Let's Talk Composting

California and much of the world is experiencing the direct effects of climate change in the form of extreme weather variability, prolonged droughts and fire seasons, an increase of invasive species encroachment, and much more. Often times it may be easy to dwell on the momentous task in front of us. Mitigating the worst-case climate scenarios can seem so unattainable that many people may just choose to simply do nothing. Yet, there are simple tasks we can do in our daily lives that will have profound and exponential results in our fight against climate change. One such example is composting. 

Composting is something we are all familiar with. Some may have learned about it in school or through self-gardening practices. However, composting is also a powerful tool that can be used to reduce the number of short-lived pollutants released into our atmosphere each and every day. The state of California realizes that in order to reach its ambitious climate emission reduction goals, reducing the amount of methane—a powerful gas 84 times more potent than carbon—is critical. Thus, SB 1383 was signed into law in 2016 with a mandate to reduce organic waste disposal by 75% by 2025 and rescue at least 20% of currently disposed surplus food for people to eat by 2025. This law requires that local jurisdictions provide organic waste collection services to all residents and business while also setting recovered organic procurement requirements in the form of compost, mulch, or renewable energy derived from anaerobic digestion or biomass conversion. 

While it is great that the state will mandate the use of recycled organic materials, why wait for its implementation when it is easy to get started on your own and benefit both the environment and your own garden and/or lawn now? Effective composting practices have been proven to benefit enhanced soil carbon sequestration, soil water retention, erosion control, fire remediation, storm water management, and more thus making it an effective tool in both combatting the causing factors of anthropogenic climate change while simultaneously working to substantially mitigate the effects of it. 

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Composting Basics - Get Started At Home:

1. https://www.npr.org/2020/04/07/828918397/how-to-compost-at-home

2. https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home

3. https://www.buzzfeed.com/tomvellner/heres-how-to-start-composting-in-2018

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Sources:

California, State of. California's Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy, www.calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/slcp.

Thoughts on the Legacy of Cesar Chavez

I recently made my way down highway 101 from the Bay Area to San Diego. Agriculture lined the highway as I drove South. There are endless fields of fruit trees, vegetable plants, and grape vines. I recall reading a statistic during the 2016 Presidential election that California is responsible for nearly 15% of the United States’ total fruit and vegetable production. This statistic was reported because of talk that California wanted to secede from the United States and become its own country, and that it could sustain much of its GDP on agriculture. As I drove down highway 101, I noticed many workers in the fields, bare-backed and bent over the rows of produce. I thought about how much food I consume from these Californian farms, and how many of the workers in these fields have picked food for me. I don’t think enough people think about how we get food on our tables each day.

Having worked outside planting trees with Our City Forest for the past two years, I have learned that physical labor is extremely intense on the body. It is challenging to brave the elements all day long. It is even harder to repeat physical labor day after day, with very few breaks. Seeing the farm workers bent over picking produce hurts my own back; and they are doing this type of work day after day because society requires food, rain or shine.

Not only is agricultural work physically reprimanding, but these workers are also exposed to pesticides and herbicides. These contaminants are proven to be harmful to human health, and to even cause certain disabilities. The health effects do not only impact the workers in the fields, but also their families and entire communities. It is unfair that agricultural workers are expected to sacrifice their personal health and wellbeing purely to make a living. Oftentimes, these workers are paid below the minimum wage, making it even harder for them to support themselves and their families. Many of the farms get away with paying their employees less than the legal minimum wage because they hire immigrants without citizenship. This opens the door to unethical treatment of the workers, as the farm owners are not bound to U.S. law therefore do not need to treat their employees by law. Not only do the farm owner’s pay below minimum wage, they often pay their employees by the number of bushels of food they are able to pick during a day’s work. This means that employees are forced to hustle while on the job. Imagine adding running into a physically laborious job - seems awful, no?

Immigrants from Mexico working a Strawberry Farm near Guadalupe, CA (LA Times, 2017).

Since the agricultural business is extremely tough work and taxing on the body, it is not a popular field to choose to enter. Most field workers end up at these jobs out of desperation for any sort of employment. The low wages cause a trend of generations to remain working in the fields, in which the children end up at the same job as their parents just to be able to make ends meet. It is so unfortunate that the rights of these workers are undervalued and mismanaged. This is where Cesar Chavez’s story comes to light.

Cesar Chavez at UFW (NPR, 2016).

Cesar Chavez helped bring these issues to the forefront of human rights, and show the problems that are not addressed within the agricultural world. His parents had immigrated from Mexico, and ended up working at a farm in Yuma, Arizona where Chavez was born in 1927. Chavez was not an illegal immigrant himself, but was treated differently due to his family’s background. His background contributed to his fight for rights for farm workers, in which he brought to light the xenophobic maltreatment of immigrant workers. There are so many layers to Chavez’s union work - it wasn’t entirely about increasing wages, but about the inclusion of immigrants in the workforce. The United States has been and continues to be a xenophobic country, particularly towards Latin Americans. The majority of the policies surrounding immigration are indirectly targeted towards Latin Americans. These policies allow farmer owners to expose their employees to harsh and poor working conditions. Chavez pushed to repair the rough reality that farm workers face. His efforts in forming the United Farm Workers association paved the road as the first union to fight for the rights of agricultural employees. Chavez helped create UFW’s image - an Aztecan eagle and the phrase ‘Viva la causa’. Both symbolize the workers’ heritage, with the eagle signifying pride for Latin American culture and the phrase providing strength and power to the workers. The phrase is also in Spanish, connecting its significance to the racial undertones of the entire agricultural movement that Chavez started.

A UFW organized march in Oxnard, CA - Theresa Romero holds the UFW Flag bearing the Eagle symbol (KCRW, 2018).

As I drove down to Southern California the other day, I thought about the workers’ rights as I passed them on the highway. I’m not convinced that as a country we really offer our agricultural workers many rights, especially if they are immigrants. Yet I believe the workers would be worse off without the work of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. Chavez’s legacy is still relevant, and should be talked about more so that we can continue to fight for worker’s rights. I hope today you think about the food on your table and the people who worked to get it there. Most importantly, I hope you share this knowledge with someone. Knowledge is power, and educating others is prescient in developing change. We still have work to do in honoring Cesar Chavez’s legacy.

Emerald Ash Borers: a Lethal Beetle

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a minuscule metallic-green beetle threatening ash trees across the United States, first discovered here in Michigan circa 2002. It's theorized to have been introduced to the U.S. via wooden packing material used in transport from China. While the U.S. is said to have several billion ash trees, this beetle has already killed millions of trees in the state of Michigan alone. It has spread to most of the midwest and east coast, as well as into Canada. Adults only reach about ½ inch in length and ⅛ inch in width. Their larvae bore to the trees’ living tissue layer, feeding beneath the bark. This interrupts water and nutrient transport within the tree, leading to bark splitting and dead limbs. If the issue is not addressed early and proactively, the tree will die. Depending on tree size and health, as well as severity of the infestation, a tree will die 1 to 4 years after first contact with EAB.

A good place to start when it comes to understanding this topic is with the identification of ash trees. Knowing what an ash tree looks like is the first step toward knowing if it is a tree capable of having an EAB infestation. Ash trees belong in the genus Fraxinus, which is within the olive (Oleaceae) family. They exhibit an opposite branching pattern, and leaves are pinnately compound. Ash trees are also known for their characteristic bark, which is deeply grooved. Additionally, their fruits are samaras; a single seed with a papery wing.

The leaves of various Ash trees, displaying their pinnate compound structure.

Examples of Ash tree samaras.

You can do your part to save these species! Now that you know how to recognize an ash tree, let's discuss signs of EAB. More general symptoms include a reduction in crown density and suckers at the base of the tree; both of these are stress indicators (though not directly linked to EAB). More specifically, visible exit holes, tunneling under bark, splitting of bark, and a high level of woodpecker activity all indicate the presence of EAB in an ash tree. Woodpeckers have been found to consume a large portion of EAB larvae within a tree, doing so by flicking off strips of bark as they search below the surface. This creates a dramatic and distinct visual, a definitive sign to note (see photos below).

Be on the lookout for signs of EAB and report any infected trees you may come across. It is vital to address the issue as soon as possible, and to reduce the chances of spreading. Record the location and take photos. If a tree on your property is infested, also be aware that emerald ash borers can remain in firewood supply. Due to this, burn any firewood you have and do not bring it to an alternate location. You can call the USDA Emerald Ash Borer Hotline at 1-866-322-4512 to report an incident, and go to emeraldashborer.info for a map of EAB across the United States!

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Sources:

Arborday.org. 2020. Emerald Ash Borer - The Arbor Day Foundation. [online] Available at:
<https://www.arborday.org/trees/health/pests/emerald-ash-borer.cfm> [Accessed 22 December 2020].

Knight, K. and Rebbeck, J., 2014. Woodpeckers Capitalize On An Invasive Forest Pest – Research
Highlights - US Forest Service Research & Development. [online] Fs.fed.us. Available at:
<https://www.fs.fed.us/research/highlights/highlights_display.php?in_high_id=625> [Accessed 5 January 2021].

Matsoukis, C., 2021. Emerald Ash Borer. [online] Emeraldashborer.info. Available at:
<http://www.emeraldashborer.info> [Accessed 5 January 2021].

Richins Myers, V., 2020. 13 Types Of Ash Trees—And The Impact Of Emerald Ash Borer. [online] The Spruce. Available at: <https://www.thespruce.com/twelve-species-of-ash-trees-3269661>
[Accessed 5 January 2021].