Sunnyvale, California
Smart Recycling is a proactive program that created new ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle its trash through enthusiastic community support and involvement, increasing its diversion rate from 19% to 56%. Through the Sunnyvale Orchard Heritage Park Interpretive Exhibit (OHPIE), 10 acres of a working apricot orchard have been set aside by the city for a heritage orchard, land that could have been sold for over $10 million, to send a clear message about the importance of the land to the community. The Columbia Neighborhood Center provides educational programs, recreation and sports opportunities, and social and health services for Sunnyvale children and their families and is a safe and nurturing haven for at-risk youth.
