Sustainable Novato

05/08/2023

Great turn out!

02/22/2023

Are you ready to take climate action with us this spring? We are offering two 5-session climate action workshops. Learn how to live sustainably and bring climate-friendly practices to your home. The sessions take place every other week via Zoom. As always, the program is free for Marin residents! The next workshops start on Mar 30 and Apr 5. Sign up here: https://www.resilientneighborhoods.org/sign-up-for-a-team.html

Marin County Sustainability Team, Marincan, Sustainable Mill Valley, Sustainable San Rafael, Sustainable Novato, Sustainable Marin, San Anselmo Climate Action Commission

02/07/2023

Not good! We’ll need to take a hard look at the way we use our precious and limited resources- like fresh water. The age of unlimited water use needs to end, and we need to take a close look at our biggest consumers!

Scientists warn that the alarmingly low waters in Lake Mead and Lake Powell are unlikely to change anytime soon. Both bodies of water are located in the main channel of the Colorado River basin, which supplies approx 25% of the water for coastal Southern California. Read more: https://go.nowth.is/3RFLU6y

In 2000, Lake Mead was filled with so much water that it was splashing against the lake’s spillway gates. In 2023, after years of global warming and megadroughts, Mead is estimated to be nearly 70% dry.

Meanwhile, Lake Powell is now at 23% from its full capacity. Powell’s water levels are so low that the nearby Glen Canyon Dam is at risk of no longer being able to properly provide electricity for nearly 6M customers across Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Nebraska.

‘Now the water use is maxed out. Every state is taking too much, and we have to cut back. And so there’s just not enough. You would need wet year after wet year, after wet year after wet year, after wet year. Even then, because the demand is so high, it still wouldn’t fill,’ said Bill Hasencamp, manager of Colorado River resources for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, to the Los Angeles Times.

Scientists warn that the alarmingly low waters in Lake Mead and Lake Powell are unlikely to change anytime soon. Both bodies of water are located in the main channel of the Colorado River basin, which supplies approx 25% of the water for coastal Southern California.

10/06/2022

Similar enzymes discovered in 2020, but this new discovery involves a natural process and has some VERY promising implications as we clean up our mess and recover / move away from our dependency on single use plastics!

The crucial first step in the biodegradation of polyethylene plastic is oxidation of the polymer. This has traditionally required abiotic pre-treatment, but now Bertocchini and colleagues report two wax worm enzymes capable of catalyzing this oxidation and subsequent degradation at room temperature.

07/30/2022

This is a fantastic service! We’re lucky to be in a community that had invested in future-proofing our city and conserving our resources.

💦♻️💦 𝙉𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙤 𝙎𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙩 has been providing high quality recycled water to North Marin Water District to irrigate large landscapes for over a decade.

Recycled water frees up potable water for homes and businesses and helps KEEP NOVATO GREEN, especially during the drought!

06/17/2022

🌈 the more you know

𝓓𝓲𝓭 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓚𝓷𝓸𝔀?
☆☆ 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗼’𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝘇𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 ☆☆ Provides free and safe disposal of common household products like aerosol cans, cleaners, pesticides, paints, batteries, motor oils, and small electronics etc.
✳ To schedule an appointment (required for drop off) and to learn more about what is and is not accepted, as well as other disposal and recycling resources, visit our website. https://novatosan.com/services/household-hazardous-waste-program/

05/28/2022

This is a great local resource, and such a convenient way to de clutter / keep e-waste (ie heavy metals) out of our landfills! 🙂

EVERY THURSDAY!!! Conservation Corps North Bay (CCNB) is providing Free E-Waste Pick-Up for Novato Residents. Pick ups are made by appointment only. Schedule yours today!

➡️ EMAIL: [email protected] or
➡️ CALL: (415) 454-4554
➡️ For more information visit the CCNB website: https://www.ccnorthbay.org/events/recycling-specifics/

05/16/2022

Fun activities for the family or just with friends this spring!

04/07/2022

Common misinformation about our EV future and ! EV’s are the future and they’re here to stay 🙂.

We’ve all seen it. Insufferable fanatics of fossil fuels, seeking to win an argument against electric vehicles, pull out what they think is the ultimate argument against them: “Where does that power come from?” They have all of their facts from decades ago in order. All power comes from coal-f...

02/11/2022

A German company figured out a safe and effective method to recover the silicon from used solar panels! They’re helping to produce the worlds first 100% recycled PV arrays 😎♥️

Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and the largest German recycling company for PV modules, Reiling GmbH & Co. KG, have developed a solution, in which the silicon in the discarded modules was recycled on an industrial scale and reused to produce new PERC solar cells.

02/11/2022

This has the beginnings of some real progress! We as citizens still need to iron out some important details with the City to make sure that the commission members have the voice they need and the local support to act.

Let us know your thoughts, we are here to help represent our members. Sustainable Novato will be staying on top of the process as the commission gets defined and moves forward!

The proposal calls for a five- to seven-member panel that would include one or two students in high school or college.

02/08/2022

Thinking about a landscape upgrade at your property? Think ahead and keep your garden green!

There are smarter options than just putting in a water & cost intensive new lawn 🙂

Lawns are a landscape feature we've borrowed from areas where rain is more plentiful. They're great for kids and parks and ball fields, but problematic from an environmental perspective. If you aren't actively using your lawn, please consider replacing it with a more Earth-friendly option.