Piedmont Exedra

Final Climate Speaker Series event makes the case for 100% clean, renewable energy

April 19, 2023

The League of Women Voters of Piedmont and Piedmont Connect on April 5 offered the sixth and final event in their jointly offered 2022-23 Climate Speaker Series. April’s lecture and discussion by award-winning scientist, author, and Stanford professor Dr. Mark Jacobson centered around the technologies and actions needed to provide 100% of the world’s energy with clean and stable renewable energy.  READ MORE

City receives 11 nominations for 2023 Heritage Tree program

April 11, 2023

Up to five new trees in Piedmont’s parks and public spaces will join the 23 existing “Piedmont Heritage Trees” this month. The newly designated Heritage Trees will be voted on by the Park Commission and be presented at the city’s annual Arbor Day Celebration on Thursday, April 27 from 5 – 7 p.m. at Community Hall. The city’s Heritage Tree program, now in its sixth year, aims to raise awareness of and appreciation for Piedmont’s diverse urban forest. READ MORE

Piedmont Connect and LWV conclude Climate Speaker Series with talk on renewable energy and storage

April 4, 2023

On Wed. April 5, Piedmont Connect and the League of Women Voters of Piedmont conclude the Climate Speaker Series with a presentation by Stanford professor Dr. Mark Jacobson, speaking on climate impacts of the built environment with a particular focus on pollution from homes and achievable, current-day decarbonization solutions to improve local air quality and reduce climate destabilization. READ MORE

Electric vehicle usage will help undo climate damage, says environmental science and transportation expert

March 7, 2023

Dr. Daniel Sperling, the Distinguished Blue Planet Prize Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science and Policy, and founding Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis (ITS-Davis), joined the League of Women Voters of Piedmont to talk about the importance of Electric Vehicles (EVs) for carbon-pollution reduction in California and globally. READ MORE

LWV and Piedmont Connect host ‘Electric vehicles: Can they deliver on their promise?’

February 15, 2023

Featuring Dr. Daniel Sperling, founding director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis | Wednesday, March 1 at 4:00 p.m.

Please join the League of Women Voters of Piedmont on Wednesday, March 1 at 4:00 p.m. to hear Dr. Dan Sperling talk about the impact of Electric Vehicles (EVs) on carbon reduction in California. This event is cosponsored by Piedmont Connect, the League of Women Voters of Solano County, and the League of Women Voters of Portland, Oregon. Join us to learn about what it will take for EVs to make a measurable difference in greenhouse gas reduction. READ MORE

Piedmont Connect and LWV continue Climate Speaker Series with two upcoming talks on transportation, residential energy

February 10, 2023

Piedmont Connect and the League of Women Voters of Piedmont continue their 2022-23 Climate Speaker Series on Wed. March 1, Piedmont Connect and the League of Women Voters of Piedmont will welcome Dr. Daniel Sperling, Founding Director of the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, who will speak on the climate impacts of transportation and the changes needed to stabilize transportation’s role in climate damage.  READ MORE

Where candidates stand on Reach Codes, trees, zero-carbon efforts and more

October 21, 2022

Piedmont Connect, the nonprofit organization based in town that advocates for sustainability policies in city and PUSD operations and works on raising sustainability awareness in the community, recently posed a series of questions to candidates for local offices. READ MORE

LWV Climate Series | ‘Understanding the Climate Impact of Textiles’

October 15, 2022

Ever wonder about the climate impact of the textiles in your closet – from production to manufacturing to retail distribution? Come and learn how sustainable fashion and regenerative farming are closely linked, how new programs are making a difference, and what you can do to reduce the carbon footprint of the clothes you wear and the fabrics you use.

Rebecca Burgess is the executive director of Fibershed. She has two decades of experience working at the intersection of ecology, fiber systems, and regional economic development. She is the author of the bestselling book “Harvesting Color: How to Find Plants and Make Natural Dyes” (2011) and “Fibershed: Growing a Movement of Farmers, Fashion Activists, and Makers for a New Textile Economy” (2019). READ MORE

City Council unanimously approves changes to building codes

September 23, 2022

To help update the city’s building codes to comply with stricter state Building Energy Efficiency Standards taking effect Jan. 1, the Piedmont City Council on Monday added new energy-related requirements for building new homes or making major renovations to old ones.

These changes in the building codes, unanimously approved by the council, include: READ MORE

Piedmont Connect’s Fall Front Garden Tour continues through the weekend 

September 24, 2021

Piedmont Connect’s Healthy Landscapes Fall Front Garden Tour begins Saturday, Sept. 25 and continues through Sunday, Oct. 3. During this period, Piedmonters can get sidewalk views of 14 selected front gardens featuring an array of drought-tolerant and native plant landscapes in neighborhoods throughout the city, from Baja to St. James Wood and from Moraga Avenue to Boulevard Way. 

Check out www.piedmontconnect.org for a map of the street addresses, plus photos and complete descriptions of the front gardens explaining what, when, why, and how the gardens were transformed from lawns or ivy patches into healthier landscapes. READ MORE

Piedmont Connect | How to avoid ‘cigarettes’ for plants and pollinators

July 2, 2021

Many gardeners know that pesticides are harmful to the environment and try to minimize their use, but did you know that many of the plants that you buy come pretreated with pesticides called neonicotinoids (neonics)?  Neonics are derived from nicotine, and these pesticides contaminate the entire plant for at least 10 years, as well as the soil they are planted in, the water they come in contact with, and the insects and pollinators that feed on them.  

According to the Pollinator Posse, plants treated with neonics may be more attractive to pollinators like bees, which may amplify their harmful ecological impact. Neonics are considered a primary contributor to the massive decrease in bee and monarch butterfly populations, along with climate change and habitat loss. READ MORE

Early e-bike buyers still energized

December 8, 2020

After four years of riding their electric bikes, Jill and Shane Sentz are as enthusiastic as when they bought them. “I love everything about it,” Jill says of her Rad City e-bike. “We use our bikes about half the time for shopping and errands and half for fun,” she says. “When my kids were smaller, I took them to and from school in a child’s seat on the back of my e-bike. We attach our cellphones to the bike handle and use GPS to help navigate which streets have bike lanes and the least traffic. Plus, there are hundreds of apps for recreational rides. We never did as much outdoorsy stuff before we got these bikes. They’re addictive.” READ MORE

A recipe for climate action at the holiday table

November 17, 2020

Like it or not, it looks like we’ll be celebrating this holiday season mostly at home, shelving our plans for festive meals and parties out in favor of more cooking and eating in. Even more than usual, this means our choices about what we eat and how we prepare it matter more than ever. But the real biggie? Food waste! According to multiple sources, including Drawdown, “roughly a third of the world’s food is never eaten, which means land and resources used and greenhouse gases emitted in producing it were unnecessary.”

Piedmont’s Climate Action Plan and yearly greenhouse gas inventories tell us that our homes and cars create the bulk of our collective emissions within the boundaries of our fair town. But you might be surprised to learn that the impact of our food choices dwarfs that of our energy usage in the grand scheme of things. READ MORE

Let’s REACH toward climate action together by improving our homes’ energy efficiency

August 11, 2020

The proposed “Reach Codes”–amendments to the California Building Energy Efficiency Standards–that are now before the City Council are an important step towards Piedmont reducing our contribution to the climate crisis. City staff led a very thorough process to develop these local codes, beginning with research in 2019, and public engagement efforts (including residents and building professionals) from February-June 2020 with multiple informational meetings, community forums, workshops and surveys. The Reach Codes went through several iterations, and the end product is an excellent distillation of the input received. READ MORE

Residents learn about sustainable practices for residential landscapes

February 28, 2020

To help show local property owners various steps they can take to make Piedmont more resilient as weather gets hotter and more erratic, Piedmont’s Public Works Department hosted the inaugural “Sustainable Practices for Residential Landscapes” on Feb. 27 at the city’s Community Hall. The event’s various gathered experts provided information on how to use more sustainable practices to keep the environment cleaner and make the city better able to fight, and cope with, climate change. READ MORE

Piedmont Climate Challenge: Why I leased an electric vehicle (EV)

February 14, 2020

Did you know that buying or leasing an electric vehicle (EV) is one of the most impactful ways to reduce your direct contributions to climate-warming emissions and air pollution? About 40 percent of Piedmont’s local emissions come from driving gas-powered cars, making up the largest portion of our city’s total emissions, according to Piedmont’s Climate Action Plan. Participating in the Piedmont Climate Challenge inspired Matt Disco and Sandy Rappaport, who live near Dracena Park, to lease a new KIA Niro EV. READ MORE

Piedmont Climate Challenge: Why I eat lower down the carbon chain

January 7, 2020

In a new series, Piedmont Connect will highlight the 10 most impactful actions in the Challenge — and a Piedmont family who is taking each action. Erin Mullin and her family decided to give up beef entirely after learning about its climate impacts. It may surprise many people, but eating lower down the carbon chain — primarily by eating less meat and dairy — is one of the most significant choices we can make, three times or more every day, to reduce our impact on the planet. READ MORE

Piedmont Climate Challenge: Nov. 7 event to feature food, film, and a call to action

November 5, 2019

If you haven’t heard about the city’s Climate Challenge, or aren’t entirely sure what it’s all about, an event on Thursday will explain everything, its importance, and how you can get on board. The Challenge is an extension of an effort the city started in 2008 when it passed resolutions reduce the city’s own consumption and educate the public. READ MORE

City, Piedmont Connect launch Piedmont Climate Challenge

October 1, 2019

As demonstrators of all ages took to the streets around the world in recent weeks to call for action on climate change, the City of Piedmont has launched a new tool to empower local residents to reduce their own impact on the planet. READ MORE

Focus on food at Piedmont’s Climate Action Fair

April 11, 2019

The global peril of climate change should not have individuals here at home feeling helpless. Piedmont is hosting an event during the week of Earth Day that will show steps — small and large — everyone can take in their daily lives to join the collective effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that threaten the planet. READ MORE

Piedmont Connect and StopWaste offer “Home Energy Score” assessment

April 2, 2019

Piedmont Connect and StopWaste recently hosted a tour of a Piedmont home that just completed a Home Energy Score assessment. The cost for an assessments ranges between $350 to $450 and provides the homeowner with information on how to reduce greenhouse gas emission associated with heating and powering the home. READ MORE

The Piedmont Exedra is an online news site serving the citizens of Piedmont, CA