News

Community Congress 2010
Growing Green Showcase: Environmental Actions for Home and Business Sustainability

Thank you to all partners, keynotes, and attendees of 2010’s Growing Green Showcase. Slideshow presentations are available below, and if you are interested, video recordings of all presentations will be available soon. To learn more about Cupertino Green and to help keep Cupertino a wonderful place to live, please visit www.cupertino.org/green for more information.

Workshop Videos

Workshop/Speaker Slideshow Presentations
Composting- Bay-Friendly Gardening Presentation

Composting- Recology Presentation

Coulomb Technologies Presentation

Cupertino Green Building Presentation

Green Business is a Team Sport Presentation

Green Buildings - Leddy Presentation

Green Dream Jobs Presenation

Living Green - Acterra Recurve Presentation

NASA- Our Sustainable Planet Presenation

Solar Solutions Seminar in Cupertino Presentation

Event Details
Saturday, July 31, 10 am – 2 pm,
Kirsch Center, De Anza College: KC 218
21250 Stevens Creek Blvd. Cupertino, CA 95014 

Mayor Wang cordially invites Cupertino residents, students and employees to the 2010 Community Congress. Enjoy a day of powerful presentations designed to share green living practices to inspire a healthier way to work, play and live, all the while address air pollution, decrease global warming impacts and conserve finite natural resources. This sustainability showcase offers an opportunity to connect, learn and take action with hundreds of other attendees and local environmental leaders through skill-building workshops and breakout sessions to co-create our vision for a sustainable future.

Download Event Flyer and Facilities & Parking Map

Event Resources and Tools
Featured Speakers

• Our Sustainable Planet
  Rose Grymes, Ph.D.
  Lead, Planetary Sustainability
  NASA Ames Research Center
  Perspectives from NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), through space exploration and Earth observation, has shown us all the beauty of Earth, this 'pale blue dot' whose biosphere supports life as we know it. Dr. Grymes will talk about research and technology innovations from our neighbor, NASA Ames Research Center, designed for a sustainable future. Former Executive Director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, Dr. Grymes currently supports sustainability efforts both at Ames and across the U.S. space agency.
  
  
• Taking Charge of the Clean Transportation Industry
  Richard Lowenthal
  CEO, Coulomb Technologies
   Mr. Lowenthal offers his thoughts the future of transportation electrification by providing an update on developing      markets and technologies coming our way in the next year or so.  He will also highlight steps for Cupertino to "get ready" for our shift outside the world based upon transportation    infrastructure dominated by the combustion engine. 

Workshops (Please note that presentations will be posted following event)

• Living Green, What Does it Mean?
  Join us in a conversation about your energy efficiency goals and how to achieve them -- from saving 5% up to 50% and more. If you like saving money and energy this workshop is for you! 
  Acterra
  Recurve
  
  
• Building Towards a Post-Carbon Future!
  Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects & the City of Cupertino
  William Leddy, FAIA, will present examples of his firm’s award-winning architecture in a wide variety of project types that model advanced resource efficiency and provide a more intimate connection to the rhythms of the natural world.
  Additionally:
  City staff will provide an update on the Cupertino’s development a Green Building Ordinance, aiming to conserve water, energy and resources through design, construction, retrofit, & operation.
  Cupertino Planning Department
  
  

• Green Dream Jobs
  Get an overview of the CleanTech workforce options for skilled and educated workers, and grow your skills and knowledge base to effectively emerge in the new green and clean tech sector.
  NOVA
  
  

• Greening Your Business is a Team Sport
  Becoming a certified Green Business is a Team Sport that involves all of your employees. From recycling to using less water and energy, we encourage you to motivate all of your employees to integrate green business practices into your daily operations. We envision a company where any employee can easily tell your customers and clients what steps you took to be recognized as a County of Santa Clara Green Business! Participants will learn how to become a certified Green Business and how they can be recognized for their efforts.
  Bay Area Green Business Program
  
  

• From Curbside to Yard-wide
  There is only one Earth, yet many natural resources are extracted and used just once before they are discarded. The City of Cupertino wants to help its community manage natural resources wisely. Attend this workshop to find out about free backyard composting classes, free Bay Friendly gardening classes or simply learn how to use the Citywide Recycling and Organics Collection services that are coming to Cupertino on November 1st, 2010.
  City of Cupertino, Environmental Programs
  Santa Clara County Integrated Waste Management Division
  Recology
  
  

• How Green does Your Garden Grow?
  Best practices for saving water by introducing California natives and drought tolerant plants into the landscape, gardening without chemical fertilizers or pesticides and improving soil conditions for healthier growth.
  Summer Winds Nursery
  Yamagami’s Nursery
  
  

• 21st Century Dining Table
  LauraStec - Chef, Author
  Decrease your carbon footprint and save dollars! Take a culinary adventure and explore locally sourced food to reduce your meal’s travels from farm to table. Get an overview of the Vallco Farmer’s Market, and learn about the environmental and gastronomic benefits of eating in season from local farmers and chefs.
  Pacific Coast Farmer’s Market Association
  
  
• Saving Money and Energy with Solar: Is it Right for You?
  Mike Balma
  City of Cupertino
  
  Prices for solar systems have come down sharply over the last year. Learn about solar electric power and whether now is a good time to reduce your electric bill with solar energy. Topics include key components of a solar electric system and how to select them plus tools and examples to evaluate the system payback and important purchasing tips.