Dear Mayor Newsom: We appreciate the emphasis you have placed on making San Francisco a "green" city.  We are writing to propose the use of a technology which would drastically reduce the amount of electricity consumed by computers and related electronic equipment in city offices. Normally computers (and most electronic equipment) consume only 55 to 65 percent of the energy drawn from the power grid.  The remaining 35 to 45 percent is wasted.  This energy is converted to higher order harmonics which do no useful work.  The amount of this loss is known as power factor, and is corrected by the technology Read This Post »

Here are two actions we should (but won't) take: 1) Increase gas tax by 100%, 200%, 500% or more. 2) make the tax money available for schools and law enforcement as well as transportation. This will accomplish four goals: 1) raise revenue for underfunded state needs, 2) penalize people who are "over-autoed" - that is, a single person who owns/drives a huge SUV or 4WD when they could get by just fine with a small gas efficient car, 3) increase usage of mass transit to reduce need for more highways, 4) encourage/force auto manufacturers to increase efficiency through innovation. It Read This Post »

Many cities are converting all street lights and traffic signals to "Green living" LED's or energy saving light systems. It's green, the right thing to do, and in long run, saves the city money.   Peter Read This Post »

Plant vines like Bougainvillea, Boston Ivy, etc. where there is a chronic graffiti problem.  I have seen buildings that even after cleanup, cannot avoid graffiti vandalism for more than a couple of days.  I think it could help.  Name Withheld Read This Post »

I want to contribute ideas to Mayor Newsom.    First of I think he's doing a great job with cutting edge ideas and newsworthy initiatives.  I like the idea that he made SF into a city of tolerance by welcoming gay marriage.  Although it did not bode well nationally, it helps make SF the most tolerant city in the US and achieve much more internationally.     Lately, the energy crisis and global warming have been dogging the economy as well as cause concern for many people.  The biggest challenge we have is that everyone in the US wants to have bigger cars, Read This Post »

Not a solution but just a happy comment. My daughter Emma (12 years old) posted an idea on taxi cab and how we should have Hybrids in the city. Well she has seen some of them around and is very happy about it as she thinks that it was her idea and that she did make a difference. Thank you. Tell that to Ivan whatever. Elise Hyndman Read This Post »

Hello Mayor Newsom, Have you ever considered having TSA style locks placed on the blue recycling bins in San Francisco? I think this would help a lot with the homeless problem (particularly at the recycling center in GG park) and also help to protect people from identity theft. The locks could have two keys one for the bin user and another general key for the waste management workers. The money the city saves not having to pay for bottles & cans that are stolen out of recycling bins would probably pay for the locks and even generate more revenue for Read This Post »

If you can close the airport because of weather, why not close San Francisco Bay for bad weather. No ships can move until fog lifts ! Name Withheld Read This Post »

The corporate/government response to the current spill has been unconscionable. The SF Bay communities include vast numbers of well informed, engaged people bound closely to their bay, their ocean, their wildlife, their cities. That a smattering of volunteer organizations have been left to filter the massive outpouring of eagerness to help is inefficient and exasperating. At the very least, an equivalent to the NERT volunteers who could at very very least quickly post warnings on beaches (Ocean Beach was left open for a day with tarballs fouling clothing and endangering the lives of people and companion animals because there were no Read This Post »

Water Source: Try http://www.gewater.com Johnny Chan Read This Post »

Topic 1:  -5 Volts California, actually minus 4 to 5 volts comes from Dr. Bill Wattenburg of KGO Radio.  He said it should save CA about $700 million. Topic 2:  Population Control Pass out a designer flyer to students that says "FEWER BABIES IS GREENER."  It can also be placed in condom boxes to curb unwanted pregnancy. Johnny Chan Read This Post »

Dear Mayor Newsom, My name is Jared Moskowitz and I am the Vice Mayor of the city of Parkland in South Florida. I wanted to share this environmental program that I am proposing to the city commission. I have attached an article below explaining the program. It would be great to have your thoughts as you are a leader in the environmental arena. I think you will find the idea of returning tax dollars in exchange for participation in environmental programs innovative. Sincerely, Jared Moskowitz ----- Parkland plan gives residents incentives for going green By Lisa J. Huriash |South Florida Sun-Sentinel PARKLAND - Residents could soon Read This Post »

My company, CSRware (www.csrware.com), is moving software technology into SF business to certify GREEN INITIATIVES - it quantifies, certifies and reduces emissions.  We want to partner with Mayor Newsom in moving this forward.  How can I talk to him directly?  I met him last night during his City tour. Name Withheld Read This Post »

Do this every month!  It's such a fantastic idea!  Thanks for being such a great Mayor.  Cristi Read This Post »

I do not ride my bicycle unless my energy levels are fairly strong. Sometimes it affects my productivity. One big reason is the jarring effect of the bike lane conditions on my body. With the potholes (thanks for marking most of them at least) but worse the construction patches that are not completed well enough for bicycle safety, it's a seriously rough ride. It occurred to me the other day that the low grade speed bumps that some of these patch jobs amount to are actually probably helpful in the car lanes -- they slow down traffic by interrupting the driver's Read This Post »

While in Europe this summer I noticed something that seemed like a great idea, and wondered why it couldn't happen in the US. At all of the public transportation stations, the escalators ran on sensors--so unless a person approached the escalator to use it, it was not running (presumably to save energy and money). Can the city of SF look into that to save money and energy too? Seems like it would be worth the trouble. Name Withheld Read This Post »

Have all workout machine producing energy enlist to power their own club facility. So many people go to the gym so much energy wasted. Elise Pichon Read This Post »

Hybrids for city only since they can really go any faster than 40 mile/hour anyway.  Regular cars for airport transfer since they need a big trunk and hybrids cars are too small for suitcases. Most of the time you need to call a cab to go to the airport so it can be scheduled in advance and we won't have these huge cars polluting are streets. Emma Hyndman Read This Post »

When I look outside of my window, I see 1000's of square feet of empty roofs.  Why don't building owners put plants on their roofs?  It would clean the air, look better, and help the greenhouse effect by absorbing absorbing light.  Would you find a way to require building owners to do this?  Encourage it?  Maybe get the legal troubles with Citi Apartments dropped if they green all of their roofs?  Secondly, is there a way to encourage buildings to shut off the lights at night.  All I see is waste when so many lights are on in the Financial Read This Post »

Sell the used electric "meter maid" cars to the public.  Maureen Persico Read This Post »

Excellent idea to ban them. Here's another idea, ban the paper ones too. The Dutch don't give out bags of any kind. If you forget to bring your own grocery bags, then you have to buy a big, reusable one for around 5 Euros. Smart. It gets people in the habit of reusing. It is one more step towards not being a "throw-away" culture. Thanks for reading. Michelle Read This Post »