Editorial: Take local action now to protect our natural environment

Published in the Sept. 3 – 16, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life

The South Valley enjoys the benefits of an agricultural legacy as well as the blessings of the natural world with our numerous public parks. Perhaps that’s one reason so many Morgan Hill’s residents are eco-minded and constantly strive to take action to protect our region’s environment. Our city has a culture in which many of our residents share a desire to do the small but important things when it comes to preserving our ecosystem.

In recent months, now that the city has mandated a 10 cents per bag fee among merchants, people have fast gotten into the habit of bringing their grocery bags to the supermarket and retail stores. More and more often we’re seeing people driving fuel-efficient hybrid and electric cars as well as a growing trend of biking to work. With the drought California has been facing for the past several years, we see a growing number of our residents acting water-wise and not wasting one of the most precious resources for sustaining life and our economy.

There are many other community-focused ways to preserve the environment and we at Morgan Hill Life encourage our readers to get involved. We especially encourage this in households with youngsters who need to learn early on the lesson that the Earth is our home and we need to take care of it not just for ourselves but future generations. Here are a few environmentally-friendly activities coming up this month provided to us by Andi Borowski, the City of Morgan Hill’s environmental services assistant:

• Sept. 6 and 7: The 12th annual Second Chance Week starts off with the popular community-wide garage sale where residents in Morgan Hill give their old items a new lease on life with a new owner. A list of garage sale addresses will be available Sept. 5 at the Morgan Hill City Hall and on the web at wwww.secondchanceweek.com.

• Sept. 8: Universal Waste Awareness Day encourages residents to keep consumer electronics, batteries, fluorescent lighting and other mercury-containing products out of our air, water and landfills by disposing of these items properly. For example, BookSmart and Johnson Lumber/ACE Hardware will accept household batteries for recycling.

• Sept. 9: Freecycle Day lets people give away useful things they don’t need any more to other people who might have a need for them instead of throwing them away. Check out the Morgan Hill Freecyle group on Yahoo to discover items available — or give away your own stuff you don’t want.

• Sept. 20: California Coastal Cleanup Day takes place from 9 a.m. to noon at the West Little Llagas Creek. This is a fun way to help keep our region’s water ways free of litter and protect the ecosystem of our ocean. Meet at the City’s Corporation Yard at 100 Edes Court at 9 a.m. Gloves, bags and litter grabbers will be provided. Call (408) 776-7333 for more information.

• Sept. 27 from 10 a.m. to noon: The Home Composting Workshop teaches local residents how their garden can benefit from decomposed vegetation. You’ll learn basic backyard composting techniques at this free two-hour workshop taught by a Santa Clara County Master Composter at the Morgan Hill Centennial Recreation Center. Pre-registration is required by calling (408) 918-4640 or visiting www.reducewaste.org.