Rethink Waste: 27th Bay Area Green Business in San Carlos

Brian Moura, Assistant City Manager — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:13:04 +0000

During last night’s City Council meeting, Mayor Randy Royce presented Monica Devincenzi, the Recycling Outreach and Sustainability Manager at Rethink Waste with a proclamation recognizing the agency as the 27^th Bay Area Green Business in San Carlos. The presentation also included certificates of recognition from San Mateo County, State Senator Joe Simitian and State Assembly Member Ira Ruskin as well as a sticker acknowledging that the agency practices “Environmental Values at Work”. Rethink Waste is a Joint Powers Agency (JPA) made up of the City of San Carlos and 11 other government agencies. They manage the Shoreway Recycling and Disposal Center in San Carlos as well as Solid Waste and Recycling Services for most of the cities in Southern San Mateo County.

Earning the Award
To earn this award, the agency had to complete a rigorous 11 page self-assessment form on environmental practices including Reduced Power Consumption, Reduced Water Use and Recycling. The next step in the certification process is a series of audits conducted by utilities and agencies in these areas including Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), California Water Service, Allied Waste, San Mateo County Environmental Health Department, Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Recycle Works. It takes time and in some instances some money to bring a business or agency up to the standards of the Bay Area Green Business Program. However, when the process is completed, some of our local businesses and agencies find that their power and water bills go down – helping to save money and make their businesses even more profitable! This is a real win/win outcome on several levels. We congratulate Rethink Waste on attaining this certification and award.

Take a Look at the List
I also recommend that you take a look at the list of 27 Bay Area Green Business certificate winners based in San Carlos. I’m proud to say that San Carlos has more of these certified Bay Area Green Business Program businesses than any other city in San Mateo County. That says volumes about the commitment that businesses and government agencies based in San Carlos have to being embracing Green Values and addressing the challenges of Climate Protection.

Time to Become a Bay Area Green Business?
If you have own or manage a business, government agency or school in San Carlos, I’d encourage you to consider joining the club and applying to be a Bay Area Green Business. You’ll find information on the program in the Green Programs and Climate Protection section of the City Web Site. This includes an on-line application form which will start the ball rolling. If you’d like to learn more, feel free to contact Brian Moura, Assistant City Manager and the City’s Green Programs Coordinator at (650) 802-4210 or by email at bmoura@cityofsancarlos.org.

Welcome to Today in San Carlos – The Blog

Brian Moura, Assistant City Manager — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:57:57 +0000

In October 2001, the City of San Carlos launched a City eNewsletter called Today in San Carlos. Unlike earlier newsletters from the City, Today in San Carlos was made available on the City Web Site and through an email distribution list named eNotify. The goal of Today in San Carlos was to provide information about what was happening at the City and at City Hall to San Carlos residents, businesses and anyone who wanted to receive a copy. By making it available on the web and through email, Today in San Carlos offered the City a new way to communicate with the public.

Since that time, the Today in San Carlos eNewsletter has become very popular. It has grown from a small group of readers when it first launched 9 years ago to over 1,600 email subscribers today. Not to mention the people who access it via the City Web Site. And it has become a helpful way for the City to share information on a variety of programs, projects and events with our community.

It’s Time to Blog
Recently we’ve given some thought on where to take Today in San Carlos. It is a valuable way to communicate with the public but it needs an update. With that in mind, we’ve decided to move Today in San Carlos from an enewsletter format to a blog. This will enable us to post articles on key City projects, events and items on a very timely basis and in a new and perhaps more colorful way. So, we encourage you to keep an eye on this blog as we enter a new chapter in the Today in San Carlos story. We think you’ll find it quite informative and enjoyable in the days and weeks ahead! (Special thanks to Kriselle Laran at Bullfrog Media in Downtown San Carlos for her help in the launch effort.)