Profile by stella ge

down to earth A PROFILE ON DOUG BAILEY

BY STELLA GE

down to earth a profile on doug bailey by stella ge

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MEET DOUG BAILEY. gardener, environmentalist, community man.

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ee! I’d like to grow a little cotton here!” twelveyear-old Douglas Bailey exclaims to his father, inspired by his recent journey from his home in Oklahoma to Mississippi to visit his cotton farming kinfolks. In boyish handwriting, he pens a letter to his uncle politely requesting cotton seeds. He licks the envelope closed, careful not to cut his tongue, and sticks a stamp on it before handing it to the mailman as he comes by.

In eager anticipation, he digs up a small plot of land, expecting

a modest matchbox of seeds.

Weeks later, a “great big ol’ box” is sitting on his doorstep, packed to the brim. It’s heavy enough that he must set it down every couple strides in order to make it all the way to the plot, which now seems miniature in comparison.

Doug works with what he’s got.

He grabs his dad’s rusty shovel and sows the seeds, making sure to plant them deep into the soil to keep them moist under the hot Oklahoma sun. He checks on the seedlings every day after school without fail,

his heart filling with joy and pride with every centimeter the cotton rises above the ground.

He cannot quite pinpoint why this makes him so happy, but he knows this feeling is even better than devouring a chocolate bar or winning a round of flag football. This is a whole new level of happiness, one that young Doug Bailey already knows he wants to feel for the rest of his life.

Over four decades later, Doug is a retired teacher who now focuses his energy on running the MVLA School District’s

recycling program, participating in San Francisco Bay environmental initiatives, and playing an active role in the educational community through substitute teaching. He does all this while maintaining his beloved garden, proving that his love for growing fresh produce has never faltered. He spreads his enthusiasm for eco-awareness by reaching out to the community with unparalleled generosity, an act that builds his local influence. In the midst of the dot-com boom and the heart of technology-crazed Silicon Valley, the demand for community-based eco-citizens like Doug is greater than ever.

Doug Bailey grew up in Oklahoma, raised in a Christian family that stressed the values of hard work and courtesy that he consistently upholds and now passes on to his children and grandchildren. Upon entering college, he initially chose to pursue a Social Sciences major to rapidly fulfill state requirements. When faced with many possible career paths, he chose

to become a teacher because it was practical and sustainable.

Little did he know, he would develop a great passion for sharing knowledge and learning from his students.

He openly shares that “social studies teachers were a dime a dozen”; in his quest for employment, “all these letters were coming back saying there were no positions.” But by a stroke of luck, Awalt High School (Mountain View High’s predecessor) was in need of a Geography teacher. Doug eagerly accepted the offer and has been teaching within the district ever since. For him, the “gratification that comes ten years later when you run into old trouble students at the grocery store” is proof that he has done his job over the years and made a lasting impression on the lives of his students beyond the mere academic realm.

Now that he is, for the most part, retired, he is able to shift his attention to other issues and pastimes that he is passionate about, continuing to

foster his devotion to eco-citizenship and reaching for self-sufficiency.

This interest was first sparked by his time with Troop #3311 of the Oklahoma Boy Scouts, on its annual camping trip in the woods. Charlie Longpipe, the at-least-halfCherokee scout master, strictly instructed the eager boys to leave the grounds exactly the way they found them. Proudly donning his Boy Scouts vest and full-on camping gear, young Doug took extra care in ensuring there was no destruction to trees or local wildlife while setting up his camp. Per

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Charlie’s requirements, he also had to cook from scratch (the only exception was Bisquick, he fondly recalls). He observed and imitated as the scout master started a fire with “nothing but a knife, wood, and a hatchet.” Doug didn’t know it yet, but he was in the initial stages of building the self-sufficiency and independence which has shaped the rest of his life.

The self-sufficient nature, now stronger than ever, kicks in

hand-produced” (Bailey).

That same remarkable drive and dedication translates to his environmental work for the Sierra Club and Californians Against Waste, helping pass the Bottle Bill and Plastic Bag Ban. He singlehandedly created and actively manages a recycling program at both Mountain View and Los Altos high schools. His persistence and concentration in these environmental programs is what makes him such

means of gardening, bringing members of the neighborhood together in ways that the internet can’t by building relationships stronger than even the best Wifi connection. When talking to him, my sister finds he influences her “to use technology less often, and talk in person instead” (Ge). He plays an instrumental role in breaking the vicious technological cycle that has been shown to lead to actual physical cravings. Scientists have uncovered that social media can actually become an addiction, firing off the same pathways and brain regions responsible for drug addiction. Logging on triggers dopamine release that produces almost a euphoric sensation; with his home-grown produce a remarkable and influential this is why we keep coming in the front yard he has transcommunity figure, passing his back for more (Kenda). Because formed into a full-fledged gar- passion to future generations. of technology’s deep integration den. According to his wife, Judy Every year, when Halloween into Silicon Valley culture, it Bailey, gardening is “a huge part rolls around, Doug plants a field becomes even more important of his lifestyle...he thinks if he of pumpkins for neighborhood that there are figures like Doug can’t garden wherever he is, he kids. He knocks on all our doors to remind us that there are othmight have to look for someand invites us over to his garer healthier, more meaningful place else to live.” While his den to choose from an assortways to be social. hobby does bring him joy, that’s ment bright orange fruits, some In Silicon Valley, where the not the only reason he grows so large they require wheelbar- biggest buzzword is “innovahis own organic produce. Grorows to take home! As we pick tion” and everyone actively cery store-purchased fruits and our pumpkins, he stands and seeks the “next big thing”, Doug vegetables currently contain watches with the warmest, most Bailey is content with living 5-40% less minerals (Meyers) kindhearted smile on his face, life as he always has, moving than the produce Doug condelighted by the simple act of at a steady, familiar pace. He’s sumed in his youth. “So what if making others happy. more affected by the temporary an apple has a wormhole in it?” Gardening doesn’t just allow closing of the Rose Market than Doug remarks. By growing your him to connect to nature; Doug the widely anticipated reveal own food “you’re cutting out can also disconnect from an of the iPhone 6. His lifestyle is all the middle men and you’re technology-centric society a refreshing contrast from the getting it directly from the yard. which has absorbed the rest of overwhelmingly fast-paced You use the least amount of us. Instead of resorting to social digital world. It’s based on water and the least amount media for interaction, he consocial interactions that cannot of energy; you’re using hand verses with pedestrians who be embraced through a tiny labor, you’re not driving around stroll by and express interest in smartphone screen, more satisbig tractors and combines and his sprawling garden. He active- fying than any FaceTime call or you’re not having drying maly contributes to the harmony Facebook group chat. It’s based chines dry out corn...it’s all of the community simply by on getting down and dirty

" He thinks if he can’ t garden wherever he is, he might have to look for someplace else to live."

- Judy Bailey

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IN THE HEART OF TECHNOLOGY-CRAZED SILICON VALLEY,

THE DEMAND FOR

COMMUNITY

BASED eco-citizens IS GREATER THAN EVER.

sowing seeds and being able to harvest and give away without worrying about revenue and profit margins.

In years to come, technology will inevitably continue to evolve and arguably take over. Nevertheless, Doug’s life will most likely stay the same.

Coming back from college, I know that he will still wave me over for a conversation and a homemade grapefruit soda and let me hold his chickens while

he breaks down the improvements to his chicken coop and points out this season’s assortment of crops. There’s beauty in that.

Entering the Bailey home for the first time, my eyes immediately latch onto the colorful glass bottles lining the kitchen shelf. As sunlight from the window streams through, the glass wrap the rays in color and warmth. Doug explains to me that the amber bottles keep

the house warm in the winter, storing light as heat that radiates into the room during chilly nights. As years pass, the amber bottles get older but need not be replaced; they stay warm and bright, just as Doug Bailey has since the first day I met him.

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