GreenTown Zero Waste Team members took a field trip to find out! Mission Trail Waste Systems provides the trash collection service in Los Altos. To get processed, the trash and compost loads go to Milpitas and the recycling loads go to San Leandro. Our team toured the San Leandro Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) where Alameda County Industries (ACI) processes about 300 tons of materials per day—including what’s in the blue recyclables carts of Los Altos residents. At the MRF, the loads of materials journey on a network of sifting machines and conveyor belts. Staff sorts items by hand to pick out large items that cannot be recycled at the MRF (we saw carpet padding, hoses, strollers, insulation, and a suitcase to name just a few!) as well as organic or hazardous waste. In addition to hand sorting, the MRF has specialized machinery with magnets and optical equipment with robotic arms to separate cardboard, glass, metals, and different types of plastic. Eventually, the process’s end product is sorted by type and goes to storage piles or is baled for sale. Key takeaways: Let’s do our part to recycle responsibly and safely: Please keep ACI workers safe by not putting hazardous waste (needles or other sharp objects, fluorescent bulbs, paint, etc.) in our blue recyclables carts. Know that loose plastic bags, box packing strips, ropes, and VHS and cassette tapes can clog machinery and cause a shutdown, bringing everything to a standstill. Use reusable travel mugs and silverware. Know that “compostable” paper cups and “compostable” plasticware don’t break down in the current composting system—so they go in the trash. Put recyclables directly into the blue recyclables cart—DO NOT bag in trash bags or they will immediately be sorted out for the landfill. Rinse recyclables to get rid of food particles, air dry if possible, and replace lids and tops before putting them directly in the blue recyclables cart. Don’t “wish-cycle” plastics! Plastic film, snack and chip wrappers, and loose plastic bags do not belong in your blue recyclables cart—they are trash. Check if your supermarket has a collection bin for plastic film (such as used for packaging) and loose plastic bags. See for yourself! Video tour of the MRF is on ACI’s website: https://alamedacountyindustries.com/sanleandro/

Los Altos has officially proclaimed that MAY IS BIKE MONTH! So Many Biking Activities and Events! Roll Your Way Through May NOW THEREFORE, the City of Los Altos hereby proclaims May 2023 as Bike Month, asking our residents to join in to support bicycling, to participate in the events planned and urging all road users to share the road safely with bicyclists May 3 - National Bike and Roll to School Day Keep an eye out for the over 1200 Los Altos students who bicycle each day to and from school. Why bike, roll and walk? Learn more here. May 13 - Los Altos Family Bike Day Sign up here. This is the second edition of this family-friendly biking event. The event includes guided bike rides in Los Altos and energizer stations with the ever-popular blender bike, snacks and swag. The bike rides starting in both North and South Los Altos will be between 4 and 6 miles and will show participants how to navigate their neighborhood streets, including safe street crossings and some secret cut-throughs. You’ll also review the rules of the road and practice some bike skills. May 18 - Bay Area Bike to Work Day Pledge to pedal with us here. Keep an eye out for the over 1000 bicyclists riding through Los Altos. The Bicycle Outfitter (at 963 Fremont Ave, Los Altos) will host an Energizer Station! May 18 – 20 - Bike to Wherever Days Pledge to Ride Wherever here, Join thousands of Bay Area residents in celebration of the humble bicycle. Cities across San Mateo and Santa Clara counties have a friendly competition: the city with the greatest number of riders to pledge (counted in relation to population) wins the prestigious Silicon Valley Cities Pedal Power Challenge award. Let’s put Los Altos in the lead! May 19 - Downtown Los Altos Bike n’ Dine Sign up here Team up with family, friends, and neighbors to experience the joy and freedom of biking to Downtown Los Altos while exploring its wonderful dining opportunities. Once you arrive Downtown, visit our event hub at Veterans Community Plaza (junction of Main and State Streets). We'll have music, activities for children, and you can safely park your bike at our "bike valet" while you explore the vibrant downtown area on foot. We'll also share event swag including exclusive dining discounts and offers from downtown restaurants. It's the perfect opportunity to enjoy Los Altos dining while doing your part to help reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions.

Wheeee! That's the sound of a kid who's just gotten a "new" bike from GreenTown's ReCycle Bike Drive. The ReCycle Bike Drive is back and celebrating its 24th year refurbishing gently used bicycles for kids in need. GreenTown is looking for volunteers and bike donations for the bike drive, which will be held on April 8, 2023 from 10am-2pm at Los Altos High School. GreenTown accepts gently used bikes that are gathering dust in your garage (or worse, headed to the landfill), then volunteers dust them off, clean them up, fix them and donate them to kids in our local communities who otherwise wouldn't have access to a bike. Now that's a win-win! Los Altos Hills resident, Kathleen Santora, started the bike drive with friends more than two decades ago at St. Nicholas School. In 2012, with GreenTown’s help, the event was extended to the broader community. Partnerships with Los Altos High School and Bicycle Exchange have further improved the bike drive and our ability to get bikes into the hands of students and others who need them. "We just love this event!" says GreenTown bike drive coordinator, Margie Suozzo. "It combines reducing waste, reusing and recycling, with clean transportation and giving back to the community. And we couldn't do it without the generous contributions - both bike donations and volunteer time - from the local community." How does it work? Volunteers at the bike drive will be on hand to accept donations. Bikes of all sizes are accepted. Bikes collected at the bike drive will be spiffed up, repaired, and donated to students at local schools who can’t afford them. Kids who receive bikes will also get a bike helmet and lock to keep both their bikes and noggins safe. Our partners Los Altos High School and Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange (bikex.org), as well as other local school officials, are key to identifying students and others in need and in managing bike placement. Bicycle intake guidelines GreenTown welcome your donations but wants to make sure the bikes it gives away are like a new gift to the recipients, so consider the following questions before you donate: Was your bike stored outside? Has the bike been in a crash? Is there significant rust on the frame (sections larger than a dime) or on the chain/cogs? Can you move the seat post up/down? If you answered "yes" to any of the following, GreenTown probably can't take your bike, but others can. Try Community Cycles or Good Karma Bikes in San Jose. “We’re so appreciative of our volunteers who greet donors and wash and fix bikes and our partners, our bike donors, and our partners!” Suozzo said. “Because of them, GreenTown can provide kids with the joy of commuting to school by bike -- a clean, efficient and FUN form of transportation." Plus, the bike drive is a community builder, and in my humble opinion, one of the best volunteer event of the year!" ReCycle Bike Drive Got a Bike? Give a Bike. Make Someone Smile! When: April 8, 2023 | 10am - 2pm Where: Los Altos High School

You Can Receive Up to $8,000 in Rebates for Upgrading Your Gas Water Heater or Heating and Cooling System Other rebates available for upgrading electrical panels and other home electrification steps plus more from BayRen and our Federal Government. Switch from gas to electric appliances through the SVCE FutureFit Homes Program. Get rebates on: ✅Heat Pump Water Heaters ✅Heat Pump Heating and Cooling ✅Pre-Wiring for electric appliances ✅Main panel upgrade Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) customers can receive up to $8,000 in rebates for replacing a gas water heater and gas furnace with efficient, electric heat pump appliances through the FutureFit Homes Program. Gas water heaters and furnaces are typically a home’s biggest source of emissions and contribute to poor air quality in our community. Replacing gas appliances with electric avoids emissions without compromising comfort. Take advantage of the SVCE FutureFit Homes Program and begin your journey to an emissions-free home. Learn more at https://svcleanenergy.org/home-rebates/ Combine these rebates with additional rebates and tax credits from those available through the Federal IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) programs for even more savings. Learn more about the IRA Tax Credits and Rebates by downloading the fact sheet here.

BACKGROUND Since May 2022, GreenTown has had the pleasure of working with a few representatives from The Terraces at Los Altos (TLA) Recycling Committee. They were interested in increasing recycling and composting and sought GreenTown’s assistance. Let’s set the stage as to why this is important. Americans consume resources at an enormous rate. If all people in the world consumed at the rate that Americans consumed we would need five planets to supply them with appropriate resources. Five planets!!! Clearly that’s not sustainable! To address this problem, we need to rethink our consumption patterns: whether we have to buy something to begin with; if we do, is it recyclable; can we repair or reuse things that we have; and then, and only then how do we recycle and/or compost what we must throw “away.” GreenTown has some history working on waste reduction. In 2008, we developed a white paper that looked at the best recycling and composting programs in the region and what Los Altos could do differently to increase recycling and composting. We developed a series of recommendations - both high level and detailed - shared them with the Environmental Commission and City Council to inform the development of a request for proposals for a new waste contract franchise agreement. The City fully adopted our recommendations and, when Mission Trail was selected, almost immediately they were able to increase waste diverted from the landfill, through recycling and composting, by more than 30%! In addition to this work, we have held countless talks and workshops and have written numerous articles to help educate residents on how to increase recycling and composting. Our work at TLA began with a waste audit, conducted by Mission Trail Waste Systems. This was followed by an on-site audit by GreenTown, as well as a series of recommendations. Some of those recommendations have been carried out, others are in progress. This documents some of our progress to date. INITIAL WASTE ASSESSMENT & AUDIT GreenTown, working with Mission Trail, estimated waste generated at TLA and what percentage was recycled and composted. Here are the initial findings. It’s important to note that these do not include landscaping waste, which is collected by a separate contractor: Approximately 450 tons of waste is collected by MTWS annually. 58.4% is landfilled and the other 41.6% is diverted from the landfill. Typically 75% or more waste can be diverted through recycling and composting. Percentage Waste Collected by Mission Trail Waste System Source: Tim Giacomini, Mission Trail Waste System (MTWS), June 2022 Additionally, an estimated 16.8 tons of landscape waste is collected annually by Brightview Landscaping (pers. comm. landscape contractors on site, to be verified), which slightly shifts total waste percentages to: 56.3% landfilled and 43.7% diverted, 33.4% from recyclables and 10.3% from compostables. In addition, Mission Trail conducted a one-day waste audit at TLA in June 2022. This audit led to a series of recommendations for TLA to consider, including: Building out three-bin systems throughout the facility (blue for recycling; green for organics/food waste; and black for trash) with more receptacles and better signage that mirrors that on the outside of the facility. Halting the use of black bags for anything other than trash as they are automatically directed to the landfill. Recommend using clear or light-colored bags instead. Training and monitoring staff to ensure best practices and providing continuing education. MTWS also noted that these actions will increase recycling and composting, reduce trash bins, and save TLA money. ON-SITE WALK-THROUGH GreenTown and the TLA Recycling Committee members met in July 2022 for a 2-hour walk-through of the facilities and held additional meetings in August 2022 with Dining and Facilities staff. Findings/recommendations include: Separating food waste from the dining waste stream represents the greatest opportunity for diverting waste from the landfill. Currently this waste is considered trash. Additionally, this effort would save TLA money as a large Mission Trail waste collection bin could be replaced with an organics bin. Estimated savings are on the order of $300 per month. To support this effort, we recommended that a three-bin system be added to each prep station. Staffing issues have made implementing this recommendation challenging. The dining manager is supportive but until he has consistent staff, he is unable to effectively implement the recommendations. Status: currently, this high-impact measure is on hold. Residential recycling and compost could be significantly increased. We recommended conducting a resident survey to better understand barriers to recycling and composting. In December 2022, with the TLA Recycling Committee, we implemented this survey with the following findings: Fifty-two survey responses were received. All who responded to the question on whether they support the goal of increasing recycling and composting said YES. Residents perceived the main challenges to more recycling and composting as: Motivation Staff training/education; and Resident training/education. Recycling: Most residents separate their recyclables, but more and better information is needed: 68% felt informed about what can be recycled. 32% could use more information, in particular regarding plastics recycling. The types of materials typically recycled include: paper, glass bottles, aluminum cans, plastic bottles and containers, and clean tin foil. Composting Organic Waste: The majority of respondents compost and most consider themselves well informed about what can be composted. 63% of respondents always compost; and 18% sometimes compost; and 18% never compost. Materials typically composted are food waste and food-soiled paper and the most frequent location for composting is adjacent to Maple. For those who don’t compost or sometimes don’t, key issues included questions about what actually can be composted and lack of containers for composting at the facility. Four things were considered helpful to increase composting: Education (29) Better signage near collection bins (23 ) More bins in common areas (18); and Having a compost container in each apartment (9) Interest in joining the TLA Recycling Committee was significant! Additionally, the administration can facilitate recycling and composting goals by implementing a three-bin systems throughout the facility, providing better signage, conducting staff training, and installing a large (3cy) organics bin for collecting dining food waste once the staffing situation improves. PILOT ORGANICS BIN One of the main residences, Redwood Lodge, does not have any facilities for organics collection that are within the building. Those that they had are considerably further away and outside, rendering composting difficult. GreenTown and the TLA Recycling Committee engaged the administration to put an organics collection bin alongside of a recycling bin in the Bistro, to make composting more convenient. This bin had good signage on it and a resident willing to collect the material each day and deposit it in an organics waste container! Results so far have been positive with more residents using the facility to dispose of their food waste and food-soiled paper. The current goal of this program is to move the responsibility of composting this waste to TLA staff. NEXT STEPS Continue to monitor the staff situation for Dining to take advantage of an opportunity to re-introduce and implement our food waste collection proposal. Provide resident education through hands-on activities and events to address barriers identified in the Resident survey. Work with administration to sustainably maintain an organics collection bin in the Bistro and to build out more three-bin systems throughout the facility and offer improved signage.

The Bay Area Air District has proposed rule amendments to reduce harmful emissions of NOx and fine particulate matter from space and water heating appliances. Natural gas appliances such as water heaters and furnaces are a major contributor of NOx in the Bay Area. NOx emissions and particulate matter (formed when NOx reacts with other air pollutants) contribute to a host of respiratory ailments. Our health and equity analysis shows that these emissions are responsible for as many as 89 premature deaths per year in the Bay Area, disproportionately impacting people of color. To address these public health issues, the Air District has released the draft Appliance Rules for public comment, which closes on February 6th. These revised appliance rules are expected to be considered for adoption by the Air District Board of Directors on March 15th. This is a very impactful rulemaking and our Board members have expressed an interest in hearing from public agencies on this topic. Comments can be submitted via the link above. The proposed rule amendments would apply only to new and replacement appliances and do not mandate retrofitting of existing appliances. The rules will be point-of-sale, meaning only zero NOx water heaters and furnaces will be available for sale or installation in the Air District’s nine-county jurisdiction, beginning with water heaters in 2027 and furnaces in 2029. The rules will not apply to gas appliances used for cooking, such as gas stoves. The rules may be controversial with the public due to the perceived additional costs of cleaner appliances, potential electric panel upgrades and utility expenses. We expect those costs to decline as technology improves, which is why we are phasing in the standard over time depending on equipment readiness. The Air District is working with important regional partners such as BayREN to understand these costs, identify potential solutions, and track technology improvements that are already bringing down some of these costs. We’ve created the Fact Sheet and website with more information for you, your colleagues, and to refer members of the public to. Thank you in advance for your help on this.

Author of the award-winning The Zero-Waste Chef cookbook, blogger, fermenter, and sourdough baker Anne-Marie Bonneau began a plastic-free life in 2011. At her GreenTown lecture on January 10 at the main Los Altos library, she discussed her journey to low-waste living. Anne-Marie is completely committed to cutting food waste and plastic packaging because doing so reduces our carbon footprint and therefore our contribution to the climate crisis—while at the same time satisfying our taste buds, improving our health and well-being, and boosting our bank accounts. Not-so-fun fact: Food waste creates 8% to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions—which is more than the aviation industry produces! Above all, Anne-Marie made the point that “zero waste” is an intention—while one person eliminating all of their waste is great, thousands of us taking actions to reduce our trash by just 20 percent can have a much bigger impact on the planet. Her message was “no guilt”—taking any steps to reduce waste and avoid plastic is worthwhile. Here are some of Anne-Marie’s low-cost, actionable tips for cutting back on our food waste and plastic use: Start your lower-waste journey by knowing what’s already in your refrigerator and pantry. Then “shop” there first, including using leftovers, to make simple meals like pizzas, frittatas, soups, salads, roasted vegetables, etc. Do an audit of your plastic waste so you understand what you’re using and where you might be able to cut back. Make a shopping list to purchase only what you need before you go to the farmers’ market or the supermarket. Use cloth produce bags instead of plastic. Bring glass jars from home for buying (at Country Sun Natural Foods and Sprouts Farmers Market, for example) and storing your bulk pantry foods. Use glass jars also for storing food in your refrigerator, for bringing home restaurant leftovers, and for picking up takeout (Silicon Valley Reduces lists restaurants by city that support bringing your own containers). Preserve vegetables by cooking and freezing them in glass jars when they’re in season for best flavor, nutrition, and cost. For preserving through fermentation, check out zerowastechef.com. Buy previously owned, “pre-loved” clothing (at REI and Sports Basement, for example). For more, visit Anne-Marie’s website, subscribe to her blog, and explore The Zero-Waste Chef cookbook.

Heat pumps are one of the most impactful ways to combat climate change, but people wonder, what are they, how do they work, and does it make sense for me? GreenTown Los Altos teamed up with two seniors at San Jose State University to evaluate heat pump technology and answer those questions. Nickon Ghodoosian and Roger Bumgarner, seniors at SJSU in the Dept. of Environmental Studies, took on the challenge. They are enrolled in a Senior Projects class taught by Professor Katherine Cushing, head of the Department. Nickon and Roger reviewed the literature, interviewed experts in the field, homeowners who have heat pump systems and contractors who have installed heat pump systems. They presented their findings at the Los Altos Library, Oct. 26, to an audience that was clearly interested in knowing all about heat pumps judging by the robust discussion after the slide show presentation. Nickon and Roger explained the basics. Heat pumps work by using a coolant to transfer heat. We are familiar with air conditioners that take heat from a house. Coolant is circulated through coils of tubing in the house, warming it up, and then circulated through coils of tubing outside the house to be cooled by the outside air. Working in reverse, the heat pump can heat a house. These are called air source heat pumps, the typical choice in California. Heat pumps can heat your water too. According to TECH Clean California, the cost for a home heat pump in Santa Clara County is $21,212 and for a hot water heat pump is $6,461. If ducting needs to be installed or repaired, or if the electrical panel needs to be upgraded, the cost will go up. Speaking of costs, the recent Inflation Reduction Act offers tax credits up to 30% and discounts up to $8000, and there are a number of local rebates ranging from $50 to $2500. A number of good points were raised during the discussion. Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) is offering many rebates including $2000 to replace your gas fired water heater and $1000 for a main panel upgrade. SVCE will also be rolling out a new rate plan in December to encourage all-electric homes. Other rebates are offered by BayREN. Concerning operating costs, there was no consensus. Heat pumps use more electricity, which is expensive, but gas fired units use a lot of gas, and although less expensive, more is used, so not much if any trade off. One consideration to keep in mind is the noise of the compressor. The location is important, and you should consider models with the lowest decibel rating if that is a concern. A dual speed or a variable speed unit will be quieter. There can be noise in the ductwork. Some people report more noise while others report less noise. The air flow is lower than with gas fired units so it should be quieter, and the combustion noise of the gas unit will no longer be a factor. The cool air that is produced is another consideration. If in the garage, that can be welcome in the summer. If the unit is in the house, then that must be addressed. There is no longer gas in the house and that is a benefit with healthier indoor air and less fire risk. One option that was mentioned is a small heat pump, called a mini-split. Costing about $6000 it is great for one room and requires no duct work. We heard from one person who installed two because he liked them so much. People also wondered about heating a swimming pool. It can be done, but be sure to use a pool cover to retain the heat and reduce evaporation. For people who want a heated pool in the winter, a higher capacity heat pump is required. One final consideration, heat pumps heat more slowly than gas fired furnaces, so it is necessary to set the timer to start warming the house earlier in the morning and to allow time for the hot water heater to recover after that second shower (or get a higher capacity unit). My impression is that while cost and performance are very important, many people truly want to cut their carbon footprint and will be installing heat pumps. We at GreenTown Los Altos applaud that!

GreenTown Los Altos’ 2022 Dinner & Auction, held on Oct. 2, was truly a perfect evening in every way. The crowd was overflowing with joy at being together in person in the beautiful Los Altos History Museum courtyard. The weather? Beautiful. The food? Amazing. The company? The best. The speakers? Inspiring! Policies for net zero In 2035 We heard from Sen. Josh Becker who, in his short time in the California Senate, has been incredibly effective at getting targeted climate bills passed and signed into law. Among them is a bill ensuring the state leads by example, setting a target for state agencies to achieve net-zero in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2035, 10 years before the 2045 goal set by and for the state. Wouldn’t that be a fantastic achievement! He also highlighted some areas that need attention and support. While the legislature mandated a roadmap for the cement industry (which generates 8% of global GHGs) to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2045, state purchasing does not require low-carbon concrete purchases. It’s a key opportunity. Becker anticipates that there will be some difficult legislative decisions on the horizon that will be needed for California to achieve its climate goals, and he looks to each of us to persist in supporting aggressive climate legislation so that California can continue to be a climate leader! Email us here (where should I link?) to get on a mail list announcing these opportunities. Next, Don Bray of Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE), reminded us of the power of collective action. SVCE is a public community choice energy agency that was started by Los Altos and 12 other communities, to provide clean power at competitive prices and to help customers shift away from fossil fuels. Since SVCE first delivered power in 2017, we have reduced energy-related greenhouse emissions by more than 30%! Further, SVCE is building out the clean energy supply, including a solar plus battery storage plant in Kings County and a geothermal plant near Mammoth, and offers an array of incredible programs that citizens can take advantage of to accelerate the shift to clean energy. See svcleanenergy.org to learn more. He highlighted a few that provide the biggest bang for the buck: Support for shifting to EVs - transportation is responsible for about 50% of greenhouse gas emissions in our area. Learn more here. Incentives for electrifying your home - home heating and cooling and water heating make up 80-90% of greenhouse gas emissions. Shifting to electric would drastically cut those numbers. Learn more here. Support for adding solar plus battery storage. See here. More programs are coming down the pike, SOON, to further support the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy! Keep an eye out at svcleanenergy.com Drumroll please…meet our local heroes! Steve Schmidt is a shining example of living the green lifestyle. He and his family drive electric cars, use heat-pump technology to heat their water and heat and cool their home, cook with an induction cooktop, eat low down the food chain, their landscape is native and drought tolerant, and they don't fly anywhere! Well almost. For these reasons and more, Steve was honored as GreenTown’s 2022 Environmental Hero and with an official commendation signed by County Supervisor Joe Simitian and a proclamation from Sen. Becker. He also received a Superman cape from friend and former California Energy Commissioner, Jeff Byron and his young grandson, William. Congratulations Steve and thanks for all you do! Galen Rosenberg was recognized this year as GreenTown’s 2022 Community Partner of the Year. Galen works tirelessly at Los Altos High School to promote safe cycling for all and is a key partner with GreenTown on its ReCycle Bike Drive. But his efforts go beyond cycling advocacy. He sits on the district’s sustainability task force to move environmental initiatives forward and along with the schools Green Team, shared in the school’s honor in 2021 as a U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools Award recipient. Los Altos was one of only five high schools in California and the only public high school in the state to win the award. Galen was honored with a proclamation from Sen. Becker. Hot EVs on display! We had four Electric Vehicles (EVs) on display at the event to spur event-goers to "electrify their lives." Polestar 2 Mustang Mach-e Rivian R1-T Porsche Cayenne e-hybrid The owners of these EVs, who are passionate advocates, were on hand to discuss their experience with EVs and to showcase the environmental and money-saving benefits. If you’re considering an EV, visit www.electricforall.org or SVCE's EV Assistant to compare among more than 100 options. Thank You! Thanks to all those who made Electrify Your Life!, the 2022 GreenTown Dinner & Auction, 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. Learn more about these on our website.

In early October, six high school students joined GreenTown members Glenda Chang and Kim Jelfs to help “refresh” the drought tolerant garden at Woodland Library. Read more about the transition here. After a major restoration effort earlier this year, the garden was looking great! But low maintenance isn’t no maintenance. Invasive grasses and morning glory had crept in, choking native plants. The students worked to “weed out” the affected areas and clear pathways in preparation for an upcoming hardscape project. The 6 girls are studying AP Environmental Science at Homestead High School. Their interests include combating climate change, environmental law and sustainable cities. Their class offers volunteer opportunities and for one student, it was the chance to return to her childhood library where she'd previously asked about volunteering. For others, even without the nostalgic connection, working in the garden was an opportunity to put their beliefs into action. “It was a simple thing I could do to help the community,” said Kate, who is in her senior year and hopes to major in Urban Studies at college. The team made great progress and finished the afternoon by sowing wildflower seeds. They look forward to returning in the spring to see the wildflowers in bloom. Come by the library garden to appreciate their hard work! Care to join next time? Please reach out to us here for future workday details.

For Walk to School Day this year, several schools held safety assemblies and high-energy WoW! (Walk or Wheel) Days with GreenTown's support. These events help remind kids and their families about the benefits of WoW!ing (walking or wheeling) to school, how to do so safely, and just how fun it can be! Gardner Bullis Elementary's WoW! Co-Chairs, Nick and Melissa French, invited GreenTown to present walk and bike safety tips at a September school assembly to prep kids for their WoW! Day. On Oct. 6, Gardner Bullis held a HUGE event with a participation rate of greater than 81%, that’s up from 65% last year. And no wonder. The “Fabulous Frenchs” don't hold back! They create a race-like atmosphere complete with a finish line, music, swag, treat tables, and the GreenTown blender bike, of course! An announcer, um, that would be Nick, let everyone know who had just come over the finish line to celebrate their WoW! Journey. The kids and parents had a great time and the class with the highest participation won a pizza party! Congratulations go to Ms. Lutz’s 2nd grade class, with the highest participation rate: 94% of kids WoW!ed to school that day!! The following week, Seeta Iyer, parent extraordinaire at Almond Elementary, held a Walk to School WoW! event for Almond families. The police came out to hand out bike lights, which help improve kids’ visibility after dark, and stickers. GreenTown had the blender bike there, always a big hit, and provided walk and bike safety tips to students at the morning’s assembly (see below). According to Ms. Iyer, a number of parents remarked on the shorter line at drop-off and the noticeably fewer cars on the way to school. This is what we like to hear: more kids biking and walking, means less traffic congestion at school, and less traffic congestion means greater safety for our kids! GreenTown also provided Bullis Charter School with stickers and pencils for its Oct. 6 WoW! Day. We’re looking forward to hearing the results. Learn more about the WoW! program If you would like to learn more about the WoW! program and how to make it work at your school, contact us at info@greentownlosaltos.org. Lots of helpful info can also be found on our website at: greentownlosaltos.org/schoolswow. Still more resources are available at the City's Safe Routes to School program website. Take a minute to read through the benefits and safety tips below: Benefits of Walking and Biking Really good for the planet! Clean air and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Less traffic around school. Good for your body and mind. See summary of Dutch study here. And it’s fun, too!! Walking and biking are simply fun ways to get to school with your friends and family. Walking Safety Tips Walk on the sidewalk. Cross the street at the crosswalk and do so carefully. Before you cross, you need to look both ways to make sure no cars or bikes are coming. Look left first, then right, then left again. Walk with a buddy. Biking Safety Tips Wear your helmet properly. See this guide. Check your bike regularly. ABC means Air, Brakes, Chain. Ride at a pace that feels comfortable and safe for you. Note that you can ALWAYS walk your bike. Concentrate on riding in a straight line. Look out for hazards on your path and practice navigating around them. Know the rules of the road: Stop at stop signs. Walk your bike in the crosswalk. Learn your hand signals Be courteous to others on the road or sidewalk (e.g., pedestrians). This is also a helpful book for parents to review re bike safety and rules of the road.

Their Work Will Grow A Better Future As part of GreenTown's goals regarding planting more trees locally, two of our four summer interns Farida and Ellie, created a roadmap to a Tree Master Plan that you can view here as a file. The Los Altos Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, approved this year, sets an ambitious target of bringing the city to carbon neutrality by 2035. One goal is planting 10,000 trees but Los Altos doesn't have a Tree Master Plan, something that would help achieve that goal. Our two interns set out to discover what a Tree Master Plan includes and what it will take to create a good one. Working with the Environmental Commission, researching best practices elsewhere and interviewing a wide-range of experts, they came up with a great roadmap. Say NO to Thirsty Landscapes Thanks to our two other summer interns who worked on determining what it takes to convert lawns and pools to drought tolerant landscapes. Step 1: Assess. Make a plan before you start. Check out design templates, guides and other resources at Landscape Guides & Resources at Santa Clara Valley Water here. Need a hand to get you started? Email GreenTown. Step 2: Apply for up to $4500 in rebates. It's easy and you don't have to be tied down to the requirements! CalWater and ValleyWater provide extensions and can work with you on some of the requirements if you ask. Step 3: Remove your lawn or pool. Some homeowners do their own work, others hire landscapers. Step 4: Plant. Select your plants and lay them out. See what your neighbors have done using this map and check out GreenTown's resources here. Watch the final intern presentation here.