viva verde

there is a big initiative to turn off the lights for an hour.  tomorrow, between 8 & 9 pm.  started guy a regular, “Joe” who wanted to increase awareness of energy use, wanted to see if the public really cared about it.

i will be turning off my lights (most likely because i wont be home…the store will be fun in the dark!), but what i really want to know is if the public at large can live without lights for a single hour.  i hope that this can be a national holiday in the coming years!!

the question is ::  CAN YOU DO IT!

TO FIND OUT MORE::: lights out LA

being in bright and sunny Southern CA lends itself to yards. probably one of the best things to do is convert your yard to one of 2 things:

1. a yard that supports native plants: and no golf lawns are not indigenous to the area-sorry. celebrate this gorgeous area by showcasing what really grows here…not only do you SAVE big-time on water (you don’t have to even worry about them once established!), but you start to attract beautiful birds and butterflies (seriously i am not a hippie) to your yard. i have to admit, seeing hummingbirds why having my morning cup of joe is pretty nice for a track home in the middle of Irvine!

these local sources can help you:

Tree of Life Nursery (the best nursery EVER)

Back to Natives Restoration

2. plant food! lawns are great and all, but wouldn’t you rather enjoy the fruits of your labor with your family & friends? growing your food connects you to your home in a way that sitting on the couch can never do.

buy Food Not Lawns (great starter book) from our store!

National Gardening Association

Edible Estates

a project from edible estates!

in my quest to help save the Delta Spelt, i am going to dedicate the next couple of posts to saving water. the following are some really good (if not obvious) tips, and I CHALLENGE ALL THAT READ THIS TO DO THE SAME!….come on- it takes a total of 30 minutes. (taken from American Water & Energy Savers)

1. Verify that your home is leak-free, because many homes have hidden water leaks. Read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.

2. Repair dripping faucets by replacing washers. If your faucet is dripping at the rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 2,700 gallons per year which will add to the cost of water and sewer utilities, or strain your septic system.

3. Check for toilet tank leaks by adding food coloring to the tank. If the toilet is leaking, color will appear within 30 minutes. Check the toilet for worn out, corroded or bent parts. Most replacement parts are inexpensive, readily available and easily installed. (Flush as soon as test is done, since food coloring may stain tank.)

4. If the toilet flush handle frequently sticks in the flush position, letting water run constantly, replace or adjust it.

5. check your sprinklers to see if they are pointing the right way… (or better, install drip-irrigation…they grow better BELIEVE ME!)
6. don’t use water to thaw food, if you do, use a bucket and use that water for plants

note: i opted to post items that “check” your home from leaks because we had an incident at the “rat-trap” where 2 toilets were leaking..the bills were almost $300 a month in water!

the past couple of days have been nice: cloudy skies, clean air and most important, some much needed rain.

i am not sure if any of you have noticed, but there have been a number of radio advertisements about conserving water.  why do you ask?

recently, a small fish (see below) has become endangered in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, a place that Southern CA exports  water from (in addition to other places, big surprise!) and according to the LA Times,

  endangered = no  

“In a normal water year, [water officials] said, deliveries through the delta could be cut by up to 37% — a loss of enough water to supply upward of 4 million households. Dry years could see smaller cuts, but there would be less water to begin with.”

if we don’t get enough GOOD rainy seasons in the next couple of years and we keep expanding the way we do, be assured in this:  high and higher water bills  coupled with the depletion of whatever water that we have left (as well as ecosystems that depend on them-no an ecosystem is not the next “upscale living” development project).

this really scares me because i like brushing my teeth, having a nice shower at the end of a long day and having water, at my call to cook and clean my rat-trap.

back in the day, when i didn’t own a business and had a couple extra pennies, i would travel to parts of the world where water (let alone HOT) was a real treat. for most of the planet, water at anytime of day, any amount you want is a luxury that is beyond the latest car model or clothing line.  why we choose to waste it like it is here forever is beyond me.

i am sorry if i seem so pessimistic, i really want to help.  there are some things that all of us can do that DO make a difference (and save us some pennies for that next trip to a place that has it 10 x worse). the the couple posts will be dedicated to finding some solutions, without living in the Dark Ages.

on the CSA basket front: arugula.

i don’t know what to make of it: can’t stir-fry it like bok choy, and it looks too dinky to make a mean salad (although now that i think of it, you can mix it with other greens), and personally, it is a little too bitter for a raw deal.

but i was given a recipe for making it into pesto, which i must say, is pretty tasty! i even added some fresh basil to the mix to add another level. flash-fry the rest (if you have a ton) and add it on top or with a tomato salsa on sliced toast.

…not too bad…

as i may have already mentioned before, i am heading to San Francisco in November for the Green Festival & Green Business Conference, put on by the lovely people at Co-op America. This trip has been my “vacation” for the past 3 years and i am so excited about it!

being an independent business owner however (and green one) has put me in a bit of a situation of how i will be traveling there….do i fly (contributing to big-time air pollution for a trip a car could do pretty quickly & $$), or do i drive (with what car-i don’t have one, and i can’t afford the 6+ hours driving when i should be working…or better sleeping!)

well meet my new friend MEGA-BUS. this great service lines you up with bus tickets to major destinations in the US (& UK), the earlier you book, the cheaper it is…and guess how much mine was?

$ 11.50 that’s right, cheaper than what i would spend on gas for a few days! oh, yeah, this was round-trip too.

i save big-time $$, feel better about my carbon footprint, and get to listen to my iPod and read ReadyMade/ DWELL/trashy magazines to my heart’s content.

i will post about my experience starting November 6th!

no trash week starts tomorrow. what does that mean exactly? that means, DO NOT use anything that could end up in a landfill. based out of Seattle (big surprise!), i would really love to see this happen with the fervor & passion that is displayed at major sporting events, which creates mountains of trash (and i have yet to see a full scale recycling program, use of biocompostables or anything else to help with the waste).

i know what you are thinking: “i can just use glass and cans for the next week, then recycle them”…which i guess is true, but organizers are definitely trying to steer us away from anything like that (note: biodegradable items are OK). the point is: can we actually live for 7 days without any extra waste? can such an advanced society have the capacity to do a couple extra things, think a couple extra steps ahead to not have an interaction with the trash can?

thankfully, the no-trash-for-a-week-people have provided some tips to help with the week ahead. i must admit however that they seemed totally obvious once i read them (making me feel that feeling when you slap your forehead with your hand really hard). it is just so hard to change old habits!

but i am going to try it! i am pretty excited about it too….i will keep you posted.

this guy & biocompostables are the exception!