City of Lafayette and Sustainable Lafayette
(Awards were presented at the Lafayette City Council meeting on April 14th and on display at Earth Day on April 20th. This page was prepared by the City of Lafayette)
Resident – Joanne Tan
Joanne took on the project to make a significant improvement in the energy efficiency of her family’s home. Some of the things that she did were installing a high efficiency furnace, creating multiple heating zones, and installing a tankless water heater and CFL lamps throughout. The largest project was the installation of a photovoltaic power system on the roof. Through these efforts, the Tan family will reduce their electrical use by about 35% per year and natural gas usage by 20%. In addition to the improvements to her home, Joanne purchased a new Toyota Prius.
Resident
– Jeff Kent
Jeff is another resident who lives green. He commutes to
work by bike every day he can – he works in Pleasanton with
a round trip of 42 miles! In 2007 he commuted between
Lafayette and Pleasanton 110 times (4,620 miles). He sold
his beloved Lexus and bought a gas efficient Toyota. He has
installed solar panels on his roof and planted redwoods
around his property. Jeff is an organic gardener, and uses
a 50-gallon composter.
Green Building Project – Christina & Brendan Morley
and Swatt Architects
This project took a site occupied by a turn-of-the-century
dilapidated farmhouse which had reached the end of its
useful life and created a new home that provides energy
savings, greater storm water retention on site, lowered
water consumption, reduced maintenance through durable
finishes, beautiful day lit and naturally ventilated spaces
to increase the comfort of the occupants, and created
architecture in beautiful harmony with natural landscape,
all of which will enhance the longevity of this home. It
was featured in the San Francisco Chronicle in May 2007.
View info on architects web
site...
Community
Organization – Our Savior’s Lutheran Church and its Holy
Planet Task Force
The Church has a program to reduce its environmental
footprint. Some of the things they have undertaken are:
lighting upgrades with CLF tubes and motion sensors;
e-waste recycling event that gathered 15,000 pounds of
electronics; congregation education program; selling
reusable shopping bags; and eliminated the use of paper and
Styrofoam for their events.
Community
Organization – St. Anselm’s Episcopal Church
To reduce its electric bill and carbon footprint, the
Church installed solar panels on its Parish Hall roof and
instituted an energy conservation program. They estimate
that in the first six months of operation, the solar system
reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 9,500 pounds or the
equivalent of one car being driven 14,000 miles a year. St.
Anselm’s was the first East Bay church to install a solar
system, and is the model for three other East Bay churches
to consider solar power.
Local Business – Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa
The Hotel has an environmental care program to reduce its
impact on the environment. The program has five components.
Showerheads were replaced with low-flow, high-pressure
units and they have a linen reuse programs for guests for
water conservation. For energy conservation, CFL lighting
is used in all guest rooms and public spaces. HEPA air
filters have been installed for improved indoor
environmental quality. There is a food and trash recycling
program and a recycling program for hazardous materials,
such as batteries and light bulbs.
Schools
– Tina Curiel
Tina has been an active environmentalist at Campolindo High
School. She is President of the Environment Club, expanded
the school’s recycling program, and created a native plant
garden on campus. She attends “Cool Schools” Berkeley which
is a coalition of Bay Area high schools to share
information about reducing schools’ carbon footprints. She
attended the Leaders for Environmental Activist Foundation
Camp. Tina’s current project is getting solar panels
installed at Campolindo.
Schools
– Tala Aghabeigi
And representing Acalanes, Tala is the President of its
Environmental Club. She led the Club in getting the school
cafeteria to stop using Styrofoam plates and switch to
paper and cardboard containers. She conducted a trash
audit, and has enhanced the can recycling program. Due to
Tala’s initiative and leadership, other students have
become involved in environmental programs at Acalanes.
Schools
– Monette Meo
After Monette earned her Master Gardener certificate from
Cal, she began a garden project at St. Perpetua School. The
garden has been incorporated into many parts of the
school’s curriculum. Art, science, and religion classes
have been enriched by the garden. There are now master
student composters, and the garden products have been made
into wonderful edibles that are part of the Friday morning
Café Perpetua. Monette has inspired the St. Perpetua
community to be responsible users of the earth’s resources.
Schools
– Kim Curiel
Kim’s nomination summed up why Kim is getting a green award
– teaching hundreds of kids about the natural world at the
Burton Valley Garden Classroom. She hosts all of the
school’s 40 classes in the Garden Classroom 4-6 times a
year, which adds up to over 3,000 student visits per year.
Kim teaches about native plants, where our food comes from,
and the importance of pollinators. Her lessons relate to
sustainability, and she is helping our children to have a
sustainable relationship with the environment.