Hunter Pence used to clean up pitchers' mistakes in right field and plant the seeds of motivation with fiery clubhouse speeches. Now he's started a non-profit organization to clean up cities and plant trees."
According to their website, Healthy Planet "aims to unite our communities to create a healthier environment, clean up our neighborhoods, and practice sustainable living to fight climate change and reduce our carbon footprint."
Pence is leveraging his celebrity and Giants connections to help the non-profit get off the ground. They've already scheduled a community cleanup for Earth Day, April 22, where Pence and 100 volunteers will "clean up the streets of San Francisco" before having lunch and attending a Giants game with Pence.
On April 28, the group is planting trees and cleaning up a park in SF's Bayview Hunters Point. There's also an as-yet-unscheduled beach cleanup and surf lesson for teenagers called "Summer Surf & Serve" and a kayak cleanup.
The group wants to encourage people to practice a sustainable lifestyle. If anyone is going to rally people into reducing their carbon footprint, it's going to be a wild-eyed, frantic Hunter Pence, shouting about how a single new tree can offset over 40 pounds of carbon emissions.
Pence spent a portion of his speech at his Giants Wall of Fame ceremony in September urging fans to plant trees and protect the environment, so this cause has been on his mind for a while. After all, he was a pioneer when it came to electric vehicles, commuting to games on a customized scooter in San Francisco.
In retirement, Pence and his wife Lexi have pursued Pence's other great passion: Caffeine. Pence drinks an entire pot of coffee and two double espressos every day, which translates to a dozen cups of coffee. That's why the Pences started their own coffee company, Pineapple Labs. It also means the Pence should have plenty of energy when it comes to picking up trash on the beach, and that these community events should have high-quality craft services.
Cleanups, tree planting, and sustainable living. Just another triple-hit for Hunter Pence.
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