Postcards
Be kind, rewind and replant
Last month, the San Francisco Department of the Environment rented 100 potted trees to residents during the holiday season. Rather than disposing of the trees, the city will pick them up and replant them in a neighborhood with sparse foliage. According to The Associated Press, the city, in conjunction with the non-profit organization Friends of the Urban Forest, rented the 6- to 12-foot tall trees — including primroses, Brisbane boxes and fruitless olives — to provide an eco-friendly substitute for the usual harvested Christmas firs. All 100 trees were rented within one week. A 14-year-old Christmas tree rental program in Portland, Ore., inspired the San Francisco program.
Passing (up) the buck
In November, Loveland, Ohio, city officials dropped criminal charges against a woman who did not pay a $1.16 city income tax bill. According to The Associated Press, Loveland Mayor Brad Greenberg decided to stop spending taxpayer dollars to proceed with the case. If convicted, Loveland resident Deborah Combs faced the possibility of $4,000 in fines and up to 18 months in jail. Greenberg also decided to drop the $200 in late fees Combs had accrued.