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There will be presentations from local sustainability experts, including Recology, Silicon Valley Clean Energy, the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition, and the Climate Reality Project. You can also stop by a variety of sustainability booths to learn more about the many ways you can take action to help the Earth and support environmental justice. In addition, food trucks will be providing a free vegetarian/vegan lunch for the first 215 people who check in at the event.

Best of all, the event will offer attendees the chance to experience firsthand the excitement of driving an EV! There will be a number of models available to try out for a free test drive, as well as EV experts to answer any questions you may have.

You can register for the event, including EV test drive registrations, at MountainView.Gov/EarthDay2022. Registration is requested but not required.

EV drivers in Mountain View will soon have access to 41 additional EV charging ports downtown, including a new Level 3 fast charger! This will make a total of 68, city-owned ports available in Mountain View.

This spring, the City will be installing new EV chargers downtown and replacing several of the City’s older chargers. In March, the 10 Chargepoint ports at the 850 California Street Parking Structure (where CVS is) and 8 Chargepoint ports at the Civic Center Garage were replaced with PowerFlex units…and we even added 6 more ports at the Civic Center Garage while we were at it!

Beginning soon, the City will install 10 new Level 2 EV charging ports at the 135 Bryant Street Parking Structure (by the train tracks), and then 24 new Level 2 ports and 1 Level 3 DC fast charger at the 850 California Street Parking Structure, with all new units being PowerFlex. Keep an eye on our newsletter for more updates as the installations are completed.

Please join us for the next Council Sustainability Committee meeting, which will be held virtually on Zoom on Tuesday, April 19 at 6:30pm. Keep an eye on our newsletter for more details. The meeting will cover the following topics:

• 2022 Building Electrification and EV Infrastructure Reach Codes Update

• Target Date for Carbon Neutrality

Instructions for how to attend the meeting and staff memos can be found in the agenda packet, which will be posted under the event on the City calendar here at least 3 business days before the meeting. You can learn more about the Sustainability Committee here.

Last summer, we kicked off our plant-based eating program focused on promoting healthy and ethical food choices, supporting equitable access to healthy food, and spreading awareness about the positive health and environmental impacts of a plant-based diet.

One of the central goals of this program is to show that eating plant-based is a delicious, healthy, and affordable option. A balanced plant-based diet offers all of the necessary protein, vitamins, and minerals for optimal health. It has also been shown to support overall health and decrease the risk for coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Plus, there are countless delicious, simple, and free recipes for plant-based dishes available online.

April Tip: Find pre-vetted recipes to try. There’s no shortage of great plant-based cookbooks and free online resources for those looking to try new recipes. Check out a plant-based cookbook from the Mountain View Library or try out a new online recipe. A few places to start include Acterra’s Meatless Alphabet, Zero Waste Chef Recipe Index, and Minimalist Baker.

My Water Pledge is a fun, free water conservation challenge happening from April 1st - 30th. The challenge is a friendly competition among cities across the U.S. to see who can be the most water-wise. Residents who take the pledge will have an opportunity to win a variety of prizes, including 30 different daily prizes, $3,000 for your home utilities, and a Toyota Highlander Hybrid for your favorite Mountain View charity.

Learn more and take the pledge here.

For ideas on how to save water, visit MountainView.Gov/SaveWater.

Spring is just around the corner, which means so is Ride & Drive Clean Bay Area’s EV Discount Campaign. Drive Clean Bay Area is a nonprofit collaboration organizing a limited-time savings event with discounted pricing on various new battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Sign up to be notified when this spring’s Discount Campaign launches and the discount vehicles are announced!

Do you know a high school student interested in what a clean energy future would look like? Silicon Valley Clean Energy is providing $20,000 in scholarships for students as part of the second EmPower Silicon Valley Youth Short-Film Competition!

Through a short-film, local youth are invited to explore what a climate-friendly, clean energy world would look like and how we will get there. No film experience or prior climate change knowledge is necessary. Learn more about the competition and sign up for updates at SVCleanEnergy.org/Empower-SV. ­

The deadline to submit is May 2, 2022.

The eHub features information on how change starts with clean electricity, how driving electric is the biggest single action you can take to stop pollution while saving money, and how you can improve your indoor air quality at home with efficient, electric appliances. Visit the new eHub here.

Join Acterra for the first workshop of their Spring 2022 Green@Home series. The workshop will feature guest speaker Sudhanshu Jain, a renewable energy expert and Santa Clara City Council member. You will learn why an advanced electric heat pump water heater is a cleaner, safer, and more efficient alternative than a gas heater. Jain will also share the latest updates on why the increasing number of consumer rebates makes it a perfect time to retrofit now, as well as how to find the right contractor. Register for the workshop here.

Join Canopy for the first arborist-led group tour of the new La Plaza Tree Walk route! Learn about a variety of tree species including the Liquidambar, Blue Gum Eucalyptus, Camphor, and more. The walk will begin in the supplemental parking lot for the La Plaza Market, 40 S. Rengstorff Ave., Mountain View. Learn more and RSVP for the walk here.

Interested in learning how to make the Bay Area more resilient to climate change? The Greenbelt Alliance, a local nonprofit, created a comprehensive guide for residents, community groups, and local government officials to learn about climate smart policies and take action to implement them. Check out their Resilience Playbook here.

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