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A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
We should not be operating our power grid via text alert, and other observations from the past few daysWell, that was an interesting few days. Our electric service should work quietly in the background. Instead it made headlines nearly every day. At times it appeared...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on Sep. 9, 2022Last comment by Westbrook, on Sep 21, 2022 at 10:34 pm | 19 comments | 10991 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
Will the power go out during this heat wave?Our local power providers and our grid operator (CAISO) are asking us to conserve electricity over the next few days as record-breaking heat and heavy use of air...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on Sep. 4, 2022Last comment by Bystander, on Sep 12, 2022 at 1:27 pm | 34 comments | 14757 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
The curious case of the broken-not-broken gas meterEvery month I send Palo Alto Utilities a photo of my gas and electric meters and they bill me a few days later. (1) That has worked fine until this year. In...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on Aug. 28, 2022Last comment by SRB, on Aug 30, 2022 at 11:54 am | 8 comments | 14747 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
Living with a Heat Pump Water HeaterThis is going to be a pretty short blog post because it turns out it’s not all that interesting living with a heat pump water heater. It works, it’s...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on Aug. 21, 2022Last comment by Sam Li, on Aug 30, 2022 at 3:48 am | 27 comments | 34478 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
What to do if you get a noisy Rheem/Ruud heat pump water heaterOne of the reasons that people have favored the Rheem/Ruud heat pump water heaters is because they are quiet. Rated at a low 49 dB, you could install one in most...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on May. 22, 2022Last comment by Sherry Listgarten, on Aug 20, 2022 at 2:04 pm | 20 comments | 45537 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
Try this for healthier, more drought-resistant plantsA couple of weeks ago I was talking with a local landscaper. At one point I asked about mixing organic amendment into the soil. “Oh no,” she replied,...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on Jul. 31, 2022Last comment by Scott Denny, on Aug 13, 2022 at 2:17 pm | 8 comments | 16636 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
The Emissions Intensity of California's Electricity GridSometimes California’s electricity is powered almost entirely by gas turbines. Below is an example from January 12 of this year at 6 pm, when there was little...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on Jul. 24, 2022Last comment by BobB, on Jul 31, 2022 at 5:52 pm | 22 comments | 17944 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
Palo Alto is #1! (in water costs)Are water rates in Palo Alto high? You bet. It’s not just that we charge a lot. Our tiers are also very steep. As a result, tree-friendly Palo Alto charges...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on Jul. 17, 2022Last comment by Sherry Listgarten, on Jul 18, 2022 at 4:15 pm | 7 comments | 18559 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
Midpen's unambiguous ruling on e-bikesIt would have been a lot easier for Midpen’s board of directors to take the middle ground that was offered. The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on Jul. 10, 2022Last comment by Rossta, on Jul 13, 2022 at 12:24 pm | 15 comments | 17268 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
E-Bikes on Open Space Trails: Yes or No?On Wednesday, June 29, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) will decide where to allow e-bikes on its
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on Jun. 26, 2022Last comment by Joel Lachter, on Jul 9, 2022 at 3:14 pm | 19 comments | 18332 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
Am I saving enough water yet?We are in our third year of drought in California and it’s not pretty. SoCal residents are under some
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on Jun. 19, 2022Last comment by BobB, on Jul 6, 2022 at 8:47 am | 39 comments | 18192 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
Let's bury our CO2. What could possibly go wrong?We did not act early enough on climate change, and we continue to burn through our carbon budget too fast. As a result, we are faced with the need to capture and...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on May. 1, 2022Last comment by John, on Jul 4, 2022 at 8:22 am | 14 comments | 22621 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
Will goopy straws and useless bags doom our efforts?Many readers of this blog are concerned about plastic waste. I understand why. We walk past discarded water bottles at concerts and games; we find disposable cups...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on Jun. 12, 2022Last comment by MichaelB, on Jun 18, 2022 at 8:13 am | 23 comments | 16095 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
Are you ready to ditch disposables?Two years ago, in February 2020, I wrote about Palo Alto’s...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on May. 29, 2022Last comment by Sherry Listgarten, on Jun 3, 2022 at 5:27 pm | 15 comments | 20466 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
We need stable, climate-forward land use policiesWith the growing demand for renewable energy, domestic mineral supplies, new long-distance transmission lines, and subterranean repositories for captured CO2 and...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on May. 15, 2022Last comment by chris aoki, on May 18, 2022 at 1:07 pm | 4 comments | 14323 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
Need some help choosing a plant-based milk?A few weeks ago I found myself staring into a refrigerator case full of plant-based milks, with no idea which one to choose or why. A guy next to me was doing the...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on May. 8, 2022Last comment by Sherry Listgarten, on May 13, 2022 at 8:15 pm | 13 comments | 22880 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
Frustrated? Angry? Use it, don't lose it!Here we are, staring down the barrel of yet another dry, hot, smoke-filled summer and fall. We have already had
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on Apr. 10, 2022Last comment by Sherry Listgarten, on Apr 28, 2022 at 12:23 pm | 16 comments | 17725 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
Menlo Park considers an "electrification concierge"There are many easy, fast, and cost-effective ways for each of us to make a big dent in our emissions. Think modernizing our diets, electrifying our transportation,...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on Apr. 17, 2022Last comment by MP Father, on Apr 25, 2022 at 10:43 pm | 13 comments | 18547 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
Would you like more/better veggie options at your local restaurants?I’ve been trying to eat less meat and cook more vegetarian dinners at home, but my range of veggie cooking is not so good yet. When friends suggested a few...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on Apr. 3, 2022Last comment by Anneke, on Apr 6, 2022 at 6:15 pm | 14 comments | 20469 Views
A NEW SHADE OF GREEN
Vehicles turning right pose a danger to cyclists and pedestriansLast week I biked to Ace Hardware, just over a mile from my home, and when I came back I thought “Whoa, that was not fun.” There are some big four-way...
Original post made by Sherry Listgarten on Mar. 20, 2022Last comment by Sherry Listgarten, on Mar 30, 2022 at 7:38 pm | 33 comments | 24805 Views
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