One lovely late afternoon this past March, about 20 Newlands neighbors gathered at the Orchard House, home of Cody Oreck, just north of Alpine and 3^rd. At the event, sponsored by www.newlandsgreenlands.com, we learned how to prune our apple trees and prevent the spread of Coddling Moths and Fire Blight.  There is something magical about the ancient apple trees tucked up against Dakota Ridge.(Pics) And it isn’t just old and young apple trees that make this place so special. There are stone cottages, chickens, and bees that create a buzzing, lively polyculture of complimentary plants, beneficial insects and architecture.

As we wandered through the Orchard, Wesley Swartz of Albion Guild demonstrated the proper way to prune a tree. Wesley explained which branches to prune using the rule of the three D’s: branches that are dead, disoriented or diseased. Disoriented refers to branches that are growing in toward the center of the tree or brushing other branches when the wind blows. The best time to prune is between the beginning of February and the end of March. The goal of pruning is to create more air circulation and sun for the tree and to discourage coddling moths, which like dark areas to lay their eggs. If your tree hasn’t been pruned in a long time, like mine, be gentle. Cut only the dead or diseased branches and 1/3 of the disoriented or sucker branches the first year. Then each year after, cut another 1/3 until the tree is lighter and there is a strong leader. For more information on pruning apple trees see, http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07003.html

There are a few additional things we learned to keep our trees healthy. It doesn’t take that much effort, and the reward is abundant fruit in our very own backyards. After the trees bloom and the June drop has occurred, pick apples off the ground and put them in the compost. If they show signs of worms you may want to put them in the city compost, which gets hot enough to kill the worms. It is also a good time to thin each apple cluster to 1 apple per 6-8 inches. (I know this might take a lot of self-discipline but it will pay off in better yield.) You can use the unripe apples that don’t have holes to make your own fruit pectin. www.kitchenbutterfly.com/2010/09/16/daring-cooks-preserve-how-to-make-preserve-apple-pectin/

We learned one last thing to ensure that our apple trees are happy and healthy. Plant companion plants near the drip line of the tree that feed the soil. For more on companion planting around fruit trees you can read http://www.permies.com/t/1475/plants/fruit-tree-guilds

Wesley Swartz www.Abalonguild.com  is not only teaching folks how to care for trees, he also is learning new ways to use the fruit, including processing hard ciders. He will take care of neighborhood trees in exchange for harvesting the fruit. You can contact him at 720-938-7708.

Spring is a perfect time to take a walk around the neighborhood and notice just how many apple and stone fruit trees live among us. And for fun, check out an interactive web site with a community-built map of fruit trees in Boulder. http://www.boulderfruittreeproject.com/   You can even add your own backyard fruit trees to the map. We are all part of the guild and our actions matter. The more we and our neighbors raise bees and care for our fruit trees, the healthier our amazing small corner on earth will be.

I’m learning that it takes a village to preserve fruit trees on the Front Range. If we all do our part there should be apple, apricot, plum, mulberry and cherry trees here for another 150 years.  If we can conserve water and nurture our beloved trees, imagine what Newlands Neighborhood might look like in the year 2163.

submitted by Alison

Recently Larry and I have attended some interesting presentations addressing climate change and carbon footprint. Newlands Greenlands has been focused on educating neighbors about reducing carbon footprint since we began in 2008.  Remember our “Biggest Loser” contest?   Five years later Larry and I decided to revisit that fuzzy number called our carbon footprint.  We took on the challenge of comparing our footprint with the “per capita” Boulder resident footprint.  Calculating a carbon footprint has become more sophisticated and complicated.  After I comment on what I learned at the presentations, I will let you know what Larry and I learned about our own carbon footprint!

The presentations we attended were:

• Dr. James White, CU professor and fellow at Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, presented “Sustainability, Climate Change and You”.

  Dr. White’s talk focused on ADAPTATION to inevitable changing climate along with making serious efforts to lower our carbon emissions. He suggested that we will see drastic changes in our landscape within 20-30 years! Insurance companies will be challenged by more weather related disasters.  Citizens should demand that congress take action to reduce carbon emissions.

• Newlands neighbor Leonard May and Sam Weaver, both members of Boulder Planning Board, gave a presentation “Energy Changes Boulder Could Make to Contribute to a Livable World”.

  Leonard and Sam’s presentation focused on local green house gas emissions and what is needed to reduce to levels agreed upon by the G8 in 2009
  Leonard and Sam said limiting the earth’s temperature rise to 2 degrees C by 2050* would require each person to decrease emission by 4.6% annually each year for the next 37years!
  *Two degrees centigrade (3.6°F) is the aspirational limit set in 2009 by the “Group of Eight” (G8) nations for global temperature rise as a consequence of greenhouse gas emissions.

• The City of Boulder sponsored “Options for Moving Forward” community open house on the municipalization plan.

  Last but not least of the many environmental presentations in Boulder… Municipalization!  At the “Moving Forward” presentation, it seemed to me the biggest concern expressed is whether we can trust the city to hire the right people to manage a city run utility?   Personally, we trust Boulder’s elected officials to hire the right people to oversee the city utilities.   Switching to utilities powered by clean, renewable energy will lower Boulder’s per capita carbon emissions.  It may cost more upfront, but the cost of delay will be even more costly.

What does this all mean on a personal level and what can we do?

Of course, we know that Boulder can’t save the planet.  But Boulder is recognized as a “green city” and our leaders have spoken at worldwide conferences about “what Boulder is doing”.  It is important that Boulder lives up to that reputation!

How do Larry and I compare to the 2012 Boulder per capita carbon footprint of 5.33 tons?

Larry discovered some factors to consider when comparing personal carbon footprint with the City of Boulder per capita carbon estimate:

• After calculating our per capita household carbon footprint, we must add 1.27 tons of carbon per person to cover city emissions (landfill gas, commercial and industrial electricity and natural gas, and street lighting).
• On the “credit side”, we were able to take 0.29 tons of carbon credit, since our electricity comes from wind power through Xcel’s Windsource program.
• Most personal carbon calculators take air travel into consideration, but the City of Boulder’s per capita results don’t consider air travel (not because it isn’t a huge factor, but because the city doesn’t know how to estimate how many plane trips each Boulder resident takes per year)! Larry and I went ahead and included air travel in our personal calculations, since air travel contribute significantly to carbon emissions.

So… taking the above factors into consideration, our household of 3 people has a per capita carbon footprint of 2.13 tons of carbon.  I was surprised to learn our footprint was better than the average Boulderite, because I feel our household has plenty of room for improvement.

Larry and I decided to call 2.13 tons per person our “high point”.  We will aim to lower our emissions 4.6% per year; which is 0.1 tons of carbon reduction in 2013.  Now, our challenge is to figure out which actions will actually reduce our footprint by 0.1tons.

Anyone want to join us?

Gather 2012 utility bills, estimate your auto mileage, count up your air travel, and chose a personal carbon calculator.  Larry liked the EPA calculator.  Then add 1.27 tons carbon to cover your “fair share” of our community’s commercial and municipal carbon emissions.

Environmental preservation is something that I have always been passionate about, and I am inspired by the level of environmental awareness and commitment demonstrated by the children I work with. Their writings, featured below, include some practical tips for preserving our natural resources and reducing our carbon footprint. Click on the thumbnails below to check them out!

Even a drip of water on a canyon wall eventually causes great change in the structure of that canyon over time, so let me remind you of this:

We’re all little drips in the scheme of our planet.

In the face of storms, earthquakes and fires, it seems that all hell has broken loose.  We feel out of control and helpless; yet it’s important to remember that the little things we do, can make a big difference.

How can we make a difference in our future?

Here are eight small ways to make a big difference in the world:

Although 72% of media outlets report on global warming with a skeptical air, the overwhelming majority of scientists believe that the extreme weather of the last decade is at least partially caused by global warming. Some examples of climate calamities caused partly by global warming include:

• Hurricane Katrina
• Drought in desert countries
• Hurricane Sandy
• Tornadoes in the Midwest

These storms, droughts, and floods are causing death and economic issues for people all over the world – many of whom cannot afford to rebuild their lives from the ground up after being wiped out by a tsunami or other disaster.

Evidence also indicates that the face of the Earth is changing because of warming trends. The ice caps of the Arctic are noticeably shrinking, the ice cap of Mt. Kilimanjaro alone has shrunk by 85% in the last hundred years, and the sea levels are rising at the rate of about 3 millimeters per year because of all the melting ice. Climate change is also affecting wildlife – for instance, Arctic polar bears are at risk of losing their environment; the Golden Toad has gone extinct; and the most adaptable species are evolving into new versions capable of withstanding warmer water.

Despite some naysayers with alternative theories about why global temperatures are rising – including the idea that the earth goes through natural temperature cycles every few millennia – the dramatic changes in the earth’s atmospheric makeup suggests humans are to blame. In fact, 97% of scientists agree humans are responsible for climate change. Since the Industrial Revolution, carbon dioxide levels increased 38% because of humans, methane levels have increased 148%, nitrous oxide is up 15% – and the list goes on and on, all because of human-instigated production, manufacturing, and organizations and individuals work hard to promote an Earth-friendly existence, resistance to change is rampant and actions are slow. For instance, while the US Environmental Protection Agency is still working on collecting data to support development of greenhouse gas reduction expectations for businesses, most of their efforts feel more like pre-research than actual change. Other countries have made efforts – such as signing to Kyoto Protocol to reduce their 1990 emission levels by 18% by 2020 – but the only solution will require the whole world band together.

Steps anyone can take to reduce global warming include:

• Driving a car with good gas mileage, or investing in a hybrid or electric car
• Switching from incandescent light bulbs to CFL or LED
• Insulating your home and stocking it with energy efficient appliances
• Recycling
• Using green power available in your area

Check out the infographic from www.learnstuff.com below to see what else the changing climate is affecting.

Did you know Americans create 25% more trash during the holidays?

But we don’t have to! This guide will help you have a meaningful, waste-free holiday season.

Holidays by the Numbers

Event:

If you are not registered, reserve you seat today!  Pass the message along to your family and friends.  Only two more tours this year… Sept 11 and Oct 13.

For more information or to register click here:
http://2012agtours.eventbrite.com/

Read about past tours. http://newlandsgreenlands.com/2012/08/03/boulder-county-agriculture-tour-august-7/

http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16117&Itemid=5158

The draft study to impose a bag fee is posted at:

http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/LEAD/bags

Rescheduled Public Meeting:
Thursday, Sept. 20
5:30 – 7 p.m.
Dellwood Room
West Boulder Senior Center
909 Arapahoe Ave.

Contact Jamie Harkins with questions – HarkinsJ@bouldercolorado.gov

The following Sunday morning I picked beets from my garden and put them in the solar cooker so that I could use them in a beet and feta salad at dinner.  I started cooking the beets at 11:10 AM when the outside air temperature was 69 degrees, the sky was cloudless, and the cooker temperature was 280 degrees.  The beets were in a dark colored stoneware bowl, sitting in a little water, and loosely covered with a glass pot lid to keep them from becoming dry.  Every 30 minutes I adjusted the cooker position to track the sun.  At 1:30 PM the outside air temperature was 77 degrees and the cooker had reached 320 degrees.  The beets were done.

I’m very satisfied with the entire process.  After putting seed into earth, nature took its course to transform them into beet plants.  The solar cooker was made of all discarded materials.  With nature on my side again, the beets were cooked by the sun’s energy and ready for dinner.

Solar cooker design – http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/radabaugh30.html