Topic Briefs

Residential buildings account for a large share of California’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, yet buyers, renters, and homeowners rarely have clear, standardized information about a home’s energy performance. Home Energy Score California makes energy performance visible and easy to understand. The program provides a simple 1–10 score—similar to a miles-per-gallon rating for cars—paired with practical recommendations to improve comfort, cut energy waste, and reduce emissions.

Compostable plastic is a material marketed as a more sustainable alternative to conventional plastic, and is increasingly used for foodware, bin liners, and packaging. Despite being designed to break down under controlled industrial composting conditions, the compostable plastic materials that are currently available create significant challenges for composting systems and rarely deliver promised environmental benefits. And even though these “compostable” products consist largely of plant-based materials (from corn or sugarcane), some are derived from fossil fuels, and most still contain

The holidays are a time for celebration, connection, and shared meals — but for many in our community, putting food on the table is more challenging than ever. Rising food costs, economic uncertainty, and recent interruptions to federal food assistance programs have put pressure on households both locally and nationwide. This season, each of us can help make a difference. By being thoughtful in how we shop, store, cook, and share food, we can stretch household budgets, reduce waste, and help ensure more good food nourishes people rather than ending up in the landfill.

StopWaste operates through three distinct governing boards and functions as one unified agency with a single strategic plan and a shared set of goals. Founded initially as the Waste Management Authority (WMA) in 1976 to help manage waste in Alameda County, the Agency has since expanded its scope to address evolving environmental issues facing communities across the County.

Every year, more than 300 million pounds of food and scraps are thrown away – some of which is edible food that could instead nourish community members and help meet California’s climate goals. State law SB 1383 requires some large food-generating businesses to donate surplus food rather than send it to landfills. This is critical because: 1 in 4 people in Alameda County experiences food insecurity, and the demand for food assistance has grown significantly since the pandemic. Food waste is one of the largest sources of methane in landfills, a powerful climate pollutant. Wasting food also

This annual awards program honors Alameda County entities for their leadership and innovations in advancing environmental sustainability, waste prevention, and contributions to building healthy, climate resilient communities in Alameda County. Since the inception of the awards program in 2000, well over 100 Alameda County businesses and institutions have been recognized.

California’s landmark climate law, SB 1383, requires that food scraps and other organic materials be kept out of landfills and instead recycled into products like compost. This compost is then used by farmers, gardeners, and landscapers to build healthy soil vital to growing food and plants. To meet the law’s goals, California jurisdictions must divert 27 million tons of organic material from landfills annually by 2025 and procure or give away a minimum quantity of recycled organic products, such as compost and mulch. One of the ways StopWaste is helping to meet this challenge is through

StopWaste’s work is guided by three overarching goals, rooted in our core mission and vision: Thriving Circular Economy • Healthy Local Food System • Innovative Bay Area Construction Sector We use these long-term goals to inform our budget and help shape our strategy and programming. To achieve these goals, we organize our work and activities around a set of focus areas that collectively guide our programmatic work plan for fiscal years 2026-2028. We engage partners and community at the local, regional, and state levels to maximize our impact across all of the goals and focus areas. This is a

Over the last decade, Alameda County and the State of California have progressively tightened laws on plastic bag use, aiming to curb pollution, encourage sustainable practices, and reduce waste. These measures have notably decreased plastic bag consumption and helped protect our environment. However, due to a variety of factors, we’re seeing an increase in the number of plastic bags being distributed and a decrease in customers bringing their own. New state and local regulations are underway to help address this issue. To reduce confusion and allow for local enforcement of the updated

California has set ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change. Since buildings account for a significant share of energy use and emissions, reducing their reliance on fossil fuels by promoting efficiency and electrification is crucial to meeting those goals and transitioning to cleaner, more resilient buildings. Local and regional efforts play an important role in helping the state to meet these targets and ensure that they are done equitably. The Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN) is a coalition of the Bay Area’s nine counties partnering to promote