 |
 |
|
| |
|
|
| |
In This Issue:
|
Help Ecology Action continue to provide innovative programs that benefit our environment by making a tax deductible donation now!
|
| |
|
Water Conservation Tips and Trainings from the Green Gardener Program
- Kurt Hurley, Green Gardener Program Specialist
As the fall season is approaching, nights are becoming longer and cooler. This is a good time to make sure your landscape is keeping up with the changing season. You can avoid water runoff and overuse by asking your landscaping professional to reprogram your irrigation controller every two weeks based on actual water evaporation. Landscaping professionals learn this skill and related skills to conserve water and prevent pollution through the Green Gardener Training and Certification Program, which has certified over 240 individuals in the Monterey Bay Area since 2005.
You can find a Green Gardener service provider in your area through the
Green Gardener website. This website contains Certified Green Gardener contact information, the region they serve, and additional program details. If you have already contracted a landscaping professional, Ecology Action can provide you, free of charge, with a checklist to help you and your service provider make wiser choices for the environment in the care of your landscape. To receive a copy, email your request to Kurt Hurley asking for an electronic copy of the ‘Green Gardener Client Service Agreement’.
The Santa Cruz Adult School, Watsonville Adult School, Salinas Adult School, and Monterey Adult School are offering Green Gardener training classes on an ongoing basis. These programs are oriented for the landscaping professional, but are also open to the public. Check with the adult school closest you for more information.
|
|
| |
|
Bicycle Helmets - Of love, hate, complacency and conquest
- Saskia Lucas, Bike Smart Program Specialist
When it comes to helmet use, bicyclists seem to fall into three camps: the helmet lovers who feel naked without one; the helmet haters who wouldn’t be caught dead in one; and the helmet NONOH’s (not on my own head) who think helmets are all right but either don’t think they need to wear one or just don’t get around to it.
Bike Smart! program specialist Saskia Lucas makes the case for helmets, as well as addresses common pitfalls and the most common hair-pulling helmet question parents ask:
What can I do to get my teen to wear a bicycle helmet?!
Read the full article here...
|
|
| |
|
Go Ultra Green, Ride a Bike and Win $500!
- Bonnie McPike, Bike to Work Program Specialist
That’s right folks! Fall 2008 Bike to Work/School Day is just around the corner. Use your pedal power to stop by one of our FREE breakfast sites on Thursday, October 2nd and receive a delicious and healthy breakfast. In addition to the free food, participants who register at a breakfast site (or online) are eligible to win a $500 cash prize! Be a part of this community tradition and improve your health while reducing your carbon footprint. See you there!
For more information or if you are interested in volunteering visit us online at www.bike2work.com or call 831.426.5925 x 128.
|
|
| |
|
Climate Change and Personal Change
- Elizabeth Thompson, Climate Solutions Program Manager
This summer’s wildfires, droughts and hurricanes have underscored the need for urgent action to mitigate global climate change. But what can any of us do in the face of such a daunting task? Since we can only manage what we measure, a good first step is to measure the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with our lifestyle choices – also known as our carbon footprint. The recently launched CoolCalifornia (www.coolcalifornia.org) carbon footprint calculator stands out as one of the better online tools for estimating individual, residential (and eventually business) climate impacts. What makes CoolCalifornia unique is that it is linked to California energy and transportation data, allowing you to compare your carbon footprint with others in California and (soon) in Santa Cruz. Another important feature of CoolCalifornia is that it links users to rebates and financing options for energy-efficient appliances and vehicles.
The key is to establish a baseline. Let’s say your household carbon footprint is 35 tons. That may be 13 tons less than a similar California household, but it’s an astounding 447% of the global average! Use that as inspiration to get serious and set a reduction target. How about 30% by 2020? Ecology Action is partnering with the City of Santa Cruz to encourage the entire community to take the 30x20 challenge and to join Climate Action Teams to track their reductions. (www.30x20.org)
Ecology Action offers numerous resources on our Climate Solutions website to guide you in your carbon-reduction goals. We also coordinate a Green Drinks, Cool Ideas event every month to bring people together in a relaxed setting to hear about and discuss inspiring, innovative solutions happening in our community and throughout the world. Please join us for the next Green Drinks, Cool Ideas on Friday, September 19th from 5:30-8pm at GreenSpace (1122 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz). Our guest will be Jennifer Gray of the UK-based Transition Town movement; she’ll discuss a community response to the twin challenges of peak oil and climate change. Email Elizabeth Thompson for more information.
|
|
| |
|
Cooking Summer Compost
- Sherry Lee Bryan, Home Composting Senior Program Specialist
This time of year, many compost piles and bins on the Central Coast of California are looking pretty dry and neglected. Water is a critical ingredient of decomposition. Without water, the ecology of a compost bin changes from a diverse compost rainforest of micro and macro organisms to a dormant desert. Your compost pile may be dehydrated because of lack of water and attention, but don’t let the current state of your pile discourage you from harvesting beautiful compost this fall. Here are five easy steps to revive a dry (but not dead) compost pile in time to amend your for soil for gardening season in 2009.
- Relocate your compost bin next to a garden hose for easy water access.
- Wet the soil underneath your empty compost bin or pile to be to stir up earthworm and biological activity. If the soil is hard and compacted, loosen it with a pitchfork or shovel so that water can percolates down about six inches.
- Using your dried up material in your bin, lay down a six inch layer for the bottom of the pile. This layer can be made of twiggy, hard-to-decompose materials. Water this six inch layer until all materials are about as moist as a wrung out sponge.
- Give those microbes some nitrogen to chew on! Alternate new green material in two to four inch layers with dry material from your old compost pile. Don’t forget to water each layer (green and brown) that is added to the pile . Stirring or mixing layers up with a pitchfork as you go will increase the water penetration to all layers of your new pile. TIP: If you have a lack of green material in the garden right now, download the compost resource guide to find local sources of free greens.
- When your new green and old brown materials have all been used and the pile is totally moist, put the lid or tarp on your pile and wash your hands! You can relax and let biology do the rest. If you don’t add anything else to this pile and keep it moist, you can expect finished compost from your effort in about three months.
The County of Santa Cruz Home Composting Program website offers countless resources to help you become a successful composter. Visit www.compostsantacruzcounty.org to download “how-to” publications, sign up for workshops, or apply to attend the Master Composter Training coming up in February of 2009. Happy Composting!
|
|
| |
|
City of Santa Cruz Leads the Way in Addressing New Clean Water Mandates
- Kirsten Liske, Vice President, Pollution Prevention/Zero Waste Group
Each year our streets and parking areas transport pollutants to the river and ocean. The single largest contributing factor to the pollution of streams, creeks, rivers and near-shore coastal waters is stormwater runoff. Stormwater is rainwater and over-irrigation that picks up pollutants from streets, yards and businesses and carries it into local waters.
Federal and state law now requires cities like Santa Cruz to implement plans to minimize pollution from these nonpoint sources.
To meet this requirement the City of Santa Cruz is placing Measure E, the Clean River, Beaches and Ocean Campaign, on City residents ballots this fall. The Measure proposes a funding mechanism for important and mandated pollution prevention activities which, if not funded through this special and targeted means, will need to come from other sources in the City budget.
The goals of Measure E include:
- Reduction of pollution, trash, toxics and dangerous bacteria in our streams, river, bay and ocean, and on our beaches
- Activities to protect water quality and reduce water pollution associated with runoff from streets and properties in the City
- Improved management practices for the protection of watersheds and water quality
- Maintenance, improvements, environmental restoration and upgrades to stormwater collection, conveyance and treatment systems
- Implementation of stormwater best management practices
- Public education and outreach activities to prevent and reduce pollution
|
|
|
|
