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Goleta Valley Beautiful News - August 2009 GVB Volunteer Opportunities (Community Service Credits available) - RSVP: 685-7910 or day of event: 252-1952. Also visit our Volunteer Calendar
GVB NEWS HEADLINES - STORIES BELOWCoastal Fund Grant helps GVB Get GreenerWith the aid of a $3700 grant from the UCSB Coastal Fund, GVB has purchased a Chipper/Mulcher, weed whip and exendable pole saw for the Devereux Greenhouse. This equipment will not only allow us to reduce the mountain of green waste we generate, it will also allow us to make our own compost. GVB goes through about 150 3 cubic foot bags of commercial compost a year in our tree growing and planting efforts. By reducing and ultimately eliminating our use of synthetic fertilizer, we are getting a better organic compost product, and we are moving closer to our goal of sustainable urban forestry. The grant also funded UCSB interns to work at the Greenhouse this summer and fall. Aplications for interns now being accepted at 685-7910 Volunteer Opportunities for AugustNo experience needed, all tools provided. All volunteer opportunites are supervised by experienced Certified Arborists. Families welcome as long as adults are present to supervise their children. Please RSVP at 685-7910 to confirm your attendance. Community service credits available for all activities, bring your forms to the volunteer event.
What Internet Tree Donation Sites Don’t Tell YouIt seems like everyone is offering to plant a tree if you buy their product, or they’ll purchase a carbon credit for you. Please read the fine print before you give your money to internet organizations who plant trees. Many have good intentions, but please read the fine print before you give your money to internet organizations. Investing in Goleta Valley Beautiful is better for three reasons, 1) We’re local (which I assume you are since you are reading this newsletter) and accountable because we live down the block from you, 2) we plant in public areas of the Goletta Valley, which means our trees will be sequestering carbon for many decades, and 3) we take care of our trees after they are planted because we depend upon you to help us. See our website for ways to support GVB NEWS Briefs10 tons of mulch stolen at Los Carneros Interchange-The 140 trees GVB platned last year at the Los Carneros Interchange are gernally doing well, until we discovered last week that the estimated ten tons of mulch that we have placed around all the trees had disappeared. It turns out that the mulch material is great for building nests and the local creatures lo9ved it so much that they took it away from the trees. Unfortuantely with our hot summers, many of the trees are feeling the effects of not having the mulch, so we will be watering this weekend. GVB Board positions open -We have two UCSB student positions open, one San Marcos High position and one one general Board position open, preferably someone with a financial /accounting background. We're looking to diversify our Board, so unique individuals are encouraged to apply. Website updates- Check www.goletavalleybeautiful.org to see archived copies of photos from past projects dating back to 2000. A new website oriented to urban forests in the greater Santa Barbara County region is being developed at www.caufc.org, and specifically http://www.caufc.org/Regional%20Councils to learn more about the Central Coast Region Urban Forest Council. Free trees and treegators - Goleta Valley Beautiful offers a free treegator (portable tree irrigator) upon request from any GVB donor member for the care of their trees. We also offer a variety of native trees including coast valley and live oaks, alders, cottonwoods, sycamores and other assorted trees. Call us for further information at 685-7910. NeighborWoods Projects ContinueSand Piper Apartments We’ll be planting 5 trees at the Sandpiper Apartments in Ellwood on Saturday morning August 29th from 9 to noon. Come join us and the residents in making affordable housing more green. This project is sponsored through the support of the Alliance for Community Trees, the Home Depot Foundation, the Goleta Home Depot Store, West Covina Nurseries, the UCSB Coastal Fund, the Santa Barbara Foundation and the generous donations of hundreds of Goleta Valley Beautiful Donor Members. Our final NeighborWoods affordable housing tree planting project is on October during NeighborWoods month when we will be planting 42 trees at Positano Apartments. July Volunteer ProjectsSee website for additional photos www.goletavalleybeautiful.org Date-Event-Volunteers-Service Hours-Trees Planted-Trees Maintained 7/3/09 AM-Greenhouse-5-12-0-0 7/18/09 AM-Los Carneros-2-8-0-0 7/18/09 PM-Greeenhouse-3-9-0-0 7/23//09 AM-Fun in the Sun-Ellwood School-1-2-0-0 Totals=Volunteers =11 Service Hours=31 Planted=0 Maintained=0 The GVB/Cambridge Community Church litter collection crews provided 17 service hours collecting 7 thirty-three gallon garbage bags of roadside trash in July, for a 2009 cumulative total of 203 hours and 86.5 bags of trash. Volunteer groups participating included: UCSB Honors Program, Santa Barbara County Resource Recovery and Waste Division, San Marcos High and Dos Pueblos High School. Sponsors for these events included: UCSB Coastal Fund, City of Goleta, Green Park Foundation, GreenWorks!, the Alliance for Community Trees /Home Depot foundation, Devereux of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Foundation, Goleta Home Depot , Santa Barbara County Hhabitat for Humanity and Santa Barbara Beautiful. and hundreds of GVB donor members. What Oprah knows for sure Check page 168 of the July 2009 issue of O. One of her favorite places to read is underneath the huge oak tree in her Montecito backyard. Support our Supporters Please mention to our supporters how much you appreciate their support of Goleta Valley beautiful. You can find the list of our donor members at membership and those who have supported our Stewards of Goleta Valley fundraising campaign. Back to Top Goleta Valley Beautiful News - September 2009The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago when you were young GVB Volunteer Opportunities (Community Service Credits available) - RSVP: 685-7910 or day of event: 252-1952. Also visit our Volunteer Calendar
GVB NEWS HEADLINES – STORIES BELOWSandpiper NeighborWoods Project Inspires ResidentsThanks to the 17 volunteers who contributed 39 community service hours at the Saturday morning August 29th NeighborWoods Tree Planting and care event at the Sandpiper Apartments on 375 Ellwood Beach Drive. We planted 5 trees and did structural pruning to another 8 trees on site. The three New Zealand Christmas trees (Metrosideros excelsus) planted in the front parkway required rootshields per City policy, so we rented a trencher to assist in working through the dry clay soil. We also installed extra tree stakes for protection while these 15 gallon size trees get established. The Sweetshade (Hymenosporum flavum) and Australian Willow (Geijera parviflora) planted in the rear were much more easily installed, as they did not require rootshields. We also filled a pickup truck with tree limbs from 8 existing Australian Willows that had not been structurally pruned in some time. In addition to the Sandpiper Manager and residents who participated in the tree planting, many neighbors dropped by and got involved in the action. Two Team Depot volunteers from the local Goleta Home Depot store provided muscle, along with a staff member from the Housing Authority of Santa Barbara County. Goleta City Councilman Michael T. Bennett stopped by to congratulate the volunteers on their efforts, and we topped off the occasion with a pizza lunch for the hardworking volunteers. This planting was the third event in Goleta Valley Beautiful’s NeighborWoods initiative. Already this summer the group's volunteers have planted and maintained dozens of trees and vines at affordable housing sites throughout the region, and on October 24, they will join hands to plant 50 trees at Positano Apartments. Through its partnership with the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara, Goleta Valley Beautiful is helping to make local housing communities healthier, greener, and more affordable. This campaign to improve the quality of life in Goleta through trees was made possible by a $10,000 National NeighborWoods Grant from the Alliance for Community Trees and The Home Depot Foundation. Goleta Valley Beautiful is one of ten organizations nationwide that received this highly competitive challenge grant in support of urban forestry and affordable housing partnerships. Volunteer Opportunities for SeptemberNo experience needed, all tools provided. All volunteer opportunites are supervised by experienced Certified Arborists. Families welcome as long as adults are present to supervise their children. Please RSVP at 685-7910 to confirm your attendance. Community service credits available for all activities, bring your forms to the volunteer event.
Litter PickupRoadside trash collection in the Goleta area, 2nd and 4th Saturdays from August through October, and 1st and 3rd Saturdays in November and December. Trash grabbers and bags provided. Call Don and Judy Nason 964-4895 to RSVP Graffiti RemovalCall 964-7117 to participate in graffiti removal and to report incidents in your area. Award NominationsGoleta Valley Beautiful award nominations - Call 685-7910 . We'll accumulate the nominations for the annual awards. Call us if you are interested in contacting owners and writing descriptions of properties. Internships Photo GVB 2009 interns – Aaron ChineaPart time fall internships (4 hours or more per week) for high school and college students in the areas of office work assistance, grant writing, tree inventory, greenhouse maintenance. Gain valuable experience and receive community service hours. Positions available now! Also 6 part time paid Greenhouse internships (4 hours/week-$250/term) available to UCSB students only for the fall term sponsored by the UCSB Coastal Fund. Call 685-7910 for details . Stagecoach Sign MaintenanceVolunteers are needed to monitor and repair the 56 Stagfecoach signs installed almost ten years ago by a coalition of local groups including GVB. Wells Fargo is supporting the cost of doing maintenance to provide addition support to the wooden posts. Call 685-7910 to participate. Free Street Trees For City of Goleta Residents and GVB membersThe State tree planting grant funds are once again available. GVB is taking orders to plant one of the following allowed species in your parkway at no cost to you if you qualify; Australian Willow, Arbutus, Chinese pistache, Chinese Flame, Chinese Parasol, Cape Chestnut, or Ginkgo. The qualification has to do with whether there is sufficient room for the tree at your site given City requirements. We have to take into consideration the location of driveways, utility lines above and below ground, street lights, fire hydrants and distance to intersections. Even if you once had a tree in a location is no guarantee that you would be allowed to replant a new tree in the same place. We also get encroachment permits from the City, call Underground alert to find out what is under ground, and install root shields (they are really diverters) where needed. Give us a call at 685-7910 and we’ll come check your property to see if you qualify. Aside from City requirements, the only other requirement is that you agree to water the tree once a week during extended dry periods over the next two years while the tree is getting acclimated. Free trees and treegators - Goleta Valley Beautiful offers a free treegator (portable tree irrigator) upon request from any GVB donor member for the care of their trees. Treegators hold 20 gallons of water and it is a convenient way to put the correct amount of water on your trees each week. GVB also offers to our members a variety of native trees including coast valley and live oaks, alders, cottonwoods, sycamores and other assorted trees. Call us for further information at 685-7910. NEWS BriefsGVB Board positions open –Marvin Faucett will e joining our Board in September. We have one UCSB student position open, one San Marcos High position and one general Board position open, preferably someone with a financial /accounting background. We're looking to diversify our Board, so all individuals are encouraged to apply. -Thanks to Kitson landscape Management for the use of their 1000 gallon water trailer. We used it again on August 8th to water the 140 trees we planted at the Southbound 101 Los Carneros Interchange off ramp. And no, we can’t tie into the irrigation system being constructed to water the new landscaping going in on the rest of the interchange. - We were saddened to get a call from Goleta Union School District Maintenance telling us that 2 Liquidambar styraciflua ‘rotundiloba’ trees that students helped us plant about 4 years ago have been irreparably vandalized. Although the trees were strong enough to stand up on their own and did not have tree stakes attached, vandals broke off the 4 inch diameter trees at their bases. It takes a lot a effort to do that, it’s not a soccer accident. May the tree fairy dump on you dude. - Website updates- Check www.goletavalleybeautiful.org to see archived copies of photos from past projects dating back to 2000. A new website oriented to urban forests in the greater Santa Barbara County region is being developed at www.caufc.org, and specifically http://www.caufc.org/Regional%20Councils to learn more about the Central Coast Region Urban Forest Council. August Volunteer ProjectsSee website for additional photos www.goletavalleybeautiful.org Date—Event—Volunteers--Service Hours--Trees Planted--Trees Maintained 8/15/09 AM-Caroldale/La Patera—0—0—4—0 8/15/09 PM--La Patera—0—0—2—0 8/22/09 PM--Goleta Valley Jr High—25—75—8—15 8/22/09 AM--Marvilla Median & Parkway—2—9—6—0 8/22/09 PM--Calle Real median & Kellogg--0 –0—2—0 8/29/09 AM--Sandpiper Ellwood Beach Dr--17--39 –5—8 8/29/09 PM-- Foothill School --2--3—3—0 8/29/09 PM--La Patera watering--2—3—0—0 Totals--------------------------48—129—30—23 -The GVB/Cambridge Community Church litter collection crews provided 17 service hours collecting 7 thirty-three gallon garbage bags of roadside trash in July, for a 2009 cumulative total of 203 hours and 86.5 bags of trash. -Volunteer groups participating included: UCSB Honors Program, Santa Barbara County Resource Recovery and Waste Division, San Marcos High and Dos Pueblos High School. -Sponsors for these events included: UCSB Coastal Fund, City of Goleta, Green Park Foundation, GreenWorks!, the Alliance for Community Trees /Home Depot foundation, Devereux of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Foundation, Goleta Home Depot , Santa Barbara County Hhabitat for Humanity and Santa Barbara Beautiful. and hundreds of GVB donor members. How trees and forests inspire architectsWilliam McDonough (architect) and Michael Braungart (chemist) wrote the book “Cradle to Cradle - Remaking the Way We Make Things” and decided to publish it on recycled and recyclable plastic. This book is not a tree, McDonough says. He eally admires trees. “If we think about the tree as a design, it’s something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water, provides a habitat for hundreds of species, accrues solar energy, makes complex sugars and food, creates micro-climates, changes colors with the seasons and self-replicates.” He believes buildings should be like trees, cities like forests. They can be built to heat and cool people comfortably, be naturally lit, generate their own energy, aid in managing the area’s water supply, be home to native species, purify their own waste water, be entirely healthy for its inhabitants and even return nutrients to the earth. The buildings he has built have even saved their corporate owners money. Besides the buildings, there are all of the things in them to think about with regard to environmentally intelligent design. “Design is the first signal of human intention.” McDonough's intention begins with the question: “how do we love all of the children of all species for all time?” Why do humans constantly design things that contain known toxic substances, things that are inherently dangerous to life? For example, there are 104,000 chemicals used in manufacturing, and of those, only about 30% of them have been tested for human health effects. What is with this? His company analyzes and categorizes chemicals according to their risk, so that they and other designers can make things that will work to our advantage, not to our detriment, in the future. Good stuff, in good buildings. Way to go. http://www.mcdonoughpartners.com/ http://www.mbdc.com/c2c_mbdp.htm http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/william_mcdonough_on_cradle_to_cradle_design.html Support our SupportersPlease mention to our supporters how much you appreciate their support of Goleta Valley beautiful. You can find the list of our donor members at http://www.goletavalleybeautiful.org/Membership.asp and those who have supported our Stewards of Goleta Valley fundraising campaign. Back to Top Email GVB Webmaster |
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