Top Ten Reasons to Replace Your Lawn with Native Plants
In 2010, California signed the 20×2020 Water Conservation Plan. The goal is to achieve a 20 percent reduction in per capita urban water use statewide by 2020. In Los Altos & Los Altos Hills irrigation accounts for 50-70% of urban water use, with lawns being one of the thirstiest types of landscaping. Here is an inspiring list for change
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) needs YOU!
Landmark legislation to protect natural resources is under attack. CEQA, introduced in the 1970s, was designed to provide environmental protections and public participation as part of local land-use decisions. Let’s face it: developers want to develop and not necessarily in an environmentally-friendly way. CEQA ensures that developers of significant projects document and mitigate the environmental [...]
Lehigh Quarry’s Toxic Impact on Local Air and Watershed.
Lehigh Quarry and Cement Plant located at the base of Black Mountain in Santa Clara County, is in litigation with Sierra Club, Bay Area for Clean Environment (BACE), Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) and Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) stemming from its air and water emissions.
Drought-tolerant Landscaping at the Packard Foundation Building
By Charley Pow, Volunteer – GreenTown Los Altos Like many areas of California, our annual rainfall of 15 inches doesn’t meet our water needs. Half or more of our residential water is used for landscaping. Addressing this need, the landscaping at the new LEED Platinum Packard building shows how to conserve water and reduce storm [...]
Part of the “Solution to Creek Pollution”: GreenTown Cleans Permanente Creek
Join Us on Coastal Cleanup Day – September 15 Volunteers, led by Barbara and Kevin O’Reilly, scour the Permanente Creek Diversion Channel for trash twice a year: once on National River Cleanup Day (the third Saturday in May) and once on Coastal Cleanup Day (the third Saturday in September). Our next creek cleanup is fast [...]
Los Altos Cleans Up – Businesses and Residents Join City’s Effort to Reduce Waste
While participation in recycling/organics collection programs is a vast improvement over simply throwing everything in the garbage to be landfilled, it’s even better to implement policy and programs that eliminate waste. For example, many local grocery stores reward shoppers for bringing their own bags rather than using disposable plastic or paper bags; incentives include weekly drawings for store gift cards, five-cent bag rebates or donations to local non-profits.
New Bike Bridge in Mountain View
The bridge connects areas that were divided by Highway 85 and now makes it possible to hike or bike from near the Mountain View/Sunnyvale border all the way to Palo Alto.
Student-led Rainwater Harvesting Projects at Los Altos High School and Egan
A rainwater harvesting system is an effective way to reduce runoff (especially important at Egan, given its large expanses of flat pavement) and reduce the use of treated water. 1,000 sq ft of roofing will actually yield 600 gallons of rainwater per inch of rain.
Update on Lehigh Reclamation Plan and EIR
Comments on the Planning Commission Hearing on the Lehigh Final EIR and Reclamation Plan, Thursday May 24th.
Where Have All the Steelhead Trout Gone?
The GreenTown Water Stewardship program works to reduce water consumption, runoff pollution and household chemicals and pharmaceuticals that are dumped into the wastewater system.
