CONSERVATION CORNER FREE TREES? FREE CLASS?

FREE CALCULATOR? HOW COOL IS THAT?

by Kathrine Blomquist

We are in the thick of summertime heat, yet the season is moving right along. The Dobson Dolphins’ Award Ceremony was Friday, July 19 (Go Dolphins!) and some school districts have already started. Alas, going back to school no longer signals the start of fall; we all know there are a few more hot months to endure.

One way to keep cool is by planting desertadapted trees. There is such a difference in temperatures between communities where there are trees and those where there aren’t as many. Trees provide shade, lower the heat island effect in the Valley, and improve air quality. Another bonus is that carefully positioned trees can save up to 25% of the energy a typical household uses. Lowered electric costs? Yes!

Take advantage of SRP’s Shade Tree Program and receive two free desert-adapted trees. Upcoming webinar dates are August 1 and 24 and tree sapling pick-up is in the fall. Register today at www.srp.net/ shadetrees.

If you participate, don’t forget to be part of the City of Mesa’s Trees are Cool initiative. Our city has a goal of planting 1,000,000 trees by 2050. By a quick calculation, this equals 21,738 new trees throughout Dobson Ranch (City of Mesa = 138 sq miles and Dobson Ranch = 3 sq miles). Visit mesalistens.com/trees-arecool to learn more about this initiative and to record your new trees.

If you live in a Dobson Ranch condominium or townhouse sub-association and planting shade trees isn’t an option, there is an upcoming event just for you: “Small Space Gardening: Containers,Growbags, and Compact Gardens” on Thursday, August 22, 6 to 7 p.m. at the Main Library (64 East 1st Street, Mesa AZ, 85201).

Click here to learn more.

Finally, do you know how much water your household uses compared to how much you should be using? This month’s water saving tip is to use Mesa’s Know Your H2O Water Calculator to find out. This easy-to-use tool helps you estimate your household’s “optimal” water use. Simply enter your water use from the past year (use My Utility Portal to get this information) and answer a few questions, such as number of occupants, if you have a pool, landscape type, etc., and the water calculator does the rest. If your monthly usage happens to be higher than the estimate, there are tips to help reduce water use. Plus, you can order a free water-saving kit!