Brian Moura Assistant City Manager 600 Elm Street San Carlos, CA 94070 Phone: (650) 802-4210 Fax: (650) 595-6710
Green eNewsletter - March 6, 2008
Our First Edition
Welcome to the first edition of the City's Green eNewsletter. Patterned after our popular Today in San Carlos City eNewletter, the Green eNewsletter will provide you with regular updates on what the City is doing in the areas of Green Programs and Climate Protection. San Carlos has been active in the Green Programs area for many years and started a Climate Protection effort as well last year. We hope you enjoy this new eNewsletter from the City.
Information you will find here covers City Programs, City Expansion of Green Programs and the start of the Climate Protection Program last May by the City Council, Certifying Your Business as a Green Business, San Carlos Chamber of Commerce Green Task Force, Resident Programs and San Carlos Green, Countywide and Regional Efforts, Video Presentations on the City's Green Programs and Climate Protection efforts. We encourage you to visit the Green Programs and Climate Protection section of the City Web Site to learn more.
5 San Carlos Businesses Earn Bay Area Green Business Certification
To become a Certified Green Business, a business has to meet a series of green practices in the areas of General Standards, Solid Waste Reduction & Recycling, Energy Conservation, Water Conservation and Pollution Prevention. Certification includes a listing in the Bay Area Green Business Directory, recognition at the City and County level and the use of the Bay Area Green Business Program logo in business advertising and on the firm’s web site.
C/CAG’s action will make it very attractive for every City in the County to participate in this regional effort.For cities that have already budgeted the funds for the ICLEI GHG study (like San Carlos), the $6,500 grant will free up funds to carry out the next step in the Climate Protection Initiative – the preparation of a Climate Action Plan.San Carlos is one of the 24 cities and counties in Silicon Valley have signed up to be part of this program.
GreenBuilding Materials at Nationwide Floor & Window Coverings
There continues to be interest in finding Green Building Materials suppliers in San Carlos.A good place to start is Nationwide Floor and Window Coverings which is located at 801 American Street, Suite F – just off of Industrial Road.
If you have a chat with the company's Terry Pebbles, you’ll quickly discover that he has a large selection of green products and options for local homeowners, remodelers and contractors in his showroom.Terry is also working to make San Carlos greener through his work on the Chamber of Commerce Green Business Committee and his company’s pursuit of a Bay Area Green Business Certification with the City and County.
San Carlos Recycling Diversion Rate Moves Up to 47%
At the February 14th City Council Meeting, there was Council discussion about the City’s continuing work to raising its State reported diversion rate to the 50% target required by AB 939.As some of you know this is an interesting process since the number is calculated annually by a formula that includes Sales Tax Revenues as well as actual recycling.So it tends to move up and down as each of the factors change.
The preliminary numbers for the year 2006 show that San Carlos’ reported rate has increased from 42% to 47%.This is pretty representative of agencies in the SBWMA where most of their numbers have also moved up.However, we have also been told that the SBWMA staff is now working with HF&H, the SBWMA rate consultant, to analyze the recycling diversion figures going back to 2002.This will likely result in “amended and restated” figures for all of the cities and may show an actual increase in residential recycling figures and a drop in the commercial recycling figures when the information is finalized and amended.
Proposal for Added Green Waste & Weekly Organics and Green Waste Service
San Carlos is one of the 12 member agencies of the South Bayside Waste Management Authority (SBWMA).The SBWMA is responsible for the operation of the Shoreway Recycling and Disposal Center (SRDC) in San Carlos as well as helping the agencies manage their Garbage and Recycling Pickup Franchise Agreements. At a recent City Council meeting, there was Council Member interest in obtaining detailed cost estimates for two SBWMA proposals.The first proposal would provide an additional can for Green Waste materials collected on a biweekly basis.Four agencies (Burlingame, Foster City, Menlo Park and San Carlos) have expressed interest in obtaining detailed costs for this option.
The second proposal would provide weekly recycling of Food Scraps and Organics as well as increased Green Waste collection in residential areas.If all 12 agencies approved the weekly Food Scraps and Organics program, the increased cost on residential bills would be 3.6% to 5.2%.If fewer agencies participate in such a program, the cost will be higher.At this time, only Burlingame and San Carlos have expressed interest in obtaining detailed cost estimates for the weekly Food Scraps and Organics plus Green Waste option.The SBWMA staff is working on a cost estimate for this proposal for Burlingame and San Carlos consideration.We expect to have their draft report in May and expect to bring it to the City Council this summer for discussion and consideration.
To receive the Green eNewsletter, the City's eNewsletter on Green Programs and Climate Protection, you can subscribe to it by eMail using the eNotify feature of the City Web Site. Issues of the Green eNewsletter are also available in the Residents and In The Spotlight sections of the City Web Site if you prefer to read them on-line instead of having them emailed to you directly.
