As a member of Alameda Backyard Growers, you are already protecting the climate by preventing food waste through gleaning produce for the Alameda Food Bank, and by reducing food mileage by growing your own food. What else can one person do in such a huge crisis to make a difference? A LOT! Climate change affects our everyday lives with drought, food supply problems, sea level rise, fires and the general survival of nature. This presentation will cover the crisis, solutions and 70 surprisingly simple things individuals can do about it including how to influence others to protect the climate.
Joyce Mercado Bio: Speaker Joyce Mercado earned her Bachelor of Science in Physics at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. She completed Climate Reality Project Leadership training led by Al Gore and joins thousands of other Climate Reality Leaders to give climate protection and sustainability presentations. She is an active member of a local climate protection non-profit, Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda, where she writes a monthly column on Climate Protection for the Alameda Sun and created a Climate Protection Checklist.
Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop
led by AC Master Gardener Sarah Miller, Asst. Manager at Farm2Market, & Marla Koss, Farm2Market Orchard Volunteer
August is a great time to perform summer pruning on plums, or annual pruning on apricots*. Citrus can be pruned virtually year-round in our area, but now is as good a time as any to lighten up the densely-crowded and twiggy interior of a semi-dwarf Meyer lemon tree for better aesthetic value in the landscape as well as its overall health.
After a quick tour around Farm2Market‘s orchard, we will focus on pruning citrus (Meyer lemon) and stone fruit (plum and apricot).
Wear sturdy, close-toed shoes (preferably hiking or work boots); stickers abound and will quickly turn mesh athletic shoes into pin cushions). You might want to bring a sun hat and/or sunscreen. A water bottle is also highly recommended. Also helpful: eye protection (clear safety goggles/glasses).
Equipment to bring: bypass pruning shears*, gardening/work gloves, other pruning equipment such as a pruning saw or loppers if you have them.
*The difference between the pruning needs of apricots and other stone fruit will be explained at the workshop and in an accompanying handout.
ABG Monthly Meeting on Zoom with Paige Benveniste
Join us for a behind the scenes talk on the organic food label. We’ll be discussing the history of the organic label, how it’s regulated, and what it means to buy organic (hint: it’s more than the absence of pesticides/herbicides). We will also discuss the current state of organics, why some people think the organic label doesn’t do enough, and the emergence of “add-on” labels like The Real Organic Project and the Regenerative Organic Certification.
About Our Speaker: Paige Benveniste is an International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA) certified crop and processing inspector. She currently works as an organic inspector for California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). As an organic inspector, she travels throughout the Bay Area inspecting a wide variety of farms and food manufacturers. Prior to becoming an organic inspector, she worked on an organic farm and was a local food buyer/educator at a tech campus in San Francisco.
View the recording below.