WALNUT IS GOING GREEN!

Our family commuter vehicles are two 2004 Honda Civic GX sedans which operate on household natural gas. (CNG) We each averaged 70 miles of daily commuting on each car.  We fill them up at home for about 77 cents a gallon.

Natural gas vehicles have carpool (HOV) access. Driving 140 miles per day, heating our home and water usually costs us $90 or less per month.

Our natural gas vehicles can drive to Provo, Utah for under $30. They produce less pollution driving to New York City from Walnut, California than if you poured a pint of gasoline on a garage floor.

Since buying these vehicles, the City Council has supported me in a new program to reimburse some of the vehicle license fees on a CNG vehicle that replaces a gasoline powered vehicle in Walnut.  

Our solar array was the first of it's kind in Walnut. Our solar array produces more electricity in the day than we use. The array will pay for itself in less than seven years. Sooner, if electrical rates go up.

Walnut encourages creating a greener environment for our community.

The City of Walnut is doing its part by using alternative fuel vehicles, installing solar powered lights at bus stops, and using energy efficient facilities. Even the City Council Agendas are paperless. Did you know that the Walnut Valley Water District offers water-saving toilets at no charge to District consumers? These toilets use a mere 1.3 gallons per flush and can save up to 35 gallons of water per day in one household. Save a buck by heating your house smart. Tankless hot water heaters can lower your gas bill 50% and rebates may be available.

So what is your favorite household temperature when the weather outside is frightful? Room temperature is somewhere in the range of 70-73 degrees Fahrenheit, but you can surely tolerate a room that is 68 degrees. Keep this fact in mind: for every one degree you turn down the thermostat in the winter, you’ll save up to five percent on your heating costs. Not to mention, reducing the temperature by just two degrees can reduce 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

Recycling used motor oil keeps oil out of landfills and ensures that this oil is available for re-use, reconditioning, reprocessing or re-refining. From a purely environmental point of view, the best thing that the motor oil consumer can do is to buy a longer-lasting oil. In that way, less used oil is generated in the first place. Over 380 million gallons of used oil is recycled each year according to the U.S. EPA, which equates to over 50% of all motor oil purchased annually. Currently, used motor oil can be re-used or recycled one of three ways – reconditioning, reprocessing or re-refining.