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Citizens Sustainability Advisory Committee Sustainability Blog

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Sustainable Holiday Guide

November 13, 2025

Sustainable Holiday Guide Written by CSAC Member Katie Beglinger The holidays are one of my favorite times of the year, but they’re also a season when we generate a lot of waste and carbon emissions. So how can we celebrate sustainably without losing the holiday magic? Here are some tips to help make your holidays greener! Gift Giving Did you know that a huge number of gifts in the U.S. are returned or discarded by January? Each year, up to 5 billion pounds of returned products end up in landfills, and 4% of the $15.2 billion spent on unwanted gifts is wasted. This not only adds to landfill waste but also squanders the resources used to produce and ship these items. Tips for Greener Gifting: Give homemade or secondhand gifts. New items have a high carbon footprint and are often short-lived. Instead, consider homemade gifts like baked goods or knitted items, or shop secondhand. Experiences-like concert tickets or sports events-are also thoughtful and low-impact. Ask for a list or gift ideas. It may feel less personal, but gifts people actually want are less likely to be wasted. If buying new, prioritize shopping at small and local businesses. Eco-friendly wrapping. Check [...]

Switch, Save and Cool Down

September 29, 2025

Switch, Save, and Cool Down ⚡💰 By CSAC Member Nilofer Motiwala Is the hot weather making you dream of air conditioning? Want to cut energy bills and breathe cleaner air? There’s never been a better time to switch to efficient, all-electric appliances. They use less energy, lower costs, and make your home safer. ✨ Fun fact: replace your furnace with a heat pump, and you get air conditioning included-for free! Here’s a breakdown of rebates and incentives available right now (but some are sunsetting at the end of the year ⏳). Federal Incentives 💡 30% tax credits for HVAC and solar 💡 Up to $2,000 back for a heat pump water heater 📣 Act before year-end to maximize your savings! California & Peninsula Clean Energy 🙌 $1,000 statewide rebate per heat pump system 👉 In addition, PCE offers up to $2,500 for a heat pump water heater 👉 0% interest loans from PCE to help you get started faster 🔗 Visit Peninsula Clean Energy’s Rebates & Offers page for full details Projects You Can Do This Year 🔄 Replace your gas water heater with a heat pump (same-day emergency replacement service) 🌬️ Upgrade to a heat pump HVAC system (AC [...]

The Health Benefits of Going Electric

August 27, 2025

The Surprising Health Benefits of Switching Away from Your Gas Stove A few years back, as part of our home renovation, our family made it a goal to eliminate as many fossil fuel sources as possible to reduce our personal carbon footprint. But beyond our personal commitment to reducing our own carbon footprint, we found another important reason why switching from gas to electric or induction stoves is a smart move: our health. The Hidden Health Risks of Gas Stoves and Ovens Gas stoves and ovens aren’t just cooking up dinner-they’re also producing a variety of pollutants that can negatively impact your health. Here are a few you might not be aware of: Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2): Homes with gas stoves can have nitrogen dioxide levels that are 50% to 400% higher than those in homes with electric stoves. Exposure to NO2 can lead to difficulty breathing, wheezing, and chronic respiratory conditions, including asthma. Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5): These tiny particles, less than 10 micrometers (or 2.5 micrometers) in size, can penetrate deep into your lungs, increasing the risk of respiratory issues. Benzene: Unburned natural gas contains benzene, a carcinogen that can leak into the air when using gas appliances.How [...]

Less Screen & More Green

July 14, 2025

How Digital Detox Supports Both Mental Health and Sustainability By CSAC Vice-Chair Nyssa Mitra It’s Foster City! We’re known for our beautiful lagoons and green spaces. But what if our screen habits are silently impacting the environment we love? With every scroll and notification, we consume more energy, contribute to e-waste, and disconnect from the natural world. A digital detox is about stepping away from the constant buzz of screens. It’s a chance to pause, unplug, and reconnect with the world around you. It can be for a few hours, a day, or even longer, but disconnecting allows you to recharge your mind and body, reducing stress and digital burnout. And in a community like ours, where the beauty of nature is so integral to our way of life, a digital detox can also be a powerful way to protect the environment we cherish. It’s not just Foster City- we all live in a world where pretty much everything we do happens on our screens-whether it’s working, learning, connecting with friends, or even ordering pizza. I’m not asking anyone to give up their screens completely-let’s be real, even I can’t commit to that. After all, how else would I turn [...]

Less Stuff, More Joy!

April 10, 2025

Written by Community Sustainability Advisory Committee (CSAC) Member Shuning Yan As the days grow longer and the weather gets warmer, spring brings the perfect opportunity to refresh and renew. Spring cleaning is a time-honored tradition that not only tidies up your home but also provides an opportunity to improve your environment and help the community. Whether you’re deep cleaning, decluttering, or organizing this year, consider incorporating sustainable practices. Below are some tips and resources to help you with the process Step 1: Take a Moment to Make a Plan Before diving into your spring cleaning session, take a moment to create a plan. This will help you stay focused and ensure that you tackle the most important areas of your home. Step 2: Break Down Your Tasks The thought of cleaning the entire house can be overwhelming, so break down your tasks into smaller, manageable chunks. Instead of trying to tackle everything at once, focus on one room or area at a time. You can even start with something as small as one drawer or a single shelf. Step 3: Start with Areas that Bring You Joy Begin with the areas of your home that bring you the most joy [...]

Green Business

February 27, 2025

Written by Community Sustainability Advisory Committee (CSAC) Member Shilpi Goel Every day, I see the Earth on fire. Every day, I hear about the ice caps melting and sea levels rising. On Mother Earth, our only home, every person contributes four pounds of trash every day. We fill our planet with poisonous material and throw the rest into the ocean. As we all know, by 2050, we will have more plastic in the oceans than fish. I can’t control the actions of others, the government, or companies, but I want to do as much as possible to help. At home, I decided to use Ridwell, a recycling service that reuses some things and properly recycles others, and this has made the amount of landfill our household generates much smaller. I also run a business, and seeing two 33-gallon bags full of trash daily still bothered me. I decided to do something about it. I contacted San Mateo County to learn more about their Green Business Program. Bryton Mays, a bilingual sustainability consultant of the Green Business Program, visited my business. He advised me on the specific actions I could take to make my salon a first-tier green business. First, we [...]

Upgrading to a Heat Pump

December 10, 2024

Written by Community Sustainability Advisory Committee (CSAC) Member Nilofer Motiwala. I have lived in Foster City for 12 years in a house with a 100 amp electrical panel. In November 2023, our water heater started leaking. Below, I share our journey of replacing the old unit with a Heat Pump Water Heater. The short version: You can get a same-day loaner in case your water heater goes bust. Ideally, if your current water heater is close to 10 years old, you should plan ahead and not wait for a leak like I did! You can get a 120V plug-in heat pump (i.e., one that plugs into a regular outlet). This option doesn’t require additional room on the panel. Various rebates from Foster City, Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE), the State of California, and the federal tax credit make the purchase more affordable (check out SwitchIsOn.org for more related info). QuitCarbon can help you with the process. They provide free expert guidance, refer contractors, and help evaluate bids. Full story: Our gas water heater sprouted a leak during the winter months. Given the age of the appliance, I was expecting this to happen, but I still had not done all my research! [...]

Sustainable Gifting

December 12, 2023

Dear Foster City Community! ‘Tis the season of gifting. As you ponder gifts for family and friends, below are some ideas to make your gifts meaningful, long-lasting, and sustainable. Gift Your Presence Give an IOU of time spent walking/hiking or enjoying a meal/cooking together Gift a Shared Experience A gift certificate to an Art/Yoga/Dance class Gift tickets to the movies or play at our local live theater Membership to a museum, zoo, theme park Prepaid subscription to an exercise class or yoga/meditation app Prepaid personal training sessions Audio or e-book subscription Pair any of these with the first – join them in the activity for double the joy! Gift of an Expert A chef-prepared meal (maybe the chef is you or a local community member) Prepaid sessions with a personal organizer Prepaid food delivery services such as Daily Harvest, HelloFresh, Uber Eats, Door Dash Handmade gifts – share your creative side with others. Handmade gifts have an emotional and unquantifiable value. Consider: sewing reusable napkins using upcycled materials knitting, crocheting, quilting baking a pie, making fruit preserves, desserts-in-a-jar, or a casserole preparing non-toxic cleaning solutions sharing a favorite photo of a special moment with a message of gratitude buying homemade, [...]