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Family receives Carl Gibbs Award
The late Carl Gibbs was a prominent environmental commissioner and one of the city's founders. Debbie Bruschaber of Mountains Restoration Trust nominated the Peters family for the award, which was presented at the commission's Feb. 6 meeting. Laura and John Peters moved to Calabasas in 2000 with their daughters Rebecca, Hana and Claire. "When John and I first looked at the property in Calabasas, we were told it had been on the market for a quite a while," Laura said. "It seems other people who looked at the land did not want to have a stream flowing through their backyard or 75 oak trees that couldn't be cut down. "That day (we moved in), we were delighted to discover that the night sounds included a glorious symphony of crickets and frogs. The red-tailed hawks were our daytime companions. We knew we had found the right place for our family." Rebecca, the youngest Peters daughter, was the catalyst in getting her family involved in Mountains Restoration Trust, the organization to which they devote the greatest amount of time. Actions everyone can take "When we first moved here, my dad and I did a stream cleanup when I was 9," Rebecca said. "I started volunteering after that, and so did my sisters." Rebecca and her sisters, Claire and Hana, both away at college on the East Coast, participated in tree plantings, served as camp counselors and filed papers in the Mountains Restoration Trust office. The Peterses have supported the trust by donating money and, most important they said, themselves as a family. "We go over there frequently," Laura said. "We do the cleanups and any event really- we are there." Rebecca, a sophomore at Calabasas High School, has taken her knowledge to school with her, serving as co-president of the school's Earth Club. "I find jobs for us to do, and we do a lot with Mountains Restorations Trust," Rebecca said. "It's a lot of stuff in the community, kids programs, tree plantings." Rebecca also runs a program called Tamed Animals in the Lives of Seniors/Students (TAILS), bringing her rabbits to cheer up lonely senior citizens and curious youngsters. The Peterses weren't just recognized for their involvement in local organizations, but for their way of life. Laura Peters said "We have been wondering why we won this award. . . . We thought it might be more than the fact that we use the same bags over and over at Whole Foods. We thought maybe it is because we have been doing things every citizen in Calabasas can do." She said the family washes clothes in cold water, utilizes solar energy and switched to energyefficient light bulbs, low-flow shower heads and low-flush toilets. She encouraged others to shop at Calabasas' farmers' market, drive lowemission vehicles and landscape with native vegetation rather than water-consuming lawns. "Most importantly, my husband and I have educated our children to care for and shepherd the environment," she said. A chance to help The Peterses said they are looking forward to a busy weekend March 10 and 11. That Saturday is the Dry Canyon Cold Creek Restoration Project, as well as Arbor Day. A weedpulling Sunday follows at Malibu Creek State Park. "Each and every one of us needs to work together to save the environment from pollution and destruction," Laura Peters said. "When there are so many who seem to be threatening our [planet] by dumping pollutants into our oceans, noxious gases into our air and contaminants into our soil," Peters said, "it makes us realize that it takes each of us to do whatever we can to turn this trend around." |
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