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In This Issue:
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Help Ecology Action continue to provide innovative programs that benefit our environment by making a tax deductible donation now!
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EARTH DAY SANTA CRUZ IS BACK
Come and celebrate Earth Day 2008 in downtown Santa Cruz! Join us in honoring all you do for the environment, and learn more about what is happening in our community.
When: April 27th from 11am to 4pm
Where: Lincoln and Cedar Streets in the Farmer’s Market parking lot, downtown Santa Cruz, rain or shine
This family oriented event will have live entertainment throughout the day, kids’ activities, a wide variety of environmental information, outreach booths and food vendors. Earth Day 2008 will be a model of environmental goals such as zero waste and alternative transportation, and will be powered by our Solar Energy Sponsor, Independent Energy Systems.
Earth Day Santa Cruz needs your help to make this event sustainable. Shop at New Leaf Community Market this Thursday March 27th in Capitola, downtown Santa Cruz, or at the Mission Street location in Santa Cruz. New Leaf will donate 5% of the day’s sales to support Earth Day Santa Cruz 2008!
For more information on this exciting event and everything environmental in Santa Cruz County, visit EcoCruz.org, the new Green Gateway to Santa Cruz County.
The County of Santa Cruz, the City of Santa Cruz, Ecology Action, local non-profits, and concerned citizens are working together to make Earth Day 2008 the premier environmental event for the greater Santa Cruz community.
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Cabrillo College Goes Green
Ecology Action and Cabrillo College recently unveiled the GO GREEN campaign, encouraging students to bus, carpool, bike or walk (instead of driving alone) to school. By utilizing these alternative transportation options, Cabrillo students can save money, improve their health and improve the health of their environment.
Thus far, Go Green has reached over 1,500 students with informational brochures, a detailed website, on campus outreach and a sustainable transportation pledge. Students who pledged to bus, carpool, bike or walk to school once per week during the month of March were entered into a drawing to win a FREE bicycle, courtesy of Family Cycling Center. The winner of the bike will be announced in April.
For more information on how to Go Green, visit gogreencollege.org.
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Got compost? What about a compost bin?
The County of Santa Cruz and Green Waste Recovery are providing free or low cost compost bins to residents of the unincorporated County and City of Scotts Valley who complete a composting workshop (limit one free bin per household).
Comprehensive workshops teach how to compost garden clippings and kitchen scraps using a variety of composting techniques. Wormshops focus on composting food scraps with worms. Worm composting bins offered at wormshops are ideal for residents who live in apartments or small townhouses.
All County-sponsored composting workshops are staffed by Certified Master Composters who can answer your compost troubleshooting questions and prepare you for a successful composting experience. Comprehensive composting workshops and Wormshops are FREE for residents of the unincorporated area of Santa Cruz County and Scotts Valley. To view a complete list of workshop opportunities this spring, visit the Compost Santa Cruz County website, or call the Rotline at 831-423-HEAP.
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Increased Special Event and Tourism Recycling Targeted for 2008
After a successful year of implementing Special Event Recycling and Litter Abatement on the Monterey Peninsula, Ecology Action is expanding the program to provide increased recycling services to the nearly ten million tourists visiting the Monterey Bay region each year, including Santa Cruz County.
Read the full article about this expansion and what areas Ecology Action will be working in.
For more information about Special Event recycling, or to find out how you can recycle more at your event, please email Brennen Jensen.
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Go Green - Ride a Bike! Spring 2008 Bike Week is May 10th – 17th
The eagerly anticipated 21st annual spring Bike Week is just around the corner! Major events this spring include the Bike Fest Jump Jam (hosted by the Bicycle Trip), the Rail and Trail Ride, a Commuter Race and Bike to Work/School Day. Bike Week participants are eligible to win $1,000 by entering the Clean Air Month drawing by filling out a Bike to Work Day breakfast site survey. For more information, visit bike2work.com or call 831.426.5925 x 128.
Employers - interested in participating in Bike Week fun? Ecology Action will provide exciting products for businesses who organize prize drawings for employees who bike to work during Bike Week. You organize the raffle, we’ll provide the prizes. For more information, visit bike2work.com or call 831.426.5925 x 128.
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Bicycle Street Safety Skills Tips and Trainings
Recent bike-car crashes in Santa Cruz have focused attention on the importance of education for bicyclists and motorists on how to share the road. According to crash statistics, 90% of bike-car crashes occur at intersections. These locations, which also include driveways and path-road junctions, require increased vigilance and care.
TIP for bicyclists: Do not pass cars on the right which are waiting to turn right at an intersection, even if there is a bike lane. Passing on the right in this case is illegal. By yielding or passing safety on the left, as though you were a driver of a car, you will prevent crashes and be a more courteous bicyclist.
TIP for automobile drivers: Merge into the bike lane when preparing for a right turn—as required by California law—checking carefully for bicyclists beforehand (also move to the right if there is not a bike lane.) This prevents bicyclists from trying to pass on the right at an intersection. Ensure you have plenty of clearance before you turn right in front of a bicyclist. They often move faster than you expect and can cause a “right hook crash” by turning into the path of the bicyclist.
Click here to learn more Bike Safety Tips (includes diagrams of traffic scenarios)
Ecology Action offers bicycle street skills trainings for people of all ages through its Folding Bikes in Buses and Bike Smart! programs. Members of the public are encouraged to attend (space permitting).
Find out more or register for a Bike Safety Training class.
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