WalkIt!, October 4

Join Green Communications initiative's Walkit! campaign at The Green Tent this Sunday as they partner with the Los Angeles Unified School District for the annual gonzo WALK TO SCHOOL DAY. This global event takes place Wednesday October 7^th.  

All Mar Vista students - and their parents! - are encouraged to walk or bike to school for this international day of clean air and student safety!  Be a part of communities from more than 40 countries around the world walking and biking to school that day.

WALK TO SCHOOL DAY began in 1997 as a one-day event. Over time, it’s become part of a movement for year-round safe routes to school and a celebration – with record breaking participation – each October. Today, thousands of schools across America – from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico – participate.

Come to The Green Tent and check out the many fun and customizable ways to participate on WALK TO SCHOOL DAY October 7^th.

GCI’s WalkIt! initiative is simple: drive LESS/walk-bike-skateboard-hula hoop MORE. 

Green Communications Initiative is a nonprofit public benefit corporation devoted to people consuming responsibly.

Master Gardeners, September 27

The UC/Cooperative Extension LA County Master Gardeners are back in their usual spot at The Green Tent on Sunday, September 27, from 9 am to 1 pm.

Lots of little plants have popped their heads up and will be available for you to adopt, including:

-  Heirloom salad leaf basil and purple basil  

-  Hierloom dill

- Heirloom cilantro 

-  French baby filet bush beans (these grow like bushes, and don't need a trellis)

-  Baby pak choi

-  Southern collard greens

-  Bloomsdale spinach

 -  Heirloom Russian Kale

-  Heirloom broccoli raab (rapini)

And, if we're lucky, container sunflowers

A remarkable resource is available online and is worthy of your time and examination, “The Drought Tolerant Garden”. It’s well organized, easy to read and exceptionally helpful for those who don’t want to just throw some gravel and a few succulents in the ground. You’ll be pleased; check the link.

And former MGLA director Yvonne Savio offers great information and opportunities to promote your own garden events on her new website and blog. Sign up for her newsletter. And check out her Monthly Gardening Tips for LA County.

Don’t forget: share your plastic six packs with the Master Gardeners. Drop them off at The Green Tent and next month they’ll hand them back to you with seedlings in them for your garden.

LA Metro September 20th - What's New?

-        

LA Metro is visiting the Green Tent! The Expo Line will soon be going through to Santa Monica. They'll be talking about the Metro Transit Safety Programs and how to stay safe when near the Expo Line tracks and trains (for pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists). 

Please bring your kids - they can play their “Safety Game” to test their knowledge about rail safety and win a cool Metro prize! Safety wheel prizes include reusable shopping bags, sunglasses, reflective slap bracelets and Metro pens.


Grown ups and seniors - come by to learn about the Metro On the Move Riders Club. This program connects you to new friends who can teach you about going Metro. Learn from peers who know the ins and outs of getting around on public transportation – then take a test ride together. Club activities are tailored to each group, and can range from group sightseeing trips to one-on-one training for outings to the store, to the doctor or anywhere else you want to go. Let's start one in Mar Vista! 

On the Move Riders Club has groups throughout Los Angeles County. For more information or to start a club, contact On the Move Program Coordinator Lilly Ortiz at 213.922.2299 or email onthemove@metro.net. 

Food Forward, September 13

Drop your homegrown harvests off at the Green Tent on Sunday, September 13th to ensure fresh food goes to those in need in the community! 

Food Forward will be accepting donations of garden produce and backyard fruit from 10 am - 2 pm. This nutritious fare goes to St. Joseph Center and New Life Society, agencies that directly serve those in need in the community and you will receive a tax deductible receipt for your in-kind donation.

Food Forward not only battles hunger in Southern California but also works to curb the environmental issue of food waste. Recent studies have shown that 40% of the food in the country never makes it to the table and 20% of what goes into municipal landfills is food. Southern California is an abundant land of agriculture and donating surplus food to the 1.28 million food insecure in LA county is a win-win!

Food Forward is at the Green Tent every second Sunday of the month so mark your calendars! For more information about donating your homegrown produce to the Backyard Harvest Food Drive, please email volunteer@foodforward.org.

Food Forward is a Southern California based non-profit that recovers produce from backyard fruit trees, farmers markets and LA's downtown wholesale market and then donates 100% of what is collected to local hunger relief agencies.