The first thing you notice about Palo Alto is the variety of open spaces such as bayland marshes, rolling foothills, thriving creeks, multi-use parks and community gardens; then you notice all the trees. The luxuriously leafy canopy is categorized as an "urban forest" and it lives up to that name. It’s only fitting, because the city is named for a Coast Redwood--El Palo Alto--under whose 1,000-year-old branches the Portola Expedition camped in 1769.
Trees are protected, almost revered, in Palo Alto, and so is another of nature’s treasures – open space. The city owns nearly 4,000 acres of open space and wildlife preserves; a full one-third of its 26-square-mile area is preserved as open space and the neighborhoods are dotted with 34 city parks.
Environmental stewardship is not just a catch phrase in Palo Alto, it’s a way of life. City government itself has been designated a "Green Business" and the City Council lists "Climate Protection" as one of its top priorities.
Important parts of this effort are the City of Palo Alto Utilities renewable energy program, the City’s Zero Waste initiative, and a local commitment to alternative transportation.
