There has never been a more impactful time to figure out how you can live more sustainably. We encourage you to share this information with your friends, family, and co-workers, and remember that we all have the power to make a difference, especially if we work together! 

Check out our Resource Guide for a comprehensive collection of tools and incentives for residents looking to make environmentally friendly choices. This guide includes valuable information on financial incentives for energy efficiency upgrades, such as rebates for electric appliances, EVs, and solar panels, as well as resources for home energy savings and efficiency improvements. It also highlights opportunities for reducing transportation costs with electric vehicle incentives, and offers guidance on waste reduction, including food donation and recycling programs.

Below is a list of the actions that you can take that will have a significant impact, with the actions with the greatest impact at the top:

1. Drive less. Transportation is responsible for over 60% of all greenhouse gas emissions in Walnut Creek. Using active transportation, such as walking and biking, lowers your transportation emissions to zero while improving your health. Taking public transit is another great way to reduce your emissions while saving money on gas and car maintenance!

2. Choose electric. Natural gas appliances in homes are the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Walnut Creek. Switching to electric appliances such as heat pumps and induction stoves will lower your home’s emissions significantly. It will lower them to zero if your home’s energy comes from 100% renewable sources, such as MCE's Deep Green Program or your household's rooftop solar.

3. Compost and reduce food waste. Almost 30% of all food in the U.S. is dumped into landfills each year, where it produces two potent greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide and methane. By buying only what you need, using the food you already have, and composting all food scraps in your green organics cart, you’ll be doing your part to prevent those emissions while saving money on groceries! 

4. Eat more plant-based meals. A diet that is higher in plant-based foods and lower in meat and dairy has been shown to have a much lower environmental impact in several key categories, including water use, land use, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions.  

5. Buy less and buy green. Purchases that we make as consumers have a big impact on global greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental issues. Companies that produce items such as toilet paper and paper towels vary widely in their sustainability practices. The same goes for all of the other items that we buy, especially clothing, since the fashion industry is highly polluting. When possible, it's always best to get clothing, furniture, and other items secondhand (or borrow them from a friend if you'll only need them once or twice). Reusing items allows products that would otherwise have been prematurely tossed in a landfill to continue to fulfill its purpose, thus reducing both the amount of waste in landfills and the amount of money you'll spend!

Cleaner Contra Costa Challenge: 

Interested in learning about more sustainable actions you can take? The Cleaner Contra Costa Challenge is a free website that provides resources on how to take action and allows you to track your household’s impact.