El Camino Real is an important transportation corridor connecting businesses and multi-family developments with freeways, neighborhood streets, and transit. Additionally, El Camino Real is the highest injury corridor in Mountain View, with bicyclists and pedestrians making up more than half of all severe or fatal crashes. El Camino Real is also soon to be resurfaced, presenting an opportunity to rethink and reorient the roadway to promote cleaner, healthier, greener bicycle and pedestrian travel.
The 2019 El Camino Real Streetscape Plan called for protected bikeways, thereby increasing safety for bicycles and pedestrians. However, protected bikeways will require parking removal. Parking is mostly not used or not allowed on El Camino. From Castro Street to the western city limit, only 310 feet had less off-street parking available than cars parked along the street. These areas with “parking issues” represent 3.5 percent of the total curb space. The conversion of parking to protected bikeways has already been approved along El Camino from Sylvan Avenue to Castro Street. However, parking removal can be impactful upon residents and business owners that front El Camino Real. For these reasons, the City wants to know what you think!
Should parking be converted to protected bikeways along El Camino Real from Castro Street to Mountain View’s western city limit? Head to www.MountainView.gov/AccessMV to take a short survey.
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Start 2022 off right with a fresh commitment to making your community and the planet a better place. The City of Mountain View is re-launching a program for residents, and we’d love your participation. The Cool Block program focuses on three main themes: community building, sustainability, and disaster preparation and resilience.
If you’re interested in any of these topics, please join us for an information session on October 16, 19, or 25 to learn more about the program and how to get involved. (The sessions may be virtual depending on the situation with COVID-19.) Over about 5 months, Cool Block consists of 8 meetings to get to know your immediate neighbors, discuss a variety of topics, work on actions together, ask questions, and share your successes.
Register for one of the October information sessions here.
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The County of Santa Clara is embarking on the process of creating a Climate Roadmap 2030 that will outline actions the County and partners will take to combat climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create an environment to enhance natural resources and habitat, improve community health and well-being, and build financial security and prosperity for all.
They want to hear from you! Visit the virtual visioning board to share your vision for a climate-friendly Santa Clara County. You can post ideas, pictures, comments, and more. To share your ideas, visit tinyurl.com/SCCvirtualboard.
You can also visit the project website to view the recently completed Countywide and Unincorporated County Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Forecast, sign up for updates, and learn about future engagement opportunities: www.sccgov.org/climateroadmap.
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Call for Sustainability Champions |
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Have you done something creative with sustainability that you would like to share? Have you started a garden or found new ways to reuse old objects? Have you tried a new plant-based recipe or started biking instead of driving? Share these stories with us to be featured as a Sustainability Champion! Email [email protected] with a picture of yourself and your story. We look forward to hearing from you!
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Have you been looking for ways to retrofit your home to be more energy efficient? Do you think it’s come time for you to switch to all electric appliances, or get an electric vehicle? Look no further than this new guide by Redwood Energy, in collaboration with Menlo Spark and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. It’s a comprehensive guide on everything you need to know to make your home and vehicle a "Zero Emissions All-Electric" powerhouse! Read the guide here.
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Have you ever been curious about how energy consumption is distributed across the Bay Area? Are you interested in learning how energy is used across different demographics? Bay Area Renewable Energy Network (BayREN) has created a great tool, in partnership with UCLA, that breaks down energy consumption along residential income, building types, building sizes, and more! Check out this fascinating visualization here.
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SVCE Heat Pump Water Heater Rebates |
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Are you ready to electrify your home? SVCE is offering up to $2,000 in rebates to customers who replace their gas or electric resistance water heater with an efficient, electric heat pump version, decreasing harmful emissions in your home and community! View SVCE’s Heat Pump Water Heater Buyers Guide here.
An additional $3,000 in rebates is available for qualifying electric panel upgrades and income-qualified customers. Visit SVCE's website here to reserve your rebate.
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Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) has launched a free online resource to help Mountain View residents make easy, informed choices about switching to all-electric living.
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.
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Were you impacted by a Public Safety Power Shutoff this year? SVCE has launched a new program with Sunrun to help customers install solar and battery storage systems to prepare for future power outages. If you choose to enroll in Lights On Silicon Valley, you can get an up-front rebate of $1,250 by agreeing to share some battery energy with the electricity grid during peak times, and only when there isn’t an outage. This rebate is available on top of other rebates and tax credits!
With this program, you get access to backup power, reduce your energy costs, and help our community develop a clean-energy power grid. Win-win-win! Interested participants can sign up for more information here.
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Healthy Plate, Healthy Planet |
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Did you know that food is one of the largest contributors to the average Bay Area resident’s carbon footprint? Acterra, a local environmental non-profit, has launched its Healthy Plate, Healthy Planet program to help people reduce food waste and eat more plant-based meals. Learn about their online community, plant-forward challenge, upcoming events, and more here.
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Income qualified residents who own a model year 2004 or older vehicle can receive up to $9,500 to retire their old vehicle and purchase or lease a new or used electric vehicle. Funding is available for electric vehicle charging equipment as well. You can also get a pre-loaded Clipper card (up to $7,500) for turning in your old vehicle. Incentive options vary depending on income and zip code.
Check if you are eligible for the Clean Cars for All program and apply here.
For additional information about this program, please contact (855) 256-3656 or [email protected]. |
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Give your garden some much-needed nutrients with compost produced from local yard trimmings and is certified organic. Mountain View residents may pick up free, finished compost at the SMaRT Station (301 Carl Road in Sunnyvale) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. The limit is 96-gallons per week. Be sure to bring your own shovel and container! Available supply of compost can vary, so call 408-752-8530 before you visit. More information can be found here.
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The City is considering updates to our Food Service Ware Ordinance as part of continued implementation of the City’s Zero Waste Plan, and we want your input! The changes would include expanding the current ban on polystyrene foam foodware to certain other single-use plastic foodware items (e.g. cups, bowls, plates, containers and straws) generated by restaurants and other food providers. These items are not recyclable in our community and end up landfilled or littered in our streets and waterways. Visit MountainView.gov/Foodware for more information and to take our short survey.
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Have you ever wondered what to do with old towels or worn-out socks? Instead of throwing these items in the trash cart, there is now an easy and convenient option. Beginning July 1, residents with curbside cart service can put clean used clothing and textiles in a secured, clear plastic bag marked for donation on your regular weekly collection day. Items will be sorted for donation or recycling based on their condition. For more information about what types of items are accepted and how to place them out for collection, visit MountainView.gov/whatsnew. |
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Beginning August 1, appointments will no longer be required at the Recycling Buy-Back Center at 935 Terra Bella Avenue for the redemption of California Redemption Value (CRV) containers. Please do not visit the Buy-Back Center before August 1 unless you have a previously confirmed appointment, as all July appointment slots are full. Hours for the Buy-Back Center will be 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday. Residents should expect longer than usual wait times due to increased demand once the Center reopens. Masks and social distancing will still be required to enter the facility.
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The “Dirty Dozen” are 12 types of items that can mislead anyone trying to recycle right. These items seem recyclable, but actually contaminate the recycling process. Please keep these items out of your recycling cart.
Paper cups for coffee or tea have a waterproof barrier that prevents them from breaking down at a paper recycling mill. There is little recycling market demand for plastic cups for cold drinks because they don’t melt down well with other plastics. Plastic lids and straws are also not recyclable. “Compostable” plastic cups do not break down in the composting process used by the city, and should never be placed in the recycling as they contaminate other clear plastics. Please place paper cups in the compost/food scraps cart, and plastic cups, including “compostable” plastics, in the trash. Learn more about the Dirty Dozen here.
Santa Clara County has cancelled the August Household Hazardous Waste drop off event in Mountain View. The County still plans to hold drop-off events in Santa Clara (September) and Sunnyvale (October), but these events are subject to change or cancellation. Year-round you can visit the permanent Household Hazardous Waste drop-off facilities located in the San José area. The County expanded available days and hours at these facilities. Appointments are required for both options. Visit HHW.org or call 408-299-7300 to make an appointment at a permanent facility or for the upcoming drop-off events in nearby cities.
New Resource Guide Coming Soon!
Check your mailbox for our Summer 2021 Resource Guide, which will be mailed out to all residents soon. This guide has important information about trash, recycling, and compost service for Mountain View residents.
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More Virtual Activities + Resources |
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The City of Palo Alto Utilities put together some great guides on how to save energy in various home situations.
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