Sustainable Fairfax

Bringing people together to support a vital environment and thriving community

Jennifer Hammond

ELECTION 2016: Sustainable Fairfax Recommends YES on C, YES on 67, NO on 65

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Sustainable Fairfax strongly encourages everyone to vote on November 8th, 2016! For voting information, including your polling place, please see this link.  Below are our recommendations for the Statewide General Election (Propositions 65 and 67) and Fairfax Special Municipal Election (Measure C) .

YES on Proposition 67. Eight years ago, Sustainable Fairfax initiated the first plastic bag ban in the country that was (overwhelmingly) approved at the ballot box. Since then, plastic bag bans have spread like wildfire around the world, and in September 2014 the Governor approved Senate Bill 270, a statewide plastic bag ban.  The plastic bag maker lobby – the American Progressive Bag Alliance – gathered the signatures necessary for a Referendum placed on the ballot as Proposition 67.  This lobby has spent millions to defeat the ban.  Please help us protect the environment, take steps towards eliminating plastic from our landfills and oceans, and RETAIN this new law.  Vote YES on 67!!!

NO on Proposition 65.  This proposition, put on the ballot by the plastic lobby, conflicts with Proposition 67.  Prop 65 requires grocers to donate the 10 cent bag fee to specific environmental causes, while Proposition 67 allows the grocer to use the bag fee funds to comply with the bag ban law (ie for purchasing reusable bags and providing education about the single-use bag issue).  Some believe the only purpose of this proposition is to confuse voters and divide the environmental vote. We are in favor of bag fees, but taking away these funds from the grocers is not the answer.  And, if Prop 65 received more votes than Prop 67, it may actually supersede Prop 67.  Vote NO on 65!!!

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YES on the Fairfax Measure C.  This is a general tax measure to continue a retail transactions and use tax in Fairfax for an additional ten years, and to increase the Fairfax sales tax rate from ½ % to ¾ %.  We believe this tax measure is necessary to cover increases in the Town’s public service costs and to fund important projects to improve safety for our residents. The ¼% increase (translating to just 25 cents for every $100 spent), will help the Town fund projects such as street paving, sidewalk repair, trail expansion for wildfire safety, community planning for disaster evacuations, and senior and youth programs. The sales tax is a fair way for our many visitors to contribute to our Town livelihood when they enjoy our stores and restaurant. Find out more about Measure C here>>

Streets for People 2016- A Big Success!

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The fifth annual Streets for People in downtown Fairfax on Sunday, August 28th was an explosion of community spirit!  Approximately 1,500 people enjoyed the unique Fairfax vibe in the open street on Bolinas Road.

The street was alive with music, dancing, hula hooping, art and crafts, games, local food and other offerings from residents and Fairfax businesses. To name just a few: the upcoming Mas Masa served up delicious quesadillas, the Gestalt Haus offered free hot dogs to the kids, Mana Bowls gave out samples of their Acai bowls and 7-11 gave out free slurpies to participants. Bolinas Road newcomer The Find created a Makers Meetup inspiring crafts on the street, The Forge offered free temporary tattoos, Tatyana’s Magic Brush did face painting, and Joseph Jacques of Harmonic Humanity provided a lovely musical backdrop with his street piano. The Youth Music showcase, organized by Jack Irving, featured ultra-talented youth musicians and the Clothing Swap was a huge success, once again.

Other highlights: Families on cargo bikes and a new generation of riders participated in Kidical Mass, and paraded through the street on their decorated bikes. Naby Bangoura and his class at Roco Dance set the beat for the event with vibrant African drumming and dancing. Brycken Olive of Sol Studios brought soulful energy to the street with her Roots Dance class.

img_3938New this year was the lively “Teen Scene” in Bolinas Park and featured an open mic, yoga, community art, henna tattoos, hula hooping and games.

“Transit Alley,” a special feature celebrating Sustainable Fairfax’s Reduce By Two program, featured:

The Marin IJ captured the spirit of the event beautifully in this article. Check out the event website to learn about the vision of this open streets event and the international open streets movement. Streets for People was inspired by Ciclovia in Bogata. Columbia.

img_1066HELP KEEP THE WHEELS TURNING!  Sustainable Fairfax takes the lead on the organization of Streets for People with sponsorship from the Fairfax Chamber.  The entire event is run on a budget of about $1,000, and the organizers/volunteers donate their time as a heartfelt gift to their sweet community.  Please consider providing support at the $30, $60 or $100 level here.  Or buy an organic Streets for People t-shirt or tank, generously sponsored this year by Good Earth Natural Foods.

Thanks to all of the VOLUNTEERS who made this event run like a charm!

SPECIAL THANKS:  Thank you to Good Earth Natural Foods for sponsoring the Streets for People Shirts (order here), Patty at For Paws for providing us with event storage, Polly at Fairfax Variety for donating paint for street art, US Pure Water for the Water Station, and Fairfax Market for donating the fruit for the Bike Powered Smoothies!

Streets for People slideshow and tribute to the late Gene Wilder:

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Streets For People Slideshow- 2016

Zero Waste at Fairfax Streets for People

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This year Sustainable Fairfax is taking extra steps to reduce landfill waste at Streets for People. We are excited to share with you two simple ways to help reach our goal.

  1. Reduce waste by bringing your personal reusable water bottle to the US Pure Water station, and earn a Fairbuck souvenier. Learn about the recent completion of the Fairbuck project here.

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    The Fairbuck- 2011

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  2. Streets for People is an opportunity to build personal relationships with the people in your community. One way we connect with each other is by eating together!  We ask you to think of “to-go” as “to-stay,” and use the Sustainable Fairfax cutlery at the event:  real utensils, just like home.  

    There will be baskets of cutlery at the Mana Bowls and Grilly’s booths for you to use. You can drop off your used cutlery at collection buckets located at the food tables and in the street.

 

Streets for People is Almost Here!

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Fifth Annual Fairfax Streets for People will Make Bolinas Road in Downtown Fairfax a Car-Free Party for One Day: August 28, 2016

Sustainable Fairfax announces the fifth annual Streets for People festival; an Open Streets event in downtown Fairfax, on Sunday August 28, 2016 from 10:00 am to 4:00pm. The event transforms Bolinas Road in downtown Fairfax into a lively car-free space for a day. Participants can catch live music, play a game of checkers, get a bite to eat or drink at an outdoor café, find a new outfit at the clothing swap, or watch dance demonstrations.

This year in Bolinas Park there will be a Teen Scene (10am-2pm), organized by the Streets for People youth committee, featuring an open mic, hula hooping, and more.  You can also catch a QiGong (2:30) or  Tai Chi (3:00) class later in the afternoon.

Outreach tables by nonprofits and local agencies will provide information and resources focusing on sustainability and community.

The event celebrates alternative transportation and will feature Transit Alley, with biking, walking and public transportation related exhibits as part of Sustainable Fairfax’s ReduceX2 campaign. Safe Routes to School will be be there with its bike powered smoothie maker! Free bike valet service will be provided in the parking lot next to Gestalt.

Streets for People is part of a national and international movement of Open Streets events. It was started in 2012 by Renee Goddard of Sustainable Fairfax (now Mayor of Fairfax), in collaboration with Sustainable Fairfax, the Town of Fairfax and the Fairfax Chamber.  She was inspired by Ciclovía, a successful weekly event in Bogotá, Columbia that opens over 70 of miles of city streets to citizens for outdoor physical activity, attracting up to 2 million participants. “It is the diversity of people in a common space which allows for a rich community fabric in which each citizen is a thread”, says Goddard. “The vision behind Fairfax’s Streets for People is to create community resiliency and positive spirit. It’s a celebration of what makes Fairfax unique, and a fun opportunity to stimulate our local economy.”

The event is a collaboration of Sustainable Fairfax, the Town of Fairfax and the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce.

For more information on Streets for People, visit the Streets for People website.

Help us make Streets for People a success!  Sign up to volunteer here.

Find resources and information on Open Streets Events at http://openstreetsproject.org/.

Yes on Measure AA to Protect Against Sea Level Rise

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Sustainable Fairfax endorses Measure AA to improve the overall health of the bay and to help protect our communities from sea level rise, a very real and imminent threat to surrounding infrastructure.

Measure AA is a $12-per-year parcel tax on the June 7, 2016 ballot in all nine Bay Area counties that would generate $500 million over 20 years for critical tidal marsh restoration projects around San Francisco Bay.  These restoration projects will improve the bay’s water quality, restore a healthy habitat for fish, birds and wildlife and protect against sea level rise. We believe it is most efficient to address these issues at the regional level, so that the governing board can make decisions to fund projects in each county that will have the greatest impact on the the San Francisco Bay as a whole.

Read the full text of the measure and impartial analysis here.

If passed by 2/3 of the total Bay Area voters casting ballots in the June election, Measure AA funds would be provided as grants to restoration projects throughout the Bay Area.  See a map and list of potential projects Measure AA would fund here.

Measure AA has been placed on the ballot by the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority after six years of public hearings and research. The Authority’s governing board of elected officials from throughout the Bay Area would provide and administer project grants from Measure AA funds, with input from many community members on its Advisory Committee, and oversight from an Independent Citizens Oversight Committee. Learn more about the Restoration Authority here:www.SFBayRestore.org

FAIRFAX- Special Deal on MCE Deep Green!

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One of the top initiatives of the Fairfax Climate Action Committee is to increase the enrollment of Fairfax residents in Marin Clean Energy’s Deep Green 100% renewable energy service. The committee has determined that this is one of the most significant actions individuals can take to combat climate change and improve our collective carbon footprint.

Sign up below for the Deep Green service and receive a $5 credit/month from the Town of Fairfax on your electricity bill for an entire year (which covers what the typical home spends on the extra cost for the service). This deal is available to the first 100 Fairfax households only! For more details, see the link below.

Are you unsure what service you currently have?  The default service is the MCE Light Green program (50% renewable energy).  PG&E provides electricity to those customers that “opted-out” of the MCE service.

Why do MCE customers receive PG&E bills?  MCE provides its customers with electricity only. PG&E delivers the gas and maintains the transmission lines for electricity, so even if you are an MCE customer you will get a PG&E bill. The MCE portion of your service appears on your PGE bill.

SIGN UP FOR DEEP GREEN HERE!  Any questions?  Please contact FairfaxCAC@gmail.com.

–Jennifer Hammond,  Executive Director, Sustainable Fairfax; Committee Member, Fairfax Climate Action