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On Monday, March 7, GreenTown Los Altos volunteers toured Alameda County Industries (ACI), the recycling facility used by the City of Los Altos’ solid waste and recycling hauler, Mission Trail Waste Systems (MTWS). Louie Pellegrini, co-owner of ACI and MTWS, gave the tour. Teresa Montgomery, outreach coordinator for MTWS, who helped organize the visit, and Denise Donahue, in charge of MTWS’ commercial sales, joined us for the tour. Check out photos from the day. GreenTown Los Altos members and Mission Trail staff In the ACI process, all commingled recyclables collected at curbside are delivered onto the floor of the facility and then moved by front-end loaders to a conveyor, where the sorting process begins. A combination of hand-picking by employees and automated sorting follows. Hand pickers pull off of the conveyor: (i) those items that are problematic for the huge automated sorter to handle, (ii) materials that contaminate the final bales of recyclables, and (iii) trash. We saw workers pulling off large pieces of cardboard and funneling them into a bin for later recycling. Plastic bags were pulled off to reduce contamination of the paper recycling stream. Because of their low weight, these products tend to follow paper and high-value plastics (numbers 1 and 2) through the automated sorting process. Workers also pulled trash, off the line. We witnessed workers wrestling with a rather awkward set of broken and discarded vinyl blinds, which were ultimately, trashed. Next the recyclables goes through a series of blowers and magnets to separate out specific materials. Heavy glass falls into a recycling hopper while paper and plastic bottles are blown up and into a stream of their own for later separation. A magnet pulls out the metal cans. Once separated, cardboard, paper, HDPE and PET plastics, miscellaneous plastic, glass and metal are each baled and shipped to manufacturers who use the materials to create packaging or other products. “Everyone should be required to do this once a year!” says Barbara O’Reilly, a tour participant. Indeed! The experience certainly makes you more mindful of what you put in the recycling bin. The recycling tour revealed that certain waste products are very difficult to successfully process as recyclables: the main culprit being plastic bags! Currently, about 15 percent of what comes in as recycling ends up in the landfill as “residue” from the recycling process. We can help reduce this number. Here are our main take-aways from the tour: Buy less packaging! You can start by buying less, reusing more, bringing your own bags and purchasing items in bulk. Recycle plastic bags at the grocery store. If you do end up with plastic bags (and they are ubiquitous), bring them to your local grocery store drop-off for recycling. These stores typically get a much cleaner stream of plastic bags than our recycling contractor can. Plastic bags recycled from grocery stores end up as plastic lumber. Plastic bags in the residential recycling stream, often end up as contaminants of other recyclable materials. Read your recycling guide. MTWS Residential Services Guide (Los Altos) and GreenWaste’s Recycle Guide (Los Altos Hills) tell us what we can and can’t put in the recycling, compost and trash bins. Trash the trash. Don’t throw trash in the recycling bin! Of course, one person’s trash is often another person’s treasure. If it’s in decent condition or can be salvaged, see if you can give it away on Los Altos’ freecycle. By Margie Suozzo #Waste

Did you know that drunk drivers are more attentive than car-driving cell phone users? Cell phone use in the car is one of the hazards faced by bicyclists in town, according to representatives of the Los Altos Police Department. This and other bicycle safety facts were presented by a fun group of police officers, including Sargents Matthew Hartley and Paul Arguelles and Officer Eric Brooks at the GreenTown’s Bike and Bike Safety Expo on March 29, 2011. Expo-goers had a chance to ride the Google Trike — used to map pathways for Google Maps StreetViews. They checked out a folding bike and witnessed the impressive acceleration of a “belt” bike from Chain Reaction; they got to ride a 3-wheeler and check out a pretty cruiser and tandem from Bicycle Outfitters, and had a chance to see Mike’s Bikes’ electric bicycle. Participants also learned from Dave Prion of Bicycle Outfitters about safety vests, lights, racks, and bags that make getting around town by bike both easier and safer. Karen “KJ” Janowski of GreenTown Los Altos wrapped up the evening with a call to join the Drive Less Challenge. Tablers at the Bike and Bike Safety Expo included the above-mentioned bike shops as well as the Los Altos Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, and Safe Moves, a bike safety education organization. Several participants walked away with $20 gift certificates or a rear bike light from Mike’s Bikes, two won lovely GreenTown t-shirts, and one especially lucky participant, Mike Gospe, won a bicycle and helmet from Safe Moves. The Expo rendered all participants just a little more prepared for the Drive Less Challenge! Beginning on Earth Day (April 22) and running for two weeks, the Drive Less Challenge is a fun social competition to encourage alternatives to driving solo.  Participants can sign up online and participate as individuals or in groups.  You keep track of how you get from place to place, taking opportunities to walk, bicycle, take public transit, or carpool instead of driving alone. Riding your bike or walking to run errands, buy groceries or dining out is great for your health, fun and good for local businesses. Compete for prizes in several categories or just for bragging rights! Are you ready? If not, visit your local bike shop, plan your bus route, arrange carpooling, and sign up at www.drivelesschallenge.com. For more information on the Bike and Bike Safety Expo, see the article and video produced by Los Altos Patch.

GreenTown volunteer Gary Hedden attended the Silicon Valley Water Conservation Awards on Tuesday, March 22, World Water Day. These awards go to organizations, agencies, businesses and individuals whose programs and leadership have advanced water conservation in Silicon Valley. During the ceremony Gary observed the passion that so many people bring to this cause with the award highlights being: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies now treats their waste water for reuse as make-up water for their cooling towers, saving 70 million gallons per year!! San Jose State University now recycles water for irrigation, toilet flushing and other uses, saving 80 million gallons per year. ET Water Systems supplies high-tech irrigation management systems that use real time weather data to control the sprinklers, allowing homeowners and businesses to reduce water use by as much as 50%. Our City Forest. This San Jose non-profit promotes the value of trees to purify our air and water as well as cool our cities. And Ken and Sally Coverdell with Blue Sky Designs and Blue Sky Farms in Half Moon Bay, show what individuals can do. They reduced their water use by 80% by converting to native landscape and capturing storm water runoff. As a side note, the event was held at the Humane Society Silicon Valley in Milpitas. This is a new facility built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification standards. The society wanted a facility that was beautiful and healthy for their animals while being energy and water efficient. They use extensive natural lighting, solar power, water-efficient kennel washing and much more. The facility is quiet and the dogs and cats “on display” seem very happy as they play with some of the 800 volunteers who help out. Outside they created low areas to capture rain and irrigation water that can seep down to the aquifer below. Finally, their landscaping uses a combination of native plants and artificial grass, saving thousands of dollars a year in watering and mowing. For more information on the awards, visit http://www.waterawards.org/

Barbara O’Reilly, a volunteer for GreenTown’s Water Stewardship Committee, passionately believes that our members should learn about and care for one of our local streams so that we can understand their history and what it takes to make them healthy enough to support fish and other wildlife. “What better way to get to know our watershed than to be responsible for a part of it,” says Barbara, a longtime GreenTown volunteer. To make this a reality, she has spearheaded a two-part effort to manage sections of Permanente Creek just north of Loyola Corners. The first section runs along Heritage Oaks Park and represents the creek in a fairly natural state. Working with the City of Los Altos, she has offered that GreenTown will clean that section. Contrasting this is the Permanent Creek Diversion Channel, for which Barb, on behalf of GreenTown, initiated adoption proceedings from the Santa Clara Valley Water District Adopt-A-Creek program. This channel section runs from Portland Ave. (and Miramonte) to where it flows under Hwy 85 near its connection with Stevens Creek in Mountain View. The Water Stewardship Committee plans to organize educational events on the creek as well as twice-yearly creek cleanups. The first GreenTown Creek Cleanup will be held on National River Cleanup Day, Saturday May 21, 2011, from 9am to noon. Sign up here http://permanentecreek.eventbrite.com to help clean up our newly-adopted creek section, learn about the different parts of the creek, and gain access to the fenced-in area of the channel as part of the cleanup team. Pictures of this channel are shown below. View more photos on our Facebook Page. Diversion Channel from Portland Bridge Diversion Channel by Blach School

The Drive Less Challenge is a fun social competition to encourage alternatives to driving solo.  Participants can sign up online and participate as individuals or in groups.  You keep track of how you get from place to place, taking opportunities to walk, bicycle, take public transit, or carpool instead of driving alone.   Compete for prizes in several categories or just for bragging rights!  Several other local cities – Mountain View, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Redwood City and Burlingame – also are signed up to participate.  The Drive Less Challenge begins on Earth Day, April 22, 2011, and runs for two weeks. To kick off the challenge, GreenTown Los Altos will host a community meeting on Tuesday, March 29, 7  to 9 pm at Hillview Community Center.  Come learn about bicycle/pedestrian safety and about the latest bikes, gear and accessories for safe commuting and errand-running.  A Los Altos police officer will provide safety tips for bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists who share the roads.  A bicycle expert will demonstrate useful gear and accessories for visibility, comfort, and carting things around.  We’ll even display some of the latest bicycle styles, including an adult three-wheeler.  Join us!

In January, we started a community conversation about encouraging biking and walking.  Many, many ideas have been generated and I will summarize these in this blog post.  Most exciting to me is the way someone’s eyes light up and I can very nearly see the gears of their brain turning as they start to consider how to make our towns bike and pedestrian friendly.  The enthusiasm is infectious.  What we now need are two major things:  1) help in naming our initiative and 2) help implementing some of these programs.  Please read on and put your naming ideas in the comment box below or send them to bike@greentownlosaltos.org. The ideas for the bike/walk initiative generally fall into one of the following four categories: Fun/Participatory  Bike Events Awareness / Promotion /Incentives Educational Events City Infrastructure and Support In the Fun Events category, ideas include: scavenger hunts on bicycles, bike parties or soirees (like the San Jose Bike Party) a troop of lighted bikes in the Festival of Lights parade ciclovias or weekly closures of certain streets to vehicle traffic (as in Cambridge, Massachusetts) making a bid to earn the “Longest Bike Parade” title in the Guinness Book of World Records (the U.S. record is currently held by the City of Davis, California) supporting Bike to Work Day on 5/12/11 participating in the Drive Less Challenge (a 2-week “get out of the car” challenge that starts on Earth Day, 4/22/11) buddy rides program for seniors Residents have proposed many ideas to generate awareness of and incentivize biking and walking as an alternative to driving in cars.  These include: Drive Less Challenge, mentioned above merchant incentives for bicycle riders “Think Globally, Bike Locally” bike “bumper stickers” “One Trip a Week” promotional campaign art/essay contest pedi-cab service downtown during special shopping days or holiday events Suggested educational events might include: safety talks and bike training bike maintenance workshops inspirational speakers a community forum (World Café format) “Bike the Creek” docent-led bike tour screening of bike-related films senior-focused programs – to help our senior citizens continue to ride bikes and walk or to get back to biking and walking again And, lastly, many residents have suggested that we request support from our cities to provide services such as: more bike racks safer sidewalks and bike routes through town becoming an official “Bicycle Friendly Community” following the 08-80 city guidelines to make our towns safe for people to walk and ride whether they are 8 or 80 years old These are just some of the ideas that have been generated since we started this conversation.  What other ideas do you have?  What should we call this initiative?  Can you help us get it moving?  Comment below or contact us at bike@greentownlosaltos.org. KJ

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee will hold a public discussion of the Bicycle Transportation Plan on Wednesday, February 16, 2011, starting at 7pm at Hillview Community Center, Room 18, 97 Hillview Avenue, Los Altos. View a copy of the plan here. Facilitating more biking and walking in Los Altos is GreenTown’s main focus for the next few years, so please consider attending and giving your input on the plan. Comments and concerns can be directed toward Forrest Linebarger, GreenTown’s policy chair or BPAC committee members.

We are blessed in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills with terrain and weather that are extraordinarily friendly to bicycling.  The flat streets of Los Altos favor bike trips by casual riders or those who are new to riding a two-wheeler.  Cyclists who want more of a challenge can spin through Los Altos Hills for a rollercoaster-thrill ride that gets their hearts and quads pumping.   From behind the handlebars of your bike, you can easily appreciate the charm of our neighborhoods, the friendly, small-town atmosphere of the flatlands, and the scenic beauty of the hills. Pull up at an intersection next to someone on a bike, and you might engage in a conversation.  Ride past a family of bike riders or cycle by a dog-walker or front-yard gardener and you might just smile or say hello.  Bicycling is much more sociable than driving solo in a car. When I hop on my bike to run a quick errand, I get a momentary boost of good cheer and I feel thankful for the physical ability to actually ride a bike.  On longer bike trips, I’m not distracted by the radio or telephone calls and can use my brain to generate ideas, work over problems, or just clear my mind.  The mental and physical health benefits abound! In addition to all these terrific benefits, biking is much better for our local environment.  According to the 2010 Silicon Valley Environmental Index published by Sustainable Silicon Valley, 60% of the energy used in Santa Clara County was from gasoline and diesel.  The average resident annually burned 448 gallons of gasoline (in 2008).  The other striking bit of info from this report is that 40% of the trips we take are less than 2 miles.  What an opportunity for improvement!  If we could each just substitute one car trip per week with a bike trip or a walk to our nearby destination, imagine what we could do collectively. These are some of the reasons why GreenTown Los Altos has decided to focus much of our resources on encouraging our residents to bike and walk more in 2011.  As Keith Turner, our Executive Director, reported in his blog post about our January community meeting, we had a lively discussion of ways to encourage biking and walking.  Look for a summary of some of these ideas in upcoming posts.  What are your ideas for how we can encourage biking and walking? Karen “KJ” Janowski Chair, GreenTown Education Programs

The City of Los Altos will consider repealing an ordinance which, in 1991, banned gas leaf blowers. According to the California Air Resources Board, gas leaf blowers produce excessive noise, dangerous combustion products (including hydrocarbons that can form ground level ozone; carbon monoxide; particulate matter; and other toxic by-products), and fugitive dust (such as pollen; animal feces; pesticides; and molds). Read their report.  As a result, more than 100 cities have banned gas leaf blowers in residential areas. Gas leaf blowers are unhealthy for walkers, cyclists, children playing, and people enjoying their yards. Come out and make your voice heard at tonight’s City Council Meeting, Feb. 8, 2011 at 7pm in the City Council Chambers at 1 No. San Antonio Rd. Or email City Council with your opinion today. For more information, please contact Myra Orta at mee-maa@sbcglobal.net or by phone at 650 968 8476.

Almond Elementary School’s Boltage (fomerly Freiker) program, GreenTown’s flagship bike/walk to school program, launched in spring 2009 after founder Jon Simms, parent of a then second grader at the school, spent a few months fundraising for the program. The funds were used to finance the “Zap” (a solar-powered radio-frequency identification reader) which tracks the number of trips children take to school on foot or by bike. In addition the funds were used to get various incentives. Some businesses such as Baskin Robbins and Spot’s Pizza donated ice cream for incentive prizes and pizza for pizza parties. What kid doesn’t enjoy the occassional ice cream or pizza? Freiker at Almond Elementary With a significant number of everyday Almond School children now biking or walking an average distance of half a mile per trip, current program coordinator Tamara Fagin is shifting emphasis from rewarding ridership with incentives to building smarter cyclists and increasing their comfort with rides about town. Though occasionally, you can still find Fagin at the Zap machine giving out thirst quenching gum, tatoos, wrist bands or a pat on the back. “We’re working on getting kids and parents more involved and comfortable with riding not only to school but also to town,” says Fagin. “I want 3rd, 4th and 5th graders to be independent and able to safely ride and park their bikes at the library or shops downtown. This requires teaching kids and parents about bike safety and teaching motorists and pedestrians how to share the road.” Fagin has proposed a number of measures to make Los Altos more bike friendly: First, she has recommended to the Los Altos City Council that they increase the available bike parking downtown. Second, she submitted a law to State Senator Joe Simitian’s “There Ought To Be a Law” Contest. Her proposal would outlaw parking or stopping in bike lanes within 250 feet of school entrances during the morning or afternoon rush. In March, we’ll find out if we have a winner! Third, she seeded the idea that Los Altos attempt to break the World Record for the Longest Bike Parade, currently held by Davis, CA, offering a fun event for our community that also draws attention to the challenges of safely cycling around town. GreenTown is fully supportive of making Los Altos and Los Altos Hills more pedestrian and bicycle friendly. Stay tuned for more information on upcoming events and programs!

Do you suffer from cold or drafty rooms, moldy or musty smells, or high utility bills? These may be signs that your home is leaking energy or at least not delivering your heating and cooling where they need to go. A new program can help you address these problems. Energy upgrades can make your home more comfortable, improve your health and lower your energy bills 10-40%. Homeowners (or rentors) can choose from two Energy Upgrade packages: The Basic Package offers a rebate of $1,000 for a pre-determined set of retrofit measures, including attic insulation, air sealing and duct sealing. The Advanced Packaged offers up to $4,000 for a customized list of upgrades based on an energy assessment, contractor recommendations and your goals. For the latest information, visit Energy Upgrade California. GreenTown hosted an educational presentation on home energy efficiency in September 2010 featuring Recurve. The  Q&A from that talk can be found on our website and a video of the presentation on GreenTown’s YouTube channel. #CaliforniaBuildingPerformanceContractorsAssociation #EnergyUpgradeCalifornia #Recurve

Here are two upcoming water conservation events and some resources that we hope you find of interest: Friends of Adobe Creek Streamkeeper Walk As you know, Adobe Creek flows from the hills above Hidden Villa through Los Altos and out to the Bay.  But did you know that local residents could fly fish for Steelhead trout on the stream until the 1950’s?  Friends of Adobe Creek is a local group that is focused on restoring Adobe creek and removing barriers to trout passage. On Sunday, Feb. 27 at 12 noon the Friends of Adobe Creek will do a three mile hike (1.5 miles each way) from just north of Highway 101 at 3803 E. Bayshore Road to the tidal gate and back.  The hike will be guided by Adobe Creek Streamkeeper, Jim McCarthy. Bring binoculars as the birding is excellent, including American White pelicans. All are welcome, it is free, and the hike should take about 2.5 hours. Directions to start:  Meet in the parking lot of a commercial building at 3803 East Bayshore Road. Just go north on San Antonio Road, cross Highway 101 then turn left on East Bayshore Road and you’ll see it on your right. BAWSCA’s Landscape Education Classes –  FREE The (Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency) Landscape Education Classes will be offered in March, April and May 2011.  These classes cover native plants, efficient irrigation, and even kid-friendly water-wise gardening.  Spaces are limited. Register today! BAWSCA provides a very good online tool for viewing water-wise garden plants individually and also planted in gardens. To help you use water more efficiently, the City of Palo Alto web site has several pieces of information: Native plant presentation Tips on Lawn Removal Lawn alternatives tips Water saving tips and ideas #BAWSCA #BayAreaWaterSupplyandConservationAgency #FriendsofAdobeCreek