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In This Issue
- Marin Green Home Tours Goes Live
- Resilient Neighborhoods September Workshops
- Painted Bins Wraps up the School Year
- Free Energy Efficiency Upgrades for Low Income Homeowners
- Time to Lead on Climate Summary and Video
- Go Plastic Free
- Get Your EV Now Before the Rebates Run Out
- Rooftop Solar Wins
- Get Motivated with Al Gore
- Free Help for Clean Energy Behavioral Change Strategies
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The Marin Green Home Tour 2025 is GOING LIVE on September 27! By that we mean we’re returning to on-site home tours with real, live homeowners to ask your many questions and get wise, experience-based tips on greening your home. We’ve had three years of successful on-line video tours, which are fascinating and available at: https://www.maringreenhometour.org/.
For those of you who have done some home electrification or have interesting water conservation features, we’d love to have your home join the tour. Please contact Mark Chhabria at Marin County (Mark.Chhabria@marincounty.gov).
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Free Online Climate Action Workshops
Choose from two workshops, starting on Thursday, September 11, or Wednesday, September 17. Sign up for a workshop today at http://tinyurl.com/RNProgram
Your neighbors are taking climate action! Join the 2,000+ Marin residents who have participated in the Resilient Neighborhoods workshop to reduce their carbon footprint, save money, and make our community safer. In this free online workshop, you’ll meet lots of like-minded neighbors, get a personalized Climate Action Plan, and even receive years of free support to make your plans a reality. As one Marin resident said after taking the program: “I remember all the great things I learned during our class! Every little bit counts… and it does have a lasting impact.” Sign up for one of our fall teams today at http://tinyurl.com/RNProgram — and be a part of the positive change! 💪💚
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Painted Bins ended the 2024-45 school year with over 300 students in 9 Southern Marin elementary and middle schools participating in our arts-based environmental education program. Guided by a school champion, they learned about the importance of sorting waste and keeping it from the landfill, and how visual arts can be used to educate others. The environmental stewards created impactful posters that were displayed in 4 local art shows visited by nearly 400 people who learned how waste reduction helps take care of the earth. An independent jury selected 61 of the posters for display this fall on 33 Painted Bins in the public areas of 5 Marin communities (Belvedere, Corte Madera, Mill Valley, Larkspur and Tiburon). The bins are projected to divert an estimated 8.5 tons of food waste from the landfill each year. | | | | |
The Marin County Sustainability Team is part of the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN), which is launching a new single-family home energy efficiency program called Efficiency and Sustainable Energy (EASE) Home.
The EASE Home program provides comprehensive, start to finish installation of energy efficiency measures for single-family homes that are cost covered by the program at 80%; qualifying homeowners will only be responsible for an up to $1,000 co-pay.
In addition, the program provides direct install and fixed pricing for appliance upgrades while applying all available third-party incentive programs. Eligible appliances and upgrades include heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, heat pump dryers, induction cooking, and electrical upgrades.
If you are in need of insulation and weatherization upgrades to your home, have additional appliances on your list to electrify, and you meet the income qualifications of the program, we encourage you to look into this opportunity.
Sign up on our Interest Form to get started.
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If you missed the dynamic forum of Defeating Washington's Assault on Climate, a Time to Lead on Climate event that took place on May 12, 2025. Here is the summary which includes a quick re-cap of the event, list of actions and takeaways, and this link to the full video.
The situation in Washington remains dynamic and deteriorates daily. Our Congressman and the other panel members are available to work with us to sustain and grow the climate leadership that the current crisis demands.
We welcome your ideas and comments at leadonclimate@gmail.com.
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Visit plasticfreemarin.org — redesigned to be cleaner, easier to navigate, and more inspiring for anyone ready to take action to reduce plastic pollution in our bodies and the environment.
We’re also excited to kick off a monthly newsletter in September —your go-to source for local updates, inspiring stories, zero-waste tips, and ways to get involved. It’s all about growing our Plastic Free Marin community and amplifying the movement for a healthier, plastic-free future.
Our current focus remains the same: driving behavior change through education and action. We’re continuing to focus on Bring Your Own (BYO) and Reuse empowering individuals, businesses, and neighborhoods to shift away from disposables and toward lasting solutions.
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Thiking about going electric? Now's the time. The federal Clean Vehicle Credit can save you $7,500 on a new electric vehicle and up to $4,000 o a used EV or plug in Hybrid. But these credits run out in September 30th.
Ride and Drive Clean can help you navigate the process
See upcoming webinars
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Actions
subscribe to Weekly Climate Actions HERE
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Solar Success
AB 942 would have broken 2 million rooftop solar contracts and punished solar users just for putting panels on their roof. The State Senate voted to protect solar users from these threats.
What they took out: Everything in the original bill that specifically targets or discriminates against rooftop solar consumers, including the part that falsely blamed your solar for high rates.
What they put in: A new rule saying that households with an annual electricity bill that is less than $300 will not get the annual "California Climate Credit." Most people will not be affected by this change because everyone will be paying a "Utility Tax" of about $300/yr starting in 2026 just to be connected to the grid.
Bottom line: your solar contract is safe, and AB 942 no longer targets people just because they have solar panels.
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Why climate action is unstoppable —
and "climate realism" is a myth.
“In this urgent and hard-hitting talk, Nobel Laureate Al Gore thoroughly dismantles the fossil fuel industry’s narrative of "climate realism," contrasting their misleading claims with the remarkable advancements in renewable energy. Drawing on data showing clear signs of progress across the world, Gore reminds us of what our most valuable resource actually is” HERE
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No-Cost Behavioral Science Assistance
If you are running an energy program in the United States and need free behavioral science advice, you might consider working with the BEARhub. BEAR stands for Behavior, Energy, Action, and Research. The BEARhub applies behavioral science knowledge to enhance energy program success in three key areas: transportation, buildings, and industry.
Whether you are aiming to boost program participation, increase heat pump adoption, reduce single-occupancy vehicle travel, or shift how people engage with your program, the BEARhub can help you achieve success. The type of support that is offered can range from a few targeted recommendations to a 4- to 6-month collaboration.
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