The Severely Handicapped program at Bidwell Jr. High school will make almost $1800 this year by recycling all of the school's plastic and aluminum cans and bottles. These funds are used to purchase specialty education materials specific to the needs of the students in the program, as well as the occasional treat, such as movie tickets.

In addition to raising money, Bidwell Jr.'s recycling program is these students' first introduction to the type of vocational education that many will be receiving in high school.

If Bidwell Jr, with an enrollment of 789 students, can earn $1800 through recycling, than the idea of Chico's 2000-student high schools each being able to pull in $5000 a year by recycling is not out of the question, provided that the schools can able to put together cohesive recycling programs.

It seems that the gold standard for a compost bin is one that is hot and steamy.

Mine is always cold and clammy.

I have added greens, browns, water, turned it, massaged it, and fed it my choicest kitchen scraps.

But I got no heat. Not even an ember.

I called PG&E. They were no help.

Not that things aren't decomposing. They are just doing so kinda slowly. The up side is that the resulting soil is very rich, and my seeds have had no problem germinating in it. The earthworms are happy.

The down side is that all seeds, including the weeds, have no problem germinating in it. And my earthworms have plenty of creepy crawly neighbors, not all of which are as beneficial to my garden. I have enough pill bugs to open a drug store.

Maybe Mark Herrera's "The Basics of Composting" workshop at this year's Sustainability Conference will help me warm things up.

It is not too late to register for the 6th Annual Organic Farming and Food Conference, which will be Wednesday, November 5, or for CSU Chico's This Way to Sustainability (aka the Sustainability Conference), which kicks off Thursday, November 6 and runs through Sunday the 9th. I have been told that one should register for the Sustainability Conference before Monday, October 27 (like, this weekend).

The Organic Farming and Food Conference costs $15, and takes place at the CSU Chico Farm Pavilion on Nicholas G. Shouten Lane.

The Sustainability Conference is FREE to all CSU Chico students, faculty, and all K-12 students and teachers. For members of the community who work for the government or a nonprofit organization, the registration fee is $50, and that includes the Friday night banquet dinner. For everyone else the conference fee is $75.

There are some really great topics on the schedule, and I would encourage anyone to attend. The Thursday Keynote topic of "Food, Fuel, and Our Future" caught my eye, as did Friday morning's presentation on "Greenwashing" at 9:00 a.m.

I would also encourage folks to drop in on the plethora of sessions offered on Saturday, including "How to Incorporate Bicycling Into Your Everyday Life" and "Green Babies: Sustaining Their Future."

I will also be presenting on Saturday, as a part of a panel discussion on school garden programs.

There is an ongoing dialogue of how to better involve the greater Chico community in the conference.

While tweaking the registration fee has been discussed, I would also encourage the conference organizers to add Sunday morning sessions, and perhaps even evening sessions to better accommodate citizens that have 9 - 5 work schedules during the week.

I am impressed with the efforts that appear to have been made to be sure that duplicates of key presentations, such as "Sustainability 101/What is Sustainability" are offered on Saturday, however other presentations that might be of interest to "Average Joe (sixpack) Chico," such as the health related "Sustain Your Body, Sustain the Earth" or "Recycling 101" are only offered on Thursday during business hours.

For those that can't attend weekday sessions, I don't think a single weekend day (Saturday) is sufficient enough to provide time slots for all of the great sessions that one would wish to attend.

I have been told that trying to grow avocados in a Chico backyard is a hit or miss prospect. This summer I found out how direct sun can scorch leaves and brown the bark of these trees. Indeed, these plants would be more at home in a humid subtropical environment than the 100 degree oven that is late July in Chico, and a few 20 degree January mornings in a row may kill off a young tree entirely.

We are having to strike a balance between not wanting to “baby” our avocado trees for the next decade with shade cloth and annual frost protection apparati and the desire to procure guacamole directly from the backyard.

There are supposedly some “hardier” avocado varieties out there, including the Stuart, Mexicola, and the Zutano, but even so my wife and I are learning (the hard way) that where and how they are planted is just as important as the heat and cold.

I am presently experimenting with the Duke avocado, and am trying to sprout the pits from a quintet of fruit purchased a couple of weeks ago at the Farmers Market from Chaffin Family Farms. My method is the ‘ole “pit-propped-in-a-cup-of-water” techinique.” What intrigues me the most about this variety is that the Duke is a Butte County native, and has been grown in this area for over a hundred years (the original pits were said to have come from Mexico). The Duke’s thin skin kept it from achieving much commercial viability, as it does not hold up to long-distance transport as much as other varieties.

But it tastes like butter.

Now if I can just get one of these dang trees to grow.

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Very quietly, the Chico Community Environmental Garden has closed up shop and disappeared. It was located on the site just south of Costco and adjacent to the Torres Shelter. To make a long story short, the California Water Service Company, which owns the land, is ready to use the property for other purposes. The lease on the land was not renewed, and that's that.

The CCEG led a relatively brief and quiet history. Its location among the big box stores was far from ideal (though it was the best they could do at the time), and like many small nonprofits, lack of funding (and lack of time to seek funding) were big challenges.

The traditional model of a community garden finds its most natural niche in urban settings, where neighborhood residents--often living in apartments--pay for the annual rental of a garden plot. The garden supplies the water, soil, and often the gardening tools while the renter provides the labor and is able to reap the bounty of his or her harvest.

There still exists in town at least one community garden that I know of, operating quietly "under the radar." While I don't think Chico is the ideal town for the type of community garden that one might see in a larger, more densely populated city, I do think that they have their place.

What if, for example, there was a communal garden space as a part of every apartment, condominium complex, or high density housing development in Chico--offered to and shared by residents in the same manner as a the pool, laundry facilities, or play structure?

Another variation of the community garden is the one that is in the planning stages at the Dorothy F. Johnson Center. A true community-oriented garden for the Chapman Neighborhood, the present idea for this space is to have different sections of the garden maintained by individuals for the benefit of the community. Ideas include a demonstration of espaliered fruit trees, and medicinal herb section, and garden plots that reflect the ethnic and cultural heritage of Chapman residents. This garden will be on the same site as the existing garden, which was planted more for the benefit of the Dorothy F. Johnson youth programs and was difficult to maintain.

Feel free to respond to this blog if you would like to get involved in this effort.

Much time, effort, and money has been put towards considering Chico's three growth alternatives. But shouldn't we also be considering some alternatives to growth?

Sorry to broach such an un-American topic, but seriously, what would be the impact to Chico's economy if we simply rejected the premise that, "based on current trends," Chico will have 51,000 more residents by 2030?

Have we spent enough time comparing the economic downsides of "no growth" to the likely impacts that 51,000 people will have on our air quality, water resources, and city infrastructure? And regardless of whether they are in the "High density Infill" camp or the "Single-family Home Redraw the Greenline" camp, none of our present or future city council members can deny that, like it or not, the addition of 51,000 new people--many of whom will be retirees--WILL change the character of our town.

Are there no alternatives to the growth alternatives? What would the General Plan look like if we were instead anticipated 30,000, 20,000, or even just 10,000 new residents over the next 22 years? Even with these numbers, city planners will need to innovate in order to maintain or improve those attributes that make Chico a great place to live, including our natural resources (water, air quality, farmland), affordable housing, and of course, that "small town" feel.

I purchased an "Artificial Pumpkin Carving Tool Pack" that I will use to create a Jack-O-Lantern from a locally grown, 100% natural pumpkin.

I am such a rebel.

I wonder if the pumpkin seeds in an artificial pumpkin are artificially flavored.

There are those who will argue that it requires more fossil fuels, soil, and water resources to grow and transport a natural pumpkin, and they are probably right.

But is this impact offset by the experience of the child that reaches their hands into the cool guts of the squash, carefully separates the seeds from the slime, all the while noting the distinct Halloween scent of the juicy pale orange squash? Add a bit of salt and the seeds of the pumpkin can be roasted into a healthy snack that might themselves offset a couple pieces of Halloween candy; if the pumpkin is a pie pumpkin, it can also been a part of dinner the following night.

If the pumpkin is not eaten, then one can follow the amazing biology experiment of simply watching it slowly disintegrate into a colorful, stinky moldy mush on the front steps, until a couple weeks later a square-headed spade, doing its best spatula imitation, is used to scrape the remains into the wheelbarrow for transport to the final resting place, the compost bin.

And of course, one must not forget that stray seed, the one that sprouts from that nutrient-rich compost the following spring.

But I understand. Artificial pumpkins are so much easier to clean up.

I just spent a quiet hour at the Grange Hall this evening at the last Gardeners Swap Meet of the year. I traded a couple of home-grown butternut squash with Yoshiko, the Grange caretaker, who gave me some Green Zebra tomatoes, New Zealand spinach, and a small bunch of late-season grapes.

In case you haven't heard, the Chico Grange is slowly but surely undergoing a resurgence, with a new paint job, new members, newly finished wood floor, and plans to update the kitchen. The 100+ year-old-building is looking grand, and work has just been started on the outdoor area to create a garden and venue for various events. It is hoped that the Grange will once again become a gathering space for growers to discuss local farming issues, as well as a location to educate the public about the importance of agriculture in Chico.

Its nice to bike around that part of town. The Grange Hall faces a walnut orchard; an almond orchard lies behind it, on the other side of Rodeo Avenue. Around the corner, on Henshaw, grows one of the largest black walnut trees I have seen in Chico. A half block further down is a freshly tilled field, which I am told will be planted by students in the agriculture program at Chico High.

I am so thankful in this political season that I don't have a TV. If I did, I think the political advertising would put me over the edge. It is hard enough trying to form an opinion of the candidates without the ridiculous truth-twisting propaganda that both political parties place on the airwaves.

But the part that depresses me the most is the thought of hundreds of thousands of dollars going towards the production and airing of attack adds that consist of white lies and half truths that most people in their right mind tune out. The cost to air even a single 30-second attack during prime time, ($50,000!) could fund. . .well, it could foot the bill for a lot of good things.

Luckily some of these good things happen free of charge, and deserve to be recognized. On October 19, Church members from congregations across Chico will be pitching in a morning's worth of community service in parks, school grounds, community gardens, and elsewhere in an effort called, simply, "Love Chico." I have been told there will be no preaching or proselytizing--just a simple desire to make a positive impact in the community. Estimates are that 3000 - 4000 people will be participating.

The value of this people power is enough to air at least two attack adds.

cChaos, the organization that has established the first WIC/EBT year-round Farmers Market in Oroville is starting a new year-round Farmer's Market on Friday's from 2 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. at the parking lot of Chapman Elementary School, 1071 E. 16th Street in Chico. The market will begin this week, Friday October 3.

This new market will likely start off small with just a handful of vendors selling fresh, healthy, locally grown produce, but please support them.

Linking farmers markets with school sites is a big step in making healthy, local food available to everyone, as parents will be able to easily access the market as they pick up their children.

AND. . .

There will be a FREE Gardeners' Swap Table set up at the market! Yes, that's right--this is a great place to swap not only fruits and veggies, but also seeds, plant starts, and recipes. So bring your excess pomegranates or almonds and trade up for some persimmons, walnuts, or citrus, every Friday, every week.

For more information, call 624-8844.