What kind of homes will the Marin Green Home Tour feature?
LUCINDA, SAN RAFAEL
As a Green Realtor, Lucinda understands the value of greening her home. This year, her Gerstle Park bungalow, built in 1924, celebrates its 100th birthday.
Over the past few years, Lucinda has completed significant home improvements, guided by a comprehensive energy audit that helped her prioritize impactful upgrades.
Starting with air sealing and insulation, Lucinda sealed her attic, replaced doors and windows, and enhanced wall, attic, and crawl space insulation. These foundational improvements set the stage for further energy-efficient upgrades.
She later swapped her gas stove for an induction range, added electric radiant heat in the bathrooms, installed new ceiling fans, and introduced a ductless heat pump for an unconditioned area of her home. Now, solar panels power her new high-speed EV charger for her plug-in hybrid.
Lucinda hasn’t stopped there; she’s also committed to water conservation and home hardening. Recent projects include raised garden beds with drip irrigation, rainwater barrels, and the strategic removal of trees that posed risks to her home.
The Marin Green Home tour is proud to highlight Lucinda’s impressive commitment to sustainability and the valuable lessons she’s learned along the way.
SUE, SAN ANSELMO
Sue’s San Anselmo home, built in 1996, is a great example of eco-friendly living. Motivated by concerns over climate impacts and indoor air quality, she made it her mission to eliminate natural gas from her home.
Today, with the help of various rebates and incentives, Sue is proud to have an all-electric home.
Her journey began with insulation upgrades, setting the stage for an efficient heat pump HVAC system to replace her gas furnace. She also upgraded to a heat pump water heater, and recently completed her transition by swapping out her gas stove for an induction range.
Sue’s commitment to sustainability extends to her transportation, with two electric vehicles—one equipped with bidirectional charging capabilities, allowing her to power home appliances during a power outage. In her quest for a greener landscape, she removed the lawns from both her front and back yards, earning generous rebates from Marin Water for this transformation.
The tour of Sue’s home offers valuable insights into the available rebates and incentives for green home projects, including programs from Electrify Marin, BayREN, CA Energy Smart Homes, Marin Water, and federal tax credits through the Inflation Reduction Act. Sue shares a wealth of information about her path in this year’s Marin Green Home Tour.
OTHER HOMES IN THE TOUR
TOM’S MARSHALL COTTAGE on Tomales Bay was updated with a passive house addition and an emphasis on insulation and electrification. See his heat pump, induction stove, electric hot tub, electric fireplace, passive house attributes, salvaged wood for siding and flooring, and hyper-local native plants.
DAVID’S NOVATO HOME looks out on oak woodlands. His EVs and E-bikes are powered by solar and batteries. Other features include heat pump HVAC and water heater, hot water re-circulation pump, portable induction hob, Vulcan vents for fire hardening, and a DIY rainwater catchment system made from reused pickle barrels.
FRANK’S SAUSALITO HOME with amazing views is powered by solar plus batteries, and heated/cooled by heat pumps and passive solar. Giant cisterns store rainwater, and Oto robots irrigate steep planted slopes. Frank uses apps to fine-tune his energy and water systems, and participates in a virtual power plant program.
ALEXIS’ APARTMENT: Alexis has figured out an array of green home strategies to live more sustainably in her rental – a unique log cabin!
During our PROGRAM, you’ll get a chance to ask these Marin neighbors questions about their green home features and upgrades. You’ll also be able to ask questions of our featured experts, who will share up-to-date information on rebates, free planning services, and rooftop solar as an investment.
Earth’s ‘vital signs’ show humanity’s future in balance, say climate experts. Record emissions, temperatures and population mean more scientists are looking into possibility of societal collapse, report says HERE.
Solutions to the problem of climate change have never been more clear. But the scale of the problem keeps getting bigger HERE.
Thumbs Down – The Speech the President Should Give Right Now (Seriously)
Adam McKay’s Yellow Dot Studios is serious about this suggestion. I agree, do you?
Given the frightening nature of Hurricane Milton and the non-stop array of weather disasters that have battered the planet amidst 16 straight months of record-breaking global temperatures, we submit this speech for President Biden to give in a prime-time, national address ASAP .The speech contains this “effective immediately I am declaring a national climate emergency.” Read the entire letter HERE.
FEATURED UPCOMING EVENTS
Resilient Neighborhoods 2025 Workshops – January 9th and 15th – Register HERE.
Participate in the FREE workshop of 5 online classes, where RN will teach you how to:
To wrap up, as always, a HUGE THANK YOU to our Sustainable Marin Community and Supporters. It is US we do this for and it is YOU that makes what Sustainable Marin does possible.
Together, we create a tomorrow better than our yesterday, by acting TODAY.
Picture this: An integrated, world-class transit system that competes with solo commuting by being user-focused, affordable, frequent, and reliable across the region. If this existed, would you use it or would you still drive?
It’s difficult to imagine not driving in suburban Marin, but for anyone lucky enough to have traveled, you know that there are places where – even in rural areas – mass transit is available and well used, and biking can be a way of life.
In August’s newsletter, Sustainable Marin will explore our transportation options for reducing greenhouse gasses through interviews with Seamless Bay Area’s Ian Griffith and Adina Levin. Let’s take a look at their vision for the future and learn about the regional efforts to get us there. Also, Sustainable Marin Board Member, Marilyn Price, shares her story on living without a car into her 80s!
Enjoy!
ELECTRIFY YOUR RIDE WITH RIDE AND DRIVE CLEAN
The extended Cool the Earth/Ride and Drive Clean team – Photo Credit: Ride and Drive Clean
Electric vehicles (EVs) and e-bikes are vital for a sustainable future. California leads the way, and Marin County’s nonprofit, Cool the Earth is at the forefront of this exciting transition. Through their Ride and Drive Clean Campaign, Cool the Earth is ensuring that everyone can benefit from the shift to EVs. Transitioning to EVs and e-bikes is a powerful step toward reducing our collective carbon footprint. Consumers now have an incredible opportunity to make a significant environmental impact by embracing electric transportation.
Choosing the perfect EV or e-bike is an exciting journey, and Ride and Drive Clean makes it a breeze. Whether you’re deciding between a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), or exploring the many available incentives, Ride and Drive Clean offers all the support you need. Through their engaging EV and e-bike expos and informative monthly webinars, Ride and Drive Clean guides you through every step.
Today’s EVs offer impressive ranges of 200 to 350 miles, and long-distance travel has never been easier, thanks to the ever-expanding network of EV charging stations across the nation.
Affordability is another area where Ride and Drive Clean shines. Through partnerships with organizations like Cartelligent and eMotion Autos, Ride and Drive Clean offers EV Discount Campaigns that make electric vehicle ownership more accessible than ever. These programs have helped hundreds of people save thousands of dollars on EVs.
Ride and Drive Clean also engages priority communities most impacted by air pollution and climate change. Their programs illuminate the path to big savings with income-based incentives — up to $20,000 on a new or pre-owned EV!
For those ready to embrace the future of transportation and save big, signing up for Ride and Drive Clean’s EV Discount Campaign is a fantastic first step. Together, we can drive toward a cleaner, greener future for all.
CALIFORNIA ACTIONS
From The Climate Center: SB-59 aims to unlock the potential for California’s millions of electric vehicles to shore up the electric grid, power homes during outages, and lower energy bills for Californians. The bill would authorize the California Air Resources Board to require that electric vehicles (EVs) sold in California have bidirectional capability – meaning that you can use your car to power your home. SB-59 will be heard next in the Assembly Appropriations Committee in August. Tell your Assembly member to vote YES on SB-59 HERE
THINKING ABOUT ELECTRICAL VEHICLE (EV) CHARGING FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION?
PG&E is providing EV charging station incentives at multifamily housing units, not-for-profit organizations and small businesses.
Install Level 2 AC chargers at no cost to the property owner for sites located in a priority community. A cost share is required for sites located outside of a priority community.
The incentive also provides site-specific operations and maintenance plans and covers two years of networking and software fees.
More than 5,000 properties and businesses across all industries have chosen ChargePoint EV charging solutions. We’ll support all projects that qualify for the incentive each step of the way, including helping you with the program application.
Eighty-three-year-old Marilyn Price lives without a car and rides her bike or takes transit wherever she goes. As the founder of the highly acclaimed Trips for Kids, located in San Rafael, she has been an avid cyclist most of her life. She only briefly owned a car when her children were small.
In 1986, Marilyn got the idea to take underprivileged youth on mountain bike rides. She had studied social work, and had been inspired in college to become an environmentalist in alignment with her lifelong love of bicycling. Then, while sitting on top of Mt. Tam looking at the City, she was inspired. “Wow, how neat if I could bring the kids [from] down there, up here.”
Things happened fast after that. Marilyn was able to get some bikes donated by various manufacturers and used her connections with Canal Community Alliance to connect her with the kids. She and some colleagues took her first cohort biking to Point Reyes. More bikes were donated and Trips for Kids was born.
By the time she left, they had 140 chapters nationwide with 45 strong ones. Trips for Kids provides an outlet for urban youth all over the country to experience the joy of cycling and getting out in nature. It also includes an Earn-a-Bike program, as well as the Recyclery, which refurbishes bikes and sells the bikes and bike parts at an affordable price while simultaneously funding the program.
After retiring from Trips for Kids, Marilyn focused on environmental activism. “My concern for the environment has been lifelong, I was motivated by books like The Population Bomb,” she explained. She is involved with many groups like 350 Marin, Sierra Club, Elders for Climate Action, and of course, serves on the board for Sustainable Marin, where she focuses on water conservation. Marilyn produces a weekly Action Alert newsletter, which compiles calls to action, articles, and events, which are posted the Sustainable Mill Valley website.
While recognizing that living without a car isn’t for everyone, she does recommend that people give it a try. “You do have to plan ahead,” she recommends, “and I always check the weather report. It’s very important to shift away from personal cars, even electric cars. With electric bikes, biking is now much more of an option for more people. People need to live lighter on the planet. We need to concentrate on public transit, biking (especially e-bikes), and 15-minute cities (where everything you need is within a 15-minute walk, bike or transit ride).” She discovered this detail, ironically, only after she left her job. Learning the bus routes is a good first step to car free living.
Marilyn walks her talk. Or maybe ‘bikes her talk’? She has dramatically reduced energy and water consumption for herself and her family, and, at 83, she shows that even in low density Marin, you can live without a car.
TALKING TRANSIT
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE?
The advent of the automobile was the end of the line for many trains. Now, many Bay Area commuters solo commute even though a robust commuter system has been in place. That changed when the recent pandemic required office workers to discover that they could work from home. Transit agencies suffered and State and Federal funds flowed in to keep mass transit alive. Now those funds have dried up and transit agencies are facing a ‘fiscal cliff’–dangerous shortfalls in funding because of low ridership. This cliff has the potential to decimate mass transit throughout the region.
The Metropolitan Transit Agency (MTC) – the regional transportation organization – formed a Blue Ribbon Committee during Covid to determine how to use federal funds and recreate the future of transit, with these changing conditions in mind. That committee created the Transit Transformation Action Plan (TAP) which aims to recover and improve the Bay Area’s underperforming, uncoordinated public transit system through initiatives like fare integration, schedule coordination, and better accessibility.
While the TAP was aspirational, funding will take getting 9 counties and 27 transit agencies to cooperate and think regionally. A recent attempt at a regional transportation funding measure stalled due to disagreements over funding allocation and agency consolidation provisions.
MTC has set up a new Select Committee to develop a framework for legislation in 2025, addressing concerns around local tax reauthorizations and fair geographic funding distribution. Key needs for a successful measure include sufficient operating funds to improve and coordinate service, strengthen regional coordination and include some road maintenance funding for voter appeal.
Adina Levin, executive director of Seamless Bay Area, and a member of the select committee, has also chaired a series of successive advisory bodies, including the Customer Advisory Committee. She has presided over and/or participated in a number of efforts to implement the TAP.
“Even before the pandemic, Bay Area public transportation was underperforming, so ridership was not keeping up with the population and we had less ridership per capita than some other well performing Metropolitan areas in North America and around the world,” she explained. “There are a couple of root causes there, including the fact that the Bay Area Public Transportation System has been very uncoordinated with minimal coordination on things like fares and schedules and signs, and that makes the system harder to use. Another root cause was the concentration on white collar commute trips. Transit systems around the world that did a better job of supporting a greater variety of trips and riders were more resilient to the effects of the pandemic.”
MTC has initiated a number of pilot programs to explore addressing some of these issues. These include fare integration for transferring to other transit providers, providing an all-agency transit pass for organizations including housing developments, colleges and employers – leading to a 40% ridership increase in the first phase of the pilot – and a wayfinding program to provide universal signage to better inform riders. But the nuts and bolts of providing a truly integrated system that is convenient and frequent is elusive without an infusion of funding.
In 2024, a bill by California Senator Scott Wiener was introduced to allow MTC to put a multi-county measure on the ballot in 2026. According to Levin, it was stalled due to disputes over agency merger provisions and geographic funding allocation.
“There were concerns from some counties about impacting the ability to reauthorize local taxes,” she said.
Senator Wiener and co-author Senator Aisha Wahab chose to put on hold the effort for enabling legislation in order for MTC to establish the Select Committee for 2025 Legislation to work on parameters for renewed legislation that would have broader consensus. The committee includes legislators, MTC commissioners, stakeholders with the goal of addressing local tax re-authorization concerns and fair geographic funding.
From Levin’s perspective, a successful measure needs sufficient operating funds to improve and coordinate service. In her opinion, the committee should look to strengthen network management for continued coordination, including some road maintenance funding to appeal to voters while avoiding highway expansions that conflict with climate goals.
Currently, there is some progress on greater schedule coordination between Bay Area transit agencies. Agencies are committing to common schedule change dates, but this is lacking details on which routes/hubs are actually being coordinated. Levin feels they need to publicly highlight specific coordination successes. Find more details here: Transit 2050+ Connected Network Plan.
BAY AREA SEAMLESS TRANSIT
IS IT POSSIBLE?
Seamless Bay Area began circulating its vision for a coordinated transit system before the pandemic hit. Then co-executive director Ian Griffiths came to the Bay Area from Toronto’s transit system, where he helped to develop a more coordinated system in that metropolitan area. He hoped to bring that vision here.
When the lock-down happened and transit ridership plummeted, the opportunity opened up to begin regional discussion of transforming our 27 transit agencies into a more coordinated system. The Seamless vision was initially at the center of those discussions.
A key question in current discussions is how tightly to focus on the ‘fiscal cliff’ that could result in service cuts. Seamless continues to urge more focus on transforming the whole system.
“Focusing too much on the ‘fiscal cliff’ doesn’t excite public support.” Griffiths stresses, “The vision of an affordable, transformed system resonates better in polling.”
Seamless had done its own polling and found that the public wants something better than before. He also bemoans the way operators and elected officials retreat into their silos. “Fiscal issues amplify regional divides, while a vision of improved access unites people.”
Griffiths wants agencies to look at those elements that will actually make transit more attractive. “More operations funding is needed to increase frequency,” he asserts. “We also need reforms for regional coordination and integrated fares/schedules.” Griffiths points to his own experience in Toronto, where, over a number of years, governments have been successful in authorizing new funding for transit with a clear vision for building an improved, integrated, and seamless system.
Switzerland also offers an inspiring example. “Switzerland built public confidence through national/regional coordination policies linked to funding,” he said. “They did this in increments, making small investments over time that amounted to major changes. Toronto and Vancouver are more recent examples of pursuing integrated fares and services. Having a positive, connected network vision strengthens the case for investment.”
Griffiths is leaving his post at Seamless Bay Area to join the consulting firm of CPCS which has experience with regional transit strategy and integration projects. While he will step down from his participation on MTC’s committees, he will continue to serve on the State Transit Committee. Perhaps one day he will be one of the people designing our new Bay Area Transit System.
WHAT DO YOU WANT THE BAY AREA’S FUTURE TO LOOK LIKE?
Better transit? Cleaner air? More affordable housing?
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) are seeking your input to help inform the development of Plan Bay Area 2050+, a limited and focused update to the Bay Area’s long-range regional plan.
The Draft Blueprint – essentially a “first draft” of the plan – outlines strategies for creating a more affordable, connected, diverse, healthy and vibrant Bay Area for all by 2050.
The survey also seeks your comments on the Draft Transit 2050+ Network, which outlines how to make Bay Area public transit faster and more frequent at all times of day, connecting more communities by bus, train or ferry.
The deadline to participate in the survey is Monday, September 9, 2024.
The delusion that cars belong in places like Manhattan is stubbornly hard to break. But across the world, cities are coming to their senses. Read about it HERE.
Thumbs Down – When the Rubber Meets the Road
There is more to automobile pollution than what goes in the tank. Read about it HERE.
The free, virtual Marin Green Home Tour showcases how Marin homeowners are adapting their homes to combat climate change, improve air quality, generate clean energy, and move towards a safer, healthier, greener, more resilient future.
The event features short video tours of 5 Marin homes, followed by live Q&As with the homeowners. See heat pumps, induction stoves, solar and battery systems, and other strategies for maximizing clean energy.
See grey-water systems, rainwater harvesting, re-circulation pumps, and other strategies for conserving water. Learn how to access rebates and free planning services for your own green home updates, tips for renters, and whether solar remains a great investment. This event is a project of Sustainable Marin.
Join us to review charging at home, planning for road trips, and incentives. Sponsored by City of Palo Alto Utilities.
September is transit Month
This September, join San Francisco Transit Riders and Seamless Bay Area in celebrating the buses, trains and people that make the wonderful transit system we all know and ride. During Transit Month, you can look forward to a region-wide ride contest and prizes, a San Francisco Ride-Along and Rally with the Mayor and Board of Supervisors, our Rider First Awards Ceremony, and tons more exciting, transit-themed regional activities. Find out more HERE.
Free Fall Online Climate Action Workshops!
Thursday, September 12 at 4:00 pm or
Wednesday, September 18 at 6:30 pm (Choose between one of two groups!)
Are you keen to do your part for the planet but not sure where to start? Join a Resilient Neighborhoods Climate Action Workshop for community support and practical advice on tackling climate change.
You’ll learn easy and budget-friendly ways to shrink your carbon footprint, create resilient homes and communities, and prepare for climate-related emergencies.
After five meetings over ten weeks, you’ll have your own Climate Action Plan and all the help you need to make it happen.
This city and county-supported program is free and is designed specifically for the Marin community.
Sign up today HERE and let’s team up to protect the planet for future generations.
To wrap up, as always, a HUGE THANK YOU to our Sustainable Marin Community and Supporters. It is US we do this for and it is YOU that makes what Sustainable Marin does possible.
Together, we create a tomorrow better than our yesterday, by acting TODAY.
Together, we create a tomorrow better than our yesterday by acting TODAY.
This June / July newsletter is all about gardening! Read on to learn more about backyard farming and understanding organic versus regenerative food labeling. Also, discover the best tips and tricks for sustainably dealing with weeds and the best methods for producing your own nutrient rich foods by nurturing organic seed starts.
Next, get to know one of Marin County’s gems, Mark Squire, co-founder of Good Earth Natural Foods and the owner of Tara Firma Farms. Mark shares his expertise on organics and sheds light on regenerative agriculture as it compares to organic farming.
And, ahheem…..We are thrilled to announce that Sustainable Marin has a brand-spanking new WEBSITE – Woot! Woot!
Enjoy reading the newsletter and remember to share it with your friends and neighbors!
You can support Sustainable Marin in our commitment to make Marin More Sustainable by just clicking this button!
While the rest of our gardens may be struggling due to lack of rain, weeds continue to thrive! What can we do to be victorious in the never-ending battle against them?
Glyphosate is Poisonous
Your kids and pets play in your yard. Keep toxic chemicals far away from your loved ones. The manufacturer of RoundUp – a leading herbicide banned in the European Union and many other countries – has announced they will pull the product from shelves by 2023 after they lost several high-profile lawsuits (and settled many thousands more) from plaintiffs who believe the spray caused their cancers.
A number of studies show a link between exposure to glyphosate (the active ingredient in RoundUp) and increased risk of cancer.
Herbicides also harm bees and other essential insects. So put away the toxic sprays!
Less Toxic Alternatives Always start with the least toxic alternative for any garden problem. Newer spray products with plant oils (like clove, lemongrass, or eugenol) as active ingredients have come on the market.
These are still herbicides (chemicals that kill plants) but a safer, less toxic choice.
Be wary of trying non-toxic DIY remedies like vinegar or salt that you might see on the internet or hear about from friends. Horticultural vinegar (which has the higher concentration of acetic acid required to kill weeds) can cause severe damage if it comes in contact with skin or eyes. Salt will travel through the soil, killing beneficial organisms and harming nearby plants.
Other DIY remedies may be harmless but ineffective. You can visit YardSmartMarin for safe and effective solutions! You can also find a wealth of helpful information at Sustainable Marin website’s section on Weeds.
Weeding is FUN!
The best and safest way to manage weeds is to pull them.
Maybe not what you want to hear, but if you can pull a weed while it’s young, it comes out easily – roots and all.
This is the key to preventing its return.
Also, many people find weeding to be calming and meditative. Let the kids join you! They’ll have fun getting their hands dirty, and you may appreciate that they are doing something totally unstructured outdoors. No screens needed!
Weeding often means you’ll remove weeds before they can go to seed.
Did you know that some weeds can produce up to 2,000 seeds in a single season?
Pro tip: weed frequently and weed early to prevent weeds from spreading and returning.
If you wait too long to weed, that’s when you’re faced with having to remove large, stubborn weeds. This is when a good trowel comes in handy.
How often do you need to weed? It depends on the size of your yard, but starting with 10-15 minutes, twice a week will give you more insight into what your garden needs.
Miraculous Mulch!
Covering the soil surface with 2-3 inches of mulch will do a lot to suppress weed growth. It will also help your soil conserve moisture which is so important during these times of drought.
We do recommend that you AVOID laying landscape fabric before applying your mulch. It may seem a tempting way to reduce weeds but mulch on its own is really your best bet.
Weeds can grow without irrigation – but they really thrive when they get it! Replace spray irrigation with drip irrigation that targets your garden plants. Monitor your irrigation to make sure you don’t have over spray, leaks, or misplaced emitters that are unintentionally encouraging weed growth. You’ll save water too! Learn more about different irrigation systems and get water-saving tips her.
Weeds in Hardscape
It can be particularly difficult to remove weeds from within cracks of sidewalks, driveways, and other hard surfaces.
A screwdriver (or similar tool) will do the trick. Hardscape is also a safer place to use the less toxic, plant oil-based weed killers mentioned above.
Dandelion Weeds
Weeds in your Lawn
Avoid “weed and feed” combination products. The “weed” part is an herbicide and we don’t want that on the lawns that our families and pets use.
Additionally, why put herbicides all over your lawn when weeds may only be in certain places? The best solution is to weed frequently.
Make the lawn part of your regular weeding sessions, Or, simply pay attention as you mow – pull weeds as you go.The “feed” part is a chemical fertilizer. A better choice is a slow-release, organic fertilizer.
What if your lawn is full of weeds? Consider sheet-mulching and doing something new!
Reducing or eliminating your lawn will save you water, time, and money.
You may be even able to benefit from rebates and incentives from your local water district; check directly with MMWD or NMWD as these programs change frequently.
Have more questions or want more tips? Watch our webinar on Managing Weeds Safely & Effectively.Written by Tracey Liao Van Hooser, Program Director for YardSmartMarin, a nonprofit organization that empowers people to reduce or eliminate pesticide use through awareness and education about safer, effective alternatives.
SHARING THE ART OF GROWING ORGANIC SEEDS FROM THE BACKYARD FARMERS
Both TateDooley and Kelly Dooley have been in plant agriculture for over 2 decades, and five years ago started Backyard Farming Supply – now a thriving business that has been igniting a backyard farming movement in exurban towns across the country.
When Tate was young, he developed a fascination with plants and the art of growing them. This curiosity led him to pursue a formal education in horticulture, earning him a degree in Agricultural Sciences. Since then, he’s acquired a robust background in large-scale and sustainable agriculture.
When Tate and Kelly started their family, they built their own backyard farm and they saw how it enriched their and their children’s lives.
It didn’t take Tate long to decide to utilize his skills to benefit families and communities with his desire to grow and enjoy super-nutritious foods. With Kelly in his corner and a shared passion for cultivating thriving gardens for everyone to LIVE BETTER, they launched Backyard Farming Supply.
To successfully build their business, they soon realized they needed to create better home farming educational materials for their potential customers, so people wouldn’t be so intimidated by the concept of building your own farms.
So, they got to work and have created an amazing YouTube Channel that has a catalog of almost 400 videos filled with best practices, knowledge, humor, their children and much more. And people and environmental nonprofits and innovation funds started to take notice.
Kelly and Tate are committed to helping gardeners of any experience level to thrive and get started easily, beginning with seeds.
In this light, they recently made this Organic Seed Growing Masterclass video series so you can learn how to cultivate a better world through horticulture, too!
From their course materials:
~Garden like a pro without breaking your back! ~Unlock the secrets to successfully starting your own garden. ~Discover how to choose the right seeds for your garden based on your goals and preferences. ~Master the art of creating the ideal environment for your seedlings to thrive, ensuring healthy growth. Learn essential timing strategies for transplanting your seedlings with precision and maximizing their chances of survival. ~Explore effective methods for maintaining the health and vitality of your seedlings, including watering, fertilization, and pest control. ~Develop the skills to troubleshoot common seedling problems and implement solutions for successful gardening. ~Gain the knowledge and confidence to harvest and save seeds, ensuring a continuous cycle of growth and self-sustainability.”
GET INFORMED – ORGANIC VS REGENERATIVE FOOD LABELS
The following Sustainability Brief is based on an interview SM Communications Director, Michael Leifer conducted with the enigmatic Mark Squire, Co-founder ofGood Earth Natural Foodsand owner ofTara Firma Farms.
Mark feels strongly about organic vegetable consumption being critical to your health. He believes that we have the power to make informed decisions to choose the type of farming that produces the most nutritious food for us.
Some Backstory
Over a decade ago, Mark made the choice to become a gentleman farmer but has since created a sustainable farm in Petaluma called Tara Firma Farms.
The Lifestyle
Through this, Mark discovered being a farmer to be incredibly rewarding. Besides raising your own food, which is lovely unto itself, the practice of farming is educational. He has learned that to understand soils is fundamental. Farming is also a cultural experience, educational and a way of life. Additionally, to farm is definitely a positive exercise thing, which increases your lifespan.
There are so many reasons why we should all be doing small scale farming or at least gardening.
Holistic Farming
According to Mark, the word holistic – when applied to farming – is a very beautiful and powerful word. He says it embodies how agricultural systems or gardening systems, when they’re working, are about nature being in balance. So when the soil is healthy, the plants are healthy. Bugs just don’t bug healthy plants like they do in conventional pesticide-laden chemical input farming. It’s holistic because all aspects of the system work together. Mark says, “And, believe me, farming is such a lovely way to make food.”
Organic Vs. Regenerative Produce
There appears to be a lot of confusion about the difference between organic and regenerative agriculture. As a result, Mark feels compelled to share his understanding of each approach as it might add value to the way you make your food choices.
Regarding descriptive labeling used on produce, it was J.I. Rodale, the publisher, who coined the word ‘organic’. He also coined the term ‘regenerative agriculture’. These days, the term organic has a legal meaning behind it. The produce that has this label has behind it very strict and very well defined practices for farmers by such certifiers as Oregon Tilth, OCIA, CCOF, Organic Certifiers and the USDA.
‘Regenerative’ is implicit in organic farming in terms of cover cropping, composting and conscious tillage to improve and keep the soil healthy. But, organic is NOT implicit in regenerative farming practices.
A new label called ‘Regenified’ is starting to show up on produce in the U.S. Unfortunately, this new label does not mean Organic – nor Certified Organic. And there are issues around the regenerative standards that people should know about to make informed purchase decisions, according to Mark.
He goes on to say, “At Good Earth, we only accept Organic, Regenerative Organic or Organic Regenerative Certified products.”
And here’s why…The Regenified logo standards state that if you have a hundred acres of land, you can put 20 acres of that in a regenerative program and still be able to sell all hundred acres of crop as Regenerative, including the 80 which were not treated in a regenerative nor organic manner.
That’s right, you only have to have 20% of your program lands in the program to be able to market it that way, which to Mark is “…kind of bogus.” Then, you’re still allowed to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides as well.
So really the only thing separating regenerative farming from conventional agriculture is the NON-policed mandate to not till and to reduce pesticide usage.
Regen farmers are encouraged to reduce chemical fertilizer, encouraged to use cover crops and encouraged to compost. But the regenerative standard has no enforcement in it, so it has no teeth.
After reviewing the legislation, Mark came away thinking it’s actually nothing but greenwash. He says, “Shocking to me! It’s definitely one of the biggest greenwashes, right now.”
Organic Regenerative (seal from Rodale) or Regenerative Organic is the way to go.
Carbon Sequestration
“I want to address the fact that there are some climate myths that have been going on in agriculture, in terms of what type of farming sequesters the most carbon. The fact is that carbon sequestration happens more in organic agriculture than it does in regenerative-only or conventional farming,” emphasizes Mark.
About 5 years ago, some of the deeper, longer term sequestration research data came in and were widely published. There is now evidence that reduced tillage does indeed lead to more carbon sequestration for sure, which is why the conventional no-till farmers who use glyphosate jumped on the bandwagon and falsely proclaimed their farming method reduced the most carbon.
But, the amount of carbon that organic farming sequesters is by magnitude larger than their claims. They were basing their claims on tests conducted by conventional no-till farming, which only tested the topsoil at six inches deep.
Comparatively, in the organic agricultural tests, organic farmers tested a meter or more down into the soil and realized that actually a much larger amount of carbon was sequestered. They discovered that it’s actually the bacteria which are sequestering the carbon.
Not using pesticides is actually causing the bacteria to flourish. “Best to go Organic all the way!”
Here at Sustainable Marin, we invite you to consider how the adage, ‘Follow the money,” goes both ways.
The more of us who choose to invest in our physical well-being – as well as that of our future generations – by investing daily in certified organic produce, the more corporate and legislative entities will follow our bidding. Why? Because they follow our dollars.
Encourage your friends and families to go organic by explaining that even though it might be a little more at the cash register, the long term payoff is your and your families’ well-being, as well as that of the lands and water supplies we depend on for our food.
There’s no price tag you can put on either. Thank you for standing with Sustainable Marin.
There have been many lifestyle changes in the post-covid world. An important part is a focus on physical and mental health. Eating the right food is an important part of physical health, and with health issues like obesity and diabetes, among others, there is an increasing demand for organic food. From an investment perspective, it’s a good idea to remain invested in some of the best organic food stocks for the long term.
Returning to the demand, the market for organic food in the United States was $76.4 billion in 2022. It’s expected that the market will grow at a CAGR of 8.3% to touch $123.3 billion by 2028. I expect healthy growth to sustain even beyond this period. The beneficiaries will be companies in organic farming or companies retailing organic products.
These are the best organic food stocks to buy to benefit from demand for healthy food:
Sprouts Farmers Market (SFM): Aggressive new store opening, positive comparable store sales growth, and swelling cash flows
Mission Produce (AVO): Positive outlook for the avocado market will benefit this vertically integrated avocado Company
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC): In-house brand portfolio expansion will support growth and EBITDA margin expansion
Regenfied BOGUS Agriculture Certification. Make your voice heard by posting your thoughts on their facebook page to help educate them about the issues that Mark Squire detailed above.
COOKTOP LOANER PROGRAM!
Interested in testing out a countertop induction cooktop at home? You can do so through PG&E’s Induction Cooktop Loaner Program!
Induction cooktops are more energy efficient than traditional gas or electric resistance cooktops. They also heat food faster, offer improved temperature control, and are easier to clean! They are also SAFER, since the heat element only he/sats when in contact with a pot or pan!
For more information about the program, send a message to ICLP@frontierenergy.com or call 925-326-7544.
Ready to save big on an EV? Ride and Drive Clean’s Summer EV Discount Campaign offers EVs with pricing thousands below MSRP! There are additional dealer rebates available. Inventory is limited, so sign up now!
June 20 through June 21, 10am – 5pm – Online Here – Join and Watch the EPRI Pollinator Power Party 2024.Born during the pandemic, EPRI converted local pollinator education events led by power companies across North America into one huge virtual party – the Pollinator Power Party!
The Pollinator Power Party is held in conjunction with National Pollinator Week, which has been running for more than 10 years.
Fourteen years ago the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week” marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations.
National Pollinator Week has now grown into a collection of local events around the globe promoting the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats, beetles, moths, wasps, and flies.
Now in its fifth year, the party continues to grow with a bigger line-up of speakers, conservation and education partners, and exciting in-person and virtual opportunities to support our planet’s pollinators.
June 28, 7pm – Fairfax Women’s Club 46 Park Road – Sustainable Marin partners with 350Marin and the Fairfax Climate Action Committee’s showing of
Patagonia’s film “The Scale of Hope”
.
Former White House climate advisor Molly Kawahata reflects on her time in the Obama Administration, her personal struggle with mental health and her love of alpine climbing to create a positive vision of how we can respond to the climate crisis.
To wrap up, as always, a HUGE THANK YOU to our Sustainable Marin Community and Supporters. It is US we do this for and it is YOU that makes what Sustainable Marin does possible.
Together, we create a tomorrow better than our yesterday, by acting TODAY.
In this April Issue of the Sustainable Marin Newsletter, we are honored to feature student guest writers and artists from Marin County grammar and high schools, who have been learning about compositing, its best practices, and sharing their knowledge and actions as environmental stewards.
Please enjoy reading and don’t forget to share and support Sustainable Marin and our committed mission to make Marin More Sustainable.
Did you know that food waste is the third largest emitter of Greenhouse gasses globally? It is the largest single material in US landfills representing 24%.
When food goes to a landfill it degrades in the absence of oxygen which is called anerobic, and that process creates methane which is 80 times more potent/harmful than CO2. When food is composted, it breaks down with oxygen. Composting is the controlled aerobic decomposition of organic material and thus produces much less methane and has a beneficial use when finished and ready for market.
In the United States, people waste 80 million tons of food every year, which equals 149 billion meals. They throw away over $444 billion worth of food annually. Shockingly, they waste 38% of all the food in America (Source: Feeding America).
Most of us are conditioned to recycle our cans, bottles, and paper waste in our blue buckets. But how many of us add food waste to our green bucket? When we picnic in the park, we have recycling and trash, but how many parks have composting available? Thankfully, Painted Bins is working with municipalities to install compost bins in parks.
For just under 2 years, Painted Bins has been creating environmental stewards in Marin’s communities. These elementary school children are learning about the importance of taking care of the earth by placing food scraps in the compost bin. Watch this below video to hear what the kids have to say and to understand the impact Painted Bins is making through their work with schools where the students create inspirational posters about composting, which are placed upon compost bins in schools, parks and public spaces throughout the community.
Please help Painted Bins to reach, engage and educate more schools and more students about compositing and sustainability by attending Trash Bash, their fundraiser on April 18th at the Mill Valley Community Center from 6-9pm Come see the amazing composting art created by students in this program and hear what they have to say about keeping waste from ending up in the landfill. Your support will help Painted Bins fight climate change by driving environmental awareness in more communities throughout Marin County.
And, if you can’t make it to the fundraiser, be sure to stop by the Mill Valley Community Center during the month of April to see the 91 posters created by 3rd, 4th and 5th graders from Mill Valley’s 5 elementary schools. This Painted Bins Art Show is open to the public Monday – Friday from 8:30am – 5:00pm.
From this grouping of posters, 10 posters will be selected for installation onto the Painted Bins that will be placed throughout Mill Valley late Spring of this year.
Painted Bins is a fiscally sponsored project of Sustainable Marin.
TEENS SPEAK UP
THE BENEFITS OF COMPOSTING
by Gabe Glover, 9th grade student, Terra Linda High School, San Rafael, CA
Composting is not a new idea – it has been around for thousands of years. Ancient civilizations used the technique of decomposing matter to improve the fertility of the soil.
Here in America, indigenous people would fertilize their crops by using manure and fish waste. enables water retention in soil and controls erosion.
Composting enables water retention in soil because compost has the ability to hold 20 times its weight in water.
Compost encourages healthier plant growth and can improve soil structure. Compost also adds essential nutrients to soil.
by Eloise Atkins, 9th grade student, Terra Linda High School, San Rafael, CA
Grocery stores are one of the major sources of food waste because of both (1) the amount of damaged produce being thrown away, and (2) the amount of food reaching its expiration or “sell by” dates. Instead of throwing away the damaged produce, grocery stores can give the produce to food pantries that need them to feed low income and disadvantaged members of society.
The other major source of food waste is from restaurants because of their improper employee training, overproduction, improper food storage, and lack of access to composting.
In the United States, food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the food supply. This estimate, based on estimates from USDA’s Economic Research Service of 31 percent food loss at the retail and consumer levels, corresponded to approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food in 2010.
This amount of waste has far-reaching impacts on society:
>Wholesome food that could have helped feed families in need is sent to landfills.
>Land, water, labor, energy and other inputs are used in producing, processing, transporting, preparing, storing, and disposing of discarded food.
>All your compostables — all food waste, yard waste, and food-soiled paper — should go in your green cart for curbside collection. Do not use plastics of any kinds – even biodegradable bags.
>Stop the grocery store throw away. Get or Gift or Send a box of this Imperfect Food every week that keeps it out of the land fills Grocery stores are not throwing away imperfect food; they are throwing away spoiled food.
>Donate to Extra Foods who recover excess fresh food from any Bay Area business, school, hospital, garden, or farm and immediately deliver the food to their nonprofit distribution partners serving our community’s most vulnerable people.
>Use or make people aware of the Too Good to Go App that lets one rescue unsold food at your favorite spots from an untimely fate. Use the app to explore stores and restaurants in your local area and save surprise bags of surplus food from going to waste at a great price.
IN THE NEWS:
THUMBS UP!
When Sean Rafferty got his start in the grocery business, anything that wasn’t sold got tossed out.
But on a recent day, Rafferty, the store manager for ShopRite of Elmsford-Greenburgh in New York, was preparing boxes of bread, donuts, fresh produce and dairy products to be picked up by a food bank. It’s part of a statewide program requiring larger businesses to donate edible food and, if they can, recycle remaining food scraps. (Source: AP Newswire)
THUMBS DOWN!
Two years after California launched an effort to keep organic waste out of landfills, the state is so far behind on getting food recycling programs up and running that it’s widely accepted next year’s ambitious waste-reduction targets won’t be met.
Over time, food scraps and other organic materials like yard waste emit methane, a gas more potent and damaging in the short-term than carbon emissions from fossil fuels.
California’s goal is to keep that waste from piling up in landfills, instead turning it into compost or biogas. [Source: AP Newswire].
And California is now very proactive about composting, as the new California Law SB 1383, which took effect in January, requires supermarkets and other big food providers to divert as much as a quarter of edible food now destined for dumps to food banks to feed the needy. [Source: LA Times]
It tasks cities and counties like Marin with formulating local plans, with a statewide goal of recovering 20% of edible food by 2025. [Source: Reuters]
This is the nation’s first statewide law to require businesses to donate excess food to be eaten by hungry people. Compliance requirements, which will ultimately include fines, are being phased in. First, large grocery stores and food wholesalers; later, restaurants and cafeterias will have to comply or face fines. [Source: NPR]
California has over 200 composting and anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities, but in-state management options for processing more organic materials are challenging. Currently, in-state processing infrastructure is insufficient to properly handle all of the anticipated increases in collected organics.
As is true elsewhere, siting, permitting, and building new organics management facilities are formidable obstacles due to cross-regulatory requirements and, in some cases, lack of public acceptance.
In addition, the co-benefits of using compost (such as improved soil health, water conservation, and increased soil carbon) do not have a monetary value and are not well accounted for in typical market transactions.
What will your one action be to reduce our greenhouse gasses? Find out what you can do at Make a Pledge https://greenchange.net/action/ and then let us know at info@sustainablemarin.org. Let us know if we can post your actions on our Facebook page.
THE BEST ECO-FRIENDLY HOME IMPROVEMENTS FOR LESS THAN $100
What if you had only $100 to invest in a cheaper, cleaner home? Or $10? Or even just $1?
The conversation about cutting your emissions is often about replacing big-ticket items like stoves, furnaces and cars. But millions of people are neither ready nor able to spend thousands of dollars. What if you didn’t need to?
On May 14th Sustainable Marin President, Wendi Kallins, will be doing an Earth Walk on the Camino in Spain to the end of the Earth (Finnisterra) to save the Earth.
She has started training and has already walked 10 miles in one day. Won’t you donate to her walk to support Sustainable Marin?
4/18, 6 pm – 9 pm – Trash Bash, a Painted Bins’ Fundraiser, Mill Valley Community Center.
4/20, 11 am – 3 pm – Climate Fest San Geronimo Valley Community Center interns from NextGen Greenstitch Climate Action, Fibershed, and Red Twig Farm present: Climate Fest on Earth Day! This free event celebrates our Earth and highlights the importance of climate change prevention and protection!
4/21, 11 am – 2 pm – EV & E-bike Show (Ride and Drive Clean) at Mill Valley Middle School Ride and Drive Clean will be facilitating an EV and Ebike Show at the same time next door at the Mill Valley Middle School. The New Wheel will be providing Ebike test rides
4/21, 11 am – 2 pm – Earth Day Mill Valley at Mill Valley Community Center Earth Day Mill Valley is a family-friendly event, featuring fun activities and green exhibits for all ages, in a beautiful outdoor setting. Dozens of booths hosted by environmental and community groups will help participants build a more just and sustainable world. You will learn about living sustainably, using clean energy and transportation, greening up your home and garden, eating healthy food, protecting nature, and building resilient communities.
4/27, 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Earth Day at Marin City Library. We’ll make recycled planters, seed bombs, and micro-composters, enjoy an Earth Day story, and learn small and large ways to make a difference.
5/2, 8 am -5 pm – The 2024 Zero Waste Symposium will be held Thursday, with a happy hour to follow. Learn about reuse, recycling, redesigning, and rethinking our waste systems locally and cutting-edge information in this space. Save your seat at: www.zerowastenorthbay.org. See the launch of their Spring Campaign focused on food waste.
Paul Mann and Jenna Payne, his fiancé, were living through the triple whammy of Covid lock-down, drought and wildfires when they started reconsidering their water use. First came the outdoor shower to go along with their hot tub. Paul used an on-demand hot water heater for the shower and repurposed its gray water for their vegetable and herb garden. Then they decided to capture the rains (once the drought broke) with three 1000-gallon rain barrels. “All of a sudden we could [water] our whole fruit orchard, as well as the plants,” he said.
Next they added two more gray water systems and had enough ‘extra’ water for their neighbor. The result was a reduction of their annual water usage by 63-70%. From 507 gallons/day to 190 gallons/day for 8 people – that’s 23 gallons per person! Not bad for do-it-yourself home improvements. Over time they integrated a Flume leak detection system and an irrigation controller. “We didn’t have to change anything in our behavior,” he noted, “You don’t have to give up the luxury of water.”
They were so thrilled with their results that they decided to take it on the road and founded
Water Champions. Since then, they have been helping others by designing water systems and providing guidance in navigating the water use rebates at state and local levels.
Marin County provides up to $1000 rebates for rainwater harvesting and other incentive programs.
They have great tips and rebates for water efficiency devices. Homeowners can enjoy kickbacks of up to $125 on laundry-to-landscape systems, which cost an average $500 to buy and install, but if you do it yourself it costs less than $100 in parts and a little of your time.
The County also offers discounts on Flume detectors and a new program that helps people calculate their indoor usage on2 Columnline. They also have discounts on Flume detectors and a new program that helps people calculate their indoor usage inline with Marin Water.
Sonoma County also has a robust incentive program. “Sonoma is quite revolutionary for the country,” Paul remarked. “It is one of the leaders in the US for policy and rebates.” Sonoma partners with the Goldridge Resource Conservation District, which has landed State water grants for incentives in rural West Sonoma. Paul went on to point out that Sonoma County offers rebates of up to $5000 for rainwater harvesting, for those who live off Salmon Creek. Participants in the program receive 2 free 5000-gallon catchment tanks, the rebate, plus the free design schema – worth about $2500. Participants are also provided with a list of approved installers who provide free estimates.
Paul believes, “We need policies that require new construction and remodels to have alternative sources of water. Along with policies, we need rebates and incentives that are greater than what we have now. We need to make it affordable. There is federal and state money that municipalities can apply for. But it has to become a priority; not just during droughts. Water conservation needs to be a mandate and a mantra.”
They also both are expanding their Water Literacy Services with the launch of a new venture called Nova Academy, where they are teaching an on-line course on how to sell, design, and install these solutions.
Fun fact: the 3 in Water Champions phone number (above) stands for: 1 – gray water, 2 – rainwater and 3 – storm water (permaculture).
ACTION: KEEP SOLAR AFFORDABLE – FROM SOLAR RIGHTS ALLIANCE
Last year, the California Public Utilities Commission approved PG&E’s request to reduce net metering – the amount of money that rooftop solar owners could earn by selling back the energy generated. This led to a plummet in annual rooftop solar installations across the state. PG&E also wants to make it difficult for apartment owners and schools to put in rooftop solar. A rash of bills are now before the legislature to remedy these moves. Marin County’s own assemblyman, Damon Connelly has introduced a bill that would ban solar taxes and require the CPUC to revise their net metering decision to align with the state’s actual clean energy goals.
Legislation being introduced in 2024:
>AB 1999 (Irwin) would stop the big Utility Tax by capping it at $10/month and prohibiting it from rising any faster than inflation.
>AB 2619 (Connolly) would ban solar taxes and require the CPUC to revise their net metering decision to align with the state’s actual clean energy goals SB 1374 (Becker) would restore the right of renters, farmers, and schools to make and consume their own solar energy, a right that the state took away from these folks last year.
>AB 2256 (Friedman) would require the CPUC to include all the benefits of rooftop solar when deciding how much credit solar users get.
>AB 2054 (Bauer-Kahan) would ban former CPUC commissioners from being employed by the companies they regulate for ten years after their term ends. SB 938 (Min) would prohibit private utilities from lobbying with ratepayer funds.
>AB 3118 (Wallis) would make rooftop solar the “official state energy” of California.
This article has details about each bill. Contact your legislators here.
DONATE TO WENDI’S CLIMATE WALK – SHE’S WALKING TO THE END OF THE EARTH TO SAVE THE EARTH
Many of you know that I have done a number of Climate Rides to fundraise for Sustainable Marin and Safe Routes to Schools. This Spring I am launching a Climate Walk to raise funds for Sustainable Marin.
I will be walking 65 miles along the final route of the Spanish Camino. Last year I walked 100 miles along the coastal Camino, ending at the church in Santiago. But that is actually not the end of the Camino.
The route continues on to Finesterre – translated to the End of the Earth.
Wendi Kallins, President Sustainable Marin (right) and friend Deva Smith (left)
In pre-Christian times, they believed that this was actually the end of the earth as they would gaze out at the horizon and see a drop off. “Thar be Dragons thar.”
Today we face our own dragons as we gaze into the future and see what Climate Change would wrought if we don’t change our ways.
Sustainable Marin’s mission is to make Marin County more sustainable by catalyzing local climate-based non-profits, conveying and discovering and enacting sustainable best practices within communities, collaborating with town and city government councils and empowering citizens to participate in establishing sustainable policies.
SM does this by developing and supporting Sustainable Chapters and by providing fiscal sponsorship and technical and operational support to aligned individuals, projects, programs and organizations that recognize themselves in this mission – prioritizing social, environmental, and economic justice.
Your donation supports Sustainable Marin’s ongoing efforts. As for the Camino walk, I am financing the trip myself, so 100% of your tax-deductible donations go to Sustainable Marin and the chapters and projects SM fosters.
Thank you, in advance, for your generous contribution! Every bit counts!
With gratitude,
Wendi Kallins, President Sustainable Marin
IN THE NEWS:
FEDERAL COURT OVERTURNS BERKELEY GAS BAN – WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
A three-judge panel of the federal appeals court struck down Berkeley’s ordinance in April, agreeing with California restaurant owners that the city overstepped the federal Energy and Policy Conservation Act when it passed the ban in 2019.
The decision led other jurisdictions in the region to reconsider their own building electrification rules to avoid legal threats, with Eugene, Oregon, reversing its gas ban altogether and Washington state changing recently adopted building codes that would have mandated electric heat pumps in new buildings. Some building electrification advocates worried the court’s decision would chill decarbonization efforts as local and state governments face down lawsuits often led by the well-funded gas industry.
There are a variety of policy options right now. The Statewide Codes and Standards Team put on a great presentation September last year regarding the history of Reach Codes and approaches moving forward.
At the state level, there are a number of efforts underway to strongly encourage or require zero-emission buildings.
a. On November 3, the CEC released its draft express terms for the 2025 Building Code setting heat pump space and water heating as the new construction baseline in single and multi-family buildings. The proposal also requires heat pumps when an AC is replaced in all Climate Zones, sized to meet the larger of the heating or cooling load, unless a panel upgrade is required or it increases the load by 1 ton or more.
b. As a direct result of local leaders’ efforts calling on the Governor to support a zero-emission building code, CARB is recommending mandatory zero-emission residential new construction standards in the 2024 triennial CALGreen code cycle. (California Air Resources Board)
Sustainable Marin is partnering with 350Marin in tracking Climate Action Plans throughout the county and developing policy initiatives. 350Marin will be monitoring the CAPs and recommending policies. Sustainable Marin is building a network of volunteers to write letters and show up at hearings in support of those policies. SM is also recruiting team leaders in every community to help to organize these volunteer networks in their respective communities, for this effort.
Marin County’s Sustainability Team has an interactive map that shows how your town is doing overall, by category: Energy, Transportation, Waste and Water. Check out how your town measures up by visiting: Marin County Sustainability Team Tracker.
IN THE NEWS:
Painted Bins Wins Community Service Award from California Parks and Recreation Society
On Saturday, February 10th the California Parks and Recreation Society recognized Kathy Huber their Community Service Award for her coordination of the Painted Bins Project in Corte Madera.
Painted Bins is an initiative that uses children’s art to create awareness, while information retrieved through QR codes informs the public about the importance of diverting food waste from the landfill. More information can be found here.
Painted Bins are generating wonderful proactive ecological literacy momentum since they initially launched the program in Neil Cummins Elementary School in Corte Madera in Spring 2022.
This year’s goal is to have the program adopted by:
>11 Schools, where they project that 600 students will have created Painted Bins posters since the program inception,
>4 Marin County communities with 18 compost bins installed,
>AND, Painted Bins will hold 4 Art Shows Receptions to celebrate the student artists, schools, families and communities.
Remember to RSVP by April 4, 2024 to get tickets to attend TRASH BASH, the Painted Bins’ Fundraiser to celebrate the student artists.
Join a Climate Action Workshop and become part of the solution to create a greener and more sustainable future. Resilient Neighborhoods offers this online workshop to residents of Marin who want to connect with others to learn practical and affordable ways to make a positive impact on the planet and build resilience in their homes and communities.
You and your climate action team will learn how to make smarter shopping choices, reduce waste, conserve water and energy, switch to renewable energy sources, save money on utility bills, and prepare for climate-related emergencies. The workshop is free of charge and meets virtually five times over ten weeks.
More than 2,000 people in Marin have already reduced over 13 million pounds of CO2 emissions through the program! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to make a difference. Choose from workshops starting on March 28 or April 3. Sign up today at www.resilientneighborhoods.org and be part of a global effort to create a cleaner and healthier planet.
Tuesday, Mar 12 – 5:30pm – 7:30pm – The Bioneers at Marin Green Drinks at Lotus Cuisine of India 812 4th St, San Rafael. Guest speakers are Nazshonnii Brown-Almaweri and Genie Cartier who will be talking about the upcoming 35th Annual Bioneers Conference! (map) – (Register)
Wednesday, March 20, 5 – 6pm (Online)
– EV 102: New EV Owner Workshop presented by Ride and Drive Clean – Do a deep dive on charging, help you plan an EV road trip, and review incentives. Join us and we’ll help make your transition to driving electric smooth sailing – (Register)
Thursday, March 21, 12pm – 1pm (Online)
– New Sustainability Rules and Responsibilities: How Businesses Can Thrive in a Shifting World presented by Microsoft – (Register)
Tuesday, March 26 – 4 – 5:15pm
– Multisolving: Actions that protect the climate while improving health, equity, and biodiversity at the same time. Presented by Elders Climate Action – (Register)
Wednesday, March 27, 5:30 – 7pm (Online)
– Mariner Cover Workshop hosted by the Town of Corte Madera for residents to discuss shoreline vulnerabilities and better understand residents’ concerns and priorities – (Zoom Meeting Link)
Wednesday, March 27, 4pm – 5pm (Online)
– Our Climate & Democracy Are at Stake: How We’ll Win the 2024 Election presented by Food & Water Watch – (Register)
Wednesday, April 3, 4-5pm (Online)
– Better Banking, Presented by Green America. Learn about Wall Street’s role in the climate crisis, your bank account’s carbon footprint, identifying fossil fuel investments, finding community-minded banks, and switching institutions, with speakers Rev. Amy Brooks Paradise, Leigh Evans, and a surprise guest urging moral financial choices – (Register)
Sunday, April 21 – 11am-2pm – Earth Day Mill Valley – Mill Valley Community Center – (Directions)
Greetings Friends! You are invited to engage! Do you ask yourself: “What can I do to combat climate change?” Here’s some good news: There is plenty you can do!
Sustainable Marin is the environmental guardian of Marin County.
These programs provide activities, events and education to empower communities to take action aligned with living more sustainably.
Sustainable Marin’s monthly newsletter is to showcase ideas for what you can enact today.
You’ll also find real-life stories of how your neighbors are already enacting sustainable adjustments that you, too, can make in your daily life, in your community and in your town.
If you are a Marin County resident who wants to be more actively involved with Sustainable Marin, please sign up to participate in our Climate Rapid Response Network or reach out to learn how to create your own local chapter – one powerful step you can take to activate your town to collaboratively influence local policy to reduce your town’s carbon footprint.
If you aren’t already, please Subscribe to Sustainable Marin’s Newsletter. You can help Sustainable Marin expand its reach by remembering to share this newsletter with your social groups and neighbors and encouraging them to subscribe and share, as well! Together, we CAN make a difference.
Of course, you can also help Sustainable Marin continue its important work of enabling Marin County to take its place as a leader in Sustainable Living by making your tax-deductible contribution here!
MEREDITH SIMPSON’S RESILIENT NEIGHBORHOOD STORY
Lose 13 Pounds (of Carbon Emissions) in 6 Weeks
Meredith Simpson is a licensed family therapist and single mom. While she always had an interest in taking care of the earth, she didn’t know what she could do. Then a friend recommended that she take the Resilient Neighborhoods workshop.
She was inspired, not just because it might provide her with some tools but also because it was a way to bond with her teenage daughter, Katelyn, who was getting ready to go to college and was interested in environmental studies and climate change. “I saw it as a really cool way to connect with her, and do the program together,” she said.
Meredith couldn’t have been happier. “The trainings were really informative. The instruction, over Zoom, was well paced and easy to attend. All the people in the group shared lots of ideas; simple, easy ways they were able to be greener at home.”
Meredith learned about composting – something she had never done before. One participant gave the group this tip: Put your compost bin in the freezer so it doesn’t smell or take up room on your counter.
“We also learned about proper recycling,” she added.
“I thought I was recycling but I was not doing it properly. I learned what can and cannot be recycled. This changed how I buy products in the store. Now I choose things that have minimal waste.”
Each week the families set small, achievable goals to minimize carbon emissions in their households to conserve energy. The workshop provided options which made it all easy.
“I learned a lot about food consumption and waste. We used to eat chicken or meat every night. We switched to two days a week to be vegetarian.” Now we are primarily vegetarian with a little chicken or meat. We really changed our food consumption habits. Through another participant Meredith found out about Imperfect Foods, an online store that delivers fresh, organic food that wouldn’t sell in the grocery store, as it is slightly damaged, but is otherwise good. “We get a box once a week. It’s fresh, healthy and you choose what goes in the box,” she explains. “It’s farmers market type produce that would normally go to waste. So not only do we get great food, but we’re keeping it out of the land fill.”
{Note: According to Drawdown Paul Hawkin’s book that evaluates different strategies for reducing carbon emissions worldwide, reducing food waste is ranked as #3 reducing 71 gigatons of CO2}
At the end of the class the group set a 6-month future goal of what they wanted to work on; recognizing that some things take time. Meredith’s first goal was to replace her 20-year-old gas furnace. “My PG&E bill was ridiculously high. I replaced my furnace with a heat pump system and also installed attic insulation. I have had the coziest winter ever. I didn’t even know what a heat pump was. Now I’m on the electric plan and I reduced my bill
significantly.” Her thermostat is now set on a timer so it goes on when it is needed.
Resilient Neighborhoods equips their graduates with great resources such as companies like Quit Carbon, which makes recommendations about rebates and credits. Quit Carbon provides an online toolkit that you can use to claim your carbon tax credits and rebates.
Meredith made it her 6-month goal to replace her gas heater. She and her daughter reduced 13 pounds of carbon in their home over 6 weeks. She has more plans, as well. “As soon as my [current] car goes, I’ll replace it with a Prius or an electric vehicle. I’m also looking into a heat-pump water heater and potentially [going] solar.”
Her enthusiasm for the program is infectious. Meredith donates to the program and recommends it to all her friends. “In just six weeks, this easy, free class will teach you how to make a significant impact [positive] on climate change.”
I live in an older home built in the late fifties. Needless to say, it lacks the energy efficiency of newer homes. As a low-income senior, I have to choose wisely if I am to reduce my carbon consumption and also my energy bills. The first step was to get an energy audit. I got this free through the Bay Area Regional Energy Network or BayRen.
A local certified inspector inspected my home and then sent me a score. My house scored a 2 out of 10 – way below average. Not the example I want to give as President of Sustainable Marin. But even with that information, I still didn’t know where to start.
Fortunately, Sustainable Marin board member, Peter Waring is an energy specialist by trade and gave me some specific recommendations: what to do first that would give me the biggest bang for my buck. That was roof insulation. Without an attic, that meant replacing my roof. “But, but, my roof doesn’t leak!” I thought. The gods decided otherwise. My roof started leaking for the first time with the first rains. A sign! I’m now embarking on getting my new roof with insulation.
The next step will be replacing my furnace with a heat pump system. With the rebates, I’ll get the heat pump almost for free!
Want to find out how to get an energy audit? Check out Green Change’s page on Energy Audits. There you will find a step by step process – with recommendations – for who you can call to get started.
The Green Change Program is sponsored by Sustainable Marin.
GREEN HOME TOURS NEEDS VOLUNTEERS
The Marin Green Home Tour had a successful second season, touring six Marin homes that demonstrate creative and cost-effective energy and water efficiency solutions, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and improve local resilience. The video tours were showcased in a 2.5-hour Zoom event on October 26, 2023 that included presentations by experts on resources and rebates available to begin home electrification upgrades.
The tours showcased a range of innovative green building and landscape improvements including new homes, major and incremental remodels, as well as low cost, low-tech, do-it-yourself solutions for both homeowners and renters.
The Marin Green Home Tour website (MarinGreenHomeTour.org) has both the 2022 and 2023 tours posted and so far, has been visited by over 6,000 viewers.
To preregister for the 2024 Marin Green Home Tour which will take place in October, visit MarinGreenHomeTour.org.
The Marin Green Home Tour coordinating committee is in need of volunteers.
If you would like to be part of the planning for the 2024 Tour or if you know of any homes that you think would be suitable for the Tour, please email Bob Brown at sustainablebob@gmail.com.
Marin Green Home Tour is a project of Sustainable Marin.
IN THE NEWS:
FEDERAL COURT OVERTURNS BERKELEY GAS BAN – WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
A three-judge panel of the federal appeals court struck down Berkeley’s ordinance in April, agreeing with California restaurant owners that the city overstepped the federal Energy and Policy Conservation Act when it passed the ban in 2019.
The decision led other jurisdictions in the region to reconsider their own building electrification rules to avoid legal threats, with Eugene, Oregon, reversing its gas ban altogether and Washington state changing recently adopted building codes that would have mandated electric heat pumps in new buildings. Some building electrification advocates worried the court’s decision would chill decarbonization efforts as local and state governments face down lawsuits often led by the well-funded gas industry.
There are a variety of policy options right now. The Statewide Codes and Standards Team put on a great presentation September last year regarding the history of Reach Codes and approaches moving forward.
At the state level, there are a number of efforts underway to strongly encourage or require zero-emission buildings.
a. On November 3, the CEC released its draft express terms for the 2025 Building Code setting heat pump space and water heating as the new construction baseline in single and multi-family buildings. The proposal also requires heat pumps when an AC is replaced in all Climate Zones, sized to meet the larger of the heating or cooling load, unless a panel upgrade is required or it increases the load by 1 ton or more.
b. As a direct result of local leaders’ efforts calling on the Governor to support a zero-emission building code, CARB is recommending mandatory zero-emission residential new construction standards in the 2024 triennial CALGreen code cycle. (California Air Resources Board)
CALIFORNIA’S NEW LAW: COMPANIES NEED TO INTEGRATE CLIMATE REPORTING
California has enacted the first mandatory Climate Corporate Accountability Act, compelling companies to disclose and report their emissions – (Watch Video HERE).
California’s new climate disclosurelaws, coming into force in 2026, have put companies in the state under pressure to ensure they have clear accountability roles for climate reporting and create cross-functional teams within their finance, legal, and other units. Perhaps the greatest challenge will come in meeting Scope 3 reporting requirements, experts said.
The State will now have to fend off a lawsuit from agriculture and business interests.
