SCOCO INSIGHTS - MAY 2021
Getting Outside & Getting Happy
STAY CONNECTED:
Spring is in the air! What better way to enjoy the warmer weather than to stroll through your local farmers' market? Here are 4 reasons we love our farmers' markets:

Fresh & Seasonal - The fruits and vegetables are grown in California (within a few hours of the market!) and often harvested just days before you buy and enjoy them. When you buy produce at the grocery store, sometimes you're buying produce grown continents away, which takes time and natural resources to ship. Here's a great guide to eating seasonally, from the Contra Costa Farmers' Market Association and this "What's in Season in CA" guide from California Grown.  

Less packaging - You (or vendor staff, depending on COVID protocols at your market) can pick out exactly what you want in quantities that are manageable for you and your family. Most markets let you bring your own bags to reduce single-use plastic and unnecessary packaging. Some vendors will even take back egg cartons and berry baskets to reuse - doesn't hurt to ask! 

Unusual or "new-to-me" varieties - Romanesco? Arugula? Watercress? The market is full of unique foods that may not be common at conventional stores. A quick search online can provide cooking tips and recipes for ingredients that you are trying for the first time. Farmers' markets often have a few cooked or prepared food and drink stalls as well.  

Supporting small and local farms and vendors - You can talk to the farms and ask questions! Organic vs. pesticide-free? What's the best way to store berries at home? Where do they bake their croissants? How do they catch their fish or raise their livestock...
Controversial Coyotes
Coyotes are native to California and found in habitats throughout the state all year long. These omnivores feed on a varied diet that includes fruits, berries, insects, mice, voles, birds, amphibians, reptiles, young deer, and even domestic livestock. Coyotes do humans more good than harm and benefit both urban and rural areas by keeping rodent numbers under control, but they are definitely opportunistic feeders.

Encounters with humans are infrequent, but there are unusual instances where coyotes become a nuisance or even a menace. Recent coyote encounters in Central Contra Costa County have given Canis latrans some bad press, but from a sustainability mindset, coyotes play an important ecological role in helping to maintain healthy ecosystems and species diversity.

According to CA Fish and Wildlife, coyotes are intelligent, adaptable, and resilient but will lose their instinctive fear and caution around humans and venture into neighborhoods to forage when there’s access to human food and garbage. They have been known to prey on unprotected animals such as outdoor cats and small dogs. Nextdoor and other social networking sites post footage of these visitors coming into backyards, typically at night but also during the day.

Local residents became alarmed when news spread about coyote attacks occurring in the Lamorinda area between July 2020 and March 2021. See story here. It was discovered that a single coyote was found responsible for attacking five people in broad daylight on separate occasions in the East Bay, including a little girl who was walking with her mother and sibling in a stroller...
The Future Is Bike-Friendly!
Spring is in full swing and it's an excellent time to get outdoors for some exercise! May is National Bike Month, so join Sustainable Contra Costa and our partners for events to support safe biking in our community. On May 21st, dust off your bike to take part in Bike to Wherever Day! Pledge to participate, and then find an energizer station near you to earn prizes and a digital goody bag.
 
If you haven't been biking for a while, now is the perfect time to try it out again. Bike East Bay hosts free classes on subjects such as urban biking, theft prevention, and learning to ride for all ages! Bike East Bay works to make biking safe, fun, and accessible, and there are many ways to get involved or learn more about bicycle infrastructure in your area. You can even find a campaign near you to learn about the progress being made in your community. By working together, we can show our elected officials that we value safe streets for all, especially pedestrians and cyclists...
Where has the time gone? It's that season again when we open nominations for the Leadership in Sustainability Awards and you have a chance to honor the great work of your favorite individual, nonprofit, government program, school, or business.

Don't miss the deadline!
Submit your nomination now. It's fast and easy!

Award winners will be presented at the annual awards event on September 22nd, 2021. Stay tuned for details on that!
Scientists measure the effect of carbon emissions by their global warming potential (GWP), which is based on the amount of heat the gas can absorb in the atmosphere. In a sense, the higher the GWP, the higher the “R-value” of the atmosphere. In a building, a high R-value is good—it keeps the heat inside your house during the winter and outside your house during the summer, saving you money on your energy bills and increasing your comfort. In the atmosphere, a high R-value is not so good because it traps heat. It also increases the energy of the atmosphere so that storms and flooding are more frequent and severe and wildfires occur more often and for longer periods. 

Carbon dioxide is the most commonly occurring greenhouse gas. But methane gas, the primary component of natural gas, is what we use to cook and heat our buildings, what power plants use to produce our electricity, and what comes out of both ends of cows, and it's a much worse offender. There is some good news buried in the details, however. The long-term effect of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is measured by GWP over 20 or 100 years. For example, the GWP of methane is about 34 times that of carbon dioxide over 100 years. But measured over 20 years, it is about 87 times as much.

Not really good news, but there is a very good silver lining in this dilemma. Methane gas stays in the atmosphere for only about 12 years, while carbon dioxide can stay for hundreds of years. We are breathing in today the carbon dioxide that Napoleon exhaled at Waterloo...
Check Out The Challenge!
Take action with your neighbors on the Cleaner Contra Costa Challenge! Save money and earn prizes with over sustainable actions you can take in your home. Check out the Leaderboard to see how your city is doing.

So far, 1385 homes have saved 350 tons of carbon dioxide and over 500,000 gallons of water!
Sports Basement Supports SCOCO
It's time to get outside and enjoy spring! You can head to Sports Basement during the week of May 17-24 to get great discounts on all your outdoor and sports gear AND help Sustainable Contra Costa at the same time.

Become a Basementeer and choose Sustainable Contra Costa as your beneficiary! It’s a one-time fee of $25 and you'll receive 20% during this special discount week and SCOCO will receive a portion of the profits from every purchase. After that you get 10% off your purchases for life!
Sustainable Leaders in Action

Sustainable Leaders in Action, or SLIA, is the youth leadership branch of Sustainable Contra Costa that is 100% youth-led. Made up of both high school and college students, SLIA works together to promote the Cleaner Contra Costa Challenge and to educate youth on how to live a more sustainable lifestyle and encourage cleaner living in our communities.




Upcoming Events
You can find virtual and remote-learning options for many wonderful events. Here are a few...  

This webinar is produced by CCWD. During this webinar, Water Efficiency Supervisor Chris Dundon will present the basic components of a drip system and how to convert a sprinkler system to drip. This is very helpful for anyone converting their lawn to a water-wise landscape.

There will be a Q&A session after the presentation.


Wednesday, May 12th
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Online event

Are you thinking about keeping bees? Or perhaps you just want to know more about these miraculous garden helpers and how to encourage them to visit your yard? Our expert from the Mt. Diablo Beekeepers' Association teaches us about bee ecology & why bees are so important. We'll cover the basic equipment and steps you would need to get started, as well as tips for anyone to create a bee-friendly garden. There will be plenty of time for your questions.
 
Wednesday, May 26th
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Online event
FREE

Learn what neighbors are doing with their homes to combat climate change, improve air quality, generate clean energy, and move towards a safer, healthier, greener future. Each tour segment consists of a 10-minute video tour followed by a live 10-minute Q&A with the homeowner or tenant. Extras include an induction cooking demonstration and experts who can fill you in on heat pumps, air quality, solar storage, power outages, rebates, and more.

For more details including the scheduled program, visit EastBayGreenHome.com. This is a 2-day event, taking place over two consecutive Sundays: June 6 & 13. If you register for the first Sunday, you will automatically be registered for the second Sunday as well and will receive event login information for both.

Sundays, June 6th & 13th
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Online event
FREE
Please take a moment to support Sustainable Contra Costa. Donate to help us engage thousands of Contra Costa residents in new and exciting ways to help them reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Together we can make a difference!
 

And remember, if you become a Sports Basement Basementeer, you'll receive 10% off every item every day, while 10% of profits are donated back to SCOCO!

We always encourage you to shop locally when you can, but if you need to shop online, check out GoodWallet or if you use Amazon, don't forget to use AmazonSmile, and your purchases will support Sustainable Contra Costa! AmazonSmile is now available in the Amazon app.




We are so grateful to our sponsoring Partners. Please thank and patronize these businesses and organizations!
SUSTAINBLE CONTRA COSTA sustainablecoco.org