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Letters

Green Energy initiative

Editor,

As coordinator of the signature drive for the Palo Alto Green Energy ballot measure over the past six months, I've enjoyed talking with the hundreds of Palo Alto voters who readily signed my petitions, as well as nonvoters.

Indeed, some people made a point of dashing over to sign; many who wanted to do further research came back to sign later.

One thing that made this campaign enjoyable week after week was hearing how much our fellow Palo Altans care about conscientiously dealing with the wastes we all create. (Many asked when we'll have food waste collection, for example.) Overwhelmingly, the people I spoke with wanted to keep it local, using our yard waste for compost and energy (anything organic is a resource!), aghast at the idea of shipping yard waste, in particular, 50 miles away to Gilroy.

Since 2003 I have registered voters at farmers markets, organized volunteers for local campaigns, and rung a fair number of doorbells. Previously, I ran the petition drive to make Edgewood Park a Natural Preserve. The Palo Alto Green Energy volunteers are among the most dedicated and savvy bunch of activists I've known. A big public thank you to them and to our fellow Palo Altans who recognize the sacrifice these volunteers make, most of them working people giving up precious free time to get this measure on the ballot.

This is our last weekend, look for us! A great cause; a great campaign.

Carolyn Curtis

Alger Drive

Palo Alto