On November 14th, we reached out to the community to support a request that Los Angeles City ban the give away of single use plastic bags and you turned out to support us! Tuesday night, the MVCC Board approved the motion and today they sent the letter below to Mayor Villaraigosa and the Councilmembers of the LA City Council. Thank you for making this happen!
December 17, 2010
The Mar Vista Community Council, at its December 14th regular Board of Directors meeting, approved the attached and following letter in support of a City-wide ban on plastic bags. We appreciate your consideration in this matter.
Dear Mayor Villaraigosa and City Councilmembers:
Acknowledging the November 16, 2010, passage of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor’s ban on plastic bags and the Environmental Impact Report which legally supports it, and, in lockstep with the Clean Seas Coalition (7th Generation Advisors, Heal the Bay, Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation, et al), we want to convey the Mar Vista Community Council’s support for a citywide ban on plastic bags.
Recognizing the importance of being good stewards of nearby Ballona Creek, the Ballona Wetlands, Santa Monica Bay and the oceans beyond, the Mar Vista Community Council has long supported efforts to clean up and improve waterways that affect our Southern California communities and our beaches which are so vital to our tourism industry.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Californians use more than 120,000 tons of the bags each year and, despite efforts to increase it, only 5% are actually recycled. Taxpayers therefore end up paying close to $25 million a year to rid streets, beaches, parks and waterways of the bags. A ban will help save city and state monies in troubled economic times and conserve important natural resources which could be put to a more beneficial use. A city-wide ban on plastic bags, identical to the County ban, would take us a giant step in the right direction.
The Mar Vista Community Council looks forward to your swift action on this matter.
Thank You,
Albert Olson
Chair
Mar Vista Community Council
Board of Directors
It Just Takes a Minute!
Earlier this year the MVCC sent a letter to the City Council supporting the City's Low Impact Development (LID) ordinance. Our work isn’t done! The LID ordinance is now scheduled to be heard before the City’s Energy and Environment Committee on December 7th at City Hall at 9:00 AM.
We need to get it passed through this committee and one additional committee before it can be heard before the full City Council. Our continued support is needed! If you can't attend, you can email the Councilmembers on the committee! You can also post about it on their facebook pages to drive awareness in the community. Let them know that this matters to us!
The December 7th meeting is an important step in the adoption of the LID Ordinance. Agendas are posted within 48 hours of the committee meetings. Please check the City Council calendar website on Monday December 6th for an update on the time, location and agenda for the meeting.
For ongoing updates regarding the proposed LID Ordinance, please visit the City’s L.A. Stormwater blog.
Be our Guest?
You are invited to be our guest at the MVCC Green Booth in 2011!
As we look ahead to 2011, we are grateful for the many community members that have joined us in hosting the booth. Sarah Auerswald of Mar Vista Mom and Annie Barnes of Inspire the Change will host the booth again in 2011 on topics that are specific to greening what we do with our kids. Melissa Stoller will return with her drive to collect shoes for Soles4Souls. Nancy Knapp of WeedsBloom will be hosting guests on sustainable garden issues.
Do you have a business or talent that focuses on an aspect of sustainability? Is there an organization or resource that you support that you can share to broaden our eco knowledge and efforts in the community? Please join us! We invite you to contact Jeanne@Marvista.org or Sherri@Marvista.org.
Wise Power Use Expo November 3rd!
We hope you will join us at the Wise Power Use Expo on November 3rd!
The LADWP is proposing that solar rebates be reduced. Council Members Bill Rosendahl and Jan Perry will be joining us at the Expo. This is our chance for each of us to have a voice on this issue!
Read about the speaker line up here. Check out the amazing raffle items that the participants have donated below and added discounts on our blog.
Sierra Pacific - $4,600 Patina Green aluminum clad pine French door Constant Solar - $1,000 Discount on Solar Installation
Sierra Club - LA Beyond Coal
November 3rd at the Windward School - Tables open at 6:30 - Speakers begin at 7:30
Have a Green(er) Halloween!
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Halloween Dalmatians! The costume on the right was homemade with old socks (for the ears), an old white T-shirt and a pant found at a thrift store. Only the cap (reusable) and the black spots were new. Halloween is a wonderful holiday that most of us love to celebrate, but it needs a Green Makeover. There is altogether too much sugar and plastic involved and so we’ll be offering alternative ideas for costumes, treats and decorations. Take a step in the Green direction this Halloween! Sunday, October 3rd, join local moms and bloggers Annie Barnes (of Inspire the Change and The Mar Vista School Green Dolphins), Charlotte Neve, from Beethoven Elementary School and Sarah Auerswald of Mar Vista Mom at the MVCC Green Booth at the Mar Vista Farmers Market. The amount of toxic plastic generated by this holiday is the scariest part of Halloween. Come to the Green Booth this Sunday and find out how you can still have Tricks and Treats without "digging your own grave". Re-using, recycling and getting downright creative are easy and affordable ways to make Halloween costumes and decorations this year, and there will be great examples on display. Treats with less sugar and fewer unpronounceable ingredients are much easier to come by than you might think – and we’ll have examples of those on display as well, including some sweet treats donated by Rainbow Acres. Important note – plan your route to the market on Sunday without crossing Venice Blvd! See the street closures for the L.A. Triathlon here. |
New Watering Schedule from the DWP
The new watering schedule from the DWP goes in to effect today - and I, for one, am worried that people are going to water MORE as a result. Let's do everything we can to get the word out and to inspire people to implement it without increasing their water usage.
Our home ends with a 9 so we can water on Mon, Wed and Fri. I see no reason to go to 3 days a week and I don't think that fewer minutes on 3 days would be a benefit to our native plants. So we will try to remain on 5 minutes on Mon and Fri. Am I happy that I am watering 3 days apart? No! Especially given that before the restrictions, we watered only every 5 days! But in this heat, I don't think our plants could take watering just once a week.
See the details below.....
LOS ANGELES — Changes to the City of Los Angeles' Water Conservation Ordinance went into effect today for Los Angeles City residents and businesses, allowing LADWP customers to water with sprinklers up to three days per week. Customers whose street addresses end with an odd number – 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 – are permitted to use their sprinkler systems on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Customers whose addresses end in even numbers – 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8 are permitted to do so on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Addresses ending in fractions are treated as whole numbers and observe the same day restrictions as others on their same side of the street, (ie: 4321 ½ is regarded as 4321, an odd-numbered address.)
Sprinkler time limits are based on the type of nozzle used. Spray head sprinklers and bubblers, which are non-conserving models and are common in most landscapes, are allowed up to 8 minutes per watering station per day. Rotors and multi-stream rotary heads are allowed 15 minutes per cycle and up to two cycles per day per watering station. Watering with sprinklers is restricted to hours before 9:00 a.m. and after 4:00 p.m., regardless of the watering day.
All other prohibited uses of water, which include prohibiting hosing down driveways and sidewalks and water runoff, requiring all leaks be fixed and only using hoses fitted with shut-off nozzles, remain in effect. Hand-watering using garden hoses fitted with shut-off nozzle devices is permissible any day of the week before 9:00 a.m. and after 4:00 p.m.
The changes to the Ordinance were approved by the Board of Water and Power Commissioners on July 22. The Los Angeles City Council approved the revisions on August 18 and the Mayor signed them into law on Monday.
Educational awareness efforts, and enforcement where applicable, will continue to be conducted by the LADWP Water Conservation Team, whose members actively patrol Los Angeles communities to help inform customers of water waste they observe in progress and learn about through tips from neighbors and concerned residents who call 1-800-DIAL DWP or send e-mails to waterconservationteam@ladwp.com.
In an effort to help our customers save water and money, LADWP offers a rebate on water conserving sprinkler nozzles of up to $8 per nozzle. The Department offers numerous other rebate programs and incentives for switching to water efficient devices and tips for easy ways to reduce water use. This information, as well as comprehensive information on the new watering schedules and the prohibited uses of water, is all available at www.ladwp.com.
Customers may apply for a Hardship Variance from specific Ordinance requirements, including customers in designated High Fire Severity Zones. Variance Instructions and Forms are available online at www.ladwp.com/waterconservation and at all LADWP Service Center locations. For more information, call 213-367-0771.
Please join us to learn about Feed in Tariffs!
The LA Business Council presented their proposed feed in tariff program to the MVCC Green Committee last month and we posed quite a few questions. They are returning next week to present to the T&I committee with our answers. The Green Committee will have a motion to consider asking the board to support their proposal with the LA City Council at our meeting this Sunday. The presentation will be the first item on the agenda at the meeting below and should take about an hour. Please help us get the word out so the board can be presented with an informed motion and a community consensus.
Several of us attended the work shop that the LADWP presented last week on how they plan to move from coal to renewable energy and feed in tariffs were not on the menu. We need to find out why! Please spread the word about this meeting.
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Co-Chairs: Ken Alpern and Chuck Ray
Co-Chairs: Ken Alpern and Chuck Ray
Please Note New Place
WINDWARD SCHOOL Tom Hunter Board Room, Room 800
11350 Palms Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066Tuesday, August 24th, 7-9:30 PM
11350 Palms Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066Tuesday, August 24th, 7-9:30 PM
The LA Business Council will present the findings of their Solar Plan developed in partnership with UCLA. They will highlight the many business and community benefits, primarily how this plan is cost-effective and provides long-term savings for the ratepayer.
PLAN TO ATTEND!
More About Pedal Patch Community
We had a chance to learn more about what Pedal Patch Community does when they were our guest at the booth on July 18th and want to share it with the community.
PPC is a nonprofit whose members are a community of everyday people who donate seeds, land and capital to bring about change. In the simplest approach possible, PPC identifies eager parties or change agents (developers, educators, mothers, fathers) and connects them to available property or land procured by PPC staff. Once the project is approve by all the stakeholders, PPC galvanizes its network of enthusiastic members and people from within the very community it is serving to lend support.
They take underutilized or vacant spaces to produce a healthy and nutritious food source while involving the community. Their biggest program is GardenShare - the property owner gets expert advice from a team of certified professionals who will help install, consult and provide weekly maintenance of a new edible landscape or raised bed garden for about the same or less cost of the prior gardening / landscape service.
Special MVCC Green Committee Meeting on Solar Feed in Tariffs!
The Los Angeles Business Council will make a presentation to us on their proposed Solar Feed in Tariff program – see www.solarfit4la.com. The meeting will be at 6:00 PM this Thursday in room 200 at West LA Municipal Building, 1645 Corinth Ave, LA 90025 (where Councilmember Rosendahl’s office is).
A solar Feed-in Tariff program allows businesses, public and non-profit organizations, and residents to install solar panels on their roofs and parking lots and sell the power generated back to the local utility. Participants receive a payment back from the utility for each Kilowatt-hour fed back into the power grid. FiT programs can generate a cost-effective source of renewable energy, create local jobs, and bring in revenue for businesses and ratepayers. Successful FiT programs have been put in place around the world. LABC has singled out programs in Germany and Gainesville, Florida as particularly effective models that Los Angeles should look to emulate.
The Green Committee believes that Solar Feed in Tariffs are an essential component to meeting our goal of 100% clean electricity by 2018 and we are eager to hear this proposal and appreciate Councilman Rosendahl referring them to us.
“The Los Angeles Business Council is urging Councilmember Rosendahl to support the adoption of a 600 MW Solar Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program for the City of LA. LADWP General Manager Austin Beutner has announced that a FIT would be included in the Long Term Strategic Plan. The LABC, UCLA, AIA, LA Area Chamber, LA Family Housing, Sierra Club, Global Green, USGBC, Cal SEIA and the Union Roofers and Contractors Association all support this program .
Per LABC -
"We have designed a program that is large and spans 10 years because of its cost-neutrality to rate-payers (See attached FIT fundamentals page for program details). Further, the economic and environmental benefits of a 600 MW program are manifold:
• Creating 11,000 high-wage green jobs according to UCLA Luskin Center
• Attracting clean-tech industries to the region by demonstrating political
commitment to creating a green City
• Guaranteed cost saving opportunities and long-term returns for energy consumers
• State and federal tax credits to fund up to 40% of solar panel installation costs
• Using a FiT program as a critical piece to reach AB 32 renewable energy goals
• Cost saving opportunities for Multi-family affordable housing developments
• Displacing coal, which is a significant liability to the city due to its
increasing expense, legal risks, regulatory uncertainty, and public health effects
If you have any questions, please visit our website: www.solarfit4la.com to learn more about the program, listen to testimonials from local business, environmental and labor leaders and municipal utilities who have implemented successful FITs. “
Mar Vista to Partner with EPA as Green Power Community
On Tuesday the MVCC decided to partner with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to become an EPA Green Power Community.
The EPA’s Green Power Communities program recognizes cities, towns and villages in which the local government, businesses, and residents collectively buy green power in amounts that meet or exceed EPA's Green Power Community purchase requirements. The EPA has invited Mar Vista to launch a pilot version of the program that will specifically address green power purchasing in urban neighborhoods.
Pending EPA acceptance of Mar Vista into the program, the neighborhood will join a short list of two other California communities, Santa Clara and Palo Alto, who have met EPA green power purchasing guidelines.
Learn more about the EPA program and how Mar Vista can switch to 100% clean electricity through energy conservation and clean, renewable power. Mark your calendar for the Wise Power Use Expo on September 28th from 6 to 9 pm. at the solar-powered Windward School in Mar Vista.
Thank you to James Brennan for researching the program and doing an incredible job of making this possible!
All green power purchasing is completely voluntary under the EPA program, and the EPA recognizes three kinds of green power purchases:
1) Onsite Generation – federal, state, and local funding is available for installing on-site solar panels, wind turbines, and fuel cells.
2) Utility-Provided Green Power – renewable electricity consisting of 25% small hydro-electric and 75% wind power may be purchased via LADWP Green Power for a premium of $0.03/kWh. Signup as residential and small non-residential or medium and large non-residential.
3) Renewable Energy Credits - can be purchased for your home or business from certified retailers at rates ranging from $0.005/kWh to $0.03/kWh or more.
Benefits of participating in the EPA program include national recognition, expert resources and media/communications support to assist us in reaching our goal of 100% clean electricity by 2018.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and the EPA have provided assistance in determining Mar Vista’s electricity usage and current green power purchasing commitment. Based on EPA guidelines for a community the size of Mar Vista, three percent (3%) of neighborhood electricity must be purchased through clean, renewable sources within six months in order to qualify for the EPA Green Power Community program. According to data provided by LADWP and other sources, Mar Vista is already purchasing green power for 4.7% of neighborhood electricity – well above the 3% EPA qualifying requirement.
We look forward to joining the other forward thinking communities in this program!
Have you borrowed a Kill-A-Watt yet?
Check out the new video to help you learn how to use the Kill-A-Watt! Thank you to Carbon Reduction Services for creating this for us.
Constant Solar Electric, a solar installation company based here in Mar Vista, has generously donated 10 "Kill-A-Watt's" to the MVCC Green Committee!
These easy to use devices measure the electrical consumption of the appliances in your home. We have 10 that we continually loan out to neighborhood residents who use them to learn more about the phantom electricity that is being wasted by appliances that are plugged in while not is use. Just return them the following week they will be loaned out to 10 new people. Stop by any Sunday to borrow one!
Energy conservation can reduce your electrical bill by 15% to 20% and unplugging appliances when they are not in use will easily be half of that. We look forward to sharing reports from our neighbors as they use these!
Another tip - invest in Smart Strips for areas like your entertainment center or desk - where some appliances need to stay on (perhaps your computer or cable box) while others can shut down (video games, printers, sound systems).
Learn why water recycling matters!
The LADWP feels that water recycling has become one of the least expensive and most feasible sources of additional water, and is essential to the city’s water supply future. We need your voice and presence in this all-important meeting!
You are invited to join the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Green Committee of the Mar Vista Community Council for a LADWP Presentation on Recycled Water & Groundwater Replenishment! This will be an important component to our future water access and this is our chance to influence the direction it takes.
The meeting will be held at 7:00 PM on Tuesday June 22nd. Location is the Bundy Campus of Santa Monica College in the Multimedia Room (Room 123). No need to RSVP but if you need more information contact Chuck Ray at Chuck@MarVista.org.
3609 Ocean View Ave
Preview this garden with a video tour!
New Garden on the 2010 tour! Click here to see the gardens that will open for the tour.
This succulent garden is a lesson for all of us who think it can’t be done – that converting our lawn is too expensive or not within our reach.
Two years ago, at 82 years of age, this homeowner put down the weed cloth and did all of the planting on their own - “so If I can do it, anyone can”. They continue to maintain the garden on their own. No blowers, no gardeners.
Before they watered once a week - now they water every 2 weeks. Water usage was cut in half.
What an inspiration!
4317 Campbell Drive
We are thrilled to have the Theodore Payne Foundation as a guest booth at this garden! This is a great stop for those interested in learning about landscaping with California Native plants!
The front yard is 100% cal natives, unstructured and natural. They killed the existing lawn in 1996 using weedblock with dg over the top and it has been natives since then. It’s a mix of mostly coastal community plants and the owner is happy to provide a plant list. The last couple years they have gotten into grouping plants more; they love the mutability of the yard - from season to season, year to year it’s always changing.
The back yard is a bit different, although it’s also 100% natives. It is more structured - more geometric and planned and covered with equally spaced 2’ square concrete pavers filled in with ¾” del rio pebbles. This yard is coming up on 3 years old, and is still changing. The owner is a designer/builder who specializes in modern furniture/casegoods/built-ins using sustainable materials and techniques, such as bamboo plywood and that design esthetic is evident in the garden.
When they bought the house it had two lawns. They hated mowing and weeding but especially watering. Basically we live in a desert and lawns make no sense. They started learning about native plants and wanted to create a habitat for birds and insects. They were also curious about medicinal/traditional uses of natives. They didn’t know much at first and it’s been a lot of trial and error. Back when they started the neighbors were concerned and would mention the “weeds.” Since then some great books have come out and they’ve learned a lot about how different species mature, how to place them in micro-climates within the yard, and how to prune. They’ve also gotten into propagating natives through seed collection and cuttings and will be happy to show guests how this has progressed.
It is clear that this garden is their passion. They have seen some amazing things. The yard is visited annually by all the cool migrant birds. They’ve also planted for insects – buckwheats and such, and have had some rare and wonderful visitors – a tarantula hawk wasp pollinating my desert milkweed, for example. This December they got to watch an Allen’s hummingbird (back for several years in a row) jealously defend the manzanita against all comers, staking out his territory and finding a mate.
They have many favorites, but probably the mature manzanita “arctostapylos glauca” is at the top. They’ve now joined the American Penstemon Society and for the last couple years have been working on a penstemon collection.
What they really love about the yard is that they can go months without doing a thing – no water, no weeding, no pruning – and the yard looks great and there’s something new/different all the time. They don’t water much; some years not at all. Usually it’s in the fall, if we don’t get any rain after fall replacement plantings (although they usually try to plant them with rain in the forecast). They don’t water at all in the winter or spring, and some summers they don’t water at all, either - one or two deep waterings in the summer (think strategically placed/moved hose with a breaker on the end) keep the plants a little greener and they lose fewer to late summer heat.
3389 Halderman Street
New Garden on the 2010 tour! Click here to see the gardens that will open for the tour.
The Silver Sheen is their favorite planting, they love the way it moves in the wind and the incredible color that changes throughout the day.
This garden is a collage of both drought resistant and California native plants. In front, there is blue oat grass, fruitless olive trees, reed grass and various agaves. In back it’s silver sheen pittisporum, black bamboo and flowering acacias.
Irrigation is a mix of hand watering, sprinklers and drip and requires no irrigation at all from November to April.
3238 Corinth Avenue
New Garden on the 2010 tour! Click here to see the gardens that will open for the tour.
This garden was designed by Justin Winston who is particularly interested in designing drought tolerant gardens featuring native plants and will be on hand to answer questions the day of the tour. It was installed by Pacific View Landscape just three months ago.
The gardens (front and back) are drought resistant, as are the lawns. They planted Eureka Hard Fescue and overseeded with Pipolina Microclover that acts as a natural fertilizer.
There are also four dwarf fruit trees in the back (naval orange, meyer lemon, avocado and apple) and two raised areas for vegetables, as yet unplanted.
There is a newly installed sprinkler system. With the recent rains, the plants have not needed irrigation at all and the lawns were watered only because they were newly seeded.
13056 Rose Avenue
New Garden on the 2010 tour! Click here to see the gardens that will open for the tour.
The design focus was on creating a painterly effect with different leaf colors and seasonal change while staying mindful of the environment we live in. All plants were chosen for there ability to survive without too much water.
They worked closely with Grow Garden Design to create a garden that complimented their newly remodeled home. The front garden was designed and installed 4 years ago; the back yard was completed 2 years later. The garden is designed to save tons of water as they removed all of the grass and any thirsty plants. The group of acer palmatum sango kaku in the front has to be their favorite - the way the coral colored bark catches the light late afternoon is magnificent. The garden attracts tons of Hummingbirds due to the Australian native anigozanthos. They use a traditional sprinkler system set to come on once per week for a good deep soak.
11411 Charnock Road
What a treat - Pamela Berstler of G3 and Flower to the People, lives next door and helped design the garden. Her nephew even helped take out the grass. Ah, the benefits of a community!
This garden is drought resistant with a few California natives. They love the ground cover that blooms a very bright yellow. Pamela will be on hand the day of the tour to answer questions. Many of the succulents had been raised and saved for years. They water only once a week at the most, and only for five minutes. The garden has attracted more butterflies, birds bees and hummingbirds.
3765 Wade Street
There is an important message in this garden about community. Stop by and enjoy the pink bench! It’s a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the day and from which to visit with passers by. The garden has been a wonderful source of peace and joy. Passersby also enjoy it – which delights them! People stop and sit on the bench or take pictures of their kids, or just stop to enjoy the butterflies. It’s a way of getting back to the day when people sat out and visited on their front porches. Doesn’t it make sense for the space in front of our homes to be something more than lawn that we just pass by?
The garden is a mix of drought tolerant plants with various cooking herbs stuck here and there. Plants have been allowed to seed and spread with minimal efforts to ‘manicure’. Something is always blooming and surprising the owner. The garden is regularly visited by honey bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, dragonflies and the occasional lizard.
Watering is done by hand. During the dry season, they water once or twice a week. During the rainy season, they don’t need to water at all. Long ago, when there was a lawn, it seemed they were watering constantly – especially in the summer.
Their first effort was to plant the strip between the street & sidewalk. It used to be grass and always looked awful. They saw something in Sunset Magazine and decided to give it a try - initially planting guara, lavender, yarrow and catmint. At that time, nobody in the neighborhood was planting in these spaces. It looked so great, they then decided to tear out the front lawn. A couple of their son’s high school friends did most of the ‘demolition’ – below the sod, the soil was hard and dry. A neighbor helped them rent a roto-tiller.
They absolutely love the matillaja poppies when they bloom – although they’ve discovered the plants are extremely invasive and are now popping up everywhere. Lavender is great – it comes in so many different varieties. They also love succulents – they offer wonderful bloom surprises. Truly, they enjoy each and every plant! They only regret that they don’t have more space to try more plants! Wildlife is abundant - honey bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, dragonflies, lizards – always something to watch!
3401 Corinth Avenue
Water conservation doesn’t have to be all or nothing – this garden is a great example of that!
The homeowner is a landscape designer, a graduate of UCLA Extension’s landscape architecture program. They’ve seen their garden as a laboratory, which gives them a lot of freedom. They learned sustainable gardening through ongoing participation in Santa Monica’s sustainable landscape professionals program.
In October 2009, the grass in the back yard was replaced with gravel, and it looks great, because the space was designed. They have some grass in the front that they are not ready to lose, so they conserved by replacing the sprinkler nozzles with Toro’s Precision nozzles, which apply water more slowly and evenly than conventional nozzles and thus use less water, reduce runoff and save money.
They wanted to replace all of the sprinklers with drip irrigation, but the cost exceeded their budget, so they compromised by converting one zone and adding a vegetable garden with gravel pathways and a fruit tree.
Most of the plants they added were to reinforce the existing theme. They knew which ones had done well and how drought-tolerant they were, so those were emphasized. Two favorites are Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos) and Fortnight Lily (Dietes vegeta). They just added a variegated form of Dietes, and it’s sensational in the shade. Vegetables are the latest adventure!
The garden is a process that began when they moved here. They spent a lot of time observing—watching the way the light changed through the day and the seasons. They thought about how they wanted the space to work and how they wanted the experience to change as they moved through it. Then they started designing. They used plants to reinforce the design ideas and chose plants that they liked, but with a primary concern about what they would do in the landscape.
Irrigation is a combination of drip, sprinklers with Precision Nozzles, and conventional sprinklers. It is watered twice a week on Monday and Thursday per DWP and using the water calculator on the bewaterwise.com website to determine how much and how often.
12537 Woodbine Street
This California/Mediterranean, drought resistant garden contains 60-70 different water-thrifty species combined by color, texture, size and function with a wide variety of earth tones and flowers that attract birds. There are small fruit trees such as Fuji apple, brown turkey fig, Santa Rosa plum, two Meyer lemons, a semi-dwarf Valencia orange, one Bearrs lime tree, and one fruiting olive tree – practically an orchard!
The homeowners completely removed the lawn and added permeable semi hardscape such as flagstone and decomposed granite. They were inspired by a
part time professional garden designer and landscape architect living in their home. They began the journey in 1994, going through many different transitions and with much experimentation based on current trends in sustainable landscaping and Mediterranean gardens
They water once a week, using standard spray heads.
12512 Brooklake Street
This drought tolerant garden is eclectic! It is newly planted (Fall of 2009) by ‘do it yourselfers’ and a great chance to get hands on advice. Jairo Ramirez of Exotic Succulents, Member of Cactus & Succulent Society of America, will be on hand to answer questions the day of the tour.
The focal point is a fruitless olive tree, and they chose plants with interesting foliage to complement the gray green leaves of the tree. Two mounds of plantings have a decomposed granite walkway between them. Large rocks, a rock “stream” and redwood tree stumps add interest.
The lawn was removed in August. While it was covered with black plastic to kill the weeds, their water usage was cut in half. While watering to establish the plants it is down about a third. Once established, they don’t plan to water much, if at all.
Their daughter, who is mindful of the earth, had suggested a drought tolerant garden years ago. Two years ago the needles on their pine tree began turning brown, so it was necessary to have it removed. When the DWP began offering rebates for turf removal, they were given the impetus they needed to get serious about their dream of having a water-wise garden.
They are DIYers and didn’t think it would be difficult to design the yard. However, they were overwhelmed once the lawn was out and the planning began. They knew they wanted mounds for planting, a walkway, an olive tree, drought tolerant plants, and overall low maintenance and worked with a professional to pull their ideas together. He was great - adding boulders, redwood tree stumps, mulch and a pebble “stream” to the mounds and positioning the plants that they wanted. This month they are planning a succulent rock garden for the planters. Hopefully, it will be ready by the time of the Green Garden Showcase!
They water by hand using a water meter to check the soil. When they first planted, they were watering twice a week but haven’t watered at all since the rains started in January.
3312 Coolidge Avenue
This garden was designed by landscape designer Linda Endler and planted 6 years ago, replacing an old Bermuda lawn and some shrubbery The new design reduced the original lawn size by approximately 35% and is comprised of a hybrid of drought tolerant plants and native grasses mixed with a collection of hybrid tea roses for cutting. The natural cut stone walkway, as well as the stacked stone walk at the entry are as much a part of the garden as the plantings. While there is some lawn, the planters are wider than traditional gardens and there is a slightly mounded planted berm off the sidewalk to reduce run off.
Linda created a California garden based on a Mediterranean climate. Because they love roses, together they selected some hearty, disease-resistant varieties to mix in with the plantings. Additional color was created from plants with variegated foliage of gray, gray-green & bronze red.
There are a blend of grasses - Blue Oat, Carex, New Zealand Flax and Mexican Feather- combine with the burgundy foliage of Loropetalum, and the grayish green Pittosporum crassifolium. The ground cover is a mixture of Dymondia, Sedum, true Geranium, Blue Festuca and Lambs Ear. A multi-trunk Olive tree anchors the corner of the garden as well as a newly planted Guava tree. There is an assortment of cutting roses of yellow and orange tones, including a favorite climbing rose, ‘Josephs Coat’ that frames the entry.
A copper birdbath is visible from the front window and complements a newly added copper rain chain hanging at the entry. The birdbath attracts numerous species of birds, which the children enjoy watching as they splash about. The plants attract butterflies, bees and bumblebees. The children love to dig in the garden unearthing worms along with the occasional encounter with a grasshopper or two.
The garden was installed before drip irrigation had been perfected, so irrigation uses the traditional spray heads on an automatic timer. It is watered twice a week on separate zones to meet the different watering requirements needed.
Linda Endler will be there periodically through the afternoon and will supply a hand-out with a thorough plant list.
3717 Barry Avenue
Their goal is low maintenance, low water with an Asian aesthetic and they have continued to tweak their garden 4 or 5 times since moving here in 1997.
They placed a vegetable garden in their front yard because that is where they get the most sun on the property. They’ve removed their grass and have replaced it with mostly decomposed granite. Other plantings are mixed: fruit trees, a few tropicals, and native drought tolerant plants.
Since the process has been gradual, they’re not sure how much water they are saving but they are thrilled that they’re not wasting it on ugly pee stained weedy grass!
They have a rain barrel from the city of LA – the planning has been a little stressful when El Nino is in the forecast!
They’ve planted a wonderful Pomegranate tree, a Pineapple Guava tree, Satsuma Plum tree, and Protea’s from Trader Joes. They like to get loot for watering!
With their new water fountain they’ve opened up a bath house for the little green finches - they’re so delightful to watch! Critters have always been around but now they have a destination and come digging into their vegetable garden for grubs. They’ve found that Mar Vista has always had a lot of wild life.
They use drip twice a week, adjusting for the different needs for trees and the vegetable garden.
3144 Coolidge Avenue
This home was recently remodeled from the original Trousdale tract to a fairly modern two story home and the garden was designed to be drought resistant and low maintenance. What a success! After only 18 months, the garden has thrived with only our winter rains while the irrigation system was turned off for the last three months!
Linda Endler, the landscape designer, chose a simple palette of plant material and native grasses to compliment the minimalist style and strong vertical lines of the new structure. The low concrete wall that runs along the sidewalk with planting was created to help ease the transition of the garden and draw the eye to the strong vertical axis of recessed entry.
A grove of three Acacia stenophylla grow tall to soften the strong vertical lines of the house façade. Plant selection focuses on the combination of greys, chartreuse green and burgundy colored foliage. They include Anigozanthos (Kangaroo Paw), Agave attenuata, New Zealand Flax, Juncus, Carex, Pittosporum crassifolium, and Senecio. A solid mass of the silver colored Dymondia is planted in the parkway under the silver Maple street tree.
The owners can also share information about their solar panels and tankless water heater. Linda Endler, the landscape designer, will be there periodically throughout the afternoon.
11409 Charnock Road
The FLOWER to the PEOPLE garden is a work in progress. Drive by now to see the before (pictured above) – come the day of the tour to see the transformation! If you are ready to pull out your turf, this garden is a must see.
On March 21st, in anticipation of tabling at the Garden Showcase, Surfrider Foundation Volunteers are going to help transform this garden into an Ocean Friendly Garden, demonstrating the principles of CPR: Conservation, Permeability, and Retention through the installation of a rainbarrel, a downspout disconnect into a raingarden area including a small cistern/pond, nasty turf removal, berming, planting native plants, and mulching.
After purchasing the house three years ago, the first order of business was to sheet compost the front yard. They covered it in the IKEA cardboard boxes in which their kitchen components arrived, and covered that with 10 yards of natural wood chip and leaf mulch. The neighbors knew they were crazy when they began burying their compost in the front yard and invited everyone to join in. Their next door neighbor contributed grass clippings from her yard – it looked like Dogpatch for about 2 years. They were just too busy with our sustainable landscape design business that we didn’t have time to work on our own garden.
Last year they cut away about 25% of the driveway, providing added sunny garden space and allowing them to manage the runoff from the hardscape surfaces. Since the garage has been converted into an office, they decided that it was stupid to devote so much precious garden space to a concrete strip that would never again be used for an automobile.
A couple months ago, they received a phone call from a prospective client who had found the address on their website and had driven by the property. The woman said that she was sad that it seemed they’ed abandoned their home, and hoped that they had not had serious misery befall them. That was a wake-up call!
This past year they have really focused on spraying compost tea and building up the soil microbial activity to hold on to as much water as possible throughout the year.
They’re looking forward to using water from their rainbarrels and small cistern to water the vegetable garden. Since the rain has been plentiful this year, they are optimistic that they’ve banked enough of it in the main garden’s healthy soil to get them into the summer months. After that, nature will tell them whether or not they need to replace the weak ones – nature’s brutal!
They have many fruit trees, including a couple climate-appropriate ones such as Jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana), and native ones like Catalina cherry (Prunus ilicifolia ‘lyonii’) and Elderberry (Sambucus mexicanus). Since the space is small, they have had to get creative by putting them into large containers or espaliered on walls.
They are daily visited by a cloud of titmice (that’ a bird) and the local cooper’s hawk is never far afield. Butterflies find the asclepias ‘Family Jewels’ most interesting, and so do the neighbors.
They hope you’ll visit them during the tour and experience how Southern Californians can restore their urban watersheds by turning their yards into Ocean Friendly Gardens.
Green Gardeners Cooperative
Under the nurturing of Commissioner Paula Daniels of the LA Department of Public Works, IDEPSCA has developed a Green Gardeners Cooperative. After almost 8 months of meetings, trainings and developing a curriculum, today 23 day laborers became the first group to earn certification in Green Gardeners skills and methods. CONTACT: RAUL ANORVE (213) 252-2952. EMAIL: ranorve@idepsca.org to utilize their services. This is a great opportunity if you are interested in removing turf and converting to drought resistant landscaping!
In order to practice their skills and develop our Green Gardeners Cooperative, they offer the following:
1. A team of two “Maestros” and 4 apprentices Green Gardeners will assess your garden. This consists in testing the soil with a moisture probe, evaluate irrigation scheduling for plant type, soil type, terrain slope, and hydrozone, analyzing the water pressure, and your existing irrigation system.
2. In this process we will seek your garden needs and how you can save water while still developing and maintaining a drought tolerant beautiful garden.
3. After this assessment, the team will write down specific tasks on a Service Agreement contract and present it to you so both, you and us, will have the same expectations. If there are any materials needed, the homeowner will purchase them, and we will do the labor.
4. Based on this Agreement, we will write down an estimated cost, and we will then ask you for a minimum of 25% donation of the total cost due at the end of the job.
Here are some ideas you should think about as you look at your existing garden and how you may want to change it and manage it:
Water Monitoring & Irrigation:
Reprogram my automatic irrigation controller every two weeks or monthly based on actual or historical evapo-transpiration data. Check soil with moisture probe and evaluate irrigation scheduling for plant type, soil type, terrain slope, and hydrozone (ongoing).
Evaluate and adjust my irrigation hardware monthly, including delivery pressure, sprinkler heads, emitters, etc.
Monitor for runoff at completion of full irrigation cycles.
Retrofit my irrigation system for maximum efficiency. Inform me of any new rebate opportunities.
Soil Management and Fertility:
Use compost in my landscape whenever possible.
Cover bare soil with mulch to prevent weeds and conserve soil moisture.
Utilize mulch materials on site first, e.g. leaves and trimmings.
Use mulch materials produced from local sources.
Use slow-release organic fertilizer on my landscape if needed (studies show that significant amounts of quick release fertilizers are lost in air or water runoff).
Apply any soil amendment or fertilizer based on the most recent soil sample results
Cut grass with a mulching mower.
Plug (aerate) any grass areas (turf) on my property frequently as suited to conditions.
Follow plugging with a top-dressing of sand/compost mix.
Plant Selection:
Review new plants according to needs including space required for mature plant size, light, soil, water,
fertilizer and pruning.
Choose drought resistant plants with modest water requirements to conserve water.
Place plants in my landscape requiring little or no pruning to maximize natural shape and colors and reduce green waste, labor and pollution.
Pest Management:
Use pest control methods other than chemicals in my landscape such as Integrated Pest Management.
Establish/maintain pollen and nectar sources in my landscape to attract beneficial insects (helping insects that prey on garden pest insects).
When needed, only use pesticides rated least harmful to human health, the environment, and water quality.
Notify me prior to application of any pesticide to obtain my prior consent.
Pruning:
Restore plants that have been boxed or topped to natural pruning where possible.
Prune based on personal safety, property safety and plant health considerations.
Reuse trimmings for mulch material as appropriate.
Compost all materials on-site that are neither mulched nor disposed of in yard waste.
Establish a compost bin on site for other trimmings.
Air Quality:
If possible, use only manual labor on my landscape to limit noise and air pollution.
Use electric equipment on my landscape first. Only use gas -powered equipment when necessary.
Ensure gas-powered motorized equipment complies with US E.P.A. PH1 and 2000 California
Sustainable Design:
Choose local, sustainably produced materials, and lower risk products. e.g. ultra-low VOC paints, salvaged lumber, or post-consumer recycled content or materials for any landscaping modifications.
Educate me about the potential for reusing and recycling resources in landscape construction projects.
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