In This Issue: Celebrating Earth Month • An Update to San José’s Climate Smart plan • Traveling with a Smaller Carbon Footprint • San José’s Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan • Engagement Activity: Earth Month Pledge • Think Before You Toss to Cut Carbon Emissions • Community Spotlight: San José Climate Art Program • Community Events and Resources | | | |
Why Climate Smart?
Since 2018, Climate Smart San José has been leading the way with initiatives like home-electrification rebates, community engagement, and the Pathway to Carbon Neutrality by 2030. This newsletter will showcase the City’s climate actions, highlight local community efforts, and share valuable resources, events, and opportunities to get involved. Subscribe now and be part of the journey toward a sustainable future at ClimateSmartSJ.org.
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Photos by: Art Builds Community
By: Jasmine Jain, Assistant Environmental Services Specialist, Climate Smart San José, Environmental Services Department
April is Earth Month, a time to cherish our natural environment, protect our planet, and take action for the future of San José. From local events to individual actions, there are countless ways to get involved and make a difference. In this Earth Month edition of San José Climate Chronicles, we’re sharing impactful solutions from diverse sectors, a spotlight on local climate action, and community events and resources to inspire action and help you reduce your environmental footprint. You can also find all Earth Day activities on the Environmental Services Calendar for more ways to get involved. Let’s work together to create a more Climate Smart future for San José, this month and beyond.
| | An Update to Climate Smart San José | | |
The image above is a preliminary draft of the plan and is subject to change.
By: Alexandria Patchett, California Climate Action Fellow, Climate Smart San José, Environmental Services Department
In 2018, City Council approved the Climate Smart San José plan (Climate Smart), the ambitious community-wide initiative that details how the City is addressing climate change. To stay aligned with the latest climate science, data, and adopted City policies, the City is now revising Climate Smart to better reflect its climate goals.
As part of this effort, we invite you to join our upcoming informational webinars. These sessions will provide an overview of Climate Smart San José, highlight key updates, and offer an opportunity for you to share feedback directly with City staff.
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Session 1: Tuesday, May 13, Noon–1 p.m., Virtual Meeting - Zoom
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Session 2: Thursday, May 15, 6–7 p.m., Virtual Meeting - Zoom
More information will soon be available at Climate Smart San José Plan 2025 Update webpage. Email ClimateSmart@sanjoseca.gov with any questions or to be added to our email list for the latest updates to the Climate Smart Plan.
| | Traveling with a Smaller Carbon Footprint | | |
By: John Brazil, Senior Transportation Specialist, Department of Transportation
Did you know how we get around causes nearly half of San José’s carbon emissions? This is largely the result of people driving alone. Thankfully, there are options that can reduce our transportation carbon footprint.
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For a short trip, consider walking, biking or scooting. San José has a growing Bikeways network of on-street bikeways and off-street trails.
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For longer trips, try public transit: walk, bike or scoot to a VTA bus or light rail stop, Caltrain station, or BART stop. You can also take your bike or scooter on-board, and when you get off, ride the last mile to your destination.
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Alternatively, use Bay Wheels, San José’s public bike share system, or Spin shared e-scooters.
By tapping into these alternative transportation services, you could go from owning two cars to one, saving you more than $12,000 a year on gas, insurance, registration, maintenance, loan payments and depreciation. Take action today to slash your environmental impact, save money, and feel happier and healthier in the long term.
| | San Jose’s Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan | | |
NASA Earth Observatory, Wildfire Smoke Shrouds the Bay Area in 2020
By: Alexandria Patchett, California Climate Action Fellow, Climate Smart San José, Environmental Services Department
Climate Smart San José is developing a Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (CARP) with a goal of identifying measures that the City can take to help reduce the impact of climate-related threats, such as wildfires, flooding, rising sea levels, and extreme heat events, on the community. The CARP aims to enhance equity by prioritizing the needs of vulnerable communities that are disproportionately affected by climate change due to social, economic, and environmental factors. It will focus on long-term adaptation through community engagement, integrating the latest climate science and data, and ensuring these insights are incorporated into City planning and decision-making.
We invite you to join us for a virtual information session to learn more about the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan and share your thoughts:
To stay updated on the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan, including upcoming public information sessions, visit the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan webpage. You can also subscribe to our email list by visiting San José Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan Email List to receive the latest updates directly.
| | Engagement Activity: Earth Month Pledge | |
| Which eco-action will you commit to this month? | | | | Think Before You Toss to Cut Carbon Emissions | | |
Recycling label on a recycling cart for a single-family dwelling
By: Yamini Sadasivam, Supervising Environmental Services Specialist, Integrated Waste Management, Environmental Services Department
In 2021, solid waste disposal made up 6% of San José’s communitywide greenhouse gas emissions. Contamination in recycling streams caused by non-recyclable items and recyclables tainted with food or liquid leads to more waste being sent to landfills and higher methane emissions. When there is food or liquid in your recycling cart, it can contaminate dry recyclable materials when tipped into the collection trucks, reducing the chances of those materials being properly recycled. Did you know that keeping one ton of dirty recyclables out of the landfill can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2.8 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent?
Properly sorting waste at home by separating garbage from recycling and preparing your recyclable materials by emptying and scraping out contents play a huge role in keeping materials out of landfills and boosting recycling efforts. Small changes in everyday sorting at the household-level can lead to big environmental benefits. Let’s all do our part to help San José keep waste out of landfills and reduce its climate impact by asking ourselves one simple question – am I sorting my waste correctly?
To learn more about proper waste sorting, check out the label on your cart lid, or visit SanJoseRecycles.org.
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🌟Community Spotlight: San José Climate Art Program🌟
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Photos by: Miguel Ozuna
Artists, creative producers, and community leaders engaged in conversation at the Resilient Artist Cohort Session and Workshop.
By: Danielle Siembieda, Senior Program Manager, Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs
San José’s Climate Art Program brings together artists, creative producers, and community leaders to help the City reach its climate goals of cutting greenhouse gas emissions and reaching carbon neutrality by 2030. During the program’s first year, they offered a Resilient Artist Fellowship, built a Carbon Neutral Creative Network to link the arts with green businesses, and held a two-day gathering at the San José Museum of Art and the Environmental Innovation Center. These efforts, supported by the City’s “One Team” approach, have earned national attention, as highlighted in PBS News 'How artists are using their talents to help San Jose reduce its carbon footprint', and shown the power of collaboration.
In 2024, fifteen artists joined the Environmental Resilient Artist Cohort. They measured their impact and adapted their work to lower greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate impacts. For example, muralist and educator Elba Raquel added earth-friendly rules to her contracts, stopped pouring paint down the drain, and taught younger artists about protecting the planet. This year, the program’s focus is bringing people together through site visits and workshops that connect government, sustainability, and the arts. To learn more and get involved, check out the San José Climate Art Program website.
| | Community Events and Resources | | |
Photo by: Rina Nguyen
Viva Calle attendees
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San José Community Events
April 12, 2025 - 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
PayPal Park, 1123 Coleman Ave
April 13, 2025 - 10 a.m.– 3 p.m.
St. James Park, N 2nd St &, E St James St
Celebrate Earth Day with the Environmental Services Department and our all-electric trailer
April 22, 2025 - 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
San José State University, Tower Lawn, 1 Washington Sq
April 25, 2025 - 2–5 p.m.
Story Road Hub Service Center, 1775 Story Rd, #120
May 4, 2025
Parade: 9–11 a.m.
Festival: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Emma Prusch Farm Park, 647 S King Rd
May 15 to 17, 2025
We encourage the community to ride for errands, visit friends and family, commute to school and work, and ride recreationally.
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Resources
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San José Clean Energy EcoHome Rebate and Payment Plan: Upgrade or replace your old appliances with electric heat pump technologies and qualify for up to $7,950 in rebates and an additional $4,050 by meeting extra requirements. If additional funding is needed for upfront costs, the EcoHome Payment Plan can provide up to $5,000 with an interest free payment plan.
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Building Performance Ordinance Reporting Season: The 2025 compliance season for San José's Energy and Water Building Performance Ordinance (BPO) started on March 1, 2025. BPO is an ordinance under Climate Smart San José that encourages existing covered, large multifamily and commercial buildings in San José to become more energy and water efficient. To learn more, visit the Building Performance Ordinance webpage and the Beyond Benchmarking webpage.
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Climate Smart Semi-Annual Update Highlights: To view highlights from our Semi-Annual Update, please visit ClimateSmartSJ.org and navigate to the 'Climate Smart Semi-Annual Update' section.
| | Would you like a presentation from a Climate Smart Expert? | | Complete the Climate Smart Presentation Request Form to request a presentation for your community group, school, neighborhood association, or business. We typically provide an overview of Climate Smart San José and our initiatives to help reach the goal of carbon neutrality by 2030, but please let us know any areas of particular interest or focus, and we will customize the presentation accordingly. | | |
Do you have a sustainability-related event, program, resource, or community spotlight you'd like to suggest for our next issue? Please fill out the San José Climate Chronicles: Submission Request form to submit your suggestion and nomination, or email ClimateSmart@sanjoseca.gov by June 1, 2025.
Please note: Due to our prioritization of certain topics, we cannot guarantee that your request will be included in the newsletter. If your submission is of interest, we will be in contact via email.
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