Sunnyvale Cool Green Letter
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Sunnyvale Cool Green Letter

Posted by barbf on Mon, 01/25/2010 - 03:31

 
Sunnyvale Cool Green Letter
January, 2010
 
Los Altos Mountain View Green School Summit
The Mountain View/Los Altos School District presented its first Green Schools Summit, January 22 at Los Altos High School. Students from 14 Mountain View and Los Altos Schools reported on what their schools are doing help protect our environment.  In addition to container recycling programs, initiatives included :

  • Living Classrooms:  extensive organic sustainable garden curricula (several schools)
  • Party kits with reusable plates, utensils, and bandana/napkin to eliminate disposables at classroom parties (Springer Elementary) Parents volunteer to wash plates, cups and utensils after use.  Matching bandanas can be used as identifiers on field trips and double as napkins at parties.
  • No Waste Fridays for school lunches (Oak Elementary)
  • Frequent Biker Program (Freiker) to encourage alternate, carbon-free transportation to school (Almond Elementary) Students register, log car-free trips to school for prizes. Total student miles are logged. http://www.freiker.org/bp/Home
  • Elimination of plastic, single-use water bottles (Bullis Charter)
  • Cell phone, battery (MVHS), ink cartridge (LAHS, St Francis), e-waste, (Loyola Elementary, Egan  Middle,  St Francis HS, MVHS and LAHS), plastic water bottle (Loyola) recycling fundraisers
  • Bring your own mugs for free fair trade coffee (LAHS staff room)
  • Green Business Certification (Egan Middle) First in District
  • PG&E Award for Energy Efficient Campus (Blach Middle)
  • Gray Water Capture and Recycling Programs  (Egan)
  • Trash to Treasure art projects (Gardner Bullis)
  • Programs to encourage biking to school at MV and LA High Schools
  • Eco Forum (St. Francis HS)
  • Buying recycled paper and reusing back sides before recycling (Foothill College)
  • Proposed bond that would fund solar panels on LA and MV High Schools

Council to Rank 2010 Study Issues
On January 29 in an all-day session, the Sunnyvale City Council will prioritize issues to study and act upon during 2010.  Council member  Jim Griffith has created an on-line tool to enable residents to let him know what we think is important. Monday is the last day to weigh-in on this informal Study Issue Ranking poll.  Go to dweeb.org and follow the link to "Study Issues Survey" to register your priorities for this  year's study issues.  It is not necessary to have an opinion on all the issues.  Respondents have the option of not ranking items, but leaving them blank.
 
Green @ Home Training Comes to Sunnyvale!
Help your neighbors, help the earth and help yourself!  Acterra's Green @ Home training will teach you how to save energy at home and assist others to do the same.  After completing Acterra's  two-evening Green @ Home training you will be able to conduct a free basic home energy audit and get yourself and other interested residents started saving energy, saving money and reducing the pollution caused when energy is created. Be part of a community of local volunteers dedicated to reducing home energy consumption, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions!  More information below.
 
Upcoming Events.  Recent events on the national and international level have demonstrated the need for local action if we are to build a sustainable world for our children.   Please consider attending some of these events to become more aware of what we can do together: