Sustainability Blog

2016 Earth Day Poster & Writing Contest Winners

Check out the winning posters, poems, and essays from the 2016 Earth Day Poster & Writing Contest. Students with winning entries were recognized during a special ceremony at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 17^th. The Earth Day Poster and Writing Contest provides Hayward students with an opportunity to describe through words and convey through pictures their ideas about water conservation, energy efficiency, recycling, composting, and related environmental topics. Students are invited to submit their entries in March and April every year!

From left to right, images below show the first, second, and third place entries for each category.

Kindergarten to 2^nd Grade Posters:

1^st Place Markuz Gabriel Pablo, Palma Ceia Elementary School

2^nd Place Fabian Quiñones, Burbank Elementary School

3^rd Place Joseph Aquino, St. Bede Catholic School

3^rd to 5^th Grade Posters:

1^st Place Isabella Panganiban, St. Bede Catholic School

2^nd Place Shareeza Dean, St. Bede Catholic School

3^rd Place Sienna Hernandez, Lorin Eden Elementary School

6^th to 8^th Grade Posters:

1^st Place Sai Obispo , Treeview Elementary School

2^nd Place Linda Ortega , Anthony W. Ochoa Middle School

3^rd Place Cynthia Gómez, César Chávez Middle School

9^th to 12^th Grade Posters:

1^st Place Jassimran Sra, Mt. Eden High School

2^nd Place Kody Nguyen, Mt. Eden High School

3^rd Place Monisah Mehtabuddin, Mt. Eden High School

Kindergarten to 2^nd Grade Poems/Essays:

1^st Place Peni Lelea, Burbank Elementary School

2^nd Place Valeria Guillen, Burbank Elementary School

3^rd Place Katelyn Guelos, Southgate Elementary School

3^rd to 5^th Grade Poems/Essays:

1^st Place Heidi Chen, Lea's Christian School

2^nd Place Juan Carlos Yboa, Park Elementary School

3^rd Place Joshua Seiji, Lea's Christian School

6^th to 8^th Grade Poems/Essays:

1^st Place Emmanuel Delacruz, César Chávez Middle School

2^nd Place Camilla San Juan, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School

3^rd Place Maykel Romero, Burbank Elementary School

9^th to 12^th Grade Poems/Essays:

1^st Place Guadalupe Romero, Leadership Public Schools - Hayward

2^nd Place Bettina Marie Gerez, Leadership Public Schools - Hayward

3^rd Place Osawekhoe Ehiorobo, Mt. Eden High School

Annual Clean-Up Day Event at Weekes Park

On Saturday, May 14, 2016, staff from Maintenance Services, City Manager’s Office, City Clerk’s Office, and Utilities & Environmental Services held the Annual Citywide Clean-Up Day event at Weekes Park. A total of 134 people participated in the event by collecting litter and reporting abandoned debris in various neighborhoods.

Check out our video of the event:

A total of 33 cubic yards of trash and 7 cubic yards of recycled materials were collected. Volunteers enjoyed a City-sponsored BBQ lunch and thank you gift. The Kiwanis Club participated by barbequing all of the hamburgers and hotdogs.

Clean Up BBQ

This year, the City Clerk’s Office hosted a Community Engagement Fair during the lunchtime BBQ event to encourage residents to continue their civic engagement and community work. The Mayor commenced the Fair with opening remarks, and music was provided by a local Chabot College DJ. Thank you to the residents and staff who were able to attend!

Cleanup Participants

Bike to Work Day in Hayward

On Bike to Work Day, Thursday, May 12, Environmental Services staff hosted an Energizer Station at the South Hayward BART station. There has been an Energizer Station at the downtown BART station for several years, but this was the first time ever for the South Hayward station.

During two and a half hours, we counted 84 cyclists coming and going to/from the BART station. Riders were happy to stop at our table for a coffee donated by Starbucks, treats donated by Sugar Bowl Bakery, and goodie bags provided by Bike East Bay. We hope to see you at Bike to Work Day next year!

Biker

Other Energizer Stations in Hayward recorded the following numbers of riders:
CSU East Bay (Carlos Bee Blvd at West Loop Rd) : 13
CSU East Bay (Harder Road at West Loop Rd) : 17
CyclePath Hayward (Hayward BART) : 139
Life Chiropractic College West : 50

Great Attendance at Energy Upgrade Workshop

Thanks to all of our attendees! It was a packed house at City Hall on Tuesday, May 10. Approximately 60 Hayward residents participated in an evening workshop to learn about programs that will help them increase the energy efficiency of their homes. Free dinner, childcare, and LED lightbulbs were provided to thank community members for taking the time to improve their homes and help reduce Hayward’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Workshop

The workshop included a presentation from the Bay Area’s Home Energy Upgrade Incentive program, which provides free home advisor consultations and rebates for homeowners who complete energy retrofits. In addition, Rising Sun Energy gave a presentation on their California Youth Energy Services Program, which employs young adults to conduct free Green House Calls during the summer. At each Green House Call, energy specialists install free energy and water-saving equipment and provide personalized recommendations for further savings. By the end of the evening, over 35 households had signed up to participate in one or both of the programs.

Workshop Attendees

Unite2Green Finds Gold in Hayward's Trash

The Unite2Green Leaders recently conducted a waste audit at one of Hayward's apartment complexes. This means they sorted through a sample of the trashcans to find out what was inside.

Waste Audit

What did they find? Only 1.5% of the stuff in the trashcans was actually trash that should be landfilled. The remaining 98.5% of stuff were items that could be recycled, reused or composted. The Unite2Green Leaders found that 80% of the items could have been composted, including 30% that was edible food. Food waste and food scraps are green gold in Hayward because they can be turned into certified compost that we return to Hayward residents - for Free!

Unfortunately, all of the items in the trashcans will be sent to the landfill because they weren't sorted corrected. Learn about how to sort your trash in Hayward.

One of the issues at this apartment complex was that they did not yet have organics (green cart) service. The Unite2Green Program helped them get their green carts and conducted an outreach event to train the residents on how to compost. Over 40 residents and staff attended the workshop. The Unite2Green Leaders led a sorting game to teach everyone which items go in which carts. As a thank you for participating, all residents received lunch and a free compost pail to take back to their kitchen.

The Unite2Green Leaders will be doing another waste audit at the same apartments in a month to see if their efforts have made an impact. Stay tuned!

Waste Workshop

World Water Day - Wastewater Treatment

On World Water Day here in Hayward we celebrate the heroes who work around the clock to ensure that our wastewater is treated to the highest standards. All of our wastewater eventually ends up in the bay.

Wastewater Treatment Staff

This year the United Nation's World Water Day is focused on the connection between water and jobs. According to the UN, "Today, almost half of the world's workers - 1.5 billion people - work in water related sectors and nearly all jobs depend on water and those that ensure its safe delivery."

At the Wastewater Treatment Facility, Hayward employees take pride in treating the wastewater to levels that well exceed the State standards, doing their part to keep the SF Bay healthy to enjoy, live, and cherish for generations to come.

In 2015 the hard work resulted by being awarded California Water Environment Association Plant of the Year, SF Bay Section award. See some of the amazing work that is done at your Facility: