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Past Presentations
The City of San Mateo hosts workshops on a variety of sustainability issues. Past topics include energy efficiency, greywater systems and solar energy. If you weren’t able to make it or if you want to review the information, the presentations are available online.
Create Your Electric Home Plan Workshop (Thursday, November 16, 2023)
This workshop featured San Mateo homeowners sharing their electric home journeys and lessons learned from their experience. After the homeowner presentations, there will be time for a discussion to encourage a dialogue between presenters and attendees and to hear your questions and concerns about electrification. The goal was for workshop attendees to walk away with their own plan on how to get started on going electric.
Create Your Electric Home Plan Workshop Presentation
Electrify Your Home and Save Money (Tuesday, May 9, 2023)
Are you interested in electrifying your home and don’t know where to start? Are you “electric-curious” and want to learn about the benefits of electrification? Switching to electric heating and cooking technologies creates safer homes and communities for generations to come. The City of San Mateo and 350 Silicon Valley hosted a workshop that shared information on how and why to go electric and how to take advantage of newly increased rebates, incentives and financing. A homeowner also shared their own home electrification process. The workshop included an induction cooktop demonstration.
Electrify Your Home and Save Money Presentation
Electric Home Workshop (Wednesday, June 22, 2022)
Have you been thinking about how to reduce your energy bills? Are you considering electric equipment or energy efficiency upgrades in your home? This virtual workshop reviewed rebates for energy efficiency upgrades including air sealing, duct sealing, insulation and high-efficiency furnaces and water heaters, as well as rebates available to electrify your home with electric equipment (i.e., heat pump water heaters, induction cooktops).
Selecting Native Plants (Tuesday, May 24, 2022)
Is your yard too high maintenance for your lifestyle? Are you finally ready to replace your lawn with a more sustainable landscape? Learn about eco-friendly lawn alternatives such as California native grasses that provide benefits for the ecosystem. Plus, find out which low-maintenance plants are suitable for your yard. Presentation by Juanita Salisbury. Juanita Salisbury has a Ph.D. in Biopsychology from the University of Florida, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from West Virginia University. In 2009 she established Juanita Salisbury Landscape Architecture after working for commercial and residential design firms. She has recently turned her focus to California native plant pollinator habitats, and in 2016 established the Primrose Way Pollinator Garden, the first of five pollinator habitat gardens in Palo Alto.
Selecting Native Plants slides
Selecting Native Plants video recording
Vegetable Gardening in Time of Drought (Saturday, May 7, 2022)
Spring is the time to plant your summer vegetable garden. At the same time, drought is upon us. Most of California was dry-farmed before irrigation systems were common. Learn about what crops can tolerate little to no water, and bring back some tried and true practices. Hear about ways to grow more food using the same amount of water by incorporating techniques like hydro-zoning, mulching, cover cropping, companion planting and regularly checking your irrigation system. Presentation by Master Gardeners Lisa and Kathleen Putnam. Lisa holds a BS in Agricultural Economics from UC Davis; she operates a small sustainable organic farm in Woodside and is a UC Master Gardener (1999) and Master Composter (2010). Kathleen is a professional organic vegetable gardener, UC Master Gardener, and ISA Certified Arborist serving the Mid-Peninsula region, with a degree in Environmental Horticulture from City College of San Francisco. Both teach regularly at sites including Lyngso and area garden clubs.
Vegetable Gardening in Time of Drought - slides
Vegetable Gardening in Time of Drought - YouTube Recording
Sustainable Landscapes - Lawn to Garden Transformations (Saturday, November 13, 2021)
Learn how to convert your lawn to drought-tolerant landscape, plant an edible garden, or make other changes to transform your outdoor space and use less water. Learn about creating sustainable gardens and get inspiration from Loren McIrvin, owner of Allied Landscape.
Sustainable Landscapes - Lawn to Garden Transformations
Water Efficient Edible Gardening (Thursday, October 3, 2019)
The secret to growing cool-season vegetables and harvesting all winter long is in the timing. Learn about planting seeds or starts, compost, cover crops/green manure, watering and organic techniques for maintenance.
Water Efficient Edible Gardening
Divesting From Fossil Fuels (Thursday, April 25, 2019)
Learn how you can stop supporting the fossil fuel industry with your banking and investments. Take control of your money’s impact. David Elliston shares tips for clean investing.
Permaculture Design Workshop (Saturday, April 20, 2019)
Permaculture works with nature instead of against it - saving energy, minimizing waste, and lowering environmental impact. Local permaculture expert Nicholas Hardy discussed how to holistically restore and regenerate the degraded ecology of our local landscapes and watersheds.
Permaculture Design Presentation
Going Zero Waste Workshop (Saturday, April 20, 2019)
What is zero waste? The simple definition is to send nothing to the landfill but the more complex and accurate description is about redefining the system. Kathryn Kellogg breaks zero waste living down into a super simple step-by-step process.
Native Plants Workshop (Wednesday, September 26, 2018)
This workshop provided an overview of the benefits of native and drought-tolerant plants.
Greywater Workshop (Saturday, June 23, 2018)
Laura Allen from Greywater Action led a two-part workshop. Part 1 was an overview of greywater systems and Part 2 focused on how to install your own laundry-to-landscape system.
Greywater Workshop Presentation
Earth Day Taste & Talk Forum: Driving Towards Driverless (Tuesday, May 2, 2017)
Watch the video link to Driving Towards Driverless Cars with Lauren Isaac, Director of Business Initiatives at EasyMile.
Autonomous vehicles have the potential to change all aspects of mobility – from driver safety and insurance liability to car ownership and how Americans commute. It has the potential to disrupt both public and private transportation as we know it. This presentation will introduce driverless cars: what they are, when they’re coming, and who is involved. It will also introduce what a driverless society may look like and what we, as a society, should be both excited and concerned about!