Master Gardeners, May 28

Look what they've grown for us!

The UC/Cooperative Extension LA County Master Gardeners return to the Green Tent with lots of green goodies to share. Join them May 28 from 9 am to 1 pm for megadoses of veggie power that they grew expressly to give to YOU—and you can choose packets of seeds to grow as well—all for free! Don’t forget to bring your garden questions, too.

Everyone loves cherry tomatoes and the sweetest ones of all are the Sun Golds. They’ll be there — in limited supply so stop by early.

Then, make a summer salad with fresh green beans — you can choose from pole beans (which you need to stake or trellis) or bush beans — (hint: they grow like a bush!).

And these are fun on the grill: Patty Pan Squash. 

The kids will be thrilled to have these Jack Be Little pumpkins to play with but you can take them in the kitchen and stuff them for a dinner special! 

Don’t let your burger go without a pickle: they’ve got cucumbers for you to make your own—just add some vinegar, sugar (or not!) and spices for a quick refrigerator pickle (but wait till the cukes have actually grown…)

You can slice up some tomatoes for that (beef or veggie!) burger too:  they’re bringing beefsteak and black Krim tomatoes for your delectation. 

And what would life be without a few herbs? Enjoy basil and cilantro, while supplies last!

Please remember to bring your empty plastic six packs so the master gardeners can grow more plants for you.

Here’s an early heads-up: The Master Gardeners will NOT be at the Green Tent in June — so stock up in May! But you can rely on their website to help get you through the month: Here are helpful articles http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/Gardening_Articles/
And for monthly tips on what to do in the garden, visit: http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/Garden_Tips_for_Los_Angeles_County/

Straight Trash Talk, September 10

Green, Black or Blue Bin - Where does it go?

Are you a recycling expert? Stop by the Green Tent this weekend to test your knowledge with a sorting game, learn about the recycling process and commit to reducing waste. Get your recycling questions answered. Hear from a recycling pro and learn what to do with your Household Hazardous Waste.

In 2015, Californian’s produced 4.7 lbs of trash per person, per day and diverted 63% of waste from landfills, but we can do better! The City of LA’s goal of zero waste is within reach as long as residents are expert recyclers! Recycling right saves natural resources, decreases pollution and saves landfill space.

Guest Rachel Adell is a local Mar Vista resident and self-proclaimed enthusiast of all things trash and recycling. Her love of garbage fuels her blog Straight Trash Talk and earned her a job in local government working on municipal recycling, education and policy. Rachel’s goal is to share her love of waste and help the public understand their role in waste creation and reduction.

Art Lee, May 7

DIY Personal Solar Projects

See this vehicle at the Green Tent

Do you have a small project such as a green house, garden fountain or a circulating fan that could be powered by one or more solar panels? Do you have a tiny home or RV and would like power without hooking up to the grid? Or maybe you are a backpacker and would like to have power to charge a GPS, cell phone, and flashlight batteries deep in the woods. 

By now most of us have heard of solar panels. Many people have installed them on their rooftops.  The energy generated by those panels go directly to the "grid", so during a power outage, we do not have access to the electricity they generate.  

Come to the Green Tent on May 7 and learn about installing your own personal solar panel for small projects or emergency power for your cell phone, laptop, or ham radio.

Guest presenter Art Lee is also an expert on home greywater systems. Bring your questions!

Gary Golding, April 30

Local environmental activist Gary Golding lives by the code "Consume as Little as Possible" and wants to share this simple message with YOU!  

This week at the Green Tent, Gary will demonstrate his "bee whispering" skills and share his personal journey toward the path of Zero Waste. For kids of all ages, there will be a take-home project using rocks and other objects from nature. 

Golding is well-known and respected in the community as a bee specialist, Lead Garden Teacher at the STAR Eco Station and a variety of magnet schools. You can learn more about this uniquely radical environmentalist at his website, The Golding State. 

Master Gardeners, April 23

Yes, it IS time for summer veggies! 

And your friendly LA County Master Gardeners are planning your summer menu…

Come to the Green Tent between 9 am and 1 pm on Sunday, April 23, and check out the beautiful seedlings they’re giving away, planted expressly for you (plus you can take home free seeds).

What would summer be without cherry tomatoes? Enjoy the sugar sweet orange sungold variety.

  

And what does cherry tomato taste best with? Basil, of course: there’s Heirloom Purple Opal and large leaf Italian Cameo container basil for you to choose from. 

Soon it will be pickle time! For your delectation, select baby Persian cucumbers or Bush Slicer Cucumbers (you don’t need to trellis the bush plants). 

Make a salad of it! There’s heirloom baby Tuscan kale, Ruby Gem baby romaine, red leaf lettuce, ruby and emerald container lettuce. 

And of course, everyone’s favorite summer squash: heirloom zucchini. You’ll have plenty to eat and share by the time the season's over.

Then, enjoy some Zinger hibiscus, a deliciously refreshing flavor for tea or other summer beverages. And by the time Fall rolls around, your Royal Flush sunflowers should be in full bloom! 

For great monthly tips about gardening in LA County, visit http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/Garden_Tips_for_Los_Angeles_County/. And stop by Compass Green,  a moble greenhouse, will demonstrate Bio-intensive Sustainable Agriculture at the Mar Vista Farmers' Market this Sunday, April 23.

And please remember to bring those plastic six packs (aka “pony packs”) you’ve recycled so the MGs can bring even more plants next month.

Master Gardeners, March 26

Your friendly local LA County Master Gardeners are springing into Spring at the Green Tent on Sunday, March 26 (CicLAvia day) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. They’ll bring plants and seeds to give away and will answer your gardening questions. 

Here’s what they’ve planted up for you this month:

Ornamental Sunflowers (Royal Flush variety) — includes multicolored flowers from brown to red to yellow 

Birds and Bees Sunflowers  — These will grow to 8 feet high with yellow petals and chocolate discs that follow the sun!

Italian Arugula -- that lovely spicy salad green. And their flowers are a revelation, with a nutty flavor.   

Wine Country Mesclun —  a salad blend straight from Napa Valley

Baby Leaf Lettuce Mix — a mix of Bambino, Simpson Elite, Esmeralda, Red Sail, Bravehart, Red Tide lettuces, just perfect in salads

Heirloom Tuscan Baby Kale — A favorite; healthy, hearty and lovely to look at; sweeter and more delicate than the bigger varieties

Wild Russian Heirloom Kale — lovely frilly edges, great in soups, stews or simply sautéed with oil and garlic 

Snow Peas (Oregon sugar pod) — great in stir fry dishes or raw in salads, eat pods and all.

Sugar Ann Snap Peas — chunkier than snow peas, and delicious sautéed, blanched or raw, pods and all, super sweet  

Broccoli Raab (aka Rapini) — a traditional Italian heirloom that produces an abundance of deep green leaves and tender shoots with tiny bud cluster. Imported from Italy!

Slow Bolt Cilantro — Lovely, bright, pungent — you let it go to seed, you’ll end up with coriander seeds, which you can use whole or grind into powder. For the haters, it’s a key ingredient in Indian cooking and tastes nothing like the leaves. For the lovers, you get both! 

And here’s a great resource for you: http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/Garden_Tips_for_Los_Angeles_County/

As always, please remember to bring your leftover “six packs” so the MGs can continue to grow plants for you each month. 

Los Angeles Waterkeeper, February 25

Do you know what a Marine Protected Area (MPA) is? Did you know there are two MPAs right here in the Santa Monica Bay? Whether you know or not, come by the Green Tent to learn what and how Los Angeles Waterkeeper monitors these precious areas with their fun “What’s the Catch” game. They'll have a few prizes for those who participate!


Los Angeles Waterkeeper safeguards LA’s inland and coastal waters by enforcing laws and empowering communities. They engage with an array of volunteers to monitor and steward Los Angeles waterways so all have access to healthy, living and safe water.

Los Angeles Waterkeeper is a member organization of Waterkeeper Alliance, the world’s fastest growing environmental movement. Along with hundreds other Waterkeeper Organizations, their movement works for swimmable, drinkable and fishable waterways worldwide.

Repair Cafe Preview, March 19

What do you do when you've got something you like but it no longer works? Throw it out and buy a new one? Stick it in the attic, the basement or under the stairs? Pay to get it fixed? Fix it yourself? Chances are you toss it out. Or maybe you store it away until that magical day when you can figure out what to do with it.... right.

There's another solution: bring it to the Westside Repair Cafe happening on April 1 at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium Complex Multipurpose Room and Patio (4117 Overland Ave) in Culver City! The Westside Repair Cafe is a volunteer-run, community service dedicated to encouraging the repair and reuse of goods rather than relegating them to landfills. It's an extension of Our Time Bank's Sharing Economy program to further support sustainable living solutions.

How does it work? What can you bring? Do you need to register ahead of time? How can you volunteer? Stop by the Green Tent this Sunday and get all your questions answered.

Transition Mar Vista / Venice, March 12

Are you looking for deeper connections in your community? Interested in local resiliency and working together to make a more sustainable future? Join Transition Mar Vista/Venice this Sunday in the Green Tent and learn what's happening, right here in Mar Vista!

Transition Mar Vista/Venice is a local grassroots group with a vision of guiding our community from oil dependency to local resilience. They raise awareness about the issues of peak oil, climate change and economic contraction, and seek to address these challenges through community-building and other projects.

Chat with TMVV members about upcoming events, such as their monthly Transition Tuesday potlucks, and make an inspirational magnet to take home at the crafting station. 

Transition is where creativity, positivity, and sustainability meet to create community!

Visit the Transition Mar Vista/Venice Facebook page and blogspot for more information.

Food Forward, March 3

SHARING ABUNDANCE WITH THOSE IN NEED

Learn how you can help provide fresh fruits and veggies to the hungry in your community! 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. 

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!

Since forming in 2009, Food Forward has collected over 30 million pounds of produce, which has helped to feed 100,000 clients a month through 300 diverse distribution partners across Southern California. 

Sign up to volunteer at https://foodforward.org/volunteer/sign-up-to-volunteer/.

Food Forward hosts 150+ volunteer-powered events per month so, whether you'd like to pick fruit or go to the farmers market with us, there are many opportunities to contribute to our efforts in providing nourishing fruits and veggies food to those most in need.