bay area Life Vibrant Health Eco-Living
窶《eptember + october 2011 FREE
eucalyptusmagazine.com
Green Schools Sustainability on Local college Campuses
Eco-Minded Burials Commuting By Trail Gluten-Free Eating Community Gardens
September + October 2011
Features
16 Living Green, Dying Green Eco-conscious options for life’s end By julie mccoy
18 Growing Room Community gardens provide affordable access to organic produce By ashley johnson Cover: Photo by Andrew Rich/iStockPhoto. This page: Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager at Guadalupe River Park. Photo by Karl Nielsen.
20 It’s School to Be Green
Departments 7 Grown Local Salmon Creek Ranch 10 Outdoors Commuting by Trail 13 Healthful Eating Gluten-Free Foods
In Every Issue 3 Publisher’s Note 28 Tidbits Green Tips 28 Advertisers’ Index
Sustainability on local university campuses By stephanie liou
EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 1
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Contributing Photographer Rachael Olmstead Production Manager Diana Russell advertising sales Rebecca Campos, Michaela Marek contact 15559 Union Avenue, Suite 215 Los Gatos, CA 95032 phone 408.335.4778, fax 408.877.7303 email info@eucalyptusmagazine.com Web eucalyptusmagazine.com Twitter twitter.com/eucalyptusmag Facebook facebook.com/eucalyptusmagazine Subscription rate $24.00 per year Advertising rates on request Volume 2, Issue 7 ©2011 by Eucalyptus Magazine, ISSN 2160-4541 (print), ISSN 2160-4576 (online). Eucalyptus is a registered trademark in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All rights reserved. Some parts of this magazine may be reproduced with written permission only. We welcome your ideas, articles, and feedback. Although every precaution is taken to ensure accuracy of published materials, Eucalyptus Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors. We do not necessarily endorse products and services advertised. Always consult a professional provider for clarification. Eucalyptus is the winner of the 2010 Apex Awards for Publication Excellence for green publications, and the 2010 Gold MarCom Award for green publications.
2 | September + October 2011
lane johnson
publisher’s note
In our September/October issue, we cover several topics that might surprise you, including our feature on green options for the end of life. Before this subject came up in one of our meetings, I had never thought about how much of an impact human death has on the environment. When one of my colleagues showed me a sustainability report from the Green Burial Council that pointed out the staggering amount of concrete and metal used in burials, I knew we had to share this topic with our readers. Perhaps this article can remind us that there are always more sustainable ways of doing business—no matter what business you are in—and that we as consumers have the power to make a difference through the choices we make. Another eye-opening story in this issue is our feature on college campuses and sustainability. Reading this article gave me hope for the future. Our young people are taking big steps to live sustainably and protect the environment while they are still attending school. By the time they graduate and get their first jobs, living green will be second nature to them. We have a great future ahead of us as these individuals take charge of our world. Last but not least, this issue’s story about community gardens reminds me of long-lasting neighbor relations and of sharing passions, common ground, and good food. These gardeners grow vegetables and fruits not only for fresh, healthy food at an affordable cost, but also because it provides them with a sense of community pride. We at Eucalyptus Magazine send a big “thank you” to the many Bay
Area cities that offer community garden plots to their residents. These gardens provide a multitude of benefits and fresh food is only one of them. I look forward to connecting with you online at www. eucalyptusmagazine.com or in person at our gluten-free dinner event on October 6.
Michaela Marek Publisher and Founder publisher@eucalyptusmagazine.com
EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 3
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Goats and ducks on the range
// by Ann Marie Brown
ann marie brown
No goats, no glory: Lesley and John Brabyn at their Sonoma County ranch
When most people plan a career in ranching, they usually have a certain type of livestock in mind. Not so for Lesley and John Brabyn, who purchased their 400-acre ranch near Bodega Bay first and later figured out what animals to raise. The answer was a bit like Noah’s ark: the Brabyn’s Salmon Creek Ranch is home to approximately 100 goats, 800 ducks, a passel of grass-fed cattle, a colony of honeybees, and five Anatolian shepherd dogs who keep watch over them all. “We had to fit what animals would work well with our land,” Lesley says. “This is not prime grazing land, and it’s not crop land. Originally, we thought we’d raise sheep. But when we bought this place, the pastures had been neglected for 30 years, so we thought we’d get goats to clear the brush,” she says. As it turned out, the goats provided additional benefits besides trimming up the pastures.
“There’s an increasing awareness in this country about the benefits of goat meat. It’s the most widely consumed meat in the world. It’s low in fat and healthy. But more importantly, goats are very sustainable. They are light on their feet and they nibble here and there when they eat. A herd of sheep can shear off an entire pasture, and cows can cause terrible erosion. Goats don’t harm the land, and they like to eat the stuff that nobody else likes to eat,” Lesley says. The Brabyns sell their organic, free-range Kiko goat meat at farmers’ markets, at their ranch store, and on their website, www. salmoncreekranch.com. “The Kiko breed descended from the goats that were left in New Zealand by Captain Cook in the 1700s,” John says. “They went feral and survived. The New Zealand government was going to round them up and shoot them, but then someone decided to breed them as meat goats.” Salmon Creek Ranch’s other major product is Muscovy duck, EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 7
grown local
salmon creek ranch
salmon creek ranch which the Brabyns sell to restaurants in Sonoma and San Francisco. The ducks forage throughout large tracts of pasture 24 hours a day, while the ranch dogs guard them from predators. The Brabyns say the ducks’ varied diet is what keeps the birds healthy and makes their meat taste good. “We feed the ducks a locally produced organic feed, but they also eat grass and bugs and worms,” John says. “After it rains and the worms come out, the ducks get really excited and run all over the place to find them.” Lesley warns consumers against putting too much trust in poultry packaging labels that claim ‘free-range.’ “Many of those animals are kept in small pens on a small patch of land. That fits the USDA definition of free-range. Sure, the animals get to eat grass, but they never get any exercise. You have to ask pointed questions about what ‘free-range’ or ‘cage-free’ actually means. It’s not always very humane.” The Brabyns also raise Khaki Campbell ducks for their eggs, which are sold at Whole Foods Markets in the North Bay. “Duck eggs have five times the amount of vitamin B12 as chicken eggs and a lot more protein. If you made a cake out of a generic cake mix and you used duck eggs, it would be like pound cake. Duck eggs provide loft and richness to baked goods,” Lesley says. Running Salmon Creek Ranch is a second career for the Brabyns, who bought the ranch as part of their retirement plans. “When most people retire, they downsize or move to Palm Springs,” Lesley says. “But this ranch is what we wanted to do; it was always our dream.”
8 | September + October 2011
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outdoors
Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager spins his wheels at Guadalupe River Park.
Have you ever considered riding your bicycle to work? Every day, thousands of Californians experience the benefits of commuting by bicycle. They get regular exercise, save money on gas, and help reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. And they have fun going to work! Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, has been commuting by bicycle for about five years. “I start and end almost every work day commuting by bike between my home in Los Gatos and my office near San Jose Airport,” Guardino says. “It is a great and healthy way to start and end each day—burning carbs rather than carbon, getting some exercise, and enjoying the beauty of the Los Gatos Creek Trail.” Santa Clara County’s bike path, trail, and lane network extends over hundreds of miles, much of which travels through scenic parks. If you live or work in the Almaden area, you can enjoy the semirural setting of the Los Alamitos Calero Creek Trail. This paved trail starts at Santa Teresa County Park and runs through Almaden Lake Park, where it joins the Upper Guadalupe River Trail and ends near the Oakridge Light Rail Station. If you need to connect with public transportation to complete your route, VTA buses and light rail vehicles are equipped with bike racks (visit www.vta.org), as is Caltrain (www.caltrain.com). The Coyote Creek Trail is a 15-mile, paved, mostly level trail that meanders along Coyote Creek from Hellyer County Park, near Yerba Buena Road, through south San Jose and the Coyote Valley, and ends near Anderson Lake County Park in Morgan Hill. Many parts of this scenic parkway are shaded and cyclists enjoy great views of the surrounding hills. Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager, a longtime advocate for trail development, started bicycle commuting while on the San Jose City Council. “I participated in the annual Bike to Work Day and I was hooked,” Yeager says. “The experience taught me that I could make my commute part of my exercise routine and help me train for triathlons.”
Yeager enjoys his 20-minute ride along the Guadalupe River Trail, which takes him to his office and to meetings around San Jose. He says there is only one problem with bike commuting: “When I ride my bike to work, it is hard to resist the urge to pass by the office and keep going!” With plenty of sunshine and an extensive bikeway network, cycling to work in Santa Clara County can be both fun and safe. For additional information or to plan your route to and from work, visit www.parkhere.org.
Pedal your way to work
10 | September + October 2011
// by marit Hansen
john myers
commuting by trail
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healthful eating At a gluten-free picnic in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, young guests enjoy iced carrot cake, cookies, and other goodies without gluten.
life after bread
Top: lane johnson (7)
Gluten-free eating As a malnourished young child, Allison Ryan’s physical condition baffled her family. “I had a distended belly, sunken eyes, and was always fatigued. The doctors could not figure out what was wrong with me,” Ryan says. After several false diagnoses, an endoscopy revealed she had celiac sprue, an autoimmune disorder that causes the production of antibodies in response to gluten and damages the small intestine’s ability to absorb nutrients from food. The only treatment is a gluten-free diet. Gluten refers to a mixture of proteins found in wheat, barley, rye, triticale, spelt, kamut, and oats. Gluten is the second most common ingredient in today’s mainstream diet (after sugar). Used as a thickener, additive, and flavoring, gluten is found in everything from processed foods to alcohol to cosmetics. It’s even in postage stamps. Now 28 and living in Campbell, Ryan has grown accustomed to a life of avoiding gluten. “The food stuff is easy. There is a gluten-free alternative to everything... What I find challenging is not being able to drink a beer when I’m out with friends.” Dr. Gary Gray of Stanford University Medical Center says that celiac sprue remains one of the most commonly misdiagnosed conditions. “It is
// by rhea maze
often missed as the main diagnosis and symptoms are simply attributed to irritable bowel syndrome,” Gray says. He hopes that medical science will soon provide celiac sufferers with a way to interrupt the negative immune response to gluten. Celiac sprue is not the only reason why people choose to go gluten-free. Gluten sensitivity is a common diagnosis for a number of health problems, says Nancy Birang, a Board-Certified Nutrition Consultant who practices in Los Gatos and teaches at Bauman College. “More people are reacting negatively to gluten than ever before,” Birang says. She sees a clear correlation between increased instances of gluten sensitivity and our society’s consumption of processed foods. “We are exposed to gluten so much more today than in the past,” she says. To test for an aversion to gluten, Birang recommends that patients eliminate all gluten from their diet for four to six weeks. Then, with an empty stomach, they should eat some food containing gluten and watch for a negative reaction, which would indicate gluten sensitivity. To learn more about gluten-free eating, look for the expanded version of this article at www. eucalyptusmagazine.com/gluten-free.
• On Thursday, October 6, attend Eucalyptus Magazine’s Dinner Event with Dr. Gary Gray of Stanford University hosting a discussion on gluten-free diets. Guests will enjoy a gluten-free and dairy-free dinner prepared by Chef Lauren Hoover, who specializes in cooking for health issues including diabetes, autism, celiac sprue, autoimmune diseases, and inflammatory conditions. Hoover is the author of the No Wheat No Dairy No Problem cookbook. EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 13
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living green, dying green Eco-conscious options for life's end
A natural ending: Roberta Ryan at her husband’s gravesite at Sebastopol Memorial Lawn Cemetery
by julie m c Coy
Clockwise from left: Burying the body in a shroud made of natural fibers is an eco-conscious option that has been used for thousands of years; a simple pine casket is ready to be lowered into the ground at Mill Valley’s Fernwood Cemetery; a casket made of willow is an earth-friendly and inexpensive alternative to a metal casket.
left: lane johnson; this page clockwise from left: courtesy kinkaraco, courtesy fernwood cemetery, courtesy colma cremation and funeral services
death is a subject
that most Americans don’t like to talk about, read about, or even think about. We plan for weddings, births, and retirement, yet few among us plan for our own death. But when someone dies, it’s not just his or her loved ones who suffer the loss. Death takes an environmental toll on Mother Earth, too. According to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), more than 60 percent of Americans choose to be buried in a casket in a cemetery (or their loved ones select that option for them). But the environmental cost of a traditional burial, including the metal and concrete production required for caskets, vaults, grave liners, and tombstones, is substantial. The damage is exacerbated if the deceased is embalmed, a process that uses toxic chemicals including formaldehyde to temporarily preserve the body. After an embalmed body is buried and begins to decompose, the embalming fluid leaches into the ground, contaminating soil and groundwater. Joe Sehee, executive director of the New Mexico-based Green Burial Council, a nonprofit advisory group that promotes sustainability in the death care industry, points out that nearly 1 million tons of metal are buried in caskets in the United States. We bury enough metal each year to rebuild the Golden Gate Bridge, and enough concrete to build a two-lane highway from New York to Detroit. Sehee says that with increasing awareness of the environmental cost of traditional burials, “green burials” have become more popular. “We continue to get more hits on our Web site and more inquiries,” Sehee says. “People find a great deal of solace in not only being environmentally sound, but also in returning to earth and feeling that their death is somehow connected to their life.”
Typically, a green burial service involves burying a body without the use of embalming chemicals, metal, or cement. The body may be buried in a biodegradable casket or no casket at all. Instead of taking up space in a landscaped cemetery, the body might be interred in a “green cemetery”—a nature preserve of nearly untouched land. Green cemeteries, also called natural burial grounds, eliminate the environmental costs of lawn and landscape care, including irrigation, as well as upkeep to graves and headstones. There are currently 22 cemeteries with natural burial grounds certified by the Green Burial Council. One of them is Fernwood Cemetery in Mill Valley, a few miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Its 32-acre green cemetery looks exactly like the hilly grasslands and mixed forests of the adjacent Golden Gate National Recreation Area. There are no large gravestones, vaults, plastic flowers, waving flags, or mowed lawns. Embalmed bodies are not permitted. Natural rocks, wildflowers, or trees serve as grave markers, and each burial site is recorded for posterity with Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates. Fernwood’s manager, Kathy Curry, says she gets calls from people who have read about green burials or heard about them on television, but the practice is still not widely known. She describes her business as “an educational process.” “I think a lot of people don’t know that it is possible,” says Curry. “Often it’s just a matter of letting people know that [green burial] is an option and what it means. Then they’re interested.” Sehee says that aging Baby Boomers are the demographic most interested in green burials. “They gave birth to Earth Day,” he says. “Baby Boomers want to participate more // continued on page 24 EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 17
m
ost people are aware of the health benefits of eating produce that is free of pesticides and other harmful chemicals, but organic fruits and vegetables are often more expensive than their commercially grown counterparts. As a result, people who live on a tight budget are often priced out of the healthiest food options. For those who don’t have the luxury of a sun-filled backyard where they can grow fresh fruits and vegetables, the South Bay’s community gardens offer an affordable way to enjoy organic food for less than $100 a year. The Community Gardens Program in San Jose, which began in 1977, offers gardeners individual plots of land on which they can grow a list of approved fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Nam Nguyen, a gardener at the three-acre La Colina Community Garden near Lean Avenue, says, “I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the gardening community because as the sole provider for my large family, I cannot afford to pay $2 to $3 per pound for tomatoes, bell peppers, or cucumbers at local farmers’ markets. Gardening provides me with a way to bring fresh vegetables to my family at a reasonable cost.” The 19 community gardens within the San Jose city limits are tremendously popular, 18 | September + October 2011
with more than 900 gardeners participating. Would-be gardeners place their name on the city’s waitlist, then wait one to three years to receive a plot. Once their name reaches the top of the list, they can keep their plot as long as they wish.
Hamline Community Garden Carolyn Cook never expected to find a garden off a busy street near Interstate 880, but that’s what she discovered one day when she took a detour to Hamline Street and Sherwood Avenue. “I couldn’t believe it was here,” Cook says of Hamline Community Garden. “I got the name of the secretary at the time and signed on the waiting list and got a plot within a year.” For Cook, who has minimal outdoor space at her condominium, having a plot in the garden allows her to grow fresh produce. “I have a little backyard patio, but not enough room to really grow anything. So this is my chance. This is my way to interact and get my fingernails dirty,” she says. Surrounded by towering oak trees, Hamline Community Garden is a narrow strip that covers less than an acre of ground. Each plot varies in size from 40 to 100 square feet, and gardeners pay water fees of about $75 per year. In the garden’s “share zone,” gardeners share equipment
they aren’t using, such as tomato cages. Any excess produce that Hamline’s gardeners can’t eat, preserve, or give away is donated to Second Harvest Food Bank. Although you can hear the cars rushing by on nearby Interstate 880, the garden’s peaceful ambience drowns out those sounds, Cook says. “If I’m here by myself, a lot of times there is a phoebe, a little bird. He’ll come and sit there and twitter. It’s a connection with nature.” Although the majority of planting is done in the spring and summer months, some gardeners take advantage of winter’s minimal sun in order to plant winter gardens. Cook, who has been the garden’s manager for about five years, plants potatoes, peas, beats, fava beans, and carrots. “One of my kids really likes lemon cucumbers so I like to grow those for him,” she says. “And I tell you there’s nothing like a fresh green bean.”
laguna seca Community Garden Pressed up against the rolling green hills in South San Jose west of Santa Teresa Boulevard, Laguna Seca Garden is the backdrop for a tight-knit community where gardeners help each other and share advice and knowledge. “All these people up here are friends,” says Mickey Neff, // continued on page 26
This page: Jenne Thomson picks Pimientos de Padr贸n peppers in her garden plot at Hamline Community Garden. Opposite page, clockwise from left: Epifanio Granado shows off an onion in his plot at Berryessa Community Garden; Mike Grgich takes a break from digging at Laguna Seca Community Garden; Karen McCreddin plants new carrots at Hamline Community Garden; David Faulstich waters borlotti beans growing on a trellis at Laguna Seca Community Garden.
growing room Community gardens provide affordable access to organic produce By Ashley Johnson / photographs by rachael olmstead
EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 19
stanford university Clockwise from top left: Stanford students model eco-friendly vintage fashions; dining hall employees take their pick from items at the “free store”; Angela Kwok of the Green Living Council tosses a banana peel into the compost bin; the Stanford Community Farm produces organic eggs and vegetables; a student mixes drinks with pedal power in a demonstration to kick off the Conservation Cup.
Sustainability on local university campuses
E
It’s School
ver since the hippie days of the 1960s, college campuses have been a hub of environmental activism and eco-consciousness. Now that the notion of sustainability has grown to encompass all areas of life—from food to fashion to energy and more—Bay Area colleges are bustling with innovative projects and events. Here’s a look at some of the latest green initiatives from San Jose State University, Santa Clara University, and Stanford University.
ENERGY Over 98 percent of Stanford’s students live on its sprawling campus, which translates into an enormous amount of energy use. Stanford’s Office of Sustainability oversees efforts to curb this usage, including 20 | September + October 2011
retrofitting buildings, updating water heating systems in residences, and distributing compact fluorescent light bulbs to students. In addition, the office publishes yearly guidelines for sustainable living and green event planning. Through its Green Fund program, it supports student projects such as the Stanford Solar and Wind Energy Project, in which students assess the feasibility of solar and wind energy projects both on campus and in the surrounding community. On the student-run side, Stanford’s Green Living Council (GLC) helps organize the Conservation Cup, a contest in which dorms compete against each other to save energy and water. It also launched SEED (Spreading Everyday Environmentalism in Dorms) projects, including the implementation of
shower timers, laundry racks, and hand towels in campus dormitories. “The goal of these projects is to make the development of sustainable behavior easier,” says Angela Kwok, one of GLC’s co-presidents. At nearby Santa Clara University, a highly successful 10-week residence hall “energy challenge” took place in the winter of 2010 to 2011. Each dormitory competed against its historical energy usage based on past utility bills. “We saved over 85,000 kilowatt hours,” says Lindsey Cromwell Kalkbrenner, Director of Santa Clara University’s Office of Sustainability. “That’s enough to power our fitness center for six weeks.” Also in 2011, San Jose State University introduced a new energy audit program called “Green Wave.”
santa clara university Clockwise from top left: An eco-fashion show model prepares to strut the runway in a dress made of newspapers; kids till the soil at SCU’s community garden; students head out for a hike in nearby Big Basin State Park; color-coded bins make recycling and composting easy; students in an environmental technology class examine solar panels atop a campus building.
to be Green “It is a class open to all majors, where students are trained to conduct energy audits on campus in department offices and dorms, as well as in residential locations off campus,” says Candice Carbonell, Director of the Environmental Resource Center. “The program was a success and there is a long list of people who want their homes and offices audited next year.”
FOOD Sustainability is shaking up bland cafeteria food and late-night pizza at college campuses, too. At San Jose State University, students held a Locavore Food and Garden Fair in May 2011 to promote eating local produce. At Santa Clara University, all utensils available on campus are now either reusable
or compostable, all food service areas have compost bins, and the school has recently begun offering “eco-trays”—reusable meal containers that create zero waste. To encourage students to eat healthier and live sustainably even while living off campus, the college’s “Living Green in the Neighborhood” project awards students with a box of locally grown, organic vegetables in return for points earned by completing tasks such as reducing energy usage or going for a hike. Stanford Dining, which has won several awards for its sustainability programs, continues to be one of the national leaders in green dining. The company, which manages 30 different dining facilities on campus, operates student-run campus gardens and the Stanford Community Farm, which grows fresh, organic produce
By Stephanie Liou
for campus dining halls and kitchens. Stanford Dining also holds yearly events such as the Climate Conscious Food Week, in which students are educated about and encouraged to meet goals such as reducing meat intake. “Sustainability is one of Stanford Dining’s most important initiatives,” says Head Dining Ambassador Brianna Pang.
FASHION While many college students might be content with heading to class in pajamas and an old sweatshirt, others have higher aspirations. At Santa Clara University, students put on their first-ever eco-fashion show this February, showcasing designs constructed out of recycled materials, including newspapers and pillowcases. EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 21
it’s school to be green
san jose state university
At Stanford, the Sustainable Fashion Show (SFS) has become a campus mainstay. In January 2011, the event was featured in the New York Times for its innovative work in showcasing wearable clothing made with renewable materials and ethical manufacturing standards, as well as creative displays of vintage and recycled products. SFS Coordinator Irys Kornbluth says, “Our goal this year was to demonstrate how stylish vintage and sustainable clothing can be to a large student audience. We want to spread awareness of waste and labor issues in the fashion industry.” Suzanne Stathatos, a Stanford student who has modeled for SFS for the past two years, has found the experience extremely rewarding. “By modeling in SFS...I’ve become much more knowledgeable about and active in sustainable movements in the Bay Area,” Stathatos says. “I’ve started combining my interests in fashion and journalism. It has also encouraged me to change my own shopping habits.”
engineering At San Jose State, the Solar Energy Engineering Club recently completed a solar water heating system feasibility analysis for San Jose’s fire stations, according to the club’s president, Colin Wang. “We gathered information by conducting site assessments and interviews of the firemen,” Wang says. “The analysis showed that at five of the 26 fire stations in San Jose, it would be feasible to have solar water heating systems installed.” Additional data is being collected to measure the project’s cost effectiveness. Similarly, students at Stanford University are applying their academic savvy to the 22 | September + October 2011
“We want to get students together not just to learn, but to pursue their interests, to excel, and [to] actually do hands-on activities.” betterment of the planet. The most famous example is the Stanford Solar Car Project, in which an entirely student-run group designs and builds a solar car to enter into the international World Solar Challenge. The project’s most recent car design, known as Xenith, was unveiled in August 2011. Additional green projects are instigated by the student group Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW), which organizes projects, courses, talks, and events centered on sustainability. “We want to get students together not just to learn, but to pursue their interests, to excel, and [to] actually do hands-on activities,” says Marcos Vidal, the group’s treasurer. In 2011, ESW members designed a class that allowed students to work on a microhydro (small-scale dam) project in collaboration with an organization in Peru. In a classroom setting, the students figured out how to build the dam and connect it to the national electrical grid. The actual dam is currently under construction in rural Peru.
recycling Noticing that trash from faculty offices consisted largely of paper, the Office of Sustainability at Santa Clara University devised an ingenious plan. Recycling bins were moved into individual faculty offices, while trash cans were located farther away
in a central area, making it easy for faculty to recycle but harder to discard trash. The switch was widely welcomed, and has been combined with the elimination of plastic trash liners and the standardization of a 1:1 ratio for all waste and recycling containers. Meanwhile, recycling efforts at Stanford University have focused more on preventing items such as usable clothes, electronics, and other personal items from entering landfills. Described as a “giant swap/ exchange/giveaway/free shopping spree,” the second annual “Green Free Store” operated over two days in June 2011 to enable the trading of goods among students moving out of dorms, as well as to reduce the amount of trash generated during the busy year-end period. With the intention of offering a more long-term solution to clothing recycling, in May 2011 the Clothes Loop, a free used clothing store, and Union Underground Art and Sustainability Collective opened in the basement of the student union building. “The goal of Clothes Loop and Union Underground is [to] facilitate the exchange of free items within the Stanford community,” says co-founder Iberia Zafira. “Within a few weeks leading up to the opening, we received over 100 donations and work from over 25 student artists.” Zafira was supported by the new Stanford Undergraduate Sustainability Scholars program, which is co-directed by Stanford Lecturer Mark Feldman. Feldman, who also runs a new sustainability blog at http://suss. stanford.edu/blog, hopes that his efforts can “increase visibility and thoughtful conversations surrounding sustainability issues,” as well as provide a place to showcase projects, writing, art, events, and other eco-minded content.
page 20, Clockwise from top left: Photo & styling by Kiyan Williams, designs by Empire Vintage Clothing; Courtesy stanford Green Living Council; Lane Johnson (2); Courtesy stanford Green Living Council. page 21, Clockwise from top left: Chuck Barry; Courtesy Santa Clara University (3); Lindsey Cromwell Kalkbrenner. page 22: Christy Chaung; william wilson; courtesy SJSU Solar Energy Engineering Club
From left: Students who took part in the Green Wave energy audit program are honored at a luncheon; students at the Locavore Food and Garden Fair promote eating locally grown food; students in the Solar Energy Engineering Club look for ways to utilize solar power in the community.
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living green, dying green continued from page 17
Corrina McFarlane of Santa Cruz plans to go as green in death as she has in her life.
percent, according to the company’s senior vice-president Jill Larson. The software is designed to make the burning process cleaner and more efficient. “The fuel energy from the body and container are maximized, which in turn reduces the cycle time and therefore fuel consumption,” Larson says, adding that scattering someone’s ashes is “neutral” on the environment, meaning that it is neither good nor bad for the earth. “Cremation is growing by leaps and bounds,” Larson says. The number of Americans who choose cremation over burial is expected to reach 51 percent by 2025, according to the NFDA. For the family of the deceased, opting for either a green burial or cremation can save a substantial amount of money. The NFDA states that a traditional burial costs an average of $10,000 ($6,500 in funeral costs and $3,500 in cemetery costs), whereas according to Larson, a cremation costs about $1,300. “We’re talking almost a tenth of the price,” she says. Joe Sehee of the Green Burial Council agrees. “A green burial is a lot cheaper than a traditional burial. There are cost savings since embalming and burial vaults are not required. And eco-friendly caskets tend to be less expensive than conventional ones.” A traditional casket costs between $2,000 and $10,000, depending on its materials. Biodegradable caskets are usually made out of
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fully in their end-of-life rituals in a manner that is compatible with their values.” The idea of green burial is not particularly new, nor is it particularly American. In Europe, more than 140 green cemeteries exist. The United States has only 15. “There’s definitely an increase in awareness of people wanting to do a green burial,” says Jerrigrace Lyons, executive director of Final Passages in Sebastopol, an organization that provides education and instruction for people interested in family-directed, home funerals. “We’ve had a lot of people wanting to choose that option.” For example, when Sebastopol resident Roberta Ryan lost her husband, Steve Rodin, she chose to give him a green burial. Rodin had been a landscaper for 30 years. “He was a man of the earth,” says Ryan. “He had always been connected to plants and the earth and really understood the cycles of life.” She felt that a green burial was what he would have wanted because “he lived a green life. It was very much a part of his value system.” Rodin was buried at Sebastopol Memorial Lawn Cemetery in an old-fashioned pine box with rope handles. Ryan pre-purchased a site right next to her husband and wants the same simple treatment when she dies. There are other sustainable options for negotiating our departure from this mortal coil. In 2009, nearly 37 percent of Americans who died were cremated, up from 25 percent just 10 years before. In Canada, that number was more than 68 percent in 2009. Still, many eco-conscious consumers are wary of cremation because the incineration process requires fossil fuels (typically natural gas) and releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In response to this criticism, the cremation industry has made efforts to decrease its carbon footprint. Some recent changes include using chimney filters to reduce emissions, employing solar energy to power furnaces, and utilizing the most fuel-efficient cremation containers. Some cremation companies are opting for more high-tech solutions. Smart Cremations in Redwood, Washington, utilizes computer software that reduces cremation emissions by 30
inexpensive materials like rattan, wicker, or even cardboard. One Bay Area company, Colma Cremation and Funeral Services, sells caskets made of willow, seagrass, or bamboo for less than $1,500. Funeral Director Joseph Stinson says, “When given the choice, [people] will go for natural as opposed to artificial.� Wrapping the body of the deceased in a shroud may be the most inexpensive option. Kinkaraco Green Burial Products, based in San Francisco, sells biodegradable shrouds priced at $399 and up, which can be used either with or without a casket. Available in a variety of fabrics including linen, hand-woven wool, and silk dupioni, the shrouds come with a handle and strap system that allows the body to be lowered for burial. Kinkaraco’s founder, Esmerelda Kent, says that shrouds have been used for centuries by people of many religions. Burial in a shroud, she says, “is a practice devoid of unhealthy chemicals, glues, toxins, or violating invasive procedures, which allows only organic matter into the earth without metals or any synthetic fibers.� That idea of organic decomposition appeals to Corrina McFarlane, an eco-conscious, 54-year-old Santa Cruz resident. McFarlane has decided that when it is her time to go, she wants a green burial. Specifically, she wants to be buried in either a tubular-shaped coffin made from a willow tree or in a shroud made of organic cotton. She sees her future green burial as “a continuum that’s in line with my life choices.� “If you’re a person who has been ‘lit up’ by all of the concepts surrounding sustainability and leaving as light a footprint as possible, then you are not breaking faith with the choices you’ve made in your life,� McFarlane says.
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Gardens continued from page 18 Laguna Seca’s garden manager for the last four years. In his own plot, Neff grows tomatoes, beans, peppers, squash, eggplant, and four different kinds of berries. “It’s just sort of a mental thing to be digging in the soil and planting and watching things grow.” Plots at Laguna Seca vary in size from 450 to 700 square feet; gardeners are charged about 10 cents per square foot for water. A shared toolshed provides gardeners with equipment such as wheelbarrows, a rototiller, and shovels. “For the prices of everything in the world today, what we pay here is not even a matter,” says Wesley Vance, who has gardened at Laguna Seca since the early 1980s. “You spend more than that on a good dinner.” Like all of San Jose’s community gardens, Laguna Seca is 100 percent organic. Instead of pesticides, gardeners use ladybugs for pest control and spray soap, water, and garlic on their plants. An owl box, which in the spring is usually filled with chirping owlets, helps control rodents. Instead of using chemical-based fertilizers
to help plants flourish, gardeners use compost and integrate green manure into their plots. Green manure is composed of different kinds of grasses and legumes, like fava beans, which are rich in nitrogen. “One of the ideas that we try to incorporate is the fact that it’s a cycle, so nothing is wasted,” says Mike Grgich, a 12-year gardener at Laguna Seca who grows peppers, tomatoes, kale, and onions in the summer and broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage in the winter. “We compost all of our vines after the harvest. We’re trying to utilize everything.”
berryessa Community Garden Grapevines wind their way up metal poles to form a shade-covered community area at the front end of the two-acre Berryessa Community Garden in East San Jose, off Berryessa Road. Two acres in size and with 72 gardeners, Berryessa is one of San Jose’s largest community gardens. Phill Ripp, the garden manager, says Berryessa’s gardeners are of many ethnicities, including Filipino, Mexican, Vietnamese, and Russian. Some gardeners plant crops native to their countries. Ripp’s plot includes cacti, garlic, onions,
Communal harvest from Berryessa Community Garden.
potatoes, Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage. “The flavor is so much better than what you buy in the store,” he says. “Last year, I put up 900 pounds of tomatoes, so I made tomato juice in quart jars.” One unique feature at Berryessa is the option for gardeners to plant a fruit tree. The garden’s small orchard has 63 spaces for trees; each space requires an annual water fee of $10. Garden plots are 600 square feet in size and cost $70 per year for water. As at all of the community gardens, water-intensive crops such as rice are not allowed; others such as taro and sugar cane must be pre-approved. To help control pests, Berryessa is home to three feral cats that hunt gophers and other vermin. The garden also has two bat boxes; the bats control mosquitoes and other insect pests. A water station offers a place for gardeners to clean their produce after harvesting. Besides San Jose, several other cities in the Bay Area offer community gardens where residents can grow fresh, organic produce. To learn more about community gardens, visit www.eucalyptusmagazine.com/ gardens.
26 | September + October 2011
rachael olmstead
mission possible The nonprofit Silicon Valley HealthCorps, based in Campbell, makes it its mission to educate the public about community gardens as part of its larger goal to increase low-income communities’ access to fresh fruits and vegetables. The HealthCorps recruits volunteers to build gardens and teach gardening classes to kids and adults. For more information or to find out how you can help, visit www. healthtrust.org or phone 408.559.9385
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farmers’ market guide Savor the fruits of the Bay Area harvest
gh k j san mateo
at the Peninsula and South Bay’s
san francisco bay
31 Certified California-Grown farmers’ markets. For more information, visit www.cafarmersmarkets.com.
101
wredwood e city
5
menlo park
78 9 q palo alto campbell
280
1 Downtown, Campbell Ave. &
3 los altos
Third St., Sun., 9–1, year round
t
6 mountain
berryessa
view
101
r
x
sunnyvale
cupertino
l;
Wolfe Rd. & Perimeter Rd., Fri., 9–1, year round san jose
r Alum Rock Village, N. White
Way & Broadway Extension, Sun., 8–noon, year round menlo park
t Berryessa, 1376 Piedmont Rd., Sat., 9–1, year round
y Blossom Hill, Princeton Plaza Mall, Kooser & Meridian, Sun., 10–2, year round
5 Downtown, Chestnut St., bet. Santa Cruz & Menlo Aves. Sun., 9–1, year round
u Cambrian Park, Camden & Union Aves., Wed., 4–8, May–Sept.
mountain view
6 Caltrain Station, 600 W.
8
City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave., Wed., 3:30–6:30, Apr.–Oct.
9 Downtown, Hamilton Ave. & Gilman St., Sat., 8–noon, May–Dec.
q VA Palo Alto, 3801 Miranda Ave., Wed., 10–2, Apr.–Nov. redwood city
w
Downtown, 850 Winslow St., Sat., 8–noon, Apr.–Nov.
e Kaiser Permanente, Veterans & Maple, Wed., 10–2, May–Sept. 28 | September + October 2011
f
willow glen
campbell
z saratoga los gatos
1 17
4
san jose
u
cambrian park
o
evergreen
101
85
y
blossom hill
as santa teresa
Santa Clara & St. John Sts., Fri., 10–2, May–Nov.
o Evergreen Village Square, Ruby & Classico Aves., Wed. & Sun., 9–1, year round
7 California Ave. & El Camino Real, Sun., 9–1, year round
2
p i downtown
i Downtown, San Pedro St. bet.
Evelyn Ave., Sun., 9–1, year round palo alto
d
cupertino
Rd. & Alum Rock Ave., Sun., 9–1, year round
los gatos
4 Town Park Plaza, Montebello
880
santana row
los altos
Second St., Thurs., 4–8, May–Sept.
japantown
santa clara
2 Vallco Shopping Mall, N.
3 Downtown, State St. &
alum rock
p
Japantown, Jackson St. bet. Sixth & Seventh Sts., Sun., 8:30–noon, year round
a Santa Teresa, Kaiser Permanente, 270 International Circle, Fri., 10–2, year round
s Santa Teresa, Kaiser Permanente, Santa Teresa & Camino Verde, Sat., 10–2, Apr.–Nov.
d Santana Row, Piazza De Valencia, Tatum Ln. & Olin Ave., Sun., 11–4
f Willow Glen, 1165 Lincoln Ave., Sat., 9:30–1:30, May–Nov. san mateo
g 25th Ave., 194 W. 25th Ave. & Hacienda, Tues., 4–8, May–Oct.
h College of San Mateo, 1700 W. Hillsdale Blvd., Sat., 9–1, year round
j Downtown, 5th Ave. & San Mateo Dr., Sun., 10–2, May–Nov.
k Event Center, 2495 S. Delaware St., Wed., 10–2, Mar.–Nov.
santa clara
l Franklin Mall, Jackson St. & Homestead Rd., Sat., 9–1, year round
; Kaiser Permanente, 710 Lawrence Expressway, Thurs., 10–2, year round saratoga
z West Valley College, 14000 Fruitvale, Sat., 9–1, year round sunnyvale
x Caltrain Station, 121 W. Evelyn Ave., Sat., 9–1, year round
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school supplies
Environmental education starts with backpack basics. New outfits and shiny gadgets for the academic year take a hefty toll on the earth and your wallet. Green up your back-to-school routine with these tips. BY rhea maze
book smarts
paper trail
It takes 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, and a whole lot of energy to produce one ton of paper. Buy only recycled, chlorinefree paper products, and print only when necessary on both sides of the sheet.
College textbooks cost a small fortune and are used only for a short time. Rent textbooks instead of buying at www.chegg. com, or buy and sell used textbooks online at www.amazon. com, www.collegeswapshop.com, or www.bigwords.com.
something old Inventory what you already own and see how much you DON’T need to buy. At www.freecycle.org, you can give away stuff to others and get what you need for free. To help out local schools, donate surplus office and school supplies to RAFT (Resource Area for Teaching, www.raft.net).
ticket to ride
Sources: www.treehugger.com, www.care2.com, www.grist.org, www.sierraclub.org, www.nationalgeographic.com.
tidbits
Green Tips
fashion police
To score the coolest styles, shop at secondhand stores or vintage shops for new-to-you fashions, or invite friends over for a clothing and jewelry swap. When the party is over, donate the leftovers to your local thrift shop.
surf shoP
Riding the big yellow bus is a green way to go, but neighborhood “walking school buses” —a group of children walking to school with one or more adults—are even greener and help kids to stay fit. Check out www.walkingschoolbus.org.
power is knowledge
Buy only Energy-Star certified computers, which consume less energy. And remember that turning off your computer when it’s not in use won’t stop it from sucking up energy. Plug all your computer equipment into one power strip, then stop the drain with the flip of one switch.
Instead of driving to the big-box stores, search online for green school supplies. For recycled cardboard pens, hemp backpacks, soybean crayons, and remanufactured inkjet cartridges, check out the Bay Area-based website www. greenearthofficesupply.com.
Listen to Eucalyptus Magazine’s daily green tips on the radio at MIX 106.5 and 94.5 KBAY.
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