I was surprised and appalled to learn that Ecology Action is planning to kill and remove the Strawberry Madrone tree at the corner of the Ecology Action/Cruzio parking lot (circled in red).
Trees are a precious part of our local environment, especially in downtown Santa Cruz where so few of them are left. Trees are not just machines for carbon sequestration, they are living, breathing residents of the natural world, providing shade, habitat for numerous bird and insect species, and integral components of the living soil that all too frequently is buried beneath concrete, asphalt and buildings. Killing and removing trees removes shade and cooling transpiration, exacerbating local warming in the urban heat island.
Replacing this native tree and its living soil with a storage shed for electric bicycles sends the message that Ecology Action does not understand the basic principles of ecology, and doesn’t care about mechanical destruction of the natural world in which we live.
It would be far better for Ecology Action’s image to spare this tree, enhance the tiny corner of living soil that supports it, and build the storage shed for electric bicycles on the parking spaces beside it. Replacing car parking spaces with electric bike storage is in keeping with Ecology Action’s stated goals, enhanced by acknowledged care for trees and the natural world.
As found on the Ecology Action web site: “We all have the power to build an equitable future by making simple, everyday sustainable changes in how we live and work in our communities.” https://ecoact.org/our-work
Contact Kirsten Liske (kirsten.liske@ecoact.org) and encourage Ecology Action to spare this tree!
Discover more from We Live in the Natural World
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
We Live in the Natural World 
One thought on “Environmentalists, Save This Tree!”