September 7, 2007

NEWS BRIEFS

Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens seek golf carts

Donations of electric golf carts in good condition are being sought by Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens so that staff and volunteers can move more quickly through the 2.6-mile long regional park in downtown San Jose.

“We offer many education and recreation programs in different locations of the park,” said Kathy Muller, executive director. “It would be a big help to transport supplies, for example, up and down the trails. Sometimes event sites are not near city streets or parking.” 

Muller said electric carts are requested to minimize environmental impacts including air and noise pollution. Both two and four passenger cart models would be useful.
For further information, contact Kathy Muller at Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens, 438 Coleman Ave., San Jose, CA 95110, (408) 298-7657, or email her at Kathy@grpg.org.

Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens is an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible under IRS guidelines.

Home Composting Education Program

The County of Santa Clara Home Composting Education Program has scheduled 19 free classes for residents to learn about home composting from now until December of 2007. The workshops, being offered at various locations throughout the county, will teach residents how to turn food and yard waste into fertilizer at home. 

The County’s Home Composting Education has been going strong for over 12 years.  From July 2006 to June 2007, a total of 1,311 residents attended the County’s free home composting workshops, compared to 943 from July 2005 to June 2006. 

“The number of County residents attending the free composting workshops and purchasing composting tools has increased dramatically,” said Elizabeth Constantino, Integrated Waste Program Manager. “More people seem to be looking for ways to make a positive impact on the environment. We encourage all residents to come and learn about the ways to reduce waste and save cost.”

Experts estimate that the average household that composts both yard and food waste will divert 579 pounds of waste per year. Home composting is a cost-effective way to recycle organic debris as it reduces the cost of yard trimming collection and processing, keeps kitchen wastes out of the landfill, and turns organic material into valuable product for gardens and houseplants. Home composting is not only great for gardens and landscaping, it can also help residents reduce cost on soil conditioners and water.

There are two ways to compost at home - use of a compost bin or underground composting. Compost bins are available for purchase at $45 each by calling (408) 918-4640. When using a compost bin, residents can follow three easy steps:

Chop materials for quick breakdown. 

Mix dry and woody materials with moist and green materials. 

Maintain air and water balance by keeping compost moist. 

For underground composting, residents can simply bury fruit and vegetable trimmings more than one foot under the soil surface. 

Items that can be composted include plant trimmings, fallen leaves, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, rinsed-out and crushed eggshells, and used paper towels.  Do not compost such items as meat and bone, dairy products and grease, grains, beans and breads, and animal feces.

For more information about the County’s Home Composting Program and workshop schedule, visit http://www.reducewaste.org, or call (408) 918-4640. 

EVHS Fifth Annual Holiday Craft Faire set for Nov. 17-18

It's that time again, as Evergreen Valley High School is preparing for its Fifth Annual Holiday Craft Faire, sponsored by the EVHS Athletic Booster Club. The Fifth Annual Holiday Craft Faire will take place on Saturday, Nov. 17, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday, Nov. 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The booster club is currently looking for vendors to showcase their crafts at the Holiday Craft Faire. In addition, the booster club is also looking for local merchants who may be interested in donating prizes for a raffle.

Vendor space measures 10 ft. by 10 ft. The rental fee is $80 for the weekend. Electricity is an additional $10. There are still some spaces available on a first come, first serve basis and are filling up quickly.  

The proceeds from the booth rental, concession and raffle tickets go to the boys and girls athletes at EVHS. The Athletic Booster Club is a non-profit organization that fundraises for the Athletic programs at EVHS.  

Interested vendors can contact Jane Brehmer at (408) 896-6570 for more information. 

Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens seek golf carts

Donations of electric golf carts in good condition are being sought by Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens so that staff and volunteers can move more quickly through the 2.6-mile long regional park in downtown San Jose.

“We offer many education and recreation programs in different locations of the park,” said Kathy Muller, executive director. “It would be a big help to transport supplies, for example, up and down the trails. Sometimes event sites are not near city streets or parking.” 

Muller said electric carts are requested to minimize environmental impacts including air and noise pollution. Both two and four passenger cart models would be useful.

For further information, contact Kathy Muller at Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens, 438 Coleman Ave., San Jose, CA 95110, (408) 298-7657, or email her at Kathy@grpg.org.

Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens is an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible under IRS guidelines.

4-H Mega Field Day set for Oct. 6 at Emma Prusch Park

4-H Mega Field Day will be held at the annual Harvest Festival at Emma Prusch Park on Saturday, Oct. 6, from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Come learn more about agriculture and how to raise and care for large and small animals. 4-H is a youth organization that focuses on developing leadership, citizenship and life skills in its members and helps youth to become strong adults. At the Field Day, 4-H will have an information table on how to join, demonstrations, project exhibits, and booths from the 4-H Clubs in Santa Clara County. Come and experience what 4-H has to offer. For more information, go to http://clubs.ca4h.org/santaclara/.

Evergreen Valley High graduate completes basic Army combat training

Army Private Sophia K. Srey has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises. She is the daughter of Yukundh Srey of W. John Ave., Orange, Texas, and niece of Sania Khalil of Rollingside Drive, San Jose, Calif. The private is a 2006 graduate of Evergreen Valley High School.