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 January 2008
Trail work lauded
Thank you to John Howerton, Tony Ornellas, and Steve Legnard for the great trail work clearing they have done on Post Summit and Mt. Manuel. They have made the hiking much more pleasurable, safer and more accessible for greater public use. I commend these three for their hard work, especially because it was done without pay. Hats off to these hard working, unselfish men! Immensely grateful!
—Esperanza Hernandez
Soledad
Give the gift of trees
This season, please plant fruit trees to help reverse global warming. Fruit trees absorb CO2 and give us oxygen to breathe. We save time, gasoline, and get exercise and vitamin D from sunshine when we walk to the garden to pick fruit, rather than drive to buy it. We save money because the fruit is free and abundant to share with others. Fruit from your yard does not have to be shipped in a truck, thousands of miles, so there is less wear and tear on the roads and less pollution in the air.
Eating fruit has tremendous health benefits and may even help reverse signs of aging. Fruit gives us vitamin C which helps ward off the common cold, but no cholesterol. Eating fruit lessens the risk of heart attacks and cancer and may even help lose some of those extra pounds we gained over the holidays.
Organic fruit does not need petrochemical fertilizers and can thrive on compost.
• If you don't have a garden, consider a small container plant such as a dwarf citrus: Meyer Lemons and Satsuma Mandarin Oranges grow well in Santa Cruz County. It's best to ask your local nursery what they recommend for your climate zone.
• Fruit is always appreciated for any gift-giving occasion. Consider giving a tree or gift certificate so someone can purchase the tree of their choice.
• Since I have been bringing organic fruit to Sierra Club events, my social life has increased.
I feel good knowing that I have planted thirty fruit trees so far. It is one thing I can easily continue doing to help solve the global warming crisis.
—Karen Kaplan
Scotts Valley
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