MSI Press Blog

Every Earth Day, we’re reminded of the quiet power of planting trees—the way one life can ripple outward, sheltering, nourishing, and healing. For us, it’s not just a metaphor. It’s real. When Carl , a former forester and nature photographer (and MSI Press LLC typesetter and graphic artist), died of cancer of unknown primary, he chose to donate his body to Science Care so it could continue helping others through medical research or education. That final act of generosity didn’t end with science. Every year since, on the anniversary of his death, we receive a certificate: Science Care has planted a tree in Carl’s honor. Somewhere in the world, roots are digging deep, branches are reaching skyward, and green life is quietly unfolding—because of him. Carl taught us that giving doesn’t have to stop when a heartbeat does. That love can be rooted in memory and still grow. That Earth Day isn’t just about the planet—it’s about each other. So today, we plant. We remember. We believe in growth a...

  Recommending an excellent affiliated book for Earth Day: Walks Far Man: In Step with History on the Pacific Crest Trail  by Jim Ostdick. Jim Ostdick is a retired Earth Science teacher and independent author who lives on the ancestral lands of the Amah Mutsun Ohlone near the central California coast. In  Walks Far Man: In Step with History on the Pacific Crest Trail , Ostdick recounts his Pacific Crest Trail hiking experiences in the context of a larger, more vibrant story, thousands of years in the making. The Pacific Crest Trail in its current state is less than a century old. The land that the trail crosses was once home to bands of strong, inventive humans whose norms and values were strikingly dissimilar to the settlers and armies who vanquished them. With that in mind, Ostdick’s intentions are threefold: 1) to identify and honor the indigenous tribes who occupied and traveled the lands traversed by today’s Pacific Crest Trail, 2) to draw appreciation and respect fo...