December Newsletter

The Green Earth Warriors, a summer team, was made up of 6 households that exceeded their goals and reduced 50,824 annual carbon pounds in the program! The households were comprised of 11 people from Corte Madera, Mill Valley, San Anselmo, and Tiburon.

The team utilized staff and workshop resources to take impactful actions. After learning how easy it was, Jack committed to getting an EV and eventually would like to "get off the grid" entirely! Sanna wants to get a home audit to get the ball rolling with the goal to replace all gas appliances with electric ones. Marie started the program with a very low carbon footprint, but still learned new actions to take- her hope is that more people will focus on what they can do for climate- "Our fearless leaders, Tamra and Jennifer, are fantastic!!" she said.

A couple of team members decided to take their action out into the community! Mary emailed Starbucks Headquarters and respectfully asked them to train baristas on how to mark a cup if a customer requests "no lid"! Her strategy was to engage them as a partner and ended the email to say "Together we can make the planet a better place."

Megan started Dogs Against Trash, a new Instagram account to get people to pick up trash while walking their dogs. “Follow” her, or post a picture of yourself picking up trash and tag @dogs_against_trash !

This team had some fun too. Jack started every meeting with a funny joke. For the last meeting, it was: "Did you hear the one about the claustrophobic astronaut? He just needed a little space.” 😅

It was a joy to work with this team- thanks to all for their hard work!

WINTER CLIMATE ACTION WORKSHOPS

There is still space available!

5 MEETINGS + CLIMATE ACTION = BIG IMPACT!

Resilient Neighborhoods Graduates:

Please share the winter schedule with your Marin friends, family & colleagues!

Here's what a few of our recent graduates had to say:

"Resilient Neighborhoods is the angel our planet needs! The wealth of information that is so well-maintained gives everyone the education and possibility to contribute in their own way to saving our planet. Everyone should be inspired to take this course and bless the coordinators for putting this together and offering it to us for free." -Cynthia Briggs, The WasteNots

"The workshop was amazingly well organized and presented a lot of information in a short amount of time. I feel much more hopeful and empowered in being able to make significant changes in the short and long term"

- Megan Vinson, Green Earth Warriors

Michelle Morrone became a volunteer for us after she completed the climate action workshop with her team Zoom to Zero in Spring 2021. Sustainability has always been important to her, but she admits it can be difficult as a busy mom. When she took the workshop, she was amazed by how much more she could do, and it felt good to be able to track accomplishments. She sometimes feels anxious about what's left on her list but realizes every action taken is more than the day before.

Volunteering for Resilient Neighborhoods is one of the actions that helps her to ease climate anxiety. She has worked closely with our Development Director Erica Heimberg on managing and tracking our donations and providing valuable assistance to keep our organization thriving. Michelle said it is heartwarming to see the support the organization receives from members of our community.

Because of a change in her work schedule, Michelle will be stepping back for now. But we appreciate all that she has done for Resilient Neighborhoods. Thank You, Michelle!

Need gift ideas this holiday season? Consider giving your loved ones gifts of experience, like movie tickets, a coupon for a class, or a certificate for their favorite restaurant. “Stuff” often ends up in the landfill, but memories last a lifetime. Zero Waste Marin has compiled a list of gift ideas for everybody on your list, to help you think outside the box.

Visit ZeroWasteMarin.org/Gifts

Holiday Wrapping Paper. Not all waste haulers will take wrapping paper in recycling. Check out these great alternatives from Tree Hugger. Never burn wrapping paper!

PLANNING A HOLIDAY DINNER? TRY OUT THE GUESTIMATOR. NRDC has put together some great resources for their "Save the Food Campaign". The "Guestimator" is a dinner party calculator that estimates how much food you need for your holiday gathering. Just tell it who's coming to dinner and find out exactly how much to make.

>>Click Here to use the Guestimator

>>Learn more about the Save the Food Campaign

CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING INFO. After the festivities, please recycle your holiday tree on the curb or take it to a drop-off location for composting!

>> Curbside collection dates & drop-off locations

>> Instructions for preparing your tree for pickup

THANK YOU ZERO WASTE MARIN!

CHRISTMAS TREE SAFETY TIPS. Did you know one-third of home Christmas tree fires are caused by electrical problems? Click here for a list of safety tips from the National Fire Protection Association. Thanks to the Central Marin Fire Dept for sharing this info!

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