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.

Bottom Line: The City of San Mateo has a new program, called SMART, it encourages citizens and businesses to reduce their carbon footprint.

SMART's goal is to reduce the City’s carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. To accomplish this, several programs have been created.

Bottom Line: Get help jumpstarting sustainability at your public agency with this guidebook.

Sustainability is a simple idea with big implications. With all the information and ideas floating around, figuring out how to move towards your sustainability goals may seem overwhelming.

Bottom Line: Green@Home HouseCalls help fight climate change by saving residents energy and money while reducing climate changing CO2 emissions. Trained volunteers meet with residents in their homes to install simple energy-saving devices and create home energy conservation plans.

Did you know that U.S. households produce 21% of the country's global warming causing emissions? That means that smart choices at home can really make a difference! Green@Home helps communities take action to reduce global warming by making their homes more energy efficient. “HouseCalls” are available to all residents of participating cities whether you rent or own.

Bottom Line: Buying locally keeps dollars in the local economy, creates local jobs, and reduces a variety of environmental impacts.

Why Buy Local?

YOU WILL GET EXCEPTIONAL TASTE AND FRESHNESS. Local food is fresher and tastes better than food shipped long distances from other states or countries. Local farmers can offer produce varieties bred for taste and freshness rather than for shipping and long shelf life.

 

Bottom Line: The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has the resources to help us maintain San Mateo County’s healthy air quality.

Have you got a fireplace? Do you know what effect wood smoke has on our air quality? Do you know who’s most at risk to poor air quality?

Bottom Line: Fill your car with high quality biodiesel at Autpoia Biofuels, a Biodiesel Filling Station and Eco Store located in downtown San Mateo.

Austin Mader-Clark, an avid walker, cyclist, airplane pilot and passionate advocate for alternative, non-petroleum-based fuels, challenges others to "fill their tank and save the world" with her innovative new approach to making alternative fuel available in a centralized and convenient location. On Earth Day 2008 she opened Autopia Biofuels located at 1025 South Railroad Avenue in downtown San Mateo.

Bottom Line: New financing programs make solar energy cheaper than carbon based energy.

The City of Berkeley's Financial Initiative for Renewable and Solar Technology (FIRST) is a game changing financial instrument. Berkeley officials brainstormed the idea of paying for residential solar panel installations with a City bond. Homeowners who agree to join the program pay off the bond through special assessments on their property tax. Under the program, which began on Nov. 5, 2008, the City will pay up to $37,500 per home for new solar panels. The homeowners get to choose solar panel brands and installers from a list approved by the City. The term of the bond is 20 years. After solar rebates and subsidies are applied to the installation cost, monthly payments for homeowners are around $120.

Bottom Line: San Mateo County Farm Bureau, Visitors Bureau and Harbor District Team Up to Encourage Use of Locally Grown (and Caught) Products.

We are fortunate to live in California with so many fresh food options, grown right here in our backyard. So why should be purchase food grown out of state (or country) that has to be trucked or shipped thousands of miles? Purchasing locally grown foods benefits the local economy, saves energy, preserves the environment and reduces CO2 emissions. The "San Mateo County: As Fresh as it Gets" Awards program recognizes local restaurants, hotels and caterers that make it a point to buy and serve produce from local San Mateo County growers, seafood caught off of San Mateo County's coastline, local goat cheese and beer and wine made in the county. A corporate category was added this year to recognize companies making an effort to serve their employees or students the freshest local fare.

Bottom Line: Public utilities reimburse ratepayers for the extra cost of buying energy efficient products.

Because of an innovative "decoupling" revenue model, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) can actually make money by selling less of its product - energy! Lucky for you, this can save you lots of money and helps the environment! PG&E has a host of incentive programs and rebates to encourage its business and residential customers to conserve energy. The number of incentive programs and rebates are too many to list, but here are a few to get you started:

Bottom Line: Hikers, photographers, birders, gardeners and others are making contributions to climate change research.

Many scientists are measuring and studying the reaction of plant and animal species to climate change. Unexpectedly, some researchers use data that backyard naturalists have gathered to study species' populations and migrations. For example,

Bottom Line: Transit Oriented Development is a smart approach to accommodate future growth in San Mateo County, and reduce our communities' environmental impact.

Transit Oriented Development (TOD), sometimes called "Smart Growth" or the "New Urbanism" is an approach to planning communities which concentrates more dense, mixed-use development along transit corridors and near transit hubs. Mixed-use is usually interpreted as developing housing above commercial/retail space, but can also include residential/office use or offices combined with retail shops. On the peninsula, TOD is most appropriate when built near CalTrain stations, but TOD can also be included along major bus routes such as El Camino Real.

Bottom Line: Almost any diesel engine car can go biodiesel with little or no modifications.

Almost any diesel car can run on biodiesel without major modifications. Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. These blends are sold using a system called the "B factor," which denotes the percentage of biodiesel contained within a petrol/bio mix. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.

Only diesel engines can run on biodiesel. All engines that run on #2 diesel can also be run on biodiesel. This means, home furnaces, generators, half-trucks, homestead tools, fishing boats, etc.

Bottom Line: The City/County Association of Governments' Utilities Task Force has developed a countywide strategy, involving the cities and the County, as an approach to guaranteeing sufficient utility infrastructure, to preserve natural resources and to achieve greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.

San Mateo County cities have three critical reasons to develop and follow an energy strategy, 1) the ever increasing financial cost of energy and water, 2) the impact that creating additional energy related infrastructure will have on local communities, and 3) the increasing concern about climate change and its effect. As the Sate Legislature continues to develop new climate protection legislation it is imperative to implement a strategy that puts the county and local government in control of the situation rather than being controlled by it.

The objective of the San Mateo County Energy Strategy is to frame the discussion and to define practical actions for the cities and the county about water, energy, alternative energy, and climate protection. It also recommends a countywide effort including goals as well as concrete, clear strategies, actions and resources to reach the goals.

Bottom Line: The San Mateo County Energy Strategy recommends immediate action to promote energy efficiency and water conservation measures. Among the goals is surpassing California's AB32 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

The San Mateo County Energy Strategy is an effective approach to guarantee sufficient utility infrastructure, preserve natural resources and achieve greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. Energy and water consumption are directly tied to greenhouse gas emissions so the strategy focuses on using less water and less and cleaner energy.

State legislation such as AB32 will impact city and county governments. AB32 calls for a return to 1990 greenhouse gas levels by the year 2020, which represents a 25% drop from today's emission rates. Long-term, the law calls for emissions to be reduced to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.

Bottom Line: Following simple automobile maintenance and usage guidelines can help reduce water and air pollution.

In the US, about 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from cars and light trucks like SUVs, contributing to climate change, air pollution, and disease. If you are truly trying to lighten your environmental footprint, the first thing to do is ask if you do in fact need a car. If the answer is yes, there are many things you can do to make your driving life greener.

Reduce your use: Public transit, riding a bike, walking, ridesharing, car sharing programs like ZipCar - there are many options.

Consider switching to biodiesel. Biodiesel can now be found in almost any state in the US. This clean, domestic, veggie-based, carbon-neutral fuel will run in any diesel car or truck with little or no modification to the engine.

Bottom Line: Become part of the global warming solution by going on a Low Carbon Diet!

This "30 Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds" is a fun, accessible, easy to use guide written by David Gerbson that will show you, step-by-step, how to dramatically reduce your CO2 output in just a month's time!

Supported with over two decades of environmental behavior change research; this illustrated workbook offers much more than a list of eco-friendly actions. It walks you through every step of the process, from calculating your current CO2 "footprint" to tracking your progress.

By making simple changes to actions you take every day, you'll learn how to reduce your annual household CO2 output by at least 15%! And, for those who are more ambitious, you'll discover how you can help your workplace, local schools, and community do the same. Join the growing number of citizens who have decided to take global warming into their own hands. "Low Carbon Diet" is the winner of the 2007 Independent Publisher "Most Likely to Save the Planet" Book Award.