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Everyone must buy in
to save environment
Re: “Packaging with a purpose” (Page E1, Jan. 21).
I consider myself a semi-environmentalist: I turn off the water when brushing my teeth, open windows for fresh air and recycle whenever I can.
After reading about former Apple executive Ying Liu’s efforts to reduce plastics, I couldn’t help but reflect on the realization that my half-hearted efforts won’t lead to comprehensive progress. Liu’s commitment to innovating sustainable alternatives serves as a source of inspiration to deepen my own dedication to a greener future.
However, it’s crucial to acknowledge that full commitment is not only essential for individual innovators like Liu but also for legislatures, as public policies can contribute to the standardization of sustainable practices. Strict bans on certain plastics, for instance, can significantly boost the demand for biodegradable alternatives.
It is evident that only through full commitment, from innovative minds, legislative bodies and private citizens, can we restore our planet to a state of wholeness.
Daniel Lin
Cupertino
S.J. should expand
BART proposal
Re: “Mahan pushing forward with BART plans” (Page B1, Jan. 24).
I applaud Mayor Mahan’s unwavering commitment to constructing the full BART extension to Downtown San Jose and Santa Clara.
We can agree that transit projects in the United States cost too much and take too long. This isn’t a reason to shrink our transportation goals. We must push forward.
And, we shouldn’t stop at Santa Clara. Next, BART must be extended to the core of Silicon Valley jobs in North San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, and beyond. Select the lowest cost route and construction type, with a minimalist aerial trackway from Santa Clara transit center down De La Cruz/Trimble Road, up North First, west on Highway 237, and north on Highway 101— all in the existing public right way with no land acquisition costs or expensive tunnels.
We cannot realize the full job potential of Silicon Valley without substantially more transit. We can’t afford a future of soul-crushing and climate-destroying vehicle traffic.
Erik Schoennauer
San Jose
Celebrity candidates
aren’t good candidates
Re: “Candidates bring good, bad, ugly to stage” (Page A1, Jan. 24).
One of the participants in the debate for the upcoming U.S. Senate race identified himself as “not a career politician.” Would you go to “not a career surgeon”? I would like our next senator to be well-schooled in the issues that affect all Californians and to have an understanding of how to get things accomplished in Washington.
Having someone as ill-prepared, uninformed and condescending as the former Dodger was at the Jan. 22 debate is an insult to Republicans who might want to vote their party, as well as to all Californians, who deserve to have two qualified candidates in the November election, one of whom will hopefully be Katie Porter.
Alayne Yellum
San Jose
