Plus Letters To the Editor
Santa Cruz was all-in very early in the organic food revolution, and some of the local trailblazers are still thriving today. Staff of Life, for instance, has been around for 40 years, and this weekend New Leaf Community Markets celebrates its 30th anniversary with a block party at their Westside store.
In this issue, Geoffrey Dunn uses the occasion of the anniversary celebration as an opportunity to dig deeper into the roots of the organic movement by profiling New Leaf co-founder Scott Roseman, who’s been involved with it locally for four decades. Dunn traces the history of New Leaf back not only to Roseman’s time in Our Neighborhood Food Co-Op in the late ’70s and early ’80s, but also—on a more philosophical level, perhaps—his involvement with the alternative-press explosion in Santa Cruz. The simple but profound motivation Roseman describes for the work he’s done in the food movement—expressed in a single sentence, but also a larger theme that recurs and informs the entire story—is inspiring.
STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
BECAUSE SCIENCE
The science articles on fog and especially Año Nuevo mercury (GT, 10/14) were excellent. I had just attended a lecture on ocean health at the Seymour, and your article about methylmercury expanded on the topic in a top-quality manner. We all thirst for more knowledge about compelling science. Thanks!
Chris Tucker, Bonny Doon
PALE GREEN?
Congratulations to UC Irvine for being the Sierra Club’s greenest school for two years in a row. First two-time winner ever. And kudos to UC Davis (No. 2), UC San Diego (No. 7) and UC Berkeley (No. 10). Wow! Four UC campuses in the top 10! But wait, where is UCSC? Not number 18, that’s UC Santa Barbara. Not number 39, that’s Chico State.
Here it is, number 44! What? Here, in the world’s greenest city, our cherished City on the Hill is No. 44? Doesn’t UCSC offer environmental science degrees? Don’t they pride themselves on understanding the relationship between the environment and social justice? Isn’t the Long Marine Lab all about protecting the Bay? OK, students, here is your homework assignment: Either show that the Sierra Club made a math error in tallying up the points for your ever-so-green campus, or get it green! We want to see that ranking becoming a much, much smaller number. Or you need to relocate to the coal mines of Wyoming.
Paul Burke, Santa Cruz
INVENTING OURSELVES
We loved your article on local inventions (GT, 9/9), but you’ve barely scratched the surface. The Santa Cruz Area Inventors Association has been meeting for more than 25 years to share ideas and get advice on our projects, and a number of successes have come from the members. We discuss every aspect of bringing a raw idea to market, including product design, protecting our ideas, manufacturing and marketing. The variety and ingenuity is astounding, and it’s a small enough group for everyone to get time. We currently meet at Denny’s on Ocean Street the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m., and it’s open to all aspiring or established inventors.
Lonna Speer, Santa Cruz Area Inventors Association
Online Comments
Re: Fog
Very interesting and a lot to ponder.
— Cindy Weiss
Re: Rail
All transportation in this world is government subsidized. Why limit our options to a few bicycles? We need to keep all of our options open. Keep the tracks. Build trails.
— Janie Soito
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THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART Entitled “Ghoul in the Garage,” this makes us think maybe candy-starved kids aren’t the only ones ready for Halloween. Photograph by Gary Schatan.
True Brew
Santa Cruz’s New Bohemia Brewing Co. took home the bronze medal in the German-style Wheat Ale category last month at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. Monkey Business, their winning hefeweizen, was made with 50 percent dark wheat malt and a traditional Bavarian yeast strain. NewBo, as it’s also known, has been celebrating Oktoberfest every weekend in October with new beers on tap most every week.
Off Shore
Staying the heck away from the water at Pinto Lake would be a good idea. Recent tests around the Watsonville Lake indicate harmful levels of toxins produced by blue-green algae, according to the county Environmental Health Department. People and pets should not have contact with or drink the water, they say. Toxins from blue-green algae have been blamed for several dogs’ deaths in Humboldt, Alameda and Sacramento counties.
