April Newsletter, Part 1

 
SunnyvaleCool Newsletter
Earth Month Edition, part 1
April, 2010
 
 
Upcoming Events 
(Events repeated from last month are in smaller type.)
 
Housing  Action Coalition meeting; Friday, April 9, 11 AM-1 PM, City of Santa Clara Public Library.
 
San Francisco Green Festival; Saturday, April 10, 10 AM-7 PM and Sunday, April 11, 11 AM-6 PM; San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center, corner of 8th Street and Brannan.   $10 day pass, $15 weekend pass, $5 discount for those arriving by transit (with ticket), seniors (65), union members.  Free for students with ID, those under 18, volunteers, members of Green America and Global Exchange.  http://www.greenfestivals.org/san-francisco-spring/
 
Hidden Villa Sustainable Building Tour; Sunday, April 11, 1-4 PM; Wolken Educational Center at Hidden Villa, Los Altos Hills.  Solar electric generation, rammed earth and straw bale construction, recycled materials and much more. Includes resource information.  $10 per Person  http://www.hiddenvilla.org/calendar9.phpSecond Annual Greenlight Earth Day Film Festival; Thursday April 15, 7- 9 PM; Cubberley Theater, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Student Filmmakers express concern – and hope – about the environment through films, PSAs, and documentaries. The public is welcome. FREE.  http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/environment/greenlight.asp
Last year's winners at:  http://midpenmedia.org/watch/videosontheweb/greenlight.html  (Check out Hybrid Nation and the winners.)
 
Grassroots Organizing for Building Climate Friendly Communities; Saturday, April 17, 9 AM-noon; Central Park Recreation Center, San Mateo.  Residents must be knowledgeable and organized to reshape communities around walking, biking, and public transit with a mix of homes, jobs, shops, and parks.  This training is designed to equip advocates with resources to organize successful campaigns in their community, influence land use policies, and develop and spread an effective message.  You'll also find out what resources the Sierra Club has to support you and your campaign. More info and to RSVP:  http://lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/calendar.asp?eventid=1521 
 
Great American Litter Pick Ups; Saturday, April 17, 9 AM-noon.

• City of Sunnyvale sponsored:  Locations:  Columbia Neighborhood Center, Fair Oaks Park and Lakewood. Gloves, pick-up sticks, safety vests, and bags will be available for our volunteers. Also, in cooperation with Sunnyvale Parks staff, park maintenance and beautification activities needing volunteer help will occur at these locations on this date. http://sunnyvale.ca.gov/Departments/Public+Works/Water+Pollution+Control+Plant/news+and+events.htm For more information and to register for a location, please call the City of Sunnyvale's Environmental Outreach Division at (408) 730-7717, TDD (408) 730-7501 or e-mail wpcp@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us.   
• City of Mountain View/Friends of Stevens Creek Trail sponsored.  Meet at Whisman Park, 310 Easy Street, Mountain View, off Middlefield between 85 and Whisman. Dirty work: wear sturdy shoes, long sleeves/pants, and a hat for sun protection. Kids may do painting!  Food and refreshments provided.  Rain or shine.  Youths from 6018 welcome with responsible adult guardian.  Multiple youths okay with each adult guardian if adult agrees and signs waivers. RSVP requested for planning, but not required.  For more info:  650.903.6067, www.stevenscreektrail.org, ed@stevenscreektrail.org

City-wide Garage Sale.  Saturday, April 17, 9 AM-4 PM.  To be included in the newspaper ad or in outreach materials, please register by April 5:  http://ecityhall.sunnyvale.ca.gov/contact/pwgs.aspx Charles Street Gardens Plant Sale and Open House; Saturday, April 17, 9 AM-3 PM; Charles Street Garden, 433 Charles Street. FREE class, "Planting Your Summer Garden," at  10:30 AM and 1 PM. http://www.charlesstreetgardens.org/  Earth Day Fest 2010 at Full Circle Farm; Sunday, April 18, 10 AM-2 PM; 1055 Dunford Way.  Kids activities, entertainment, presentations and demonstrations of eco-friendly products and programs, tours of the Farm, a petting zoo, guest speakers.  http://www.fullcirclesunnyvale.org/?p=989

 
GreenTown Los Altos Presentation--Global Climate Change in the Decades Ahead: Fact vs. Fiction; Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 7:30 PM; Los Altos Library, 13 South San Antonio Road.  Stanford University Professor Dunbar will discuss the current state of climate change and what we can expect in the future. This scientific perspective is based on his research in the Antarctic, the global ocean and the Americas, as well as his participation in the 2009 UN Copenhagen Climate Conference.  Free.  For more information: http://www.greentownlosaltos.org/drupal/events
 

City of Sunnyvale Earth Day Celebration; Saturday, April 24, 10 AM- 2 PM; Plaza del Sol (across from Sunnyvale CalTrain station). Entertainment by ZunZun (environmental education group), hands-on composting and bike safety demos, kids' parade of recycled-content costumes, display of the City's alternative fuel vehicles, generations fashion show, green business showcase, booths and displays, thermometer exchange, tree planting.  The Chamber of Commerce will join the City's Celebration this year. http://sunnyvale.ca.gov/Departments/Public+Works/Solid+Waste+and+Recycling/Earth+Day+Event.htm 

Acterra two-part Green @ Home Volunteer training; both Wednesday, April 28 and May 5, 5:30-9:45 PM, Peninsula Conservation Center.  Learn to conduct free basic home energy audits and install basic home retrofits.  Please email greenathometraining@acterra.org or call 650-962-9876 ext. 353 to register.

 
Acterra's two-part Spanish language Green @ Home Volunteer training;  Thursdays,  both April 29 and May 6, 5:30-9:45 PM,  Redwood City.   Para registrarse y mas detalles llame a Elizabeth Sarmiento  (elizabeths@acterra.org) al 650-962-9876 extensión 354.
 
Bay Area Schools Environmental Conference; Saturday, May 1, 8 AM-5 PM; Dolce Hayes Mansion, 200 Edenvale Avenue, San Jose. $20 if register before April 23, $60 at the door. http://www.sanjoseca.gov/esd/gogreen/GoGreenSchoolConference.asp
 
Bike to Work Day; May 13.  http://bikesiliconvalley.org/btwd
 
The Great Race for Clean Air; August 1-September 30. Registration  May 14-July 15.  Companies compete for the greenest commutes during August and September.
 
Santa Clara County Affordable Housing Tour;  Saturday, May 15, 8 AM-1 PM.  See examples of local affordable housing and discover why it is important to our community.  Ideal for elected officials, commissioners, staff, community leaders, and residents. Specifics to follow.
 
National River Clean-up Day; Saturday, May 15, 9 AM-noon; various local locations.  http://www.cleanacreek.org/
 
Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce Art and Wine Festival; Saturday and Sunday, June 5 and 6; Downtown Sunnyvale.
 
 
Check it out; pass it on!
The makers of The Story of Stuff have just come out  with a new 8 minute video:  The Story of Bottled Water: http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater.php (in segments)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se12y9hSOM0 (easier to watch on my computer)