Bottom Line:  Establish a baseline and goal for water efficiency in your facility.

In order to know how effectively you are saving water, you must first know how much water you've been using. Establish your baseline use during a certain year and then compare ongoing use to that baseline.

Childcare can be a significant part of a household budget, especially during tough economic times.  But there are a range of childcare options available to parents in San Mateo County that can assist with the expense of childcare.

Bottom Line: Save money AND create a more comfortable home by entering the Biggest User contest with SSMC.

Did you know that the typical homeowner spends 40% of their home energy bill on wasted energy? Sustainable San Mateo County, San Mateo Energy Watch and RecycleWorks, and a host of local businesses have teamed up to launch a new contest that will help you save money on your energy bills AND feel more comfortable at home.

Bottom Line: Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL's) need to be disposed of properly

Swapping incandescent lightbulbs for compact fluorescent lightbulbs is one of the easiest things you can do to help the environment. CFLs last about 10 times longer and quickly pay for themselves. If every household replaced one incandescent bulb with a CFL, we would prevent pollution equal to the removal of 800,000 cars from the road, according to the federal government.

Bottom Line: A home energy efficiency audit will identify ways that you can save money on your energy bill and improve the comfort and health of your home.

Ever wondered how your building envelope affected your home’s energy efficiency? Probably not. Ever had a thermostat war in your family?

Bottom Line: The federal government makes it easy for homeowner’s to make energy improvements to their homes through energy efficient mortgages.

What is an Energy Efficient Mortgage?

An Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) is a mortgage that credits a home’s energy efficiency in the mortgage itself. EEMs give borrowers the opportunity to finance cost-effective, energy-saving measures as part of a single mortgage and stretch debt-to-income qualifying ratios on loans thereby allowing borrowers to qualify for a larger loan amount and a better, more energy-efficient home.

Bottom Line: Reducing your business’ carbon footprint will not only make your operations more sustainable, but it will also improve your financial bottom line.

PG&E has teamed up with the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG) and San Mateo County RecycleWorks to provide energy efficiency services and incentives to the County’s qualifying businesses. The San Mateo County Energy Watch project aims to help businesses save energy and money while reducing their carbon footprint.

Countless San Mateo County residents (and many from outside the county) look to the Pacific coastline for recreation and relaxation, or for their jobs in agriculture, fisheries, and tourism. In all cases, the preservation of this critical resource is of paramount importance, and there are a number of organizations working towards that goal that you can get involved with.

JobTrain, a vocational education and job placement program based in Menlo Park, has found a way to help those residents of San Mateo County who need assistance in building a path to a successful career.

Bottom Line:  Green Teams can make organizations more sustainable and businesses more profitable.

Some employees respond to our current sustainability challenges and opportunities by becoming intrapreneurs, regardless of their role or positions. These intrapreneurs start green teams in their organizations to make them more sustainable and--for businesses--more profitable.