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'AUMI ', WaUY PRESS, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6,1989 The Christmas tree industry It won't be long until w e bur die up our families and head ou to our favorite Christmas tre farm or lot to choose the specia tree that will be the centre o festivities for many. There i muchmore to Christmas treeE than Christmas, however. Grown tended, harvested anc replantecilike other agricultura crops, Christmas trees provid year round employment for several hundred growers and seasonal employmnent for many more. During the eight to 16 years required to grow a Christ- mas tree to a marketable size, the young trees also provide a variety of benefits important for our envlronmient. Christmas trees thrive on shal- low sandy soils which are often unsuitable for other crops and help to prevent soil erosion caused by winds and rain. The presence of Christmas trees in an otherwise barren field beauti- fies the landscape and stimulates the senses through sound and sinell as well as sight. Tree farms are also havens for birds and small mammals. It has been estimated that an acre of Christmas trees supplies the daily oxygen requirements of about 18 people, and that same acre of trees will also remove as much as 3 tons of airborne pollu- tants over the course of a single year. Trees not only take carbon dioxide from the air and manu- facture oxygen, they also take up sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and other substances and actually purify our air. To ensure that trees continue to work for everyone, growers plant seedlings to replace the trees that are cut. In 1988, mem- bers of the Christmas Tree Growers' Association of Ontario planted three trees for every one that was harvested to be enjoyed in Christmas celebrations. Best of al], real Christmas trees have many uses after the festive season and are completely biodegradable. Left outside - beside the bird feeder, a tree wil et provide welcome shelter fo: ?e small birs. Add balls of sue f with sunflower seeds or stringi f of popcorn and cranberries anc s birdswill enoy a special treat. 's The trunk can be burned in a fireplace and the needles make d excellent mulch. In fact, cities il such as Toronto, Oakville and e Ottawa collect trees after Christ- rmas, chip them and use the d mulch inmunicipal gardens and yparks. More information on Ontario's Christmas trees is available from: The Christmas Tree Growers' Association of Ontario, Box 339, Brooklin, Ontario, LOB 1C0; telephone 705/789-9782. Bridge not tmerbylaws of Town By Trudie Zavadovics Travel the Rossland Rd. bridg:e at your own risk. The worn, deteriorated bridge, which is owned by CPR, does not fall within municipal jurisdiction so that local bylaws respecting safety and upkeep do not apply. The municpal bylaw calîs for the monitoring of bridge weight limits so they can be adjusted accordingly. "How do we assure that the (original) weight limits on bridges still apply due to deterio- ration," asked councillor Marcel Brunelle at the Nov. 21 works committee meeting. "Can't we review the condition of the bridge?" He was told by staff that the ministry set the original weight standards for the bridge and it is up to the Ministry of Transpor- tation to monitor it. Committee agreed to ask the ministry to review the structure in 1990. MAUREEN McVarish of the Ajax many community agencies to pro- public library hands out pamphlets vide information to students, on during Denis O'Connor High Nov. 22. School's Infomart, displays set up by Frec Press photo Environmental awareness at Anderson By Julie Parsons Ontario Science Centre semi- nars recently inspired two Anderson CVI students to begin an environmental awareness group at the school. Begun by Lisa Lauter and Lesley Hawks, Environmental Watch, a 30-member group, is also raising funds in support.of efforts to save the worl 's rain- forests. During a week in September, a series of seminars, 'The Summit of the Environment: Our World ,' was held at the Ontario Science Centre. "It was the most emotional experience of my life. It was all these people, who cared so much, together,' says Lauter. Although the club was the idea of Hawks.and Lauter, they prefer not to be identified as the group's leaders. 'We don't want group leaders because everyone's assigned to a task. We just want it to be a group," says Hawks. As well, they hope that mem- bership will increase. "New -members are always welcome," says Hawks. "We're just trying to make -people aware of environmental issues that affect us." At noon hours from Nov. 21 to. 23, Environmental Watch sold uneh bags at $3 each. The pro- ject was a cooperative venture with Courtice high school's environmental awareness group. Profits made from lunch bag sales go toward efforts to save rainforests from development. Environmental Watch will donate profits from all future fundraisin gactivities to environ- mental clu bs in Canada, includ- ing the World Wildlife Fund. 'We're just trying to raise money right now," says Hawks. The group also hopes to get involved in river and beach clean-up. As most of the students invol- ved in Environmental Watch are in grades 9 and 10, Hawks and Lauter hope the club will con- tinue next year when the two founders are no longer students of Anderson CVI. Cleghorn: Trend is now toward quality service, product Iy Trudie Zavadovies With today's flailing economy, where consumers scrutinize the direction of their dollars, and people tighten their belts and their bank accounts in the event of lean days ahead, the supply and demand for quality products and quality services are becom- ing a must, not a maybe. In his speech to the Durham Region Manufacturers' Associa- tion, John Cleghorn, president of the Royal Bank of Canada called quality product and quality ser- vice a trend that will not dis- appear. 'Essentially, quality service means putting the customer first nearly 100 per cent of the time, moving from a product-oriented corporate culture to one that's market-oriented. And that will almost surely mean some radical rethinking and restructuring." He said that most orth American companies have coas- ted onad hoc services that custo- mers are no longer willing to tolerate. JOHN CLEGRORN (middle), pre- Durham area manager for Royal sident of the Royal Bank of Canada, Bank, campaign vice president Ed preserts $37,500 to the Whitby Buffett, Cleghorn, campaign com- General Hospital fundraising cam- nttee director Bill Littie and Dur- paign. Helping with the giant ham area corporate manager for the cheque are «fýqm, 1q4) BimC4 ý c .Rte ,1 o 0 Ye k iin. "They're mad .as hell and they're not going to take it any- more. "Treating the customer as an appreciatingasset, as mentioned in Tom Peters' book 'Thriving on Chaos,' shows sound moral and business principle." "In the banking industry, the average lifetime customer repre- sents about $80 in net profit per year. For the Royal this means that losing a single lifetime cus- tomer over a service conflict -- that's someone who would bank with us for 35 to 40 years or even more -- can translate into a potential profit loss of about 3,000 constant dollars. Just mul- tiply that figure by seven and a half million customers to get the total picture." Referring to an article in For- tune Magazine, Cleghornusaid,' ',It costs five times as much te prospect for a new customer than it does to keep an existing one. He said that further statistics show that the average business never hears from 96 per cent of its unhappy customers meaning that for every customer who voices a complaint, there are 24 who don't. "TARP'S research indicates the average return on dollars inves- ted in handling complaints ranges from 100 per cent to as hi as 200 per cent. For my in ustry it's 170 per cent. This means that for every one million dollars we spend on effective :omplaint management, we can look forward to a potential return of $1,700,000. Not bad for return on input." He said a renewed commit- nent to service customers and mployees is the way for >usinesses to ensure the future. à When answering questions Ïbout the popse 1QI,-,Ceg31 horn didn't think that it would be detrimental in the long haul and that the economy is in a lon overdue slowdown (which wi probably run into 1991/92) after a great period of growth. "We're living beyond our means. We have to find a way to cover it." Psychiatrie hospital acoeping gifts The Volunteer Association of the Whitby Psychiatric Hospital, whose prime mandate is to enhance clients' needs, is again a ahng t community service c u s, organizations and indivi- duals for help to meet clients' Christmas gift -giving needs. Unwrapped items such as men's and women's personal needs, soaps, talcs, etc., costume jewelry, slippers, socks and nylons, and perhaps something for the sweet tooth, would be welcomp Donations of gifts may be left at the volunteer association office in the administration building between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Community groups or indivi- duals, planning their 1990 calen- dar of activities, are also wel- come toconsider a volunteer role in the facility. Publie speaking, tours and further information on volunteering in the 90's' are available by calling volunteer co- crdinator, Joanne Ashley, 430- 4 0 2 1 .( I .