(Earth Day Letter to the Editor, published in the Town Crier, April 21 It has been many years since the first Earth Day in 1970. We have made progress. Our air and water are cleaner now, but the invisible threat, carbon dioxide, keeps going up. Bill McKibben cofounded 350.org in 2008 with the recognition that the levels of CO2 should not exceed 350ppm. Last month we hit 417. Global temperatures are rising too, step by step, right along with carbon dioxide, and with consequences. Wildfires in California. Hurricanes on the east coast. The loss of polar ice and sea level rise. The list goes on. We at GreenTown Los Altos preach and practice local action. There are still things we can do. Visit the Lunch with GreenTown talks on YouTube. We had speakers tell us about energy upgrades for your home, useful tips to cut your carbon footprint and still have a great life, the importance of good urban planning, why eating green makes sense, the value of sustainable agriculture and backyard gardens, art and the environment, and a personal favorite, why you should bike. We also plant trees, over 200 so far. This is good for the planet, and a fun volunteer activity. Many students from our local schools have helped us. We also have a summer internship program targeted at those same students. Go to our website, greentownlosaltos.org. Celebrate Earth Day. Take pride in what has been accomplished, while knowing we must do more. Our kids will thank us.

Welcome to our 2020 Summer Interns! It’s an unusual year with no in-person activities like bike valet or tabling at the Farmer Market but we’re making it work. On Zoom! We are thrilled to have our interns contributing to GreenTown’s social media marketing presence, our 500 Trees campaign, and researching recommendations on climate action for Los Altos.  Learn more about them below. Annika Social Media/Marketing. I have grown up in Los Altos for the majority of my life and was first introduced to environmental awareness from the Walk or Wheel (WoW!) campaign that was implemented at my elementary school (shoutout to Margie!). I did not grow up in a household where being conscious of the environment was a priority, so my exposure to the reality of environmental issues came from school and the Internet. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school where I became more passionate about it and wanted to make a difference in my community through climate policy advocacy. In the future, I hope to study Environmental Sciences or Environmental Economics and Policy.If were to pick three words that describe me, I would choose “passionate”, “observant”, and “eco-friendly”. One of the many reasons that I want to sustain a habitable planet is because of my love for the outdoors.  If I could wave a magic wand and help the planet, I would have the government prioritize the use of renewable energies and the health of Americans by defunding the fossil fuel industry. Anika Social Media/Marketing. I am a rising sophomore at Los Altos High School. After attending the COP24 conference in Poland, I discovered my passion for environmental justice and education. In Poland, I learned how powerful education and awareness can be in a community, so I want to raise more awareness in my community regarding the climate crisis so that members are more aware of the impacts of their actions. I play water polo and swim on my school’s team, and in my free time, I love to bake, play my guitar, and read. I am super excited to be working with GreenTown this summer! My all time favorite book is Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. I love this book because it provides a unique perspective into the mental health issues that many teens live with. If I had to choose one passion, I think it would pertain to education, as I am a firm believer that education is a catalyst for social change. Ethan Social Media/Marketing. Growing up in a green family, I was exposed to the practices of recycling, composting, and saving energy, food, and water from a young age. As a result, I learned to opt for the most sustainable actions and practices throughout my life, as well as trying to convince my peers to do the same. Taking AP Environmental Science further taught me about all aspects of the environment, and after learning about the true impact of common actions (such as driving everywhere, sending recyclable or compostable waste to landfills, etc.) on the environment, I became focused on promoting sustainability with renewed dedication. A few more things about me: If I could be anywhere other than here, I would be in Mexico City, visiting with my cousins and enjoying the sights and sounds of this bustling Latin American metropolis. Someone I admire is my track coach, because his method of coaching is thorough, yet relaxed and fun. As such, it allows us to grow both as athletes and as individuals. And if I could wave a magic wand and help the planet, I would put recycling and compost bins in every populated area in the entire world, with diagrams on what goes in which bins and enforcement of proper waste disposal. Anaïs Climate Action. My family moved to Los Altos when I was 3, after the birth of my younger sister. I grew up in a household that cared deeply about the environment, which is definitely a reason why I am so passionate about environmental issues and our impact on the planet. It was in Junior year of high school that I decided I wanted to study Environmental Studies. After graduating from Los Altos High School in 2019, I went to Boston College, but realized that I wanted to go to a school that prioritized sustainability as much as I do. Starting in the fall, I will be transferring to UC Davis, where I will be majoring in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning. If I were to pick three words that describe me, I think I would choose “passionate”, “creative” and “headstrong”. Though a lot of the latter part of my personality is focused on my love for our planet, one thing that not many people know about me that also brings out those traits in me is my love for music. I play the drums, which many people would never guess. I am also an avid reader, and my favorite author is Kurt Vonnegut, and my favorite book is his Slaughterhouse Five. If I could wave a magic wand and make one wish to help our planet, I believe mine would be that big industries and corporations prioritized protecting the environment over increasing their wealth and profit. unger sister. Luis 500 Trees. I am a graduate of Los Altos High School and I am part of the MVLA Scholars programwhich helps first-generation college students from Mountain View and Los Altos. I am currently attending San Jose State University and I am going to be a sophomore in the fall. I am majoring in Biology with plans of going into the medical field.My favorite plant would be the sunflower because that was the first ever plant I planted. I planted it at home with my parents for a school project in elementary school. If I could be anywhere I would like to be in Barcelona, Spain because my favorite soccer team plays in that city. I also want to get to know new places around the world and this would definitely be a great place to visit.  And my favorite book isThere Thereby Tommy Orange because it made me aware of the hardships that Native Americans face in their everyday life. If I could wave a magic wand and help the planet I would end deforestation because it is one of the many things that accelerates climate change on our planet. Estela 500 Trees. I am a current second year, going on third year at the University of Californ ia Riverside.I was raised in Mountain View and later on moved to SoCal for college. I am a Sociology major and I love everything people related. I think three words that those close to me would use to describe me are loyal, funny, and friendly. I’m always open to meeting new people and definitely like to make a good first impression. I think relationships with people definitely define who we become so it’s good to have a good balance of people in your life. If I had to choose one passion to pursue, I would choose music. I think being a producer is such an amazing job and if it was possible I would pursue that. The person I admire the most is definitely my mom because she has sacrificed so much and given so much away that I don’t even know where to start in repaying her. She motivates everything I do and is the highlight of my accomplishments. If I could wave a magic wand I would definitely want to make everyone educated about the torment our planet is going through. I think a lack of education is part of the driving force behind the lack of action in saving our planet.

Lunch with GreenTown concluded a successful five-week run with ten talks on environmental topics of interest. Here is the list and you can watch the recordings: Lunch with GreenTown 2021 YouTube Play List. Here are highlights of the talks and links to the individual videos! Energy Efficient Lifestyles - Connie Miller talks about energy efficient, all-electric buildings. Steve Schmidt tells us how to cut your greenhouse gases. Together, they show it is possible to lower your carbon footprint and have a great life. Good Urban Design - Alison Hicks describes good and bad urban design, and shows us the difference. Let's Bike - Shiloh Ballard gives us lots of promising ideas to get more people on bikes. All About Trash - Louie Pelligrini with Mission Trail Waste Systems brings us up to date with the latest on trash and recycling in Los Altos. Hidden Villa and Regenerative Agriculture - Find out about environmentally-friendly practices at Hidden Villa with Jason McKenney. The Green Team and More - The Los Altos High School Green Team does so much, and The Los Altos Environmental Commission is in for a big year. The Future of Food - Isabelle and Peter Cnudde tell us about plant-based eating, why it is important and why it is good for you and the planet. Can Art Change Our Environmental Consciousness - Local artist Linda Gass shows us that art can change our environmental consciousness. Find out how and get inspired. The Future of Water - Julie Noblitt talks about the future of water and the circular economy. There is a connection. Cover Cropping - Master Gardeners Lisa and Kathleen Putnam talk about Cover Crops. The message is simple, get roots in the ground and your garden will thank you. We hope you'll be able to join us for future events!

Invariably, that is the first question asked by both the casual passerby as well as someone seriously interested in buying an electric car, the implication being how far you can drive on a single battery charge. All electric cars have something called an "EPA Range" which, despite its faults, offers a consistent comparison among different cars. Nowadays, cars have EPA Ranges between 100-400 miles; however, range has never been an issue for most electric car drivers, and the following discussion will try to show you that taking any trip in an electric car is easily managed. The average miles driven daily in the US is only 30 miles, which virtually every electric car can handle comfortably. Remember, the car is usually charged overnight at home, so every morning it can have a 'full tank'. Almost all local driving can be handled without needing to recharge and longer trips can be easily accommodated by stopping at a dc fast charger which will quickly replenish a car's battery. If you are interested, do yourself a favor and keep a logbook for a week or two of your daily and weekend driving. What are your daily driving needs, exactly, and what are your needs for longer excursions? It is important to separate "needs" from "wants". Are you really a person who drives to Los Angeles without stopping? Recognize that many electric cars can be almost fully recharged during a 1/2-hour lunch break. Over the years a lot of publicity has been given to something called "Range Anxiety" - a phrase that GM actually tried to trademark about ten years ago. It simply doesn't exist, and here's why - Every electric car has some sort of "Range Remaining" number on its display. Nowadays, with GPS and Google/Apple Maps or a car's navigation display you know EXACTLY how far you are going to drive. As long as the total trip distance is less than the Range Remaining, you don't need to stop and recharge, which is the case in the vast majority of car trips. Should you need to recharge the car along the way, there are many phone/ tablet apps which provide excellent guidance as to the location of public charging stations (both fast and slow) and their quality and availability, the most popular being PlugShare . Some cars, like the Tesla, plan the trip for you and provide the charging information on the car's display. Let's use a practical example: you own a Chevrolet Bolt with an EPA range of 259 miles. You've been driving around a lot during the day and your Range Remaining is now 125 miles, but you'd like to drive to San Francisco from Los Altos to attend a concert at Davies Symphony Hall that evening. Can you do this with your electric car? Sure you can, with no charging needed along the way! Davies Hall is 38 miles away from Los Altos Town Hall, so the round trip is 76 miles, much less than the amount of range still available in your car. Should you have an electric car with a lower Range Remaining, you can either plug the car in and charge at the Performing Arts Garage while attending the concert or else make a short stop along the way (for example at Whole Foods on El Camino in Los Altos right after you leave home or at Park Place just next to Bayshore Freeway in San Mateo on your way back from the concert) for a 15-minute partial recharge which will result in a painless anxiety-free trip. In reality, since you knew ahead of time that you were going to San Francisco that evening, you would have recharged your car before leaving home. As you can see, lots of options. Five final thoughts - Always leaving a range surplus of at least 25% allows you to easily accommodate those few unexpected/unforeseen excursions throughout the day. Taking the opportunity to conveniently plug in the car when it is parked allows you to easily avoid wasting any of your own personal time. Analogy: how often do you sit there twiddling your thumbs waiting for your cellphone to charge? On the road it is almost never necessary to waste time fully charging an electric car, as a short partial charge will invariably get you to your destination. In nine years of driving our Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric cars (EPA range of 62 miles) for over 150,000 miles, my wife and I have never run out of charge... and I've even driven it to Lake Tahoe! Remember, having a 'full tank' every morning (after an overnight charge) at home is priceless! Here are some useful resources in getting you started on your EV journey: Research & Compare EVs, Find Incentives Plug In America EV vehicle guide ELECTRIC FOR ALL PlugStar How to Find EV Charging Stations Coltura Guide to finding EV Charging Stations PlugShare Charging Stations at Los Altos Schools (includes free charging hours) - PowerFlex Almond Elementary (26 Stations) Covington Elementary (26 Stations) Egan Middle (26 Stations) Gardner Bullis (18 Stations) Oak Elementary (18 Stations) Santa Rita Elementary (18 Stations) Los Altos High (26 Stations) Mountain View High (26 Stations)

Anne Dumontier didn’t know there was a ban on gas leaf blowers in Los Altos until her gardener shared a letter with her that he received from Karan Malhi, Los Altos Code Enforcement Officer. According to the letter, he had to stop using a gas leaf blower while gardening in Los Altos. Dumontier’s first thought was “the homeowner should take charge” of this situation and support her gardener of 15 years. First, she asked him to give her a list of names and addresses of his Los Altos customers. Then she “blew" into action. She started by researching electric leaf blowers then sending a letter to his customers to ask for their participation in purchasing a backpack blower with a powerful battery and charger so that their gardener could use it through several houses a day. Three of the customers were happy to contribute and Dumontier could buy the blower. As expected, the gardener needed a second battery. So she sent another letter to more of his customers and received an even more positive response. A total of seven residents contributed $109 each for the blower package with one extra battery. And it seems this was a proverbial win/win. Dumontier's gardener likes the electric better than the gas blower because it's lightweight, quieter, cheaper to use, batteries are cleaner than a gas tank, plus it is much better for the environment.... Have you looked into helping your gardener replace their gas leaf blower with an electric one? We’d love to hear more stories, email us yours here.

GreenTown is offering a lecture series for 5 weeks called, "Lunch with GreenTown", Tuesdays/Thursdays at noon, starting Feb. 23. This is a virtual program using Zoom, sponsored by the Los Altos Parks & Recreation Department. It is a free series hosted by environmental enthusiast Gary Hedden. Each unique lecture will have a guest speaker or speakers which are thematic with a Q&A at the end. A generous Climate and Culture grant by Sereno Group is supporting this lecture series. Thank You! The theme is learning about interesting environmental topics important to Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. No matter what your interest, we're sure you'll find some topics relevant to your lifestyle and even learning and sharing goals. We hope you will join us! HOW TO REGISTER: Please send us an email at info@greentownlosaltos.org GreenTown will send a Zoom link to all participants prior to each class. TOPICS & SPEAKERS

GreenTown Los Altos is very excited to have Mr. Louie Pellegrini, head of Mission Trail Waste Systems, join us Thursday, March 4, 2021 as part of our Lunch With GreenTown speaker series. We hope you’ll join us for the discussion of all things waste! If you can’t join us live, no worries, the session will be recorded for later viewing. Solid waste reduction and diversion from landfills is a major concern for Los Altos and surrounding communities, California's Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), the federal government, and a diverse group of environmental groups. As you likely know, our local waste and recycling is handled by Mission Trail Waste Systems (for Los Altos) and GreenWaste Recovery (for Los Altos Hills). So how do we compare? Nationally: 40% of household waste is packaging and paper products (plastic containers, cans, glass bottles and jars, cardboard and newspaper). How much of this is recycled? Only about half, and that figure has not improved for the past 20 years! (see Product Stewardship Institute). For plastics, recycling figures are grim. Not even 10% of plastics are recycled. Even worse, single-use plastic packaging cannot readily be recycled. While the petroleum and fracking industry is taking advantage of cheap fossil fuel prices to make virgin plastic, local cities and towns are being taken advantage of because WE, the taxpayers are forced to pay for the collection and handling of this non-recyclable and non-compostable waste stream. This excess plastic is not only a pollution problem, but it contaminates our recycling stream, thwarting the efforts of those of us with good intentions. AND, excess plastic packaging is a health concern as well, because many of the synthetic chemicals added to plastic leach out into our water and food, and are now found consistently in blood samples from virtually all of us—even newborns! In Los Altos: Locally, our waste diversion was going up, though this was primarily due to new laws requiring better diversion of commercial (construction) debris from landfills. As a result, the percent of waste diverted from landfill by Mission Trail Waste System has gone up to about 70%. We’ll learn from Louie Pellegrini in our discussion how we’re doing currently given that COVID-19 is driving the increase in plastic use, online shopping, PPE use, and loss of bulk shopping for grocery items like nuts and grains. Landfill waste generated per person per day in Los Altos was down to 2.4 pounds pp/pd—a 14% reduction, due mostly to our recycling and composting efforts. Again, it will be interesting to review these figures for 2020. And speaking of composting—our Environmental Commission will be looking at ways to encourage home composting. Why is this so important? Because organic wastes (food scraps, yard trimmings) that decompose in a landfill (anaerobic conditions) generate methane, an extremely potent greenhouse gas (GHG), while organic waste that’s composted (aerobic conditions) generates CO2, which is a much less potent (26 times less potent!) GHG. Compost also gives us a rich product to improve soil. Moreover, our state legislation has set requirements with targets for diverting this organic waste from landfill (California Senate Bill 1383). Some Waste Terminology: MRF (“merf”): materials recovery facility MSW: municipal solid waste Plastic film: soft flexible plastic (usually polyethylene, PE) used for bags (bread, zip-top, dry cleaning, etc.). It's also the wrap around many products including paper plates, napkins, bathroom tissue, diapers, bottle beverages and more. EPR: extended producer responsibility, a strategy to add all of the environmental costs associated with a product throughout the product life cycle to the market price of that product. Circular Economy: a system designed to eliminate waste by requiring all products to be reused, recycled or composted. Compare to our current linear system which is a “take, make, use and dispose” model. EDCs: endocrine disrupting chemicals; synthetic chemicals that are often added to plastic (“plasticizers”) to create certain characteristics like flexibility, hardness, brittleness, color, opacity, etc. These EDCs mimic natural hormones in the human body (particularly reproductive hormones) and can be very toxic especially to fetuses, infants and children. Recycling Label Numbers: Resin identification codes: (Credit: Oceana.org) Does this label mean it can be recycled? NO! Currently, only “1” PETE and “2” HDPE (and plastic film from special collections sites like grocery store bag collection bins) have a viable market in the US. Legislation To Help May Be On The Way! Stay tuned as we follow and advocate for these key bills, initiatives, and ordinances: Federal BFFPP Act: The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act To be re-introduced into Congress by Sen. Merkley (OR) and Rep. Lowenthal (CA) end of March 2021 State Plastics Free California Ballot Initiative 2022 State Bills: So far, about 20 plastics related bills have been introduced into this legislative session. We will keep you posted on how you can follow and advocate for this legislation. Los Altos City Council: An ordinance limiting single-use plastic was discussed last year, but due to stresses on local businesses and restaurants from COVID-19, decision to pursue this was pushed to 2021. GTLA will keep you posted and seek your input if/when reintroduced. Thanks for your support and help as we aim for zero waste in our community! Mark your calendar for Thursday, March 4, 2021 to join our discussion with Louie Pellegrini to learn more about our waste and recycling situation here in town. Register here.

Throughout history, fashion has evolved immensely; we’ve gone from formal corsets to casual sweaters and leggings. In a sense, fashion has morphed into a mechanism of self-expression, with many finding solace in the notion that their clothes have the ability to represent their identity. But, nestled behind the fabrics of these clothes rests one of the most imminent dangers of the fashion industry: fast fashion — a system by which cheap clothing is produced to mirror the biggest current fashion trends. While it’s no doubt that cheap clothing is desirable, the costs of fast fashion are being forced upon the environment, producing 10% of the total global carbon emissions. Even more so, fast fashion requires quicker production in larger quantities, leading to more energy and water being wasted in process. To produce a single pair of jeans, 2,000 gallons of water are used, not accounting for the water used in the dying process. Obviously, fast fashion poses a serious threat to our environment, so what can we do as consumers to thwart the continued abuse of our earth by the fast fashion industry? Luckily it’s not too late to start changing our actions, and I’ll share with you some simple sustainable fashion practices that I myself have employed when shopping. Buy less and buy smart It’s understandable that after seeing the newest fashion trend online that you’d want to go buy new clothing that’s “in style,” but with trends changing as quickly as each week, it’s simply not sustainable. In every sense of the word. Instead, try to buy practical clothing that you know you’re going to wear for a while. While the trendiest looks may be in style now, ask yourself if you’ll really wear them six months from the purchase. Or if you can create the looking you're going after by using accessories. To buy less but get a wardrobe "change", simply repurpose old clothing or embellish it. There are multiple tutorials on the internet showing countless ways to transform old clothing using household materials. Repurposing old clothes is not only a sustainable fashion choice, it’s fun to use your creative juices to create a customized piece of unique clothing. Buy from thrift stores There are many thrift stores that sell very nice, barely worn, second hand clothing for much cheaper than retail price — a win-win situation because it’s cheaper and better for the environment. Online tools such as Depop and Poshmark allow users to buy and sell old clothing, a much more sustainable approach to dealing with old clothing rather than just discarding it. Shop from sustainable/local brands A great option to fight fast fashion is to shop locally as local small business owners often employ sustainable practices in their production. Shopping from sustainable small businesses is better for the environment as they use less resources, and provides you with a more customized and personal garment. Online platforms such as Etsy are great places to find small businesses to shop from, and local Los Altos Downtown stores are an excellent option as well. The transition to shopping sustainably isn’t an easy one — it requires a change of mindset and perception of individual impacts. I encourage everyone to question your favorite clothing brands; do some research, are they ethical? Do they partake in fast fashion? While letting go of some of your favorite brands may be tough, I have faith that you connote more importance to the future of our planet as opposed to a pair of cheaply made shoes; I’m sure that combined, our actions will make a difference.

Dear GreenTown Los Altos, I’d love to lower my carbon footprint and drive an EV when I need to use a car. But, there’s no way that I can charge a battery EV at my apartment garage. So, I’m thinking about a fuel-cell EV instead. Will it get me where I want to go? Signed - Wanna B. Green Fuel Cell EVs Are Clean Cars Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) have been touted as an important type of clean-air vehicle for decades. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has strongly promoted them by investments in hydrogen infrastructure and by providing clean air credits for FCEV research and production vehicles. FCEVs are able to refuel in less than five minutes and have a range of over 300 miles. They could offer an ownership experience similar to that of the gasoline powered car. When compared to early EVs with lead-acid batteries and limited range, they seemed vastly superior. However, against today’s EVs, the only advantage that they have is that they are somewhat quicker to refuel. The most important question to answer when buying any EV is “where will I fuel it?” Unlike battery electric vehicles (BEVs) there’s no way to fuel it home, so you must use one of the 42 public hydrogen stations available in California. In Santa Clara county, they are five, located in Palo Alto, Mountain View, San Jose, Saratoga, and Campbell. So right away, you may have to include travel time to another city as part of the fueling overhead. Having successfully fueled, time for a road trip. Heading south, on 101 the next station is in Santa Barbara, or on 5 there’s one in Coalinga. After these two, there are twenty-one stations in the greater Los Angeles area and one in San Diego. Heading north on 101, the northern most station is in Mill Valley. Finally, headed east on 80, there are three in Sacramento and one in Truckee. So, you can go to the zoo in San Diego, gamble in Reno, but no shows in Las Vegas or Ashland. What About Hydrogen? Now let’s turn to the hydrogen supply. Twenty years ago, we were only looking at the urban emissions when the car was driven. So turning hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and water looked perfect. Now, we’re looking at all greenhouse gases emitted in hydrogen production too. For the most part, hydrogen is produced today by reforming natural gas. Not only does this have CO2 output, but there’s also methane release during gas extraction. While California has the goal of making all hydrogen for transportation green, that goal is almost a decade away and there is no plan or money to get there. So when will we get more stations? In 2004, Arnold Schwarzenegger filled his hydrogen fueled Hummer at the first station in Los Angeles, and announced plans to build 100. Current optimistic plans are to get 60 by 2021 and 200 by 2025. At the present time, the state of California has paid most of the costs for the public hydrogen stations and will continue to do so. At 200 stations, CARB believe’s “the pump will be primed” and private interests will build additional stations. And then, what about distribution? In order for hydrogen to be widely used in transportation, we will need a distribution network similar to that used for electricity, natural gas, or gasoline. This will only be created if there is a huge demand. To conclude, I’m not a fan. Without CARB subsidizing the hydrogen infrastructure and rewarding auto manufacturers for FC research and vehicle production, it’s not clear that passenger car FCEVs would exist. Fun facts: 256,800 EV registrations in California ~8,000 FCEV registrations in California For more detail from FECV fans: CARB’s annual fuel cell report is here. A rose-colored view of FCEVs can be found in a report from the California Fuel Cell Partnership here. :

I thought I'd found my forever stove technology when I moved up from the coiled electric range of my apartment days and got a home with a gas stove. Life with gas was so rewarding as we explored steaming, searing, sauteing, poaching, stir-frying and so much more together. For decades, I proudly professed my love for gas, sharing how responsive it was to my needs and that it brought me so much joy. Then, a couple of years ago, I learned about my gas stove’s dark side. That it, like all gas-powered appliances using “natural” gas, is bad for one’s health and the environment (read related article here). I took notice that a few of my friends, who are great cooks, were putting in induction cooktops when they remodeled their kitchens as they felt induction offered superior cooking experience. My Gas Stove Break Up Started Small.... I started my break-up with gas small, by getting a $69 induction hot plate that I put on the kitchen counter. There were cheaper models online but I chose one with more fine temperature controls that was sturdy enough for my large Le Creuset Dutch oven with better aesthetics than the $49 alternative. It took about ten days to adapt. Similar to the transition from coil stove to gas when I had to visually learn how the flame height translated to various temperatures, I had to learn what it meant to cook at different numeric levels with my induction stove. My particular model offers either explicit temperature mode, for example, 350 degrees, or a numeric scale that I quickly adapted to. I anticipated using the induction cooktop only periodically, as a supplement to my gas stove, but that's not what happened. It had me at “on” after about two weeks. It proved to be so much faster and responsive compared to my gas stove About 80% of my existing cookware works with my new induction hot plate. And, its flat, glass surface makes it so much easier to clean. I can still use all the various cooking techniques I did on my gas stove, and with even better responsiveness. I've been using my induction hot plate for about 9 months now and absolutely love it. I literally use it 95% of the time for all my stove-top cooking needs. On the rare occasion I do turn on my gas stove now, I notice the gas odor in my kitchen that I was oblivious to before. The gas stove seems to take forever to heat up relative to the induction hot plate. And without a doubt, the gas stove is much more of a pain to clean. I’m sold and will never own another gas stove. This experience proves to me I don’t need to rip out an entire kitchen and spend a fortune to reduce my gas use. When I do remodel down the road, I will replace my gas stove with an induction one. But in the meantime, I love my $69 induction cooktop for all the benefits it gives me and the environment.

In December of 2018, I had the amazing opportunity of fulfilling every climate activists’ dream by traveling to, and speaking at, the annual United Nations climate change conference — also known as COP24 which was located in Katowice, Poland. There, I got to work with environmental activists from all over the world in creating a white paper that would be presented to the United Nations. Our white paper outlined a vision for the world in terms of environmental progress from the perspective of youth. In it, we focused primarily on governmental representation because diverse opinions in the government will lead to more diverse solutions to climate change that will account for every citizen, not just the traditional governmental representatives, typically upper-class white men). Additionally, we advocated for more education regarding climate issues in schools starting as early as Kindergarten. This will lead to a more educated generation of climate leaders. It’s been about two years since I participated in writing this white paper, and as I was evaluating our progress in Los Altos in implementing some of the ideas that we outlined, I realized that Los Altos has made a lot of progress in some aspects, but there are still some gaps that are essential to fill in order to progress in terms of the environment. For starters, Los Altos schools have done a great job in implementing environmental education for students. Whether it’s having Kindergarteners plant potted plants, or teaching fourth and fifth graders about the science behind climate change, we’re building a generation of strong activists with a sense of climate awareness, but we can always do better in educating youth about the pertinence of this issue. Schools are also providing students the opportunities to further their climate interest through different extracurriculars and clubs which expose them to real-world opportunities in which their activism can make a difference. Unfortunately, we can’t have fourth and fifth grades govern Los Altos — as fun as it might seem — Los Altos policymakers also have to embrace the need to protect the planet and future generations from climate change. Some progress has been made here. In 2013, the City of Los Altos adopted a Climate Action Plan. Monitoring progress on this plan, however, has been weak. While Los Altos has elected representatives of diverse backgrounds, not all socioeconomic or racial voices are represented on relevant commissions and the City Council meaning that climate solutions cater to a limited part of Los Altos’ multi-faceted community. Also, environmental action isn’t as urgent in Los Altos, while there definitely has been some progress, I would like to see more open conversations regarding the environment during City Council meetings, and would like more communication on environmental issues. I would recommend that the Los Altos Youth Commission does some work on climate issues or awareness as they also have a widespread impact on Los Altos youth. While Los Altos is just a small town, it’s essential that we start to take climate action more seriously because it might set the precedent for other towns/cities in our area. So, wake up Los Altos, the fate of the world — quite literally — is in our hands.

There’s a new sustainability kid in town on Main Street, occupying the spot where Los Altos Card and Party used to be: Naturepedic Organic Mattresses. Dominic and Michael, who operate the business in downtown Los Altos, say they are purveyors of "some of the most comfortable and customizable mattresses in the world" which are also safe to sleep on because they're sustainably produced. Naturepedic is one of the few independently certified organic mattress manufacturers in the United States. Being organic, their products don’t introduce pesticides or toxic chemicals into the supply chain. There are no fire retardants or polyurethane foam in their products that would expose you to off-gassing VOCs and other toxins. Naturepedic has more certifications, awards and endorsements than any other organic brand giving you peace of mind in their commitment to protecting the planet as well as your health and well-being . Abby Ahrens, who understands quality and comfort, uses Naturepedic mattresses in her Enchante Boutique Hotel. If you're tired of sleeping on petroleum-based beds, and want a safe, comfortable sleeping experience, check out their store and support their sustainability oriented business. NATUREPEDIC ORGANIC MATTRESS GALLERY 222 Main Street Los Altos, California 94022 PH: 408-370-2000 https://www.naturepedic.com/siliconvalley