Tom and Penny Honer of Fort Bragg, owners of Harvest Markets, are two of the most generous people on the Mendocino Coast. And they are at it again: Harvest Market is helping the Mendocino Coast Humane Society (MCHS) by allocating 10% of all Pet Supply Sales from June 17th through June 24th to MCHS from both Harvest Market in Fort Bragg and Harvest Market – Mendoza’s in Mendocino. You can be of help by making your pet supply purchases during that time period. A nice deed, indeed.

I recently met Carole and Greg White at a Thanksgiving Coffee fundraising dinner and learned that their “kids” are owners of two Fort Bragg businesses.

Kyle White, 30, launched WHITEOUT!, a mobile document shredding micro-enterprise more than five years ago. He handles shredding assignments for doctors, dentists, clinics, CPA’s and more. What is particularly interesting about this is that Kyle is developmentally disabled. He is one of the first Californians with a developmental disability to receive funding from the California Department of Rehabilitation to start his own business. Typical sources of employment for individuals with special needs are sheltered workshops and supported employment jobs. With the support of five local businesses and assistance from parents Carole and Greg White, WHITEOUT! was launched in 2002. With privacy conscious clinics, doctors, dentists and CPA’s as clients, Kyle’s inability to read is an asset.

Hilary, 27, owner of If The Shoe Fits, has an similar interesting story to tell … (more…)

With salmon fishing off limits, where will local boat tour operators go? In search of flying fish perhaps?

There are indeed flying fish — 40 species worldwide. But they are found in warm oceans, not in our cool north coast waters.

However, the Mendocino Coast Audubon Society is sponsoring a pelagic birding trip on May 18, taking a boat load of locals and tourists from Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg aboard the Trek II to search for birds at sea. Trip leaders are Fort Bragg’s noted wildlife photographer Ron LeValley from Mendocino Coast Photographer Guild and Gallery in the Company Store on Main Street in Fort Bragg. For details and reservations, contact Karen Havlena jkhavlena@yahoo.com or 707-964-1280. Noyo Habor-based trips also are planned for Aug. 8 and 10 by Debbie Shearwater Journeys.

As Fort Bragg continues to build a reputation as a popular tourist destination, local businesses are building and running green businesses. Not surprising. Living in a rural community, especially one surrounded forests and ocean, tends to heighten your awareness of the earth’s beauty and its limited resources. (more…)

There is lots of talk these days about “going green.” And, that’s good with global warming playing havoc with the planet. But one company, Thanksgiving, has been supporting sustainability since the company was founded by Paul and Joan Katzeff 37 years ago. Their company motto is “Not Just a Cup, but a Just Cup.” And they have backed up the words with support for gorillas, songbird habitat, fair trade pricing for poor farmers in third world countries and more. (more…)