Could there be lead in that toy?

Is it possible that a toy given to your kids over the holidays contains lead?

Drop by the MVCC Green Booth on January 3rd and have it tested! Jennifer Taggart of The Smart Mama will be on hand to offer free XRF testing for lead content for compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).

It is hard to tell what lead content might be lurking in. It might be in the sequins on a decorated t shirt or a cloth book. Check out this article in the Washington Post, where they say "In a report released Tuesday called "Trouble in Toyland," the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) found that while many manufacturers and retailers are complying with the new law, a handful are not, and it is hard for consumers to tell the difference."

This is a great chance to talk to another parent who has the expertise to tell you how to keep your kids safe!

Harvesting Good Vibes

by Jeanne Kuntz

I had a wonderful surprise this holiday season. Some seeds that I planted last spring produced an unexpected bounty. I am referring to the connections I made with a lovely group people who live just around the corner. They have been my neighbors for many years, and I never would have met them if it wasn’t for the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase, which I participated in back in April. Over 100 people came through my yard, and I enjoyed meeting each one of them. But four in particular – Steve, Yuko, Ron and Ronit – have become fast friends and my husband and I have been “harvesting” the benefits ever since.

We have lived on Cabrillo Boulevard for over 30 years. Our three children were born and raised here, and when they left we had fewer opportunities to mingle with our neighbors. My involvement with the MVCC Green Committee (I am Vice- Chair, doing my best to make sure that Co-Chairs Sherri and Laura don’t get overwhelmed) was the beginning of my career as a community activist. If I had known how much fun it would be, I would have gotten involved years ago! And the new friends I have made have been an unexpected bonus. We walk our dogs together (when they behave!), do yoga, celebrate the holidays, share meals and jokes.

If you are thinking of participating in the 2010 MVCC Green Garden Showcase, you may find the 4 hour tour provides much more than just ideas about how to save water, grow food, or protect the environment. It can be the first step in experiencing a deeper, wider, more fulfilling sense of community. We are putting together our team for next year’s Showcase, so drop us a line if you want to help out. You may find some seeds of community of your own.

Jeanne Kuntz of Teaching Wellness is Vice Chair of the MVCC Green Committee and shares her amazing energy at the MVCC Green Booth every Sunday!

Green Living Workshop ...and goodies too!

We are being spoiled by the eco community! Green resources are so excited about the Green Living Workshop in January that they are contributing both give aways and discounts to reward those who are taking the course. Check out the companies that will have surprises for you....

B&B Hardware
Buy Green
Gardenerd
Gary's Greenery
Green Garmento
Green Health
Green Plumbers LLC
LA DWP
Old School Brand Laundry Soap
Rainbud
Smart Faucets
Teaching Wellness

Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away!

We went to the expert - Paula Henson of Rainbud answers your questions about our new rain barrels!

How long can I keep the water in the barrel and won’t it get algae?

The dark color of the barrels prevents algae from growing. You can keep the water for months without a problem.

What kind of hose do I need?

The important thing to remember is that this is a gravity fed system, so it’s best if your barrel is set on a stand or cinderblocks at least 18” above ground to provide some flow. If you attach a hose and have it run along the ground in the garden you should have no problems. You can deep water by section this way.

What is this “first flush” I keep hearing about?

The first rain after a long dry spell carries all the dirt, pollutants etc. off your roof and into your rain barrel. There are many devices to prevent these contaminants from getting into your barrel, however if the top is screened, you can simply clean off whatever ends up there, including leaves etc. Remember, this roof runoff used to go directly into your garden or out to the bay!

On a personal note, let me add a progress report on my own rain barrels. The water from this rain was much less murky which made me feel much better about using it for my potted plants. I did not have great success attaching a hose. There was not enough force for the curled hose that I already had and the new hose that I purchased is probably too long. So this morning I used the 'bucket brigade' method. I was thrilled when we got the info above from Paula, as it means that I don't have to be frantic about emptying my barrels right away - I can let this be the water that I use every week for my pots.

Please leave a comment if you have any tips that might help others - or questions that are still unanswered.

Thank you to Paula Henson, the owner of Rainbud - their barrels are recycled, recyclable, local, and easy to install. They are food-grade polyethylene barrels. No new plastic has been created in the manufacturing of their barrels.

Free 6 Week Course in Green Living!

The MVCC has generously given us a grant to host the Sustainable Works Green Living Workshop in Mar Vista!

Normally, this course is only offered in Santa Monica and a $50 donation is requested from LA residents. Thanks to the MVCC grant, this works hop will be held will be FREE and will be held in LA for the very first time.

Each week’s class focuses on a separate aspect of greening your home and life – water, energy, waste, chemicals, transportation and shopping. The classes give you a deeper understanding of the issues and each week you leave with 10 actions that ultimately help you to –

• divert solid waste through recycling
• become water efficient
• eliminate toxic chemicals
• minimize transportation impacts
• reduce energy use
• and learn to make better consumer choices

The workshop will include a variety of conservation give aways, as well as special discounts with green resources at the completion of the series.

One great assessment tool that used in the workshop is the “Lifestyle Survey”. The participants are asked to take the survey before and after they have completed the workshop, and it is designed to assess their knowledge and attitudes pre- and post- their completion of the workshop. Part of the survey requires that the participant take short, online quizzes that measure the person’s ecological footprint. By comparing the results of the ecological footprint quizzes taken pre- and post- workshop, we can show that all participants end up reducing their footprint by at least one planet and by many acres.

Living a greener lifestyle ultimately entails using natural resources more wisely. Conserving water and energy will directly lead to lower utility costs. We can easily track a savings of $200 in annual utility bills when our solutions are followed. In turn, such savings can more than offset the higher costs associated with becoming “greener” consumers.

Stop by the MVCC Green Booth at the Mar Vista Farmers market if you would like a sneak peek at the work book for the course – you’ll be amazed at how comprehensive it is. Write us and we will email you the flyer – include it as a stocking stuffer or include it with a gift. How cool – a gift that costs you nothing, inspires a great experience and saves money for the recipient!

Pre-registration is required. The workshop begins on January 28th and will run for 6 successive Thursday evenings from 7 to 8:30 pm. They will be held at St. John’s Presbyterian Church at 11000 National Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064.

Get the Scoop on Pet Poop!

Stop by the MVCC Green Booth this Sunday to learn about the pet outreach program by LA Stormwater and get free goodies!

Many people think that pet poop left unattended is just inconvenient. In fact, it’s a health hazard – for us, for our kids and for our pets. Please drop by for a visit to learn more and help us spread the word! We’ll have free fun posters and coloring books for kids as well as free doggie waste bags with dispensers!

Not picking up after our dogs is devastating to the environment. Unattended dog waste gets washed down into our storm drain system when it rains. This toxic mix of dog waste and water then flows untreated into our Santa Monica Bay. Think it’s part of nature? Think again. We are feeding our pets processed food – this is not part of the natural cycle. The bacteria found in the fecal matter affects our marine life – ultimately getting into our food chain. It also impacts our health when we swim and surf. I have a friend who had a life threatening bacterial illness that required open heart surgery – in his thirties, resulting from surfing at our local beaches.

And what about the damage it does before it reaches the ocean? When someone doesn’t pick up after their dog, your pet’s chances of getting infected with one of two life threatening diseases are increased.

Canine Parvovirus and Canine Distemper are increasingly reaching the digestive systems of our healthy pets. Without catching the disease early enough or providing your pet with extensive hospitalization, serious ramifications can occur including partial or total paralysis, irreparable nerve damage, vomiting and diarrhea. There is also a parasite found in dog waste known as Giardia, which not only affects dogs, but also causes humans to have diarrhea and abdominal pain. Although Giardia is easier to treat, it also is more prevalent throughout communities.

Recently, the South Los Angeles Animal Shelter discovered a Giardia breakout, which resulted in 30-40 dogs being infected. Fortunately, none of the pets had to be euthanized, as all infected dogs were promptly treated. Dr. Steven Feldman, of Los Angeles Animal Services, stated “The transferring of Giardia can be from animal to animal, person to person, animal to person or person to animal. Prevention is based on good sanitation practices to prevent ingestion of any feces, contaminated food, water, or objects. It is important to dispose of waste materials in such a way that they cannot contaminate surface or ground water.”

It is important that as dog owners, we do our part and pick up after our pets and remind our neighbors and friends to do the same. Stop by and learn what we can all do to inspire awareness about this important issue!

Thank You, Urban Land Institute!

The Mar Vista Community was honored to be one of three finalists in the Enterprise category for the first annual LARC Awards that were presented on December 5th by the Urban Land Institute!


Read about the awards at Fast Company, where they touted Mar Vista as "possibly one of the most progressive in the city, with initiatives like Open Mar Vista, an ambitious social network and community Web site that includes information for programs like a neighborhood-wide solar roll-out."

The mission of the LARC Awards (Los Angeles Real Creativity) is to encourage and reward brave, innovative and potentially world-changing thought and to honor those who have distinguished themselves through unparalleled creative achievement. The Enterprise category recognizes an especially effective and innovative company, group, program, grass roots initiative, community organization or social movement.

Thank you, ULI for placing us in such esteemed company!
Visit the blog created for the submission here.

Christmas Trees!

Christmas Trees. There are great options for sustainable choices!

Open Mar Vista has brought a wonderful option to the Mar Vista Community - renting a living Christmas Tree! They have even taken it a step further and arranged for a 10% donation to Mar Vista schools and a bonus of a 5% discount. The trees are delivered to your door and picked up after Christmas. We got our tree from them this weekend and LOVE it but can offer some advise, having the benefit of the learning curve with what is a very busy new business. They have terrific customer support and are very responsive to phone calls and emails. Use these options to be clear on what you are ordering and make certain that the tree is delivered when you are there. When ours arrived, it technically met the minimum height we had ordered - but that is measuring from the floor of the pot to the tip of the center branch and the result was a tree that I could literally put my arms around. They immediately swapped it as they have extras on the truck and we were thrilled. Here is a note from their founder explaining the challenge -

"We understand the difficulties of viewing a tree over the internet and so it is our policy to have alternates on the truck in the event that a client is not 100% satisfied with their selection.
For very practical reasons, the height of the tree is measured from the floor. Pot sizes very in height, so you would not be able to determine true height unless it was inclusive. This is mentioned in the FAQ’s, but I hear ya and we could do a better job of explaining that.
Every tree is measured and inspected prior to being loaded on to the truck.
We tried to take as realistic pictures as possible for the website, and to if you click on the picture, three others are displayed to help you get a better feeling of shape/ texture/ and relative size"

For those of us who end up choosing a cut tree, there are a lot of options to make sure that it gets mulched and is still sustainable. If you are handy, cut it up yourself and put it in the green bin where it will become city mulch. I am not particularly handy but have usually found that my gardener had the right tools and was happy to earn a little extra for the effort. If it is too big to cut up, simply place it next to your green bin on pick up day and they will still take it. Easy! If you prefer, you can also take it to a city drop off center, but to me this seems much more challenging.

If you really want to be pampered, Recycle Trees will come in for a fee and drain the stand, remove the tree and even sweep up! They make a donation to Tree People from their proceeds and the tree is turned into mulch.

Think about purchasing LED Christmas lights! They are widely available (just Google them and price shop!). They use 20% of the electricity of conventional lights and put off absolutely no heat. Make sure you take your old conventional lights to a S.A.F.E. e waste drop off center.

Here's a thought - what about decorating without lights? Disposal of e waste is a major problem, even when we get it to the right spot. Our recycling centers are over overloaded and there isn't a market for their output - much of it is ending up in landfills anyway. And by 2012 it is predicted that our landfills will be overfilled. Anything we can do to enjoy the holidays with less 'stuff' is ultimately the best gift that we can give our kids and loved ones.

Have a wonderful, sustainable holiday!!

Meet The Learning Garden!

If you haven't already discovered The Learning Garden, then you are in for a treat!

Located at Venice High, this is one of Mar Vista's treasures. To many of us, the heart and soul of the garden is David King, the Garden Master. The garden is funded through our donations and grants. This year, they've not gotten their usual funding and their modest operating budget is shot. David has continued on, often at no salary. Please come by and meet David and the volunteers and students who collaborate on the garden. Learn about the classes and events they host throughout the year and how you can support their efforts.

The Learning Garden was launched in March of 2001. Since then it has quickly become one of the country’s largest and most successful school gardens.

The Learning Garden is a model example of how school gardens can transform the lives of students and teachers and the environment of their community. For several years, many groups worked with the high school horticulture program to transform the 60,000 foot plot of land into a garden, but due to lack of stronger community support it remained mostly an eyesore filled with trash, overgrown with weeds, and a magnet for vandalism. Today, the agricultural plots are filled with organic food grown by the high school students. Health-related classes such as tai chi, qigong, and natural food cooking are offered on its large stone patio. The garden has a large medicinal plant section for educational purposes, a pond with a water garden and waterfall, and a California native plant and cacti garden. A community garden is tended by local volunteers, and numerous groups and organizations use and support the garden.

The Learning Garden is much more than a garden. For the students of the high school it is an opportunity to be closer to nature, a place to learn about respecting the environment and taking care of plants and animals. For the teachers it is a place of solace. For the community it is a place of visual beauty. For those who have dedicated thousands of hours to making the inspiration of the garden a reality, it is a joyful and fulfilling accomplishment. For all who come, whether to a single event or as a regular volunteer, The Learning Garden is a remarkable and unique place that touches something deep in the heart and soul.