Uber-Green, Urban Couple

In the heart of Seabright, twin biodiesel fueled VWs sit in the driveway of Dee and Daniel Wright’s home. But, driving eco-friendly vehicles is just the beginning for this uber-green, urban couple.

“Every week, I teach fifth and sixth graders how they can reduce their impact. I tell them about saving energy, little things they can do every day, like putting on a sweater instead of turning up the heat, and opening the blinds instead of turning on the lights, carpooling, riding their bikes, saving water, things they can reuse, saving animals, not buying endangered products. Every week I tell them these things, and I try to practice what I preach,” said Daniel, who is a field instructor at Walden West, an outdoor education program in Saratoga. “Reusing and reducing is our philosophy. It happens to be economical. It’s a little more effort, but financially, it’s easy.”

The couple’s backyard is large for Santa Cruz, accommodating a chicken coop, tool shed, four raised beds, a hammock and a sitting area surrounding a fire pit made from a repurposed clothes dryer insert.

Their winter garden is abundant with organic onions, greens (sprayed with soap water to protect against aphids), carrots and Brussels sprouts. Orange, lime, peach and banana trees also grow in their yard.

Daniel made two compost tumblers from repurposed barrels, and constructed raised beds with scrap redwood he procured through Craigslist. While his toolbox is relatively small, Daniel is a fearless DIYer. He borrows tools they don’t own and collaborates with like-minded friends for ideas and gardening solutions.

Blanche, Dorothy and Rose, their three chickens, are named after the housemates and friends from the 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls.

“Chickens always seem to have old lady names, so we thought it would be fun to name them after the Golden Girls,” Dee said.

Both Dee and Daniel grew up in the suburbs and had no childhood experience growing vegetables. They are mostly vegetarian, but occasionally eat sustainably caught fish. The Wrights like growing their own organic food.