The Ojai Valley Green Coalition depends on your financial support TODAY to keep the great work going that you read about every month in this newsletter. If you can contribute by the January deadline, every dollar will be doubled up to $10,000! That's funds to be used to further a green, sustainable and resilient Ojai Valley for all of us now and in the future. Every penny will be used wisely. . . that's a promise.

• Invest with a monthly membership donation as low as $10.
• Join as an annual member starting at $35 a year or add a year-end gift.
• Give a gift membership.

For a $40 donation we'll send family members, friends, and colleagues a Holiday Tree Card made of 100% recycled, post-consumer card-stock.

Making the Connection
between Water and Energy

Reprinted from Energy.gov

Every morning when you wake up, you head to the bathroom to take a shower and brush your teeth, start a pot of coffee, or fill up your reusable water bottle and head to the gym. Whatever you do it is likely you are consuming one of the earth's most precious resources: water.

Chances are that at some point in your life someone has told you not to waste water, but it's likely that you have never stopped to consider how much energy it takes for you to be able to use that water, how much water is used to produce energy, or the interaction between our energy and water systems.

Climate change is now affecting every region of the country, according to a 2014 U.S. National Climate Assessment. Water scarcity is becoming more of a reality as the population grows and climate change amplifies the need to manage water and energy systems. In 2014, the Energy Department released The Water-Energy Nexus: Challenges and Opportunities, a report that gives an in-depth look at how water is used for energy and how energy is used for water.

The bottom line is this: each American uses approximately 80-100 gallons of water every day. According to the Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey Water Science School, taking a shower uses approximately two gallons of water per minute, and older shower heads can use as much as five gallons per minute. A toilet flush uses around three gallons, outdoor watering uses 5 to 10 gallons per minute, and washing a load of clothes takes 25 gallons or more. Bearing in mind these figures for everyday water use, we can begin to consider ways to limit consumption.

to read more click here.

SoCalGas Advisory:

A Voluntary Call to Action
for Customers

Speaking of energy - every winter the demand for natural gas increases as we heat our homes and businesses. This winter The Gas Co. is facing limited availability of natural gas locally, and is asking all Southern Californians to work together and help conserve natural gas on certain days.

We're guessing you're already doing most of this, but if a SoCalGas Advisory is called, you can help by lowering your thermostat to 68 degrees, waiting a day to use major natural gas appliances and washing with cold water when possible. Sign-up for the alert here.

Thank you.

p.s. The Coalition just wrapped up its 2016 SoCalGas funding which was used to forward a water conservation message and get a serious discussion going on our water situation and options. You can read the report here.

Stewart Canyon Creek Project
Entices with Pizza*!

Our long time creek restoration partner, the C.R.E.W. has recently received a grant from the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project to continue their efforts of restoring Stewart Canyon Creek.

	March 10, 2012 Creek Restoration Work Day

In this phase, the C.R.E.W. will be removing concrete barriers along the creek's path to restore the flow of the creek. These concrete structures have created barriers for the upstream migration of Steelhead Trout, Red Legged Frog and other aquatic species. In addition to the concrete removal, they are installing baffles along several of the stream's culverts, which will enhance the flow of the stream.

If you have an interest in helping with the concrete removal, debris clean-up and/or invasive plants removal in this phase of the project, please contact Sarah Termondt. Sarah is the volunteer coordinator for this grant and can be reached at [email protected].

Meet in the lower parking lot of Libbey Park off Montgomery St. on Saturday, December 10. Event starts at 8am and goes to 11:30am.

*Oh, and there will be pizza afterwards to reward your hard work!