Greeneroo

Filoli is one of the best, most beautiful areas in the Bay Area, but what is it exactly?
FILOLI MISSION STATEMENT
Filoli is dedicated to the preservation, interpretation
and stewardship of the cultural tradition and natural history
of this country estate for public education and enjoyment
NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Here are the numbers:

Property and Garden

647 acres or 1 square mile
Bocci ball court
3 working wells North/South path—1/3 mile long
House
43 rooms, 36,000 square feet
Walls 4’ 6” exterior. Servants wing 2’
Exterior bricks: 13”
Bathrooms: 17
Servants’ quarters: 12 br, 6 ba, kitchen, dining
Ballroom: 30’6” wide, 72’ long
Ceilings: Downstairs: 17” except ballroom 22’6” high
Hallway: 147’ long, 9” wide
Wine cellar holds 2,847 bottles
Heat: 2 diesel boilers plus fireplaces
Fireplaces: 17, 6 chimneys, 4 doubles
Garden:
Lawns: 82,000 square feet
40-50,000 bedding plants annually
7 species of oaks, live, white or valley
northern red, cork oak, southern live
360 Camellias, 7 varieties
holly, scrub oak
People:
13 garden staff, 100 garden volunteers
12,000 members, 1300 volunteers
And last but certainly not least:
FILOLI
86 Canada Road
Woodside, Ca. 94062
Phone (650) 364-8300
Fax (650) 366-7836

My daughter just moved to New Orleans. As an avid fly-fisher, this is a great water filled world for her. It is also the 5th anniversary of Katrina, so watching the news coverage from a few years ago, makes me think of the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared.

Hurricane readiness

Hurricanes can cause physical destruction and distress to those whose lives and homes lie in the storm’s path. People living near coastlines, in particular, can feel overwhelmed by worry and uncertainty when hearing news about large storms that may develop into hurricanes. Taking practical steps to prepare physically can also help manage some of those anxieties and fears.

Chris Terzich, is an expert in preparation, management and recovery from events such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, severe weather, power outages, and wildfires. He has this to say:

“The key to preparedness is awareness. Know the risk in your community and know where you will get information you trust during an emergency,” Terzich said. “Social and news media are very quick with information, but often lack accuracy or context. When you know and trust your source of information, don’t hesitate or delay when it’s time to take emergency action.”

Physical preparation

Write a personal disaster plan and review it regularly. Gather basic medical supplies, light sticks, flashlights, safety tools, and powered radios and additional standard supplies to have on hand. There are many companies that stock supplies and make easy to grab backpacks with basic disaster supplies.  CERT teams (Community Emergency Response) have lists of supplies and offer free training around the United States.

Stay up-to-date on storm information from local news and other reliable sources to help determine if you’re in danger. Try to anticipate where the storm is predicted to hit, where the storm surge is expected, and how far reaching the storm is. If possible, check updates and information on the National Hurricane Center and the Red Cross websites.

Make sure you have emergency phone numbers, links to resources in YOUR AREA, including neighbors and evacuation routes mapped out, as well as additional information on company emergency and security procedures.

Emotional help & Getting involved

Pay attention to the emotional side of approaching storms by both extending support to others and being willing to reach out for help yourself.

Helping others can soothe your own uncertainties. Assist loved ones, coworkers and neighbors by exchanging emergency contact information, helping to “flood-proof” their homes, or simply by listening and offering kind words of support during uncertain times. Be especially aware of how an impending storm can affect children and seniors.

City of Palo Alto Utilites puts together a great resource guide, Earth Matters, it is informative and will help you get started on a green cleaning path. The guide has more information on amonia, carpet cleaners, glass cleaners, bleach, oven cleaners and drain cleaners.  Most people don’t consider the full ramification of using these products (do you always wear gloves?), storing these products (they will fall during an earthquake and mix in your garage!) or disposing of these products (not down the drain, take them to Toxic Waste Disposal sites in your community):

• The summary includes common cleaners and their harmful components
• VOCs in cleaners
• Green alternatives

It is easy to make a switch, my favorite easy green product is BAKING SODA, it gets dark stains off quickly, even tea stains on cups. Choosing wisely helps your environment, the air quality in your home, avoiding toxic mixtures of products/chemical spills and saves you money.

It’s been a battle, and many many meetings and petitions later, there is news. The issue wasn’t simple although it was often distilled into jobs, environment and 12,000 homes.

Seven years ago, a $100 million deal by the federal and state government to purchase 16,500 acres of industrial salt-evaporation ponds along the southern shoreline of San Francisco Bay made national news.

It was to be the biggest wetlands restoration ever attempted in the West, an opportunity to bring back fish, birds, harbor seals and other wildlife to levels not seen in perhaps a century. But then came years of scientific studies and public meetings.

For the full story, check out these links:

San Jose Mercury News, dated August 17, 2010

Cargill’s profits

Environmental Review of the Cargill Project, dated May 21, 2010

Many of the green initiatives are focused on owners rather than renters. Buying solar panels can make sense to add to your home, and energy star appliances ARE a great idea, but places come with refrigerators, water heaters, windows, washer/dryers etc when you rent. And in alot of apartments there isn’t much incentive to take the time and money to make these big green efficiency improvements. Landlords might get a little cranky if you start remodeling and replacing things, (sure!) but there is alot you can do.

You can ask! Yes, ask for a clothesline, or double paned windows or having broken single paned windows replaced with double paned. Maybe a patch of unused land can be converted to tomatoes and basil. Containers on the roof? Saving rain water in barrels? Who knows?  Go ahead and ask, be your own best advocate. And many rental agencies are responding. Green, saves them money too.
You may not have your own plot of land, but investigate to see if there are community gardens near you, or you can go to a you-pick garden, or try container gardening. There are option, be curious, explore.
In Palo Alto, here is what they do:

The Palo Alto Housing Corporation (PAHC) has taken on that responsibility. The largest low-income housing organization in Palo Alto, PAHC has implemented many green practices and components throughout their complexes.

Georgina Mascarenhas, PAHC director of property management, said that most units have weatherstripping on doors and windows to save on heating and cooling costs, low-flow toilets to decrease water bills and drought-resistant landscaping. All laundry machines are EnergyStar-rated. PAHC is also looking into solar power and Mascarenhas said that the Alma Street location is ideal for harnessing energy from the sun’s rays.

PAHC also signed a new contract with Quick Light Recycling from Brisbane, which conducted recycling presentations, provided larger communal recycle bins and gave personal recycle bins to residents.

“I think (residents) do want to be green.” Mascarenhas said. “For the most part, it is all about education.”

Mascarenhas said the main green thing PAHC residents can do right now is recycle. She also said that PAHC provides a written conservation plan with suggestions on energy-saving methods, such as setting the thermostat to automatic mode.

“Nobody wanted to take time to sort through the recycling before,” she said. “But, now that it is more convenient, more residents are doing it.”

The Sierra Magazine rates the TOP 100 Cool Schools, many of them are University of California campuses (Of Course) and each of them offers a variation on green – some are agricultural like UC Davis, and others are so green it makes you want to jump in,  like UC Santa Cruz and others …. go ahead take a look…  Top 100 Green Schools.

On Channel 15 — San Jose and Campbell @ 7pm every Monday.
Also Airing in Santa Cruz County … and more to come.
This show is focused on us! Yes.. IT’S ALL ABOUT ME>>>> BEING GREEN!
There are stories on everything from clean-tech to local farming and the topics that are close to us:

• Technology
• Art
• Green
• Sustainability
• MORE INFO at www.svtags.org

Everyone wants to be green, but what does it really mean? Newsweek recently ranked the top 500 companies on their “Greenness”, here is CONSUMER REPORTS review on that award.

The top five were

1. Hewlett-Packard
2. Dell
3. Johnson & Johnson
4. Intel
5. IBM

Significantly, four of the top five companies on the list were from the electronics/technology sector, that really makes me want to know more!  Of course, in any kind of contest, rankings can change wildly depending on WHAT you are ranking. In all this back patting, there is one true thing… we still have a long way to go, and many green improvements and processes to implement. Ponder this:

In studies that have considered a range of other factors, including recycling practices and management of greenhouse gases, the companies have fared inconsistently. The Greenpeace electronics guide lists Apple in ninth place and Sony in third. But Apple placed 133rd in the Newsweek listing. (Sony, as a non-American company, is not listed.)

Many Team lunch rooms have multiple refrigerators. Think about what capacity you need. Remove or combine refrigerators in your area that are underused. Set kitchen refrigerators, including freezer units, to the “normal” temperature setting. Place refrigerators six inches from the wall to allow ventilation.
Simple fix:

• Clean the coils in back.
• Organize the food by shelf
• Post a throw out day (don’t through out containers though, empty them, rinse, and leave in sink)
• Always buy “energy star” appliances to replace the old ones.

Since we are discussing the lunch room… Remove vending machines that are underused; they consume large amounts of electricity. Or you can give your vending machine a ‘make over” adding healthy popular snacks to the candy bar options. (juice, almonds, raisins, granola, trail mix, peanut butter and crackers, pita chips, for example).

Set up your computer to use “power management” features so your computer and monitor go into “power save mode” when not in use. Ideally, have your monitor turn off after 10 minutes of no computer use.

This article from the EPA is also helpful, it discusses Energy Star, power management, recycling, commuting and has many useful links.