Contra Costa

White Pony Express: Food Recovery for All

White Pony Express: Food Recovery for All

CalRecycle’s Food Waste Prevention and Rescue Grant Program funds projects that lower overall greenhouse gas emissions in California through food waste prevention and rescue projects, which reduce the amount of food disposed in landfills. Receiving multiple grants from the program since fiscal year 2016-17, White Pony Express: Food Recovery for All is a food waste rescue project operating out of Pleasant Hill, California. It has received a total of $701,530 from California Climate Investments, as well as additional funding from CalRecycle’s Edible Food Recovery Grant Program.  

Toward Resilient California Communities: Solar + Storage Potential at Schools and Community Centers

Toward Resilient California Communities: Solar + Storage Potential at Schools and Community Centers

California Strategic Growth Council

With funding from the Climate Change Research Program, PSE Healthy Energy is working with the Asian Pacific Environmental Network and Communities for a Better Environment to identify opportunities to build solar+storage resilience hubs at schools and community centers across California.

Saving Quality Wood Products from Landfills with Habitat for Humanity

Saving Quality Wood Products from Landfills with Habitat for Humanity

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) awarded $488,635 of California Climate Investment funds to Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley, Inc. as part of the first cycle of the Reuse Grant Program. This project is diverting wood products from landfills to their ReStore retail stores for reuse by the community. Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley, Inc. is a nonprofit, donation-based collection, and resale operation with three sites in Oakland, Concord, and San Jose, serving the San Francisco Bay Area.

Water Energy Grants Provide Direct Benefits to Low-Income Households in Rural Counties

Water Energy Grants Provide Direct Benefits to Low-Income Households in Rural Counties

The Association of California Community and Energy Services partner agencies replaced 1,090 washing machines and 855 dishwashers with water- and energy-efficient machines . These energy and water savings will continuously provide cost savings across various communities in Kern, Madera, Contra Costa, Kings, San Francisco, and Merced counties and other low-income homes in San Mateo, Shasta, and Tehama counties.

Greening the Yellow Brick Road Project Transforms Street into a Symbol of Activity and Hope

Greening the Yellow Brick Road Project Transforms Street into a Symbol of Activity and Hope

With $4.1 million from California Natural Resources Agency’s Urban Greening program, this project is helping bring the community’s vision to fruition and will benefit thousands of community residents. The project will create a safe and green public space where neighbors can come together and a designated route for residents to bike and walk in a safe environment.

Driving Clean Financing Assistance Program

Driving Clean Financing Assistance Program

The Community Housing Development Corporation, a community‑based organization in Richmond, received over $6.5 million from California Climate Investments for a pilot project to assist with the purchase of newer, cleaner cars in low‑income households in Sacramento and the Bay Area. The pilot project, known as Driving Clean Assistance Program, provides up to $5,000 for hybrid or plug‑in electric vehicle price buy‑down and up to an additional $2,000 for electric vehicle service equipment. The pilot enables low‑income individuals and families, who would otherwise not qualify for a loan due to credit challenges, to obtain a loan at competitive rates. This transformative initiative includes credit counseling, budget counseling, and financial education.

Electric Bus Fleet Serves West Oakland and Richmond

Electric Bus Fleet Serves West Oakland and Richmond

The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) has introduced five battery electric buses and ten fuel cell electric buses into its Bay Area fleet of zero-emission buses.

Protecting Prime Farmland on the Urban Edge in Contra Costa County

Protecting Prime Farmland on the Urban Edge in Contra Costa County

The Cecchinis worked with a local land trust that was willing to purchase an easement on their property, and the land trust secured Cap-and-Trade dollars through the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program to purchase the conservation easement and permanently protect the land. The easement holder, Central Valley Farmland Trust, extinguished development rights on the property while the landowners retained ownership of the land.

Wetland Restoration with Sea Level Rise in Mind in Contra Costa County

Wetland Restoration with Sea Level Rise in Mind in Contra Costa County

The Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (CCFCWCD) received a grant of $1,250,000 to restore 400 acres of coastal wetlands and adjacent habitat at the mouth of Walnut Creek and its tributary, Pacheco Creek.