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.

In 2007, Sustainable San Mateo County and The City of Menlo Park Environmental Quality Commission recognized Atherton's Laurel School for their efforts in reducing school waste. With the help of Allied Waste’s Composting for Business program, Laurel School’s Zero Waste efforts have saved more than 11 tons of garbage since 2005. By bringing recycling and composting practices to the school’s cafeteria, the zero waste program makes responsible environmental action part of the students’ daily routine.

Both Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and POST exist primarily to preserve areas of undeveloped land in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties for recreation use and habitat.

On July 1, 2008, California banned all public schools from selling junk food under the Food Nutrition Standards Bill. The purpose of this bill was to reduce the rate of childhood obesity. As a result, food manufacturers have tried to change their snacks to meet the standards in the bill.

Hidden Villa's Environmental Education Program
Hidden Villa's Environmental Education Program (HVEEP) was founded in 1970 as a hands-on environmental educational experience for young, school-aged children. The program “teaches concepts of ecology, organic food production and environmental education” by providing a direct and guided experience of Hidden Villa’s farm and wilderness land.

Goodwill Industries of San Francisco San Mateo and Marin was founded over 80 years ago as one of the original recyclers. Its mission was to take used clothing and household goods from wealthier households in the City, and refurbish them for re-use or re-sale to poorer parts of the community. Important to the process, Goodwill would hire citizens from these very same communities to do the work of mending clothes and refurbishing, leading to the slogan "a hand up, not a hand out…"

Why take your car to the wash when you can wash it home for free? Believe it or not, washing your car at home can have much more impact on local water supply and surface water quality than you would think.

San Mateo County residents have increasingly applied for government assistance to pay their bills and buy groceries. SMC Works was created in response to this and seeks to provide for the residents of San Mateo County during the recession when people are increasingly unable to provide for themselves.