The earth is, after all, our planetary home…We wouldn’t go around trashing our own homes without ever accounting for the damage it would do, so why do we think it’s any different on our planetary home?

I read a text on a friend’s smart phone recently that said: “Save the earth; it’s the only planet with chocolate!”

As we approach Earth Day on April 22, it’s good to reflect on the value of something we often take for granted: the earth itself. People of faith, like me, affirm immediately that the earth belongs to God its Creator.  And because we believe in God, we believe in taking care of what God has entrusted to us.

Another word for this is “stewardship”, and it has crept even into secular environmental literature in the past few decades.  What we do with the resources we are blessed to enjoy for our sojourn on earth says quite a bit about us, and I daresay future generations will judge us based on how we do.

Of course we are also of the earth.  The Bible refers to humans as “earth creatures”, it’s what the name “Adam” actually means.  But we are more than merely earth; we are also spirit, which means we are part of the community of life.

The problem

The community of Davis welcomed environmental activist Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, to speak at U.C. Davis this past year.  With his usual candor and encyclopedic knowledge of the facts, he painted a pretty dismal picture of the planet, with a level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere beyond what is sustainable for life as we know it on earth: 350 parts per million.  We are now at 399.5.  Yikes.

On one level, Earth Day is a day to be grown ups.  Earth is, after all, our planetary home.

On one level, Earth Day is a day to be grown ups.  Earth is, after all, our planetary home.  And we all know that at the end of the day, someone has to wash the dishes, pay the bills and do the laundry.  We wouldn’t go on trashing our own homes without ever accounting for the damage it would do, so why do we think it’s any different on our planetary home?

The truth is that humans – and especially industrialized humans with an economic framework of free-market capitalism – have done more damage to the earth than most would like to acknowledge.  Climate change is just one of the ways we can account for this, and it is perhaps the most dramatic – and scary.

However, we are also blowing the tops off of mountains to get at dirty forms of energy like coal, throwing our plastic waste into the ocean and making our rivers and streams more toxic with chemicals in the never-ending cycle to one-up Mother Nature.  This way of living is, simply put, unsustainable.

 If we make changes in our lifestyle and in our public policy in relation to the earth itself, future generations will reap the benefits of our wisdom and self-restraint.  If we do not, well, I’d rather not think about it.

Caring for God’s creation

The good news is, we have an opportunity to do something about it now.  If we make changes in our lifestyle and in our public policy in relation to the earth itself, future generations will reap the benefits of our wisdom and self-restraint.  If we do not, well, I’d rather not think about it.  For people of faith it means caring for God’s good and sacred creation.  For everyone it means working together to preserve the only home we have.

However, personal virtue may not get us very far.  As Mr. McKibben said, doing the right thing for the environment in our own personal lives, using less energy, recycling, and eating more local and more vegetarian are all necessary but insufficient.  He’s right.  We need a multi-layered approach to this problem that recognizes both our own complicity in environmental degradation, while at the same time demanding that our political leaders help us to have access to better choices.

Many of us want to do the right thing, but we don’t know how, or can’t imagine a different future.  If we are part of the problem, that means we can also be part of the solution.  Perhaps our most important asset right now is the imagination to see things in a new light and live differently with planet earth.  From my perspective, I don’t see any way around it.

The Rev. Daniel Smith is the pastor at Lutheran Church of the Incarnation in West Davis. Reach him at pastor@lcidavis.org

Judy Corbett, a longtime Davis resident, is a winner of the Cool Davis Climate Solutions Award. She is stepping down after three decades as executive director of the award-winning Local Government Commission.

“It feels better to do something than nothing.”

That’s how local environmental hero Judy Corbett describes what has motivated her life’s work. It’s an understatement, coming from a woman whom Time Magazine has named a Hero for the Planet.

Judy Corbett has spent the last three decades as executive director of the award-winning Local Government Commission.  This Sacramento-based nonprofit works with local government leaders throughout California to promote livable communities that include healthy, engaged people, a healthy environment, a more sustainable economy, and an equitable society.

The Local Government Commission promotes this by producing and sharing practical resources and by bringing local government officials together to learn from one another and from experts as they create local solutions to increasingly global challenges.

Judy Corbett has long been interested in how we’re affected by the design of our built environment–our cities, neighborhoods, and buildings.  Her background in science and interest in psychology led to an MS in ecology at UC Davis.

Village Homes

When Corbett and her then-husband, Mike Corbett, proposed developing Village Homes in Davis in the 1970s, their plans for a community that placed humans over cars and promoted energy efficiency were not exactly welcomed with open arms.  Narrow streets?  Natural drainage?  Pedestrian and bike paths?  These weren’t the norm.  Getting Village Homes approved wasn’t easy, yet today it’s a much-loved Davis icon.

Working with local government leaders to change land-use patterns

Based on her education and experience, Judy Corbett saw that to humanize our built environment and promote more sustainable development, land-use patterns would need to change.  Working with local elected officials–mayors, city council members, and county supervisors–offered the most promise: they have the final say over what gets built, and it’s easier to initiate change at the local level.

So in 1979, Judy Corbett convinced then-Governor Brown to establish the SolarCal Local Government Commission.  In 1983, it became a nonprofit and broadened its focus as the Local Government Commission.  Since that time, Corbett has worked with local government officials to encourage development that considers the well-being of both people and the environment.

Ahwahnee Principles = smart growth

Judy  Corbett and the Local Government Commission have been promoting “smart growth” since before the term was coined.  She helped draft and spread the Ahwahnee Principles, which inspired the smart growth and new urbanism movements.  The Principles “provide a blueprint for elected officials to create compact, mixed-use, walkable, transit-oriented developments in their local communities.  Cities and counties across the nation have adopted them to break the cycle of sprawl.”  Download a copy of the Ahwahnee principle at http://www.lgc.org/ahwahnee/index.html

We can all thank Judy Corbett for helping local governments make the Ahwahnee principles a reality all across California, including right here in Davis.  Our vibrant downtown area, with Central Park and the farmers’ market, businesses and nearby housing, and a variety of ways of getting around, is “smart growth,” as are our clear city boundaries that help us preserve farmland and to avoid the financial and environmental costs of leapfrog development.

Judy Corbett steps down as executive director

After thirty productive years and numerous awards, including the Distinguished Leadership Award for a Citizen Planner from the American Planning Association, Judy Corbett has decided that it’s time for change.  She’s stepping down as the Local Government Commission’s Executive Director, but will remain involved.

Judy Corbett looks forward to continuing her work with officials in crafting policies and programs to meet the challenges of restricted budgets and the effects of climate change, as well as California’s water and energy scarcities.  She sees opportunity as communities and officials become more interested in and open to new ideas.

Her reward?  time with her grandson

She’ll also enjoy spending time with her two-year-old grandson, who will soon be her neighbor.  Her son plans to build a house on the last unbuilt lot in Village Homes, where he grew up riding his bike on the paths and enjoying the benefits of living in a neighborhood where people know one another.

Davis’s own Hero for the Planet looks forward to watching her grandson do the same in the neighborhood that helped propel her to combine her knowledge of local government, development, and ecology, and her ability to work with officials, to launch a career whose positive effects will outlast us all.

As Judy  Corbett said about having her grandson live nearby, “What better reward in the world is there than that?” By promoting livable communities that take care of people and the environment, Judy and her non-profit have made California a better place.

Jason Moore, Jan Wright, and Matt Seitzler have been with the Davis Bike Collective since the begining. They helped establish the Bike Church which eventually became today’s Bike Forth at Fourth and L Streets.

The Davis Bike Collective models how an organization can work with people from different parts of the community work together to teach others to repair their bikes and even customize their bikes for personal needs. With their sliding scale, the collective’s workshop, Bike Forth, is affordable to all.

The Bike Collective began early in 2005, when Ted Buehler and Chris Congleton, who both came to UCD from other universities that had similar organizations, saw a need for a place at UCD where students could get help repairing their bikes. Ted and Chris soon recruited others and started a “Bike Church,” named after the one in Santa Cruz, where students and other residents in Davis could get help maintaining and repairing their bikes several days a week.

While Ted and Chris have since finished their graduate work and left Davis, the Bike Collective, including some of the early members Matt Seitzler, Jason Moore, and many others, survived from 2005-2008.

By the fall of 2008, the Bike Church had both grown and outgrown its welcome at UCD. After pursuing various alternatives, Solar Community Housing Association came to the rescue and worked with the Bike Collective to find a home (Bike Forth) at L Street and 4th Street, incorporate itself as a nonprofit organization, and set up a webpage (www.davisbikecollective.org).

The transition was a painful time for the group – all volunteers – with little time to spare and more interest in “doing” than “administering” a non-profit business. But they trudged through the process, and now Bike Forth helps a few thousand people each year.

Jason exemplifies the creative and caring people who have developed the Bike Collective. Since he was a high school student in rural Virginia where he built things such as a moonshine still, an electric guitar and various bikes, he has been a “maker.”   As a new UCD engineering graduate student in the fall of 2005, Jason joined the Bike Church for balance.  He explained, “I needed time to come back to reality and interact with people outside the “ivory tower.”

Pursuing his developing interest in bicycles, he traveled to the Netherlands on a Fulbright scholarship to research how people balance on bikes. During his spare time, Jason admired the bicycle culture.

 In the States, we either treat the bicycle as a toy or as sports equipment. We forget that it can be a very efficient, pleasant, and healthy mode of transportation. In the Netherlands, bicycles serve as transportation first, and secondarily, as toys and sports equipment. I realized that bikes were a viable alternative to cars in urban areas.”

Jason notes, “The Netherlands changed my attitude of what bicycling can be. In the States, we either treat the bicycle as a toy or as sports equipment. We forget that it can be a very efficient, pleasant, and healthy mode of transportation. In the Netherlands, bicycles serve as transportation first, and secondarily, as toys and sports equipment. I realized that bikes were a viable alternative to cars in urban areas.”

Jason says, “I am pleased that Bike Forth is located across from the intake for the Rotating Winter Shelter. Homeless individuals, whose main possession may be a bike, use Bike Forth to keep their bikes in shape.”

With regard to climate change, Jason notes, “Bikes are and will be important as we all learn to live with less. Cities need to include bikes as part of their current and future transportation plans. What cities need – including Davis – is a real, old-fashioned ‘Bike Revival!  Now!’”

Diane Swann now commutes 4 days a week to Sacramento on her electric assist bicycle, keeping her carbon footprint low and her health tip-top.

Diane Swann, one of the Cool Davis 2013 Eco-heroes, sets an example through her quiet pursuit of a better environment. Like many people in Davis, Diane works out of town and knows that a large percentage of her carbon footprint comes from her commute.

In the mid-1990s she rode her bike to work in Woodland. When she transferred to a job in Sacramento, the capitol region seemed out of reach for bicycling every day and she started riding YoloBus to work. Once Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor schedule increased, Swann took the train and enjoyed biking to and from the station in Davis and Sacramento.

By 2011, Diane was riding her bike to work once a week in addition to commuting by train. She had discovered an electric assist bike, which uses a rechargeable battery to assist in pedaling and adds consistency to her commute. Even on the windiest days she could ride the 18 miles in just over an hour.

A turning point:  a fellow cyclist asked her, “You have that bike. Why don’t you ride every day?” Diane replied, “It’s still kind of hard.” To which the stranger said “But that’s what you want!”

Two things happened which changed her commute and increased her advocacy. First, a fellow cyclist asked her, “You have that bike. Why don’t you ride every day?” Diane replied, “It’s still kind of hard.” To which the stranger said “But that’s what you want!” She decided later he was right and now manages to ride 3-4 times a week. Recently her son, Andrew, gave up his car and on occasion, he and her husband, John, meet her for lunch in Sacramento having all ridden their bikes 12 or 18 miles.

Advocating for bicycle safety for commuters

Secondly, Diane discovered the more dangerous parts of the ride. The stretch cited most often by commuters is the frontage road between the railroad tracks and the Causeway. This two-mile stretch has bike lanes too narrow for the high speed traffic. Cyclists passing other cyclists are forced into the traffic lane and passing vehicles pose a hazard.

In September 2012, the County closed the road to car traffic for repaving. The car-free week inspired Diane to gather commuters to work with Yolo County on a better solution for that stretch of road. She believes “once intercity infrastructure improves, more people will commute by bike.”

In the short term, she is working with the county on ways to make the road at least temporarily more inviting during May is Bike Month. Through this effort, she hopes to build County support for a permanent solution. So far she has accomplished the first step which is to have this section of the bike route included in the City of Davis’ Beyond Platinum Plan and Yolo County’s Bicycle Transportation Plan as needing improvement.

Charting a greener lifestyle

Diane is no stranger to charting a course to a greener lifestyle. She and her husband live in Village Homes with natural cooling, no air conditioning, and only one car. In 2001, she read an article in the Enterprise about solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. She and John began the process of installing PV panels. Fast-forward to 2013, and this does not seem like a big deal. However, in 2001, it was. Diane reflects on some of the challenges which existed, including a lack of experienced contractors, equipment problems, and – as the first household to install them in Village Homes – opposition within the community.

Her research led her to write a guide to help other interested people navigate the process. The Swann’s efforts were rewarded by having their electric bills reduced to zero (except for fixed charges). They also were chosen as a stop on a Nor-Cal Solar Homes tour – where several hundred people toured their home to learn about the benefits of solar power.

A model for us all

Diane is a naturally quiet, unassuming person who inspires others by her actions. She doesn’t think of herself as a role model, but just as someone who is trying to reduce her impact on the Earth. She has done this through many small steps and encourages all fellow Davisites to take the next step towards a greener lifestyle.

Robyn Waxman checks up on Nibbles, Her sheep, on her farm northwest of DAvis. Her farm doubles as a FARM (Future Action Reclamation Mob), where people can help grow food for themselves and their community. Waxman’s commitment and passion have earned her a 2013 Eco Hero Award from Cool Davis.

Robyn Waxman is, without a doubt, the nicest revolutionary you’ll ever meet. Charming and articulate, she could be a professor, mom or farmer – in fact, she’s all three. Being nice is part of her plan for revolution. “FARM was my graduate thesis,” she says “which was a way to engage these very polite Millennials in revolution.”

“FARM” is the Future Action Reclamation Mob, “an alternative form of non-violent protest, reclaiming public space to build community, providing services for under served and transient populations and/or rehabilitating toxic land.” FARM is also a collection of physical locations where people can help grow food for themselves and their community. And FARM is, in very large part, why Cool Davis named Waxman a 2013 Eco-Hero.

The first FARM location, in San Francisco, was the end product of Waxman’s graduate thesis – and the beginning of a real movement. On a 66’ strip of toxic land where Waxman and a group of volunteers began growing food as both form of social protest and a bioremediation project. The project proved so exciting to the California College of the Arts community that Waxman was named commencement speaker for the year. The San Francisco FARM is still operating, being passed from one class of farmers to the next.

Returning to Davis after graduation, the 2,000 square feet of lawn in front of her K Street home proved irresistible to Waxman. FARM Davis was born on Halloween 2009, transformed by a group of farmers who came dressed as their favorite cover crop. Volunteers? “They’re not volunteers,” says Waxman, “they’re farmers. There’s no one to tell them what to do. They have to decide.” The only rule? They give away half of what they grow, in the case of FARM Davis to the residents of the Cesar Chavez housing complex.

How was it, having a farm as your front yard? “It was great. We wanted to reclaim the front yard as public space,” says Waxman. “People were in and out all the time.”

While the K Street FARM is still operating, Waxman couldn’t resist the lure of a larger space – FARM 2.6, on the outskirts of Davis, where there’s room for rescued bummer lambs, a fiber garden and a wealth of community activities. Meanwhile, there’s a new FARM, the smallest yet, on Valdora in South Davis.

Waxman doesn’t confine her activities to her own education or home: she incorporates agriculture into her Design & Illustration courses at Sac City College, in what she calls the “Home Ec of Graphic Design.” She also manages City Farm on campus where she assists other instructors in planning to “use this dirt to understand your discipline better.” Last year, City Farm grew indigo, which a Chemistry class processed into dye while a Design class produced a book about the project. This year, she hopes to add an African American History class to provide context for the project.

Waxman is slightly astonished at being named an Eco Hero for “merely” starting a series of public farms and piloting coursework incorporating agriculture into ordinary life.

Waxman is slightly astonished at being named an Eco Hero for “merely” starting a series of public farms and piloting coursework incorporating agriculture into ordinary life. When asked, she agrees that she’s a vegetarian, composts, and grows her own food. “I’m going to make my own clothes, too” she volunteers. “I’ve learned to spin, and we’re growing a dye garden, so I just need to learn to knit.”

Ultimately, Waxman says of her initial work with Millennials and FARM,  “It was really because I wanted them to be able to teach Sophia” says Waxman, referring to her eleven year old daughter. “It’s pretty much all always about Sophia.”

To learn more about FARM, visit http://www.thinkdiscussact.org/

Dani Lee shops at the Farmer’s Market for organic produce.

Dani Lee is one of those natural beauties who sparkles all on her own. Had you seen her in the 1970s you might have thought “mellow hippy”, but Dani is full of energy and enthusiasm about  her dream job.

She is the Sustainability Manager for UC Davis Dining Services where, as an employee of Sodexo,  she oversees  myriad tasks . Dining Services feeds over 56,000 meals per week in the three campus dining commons and provides food for 1,000 events per month. It’s Dani’s job to help that division achieve zero waste as part of UC Davis’ goal of zero waste for the whole campus by 2020. Dani and her team are responsible for:

• Educating clients about their food choices for personal health and for the health of the planet as well as steps individuals can take to reduce waste.

• Training all 700 Dining Services employees on waste sorting and general sustainability.

They are currently diverting 85% of their waste through solid and organic waste recycling programs.

• Working with all the Dining Services food outlets on campus to reduce waste – they are currently diverting 85% of their waste through solid and organic waste recycling programs.  Next, they are looking at reducing thin plastics like gloves and packaging.

• Reducing carbon footprint by buying locally and sustainably grown produce and food.

• Meeting with chefs each week to encourage use of locally and campus grown produce in the various campus menus.

• Meeting with her 20 student sustainability coordinators and interns who help oversee the education programs, a resident garden outside the dining commons, delivering campus grown produce from the UC Davis Student Farm and implementing zero waste programs.

• Overseeing waste reduction and composting programs in food service locations.

• Helping manage the on-campus, UC Davis Farmers Market.

• Supporting and overseeing a variety of events. You may have heard about a couple of the biggies –the recent CA Higher Education Sustainability Conference and UC Davis Farm-to-College.

Dani Leee receives her Eco-Hero award from Cool Davis.

In part due to Dani’s efforts with Dining Services, UC Davis was voted America’s #1 Coolest School by Sierra Magazine this past year and ranked number one in the national as well for efforts within foodservice operations.  But she is the first to admit that she couldn’t do it alone. The staff, faculty and management team on campus are very supportive of UC Davis’ commitment to a ‘sustainable second century’.

“It’s a lot of work, no doubt” says Dani, “but I couldn’t do it without my incredible team of passionate managers and directors, students, my colleagues in various campus departments as well as support from our community partners.”

Connections with friends and colleagues at local farms and campus farms lead to new sources of locally grown food; with every new source, the campus’s carbon footprint is reduced that much more and increased transparency is provided to students and customers about the source of the food.

Currently 45% of the produce is coming from within 250 miles of Davis. Locally based Clover Stornetta provides American Humane Certified dairy products and all the white and brown rice served on campus is certified organic grown by UC Davis alum, Michael Bosworth out of Marysville.

Do you put up the extra tomatoes from your yard each summer? Here’s a number to boggle the mind! With the support of Dani’s friends, team members and colleagues, over 12,000 pounds of tomatoes from UC Davis’ Russell Ranch were preserved by the on-campus kitchens last summer yielding 800 gallons of roasted tomato sauce for use during the year. That’s a long hot afternoon of canning, no?

Dani Lee’s morning begins with breakfast next to her rabbit, Bon-Bon and she bikes to work by 9. In her spare time, she is an avid adventurer – just returned from a wilderness trip in Joshua Tree. She is also a vegan and runs Club-Vegan at the Davis Food Co-op Teaching Kitchen (kitty corner from the Co-op) on the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m.  for those looking to lower their carbon footprint by reducing their consumption of animal products.

Panels-with-names-of-owners

Did You Know Most Californians Aren’t Allowed to Choose Clean Energy?

Although California has a mandate to supply 33% renewable energy to the grid, many Californians may simply want more. California also has smart energy laws that allow customers to install their own renewable energy onsite and get credit on their bill for the production against what they use from the grid. But many homes and businesses can’t install generation onsite, because of shading, roof characteristics, or for lack of assets or credit.

Find out how we can change that by supporting the California Shared Renewables Bill.

What you may not know is that the cost of renewable energy is now comparable to traditional power due to economies of scale and market competition. Currently, however, you can only get utility bill credit for your clean energy if your generator, meaning solar panels or wind turbines, is onsite where you use the energy.

Diagram for Shared Renewables

California needs to pass legislation that gives access to a renewable energy facility, shared by multiple customers and optimally located, rather than being limited to their own property.

Davis’s very own State Senator Lois Wolk introduced Senate Bill 43 this year to do just this.  Its companion bill in the Assembly is AB 1014.  Now is the time to record your support for this legislation!  Send letters now.

Benefits for California and Davis!

With a 1,000 megawatt shared renewable energy pilot program, California could build 12,700 new jobs, earn $130 million in tax revenues, and generate $4.3 billion in economic activity— all without state subsidies — according to a new Jobs and Economic Impacts Report by The Vote Solar Initiative.

Shared Renewables helps California and Davis by:

• Providing access to clean energy for all – residential customers including renters, non-profits, and small businesses, and building jobs and job training opportunities in our communities

• Reducing the need for utilities to purchase the costliest power during the daytime from gas peaker plants

• Cutting operation and maintenance costs of grids by distributing generation

• Allowing regulators, utilities, and developers more flexibility in finding the most cost-effective and reliable locations for generating electricity

• Maximizing the efficient use of land, such as parking structures, storage facilities, and other sites

• Exploring methods for further, voluntary purchases of renewable energy without ratepayer impact

For more information and to take action go to http://californiasharedrenewables.org/learn-more/senate-bill-43/   for details about this legislation and how you can get involved.

Encourage friends, family and colleagues around the state to get behind this important legislation!  Send them this information.

The City of Davis Walk & Bike Audits are taking place in April and May at schools throughout the city. At the audits, teams will observe traffic patterns during the morning drop-off and develop recommendations to improve walking and bicycling conditions for students around schools. We will also use results of the audits to develop suggested Walk & Bike additions to School Maps.

Parents, teachers, and kids can all help as your familiarity with the school campus and neighborhood is critical to developing a complete and detailed story of the walking and biking experience at your school.

Birch Lane Elementary: April 15th, 7:45am

Cesar Chavez Elementary: April 18th, 7:45am

Emerson/daVinci Junior Highs: May 17th, 7:30am

Harper Elementary: May 10th, 7:45am

Holmes Junior High: May 7th, 7:30am

Korematsu Elementary: May 16th, 7:45am

Montgomery Elementary: May 14th, 7:45am

North Davis Elementary: April 12th, 7:45am

Patwin Elementary: April 9th, 7:45am

Pioneer Elementary: April 11th, 7:45am

Willett Elementary: May 9th, 7:45am

Join your neighbors and explore how to make your healthy walking and bicycling activities a lot safer, easier, and more accessible for you and your family.

The schedule for the audit, information about the project, and an interactive map where you can show us your route to school and provide community feedback are all available at  http://saferoutesdavis.org/ Map: http://saferoutesdavismap.org/ and if you have time to help, Safe Routes to school staff could still use some volunteers!

EE Retrofit diagram

The discounts with Energy Benefits Yolo– Group Buy are back and better in this second phase that begins this month and runs through June 30th.  Up to 250+ households will be eligible through-out Yolo County to participate in the program.  EBY is contracting again with REC Solar and Brower Mechanical.

This is a real opportunity for owners of single family homes who have been toying with the idea of Energy Efficiency improvements or adding Solar PV, to take action at substantially lower cost. 

First, owners can get an energy audit (valued at $500) for just $98.  The Audit will help determine what kinds of energy upgrades are appropriate for your home.  Further Energy Efficiency Upgrades will then be discounted 20% off the regular cost.  For some homeowners that participated last time the combined discounts, rebates and other incentives added up to at least 50% off the cost of the upgrades.

According to Mitch Sears, City of Davis Sustainability Manager, “The City is excited that phase II is beginning.  We know that households throughout our community are looking for opportunities to reduce their energy use, save money and improve the value of their homes.  This is just the beginning of the kinds of lower cost solutions through group buys that we would like to facilitate for Davis residents.”

Before and after attic insulation

Cool Davis volunteers are actively promoting the program and are particularly focused on encouraging homeowners to make those Energy Efficiency Upgrades now.  “Sealing up the ducts, sealing air leaks, and improving insulation are some of the lowest cost actions that can make the biggest difference on your energy bill and comfort this summer.  With the discounts offered here on top of the energy rebates and other incentives –this is the time to act, “ says Chrissy Backman, a member of the Cool Davis Community Action Team.

Ready to Add Solar?

Home owners who have already completed those energy efficiency fixes may be ready to add solar.  This is a great opportunity.  For these more efficient homes, solar systems will be smaller and cheaper.  “Imagine a 1.96 kw system for less than $4 a watt and you get a little money back from PG& E every year.  This is possible with the right combination of energy upgrades and solar PV, “ says one homeowner who participated last year.

Homeowners who own or are considering a plug in electric vehicle can really benefit from the solar PV Discounts.  Local leaders promoting Plug in Electric vehicle adoption are excited,  “This is a unique opportunity to get your solar PV in place to help fuel that electric vehicle,”  says Mark Braly Valley Climate Action Center leader, “ It’s a win for the climate and a win for your wallet!”

For more information and to discuss your energy efficiency plans for your home come by the Cool Davis booth at Farmer’s Market on April 17, May 8, May 29th and June 12th.

If you are ready to sign up go to: http://www.mygroupenergy.com/group/yolo .

May is Bike Month

May is Bike Month is just around the corner and there are many people in Davis getting ready for this year’s fun and challenge.  Log on to sign up at  http://www.mayisbikemonth.com/ .

Get your workplace, school site, church etc. going with the challenge!  Folks in Davis are planning lots of ways to get involved locally and are offering a few activities in April to help you get ready. 

Drop in at the Davis Bike Collective if you need help with bike maintenance http://www.davisbikecollective.org/ .

On April 27th the city is sponsoring a special Travel Training event for seniors at the Senior Center at http://community-development.cityofdavis.org/travel-training-program .

May is Bike Month is a fun way to practice your way into some healthier transportation habits.  You’ll be in good company and may surprise yourself with what you can accomplish.

The calendar of April and May events to get you up and going is already being posted.  http://www.mayisbikemonth.com/events.asp .  Some local events to put on your calendar:

May 1 – Bike Rodeo at Birch Lane School

May 4 – UCD Bike Auction & Ken’s Bike and Ski – Bike Expo

May 5 – Cycle De Mayo and the 4th Annual Davis Bicycles! Loopalooza http://www.davisbicycles.org/wordpress/bike-loopalooza

May 7th, May 10th and May 16th – Energizer Stations for Bike Commuters (location TBA)

May 8th – Bike to School Day,  Bike Picnic in the Park

May 17th – National Bike to Work Day

May 25 – Tour de Cluck — http://www.tourdecluck.org/