Like old times as Cupertino gets down to Earth Day with April 23 festivities

Cupertino's 14th annual Earth and Arbor Day Festival will be live and in person this year, with events scheduled for 11 a.m.-3 p.m. April 23 at Cupertino Library Park, 10800 Torre Ave.

Many of the activities offered at previous festivals will be returning, such as the 40foot climbing wall, the family bike ride, the tree planting ceremony, art activities, climate action planning and a full day of performances on a solar-powered stage.

Face masks will be encouraged, and hand sanitization stations will be located throughout the event.

Attendees can avoid traffic and parking hassles by taking the Via-Cupertino shuttle for free to the event, or by arriving on two-wheelers to take advantage of free bicycle valet parking. For more information, visit cupertino.org/shuttle or call 669201-1892.

Learn more about the festival at cupertino.org/earthday.

Greener living

Back at home, Cupertino residents are encouraged to do their part to stop climate change. City staff offers an action plan, including sorting recyclables and compostables into the correct bins or carts, taking shorter showers and combining errands into fewer car trips.

On the home improvement front, suggestions include setting up a rain barrel and using rainwater to water your garden, checking and replacing air conditioner filters as needed for peak efficiency and running appliances and charging devices before 4 p.m. or after 9 p.m., when more clean energy is available.

At the city government level, residents can give input on Cupertino's Climate Action Plan Update at cupertino.org/climateaction.

For more tips and resources, visit cupertinoclimatechallenge. org.

Waterwise ways

Since June 2021, when Valley Water declared a local emergency due to the drought and imposed a mandatory water usage reduction of 15% below 2019 levels, Cupertino community members have taken action to make homes and businesses drought-proof.

The City of Cupertino reduced municipal water usage by 24% through actions such as reducing irrigation and not turning on fountains.

Cupertino property owners converted over 26,000 square feet of lawn to drought-tolerant landscaping using Valley Water rebates, and more than 250 customers ordered free water-saving devices from Valley Water

15 residents converted their lawn with the help of Cupertino's Climate Victory Garden Program. These gardens are drought-tolerant and can be irrigated with laundry-to-landscape graywater systems.

For more information, visit cupertino.org/drought.

PHOTO BY ANNE GELHAUS Cupertino resident Sherri Stein speaks with a reporter in front of her Climate Victory Garden, which is drought-tolerant and irrigated with laundry-to-landscape graywater systems. Stein and her husband are among 15Cupertino residents who've taken advantage of a pilot project by the City of Cupertino to establish front yard gardens to help fight the California drought.