We purchased our first bike trailer last week, a sparsely-used 10-year-old Burley in near perfect condition. It has a payload capacity of 100 lbs, which further reduces our need to drive a car. We paid $250 for it, just over half of what it costs new. With the help of commutesolutions.org, I calculated that if we use it in place of the Subaru Impreza for 379 miles then it will pay for itself, when personal, environmental, and social costs are all taken into account. Here is the math:

Direct Costs
Fuel (based on $4.55/gal, 25 mpg): 18.2¢/mile
Maintenance and Tires: 5.3¢/mile

Indirect Costs
Accidents (government-paid cleanup, lost economic activity, etc.): 4.6¢/mile
State and Local Construction, Improvements and Repair: 1.1¢/mile
State and Local Highway Maintenance and Operations: 0.6¢/mile
Parking (commercial and employer-paid, including government tax): 6.4¢/mile
Waste Disposal (highway cleanup, tire and oil removal): 0.3¢/mile
Air Pollution Damage (health costs, crops, trees, materials, etc.): 5.3¢/mile
External Resource Consumption Costs (economic trade and natural resource use): 3.2¢/mile
Road Noise (property value decrease and abatement): 1.1¢/mile
CO2 Reduction (motor vehicles only): 0.5¢/mile
Water Pollution and Hydrologic Impacts: 1.7¢/mile
Transportation Diversity and Equity: 0.7¢/mile
Barrier Effects on Pedestrians and Bicycles: 1.2¢/mile
Land Use Impact Costs: 7.4¢/mile
Roadway Land Value: 3.2¢/mile
Congestion Costs: 5.4¢/mile

Total Cost Per Mile: $0.66

Purchase price of bike trailer
divided by
Cost of operating a vehicle per mile
equals
Number of miles required to use my bike trailer in place of my car to offset purchase price

$250/$0.66 per mile = 378.8 miles

That's just under 8 miles a week for a year. I think we can handle it.

Last year this was a dirt bike path that I used last year to cross a field to get over to the North Valley Plaza. It has been reincarnated as a red-stained band of asphalt bisecting the 3-month-old Chico Courtyard Apartments complex on Pillsbury Road.

When I first saw the prefab complex being built I had my doubts, but I don't think it looks half bad. For bike-owners living in the apartments, the location is pretty awesome. It would have been better if the parking could have been situated on the backside of the buildings to avoid the car-bike conflict, but with the clearly marked bike route and two generous bike racks the developers do give more respect to the bikes than 99% of apartment complexes that I have seen.

Senseless

Yep, this is what a vandal did last week to eight 1-year-old almond trees planted in the orchard north of 8th Avenue. I highlight it here because I believe these remnant orchards add character and ambiance to our neighborhoods. Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Chico police department. Where is Treebeard when you need him, or perhaps one of his apple-throwing buddies from the Wizard of Oz?

We were cold this past January. Our HVAC system requires electricity as well as gas to heat the house, so when the power went out, the temperature in our place dropped to 57 degrees. The previous owners had the fireplace and chimney set up for a fireplace insert, but the 400 lb. non-EPA certified insert was gathering rust in the backyard. So neither the fireplace nor the insert were usable. We spent much of the power outage in the kitchen, where the process of making meals over the gas stove helped keep us warm.

Fast forward to today, when we attended a meeting of the Butte County Air Quality Management District Board of Directors meeting at Chico City Hall. On the agenda was the consideration of staff recommendations to reduce particulate matter pollution--"P.M. 2.5" (fine particles of pollution less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter). The major sources of these particles are from vehicle use in the summer and from the burning of backyard burn piles and the use of wood stoves in the winter. As a result, Chico has the third worst air quality in the state behind Los Angeles and the southern San Joaquin Valley.

Where do you begin in making a community more sustainable? I would suggest that the path to sustainability goes through the stomach--So starting a farmers' market is a pretty good first step.

But it is also not an easy thing to do.

Richard Roth, founder of the new nonprofit cChaos, Collaboratively Creating Health Access Opportunities and Services, has created Oroville's first farmers' market at the El Medio Fire Station. It is hoped to run year-round on Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the corner of Myers and D Streets.

The market is equipped with an EBT Nutrition Assistance POS device, and also accepts WIC coupons.

Heat, wind, and smoke from wildfires are giving this market a rough start in its first few weeks. If you live in Oroville, are passing through, or have friends, family, or other connections there, spread the word about this valuable new asset to the community.

We were able to stop by this past Thursday on the way back from Sacramento and grabbed some cucumbers, bell peppers, and onion starts for the grand total of $4 bucks. I found space to plant the onions at the base of some of my tomato plants. I read that the onions are good companion plants for the 'maters.

We are now into our second year of being homeowners in Chico, and can start seeing how some of our sustainability efforts are panning out in terms of our water bills.

The Good News

Even though this year the garden has quadrupled in size and we are babying 27 young fruit trees that we planted over the winter, our water use was down 19% in April as compared with this time last year, and 12.5% in May. The biggest reasons for this difference has been the elimination of the front lawn, the partial neglect of the backyard lawn, and the use of drip irrigation for many of the vegetables which allows for more efficient watering.

The Bad News

My wife and I used an average of 424 gallons of water every day last year, enough to fill just over 7 wine barrels every 24 hours. A huge percentage of this was used on the lawn and veggies in the summer. For example, in June of 2007 we averaged 981 gallons per day (!!!), while this past February we averaged only 123 gallons per day. In a recent letter to the editor, Chico resident Gene Lucas writes that the average California home uses 471 gallons per day. Lucas goes on to recommend that Chicoans strive to achieve less than 300 gallons per day. I concur, but at our house, at least, we have a ways to go.

Our hope is that as the trees and landscaping mature and their roots deepen, the will be able to do a better job fending for themselves in the summer. Also, we plan to continue to add landscape features such as swales and build plant communities that shade the ground from the sun, thus enabling the ground to hold winter rainwater later into the summer.

I will also plant fewer water-sucking zucchini next year.

Chico's first annual Green Baby Expo will take place this Saturday, June 21 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds. Admission is $5 per family and comes with a complimentary ChicoBag ($5 value) plus assorted goodies and coupons.

But more importantly, the Green Baby Expo promises to serve as a resource for anyone wishing to raise their child in a sustainable manner, with information available on everything from home birth options to green diapers and organic cotton baby clothing. There will be plenty of activities for young children as well.

Bees

I have taken some time to really notice the bees going about their business around my yard. I highly recommend it. I am amazed not only in their numbers--they are especially attracted to lavender and catmint (Nepeta sp.) blooms--but also in their diversity.

I cannot tell the difference between some of the native bees and European honeybees, but I would wager that there are at least a dozen or so species that visit my garden, based on subtle variations of striping, color, and shading.

A rainbow of flowers including daisies, lilies, bindweed, sunflowers, yarrow, poppies, and now squash blooms also add to the diversity of pollinators in the yard, with multiple honeybees, bumblebees, wasps, hoverflies, beeflies, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Not only do certain species prefer certain plants, but also different times of day. The giant black carpenter bee ventures out to the larkspur in the late afternoon, while moths come by the lavender once the sun has set to pick over whatever pollen scraps were left behind by the honeybees.

I bring my head inches to the bees in fascination, wonder, and appreciation. I have not been stung.

Belligerence

There are fewer bees over at the garden at McManus Elementary, which was hit yet again by vandals who pulled up plants, added graffiti to newly donated benches, and kicked in the wire mesh on the new compost bins.

On May 29 I wrote that I was "sad and frustrated." Now I am angry. Part of me wants to camp out day and night and catch the vandals, and see them do community service. But I actually don't live in that part of town, so part of me wants to blame the community for not keeping a watchful eye over their school. But what about the police? What about the school district? What about those who are responsible for the vandals and their upbringing--parents, teachers, the greater Chico community?

But blame does not rebuild a school garden.

When they say that war, violence, and poverty are sustainability issues, I am sure many people think of faraway places such as India, or Darfur, or the Middle East.

But violence and vandalism in our own communities are sustainability issues too.

The evidence is at McManus Elementary, where callous footprints have been sunk deep into the garden beds, in the place where seedlings should be sprouting.

The standard pair of men's undies has four "openings," shall we say. My wife was noticing that some of mine had six, or eight, or ten, and said it was time to get some new underwear. Perhaps I was overwhelming her with too much of a good thing.

I inquired about purchasing underwear at the same stores that I had been so successful in supplying me with blue Hawaiian shirts: the thrift sto-

She said no. I deserved new underwear.

I went online to see if I could support a company that is manufacturing organic cotton undies. There are plenty of eco-undie choices out there, but the best "deal" I could find for organic underwear was $16 each, or $44 for a packet of three, plus shipping and handling. Could I find organic undies that originated in California,the second-largest cotton producing state in the nation? No. The closest could get was Rawganique.com which sells "Clean Undies," made in Canada from U.S. cotton. They run $21 each.

At Mervyn's, basic cotton undies were on sale for $18 for a packet of 6, including tax.

Organic food commonly costs twice as much as conventional. But organic undies would cost me almost five times as much.

But shouldn't what I put on my body be as important as what I put into it? Isn't showing support for organic cotton growers important too? Haven't I read that it takes 1/3 of a pound of chemicals (pesticides + fertilizers) to produce enough conventionally grown, genetically modified cotton to make one t-shirt?

In the end, I bought two 6-packs from Mervyns, and saved $54 than if I had bought that same amount organic. My justification was that there are better ways to stretch the eco-value of my money.

But my choice nags me.

Perhaps I should be going commando.

Last Wednesday's inaugural Gardeners' Swap Meet at The Cause was a lot of fun. Traded items included home-grown lettuce, walnuts, cherries, grapefruit, plant starts, apricots, onions, jam, mint, and the first summer squash of the season.

This Wednesday's Swap Meet is a twin billing, with veggies being swapped from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. at the Chico Community Children's Center at 2224 Elm Street in Mulberry neighborhood of Chapman Town, and then AGAIN from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. at the Chico Grange Hall at 2775 Old Nord Avenue at Rodeo Avenue.

Swap meets will occurs every second Wednesday of the month at these times and locations though mid-October.

For the complete Gardeners' Swap Meet schedule (produce is swapped every Wednesday evening), go to www.chicofoodnetwork.org.

Print it out and stick it on the fridge.

P.S. I ate my first home-grown tomato of the season last Wednesday, a sungold cherry tomato. It will be a while before I have enough to contribute some to the Swap Meets.

The City of Chico will be holding its forth in a series of public workshops to garner public input for the new General Plan. This workshop will focus on "Land Use/Growth Alternatives," and will take place at the California Lakeside Pavilion on Tuesday, June 10 from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

One piece of land that has potential for better use is the Redwood Towers building on 8th Avenue. Right now the edifice is home to a chiropractor, a consignment shop, and a number of vacant offices, but I keep thinking how it would be a neat location for a small cafe or coffee shop, perhaps associated with a yoga studio and an alternative book store. A bakery, flower shop, or kite store would be nice too. My friend Lee sees it as an ideal location for a neighborhood pub. I think the building looks attractive in a quirky sort of way, and could be an amicable gathering place for the residents of that part of the avenues.

Such pedestrian- and bike-friendly commercial areas are sorely lacking in Chico. With almost no exceptions, all we seem to have is the downtown, and everything else is some sort of strip mall or mini-mall surrounded by a sea of parking lots.

Also, having a cafe at Redwood Towers would most certainly improve my Walkscore, which presently stands at a measly 35 out of 100.

By now I am sure that many Chicoans have seen the electric utility vehicles that roam around the CSU Chico campus. But more intriguing are the two GEM cars that I see occasionally around town, especially the 4-door white one with the black fabric doors.

I go back and forth between the value of a $15,000 golf cart versus a fully loaded bike with trailer. You can do a lot with a bike. Two bikes, including trailers and attachments, can take a family of four pretty much anywhere in town. A Saturday morning at the Farmer's Market will reveal dedicated individuals pushing the envelope of what a bike can handle, both in terms of kids and groceries.

But the 4-door GEM e4, made by Global Electric Motorcars (a subsidiary of Chrysler) does have its niches. When compared to a bike with trailer, it is faster, safer, and has definite advantages in inclement weather, especially when young children are taken into account.

Well, so much for my attempt to re-label business reply envelopes and use them for personal correspondence. I apparently never got the memo regarding DMM 507.8.4.4.

The postal service could have at least reimbursed me my 82 cents worth of stamps.

This year's the Gardeners' Swap Meets will be held at five regular locations on Wednesday evenings from June 4 to October 8.

The first one is this coming Wednesday at The Cause, 727 W 4th Ave.

As with last year, please plan on going home with at least as much produce as you arrive with. Unloading seven zucchini and taking a single plum is not nice.

What is a Gardeners' Swap Meet?
Do you have an excess of eggplants and a shortage of tomatoes? A plethora of peaches but a craving for apricots? Fill your ChicoBag (or container of choice) with your extra (but edible) home-grown fruits and/or veggies and SWAP them with another grower for something you like better. The swap meets are a free, weekly, community-building event sponsored by the Chico Food Network. Don’t have a garden? No problem—wild blackberries, the fruit from neglected plum trees and the like are welcome as well, but please avoid picking from plants growing close to major roads.

2008 SCHEDULE
Biking or walking to all locations is recommended. Don't forget to bring a couple of empty bags!

1ST Wednesday (6/4, 7/2, 8/6, 9/3, 10/1)
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. @ The Cause, 727 W. 4th Ave

2ND Wednesday (6/11, 7/9, 8/13, 9/10, 10/8)
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. @ the Chico Community Children's Center, 2224 Elm Street
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. @ the Chico Grange Hall, 2775 Old Nord Ave (near Rodeo Ave)

3RD Wednesday (6/18, 7/16, 8/20, 9/17)
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. @ the Chico Peace and Justice Center, 526 Broadway

4TH Wednesday (6/25, 7/23, 8/27, 9/24)
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. @ W 16th Street and Normal Ave

Reply to this blog entry for more information.

A dedicated group of community volunteers and school employees teamed up to establish a school garden at McManus Elementary this past February. The garden includes nine raised beds, trellises, and signs identifying different vegetables and berries which have been planted by the students.

Over Memorial Day Weekend, the garden was hit for the second time by vandals, who pulled up plants and signs, snapped the trellises, and walked through the garden beds.

Like many of Chico's schools, McManus's campus serves as a park of sorts for the community; during non-school hours citizens frequently use the basketball courts, play fields, etc. The McManus garden is located in the center of the campus to maximize student access and involvement. However, school buildings shield the garden from the view of casual passersby on East Avenue, thus allowing bored vandals to deface the garden in relative seclusion, especially in the early hours of the morning.

It angers me that there are people in our community who are so willfully destructive and hurtful, but at the same time I pity what their lives must be like, if this is one of their favorite pastimes.

It is a sad and frustrating situation to try and solve.

Survellience cameras have been suggested, but there is no money available at the moment, and I am skeptical that it will work--And besides, cameras need to be maintained, footage needs to be viewed, etc.

Others believe that we should fence off the garden area and put it under lock and key. But I fear that this would turn the garden into a compound or a fortress, rather than a space of smiles and reflection.

I told Debra, the Garden Educator at McManus, to rebuild, plant again, and in doing so show and teach determination to the students who have been effected.

In the mean time, I plead to the community to recognize that a school garden that is accessible to the greater population becomes a community garden, hopefully to be enjoyed by all. If you live near McManus Elementary, or any other school that has a school garden, please keep an eye out.

A community that cares is the best defense against those who don't.

The neighbor's cherry tree, at least 2/3 of which is on our side of the fence, is literally dripping with fruit. My wife and I picked about 5 gallons of them in two 30 minute sessions last week. Any thoughts about how best to preserve them? The best tip we have recieved thus far is to purchase a cherry pitter for about $15. Where does one find a cherry pitter?--At Collier Hardware (established 1871) of course.

On a different topic, a friend of ours told us she keeps the sprinkler on all the time, 24 hours a day. She is on a flat rate, and doesn't see it as wasting water, rather, she feels that she is "returning it to the aquifer," and is thus in her own small way offsetting any efforts on the part of CalWater to pump and ship water from the Tuscan Aquifer to points south.

I see where she is coming from, but I respectfully disagree with her approach on scientific grounds. How deep the water from her sprinklers sink I do not know, but I doubt it will ever recharge the same aquifer from which it came. From what I understand, the recharge of the Tuscan Aquifer is in the foothills and mountains east of Chico, where the angles of the sloping rock formations allow rainfall and melting snow to slowly seep down beneath Chico as if flowing down an underground ramp.

But as I have mentioned before, most of our knowledge of the Tuscan Aquifer is best guess. As such, a substance as valuable is water is not something to be messed with lightly, and it doesn't matter are if you are a citizen who is still on a flat rate or if you are the CEO of CalWater.