|
Quick Links
| |
Follow the APCD on Twitter & YouTube!
&
Find SLO Car Free!
|
|
Join Our List
|  |
|
|
| Green Your Holiday! | | |
The holidays are a time for family, friends, giving, and, consequently, a lot of buying! Consumerism thrives this time of year and it's important to be conscious of our consumption and waste production during the winter, more than any other time. Here are 5 simple ways to have a sustainable holiday season that can be easier on your wallet:
- Shop Local -- Whether you are shopping for a special holiday dinner, or the perfect gifts for friends and family, many items in today's marketplace come from halfway around the world. On the Central Coast we have a wide array of amazing products that are available in our backyard. Shop for local goods and reduce the added costs of transportation and impacts to our air quality.
- Use a real tree -- It is commonly believed that using a real tree is worse for the environment, but this is not the case! Fake trees are full of plastics and synthetics and eventually end up in a landfill, while the real ones are usually planted and farmed for the purpose of the holiday season and remove carbon dioxide out of the air while they grow.
- Recyclable wrapping paper -- Packaging is a huge source of environmental degradation during this time of year. Reuse your wrapping paper from last year, or if you didn't save it, purchase wrapping paper that has been recycled, and can be again! Also, look for gifts that don't involve multiple layers of thick plastic and packaging in their presentation.
- Finish the food on your plate -- Gathering around a table full of food is a perfect time for family and friends to bond during the holidays, but food waste is extremely high during this time of year. Only put on your plate what you intend to eat, then put aside some leftovers, and if there's still more food left, donate to a shelter!
- Use LED lights for decorative lighting -- Using energy efficient bulbs saves money and the air. Also try reducing the size of your displays and using other creative ways to decorate the house and yard, like natural wreathes and pine cones.
|
| Open Burn Season to Begin Monday, December 14 | |
December 14 marks the start of the 2015-2016 open burn season in San Luis Obispo County. The burn season, which typically runs through the end of April, affects the burning of residential yard trimmings in backyards and agricultural wastes.
All burning requires a permit from the SLO County APCD.
Burn Permit Applications are available on the APCD's website. Postcards and an email blast will also be sent to those that previously held an APCD Burn Permit.
For more information about open burning, or alternatives to burning, please visit our website. For Burn Day status, please call 1-800-834-2876. |
| Videos Highlighting Grant Programs | | 
Since 1997, the APCD has provided over $19.2 million in grant funding to local businesses and secured 2,625 tons of emission reductions. A portion of the funding that is used to fund projects is provided by the State Air Resources Board (ARB) though the Carl Moyer Grant Program. ARB has recently completed a series of videos to highlight several on-road and off-road grant projects that have been done in SLO County. Click the links below to watch!
|
| APCD Partners with Cal Poly | |
On November 20, Cal Poly Air Quality Engineering class visited the APCD Office for an educational tour of our air monitoring lab and facility. This is the fifth visit that APCD staff has helped coordinate on behalf of 44 aspiring engineers with the purpose of enhancing their air monitoring class knowledge with the help from Air Quality Specialists.
Professor Thatcher, Ph.D. of the Cal Poly Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, expressed her sincere gratitude to the SLO County APCD for facilitating this educational visit, as well as to the staff that took the time and made the effort to talk to the students. Professor Thatcher also noted other benefits of having this kind of exposure to real life air quality monitoring, "this increased the learning of the students and brought up other aspects of the monitoring system. The feedback from my students has been incredibly positive. They feel that the tour gave them a much better understanding of the monitoring system in the county and throughout the state, and the data it produces." APCD staff involved in this presentation are grateful for the opportunity of talking to a future generation of environmental engineers, and look forward to the possibility of continuing with this kind of educational tour.
|
| Recognizing APCD Staff | | Thank You Kevin
The APCD Board extends its appreciation to Kevin Kaizuka, for his 20 years of combined service to SLO County and the APCD.
Kevin came to work for the District in 2007 as the manager of our Fiscal and Administrative Services Division. In that capacity, Kevin has overseen the development and updating of our long-range fiscal plan, preparation and implementation of our annual budget, tracking of all daily financial issues, and maintained an unblemished record of outstanding independent financial audits of the agency. In his 12 years with the County, Kevin worked for the Auditor-Controller in a variety of increasingly responsible positions in the internal audit and accounting divisions before taking charge of accounting operations at Public Works for 24 special districts under their oversight. In his spare time, Kevin is an avid mountain biker who enjoys competing in races, volunteer work building and maintaining the public trail systems throughout the county, volunteering at the County Animal Shelter, and is an active computer gamer who spends many a late night battling online foes. Kevin also enjoys spending down time with his wife and dogs.
|
|
|
