Sonoma County strives to meet "350" goal

<p>On a day devoted to green ideas, Sonoma County high school students said Saturday they want to add solar power to their campuses, encourage cycling to school and boost recycling efforts.</p><p>The students gathered at Chops Teen Center in west Santa Rosa, one of numerous gatherings around Sonoma County, the nation and the world to support the International Day of Climate Action.</p><p>About 75 people attended the Santa Rosa event, sponsored by the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition and Climate Protection Campaign's Cool Schools 350 Challenge program.</p><p>The day, promoted by the group 350.org, was dedicated to efforts to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, compared to the current level of about 390.</p><p>“We're just trying to raise consciousness,” said Alison Grady, president of the Climate Protection Club at Santa Rosa High.</p><p>Related events occurred in Sonoma, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, Cotati and Healdsburg. News reports and the group's Web site listed up to 5,200 observances held Saturday in up to 181 countries.</p><p>The activism happened at a time when a new national survey reports a decline among Americans who say solid evidence exists that global temperatures are rising. The survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press also found that the number of people who consider global warming to be a very serious problem had declined to 35 percent today from 44 percent in April 2008.</p><p>But adults and students at the Santa Rosa gathering pledged to take personal steps to reduce their carbon footprints. People posted pledges such as “walk or bike to school,” “clean fridge coils,” “compost 25 percent of garbage” and wash clothes in cold water.</p><p>About 60 people sat in formation on the gymnasium floor to shape the number “350” for a photo that would be sent to the international group, possibly for posting with others in New York City's Times Square.</p><p>Three of the county's high schools competed to win two $1,000 grants for school climate protection projects.</p><p>At Santa Rosa high, students proposed to help obtain covered bicycle parking.</p><p>“There are so many students who won't ride in the rain,” said Grady, a junior. The student group also wants to combine a covered eating area with solar panels on the roof.</p><p>At Montgomery High in Santa Rosa, the campus Green Team proposed to use the grant to have students construct special recycling containers. The group also is selling stainless steel water bottles, complete with the name “Vikings,” to cut down on the plastic version “that we see all over campus and they're littered everywhere,” said Rianna Uppal, a junior, and the Green Team's president.</p><p>At Analy High in Sebastopol, the campus already gets part of its electric power from photovoltaic panels, but “we want to make the whole school solar,” said Mia Szarvas, a junior and president of Students for Sustainability.</p><p>Analy students also have proposed placing a recycle can with each trash can to cut down on the volume of material ending up in landfills.</p>