GreenTown received much good input at the community meeting that will help us create goals relevant to our community’s needs. We thank you!
Feedback and good ideas continue to flow in, following GreenTown Los Altos’ (GreenTown) Community Forum held on April 18, 2016, at the Los Altos Library.
More than 35 people attended the meeting, including Los Altos residents, local officials and small business owners. GreenTown speakers gave updates on the group’s four current program areas: Water, Waste, Watts and WoW! (active transportation modes, specifically walking and biking).
Karen (KJ) Janowski kicked things off with an intro of Margie Suozzo who delivered an overall GreenTown update ; Gary Hedden spoke about watts/energy; Barbara O’Reilly shared program updates on water; and Arnold Ambiel talked about reCYCLE bike drive progress.
Corinne DeBra who’s been surveying Los Altos residents on what they’d like to see more of in terms of future GTLA program activities helped facilitate a feedback session during the meeting. She asked attendees about environmental issues most important to them they’d like to see addressed, and about challenges and opportunities associated with these issues. Participants were also able to write down issues of their choice on post-its placed on the walls, segmented by program area, allowing all attendees to view and share ideas on the spot.
Topics during the feedback session ranged from transportation to community building.
Alternative modes of transportation (cutting down on automobile trips), by walking and bicycling, and taking transit were discussed, as well as barriers to doing so. Great observations included: In Manhattan, people walk for a mile or two…but I live 1/2 mile away and I don’t walk into downtown Los Altos.”
Attendees discussed creating a sense of community, e.g. a community garden, involving church groups, and doing more that might involve young families and/or create activities that appeal to people of all ages.
While holding community forums is a GreenTown tradition, this is an especially good time to connect with people on their top environmental and energy issues and priorities.
GreenTown is prioritizing and planning activities for 2016-2017 in four program areas: Water, Waste, Watts and WoW! (active transportation modes, specifically walking and biking). And community input is essential at these times.
And as the organization approaches its 10-year anniversary, much progress has been made; however, there’s still plenty to do. We’re looking forward to a future where water stewardship is the rule, resources being used wisely are the norm, more waste is being diverted from landfills, where bicycling isn’t just for recreation anymore, and where renewable energy will be playing a larger role in our lives and our businesses.
If you have ideas, drop us a line at info@greentownlosaltos.org.
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