• I moved to a diet that reduced meat consumption, particularly beef and found that I slept better, had more energy and generally better health.
• I used the services of BayREN to recommend and act as an advocate in the utilization of a variety of water efficient plumbing services.  In the past, there have been many instances where, out of ignorance, I had been persuaded to make unnecessary, overpriced and poor-quality changes.
• Following the recommended steps, one at a time, I have finally tackled emergency preparation, though critical, a task that seemed to always be pushed into the future.

And it was fun!!

Michelle Meyers is a resident of the Contempo Marin community in San Rafael, and a recent graduate of the Resilient Neighborhoods program. You can learn more about Resilient Neighborhoods and sign-up for their free 5-session Climate Action workshops here.

Any bicycles that aren’t lucky enough to find a local owner are donated to organizations such as Performing Stars that have used the old bikes as art pieces in the victory gardens at Bayside MLK Academy. The bike shop has even found creative uses for old inner tubes and other bicycle parts by turning them into “fidget-bands” for their more excitable students. Lastly, the Recyclery shop upcycles old boxes and flyers as packaging materials for their online store shipments. Recyclery’s inspiring efforts show they’ve taken the reduce, reuse, and recycle model to heart.  

If you’re interested in supporting this truly sustainable climate role model, be sure to check them out in store at 610 4th St (yes, they’re open!) or online at https://www.tripsforkidsmarin.org/ 

Rules:

This virtual contest will start June 15th and end July 20th, and we will release two challenges every week on Monday through partner Facebook and list-serves. Each challenge will be worth five points, and the participant with the most points will win. The winner will be recognized as a San Rafael Sustainability Superhero and featured as a Climate Action Role Model on the SanRafaelClimateAction.org website!

All challenges that require research can be answered by doing some scavenging on the website included in the challenge description. Responses should be sent to Scavenger Hunt Referee Katia Carranza at katia.carranza@cityofsanrafael.org. Remember many websites have a handy dandy search option where you can type relevant terms!

If you join the Scavenger Hunt late, no worries! You can still participate and complete all the challenges released prior to your participation. However, all challenges are due by the July 20th.

Challenges:

Visit this page for more details and to see all the challenges, including the first challenge released this upcoming Monday, June 15th!

Week One Challenge: Renewable Energy

In order to reduce our carbon emissions, we have to stay up to date with the latest sustainability strategies. Switching to renewable energy is an important step to mitigating climate change because when compared to coal-powered energy, wind energy releases up to 70 to 180 times less carbon dioxide and solar energy releases up to 20 to 50 times less carbon dioxide according to the Union of Concerned Scientists .

Week Four Challenge: Clean Transportation

According to the EPA, transportation is the largest contributor the greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 39% of them, and over the past 30 years, it has increased the most.

7.  From Drive Clean Marin: Identify an Electric Vehicle charging station in San Rafael and take a picture next to it or write its location. Submit your picture or response.

8. From Green Committee San Rafael Chamber of Commerce: Ride your bike to pick up your take-out food instead of driving. Submit your picture.

Week Five Challenge: If Not Renewable, Energy Efficiency  

You can save money when you save energy and reduce your electricity consumption! According to Cornell University, a phantom load that uses energy when appliances are on standby can cost the average home $200 per year. 

9 . From City of San Rafael: Write a short blurb explaining a Green House call. Extra five points if you schedule one online and send us proof. Submit your response. 

10. From City of San Rafael:  Write a short blurb explaining two methods for reducing phantom load. Submit your response. 

Extra Credit:

Invite five Facebook friends to like the City of San Rafael Green Initiatives FB Page. Submit a list of people (first and last name) that ACCEPTED the invitation to LIKE the FB page. You will get a point for every person that accepted the invitation, with a 15 point limit on the Extra Credit.

Partners:

Marin Sanitary Service

Drive Clean Marin

Resilient Neighborhoods

MCE Clean Energy

Sustainability Team County of Marin

Drawdown Marin

A student project team in a Barowsky School of Business leadership course noticed that there was an energy meter and account per building, so the committee created an individualized strategy for improving the campus carbon footprint. After a staff member verified the data with the senior facilities administrator as part of her graduate thesis, some buildings were switched to 100% clean energy and the rest to 65% clean energy with MCE. As a result, Dominican will experience a 200,000-pound reduction in CO2 annually, which amounts to turning off all university power for four months a year!

This collaboration was successful because all the stakeholders – students, staff, senior administrators and faculty representatives -were part of the solution and together supported the shift to a more sustainable campus. Professor Alice Cochran, San Rafael

In just minutes you can show your commitment to renewable energy and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by choosing to opt-up to your utility’s renewable electricity program.

For this, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the City is coordinating with agencies and NGO’s around the County to encourage people to make the switch! We’re looking to double the amount of people choosing renewable electricity. Help us go from  4.5% to 9% by Earth Day, April 22! Choose now, then tell all your friends, neighbors, and co-workers!

For MCE Clean Energy customers, click here to go to the MCE 100% Renewable page.

For PG&E customers, click here to go to the PG&E Community Renewable Programs page.

Our choices demonstrate our values. Show yours by opting-up!