If a creek is eroding your property, what you do to stabilize the banks can have significant unintended consequenses to your property and others downstream.

Some typical guidelines for bank stabilization approaches include:

• Do not reduce the width of the creek, as this will almost certainly cause erosion both in the bed and downstream.
• Do not reduce the length of the creek (by straightening a bend for example). This action will steepen the bed profile, increasing erosion locally, and on the next bend downstream.
• Where possible, combine grading activities to flatten bank angle and use a mixture of biotechnical methods such as brush mats and willow planting.
• Where rock is required, place rock (mechanically or by hand) rather than by dumping. Dumped rock generally forms an unsustainably steep angle, which eventually collapses and rolls rock into the creek.
• Limit the upper vertical extent of placed rock for structural and erosion protection requirements on the bank slope to maximize plantable areas. Key rock into the bed several feet to prevent undercutting.
• Utilize rock sizes based on calculations of flow force and resistance.
• Integrate native trees such as willow and alder with the engineered rock bank protection.
• Integrate native trees such as willow and alder with the engineered rock bank protection. Integrated planting has several benefits:
  • Roots anchor the soil beneath the rock, providing a living support system that increases the strength of the bank protection over time
  • Vegetation slows water velocities, reducing erosion both at the bank and downstream, and
  • Trees provide shaded cover for the creek, improving habitat conditions.

These “conceptual restoration approaches” come directly from Portola Valley’s Citizens’ Guide to Creek-Side Property Protection. The guide was created as a tool for the Town and its residents to use in guiding design, permitting, and construction of bank stabilization and revegetation efforts along Corte Madera Creek.

I know that Palo Alto and Menlo Park are looking to this an other guides for stabilizing the banks of San Francisquito Creek. It will not surprise me if other local like-minded towns (Woodside, Los Altos Hills, and Los Gatos, at least) move in this direction, too, if they can get it through the creeky legislative system. (Sorry, I had to work that in somewhere.)

As in any area of the real estate industry, for “green” to be viable, it needs to be as competitive as the alternatives. In order to be relevant, while standing out and being true to our purpose, our blog has a broad definition of “green.” Our definition originates from the blog’s url: value and comfort.

In value, we want to show that  being green not a burden — it adds to quality of life.

Being green at home provides value to the earth, the housing industry, the inhabitants, and the homeowner. It ties into the concerns over global warming, sustainability, and saving money. It also ties into making investments in both time and materials that will add value above and beyond the immediate cost.

As we tell by all the venture capital money going into new, clean technologies, being green can also be profitable. We want our green homes to be worth more than the alternatives.

The value of energy efficiency can be measured empirically. People’s stories with also reflect value (hopefully increased, although we can gain by we learning from others’ mistakes). Esthetics, outdoor living spaces, and familiarity all create value and comfort.

Comfort can be physical and mental. Principles of ergonomics and universal design are specific to the physical comfort of individuals. “Green” meets health concerns, be it with proper mold remediation, reducing draftiness, or improving indoor air quality. Some cultural concepts, like feng shui and vedic sciences, are based on living in harmony with our environment. These also add comfort in conscious and subconscious ways.

We’re not interested, necessarily, in a feel-good blog. Our writings reflect the conflicts and trade-offs that we deal with every day — the thoughtfullness that goes into trying to be green. As the industry changes, we will define ourselves again and again. The blog is also an organic process.

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There are some new eco-ordinances in them thar Los Altos Hills! Some buyers will be delighted, others may go elsewhere. Before you buy or remodel, here are five new ordinances you should know about.

1. Development area credit for solar power
2. Development area credit for permeable surfaces
3. Open space
4. Estate home setbacks, and
5. Eucalyptus tree abatement.

1. Solar
Ah, solar. It’s the right thing to do here in Northern Cal. It’s especially attractive with the current state tax credit and development credit from Los Altos Hills. It works like this: A hoimeowner who installs 500 square feet of solar panels on the roof receives 500 sf of development credit on the lot. That’s enough for an additional tennis court or extra decking around a pool.

While 45 projects applied for solar panel permits over the last 12 months, only two asked for the LAH credit. I have to wonder how long the town will continue to offer this credit since homeowners are going solar without town incentives.

You can check out LAH Town Hall’s Solar activity online.

2. Permeable Surfaces
Synthetic grass is not the astroturf of yesteryear. This stuff is surprisingly close in look and feel to the organic matter. Plus it’s practically maintenance-free and saves in your water bill. Los Altos Hills offers a development area credit for using permeable surfaces like pavers and synthetic grass.

Homes on a hill lose significant development area to the paving requirements for a firetruck turn-around area. Permeable surfaces help with erosion control and have a more asthetically pleasing and rural feel than asphalt. Homeowners get a higher percent of development area credit for using materials of greater permeability.

Sorry, your artificial lawn can’t be used as a front yard. The neighbors get jealous of the green look all year ’round and have a tendency to use much more water and fertilizer to keep up with the Jones’. The town doesn’t endorse any particular brand, but some names you may encounter are Waterless Grass, NewGrass, and ForeverLawn. Check with your landscaper to find out what they recommend. (if you need a landscaper, let me know.)

3. Open Space Easements and Pathways (Don’t Fence Me In)
LAH maintains an open, rural feel. There are minimum one-acre lots, protected creeks, no sidewalks, and oak tree protection. Open space and pathway easements may be granted to the town to preserve woodland habitat for wildlife and trails for walking and horseback riding. Openings in perimeter fences allow larger wildlife (cougars, bobcats, and deer) to pass through developed lots that would otherwise have been obstacles to seasonal water sources.

Granting open space or pathway easements allows a homeowner to participate in maintaining LAH’s greenbelt without incurring a loss in property value.

4. Estate Home Setbacks
If you could find a 1.5 acre flat lot in the hills, the permitted house could be about 10,000 sf. On occasion, a buyer can put together four to five acres and construct a substantial estate. It’s hard to imagine it having a rural feel. LAH is considering increasing the setback provision for estate homes over 10,000 sf. It’s not an approved ordinance yet.

5. Eucalyptus Tree Abatement

Those 50′ towering trees with shredded bark and limbs heavy with pungent blue-green leaves. You love them or hate them. They’re quick growing, provide shade, and mark property lines. The oils that give the tree its distinctive smell also make it highly flammable. A shallow root system means that the entire two tons are more prone to fall when the ground is saturated.

The shallow root aspect was tragically brought to light when a branch of an uprooted Eucalyptus fell onto a passing cyclist in 2006, instantly killing him.

There are more than 600 varieties of Eucalyptus, none of them native. Los Altos Hills has identified five varieties that the commission considers a danger, the most common being blue-gum. If any of the trees on their list is within 150′ of a project, it will have to be removed. Check with an arborist to see if the property you’re interested in (or own) has these trees.

Thanks to Los Altos Hills Planning Commissioner Ray Collins for the update. For more information, call Los Altos Hills at (650) 941-7222.

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Concrete replaced by Rubber

Many cities throughout the country are moving toward greener practices and policies. With so many choices available, it’s getting easy to pick the products and practices to support. The companies have difficult part — the need to get their innovative products known to the marketplace. While talking to Menlo Park Green Ribbon Citizens Committee member Gail Slocum, she was intrigued by my mention of alternative sidewalks.

Recently named “Best of America” by the editors of Reader’s Digest magazine, and getting a spot on NBC Nightly News and numerous other media mentions, Rubbersidewalks is getting known.

I saw Rubbersidewalks installed near the San Jose Convention Center, then found that the company developed their line of red “bricks” specifically for Boston’s Freedom Trail.

I certainly applaud the creativity of turning landfill garbage into a useful product. Cities will breath a sigh of relief at the drop in slip-and-fall claims from buckling concrete. They’ll also like the long term cost savings compared to concrete. Arborists and urban forest supporters will appreciate the harmony between rubber sidewalk and trees. Me? I like that the rubber is easier on my feet.

For the home and garden, there are environmentally-friendly paving alternatives. These may be recycled stone, or products made from rubber or plastic. As I said, there are lots of choices available.

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Abandoned properties may present more than just an eyesore in a neighborhood. They can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes and an attractive nuisance to transients and vandals.

Some reports relate an increase in West Nile Virus outbreaks to the sharp increase in forclosures. Realtors have been notified to report “green” swimming pools to local mosquito and vector control agencies. The green color comes from organic matter or bacterial growth. Any standing water can become a mosquito breeding ground.

Neighbors would do well to heed this advise, too. You know the neglected homes in your area. Since I’ve been hip to the West Nile Virus warning, I’ve noticed standing water even in the yards of inhabited homes — primarily renters and our elderly neighbors.

Standing water is defined as any water standing for seven or more days. Common sources are trash cans, bird baths, wading pools, toys, and rain gutters. Keep an eye out. You’ll be surprised where water will collect.

If you notice standing water, let the residents know about the mosquito issue. They’ll probably thank you. After all, they don’t want to be bitten either.

I see gray piles of crushed concrete as I’m driving by construction sites, looking like gigantic abandoned sandbox projects. We’re likely to see more of these piles as green concepts permeate the building industry.

According to the Concrete Network, recycling concrete from demolition project can result in considerable savings since it saves the costs of transporting concrete to the landfill (as much as $ .25 per ton/mile), and eliminates the cost of disposal (as high as $100 per ton). This savings to the contractor also results in greater environmental benefits, such as protecting natural resources, fewer pollutants from the transport of materials and reduced impact on our landfills.

Palo Alto’s “construction and demolition” program requires 90% of concrete and other inert solids be diverted. Santa Clara requires 50% to be recycled. San Jose, most of the cities within San Mateo county (and the County itself), and nine cities in Alameda county have also implemented these reuse and recycle programs.

Recycling of concrete is a relatively simple process. It involves breaking, removing, and crushing existing concrete into a material with a specified size and quality. The goal of a green remodeler is to use as much onsite as possible, says Iris Harrell of Harrell Remodeling.

Concrete Technology gives five applications of unprocessed recycled concrete, then five different applications after processing, including new concrete. So concrete really can be recycled into more concrete!

The photo is at 3270 West Bayshore as seen from 101. Other concrete piles can be seen at 899 Charleston and at Page Mill and Park. All are in Palo Alto.

So where are all of these Backyard Habitats?

Apparently, it’s a bit labor intensive to get the Certified Backyard Habitat stats city-by city. Thanks to Roxanne Paul of the National Wildlife Federation for sending this partial list before dashing off on her vacation.

Campbell: 12
Cupertino: 9
Los Altos: 16
Los Altos Hills: 3
Los Gatos: 14
Menlo Park: 4
Palo Alto: 17
Saratoga: 5
San Jose: 99
Santa Clara: 9

Landscaper Sherri Osaka told me today that she had one and they’re not that hard to do.

I recently talked with a neighbor in Palo Alto who’s really into animals. I asked if their backyard landscaping was completed. She showed me how the family had “gone wild” to reintroduce native tree frogs and toads to the environment with their new pond and supporting vegetation.

This family is not alone. The National Wildlife Federation has certified over 80,000 Backyard Wildlife Habitats nationwide. There are 77 certified in San Mateo County and 237 in Santa Clara County

It seems we can create a landscape that incorporates locally appropriate planting for wildlife and human habitation. Locally-developed Sustainable Landscape Standards give wildlife habitat one point out of 49. The fascination factor is much higher. It is not as difficult as you’d expect to help support wildlife in your backyard. My neighbor incorporated a water feature in the garden for birds and other animals, including local fish. The downside may be that the local egrets eat the fish.

Another gardening for wildlifesuggestion is to provide food, shelter, cover, and water for wildlife such as mammals, birds, hummingbirds,, beneficial insects,bees, andbutterflies You can pick and choose what you want to attract. No one will convince me to support my yard’s ant population.

A third, obvious choice is to eliminate pesticides whenever possible by using integrated pest management practices to preserve native insects, birds, and other small creatures.

At the end of my backyard tour, half joking, I asked my neighbor, “What’s next, bats?” Apparently, the bat houses are already ordered and should arrive by end of summer.