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Earth Systems Science, Inc. Newsletter
1-27-2006
Announcing the 3rd Annual Free Fruit Tree Distribution
Happy New Year!
On Sunday, 12 Feb 2006, ESSI welcomes the Chinese New year of the Dog (4704) by facilitating with the 3rd Annual TreePeople Neighborhood Nutrition Free Fruit Tree Distribution at Wat Thai Los Angeles, 8225 Coldwater Canyon Ave, North Hollywood, CA 91605 (corner of Coldwater Canyon and Roscoe Blvd in the San Fernando Valley)
ESSI volunteers will be giving out about 150 bare root free fruit trees purchased by TreePeople. This year, the group hopes to give out limited numbers of Fuji apple, apricot, nectarine, peach, plum, lemon, orange, and tangerine trees. “Last year, we didn’t have an Fuji apple trees, and many people asked for them. So this year we were promised some. This is also the first year TreePeople purchased citrus trees. This is also something people asked for last year,” commented Saifon Lee, ESSI Director of Programs. “Bare root trees need to be planted within 24-48 hours after you get them.”
This year, TreePeople is hoping to interview and photograph free fruit tree recipients from the previous distribution efforts. TreePeople hopes to use these photo interviews to document the effectiveness of the program. This can be a powerful fundraising tool for future fruit tree purchases. ESSI is asking any past tree recipients to bring a photo of their tree, take some time to either write out a brief statement or give a short interview, and let ESSI volunteers take their photo. Thai speaking volunteers will be on hand to assist. If you would like to volunteer to help with the distribution at 10 am – 12pm on Sunday, 12 Feb, please E-mail ESSI at earthsystemsscience1@gmail.com and give your name and contact information. Volunteers are asked to arrive earlier (9 am) to help set up.
Wat Thai Los Angeles continues to support this community service project by providing the location, tents, tables, and chairs. It’s an ideal collaboration in many ways. Both Wat Thai Los Angeles and ESSI respect nature, people, and well-being. Many people come to the temple, so it is a natural venue for this kind of program.
Last year, at the 2nd Annual Free Fruit Tree Distribution, ESSI also raised funds for the Thai Red Cross Tsunami Relief and the Ban Na Fa Elementary School Library (part of the ESSI Rural Environmental Education Enhancement Pilot Program in Nan Province, Thailand). “ESSI is proud of the fact that it delivers what it promises directly to the people. It was very disheartening to see news stories about the scams and abuses during the tsunami relief efforts,” stated Greg Lee, former ESSI CEO. “We many not have raised as much money as some other groups, but we delivered every penny collected to the Thai Red Cross. For the Na Fa Elementary School Library project, all the funds collected went directly to purchasing books selected by the Na Fa teachers. ESSI did not use a single cent of these funds for its operational expenses.” A photo display of the ESSI project will be available on Sunday.
ESSI is a shoestring volunteer organization. The ESSI staff and volunteers work without pay. In many cases, outside grant funds for specific projects cover some of the expenses. But the majority of operating funds come directly from the pockets of the volunteers.
For the upcoming event, about 10 or more volunteers are needed on Saturday, 11 Feb 2006, at 1 pm to help prepare the free fruit trees for distribution on Sunday. No experience is necessary. TreePeople Fruit Tree Program Coordinator, Steve Hofvendahl trains and guides the volunteers in the preparation process. Dead, diseased, damaged, and deranged limbs and roots are cut away. Then the bare root trees are wrapped in wet newspaper and put into plastic bags. The preparation work will take place at the TreePeople Nursery at 12601 Mulhollad Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. To volunteer for the tree preparation effort, please E-mail ESSI at earthsystemsscience1@gmail.com and provide your name and contact information. Depending on the number of volunteers, the work can go quickly and could be finished by 3-4 pm.
[Editor’s Note: Other community groups expressed interest in collaborating with ESSI to provide volunteers and transportation for the trees. Unfortunately, at press time, no formal arrangements were concluded, so the names of those organizations cannot be listed in this article. Please watch for the follow-up report of this event.]
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