Menlo Park City Council Members and Rebecca Lucy, Sustainability Manager: II read in the Dec. 18, 2019 issue of "The Almanac" Menlo Park is getting serious about eliminating climate change< (Carbon Neutrality by 2030? Council Open to Bold New Climate Goal" by Kate Bradshaw). I think it is a neat idea to ban natural gas in new construction. This will help eliminate the destructive effects of Fracking, Striving for carbon neutrality is a welcome goal. There are a few more elements that could be added to the objective. We should not be dependent on PENINSULA CLEAN ENERGY to be saving us money and our natural resources. Each and every one of us should be more independent in our daily lives when it comes to conserving energy. How many children are we adding to an already over stuffed world? Am I using the sun to the fullest to heat my house as much as I can, heat my water, dry my clothes, provide light and grow my food? Is the water going down the drain as one waits for the water to get hot for a shower, wash dishes or to rinse fruit and vegetables off, or is it being collected to water the plants in the yard,, or to flush the john? Depending on the sun for our daily needs, both actively and passively, we must keep our trees thinned, opened up and short, so they don't interfere with our neighbors' ability to be good stewards of our planet. The sun is constantly in operation and belongs to each and every one of us. When one prevents this vital resource from flooding into another's home or business, due to lack of maintenance of trees, or misplacement of trees, is not this in, a way, stealing from others? It definitely discourages people to be the most conservation conscious individuals in thought and action. This affects everyone. Trees do provide shade and cool breezes in the summer - eliminating the use of air conditioners. We can shade our own home without shading others. Trees are expensive to get trimmed, so it would benefit us to either keep our trees at a height a property owner can reach, or to plant smaller trees and shrubs. To be more independent and self-sufficient people should be encouraged to plant fruit trees for food for themselves and others. High density housing is not the way to go to fight global warming, or even homelessness. The ?homeless" will still have to pay for their utilities. When the sun does not shine in, due to obstructing trees or buildings, the residents will have high utility bills to pay. What if people need to evacuate in a hurry from a city? The more people, the more traffic and congestion. We should also be encouraging companies to hire locally, instead of bringing people in from distant communities, states or countries. Just a note: - I switched to PENINSULA CLEAN ENERGY when it was first offered. The cost of "ENERGY" went down, my energy usage stayed the same, and my utility bill went UP. Thank you for letting me share these ideas. Jackie Leonard-Dimmick Received on Sun Dec 29 2019 - 15:36:57 PST
