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Say No to thirsty landscapes! LAWN-BE-GONE Conservation THE PROBLEM 57 of California’s 29 counties — including Santa Clara County — are in states of severe to exceptional drought conditions, according to the US Drought Monitor. Essentially, this means most California residents, at the very least, are experiencing water restrictions and shortages, and as drought conditions become more frequent, it’s necessary to lower residential water consumption. BACKGROUND 40-60% of California’s residential water is used for landscaping, which makes replacing lawns with drought-tolerant plants an effective and permanent way to reduce water usage. Choosing native plants can be beneficial because they are not only drought tolerant, but also low maintenance and provide habitats to local wildlife. Unlike lawns, drought-tolerant and native plant landscapes create biodiversity and attract essential birds and other species from the surrounding environment. Native plants also contribute to healthier creeks because they require no fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides: all top polluters to creeks. CASE STUDY For more information on drought-tolerant landscaping, native plants, and rebates, check out our case study, compiled by GreenTown’s 2022 summer interns. MAP of various projects in our neighborhood that demonstrate drought-tolerant landscaping & native plants HOW YOU CAN HELP Visit our projects (see below) to see all the drought-tolerant plants we have used. Consider replacing your lawn with these plants or adding them to your landscaping. Also check out the resources on the right to learn how to create a native plant garden and tips on sustainable gardening! Native plant consultant Nikki Hanson explains the process of planting drought-tolerant native plants at the Woodland Library garden in Los Altos. VISIT OUR PROJECTS 1. Woodland Branch Library Drought-Tolerant Demo Garden Visit the Garden at the library: Location Map The garden was first planted in 2017 by GreenTown as part of a girl scout project. With the help of landscape designer Nikki Hanson (nikki@cal-sisters.com) of California Sisters Landscapes and many volunteers, GreenTown in 2022 cleaned up the grounds, layered new cardboard, layered compost, 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 on CALSCAPE or download a PDF from the Resources section on the right for additional info about how to care for these plants. 2. Planting the Paseo Visit the installation in the paseo adjacent to Akane restaurant on Third St. GreenTown collaborated with E3 Youth Philanthropy students interested in pursuing an environmental project. The goals of the project were: (i) to create planter boxes featuring drought-tolerant plants; and (ii) to use them to educate residents about reducing landscape water use. The colorful planters are now on display in downtown Los Altos as part of a flower-themed art installation curated by Arts Los Altos. Learn more about the work by The E3 Youth Philanthropy team here. Download a PDF of the list of plant species used in the planter boxes from the Resources section on the right. California Bees and Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists - Gordon Frankie, Robbin Thorp, Rollin Coville, and Barbara Ertter The California Wildlife Habitat Garden: How to Attract Bees, Butterflies and other Animals - Nancy Bauer Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants - Douglas W. Tallamy Teaming with Nutrients: The Organic Gardener's Guide to Optimizing Plant Nutrition - Jeff Lowenfels RESOURCES Woodland Library Garden Plant list PDF Plant list on CALSCAPE P Planting the Paseo Plant list PDF What native plants are good your location? By Calflora.org Find out how much water a plant needs in a specific city or search by water need and plant type for plants appropriate to your address Deep dive into understanding native plants through the local chapter of the California Native Plant Society GrassRoots Ecology Las Pilitas Nursery Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency For inquiries about Lawn Be Gone program contact us at: info@greentownlosaltos.org BOOKS

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DONATE GIVE NOW TO SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS Donate ONLINE Dontate now on the LAMVCF website DONATE BY CHECK Please make the check payable to: Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation or LAMVCF with "GreenTown Los Altos" in the memo line and mail the check to: GreenTown Los Altos PO Box 539, Los Altos, CA 94023 - 0539 OTHER Visit this page for other ways to give including DAF, Stock, IRA donations etc. Donations to GreenTown Los Altos through the Los Altos-Mountain View Community Foundation (LAMVCF) - Tax ID 77-0273721 are tax deductible to the extent of the law.

OUR PROJECTS Interested in volunteering with or leading a project? Email us at volunteer@greentownlosalos.org Pollinator Gardens Want to encourage song birds and butterflies? Plant a pollinator garden with California native plants! Small pollinator gardens scattered throughout the city will form a healthy connection for the insects and birds that will help them thrive. Learn More 500 Trees We have planted 500 Trees! Thank you for being part of this amazing achievement! Learn More Clean A Creek Volunteer to help us clean up the Permanente & Adobe Creeks Learn More Say No to thirsty landscapes Learn about saving water with drought-tolerant landscaping. Replace your lawn with a beautiful native garden! Learn More Recycle Water Graywater is lightly used water that is safe for most landscapes. Learn about the types of graywater systems and if they are is right for you. Learn More Manage Stormwater Run-off Minimize hardscape. Plant rain gardens and greenscape. Learn More Annual Bike Rides Join us for the annual the Historic, Summer & Winter Solstice and Lawn-be-gone Bike Rides Learn More Electrify You Home Make the switch to clean energy in your home. Learn More Try an Induction Cooktop Hear why this chef cooks almost exclusively with induction and won't be going back to gas! Borrow an induction stove from us - Try it and you wont be switching back! Learn More Reach Codes in Los Altos Electric homes save money, your health and the environment. Learn about why this is important and how the city is addressing it! Learn More Living Electric Fair Join Sparky the Firefly for this family-friendly event to learn how to make your home healthier by living Electric! Learn More

CLEAN TRANSPORTATION WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP OUR MISSION Reduce carbon emissions generated by transportation Increase the adoption of EVs Encourage walking and biking as the primary modes of getting around the town Support implementation of Walk-or-Wheel! (WoW!) programs Advocate for improved walking and biking infrastructure and Safe Routes to Schools Advocate for increased use of public transit THE PROBLEM On-road transportation contributes to more than 50% of greenhouse gas emissions in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills Our communities are leaders in adoption of EVs - the 2nd highest in California as a percent of registered vehicles Yet, only 8% of registered vehicles are EVs, leaving a lot of room for improvement Los Altos has 100 miles of streets. Safe streets for pedestrians and bicyclists are critical to increasing the number of people comfortably walking and biking Our relatively flat geography and mild climate makes it ideal for walking and biking. The number of students biking to high school increased markedly between 2010 and 2019 HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED Get Involved If you are passionate about walking, biking or reducing the carbon emissions from vehicles let us know or join us: info@greentownlosaltos.org Email Us Bike Tours Gary Hedden, our resident reliably dedicated rider has initiated several family fun riding events. Sign Up! to stay informed about the next tour! Email Us Schools WoW! We work with schools to encourage Walk-or-Wheel days throughout the year. We make it fun and rewarding for the kids! Learn More Recycle Bike Drive Every year our community comes together to fix used bikes and donate to school children who need them! We have partnered with Silicon Valley Bike Exchange ! Learn More Go Electric! Everything you need to know about EVs to make the switch! Eliminate harmful emissions by charging your EV with Clean Electricity. Coming Soon!

REUSABLE PARTY PACKS Zero Waste Make Your Next Party ECO-FRIENDLY! Zero-waste parties are gaining in popularity. Why not borrow the items you need (to serve up to 40 guests) instead of buying single-use throwaways? Reusable Party Packs Available to Borrow from GreenTown Los Altos GreenTown Los Altos has put together two Party Packs (each serving 20 people) for loan to local residents who want their parties to be eco-friendly. Each Party Pack contains 20 reusable plates, bowls, flatware, and cups by Preserve brand (100% recycled plastic, BPA- and melamine-free, and dishwasher safe) plus 20 cotton easy-to-launder napkins. Borrow one or both Party Packs! Party Pack items will be clean and ready to use when you pick them up, and we just ask that you return them clean and ready for the next borrower. Help our community reduce single-use unrecyclable plastic that is littering our landscapes and polluting our oceans. For more information, please email us at partypack@greentownlosaltos.org or use the form in the link under resources (to the right) to request to borrow a Party Pack. Available to Borrow! Please fill out the form to request to borrow a Party Pack REQUEST FORM or Email partypack@greentownlosaltos.org CONTACT US Email Us For inquiries about other Zero Waste projects, please contact us at: waste@greentownlosaltos.org

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CREEK CLEANUP Conservation BACKGROUND In 2011 GreenTown officially “adopted” the Permanente Diversion Channel through the Santa Clara Valley Water District (currently Valley Water). The channel runs from Heritage Oaks Park at Portland and Miramonte to Stevens Creek at Highway 85. Look for the sign at the corner of Portland and Miramonte declaring this a GreenTown “baby”. Our commitment? To organize and gather volunteers for biannual creek cleanup events in coordination with Valley Water. Ours is one of 50 sites countywide that participate in National River Cleanup Day, the third Saturday in May, and National Coastal Cleanup Day, the third Saturday in September. THE PROBLEM People are the main source of litter in our waterways. Litter from streets goes into our creeks and flows into San Francisco Bay and then into the ocean. 80% of the trash on beaches starts in inland areas. HOW YOU CAN HELP GreenTown encourages volunteers of all ages to help support a healthy environment in our local creek through these educational and fun-filled experiences. Activities include education about watersheds and water pollution, removing debris from the creek bed and the creek banks, and sorting and weighing all that was removed. GreenTown reports back to Valley Water and the results are spectacular! You can check out the countywide numbers at cleanacreek.org, where you also can register to volunteer for the next cleanup event. RESOURCES National River Cleanup Day Community Kids Cleaned the Creek National River Cleanup Day Recap Another Successful Creek Cleanup For inquiries about the "Don't Blow it!" program contact us at: info@greentownlosaltos.org

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Past Programs CLIMATE CHANGE Encouraged the City to sign the US Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement. Recommended the City complete baseline inventory of greenhouse gas emissions. WASTE Saved the City >$200,000 in consulting fees by providing in-depth research and analysis for waste contract. Educated Environmental Commission and City Council about waste collection issues, including importance of food waste and compostables collection WoW! This is a great place to tell people more about your business. WATTS This is a great place to tell people more about your business, and the services you offer. Want to make this content your own? It's easy. WATER This is a great place to tell people more about your business, and the services you offer. Want to make this content your own? It's easy.

GET INVOLVED JOIN US Volunteer & Intern Volunteers are GreenTown's Engine. Without you we cannot do what we do! See all the ways or tell us how you would like to help! DONATE Becoming a member you’ll support educating and inspiring actions for a better planet. Information below how you can donate Stay Informed Sign up for our monthly newsletter and stay informed on our various programs