Sierra Club logo
Backtrack
Sierra Main
In This Section
 
  May/June 2003 Issue
  FEATURES
Perilous Gardens, Persistent Dreams
All They Need is Wolves
Consider the Lilies
Restoration Art
 
  DEPARTMENTS:
Ways & Means
One Small Step
Letters
Lay of the Land
Profile
The Sierra Club Bulletin
Grassroots Update
  MORE:
Sierra Archives
Corrections
About Sierra
Internships at Sierra
Advertising Information
Current Advertisers

Sierra Magazine

Printer-friendly format

Lay of the Land

Assault on Environmental Regulations | The Power of Protest | Power Plant Emissions | Golden Eagles and the Arctic Wildlife Refuge | Hear-No-Evil Department | Bold Strokes |WWatch | Updates

Bold Strokes

By Marilyn Berlin Snell

New Life for Old Lumber
When a tree falls in the city, we hear it but we rarely know quite what to do with it–or the thousands of tons of scrap lumber, pallets, and stumps that wind up clogging our landfills. In California alone, more than 3 million tons of urban wood enter the waste stream each year. Now two Oakland-based friends have figured out a way to divert it to lofty ends. Working with government agencies and arborists, Marcus von Skepsgardh and Shane Eagleton refashion discarded trees and wood into designer countertops, flooring, decking, and lumber. Their nonprofit organization, Protect All Life, sells recycled products and even creates artwork from salvaged trees as a way to promote public awareness of sustainable forestry.

For more information visit www.recycletrees.org.

Not-So-Gentlemanly Farmers
Last year’s farm bill allowed numerous corporate agribusinesses to collect farm-assistance checks at their swanky urban addresses. If you need proof, just go to the Environmental Working Group’s "City Slickers" Web site (www.ewg.org/farm/cityslickers) to find the fake farmers being subsidized near you. Among the beneficiaries listed are "farmers" like Boise Cascade, Chevron, and DuPont.

Up to Top


Sierra Magazine home | Contact Us Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights | Terms and Conditions of Use
 
Sierra Club® and "Explore, enjoy and protect the planet"®are registered trademarks of the Sierra Club. © Sierra Club 2019.
The Sierra Club Seal is a registered copyright, service mark, and trademark of the Sierra Club.