Patch Picks: Five Ways to Be a Green Neighbor

By now, most people agree that the future of the human race depends on our ability to self-subsist. I won't state the obvious—Santa Cruz County has already caught on. The effort to "go green" is gradually spreading throughout our community, and the tiny bit of progress we've made feels good. Here is a list of Patch's top five ways to support the green movement in Santa Cruz County, and the resources you'll need to do so.

1. Ride a Bike: 

Reduce carbon dioxide emissions and save some cash on gas by traveling in the bike lane. Plus, riding your bike often gets you there faster than taking the bus or using your car to run errands in town.

Who will help you:

The Bike Church in Santa Cruz is a collectively owned and operated bike shop. Knowledgeable mechanics help you work on the bike you already have, or help you build a bike from the frame up. The bike church sustains itself on the donations you leave, but nobody is turned away for lack of funds.

Also check out:

Scott's Valley Cycle Sports, 245 Mt. Hermon Rd. #J. 831-440-9070.

Santa Cruz Family Cycling Center, 914 41st Ave., Capitola. 831-475-3883.  

2. Eat More Vegetables 

Producing the quantity of meat and dairy that the world consumes requires a vast amount of land, grain and energy.

According to Scientific American, “Producing the annual beef diet of the average American emits as much greenhouse gas as a car driven more than 1,800 miles." 

If cutting beef from your diet is unthinkable, consider looking to local sources of the red stuff, like Old Creek Ranch, which sells organic pasture raised beef, lamb and goat meat from animals raised eating grass, not grain. This alone decreases the overall energy used to produce the meat, besides the shorter distance of transportation from their Cayucos ranch to you than the average Safeway steak. 

Who will help you:

The Santa Cruz Farmers Market.

3. Share 

An economy based on collaborative consumption and sharing seems to be working in many communities. Whether it's tools, rides, bikes or land, sharing cuts down on consumption overall. 

Talk to your neighbors before you purchase that new power drill; maybe they have one or know somebody who does. Websites like Craigslist, Neighbor Goods and Rentalic help connect the "haves" with the "needs."

Online resource for more on collaborative consumption: Shareable: Sharing by Design.

4. Garden Shares

Operating like an online dating site for gardeners, Urban Garden Share matches hopeful gardeners with land owners who don't have the time or ability to garden their land.

Started by Amy Pennington in Seattle last year, Pennington says she chose Santa Cruz as a pilot city when members of Transition Santa Cruz reached out to her. Santa Cruz is an ideal city for Urban Garden shares because of its layout: plots of land interspersed with urban areas.

When the average piece of produce found at Safeway has traveled 1,500 miles to get there, growing food (and flowers, which help pollinate the food you grow) in your own backyard (or somebody else's) just kind of makes sense. 

Online Resources: The Weekend Gardener, My Garden Guide and Veggie Gardening Tips. 

5. Take a Staycation Instead

So you want to take a load off and relax for a few days. It may not be necessary to purchase that plane ticket or fill up your gas tank to drive across the state.

With our redwood forests, beaches and mountains, finding a quiet retreat is pretty easy. So before you book that flight, consider hiking or camping in the redwoods, spending time at the beach, or if that's not enough, one of these more extravagant and spiritual getaways:

Skin Essence Day Spa - A bit of pampering has the power to make you feel like you’re worlds away from home and still be home in time for dinner. Skin Essence Day Spa specializes in rejuvenating aromatherapy, facials, and massages.

Stillpoint Zen Community - A quiet retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains, formed around the Enlighten Master Umi. Umi bases his practices on Buddha teachings and awakening. Click HERE for a schedule of daily mediations and “Satsangs,” public gatherings.