Learn Why Urban Beekeeping Matters!

Photo Courtesy of Honeylove Urban Beekeepers

Please join us this Sunday July 3rd to learn why our project to get urban beekeeping approved in Los Angeles is so critical! Meet Chelsea and Rob McFarland and others from Backwards Beekeepers at the MVCC Green Booth at the Mar Vista Farmers Market from 9AM to 2:00 PM. Get the info on our upcoming screening of Vanishing of the Bees!

Over the last three years, more than one in three honeybee colonies collapsed nationwide, a phenomenon now called Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD. According to the USDA, about one-third of our food is thanks to the work of bees, making CCD a huge food security issue. And while there is no one smoking gun causing CCD, scientists now widely agree that it is a result of a combination of factors, made manifest by industrial beekeeping which involves artificial insemination of queen bees, trucking thousands of hives great distances to pollinate crops, exposing bees to countless pesticides, and interfering with the species natural defenses by treating them with miticides and antibiotics and feeding them high fructose corn syrup. This deadly cocktail has made bees incredibly vulnerable and on the brink of collapse. That is, only if we fail to act, if we fail to recognize this disaster in the making and don’t take strong action to counter the slow march to extinction.

Mar Vista is actively working toward becoming a more sustainable place to live. Los Angeles currently outlaws beekeeping, and the city's policy is to exterminate all feral bees. With worldwide bee populations threatened with Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and urban beekeeping more popular than ever, this policy needs to change. Feral bees, being subject to natural selection but not to the rough treatment and chemicals of commercial beekeeping, are far more robust than their commercial cousins. As commercial colonies collapse at an alarming rate, it is crucial that this population be protected.

Luckily the Mar Vista Community Council is conducting a feasibility study for a Urban Beekeeping Pilot Project.

It's the 4th Sunday - Visit The Master Gardeners!

Photo courtesy of Yvette Roman Photography and Beyond the Lawn

What do you do when it's summer in the garden? Start thinking about fall and winter...plus see what you can still plant in July. The LA County Master Gardeners will be bringing basil, tomato, eggplant and zucchini plants, generously provided by Winnetka Farms, and as usual, free seeds...plus plenty of planting information. Come and ask your gardening questions at the Mar Vista Community Council Green Committee booth. While you're there, ask them about the Seed Library of Los Angeles - see this article in the LA Times!

Since 1978, UC Cooperative Extension's Common Ground Program has made gardening possible for many Los Angeles County residents, particularly low-income and traditionally underrepresented families. The program goals are to improve nutrition; increase access to fresh, low-cost produce; offer gardening education; build bridges between neighbors and communities; help create employment opportunities; and encourage a cleaner, greener Los Angeles. We are thrilled to have them as our guest at the booth on the 4th Sunday of every month! Families learn how to garden, grow their own food and prepare it in a healthful manner. In addition, the program trains community volunteers and Master Gardeners, who in turn, volunteer their time to community and school gardens. This is a wonderful program - you may even want to explore signing up for the Master Gardener volunteer training program!

Tips For How to Shop Without Plastic!

Thanks to f-stopMarin.com for the photo!

We are gearing up for September 1st when the Mar Vista Farmers Market will ban plastic shopping bags! The first step was when we established a 'share a bag' station. Guests can stop by and grab a reusable shopping bag when they need one. Thank you to everyone who has donated the extras that you had - and we are eager to get more!


But what about the plastic produce bags that still get used for individual purchases? Come by Sunday for tips on how those can be eliminated too. Renee Gunther will join us to show how she makes Rumplesacs - easy to use totes made from fabric remnants. Jeanne Kuntz and Melissa Stoller will share their tips - from easy to make net bags to Japanese origami folding techniques that turn a simple napkin into a reusable container. And let's all share tips about which market vendors will let you return their containers for reuse.


The plastic industry is throwing a lot of money at their attempt to undermine this effort - read this recent NY Times article about their lawsuit against Chico Bags - an early leader in the reusable bag market. 

Check Out Aeroponic Garden Towers - Grow Food Without Soil!

Stop by the MVCC Green Booth at the Mar Vista Farmers Market on Sunday June 12th to see two sample aeroponic garden towers, designed for residential use, that can grow dozens of lettuces, strawberries, tomatoes, squashes, peppers, eggplants, herbs and other foods in a stack from 5 ft. high to 12 ft. high, taking up less than 9 square feet of floor area!

Meet Rafael O. Quezada, founder and president of The Waters Wheel, LLC, a foundation that employs water-conserving, non-polluting, soil-less aeroponic growth systems to enable safe, nutritious, organic farms and gardens in food desert communities and places where shortage of water, lack of space, lack of yards and soil, toxic soil or other conditions make in-ground gardening and farming difficult or impossible.

Aeroponic growth systems conserve water, using about 5% of the water and nutrient needed for in-ground gardening. They recycle water and nutrient constantly, discharging nothing into the environment besides evaporated water. The vertical configuration of plant growth is 6 to 10 times denser than in-ground gardening. The immediate oxygen-access to roots of plants cultivated in air charges growth and increases harvests from 2 to 4 times. No tilling of soil is necessary, no weeding either, and no pesticides needed. The system uses minimal energy (2 to 5 watts) and can be solar powered. Harvests are conducted standing upright, yet it’s the only garden accessible to wheel-chairs and other disability conditions.

From the Ashes.....

After the fire.....

Today

What if you had the chance to do it all over? Sharon Commins had the chance to do exactly that. The reason was horrible – her home was devastated by an electrical file. But Sharon rose to the occasion and used the rebuild as a chance to evaluate many eco friendly choices and find out why they made sense – and where they would actually save her money. We have a chance to learn from her painful experience – the choices that she made and why. Stop by the MVCC Green Booth on Sunday June 5^th to see samples and learn about her choices.