Check Your Tires
Cooler temperatures can lower tire pressure and under-inflated tires reduce your car’s fuel efficiency. It takes just a few minutes to inflate your tires to the proper pressure and it’s well worth the grimy fingers. And while you’re at it, check your car service records; is it time to rotate your tires yet? By regularly rotating your tires, you make sure your tires wear evenly. Regular rotation can  extend your tire life and improve your gas mileage .
Rideshare Week
The City of Chula Vista is participating in the Rideshare Week from October 1 st to the 5 th . Tuesday October 2 nd will be FREE Ride Day! Jump on any fixed route like the Trolley, bus, or COASTER and enjoy the ride for free. Enjoy discounted Lyft and Uber rides to/from transit stops on Free Ride Day with promo code RIDESHARESD18.
Visit the iCommute web page and pledge to commute for a chance to win an iWatch!
Share your Rideshare story for a chance to win an iPad @iCommuteSD facebook page.
San Diego Green Homes Tour
This year the San Diego Green Homes Tour will be on Sunday October 21, 2018 from 10 am to 4 pm. Homes throughout the County will be featured highlighting:

  • Net Zero Energy, LEED & Green Point Rated projects
  • Strawbale home construction
  • Water-wise landscaping, graywater systems and permaculture

One of the homes will be Barb Whelan’s home in Bonita, which was recently highlighted in the San Diego Home/Garden magazine because of the beautiful “handmade garden”. After retiring as a second-grade teacher, Barb dedicated her time to build a drought resistant, wildlife friendly garden full of California native plants and artistic compositions. A must see certified Wildlife Habitat and Earth Friendly Garden. For more information about the Green Homes Tour visit sdgreenhomestour.org.

2014 Greenhouse Gas Inventories Finalized
Last week, City Council adopted the most recent greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories for community and municipal actions which covered activity in 2014. This report is part of the City’s Climate Action Planning effort that aims to conduct GHG inventories every two years to track the City’s progress on meeting GHG reduction goals. The municipal report covers the GHG emissions created by City operations, such as from City operated buildings, street and traffic lights, vehicle fleet and waste generated. It showed that 2014 emissions continued to decrease and were 55% below their 1990 baseline and 16% below 2012 levels. These reductions come from energy efficiency upgrades like the street lighting LED light retrofit, increased vehicle fleet efficiency and waste reduction efforts like the organic waste collection pilot. Staff anticipates future reductions from recent projects such as the Measure P-funded indoor light LED retrofit and purchases of zero emission electric vehicles.   
The community report covers GHG emissions created within city boundaries, such as from homes and businesses, emissions from vehicles and emissions created from water usage or generation of waste. It showed 2014 emissions were 5% below their 2005 baseline and 14% below 2012 levels. This is the first total reduction in GHG emissions from community sources, but continued reductions are needed to meet our goal of bringing emissions 15% below their 2005 levels by 2020. One unique characteristic for Chula Vista to address is our population growth, which has increased 20% since the 2005 baseline. Accounting for that population increase by looking at per capita emissions, there is a 21% decrease since 2005 levels and 18% decreases form 2012. Emission reduction came from energy efficiency efforts that drove down energy consumption in buildings 9% below 2005 levels, improved vehicle efficiencies and alternative transportation options, as well as water conservation efforts. Staff will continue to implement the Climate Action Plan with actions such as the recently adopted outdoor LED lighting requirement for commercial properties and the completion of the South bay Bus Rapid Transit in early 2019. If you would like to view the full reports please visit the “Climate” page at www.chulavistaca.gov/clean .                   
Stay Informed Of Emergencies In Your Neighborhood
Changing weather conditions are putting our region at risk for wildfires. San Diego Gas and Electric has made significant investments to protect our communities, but there are times during extreme weather when SDG&E may have to turn off the power for public safety.

If there’s a fire, sometimes fire officials or other agencies also ask SDG&E to cut power to keep the community and/or their crews safe. Whatever the circumstances, SDG&E will make every effort to communicate with you in advance. And please know that turning off power in the interest of safety isn’t a decision they take lightly. It’s a last resort during extreme situations.

Stay informed by making sure your contact information is up-to-date:

You can also sign up for outage notifications in My Account:
  • Click on the ‘Alerts and Subscriptions’ tab
  • Select ‘Outage Notifications’ from the drop-down menu
  • From there, choose the way you want to stay informed (email, text and phone)
Climate Change Working Group November Meeting
The City’s Climate stakeholder group, the Climate Change Working Group, will be meeting on November 7 th from 3 until 5 pm at the Chula Vista Police Department Community Room (315 4th Ave, Chula Vista, CA 91910). City staff will be providing an update on Climate Action Plan implementation since the plan was adopted in late 2017, talking about future 2019 CCWG actions and soliciting feedback from members and interested attendees. The meeting is open to public attendees and anyone who would like to learn more about the actions that the City is taking to respond to climate change is encouraged to attend. If you would like to be added to the Climate Change Working Group interest list and be notified of any future meetings or updates please email conservation@chulavistaca.gov
Meet Two New Chula Vista CLEAN Businesses
The City of Chula Vista, Office of Sustainability is pleased to announce two of the newest Chula Vista CLEAN Businesses.  CopyLink , an office reproduction equipment provider, and Chula Vista Pharmacy , a locally owned pharmacy. Both are Chula Vista-based businesses that take action every day to be sustainable, reduce energy use and conserve resources.

CopyLink regularly maintains its HVAC system to ensure energy-efficient operation, reuses materials and collects and recycles used ink cartridges. Employees of CopyLink also participate in community cleanups. Chula Vista Pharmacy utilizes two highly efficient ductless, mini-split heating/cooling systems to provide a comfortable environment for employees and customers. They also have upgraded the lighting to LED lights.

To learn more about the Chula Vista CLEAN Business Program, please visit our web page at chulavistaca.gov/clean or contact us at 619-409-3893 or via email at conservation@chulavistaca.gov .  
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