Planet Walker

Dr. John Francis was coined the name 'Planet Walker' after spending several years walking across the United States to encourage others to find alternative modes of transportation to automobiles. His appreciation for the environment began in his childhood when he would spend his summers working at his uncles’ farm in Virginia without electricity. When Francis was in his 20’s, he witnessed an oil spill in the San Francisco Bay that led him to reconsider his relationship with the petroleum economy and the environment. He felt partly responsible for the oil spill and decided he would no longer use motorized transportation. Francis then began his journey on foot across the United States. 

During his journey Francis found himself arguing with people who disagreed with his decision to stop using motorized transportation. He decided to take a vow of silence for a day because he was worried he was losing his appreciation for differing points of view. After the first day he chose to continue his vow of silence because he realized he had not been truly listening to others and that he learned more without speaking. Throughout his journey Francis took lengthy detours to pursue higher education and received his bachelor's degree from Southern Oregon University, a master’s degree from the University of Montana, and a Ph.D. in land resources from the University of Wisconsin. One of the greatest things Francis learned as he traveled was the role humans played in the environment.

“For me, the environment changed from just being about pollution, endangered species and climate change to human rights, civil rights, economic equity, gender equality and all the ways we related to each other. That’s what the environment is. It had to be everything.”

— “This Environmentalist Didn't Speak for 17 Years to Learn How to Listen to His Opponents | CBC Radio.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 23 May 2019.

A young John Francis walking across the United States in the 1970s.

After 17 years, Francis ended his vow of silence to work with the US Coast Guard. Here he helped write the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 which established new standards for the maritime transportation of oil, contingency planning requirements, and increased penalties for polluters. Today Francis serves as the founder and program director of ‘Planetwalk’, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating environmental literacy curriculum for K-12 students. Francis is also a visiting associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he holds seminars on environmental studies. He also travels around the world to speak on a variety of topics like redefining the environment for the travel industry, and encouraging diversity and inclusivity within environmental organizations. Although he occasionally uses motorized transportation now, no one can question his dedication to fighting for a cleaner environment. In fact, the day after he ended his vow of silence he was hit by a car and convinced the ambulance crew to let him walk himself to the hospital!

Planetwalk’s core mission is the development and coordination of a global network of Planetwalkers.

Planetwalk is currently working to create a modular program called ‘Plantlines’ to encourage people of all ages to interact with their environment by going on walks and making observations. The goal of the program is to have people enter qualitative and quantitative observations into a GIS database that can be displayed on a map. Although the program is not finished yet, Francis encourages people to walk around their neighborhood and interact with their community so they can develop an appreciation for their environment and listening. 

To learn more about Dr. John Francis and Planetwalk visit planetwalk.org. If you are feeling inspired and would like to explore San Jose, there are several guided Tree Tours and Urban Scavenger Hunts under the “Other Programs, Home Activities” tab on our website as well!

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Sources:

(1) “About John.” Planetwalk, 9 Nov. 2020. planetwalk.org/about-john/. 

(2) Chen, James. “Oil Pollution Act of 1990.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 28 Aug. 2020. www.investopedia.com/terms/o/oil-pollution-act-of-1990.asp. 

(3) National Geographic Society. “Planetwalker: Dr. John Francis.” National Geographic Society, 15 Oct. 2012. www.nationalgeographic.org/article/real-world-geography-dr-john-francis/. 

(4) Petersen, Melissa. “28 Black Environmentalists.” Medium, Medium, 18 June 2020. medium.com/@melpete94/black-history-month-environmentalists-69b16007da8f. 

(5) “This Environmentalist Didn't Speak for 17 Years to Learn How to Listen to His Opponents | CBC Radio.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 23 May 2019. www.cbc.ca/radio/outintheopen/breaking-silence-1.4526352/this-environmentalist-didn-t-speak-for-17-years-to-learn-how-to-listen-to-his-opponents-1.4527401.

Climate Change Commits 'Treeson'

There has recently been a lot of discussion on the impact planting trees can have to mitigate climate change, but have you ever wondered how climate change is affecting trees? Three critical aspects of climate change that are impacting trees are the rising concentration of carbon dioxide, warming temperatures, and the increase in extreme weather events. These factors impact a tree’s growth, health, and ultimately, its chance of survival. 

Plants rely on carbon dioxide (CO2) for photosynthesis, which is why one may think that an increase in its atmospheric levels will increase the productivity of trees. However, research shows that although rising CO2 concentrations may initially benefit plants, the benefits decrease past a certain threshold that results in reduced productivity. This threshold is reached once the rate of rising temperatures exceeds the rate of rising CO2 concentrations. This is important to note considering that current warm temperatures already cause adverse effects towards trees. 

A study conducted in Central Europe found that rising global temperatures have caused trees to experience longer growing seasons. Although these longer growing seasons are allowing trees to grow quicker, the wood is also becoming weaker. It was found that since 1870 the wood density of four tree species has decreased by 8-12% due to warming temperatures and changing nitrogen levels in the soil. Samples taken from these species also showed that their CO2 content decreased by 50%, further showing trees can only uptake a certain amount of CO2 past a certain threshold. Warming temperatures can also alter the seasonal life cycles of harmful insects and enable them to develop quicker and travel further to cause damage to trees as well. The weakening of wood caused by warming temperatures can also allow wood to break more easily and be susceptible to damage from extreme weather events like storms and fires. 

Warmer global temperatures cause a delayed fall - thus a longer growing season for trees (Harvard Magazine, 2019).

Extreme weather events like wildfires and floods have caused severe damage to trees in the past and are projected to continue to do so. In 2020 alone, 10.3 million acres of forest in the U.S. were consumed by wildfires. It is predicted that the intensity and frequency of wildfires, as well as storms and hurricanes, will only increase with climate change. This will result in the loss of more forests, as well as a subsequent increase in the amount of CO2 that is released into the atmosphere during wildfires and through decay of trees.Droughts can also increase the risk of wildfires and reduce a tree’s ability to produce sap which takes away its protection against harmful insects like pine beetles.

The 2014 megafires in Canada’s Northwest Territories scorched more than 7 million acres of spruce, pine, aspen and other evergreen trees, releasing 103 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere (NASA / Xanthe Walker, Center for Ecosystem Science and Society at Northern Arizona University).

“While planting trees does help mitigate climate change, it is important to understand that just the action of planting trees alone will not reverse the effects of climate change.”

Climate change has brought forth altered precipitation patterns as well as extreme weather events that can damage trees and put stress on them to adapt. Tree lines, which are determined by environmental conditions and represent the edge of a habitat where trees can grow, will change as a result of climate change. If trees can no longer thrive in the changed environment they will die. While planting trees does help mitigate climate change it is important to understand that just the action of planting trees alone will not reverse the effects of climate change. We need to all work towards living a more sustainable life and put pressure on corporations and the government to move towards a more sustainable future, not only for us, but also for the health of our trees.

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Sources:

“Climate Impacts on Forests.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 22 Dec. 2016. 19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/climate-impacts/climate-impacts-forests_.html. 

“Facts + Statistics: Wildfires.” III, www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-wildfires. 

Grace, John, et al. “Impacts of Climate Change on the Tree Line.” Annals of Botany, Oxford University Press, Oct. 2002. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4240388/. 

Harvey, Chelsea. “Balance Between CO 2 and Warming Means Life or Death for Trees.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 28 Nov. 2019. www.scientificamerican.com/article/balance-between-co2-and-warming-means-life-or-death-for-trees/. 

Lakshmi SupriyaAug. 22, 2018, et al. “Climate Change Is Making Trees Bigger, but Weaker.” Science, 22 Aug. 2018. www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/08/climate-change-making-trees-bigger-weaker.

All About Alternative Lawns

While grass lawns are said to have been introduced in America around 1870, it was in the 1950s that they truly became popularized. Three main factors are attributed to the cause of this: 1. The creation of Levittown saw thousands of lawns that must be neatly manicured come to rise; 2. The need for cheap housing to be built fast for returning GIs coupled with the societal mindset that a simple uniform lawn was ideal for those who had been trained in the ways of order and obedience; 3. The creation of technological and scientific advancements, such as rotary lawnmowers and fertilizer. But is this actually what’s best?

We now recognize there are many disadvantages of a traditional grass lawn when compared to planting a sustainable garden landscape. One drawback is that grass lawns are a monoculture - meaning a sole species across a given area - whereas sustainable lawns facilitate biodiversity by introducing multiple species into that same given area. Second, due to the fact that grass is wind pollinated, it does not serve local pollinators. Conversely, a converted lawn does because it provides a variety of showy flowers for insects such as bees and butterflies. 

Other advantages of converting your lawn include: encouraging groundwater recharge, increasing property value, and improved visual aesthetics. After plants’ two year establishment period, a drought-tolerant lawn saves 31 gallons of water per sq. ft each month VS its traditional grass counterpart. That’s 186,000 gallons saved over one year for a 500 sq. ft lawn! Furthermore, a study done by the City of Santa Monica’s Office of Sustainability and the Environment found that a sustainable lawn used - on average - 83% less water, created 56% less green waste (ie. weeds), and needed 68% less maintenance than a grass lawn. 

The benefits really speak for themselves, which is why it's part of our mission here at Our City Forest to bring these alternative lawns to the community. The Lawn Busters team utilizes a five step process called ‘sheet mulching’ to fully convert landscapes in just two days! It is a low-cost method that uses recycled cardboard as a weed suppressant. Drought tolerant and California native plants are planted in these lawns. To read more details and see if you qualify for their program, click on ‘Lawn Busters’ under the ‘Other Programs’ tab on our website. If you do not qualify, the team will be hosting DIY classes at the demo garden located in our parcel at Martial Cottle Park. Check our calendar here to find out when they will be offered!

Check out some photos of projects we have done below!

A lawn after 6 months of growth!

A lawn after 1 year of growth!

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Sources

City of Santa Monica. (2013, March). Sustainable Landscape The Numbers Speak for
Themselves.

https://www.smgov.net/uploadedFiles/Departments/OSE/Categories/Landscape/garden-garden-2013.pdf

Lawn Busters. (2015). Our City Forest. http://www.ourcityforest.org/lawnbusters

The History of Lawns. (2018, May 6). Planet Natural.
  https://www.planetnatural.com/organic-lawn-care-101/history/