Communities - How Mountain View went solar
June 29, 2007
Posted by CindyW in : Communities , add a comment
This is a story of community power at its best. In January, 2007 a Mountain View resident learned that people in the nearby town of Portola Valley had successfully pooled their purchasing power and obtained solar power arrays at bulk rate. 68 participating homes in Portola Valley purchased solar arrays (and installation) at a 25-30% discount.
Inspired by their success, Mountain View resident Bruce Karney decided to form the MV Solar Buyers Group to replicate their approach. The 25-30% discount offered by the vendor (SolarCity) was conditioned upon Mountain View residents buying at least 175 AC kilowatts of photovoltaic (PV) panels. Bruce initially believed this would require 44 homes at 4 kW each to participate.
In February Bruce got the wheels turning by organizing a series of four presentations at the Senior Center, High School, and Community Center. To make information available to more people and to report on the progress of the group he also started a blog and was able to get a substantial amount of free media coverage.
More than 250 people attended the first meeting, and SolarCity immediately began making house calls. At each home, a sales representative reviewed electric bills from the past year, went up the roof to observe solar exposure, and discussed the type of solar system most suitable for a home. Meanwhile Bruce attended green building meetings and spoke with a number of local newspaper to reach out to more people. Even ABC News and Fast Company magazine picked up the story.
The first system was installed in mid-March, and was approved by PG&E in early April. By the end of April, MV Solar Buyers Group had signed up more than 118 homes — nearly triple Bruce’s original projection — accounting for 360 kW. With the homeowners solar energy purchasing group making headlines, some local businesses joined the program as well. By the end of October, when all the installations are complete, more than 2% of Mountain View’s single family homes will have solar PV. The number of homes going solar in 2007 will be about 6 times higher than in 2006.
The residents who have their systems up and running have formed a Yahoo!Group to exchange detailed technical information about their solar systems and compare notes on how much electricity they have saved so far. Geeky? A little bit — after all, this IS the Silicon Valley!
Proud? They are — and they should be!
Based on his and other residents’ experience, Bruce has kindly summaried what a family needs to know before making a decision to purchase solar panels
CindyW at Organicpicks
Copyright 2007 Organicpicks
A new definition for being a good parent
June 27, 2007
Posted by CindyW in : For Kids , add a comment
On my way to pick up my daughter from her preschool one day, I heard an interview NPR did with Laurie David. She is called the “high priestess” of Hollywood activism. Aside from pushing An Inconvenient Truth into the limelight, she has raised millions of dollars for environmental causes. One of the things she said during the interview really struck me. When asked what motivated her to be an activist, she answered, “I am doing this for one reason only. All the things I care about are at stake here. Other than falling asleep at 9pm on my wedding night, this is the most selfish things I’ve ever done.”
A couple of weeks later, I heard another interview, this time with Barbara Kingsolver. She and her family moved from Tucson AZ to southern Appalachians to spend a year away from industrial-food. When the interviewer mentioned about eating tomatoes from Chile in the dead winter, she imagined the future when her kids would be her ages. And they would ask, “so you knew about global warming, and you knew burning petroleum oil exacerbated it. And what did you do? Used the oil to fly tomatoes in from another continent? And they don’t even taste like tomatoes!” Clearly that was a future she did not want to enter.
Neither do we. So I have been wondering a lot about what makes a good parent. Obviously the number one factor of being a good parent is the love we pour into nurturing our children. Thousands and thousands of articles and books have been published to discuss parenting techniques – the dos and the don’ts, the carrots and the sticks, the right ways and the wrong ways. The criteria and opinions of what makes a good parent continue to change and evolve overtime. Still a few themes have stood the test of time. We do our best to nourish our children with good food; we do our best to enrich their minds with sound education; and we do our best to instill in our children an important set of moral values to guide their lives. The list goes on. But even in its collective form, I still feel that a significant factor is missing.
Aside from the current conventional wisdom of what makes a good parent, I’d like to add one, one I think is of utmost importance: to hand the earth to our children in the same or better condition as we were born into. Thirty years from now when my children are my age, I would be ashamed if I had to explain to them: kids, you’ve got excellent health, education and moral compass. I did my best to ensure that. But I am sorry that 30% of the species on this earth have disappeared on my watch, I am sorry that scuba diving was a sport in the past because we ignored the signs of marine life depletion, I am sorry that the land shrank by 10% due to global warming contributed by the gas guzzlers I drove. The list goes on.
I don’t mind the label of generation X or the label of generation slacker, but I shudder to think the real possibility of being labeled the generation that bankrupted the earth. I only wish I was being too dramatic.
Edward O. Wilson, a Harvard zoology professor, non starry-eyed radical, said time and again, “If we continue at the current rate of deforestation and destruction of major ecosystems like rainforests and coral reefs, where most of the biodiversity is concentrated, we will surely lose more than half of all the species of plants and animals on earth by the end of the 21st century. “ How does that impact human life? He asserted, “On a global basis, I have no doubt at all that there would be severe effects on the quality of life-support systems such as watersheds and air quality and rainfall.”
Baiji dolphin from China, one of the four freshwater dolphin species in the world, was pronounced extinct on 12/13/2006 after a 6-year exhaustive search expedition. Baiji lived in Yangzi River for 20 million years. COD: industrial pollution.
Seen The Inconvenient Truth? Need I say more?
I believe that being an armchair environmentalist (as I was even a couple of years ago) is no longer an option. I, like many armchair environmentalists, supported environmental and green causes by voting for a particular party or a candidate and giving money to environmental organizations. While this model is still necessary, it is no longer sufficient. As a parent, I feel personally responsible for the future of my children and their peers. Being green to me is not a philosophical argument or a nice-to-have attitude any more; being green is a part of living, everyday living.
It means that every time I go shopping, I bring my own bags. I will save 1,000 plastic bags a year from going into the landfill or floating in the ocean. Think bigger, if we can get 1,000 friends, neighbors and family members to do it together, that is 1 million bags a year and that is 30 million bags our children do not have to deal with when they are our age. Think even bigger, if 10% of the US household can bring their bags to shop, this is 8 billion plastic bags that will not be littering the world our children will inherit. 8 billion!
It means that for my children’s birthday party, I will think of more creative ideas than simply giving goodie bags full of small plastic toys which will be lost between the car seats or tossed into the trash within hours. My two kids have gone to no fewer than 20 birthday parties this year. We received 40 goodie bags, all of the trinkets made their way into the trash within days if not hours. So let’s think big again. Imagine 40 million pieces of the plastic “junk” into our land, into our rivers, and into our oceans. We can easily prevent that.
It means that every purchase decision I make, I will need to think about the bigger picture. Am I creating 5 minutes of excitement in my children’s lives but contributing to a polluted and depleted world they will inherit? Can I in good conscience eat a delicious dish of Chilean seabass knowing that my children will never know its taste?
So for the sake of my children and their children, I will need to do more than just financially supporting Sierra Club and Nature Conservancy. I will need to change me, and I will challenge all parents who treasure their children to give them the most precious gift – a clean, abundant, and nourishing earth.
Let’s start now.
CindyW at Organicpicks
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Copyright 2007 Organicpicks
Fresh Look - What’s cooking
June 26, 2007
Posted by CindyW in : Fresh Look , add a comment
I first met Michelle on a pool side in Napa Valley last year. Her daughter took my daughter under her wings in the pool. We got talking and I learned about her and her ambitious venture – getting families to eat healthy and eat together. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Hard to do? Absolutely! How many families do you know that consistently eat healthy, fresh and yummy meals? How many families do you know that always eat dinners together? Clearly Michelle had an uphill battle.
She started her business – What’s Cooking, with cooking classes for children (ages 2 1/2 - 18), a step towards achieving her goal. Before kids, she was a high-school science teacher. What a great background for teaching children to cook. To me, cooking classes are like fun chemistry experiments except the ingredients and the end results are all edible and hopefully yummy. But teaching cooking classes to kids is a whole different matter. It demands creativity, warmth, and a whole lot of patience. Michelle’s students and their parents love her and her classes
We have tried some Michelle’s recipes and love them. Her recipes are simple but always include fresh ingredients. The unique part is that she separates out a kid’s section that details what and how the kids can help to put the dish together. We used to only let our kids (2 and 5 years old) participate in the “stir” part of the cooking process. Now we let them participate much more (no cutting or stove management yet). It is always fun for them to do something new. My kids eat with such enthusiasm, even veggies, when they help make the meals. And we absolutely make eating dinner together a priority. No matter how busy works gets, both my husband and I drop what we do and eat dinner together with the kids. Not only do we all get a healthy and fresh meal everyday, we also have time to talk about our days. Yes, even a 2 and a 5-year old have a lot to say about their day.
Recently Michelle launched a weekly recipe service called What’s Cooking Weekly. For a small fee, you receive recipes for the week, with a shopping list spelled out for you. Like always the kid’s section is included in each recipe. You don’t need to worry about what to cook for the week any more - easy, healthy and tested options are all included in one package. Michelle just got one step closer to her ultimate goal.
Michelle kindly wrote an article for Organicpicks on how to cook with kids. Check it out.
CindyW at Organicpicks
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Copyright 2007 Organicpicks
Green Journal: Seal, Mail & Recycle Cell Phones
June 25, 2007
Posted by CindyC in : Green Journal , add a comment
I admit I am slightly techno-phonic even though I grew up in the heart of Silicon Valley – something about learning new buttons, interfaces, and shortcuts just makes me a bit uncomfortable. However, unable to stand my husband’s constant nagging to get plugged in, I finally traded in my clunky, old cell phone for a new model. I’m still getting used to the new buttons and getting my emails delivered real time but I digress. The point of my green journal this week is not to talk about my sleek, new phone but what to do with the old, clunky ones. During my upgrade process, I realized that we actually had three other retired cell phones sitting in our “to-be-recycled” bin (a.k.a. dusty corner of the study) – the oldest phone was SIX years old, older than my daughter!
The EPA predicts roughly 130 MILLION cell phones are retired every year with numbers rising with each passing year; some phones land in dusty corners or closets and unfortunately others into the trash. Improper disposal of personal electronics like computers, cell phones and even household batteries is hazardous to the environment and your personal health. Cell phones contain a variety of toxic chemicals that can leak into soil and water when improperly disposed in landfills or released into the air when incinerated. These chemicals (including lead, cadmium, nickel, zinc, arsenic) plus brominated flame retardants (BFRs) have been linked to health issues like cancer, reproductive and neurologic disorders. So knowing these issues, why did I have stockpile of old cell phones? Because I was aware of the hazards but just didn’t know of convenient or forget-proof ways to properly recycle those phones.
Luckily, as I have found out, recycling cell phones has gotten a whole lot easier in the last few years.
–First of all, many electronic and cell phone stores (most major wireless stores, Radio Shack, Best Buy, Staples and Wal-mart to name a few) have recycle drop-off bins, which is most convenient when you are ready to trade on the spot or remember to drop them off.
–Large wireless companies (like my local Verizon store) actually have free, prepaid mailing packages that you can take home and mail back to their recycling centers. I noticed that Best Buy also has a similar program. If you need to keep your old phone to transfer data (yes, the old fashion way), this is a great option and is what I used to clear out my old phone stash.
–And what if you forget to pick up or can’t find these prepaid mailing envelops? No worries. Check out Recycle For California where you can print out a prepaid label, stick it on envelop big enough for your phone, put it in your mailbox and reduce environmental contamination risks. Note that they do have list of phones that they take by mail, otherwise, they offer recycling drop-off locations. You can also mail any of your old phones (or PDAs) to CollectiveGood (a non-profit) through their Recycle My Cell Phone Campaign. You need to provide your own envelop and postage but the value of your phone and mailing expenses are deductible on your taxes.
–Other organizations like TerraPass will recycle your phone (and PDAs) and give you a free Terra Pass (carbon neutral offset certificate) to reward your initiative. All phones collected are recycled (and never resold).
–If you also have other, larger personal electronics like monitors or TVs or accumulated large quantities, you can contact recycling organizations like Green Citizen which accepts drop offs or offer in-home pickups (for a fee). It’s convenient, guarantees that equipment will be recycled and Organicpicks users give Green Citizen high marks.
You can also contact your local recycling center to find drop-off locations. Just don’t forget to drop them off!
So for my green action tally this week:
Time consumed to implement this action: About 2 minutes to put all my phones in the large envelop and place it in my mailbox
Extra Upfront Cost: Nothing since the mailing envelop was free.
Resources spared: 3 less phones and batteries to end up in the landfill
Like I said in the beginning, just Seal, Mail and Recycle (Your Cell Phone). Can’t be easier than that!
CindyC at Organicpicks
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Previous Journal Entries
Organic Gardening
Pump Up Your Fuel Efficiency
The Wife’s Test on CFLs
Green on the Road
Eating Local and Organic
BYOC: Bring Your Own Cup
BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag
Copyright 2007 Organicpicks
Communities - Healthy pest control workshop
June 22, 2007
Posted by CindyW in : Communities , 1 comment so far
Common Groundis a locally trusted educational resource when it comes to organic and sustainable gardening. It has been supporting the bay area communities for 35 years. When I first visited Common Ground a year ago, I knew nothing about gardening, let alone the difference between conventional and organic gardening. The staff there patiently walked me through the sustainable gardening processes and the tools I might need to get started. Most importantly they introduced me to John Jeavons’ book “How to Grow More Vegetables”, which I now read and follow when I work in my backyard garden.
The small store in Palo Alto is a true gem. It has books, tools, seeds, organic fertilizers, natural pest control products, and even local vegetable and fruit calendars! Of course the real resources there are the staff who are knowledgeable, patient, and always willing to help.
Whether you are a gardening novice like me, or an old hand, you can benefit from the awesome workshops they offer, from setting up an herb garden, to growing tomatoes, to building efficient irrigation systems, to raising chickens in the backyard. In fact, Common Ground has an upcoming workshop on June 30 – Healthy Pest & Disease Controls, which is a topic near and dear to my heart. 78 million households in the U.S. use home and garden pesticides. Of 36 commonly used garden pesticides, 14 of them are probable carcinogens, 15 are linked to birth defects, 24 with neurotoxicity… Common Ground workshop will teach you healthier ways to manage pests and diseases in your summer garden.
Make your summer garden lush, healthy and safe.
CindyW at Organicpicks
Copyright 2007 Organicpicks
Short Cut to Natural and Healthy Eating?
June 21, 2007
Posted by CindyC in : Rants & the Ridiculous , 1 comment so far
On June 15th, the first ever over-the-counter (OTC) weight loss drug so cleverly named Alli, (pronounced AL-eye), hit the store shelves. Approved in February, Alli is the reduced dosage version of orlistat, branded as Xenical and previously only available with prescription. Health experts and consumer advocates alike have questioned FDA’s decision to allow this drug to be readily available without physician monitoring. Not only are they concerned about the allure of an easy alternative to healthy lifestyle but also the tendency of the average consumer to overlook the side effects and health risks. Diarrhea, bloating, loose stools and anal leakage (and these are pleasant medical terms) are considered normal side effects. The official company website actually advises people wear dark pants and bring a change of clothes to work! More disconcerting to me is nutrient blockage issue. Alli, like Xenical, works to block the absorption of fat; however, it will also prevent proper absorption of fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K). Unlike its prescription predecessor, a physician does NOT have to approve or monitor long term usage of Alli. Basically, it’s as available as cough drops.
To be clear, this is not diatribe about evil drug companies. In fact, I have spent many years working with pharmaceutical companies and I fully support their overall mission of curing diseases and improving people’s lives. However, when it comes to something like weight loss, it’s no secret that most people prefer an “easy fix” over a solution requiring resolve, hard work and time. In fact, Alli flew off store shelves within hours after introduction. Although all Alli ads and drug inserts stress a balance of healthy lifestyle, sensible diet and use of the drug, those who turn to OTC solution may not heed the advice and put up with emergency runs to the toilet in pursuit of thinness. Without a balanced lifestyle, Alli will likely be ineffective, discourage the users and perpetuate the weight issue.
It should be obvious by now what my philosophy is: nothing can replace a consistent and healthy lifestyle. Instead of spending $60 a month on Alli, it seems far more pleasant and cheaper to eat fresh fruit delivered by a CSA , do some yoga or take nice walks with my family after dinner. From a health perspective, it is important to first eat right and exercise; local and organic eating is the special gravy on top. I know first hand it isn’t easy — it took me several years to gradually switch from my take-out habits to organic and home-cooked eating and incorporate regular exercise (of chasing and playing with my toddler). My husband and I feel better and healthier than before and as an added bonus, we each went down one pant size over course of a year. It was through my resolution to do better for myself and my daughter that I eventually moved into an organic and environmentally friendly lifestyle. I have also realized along the way that it’s important to instill these values early in life. My daughter is my inspiration for creating Organicpicks and our blog and I am always so excited when I find ideas like healthy cooking tips with kids and raising a little green star. I hope to gather more ideas in the future and welcome input from you kindred souls out there.
CindyC at Organicpicks
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Copyright 2007 Organicpicks
Fresh Look - Fantastic children’s books
June 19, 2007
Posted by CindyW in : Fresh Look , 1 comment so far
Last week, I suggested a list of summer readings for big people. What about the little people? Summer is here, no doubt they would prefer playing in the pool to reading books. Still you maybe able to sneak in one or two books in the afternoon when they take a little break from the sun. I always search for books with interesting story lines, awesome artwork, and worthy (but not preachy) messages. Here are a handful of books that the little people and the big people in our family all love:
- by Dr. Seuss (for Ages 0 - 99)
What else can I say about The Lorax other than that it is brilliant! We read this to our daughter when she was 3 months old and we still read this to her now she is almost five. At different ages, she gets different things – at 3 months, it was beautifully arranged sounds to her ears; at age 2, she began to appreciate the images, especially the colorful Truffula trees and the adorable Barbaloots; now she asks almost profound questions, such as “why couldn’t Onceler only cut half of the Truffula trees?” In her mind, that way, everyone would be happy. Perhaps children do know the best. A friend of mine first read this book at age 34 when it was given to his son as a present. He told me, “better late than never.”
– by Graeme Base (for Ages 2 to 99)
I truly do not understand how Graeme Base could be unknown in our household for so long. A couple of months ago, by accident, we “discovered” Graeme Base. Now we are the biggest fans of his books. For every page in The Water Hole, we linger over the intricate and mesmerizing pictures for more than thirty minutes. My almost 5 year old calls them “magical” and she is right. Ostensibly it is a counting book, but to say this a counting book is like to compare Mona Lisa with a postcard. On the first page, the water hole is large and clear and it attracts 1 rhino and 10 frogs. As the pages move on, more animals come but frogs start to disappear and the water hole gradually becomes smaller and murkier. The message of water conservation for all creatures in this world is so subtle yet so obvious. Lest you think this is for young children, Graeme Base cleverly hides a dozen of animal images in the background on each page. We fight to see who can find all the animals. Even my two year old enjoys counting the animals. I simply cannot praise this book enough. I think my daughter summarizes it the best – magical!
– by Graeme Base (for Ages 2 to 10)
After I finished the last page of the book, my daughter said, “Snortlepig is my favorite animal. I will forever and ever love him.” The premise of the book is fairly simple: Uno moves to the forest and he is surrounded by 100 plants and many imaginary animals with tongue-twisting names, include the common Snortlepig. Then more people move in, build houses, and turn the place into a big city. Slowly the plants and animals disappear. Eventually with only bare buildings, gray skies and no trees, people abandon the city, leaving behind Uno, his little garden and the Snortlepig. Slowly the forest grows back and animals all come back, except the Snortlepig. It teaches a gentle lesson to children that some valuable things may be lost forever if we do not treat them right. On each page there are many fantastically illustrated plants and animals to look for and count. The color scheme changes along with the story line. Judging from how frequently that my daughter picks out this book to read on her own, it is easily one of her favorites. And it certainly is mine.
I have to stop the urge to list all of Graeme Base’s books. Not only are they all tremendously imaginary and brilliantly illustrated, they have multiple levels of depth. So children at different ages derive different meanings and enjoyment from the same book. Do check them out.
– by Alvin Tresselt (for Ages 4 to 10)
This is a tribute to the life of a handsome mighty oak tree. Starting from its glorious youth, the tree demonstrates its majesty in maturity, approaches gradual decline, and eventually succumbs to its final decay. Then new lives sprout vibrantly where the mighty tree fell. With simple yet poetic words and beautiful artwork, the book describes the interdependence of plant and animal lives and presents a very realistic natural world to the young readers. Interestingly the book title used to be “The Dead Tree”. This new edition maintains the original text but owns a different title. The book is fairy factual, yet there is something very poignant about it. I’ve always found it somewhat bewildering that some parents try to “protect” their children from the concept of death. I contend that the perceived protection short changes children’s intelligence and resiliency. Multiple pre-school teachers have told me that my daughter is a very sensitive child compared with her peers. Yet she has always embraced natural lifecycles as a part of the world she lives in. In fact, this is a great book to teach children lifecycles in the natural world.
– by Brenda Z. Guiberson (for Ages 2 to 8 )
This is a marvelous book about the life of a Saguaro cactus. It presents simple facts but reads like poetry. And the colorful artwork brings the desert scenes to your reading room. Who knew that the Saguaro cactus lived to 150-200 years! Who knew that a little book with a cactus as the star could capture my toddlers’ attention time and again? My 2 year old is not able to understand the chronological lifecycle of the cactus yet, but she loves to point and name the animals – an owl, a jackrabbit, a woodpecker. And my 4 & ½ year old is able to grasp the concept of interdependence between animals and plants and how these life forms adapt to the desert environment. As for me? I love the illustrations and the fact that this is one of the few books that I can read to them at the same time.
Happy Reading!
CindyW at Organicpicks
Copyright 2007 Organicpicks
Environmentally Friendly Garden Plantings
June 18, 2007
Posted by CindyC in : Green Journal , 1 comment so far
Continuing last week’s green journal action, I am in the process of creating a healthy and environmentally friendly garden. After the hard labor of turning and some general natural enrichment of our rocky, clay soil (great for pottery not so good for plants), we are now in the plant selection and putting roots to the soil stage. When we landscaped our front yard several years ago, we were novices and selected plantings purely based on color and aesthetics. Sadly, the majority of our annuals were eaten to stubs by local deer – OVERNIGHT! The remaining plants slowly withered due to dryness, sun exposure or lack of sun exposure. Over the years, we’ve gradually learned some lessons on wise garden planning.
One of the greatest things about smart planting is it is by nature, environmentally friendly. Plants grow and thrive in areas where it best suits their needs. To a recreational gardener like me, native planting is just the fancy term for following nature’s lead. Growing native plants or even transplants from areas with similar climates will generally require less maintenance. These plants are accustomed to the area’s soil condition so frequent fertilization is not necessary. Once situated, these locally suited plants generally require less water or irrigation. With another dry summer predicted (in California), this is definitely an advantage. Additionally, native plants tend to be more pest resistance which reduces the need (and urge) to use unnecessary pesticides; natural hardiness will help the overall garden thrive as weak plants attract pests and can spread disease to other plantings.
For our back garden, I did some research online as well as talked to some local nurseries to get a list of California native plants. Because California has such a wide range of terrain, the native plant list depends on where you live. For a comprehensive list and more details on native plants, visit California Native Plant Society
However, a short list includes:
–Perennials: ferns, rose snapdragons, columbines, wild ginger, California aster, fuschia, and poppy, bleeding heart, purple stonecrop, golden rod
–Grasses: pacific reed grass, thin grass, sedge, horsetail, California fescue, June grass, deer grass,
–Trees and shrubs: California buckeye, red and white alder, oak, desert olive, coffee berry, manzanita, coastal sage, brewer, hazel
In addition to native plants, we also considered drought resistant and hardy plants that thrive in our area. While on our walks, we took note of what grew well in our neighborhood. Because we have a young child and a curious dog, we were careful to stay away from certain plants like Oleander and Poinsettias. We are lucky to have two mature fruit trees, which gives wonderful shade for play, rest and year round fruit; so for the shadier part of the garden, we selected a variety of ferns and fuschias, which tend to stay green and lush year round. Sage, lavender and rosemary, are drought and deer resistant, attract hummingbirds and great for our borders. We also transplanted some existing succulents into pots and plan on getting some horsetails to soften our fence wall. Unable to control our yearning for a few showy flowers, we did plant a couple new rosebushes, hydrangeas, star jasmine and some colorful annuals around the planting beds. To help with natural pest control, we included a generous scattering of marigolds, which naturally release a pest repellent. These choices do require additional (organic) fertilization but tend to grow well in our neighborhood. My daughter and her little friends have thoroughly enjoyed this process and may become the next generation of organic gardeners.
Copyright 2007 Organicpicks
Nice to be supported by local communities
June 15, 2007
Posted by CindyW in : Communities , add a comment
Both of us live in the San Francisco Bay Area and feel a strong sense of commitment to the area. One of our goals for Organicpicks is to stay closely connected with our local communities. We strive to provide useful information to support local communities to be a little greener and more sustainable.
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As well, we appreciate the great support from other local groups. Love the shoutout from Marin Mommies. Marin Mommies is a unique place for tips, ideas, and resources for modern, sophisticated, and on-the-go moms, moms to be, and dads. We really appreciate their local focus. Wanna know what kids friendly events are happening in your neck of the woods? Wanna try cooking with young kids? Wanna know where to take your kids for art and culture activities? You can find all the above and some on Marin Mommies. Awesome site! Check it out.
CindyW at Organicpicks
Copyright 2007 Organicpicks
Free Coffee and Paper on Caltrain
June 14, 2007
Posted by CindyC in : Deals & Giveaways , add a comment
In attempt to promote ridership at some of the less popular stations, Caltrain is offering free coffee and morning paper to riders. The “newspaper, coffee and Caltrain – your day is off to a great start” campaign kicked off on Tuesday at the Hayward Park Station. Unfortunately, according to KCBS the campaign did not show any traction on the first day. The promotion moves to Burlingame on Thursday (June 14th) and then to Palo Alto and Mountain View next week. The promotion runs from 5:45am to 9am each of these days and includes free train ticket raffles.
Admittedly, Caltrain has not done a great job promoting the campaign since there has virtually been no mention on their site or in the local news. However, encouraging public transportation is a worthy cause so let’s try to spread the word for Caltrain. And by the way, if anyone has information on which days the promotion will come to Palo Alto and Mountain View, please drop me a line.
CindyC
Copyright 2007 Organicpicks
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