with Green Team through high school.  As of now, we have narrowed down our choice of buildings on campus, and decided that the water should be used on another one of Egan’s recent projects, the native garden.  I have also identified individual and industrial suppliers for the parts needed.  A huge wave of moral (and financial) support has been offered by GreenTown Los Altos, for which I am extremely appreciative.  Essentially, all we need to do is meet with administration at Egan to get the go-ahead for modifying a building on campus, and then we’ll be off and running! #LosAltosHighSchool #recycling #solarpanels #GreenTownLosAltos #Eganschool #RainwaterHarvesting

On the Road to Gas-free Driving By Peg Champion GreenTown Los Altos Correspondent “I’ve been driving on sunshine for more than 10 years,” says Waidy Lee, a retired engineer who lives in Los Altos Hills.  An ardent environmentalist, she purchased her first all-electric vehicle (EV) in 2000. Waidy Lee’s EVs get their power from the sun, thanks to the solar panels she has installed on the roof of her home. “By using alternative energy for your electric vehicle, you create zero emissions.” In 2012, PG&E expects to source 20 percent of its electricity from renewable generation; California’s renewable energy goal is 33 percent by 2020. Photo: Peg Champion For Lee, buying an electric vehicle was a “no-brainer.” With an electric car, she knew she would eliminate climate-warming CO2 emissions, and she’d also save money.  Lee currently owns two EVs – a 2011 Nissan Leaf and a 2002 Toyota RAV4 EV.  She saved about $10,000 per vehicle on the purchase cost, thanks to federal and state tax incentives. “It costs about $2.64 to completely charge my Leaf’s 24 kWh battery, based on my PG&E rate,” Lee explains. “The range of its fully charged battery is about 100 miles, depending on road conditions and speed, so I can go anywhere I need to go without stopping for a charge.”  The cost of maintenance is also minimal, says Lee, since the motor is much more efficient than an internal combustion engine and doesn’t require oil changes, tune-ups or other mechanical system maintenance. About 60 percent of Bay Area greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions comes from transportation, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Most of the electricity that powers Lee’s vehicles comes from solar panels installed on her home so, based on PG&E net metering, her GHG emissions register as zero. “An EV is better for the environment, and it suits my lifestyle,” says Lee. Ending “Range Anxiety” There’s a malady particular to some EV owners: range anxiety.  It’s the fear that your vehicle will run out of “juice” before you reach your destination.  Most EV owners have installed a dedicated charger at home, but longer drives do require a network of charging stations.  Range anxiety is one of the major barriers to the wide adoption of electric vehicles, even though, according to the non-profit Electrification Coalition, 90 percent of US vehicle trips are less than 30 miles.  Leaf-owner Maddy McBirney agrees, “Most of my trips are short range – and perfect for an EV.” Los Altos Hills Mayor Rich Larsen, a member of the GreenTown PEV team, has created a Google map of potential locations for charging stations in downtown Los Altos that could be phased in as the number of EVs increase. To avoid expensive trenching fees, Larsen recommends dropping power lines from existing utility poles or connecting chargers close to a building’s electrical panel. A single dual-headed charger strategically placed could accommodate two EVs from four different parking spaces. As drivers become aware of Los Altos as an EV-friendly town and demand increases, additional charging stations could be added. There is a cure for range anxiety – more public electric-vehicle charging stations.  McBirney serves on the GreenTown PEV (plug-in electric vehicle) team, which is working to get chargers installed in downtown Los Altos.  As a result of the team’s efforts in coordination with Kathy Kleinbaum, economic development manager for the City of Los Altos, EV charging stations have been included in the city’s parking management plan RFP.  Another member of the PEV team is Los Altos Hills Mayor Rich Larsen.  Larsen’s business, New Power Technologies, focuses on EV energy management.  “Los Altos could become an EV ‘oasis’ near I-280.  Charging stations, combined with shopping and dining affinity programs, will attract EV drivers to the village’s downtown.” In Silicon Valley, a center for electric vehicle manufacturing and technology, local companies support EV owners.  Adobe, HP and VMware, among others, offer perks such as free charging and dedicated parking spaces to employees who drive the cars.  Google provides a “GFleet” – electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles – for employee use during business hours. Looking to the Future Electricity-fueled transportation has numerous advantages.  EV owners like the quiet drive and sports car-like acceleration, the reliability and fuel cost savings.  Another bonus is that, in California, EVs are permitted to use the carpool lane.  Electrification Roadmap, a study from the Electrification Coalition, says that an electrified transportation system will reduce dependence on foreign oil, improve national security, propel economic growth and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. A collaborative project to develop EV-ready communities, Ready, Set, Charge, California!, calculated an operating cost comparison of gas and electric-powered vehicles.  The analysis showed savings of more than $13,000 in fuel and $19,000 in maintenance for 108,000 miles over a six-year period.  Ron Freund, chairman of the Electric Auto Association and director of Plug In America says, “The five-year total cost of ownership pencils out at parity to a conventional car, and it gets better thereafter.”  Like most EV-owners, Freund supports alternative energy sources and likes using “domestic” energy. Los Altos resident Joel Bartlett, a member of the GreenTown PEV team, with his 2011 BMW ActiveE. The car is one of 700 in the U.S. leased as a test model. “As electric generation gets greener, your EV gets greener. EVs are fun to drive – electric motors provide high torque at low speeds and fine-grain speed control.” Photo: Wendy Bartlett A report from Deloitte’s global manufacturing industry group says that electric vehicles and green cars will represent up to a third of total global sales by 2020.  Last November, the Bay Area EV Strategic Council launched the building of an infrastructure that will ensure the Bay Area “becomes the EV Capital of the U.S.”  The council’s target is 100,000 EVs by 2020. Laurent Delamare, a software engineer at VMware, has owned his Leaf for a year.  Delemare says, “This is the technology of the future. With EVs, we can change the world.” Information and Resources Electric Auto Association, Silicon Valley Chapter http://eaasv.org Plug In America http://www.pluginamerica.org California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative http://www.evcollaborative.org Plug-In Bay Area http://pluginbayarea.org Plug-in Cars http://www.plugincars.com EV Tax Credits U.S. Dept. of Energy Federal Tax Credit http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxevb.shtml CA Clean Vehicle Rebate Program http://energycenter.org/index.php/incentive-programs/clean-vehicle-rebate-project Peg Champion is a member of GreenTown Los Altos and the principal of Champion Organic Communications. She helps businesses tell their sustainability stories. For more information visit http://ChampionOrganic.com. #AirQuality #Electricityfueledtransportation #Rangeanxiety #Residentialsolar #GreenTownLosAltos #NissanLeaf #EnergyUpgradeCalifornia #allelectric #BMWActiveE

Lehigh Quarry Per Bill Almon of Quarry No. We went to the Planning Commission Hearing on the Lehigh Final EIR and Reclamation Plan Thursday (May 24) and presented our comments which are attached here. The Planning Commission heard the Staff and Public comments and then continued the hearing to a “date certain” which could be 5:30PM May 31, which they have reserved, or sometime a week later. The delay was justified by the additional time required to digest the data delivered by the Staff right before the meeting. The turnout was not as large as anticipated and many Lehigh employees were present to comment Lehigh is a good place to work. We don’t argue that. We argue that expanding mining and cement production in a growing residential area for another 20 years is not wise. The Commissioners appeared to accept the Staff position that the Selenium cannot be removed easily from Permanente Creek, that the scenic easement replacement is too costly, and that the Cement Plant/Trucks do not have to be included in the EIR. We disagreed and in the time remaining we have to reinforce our arguments. In particular, please search for examples of successful selenium water treatment efforts worldwide. The Water Board stated there was a plant in Canada but had no further details. If we can prove there is, the Planning Commission will listen to forcing immediate treatment now rather than in 20 years. We also are examining other actions regarding the exclusion of the Cement Plant and the Trucks in the EIR. Their exclusion is not compliant with CEQA and the Commissioners must certify that the EIR is 100% compliant. Since the hearing was continued rather than being adjourned there should again be comments from the public allowed. We will advise you of the next Hearing as soon as it is scheduled. #LehighReclamationPlan #LehighSWCementCompany #PermanenteCreek

Submitted by Beth Wolff In mid-January, 2012, at Springer Elementary, with the full support and enthusiasm of Principal Wade Spenader, parent volunteer Beth Wolff started a lunchtime recycling and composting program. And it has been a MAJOR MAJOR success! Springer has gone from 13 overflowing trash cans every day to 1 can per day for all grades 1-6. That’s 450 kids needing only 1 can per day.  And what’s more –there is 80-90% less trash on the school grounds!! How can this be?  Because most things are not trash! Springer’s Success Factors: The Springer Elementary hot lunch provider, Kid Chow, gets a lot of credit. They deliver 99% garbage-free lunches. Almost everything is commercially compostable or recyclable. Almost all their “plastics” are cellulose- (plant) based and will compost in a commercial composting program. There are so many students who are voluntarily and eagerly helping in the effort. They love being responsible citizens.  These Green Team’ers are quick learners and are teaching other students what goes where. Stations are set up in the lunch areas. It’s as simple as A, B or C choices:  Either A) the Compost Bin or B) the Recycle Bin or C) the trash (Boo!). It only takes 10-15 seconds! Or less! The parent volunteer, Beth Wolff is supervising and training the kids and also she is bringing her two-96-gallon compost bins to school from her Los Altos home once a week for the organics and compostables. This is because Mountain View, where Springer is located, does not yet have a commercial composting option. Beyond the lunchtime program, Beth decided to attack one non-green thing at a time. Her first campaign was to try to replace the plastic sandwich bags used by students (ziplocs, etc.) with the “If You Care” brand non-bleached paper sandwich bags.  She bought 18 boxes as a donation and has been handing them out (either whole boxes or a handful) to the students to bring home and show their parents. Little by little we are seeing more and more of them at lunchtime! In less than 4 months, the process has become practically automatic to the students!  In the future, less and less supervision will be needed but having a parent volunteer (or a trained student) to help answer questions is the way to go. Beth and Principal Spenader are brainstorming for next year how to set up an easy system for student volunteers (only 1-2 per day) to manage the lunchtime process and serve their school community’s green efforts. Beth would be happy to help other schools too. For questions or clarifications, please contact Beth Wolff at beth.wolff@yahoo.com. If you have another school success story, please email us at newsletter@greentownlosaltos.org. #compostables #losaltosschools #Waste

The following is from an email from Bill Almon, with Quarry No: We went to the Workshop Friday and found that the County intends to let the Selenium pollution in Permanente Creek rise for the next 20 years. They agree the Selenium is there and comes from the Lehigh operation and will build up over time.  However they say a treatment facility to treat the pit water is too high a cost to lay on Lehigh and that true reclamation can only occur after mining ends. The Planning Commissioners questioned this and the County’s rush to get the EIR approved.  I think if we can get a big turnout for this Thursday’s Public Hearing  (10:00AM at the County Center, 70 West Hedding) we will give the Planning Commission the public support they need to say that the Reclamation Plan is unacceptable. If the Plan is approved as presented there will be little that any of us can do for the next 20 years.  Please spread the word. The meeting notice is at http://www.sccgov.org/sites/planning/Plans%20-%20Programs/Surface%20Mining%20(SMARA)/Documents/2250_Public_Notice_120524.pdf The EIR is at: http://www.sccgov.org/sites/planning/Plans%20-%20Programs/Surface%20Mining%20(SMARA)/Pages/Permanente-Quarry–Draft-EIR.aspx It is worth reading the Executive Summary as this gives a good overview.

GreenTown Los Altos Collaborates on Creek and Watershed Restoration Efforts by Peg Champion GreenTown Los Altos Correspondent There was a time, not long ago, when a maturing steelhead trout could swim from Permanente or Adobe Creek to its adult home in the San Francisco Bay. Today, steelhead are unable to make that journey and have all but disappeared from many of the local creeks in Santa Clara Valley. Map of our local watershed. Red lines show concrete channel areas. Photo credit: Map courtesy of the Oakland Museum of California. http://museumca.org Flood control measures and urban development over the past 50 years have transformed creeks into concrete channels, and the original salt marshes are now salt evaporation ponds.  Thanks to invasive species, native ecosystems are vanishing, and toxins and trash have degraded the watershed. “Our watersheds and creeks have been compromised by logging, agriculture, mining and channelizing.  Few streams support fish migrations in ‘traditional’ pre-1950s manner,” says Jim McCarthy, an Acterra Streamkeeper volunteer and a member of numerous other creek monitoring organizations. Acterra, an environmental non-profit serving Silicon Valley, GreenTown Los Altos, and many local organizations (see below) are working hard to remedy the situation.  This Saturday, May 19, marks a nationwide river cleanup effort and, here in Los Altos, GreenTown is leading a trash cleanup of Permanente Creek. “Many of us drive over the four main creeks in Los Altos every day, unaware of their existence or their condition.  Come this Saturday and learn how rainwater, water from landscaping and storm drains, and trash all meet in our creeks on their way to the Bay,” says Barb O’Reilly, event coordinator and member of the GreenTown Water Stewardship team.  “Come be a part of our solution to creek pollution!” The GreenTown Water Stewardship program works to reduce water consumption, runoff pollution and household chemicals and pharmaceuticals that are dumped into the wastewater system.  Joe Eyre, a member of the stewardship team, also serves on the Los Altos Environmental Commission. “This year, one of the Environmental Commission’s initiatives is increasing awareness – and the health – of our watersheds.  In addition, the city has taken the positive step of committing to reduce trash flowing into our streams by banning expanded polystyrene takeout containers and single-use plastic bags, by no later than July, 2014.” The City of Los Altos contracted with Acterra to restore Redwood Grove, a nature preserve in Los Altos that surrounds Adobe Creek.  This model restoration project brings community volunteers together to remove invasive plants, establish native plants and create habitat for native wildlife.  Water flow and animals in the watershed are indicators of health and sustainability, according to McCarthy.  But the challenge is to manage flood control and storm water flow, while striving for “the ultimate success of restoration and sustainability: full watershed access to ocean-going fish,” says McCarthy. In January, in conjunction with the Shaped by Water exhibit at the Los Altos History Museum, Acterra and artist Daniel McCormick worked with local volunteers to build a bio-engineered willow sculpture. The living sculpture will restore a creek bank in the park. Photo credit: ©Joel Bartlett, 2012 Acterra also sponsors the Stevens and Permanente Creeks Watershed Project, which monitors water chemistry, bacteria and toxicity of aquatic habitat – particularly in Stevens Creek.  Joanne McFarlin, Acterra senior ecologist and project director says, “We encourage the idea of the ‘citizen-scientist.’  We need local volunteers to monitor water quality, participate in our ongoing study of creek bugs at our ‘Bug Club,’ and help with creekside habitat restoration.” McFarlin says there are many causes of pollution – from business and residential development to industrial waste – but urban runoff is by far the most difficult to address. “Most residents don’t know that they are contributing to local creek pollution by using pesticides and fertilizers in their yards, washing their car in the driveway, draining their pool into the storm drain and allowing their cars to drip oil onto roadways.”  However, McFarlin says she is encouraged by the “trend toward creek and watershed revitalization and restoration” by local municipalities, the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the state and federal government. Jill Bicknell, assistant program manager at the Santa Clara Valley Urban Runoff
Pollution Prevention Program (SCVURPP), agrees. Bicknell acknowledges the detrimental impact of flood-control measures instituted in the ‘50s and ‘70s, and from urban development and impervious cover (roads, driveways and parking lots) but she says, “One of the biggest problems is trash” from storm drains, especially plastic bags and polystyrene foam.  SCVURPP manages Watershed Watch, a public-education campaign that promotes simple things citizens can do to help protect their watershed.  “There’s an increase in public awareness and a movement towards more natural processes in watershed management,” says Bicknell. “It’s important to remember that we are all upstream from our oceans,” says Jessica Frank, Surfrider Foundation outreach coordinator for the Rise Above Plastics campaign.  The campaign works to keep plastics out of the marine environment and helps people to reduce their plastic footprint.  “It’s imperative that people understand the impact their actions have, and that simple, local actions can solve this global issue.” “We have to manage storm runoff and ‘slow it, spread it, sink it,’” says Dr Rick Lanman, founder of Friends of Adobe Creek, an organization dedicated to restoring the once-perennial stream.  “This means keeping the water from running off into the Bay.  If it has time to soak into the ground, then the water table gets recharged.  During the dry season, water flows out of the ground aquifer and back into the creek.  This is what makes a creek perennial.” Lanman says that to restore the watershed, “we need to eliminate in-stream barriers, concrete and incised creek channels and to clarify the streams of harmful sediment by replanting stream banks with native riparian plants.  The steelhead is an ‘indicator species’ of environmental health.  When the steelhead come back, we’ll know we have a healthy ecosystem.” Almond School Brownie Girl Scouts Troop 61015 with the metal pipe they found at the Sept. 2011 Permanente Creek Cleanup. This year’s cleanup will launch a pilot program for scrap metal to be recycled rather than sent to the landfill as in previous years. Photo credit: ©Sara Elkin, 2011 Be Part of the Solution to Creek Pollution National River Cleanup Day: Permanente Creek Cleanup Saturday, May 19, 9am-Noon, Heritage Oaks Park, Los Altos
Register Now. Volunteers will meet at the picnic tables, at Heritage Oaks Park near Miramonte & Portland Avenues in Los Altos.  Wear long pants, sturdy shoes and sunscreen.  Bring your own pick-up sticks, re-useable water bottles and gloves.  All youth under 18 need supervision and transportation to the cleanup site. Sponsored by GreenTown Los Altos and the Creek Connections Action Group, a consortium of public agencies and non-profit organizations that share a goal of protecting Santa Clara County’s waterways. Water Quality Monitoring of Los Altos Creeks To better understand the state of our creeks, GreenTown Los Altos is exploring working with Acterra and others to monitor water quality in our local creeks, starting with Permanente.  Please let us know if you are interested in working on this project.  Email water@greentownlosaltos.org. Water Education Information Slow it.  Spread it.  Sink it!  A Homeowner’s and Landowner’s Guide to Beneficial Stormwater Management http://www.sscrcd.org/rainwater.php “Shaped By Water: Past, Present and Future” http://www.losaltoshistory.org/water.html.  This Los Altos History Museum water education exhibit closed April 22; the exhibit now travels to the History Museum of Los Gatos, where it will open in August 2012. Watershed Restoration Organizations Acterra – http://www.acterra.org/ Creek Connections Action Group – http://www.cleanacreek.org Friends of Adobe Creek – http://www.facebook.com/AdobeCreek GreenTown Los Altos greentownlosaltos.org Los Altos Environmental Commission http://losaltosca.gov/committees-commissions/environmental/ Los Altos Hills Water Conservation and Open Space Committees http://www.losaltoshills.ca.gov Santa Clara County Creeks Coalition – http://www.sccreeks.org Santa Clara Valley Urban Runoff Pollution Prevention Program – http://www.scvurppp.org Stevens Creek/Permenente Creek Watershed Council http://www.spcwc.org/ Surfrider Foundation – http://www.surfrider.org/ Watershed Watch – http://www.mywatershedwatch.org Peg Champion is a member of GreenTown Los Altos and the principal of Champion Organic Communications.  She helps businesses tell their sustainability stories.  For more information visit http://ChampionOrganic.com. #RedwoodGrove #Watereducation #Plasticbagban #GreenTownLosAltos #Nationalrivercleanupday #Creekpolution #Steelheadtrout #Permenantecreek #Acterra