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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.

Los Altos passed its first version of Reach Codes two years ago. These greenhouse gas reducing improvements to the building code update every three years. The cycle is starting now for Reach Codes 2.0, which would be implemented in January 2023. Regional utilities are working on producing a unified code that all cities can adopt to address climate change by reducing methane (natural gas) use. Los Altos is considering updating their current Reach Codes to be more aligned to the Bay Area regional code which we expect to be fully defined late this month. There are several ways to learn the facts and get involved. Read the Executive Summary (or more) of Los Altos’ Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. https://tinyurl.com/LosAltosCAAP2022 Watch the webinar the Environmental Commission has on the subject. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L41np51ff6s&t=19s Attend the special session where the Environmental Commission discusses Reach Codes 2.0 with the Los Altos City Council meeting. We expect this meeting to take place on July 12th, but the calendar has yet to be confirmed. Email us at info@greentownlosaltos.org if you want to be involved in helping to get these important Reach Codes passed. It could take no more than a few minutes of your time and contribute greatly to reducing Los Altos’ greenhouse gasses.

On a nice spring Saturday, a few of us volunteers along with Glenda Chang and Linda Ziff from GreenTown Los Altos, helped clean up the Permanente Creek diversion channel starting from Heritage Oaks Park and going 0.7 miles to a sewage pond near Highway 85. The diversion channel connects to Stevens Creek at Highway 85 which then flows to the San Francisco Bay. The cleanup was pretty easy as all we used was a grabber and a big blue trash bag for the debris in the creek. While we were picking up trash, there were some notable observations that we made. Near the beginning of the cleanup, there was a dying squirrel lying in the creek which we had to leave and there were many citrus droppings from fruit trees along the fences of the channel, cut logs, overgrown tree branches blocking the creek bed and other compostable debris. Also there were plants and weeds all over the place in the creek bed and on the upper level along both sides, as well as in the drainage which could easily disrupt the flow of water and the pH in the bay. Most of the plants are invasive plants, but occasionally, we'd find a flowering native one, like this valerian taking root inside one of the many drains into the channel. These will be cleared at a later date by Valley Water. However, natural trash was just the tip of the iceberg for unusual finds in our creek cleanup project. We also found a sliding door frame, metal fencing, and a couple wooden platforms, possibly pieces from a home renovation nearby, which were so big that they even ripped our trash bags! It serves to look up, as well, because we rescued mylar balloons tied up in the tree branches. There was, of course, graffiti on walls within the creek bed walls especially under Grant Rd, Milton Ct and Drericx Dr. Near the end, closer to Highway 85, a baby crow who couldn’t fly was trapped in the channel that mom and dad crows hovered over us to shoo us away. We waited and almost turned around, but we were determined to continue so we quietly walked fast not looking at the chick while covering our heads. We also found various sorts of balls likely from school children that lost them including tennis balls, baseballs, soccer balls, and more. It was truly astonishing the variety of trash that was in the creek and how much a small crew of us could find. I kept some good balls for myself. Once we had gotten to our end point for the day, we walked back to Heritage Oaks Park to sort and weigh all the types of debris that we had found. In total, most of what we found was trash (84.96 lbs) not even including the 20 pound metal fence, 15 lbs of other metal pieces, and 5.2 lbs of glass, as well as 86 tennis balls, 5 baseballs, 15 other miscellaneous balls, 49 cigarettes, a couple sweatshirts, and even a couple spray cans that were used for the graffiti we found along the way. In total it amounted to just over 120 pounds in trash from less than a mile's worth of the creek! The 86 tennis balls we saved will be donated to a Los Altos assisted community for their walkers. It was a very successful and fulfilling task in doing our part to make the world a little bit cleaner and healthier both for the environment and our drinking water.

We are excited to introduce our 2022 summer interns! Our summer intern program is now in its 5th year and we are delighted to welcome our interns - Ellie El-Fishawy, Farida Abdelhak, Naina Srivastava and Hannah Cushing. Farida and Ellie will be working on the 500 Trees Campaign to help prepare for future tree plantings and help the city of Los Altos create a Tree Planting Master Plan in support of its Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP). Of course this impacts us all given per the USDA, "one large tree can provide a day's supply of oxygen for up to four people. Trees also store carbon dioxide in their fibers helping to clean the air and reduce the negative effects that this CO2 could have had on our environment." Naina and Hannah will be working on Drought Tolerant Landscaping to develop resources to help influence and support homeowners in the community to transform their lawns to drought-tolerant landscaping. They will be writing a case-study on what it takes to transform lawns and gardens to drought-tolerant landscapes. Given our current drought, minimizing or eliminating watering will benefit us all. Ellie El-Fishawy Hello! I am Ellie El-Fishawy, a rising senior at Menlo School. I am so excited to be a part of GreenTown, specifically the 500 Trees Campaign. I have always cared deeply for the environment and now more than ever is an important time to enact positive, tangible change. Last summer I interned at Grassroots Ecology, and am looking forward to tackling a similar issue through a different avenue. Outside of school I love to play soccer competitively. I recently started a project that combined my passion for the environment and soccer. The project, RePlay, works to help combat excessive waste in fashion, more specifically in sports. It does so through the redistribution of unused sports uniforms to under-resourced teams whilst recycling unusable, or single uniforms to repurposing and recycling programs. So far we have collected around 400 lbs of uniforms! Through this internship I really hope to get people to care just as much about the state of our planet. Some fun facts about me are that I love poetry, playing the guitar, and my favorite book is Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. Farida Abdelhak Hello! I am Farida, a rising Junior at Los Altos High School. Growing up I was introduced to environmental issues through my science classes with a underlining dim tone. It was not until my freshman year of High School when I discovered Green Team, LAHS’s environmental club, that I got more involved in environmental activism. It gave me a platform to direct my desires of creating a safer world and avoid an existential crisis! I mainly worked on the Food Waste project my freshman year and went on to leading it in my Sophomore year. Through Green Team, I learned about Grassroots Ecology which I partook in a stewardship program with. Since my family don’t generally engage in outdoor activities, stewarding was my way of spending time in nature which I found therapeutic. A few facts about me: My favorite plant is the Cleveland Sage because it has a beautiful smell and I love the color purple. My favorite book is Night because it gives a raw perspective into the reality of the Holocaust while also portraying a story of self-discovery the average person can relate to. Naina Srivastava Hi, my name is Naina and I'm a rising senior at Mountain View High School. I've always been really interested in the environment; when I was younger I'd often go camping and hiking with my family. Nowadays, it's hard to find the time to do all of that, but I've been able to explore my interest in the subject further through my extracurriculars and the AP Environmental Science class, which I took last year. In my free time, I'm usually typing away on a Google Doc, aka writing articles for The Oracle, my school newspaper, and the Midpeninsula Post, an independent student newspaper, both of which I'm the editor-in-chief. Hannah Cushing Hello there, I’m Hannah! As a rising senior at Saint Francis High School, I am so excited to be interning for GreenTown. For as long as I can remember, caring for the environment has been really important to me. I’ve grown up hiking and have scaled peaks from Lake Tahoe to Northern Italy. I’ve enjoyed learning to identify native flora and fauna wherever I go and am always amazed at the biodiversity that exists all around us. I also enjoy sea kayaking, especially when I get to see sea otters. I am so appreciative of being able to work on GreenTown’s drought-tolerant landscaping projects and hope that my work raises community awareness. Outside of school, I play competitive softball and relish spending time with my friends and my high-energy German Shorthaired Pointer, Percy.

Are you confused about heat pumps? Read on for a non-technical overview. Heat pumps have been around a long time and are the dominate technology households outside of the U.S. use for heating and cooling homes and heating water. They are far more efficient and safer compared to traditional natural gas (methane) powered furnaces and other types of water heaters. They come in many shapes and sizes, depending upon what your lifestyle and house dictate. For space heating, they can come in a style that serves only one room or they can connect to your existing ductwork and heat or cool your entire house similarly to how a gas furnace does. The heat pump for heating the water in your home looks a lot like your traditional water heater. The heat pump for space heating can look a lot like your furnace if it ties into your ductwork. Heat pumps for space heating also have an outside box that looks like a small A/C unit outside your house. In fact, all heat pumps for space heating automatically include A/C in their function because of how they work. Like furnaces and water heaters, they come in different prices and sizes and various noise levels. While heat pumps tend to cost more on the front end, they are far more efficient in the long run. Every household is different as to when they recapture the up front costs in energy bill savings. For some it can be as little as a few years. For others it might take ten or more years. Buying a heat pump over a furnace is not unlike buying dual pane over single pane windows. You pay more for the dual pane windows up front, but over time they pay for themselves in reduced energy bills and comfort. There are increasingly more contractors who specialize in heat pumps as well as traditional plumbers and HVAC technicians who carry both gas-powered and heat pump appliances. Your utility company offers rebates, in some circumstances, to offset the upfront costs. Perhaps the best reason to love a heat pump is that is does not use any methane gas, which we now know is bad for your health and about the worst greenhouse gas we can pump into the environment. For more information on how to get started on heat pumps, please contact us at info@greentownlosaltos.org and we’ll point you in the right direction.

GreenTown's been working with E3 Youth Philanthropy to create planter boxes, produce web content and an educational video that highlight the importance of drought-tolerant plants in addressing the ongoing drought in Northern California. LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR LAWN-BE-GONE PROGRAM AND DROUGHT-TOLERANT PLANTS These planter boxes are part of an art installation, curated by Arts Los Altos, including "Inflorescence," by Liz Hickok and "Waveforms," by Phil Spitler and Victoria Heilman. Read more about the art here. Meet and greet the artists and the E3 students who helped with the planter boxes at the opening of the installation on May 6th at 7:30pm in the paseo adjacent to Akane Restaurant on 3rd Street in Los Altos. Arts Los Altos approached GreenTown as a partner for planter boxes in the paseo project that GreenTown saw as an opportunity to expand its public education on climate-suitable plants beyond its Woodland Library Native Garden. The E3 Youth Philanthropy team conducted research (on planters, wood for the facades, drought-tolerant plants with appropriate soils), built and painted the planter facades, and planted the planters! They look amazing with the art. Next steps for the project include creating placards for the planter boxes and finishing the web content and video. The placards will point you to the web page with content and a video that will provide info on the importance of drought-tolerant and native plants for conserving precious water resources while mitigating and adapting to climate change. Some details on the plants in the planters can be found here. Many thanks to Vicki Moore, founder of Living Classroom and a supporter of both the arts and the environment, and to Nikki Hanson of California Sisters Landscapes, who worked with GreenTown on the Woodland Library garden, for their design work on the project and for helping to make the planters a reality! This project wouldn't have been possible without the initial idea and community consciousness of Maddy McBirney and Karen Zucker of Arts Los Altos and the artistic vision of Liz Hickok, Phil Spitler and Victoria Heilweil!

After a two year absence, we could finally hold a group event, and in early April, 25 bike riders visited landscapes in the community featuring drought-tolerant plants and no lawn. LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR LAWN-BE-GONE PROGRAM AND DROUGHT-TOLERANT PLANTS At the first home, Susan Moss, an experienced gardener, showed us the yard she designed. It was beautiful and by using the Cal Water Service rebate program (visit calwater.com), she recovered most of her cost. The second home’s landscape was designed by Tyler Furuichi (tylerfuruichi@gmail.com) and incorporated large existing plants with new plants, completely removing the lawn. Donwload plant list for this home: The third home showed us a yard that has been native and drought-tolerant for many years. The plants were labeled and many riders snapped pictures to help them with their own plans. The final home also featured natives and many were in full bloom. The plants were labeled and there were even resource books available. The final stop was at the Woodland Library Garden. We got a chance to see the plants that were planted five years ago by GreenTown as part of a girl scout gold award project. The manzanitas and ceanothus have done well and are now large. With the help of landscape designer Nikki Hanson (nikki@cal-sisters.com), GreenTown recently cleaned up the grounds, planted some new plants and made some adjustments to the drip irrigation system. It will get some wood chips and some new labels soon, and be ready for another five years! You can see the plant list for the Woodland Library here on Calscape or download the pdf below.

Encouraging biking and walking to school can be so much fun, as evidenced by Gardner Buliis' amazing Walk or Wheel (WoW!) Day held on March 18th. Organized by parents, Nick and Melissa French, the event featured a race finish at the end of students' morning school commute. (Nick is a longtime runner). Students who walked or biked that day crossed under a large blue inflated Finish line and were greeted with fanfare and an announcement on the other side. They then made their way to tables with orange slices, muffins, some swag, like frisbees, bags, and bike bells, as well as an opportunity to pledge to bike and walk more. What a way to start the day! GreenTown Support GreenTown provided background to the French’s on organizing a WoW! Day - though clearly they know how to throw a party! A week prior to the event, they shared a short safety presentation at the school’s morning assembly. On the day of, we brought out the always-popular GreenTown blender bike, where kids use their own pedal power to blend smoothies then enjoy the fruits of their labor. We thanked the students for biking and walking, encouraged them to keep it up for the good of the planet, and handed them a sticker to remind them that WoW!, they did it! When the numbers were tallied, more than half of the school participated with 168 students walking and biking that dayl! Sixth grade teacher, Devik Schreiner, who was on traffic duty that morning, noted that it is usually crazy in the drop-off zone and emphasized, "This was my easiest day ever!" Recently Fewer Kids Biking and Walking It seems that habits formed during the pandemic have put a damper on elementary school kids’ walking and biking to school. Garner Bullis has begun to turn the tide. Let’s extend that example to other schools and get back to healthy school commutes. Active school commutes are: Fire up your child’s brain and muscles for the school day Reduce carbon emissions and air toxins around school pick-up/drop-off areas, and Reduce traffic congestion around school, making it safer to walk and bike. Bike/Ped Safety Instruction Needed…and Coming Anecdotal reports suggest kids (and parents) are in need of more instruction on how to walk and bike safely. Los Altos School District (LASD) plans to pilot a bicycle and pedestrian safety curriculum by the end of May. The curriculum, developed by Alta Planning for the Los Altos Safe Routes to School program, and with input from LASD PE staff, targets 4th, 5th and 6th graders. This is a great start, for sure! Fingers crossed, following the pilot, LASD will refine the program and deliver it more widely throughout the District by next fall. In the meantime, GreenTown has a wealth of resources on its website to help improve pedestrian and bicycle safety. Visit www.greentownlosaltos.org/schoolswow. May is Bike Month - Learn More about WoW!! May is Bike Month and a great time to hold events to encourage biking and walking to school. One option is participating in the May 4th, National Bike & Roll Day. Whether you choose to hold an event on that day or any day in May, we’re here to help. If you’d like to learn more about the WoW! Program, help improve bike and pedestrian safety around your school or organize a WoW! event, contact us at info@greentownlosaltos.org.