Resources for Residents

The solar panels mounted on the roof of this Vermont home are crystalline silicon—the most common material used for photovoltaic (PV) panels.
The solar panels mounted on the roof of this Vermont home are crystalline silicon—the most common material used for photovoltaic (PV) panels.

These resources help individuals and families adopt behaviors that improve health, protect the environment, and reduce their carbon footprint; convert to more energy-efficient residential construction; install energy- and water-efficient appliances and hardware; make yards and gardens drought tolerant; and engage in climate change impact mitigation (e.g., fire, flood) and emergency preparedness.

  • Are you an Edison customer?  Throughout the state, all customers of investor owned utilities (Edison, SDG&E, PG&E) will receive California Climate Credits twice a year, in April/May and October/November. Thanks to the California Public Utilities Commission, this payment comes from a California program that is fighting climate change. Your Climate Credit is designed to help you join in these efforts. You can use the bill savings from your Climate Credit however you choose, but you can save even more money by investing the savings in energy-saving home upgrades, including more efficient lights and appliances. You can find more information and receive rebates for these and many other energy-efficient choices for your home at EnergyUpgradeCA.org/credit.
  • SCAG has launched REVISION, a Regional Data Analysis and Visualization application, along with the UCLA Lewis Center. With a range of metrics related to accessibility, livability, employment, and health, REVISION helps both professional planners and stakeholders without a technical background monitor the progress of the region’s Sustainable Communities Strategy, a plan to improve environmental sustainability, social equity, and public health. Users can use the site to answer hundreds of questions about regional and neighborhood change, including:
    • Are more people near Metrolink stations using public transit to get to work versus 5 years ago?
    • Where are there redevelopment opportunities in walkable areas near jobs and high quality transit?
    • In which areas is poverty increasing?
    • Which areas are well served by transit and have access to open space and healthy foods?
  • California Center for Sustainable Communities at UCLA has launched its new LA Energy Atlas.  This interactive website maps energy use data across LA County at the neighborhood, city and county scale across a range of indicators, including building type and age.
  • South Coast Air Quality Management District’s new Replace Your Ride program aims to get low and moderate income people from disadvantaged communities  to scrap older, higher-polluting cars for hybrid, plug-in, or battery-electric cars.  Read more in this San Gabriel Valley Tribune piece, including links for where to sign up.
  • California Department of Community Services and Development partners with a network of private, non-profit and local government community service providers dedicated to helping low-income families achieve and maintain self-sufficiency, meet their home energy needs and reside in housing free from the dangers of lead hazards.
  • The California Air Resource Board’s can-do page offers air quality information and suggests ways to reduce air pollution.
  • What you can do at home, published by the EPA, lists ways to reduce your carbon footprint, including investing in ENERGY STAR® appliances and switching to green energy providers.
  • Cool California has an excellent collection of resources that allow residents to analyze their daily activities and determine effective ways to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Saveourwater.com hosts a number of resources for homeowners looking to reduce their water usage. In addition to news and history about the drought, the site has pages dedicated to efficient toilets, sprinkler systems, and landscaping – the areas that often provide the biggest opportunities for water savings for homeowners.
  • How to reduce your carbon footprint, hosted by carbonfund.org, suggests ways to reduce your emissions at home, during your commute, at your office, and even at your wedding.
  • The World Wildlife Fund also hosts a page containing links and suggestions about ways to be more environmentally friendly at home. In addition to some of the topics covered in links above, the WWF site also discusses how to use your consumer power to reduce your environmental impact.
  • CHERP, or the Community Home Energy Retrofit Project, is a Claremont-based network of cities, energy experts, businesses, homeowners, and contractors.
  • Kate Gordon’s Next Generation blog presents scientific research and offers non-partisan commentary on green energy and climate developments.
  • The Sierra Madre Mountains Conservancy Open Spaces map can be downloaded here.
  • If you capture rainwater to help with the drought, this fact sheet tells you how to avoid breeding mosquitoes, which are vectors for life-threatening illnesses. The California Department of Public Health’s West Nile Alert has more info on protecting yourself and your family.

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