Trash Talk - June 9, 2019

GREEN, BLACK OR BLUE BIN - WHERE DOES IT GO?

Are you a recycling expert? Stop by the Green Tent this Sunday, July 8, to test your knowledge with a sorting game, learn about the recycling process and commit to reducing waste. Pick up a free bamboo product sample.

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 Adriana de la Cruz is a local Mar Vista resident and self-proclaimed enthusiast of REDUCE! REUSE! RECYCLE. Her goal is to share her knowledge of waste and help the public understand their role in waste creation and reduction, and how they can help sustain our environment.

According to the Drawdown data, recycling paper is one of the top 100 solutions for reversing Global Warming.  Every time you take the time to sort and separate old mags and newspapers, you are helping to keep carbon where it belongs..in the ground!

solar energy june 2 2019

Solar Power   

Solution #10 to Reverse Global Warming

Rooftop solar panels are ranked the #10 solution (out of 100) that will will help us achieve drawdown* by the year 2050.  Learn more about current rebates and general information about solar panels this Sunday, March 3, at the Green Tent.  Local solar expert Jeffrey Sugarman looks forward to answering your questions.

*Drawdown  is that point in time when the concentration of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere begins to decline on a year-to-year basis. It's not a quick fix, but we CAN REVERSE GLOBAL WARMING...if we all get on board and get our friends and families on board.  This is great news for humans and other living things.  It is a plan that invites us to participate at any level we can.   

There are many simple steps you can take (you are probably already doing some of them) to make an impact!  Check out this TED Talk to get the big picture:
Chad Frischmann simplifies Drawdown...

Master Gardeners, May 26

Come visit the Green Tent on Sunday, May 26 from 9 am to 1 pm and see what the LA County Master Gardeners have in store for you. 

Pick up a lovely strawberry plant, a mystery pepper, or some basil and delicious yellow pear tomatoes, little teardrop shaped golden globules of sweetness. They’ll be ready in time for your perfect summer salad. There might even be some chives and lettuce, too.

And when autumn and winter come rolling around again, if you pick up an acorn squash plant, you’ll have a perfect veggie side dish, baked, roasted or stuffed. 

As always you’ll get a chance to start your own plants from seeds — everything the Master Gardeners bring, they give away for FREE!

If you’ve been planting and you have any leftover plastic six packs like these, please drop them off to the Master Gardeners so they can continue to provide you with seedlings every month. 

And while lately it seems like we’ve had all the water we need, drought is always just around the corner. So let this be your guide: www.bewaterwise.com

Here’s a handy monthly list of things to do in the garden in LA County: http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/Garden_Tips_for_Los_Angeles_County/

Art Walk - Sunday May 19

Mar Vista ArtWalk is breaking into new territory...literally...

This summer the Mar Vista Art Walk is joining forces with the Venice Art Crawl to to expand this amazing event from Venice Beach to the 405.  Stop by the Green Tent this Sunday and learn more about this latest incarnation of our favorite community event.  

All are Welcome!

The theme is "Get Around" exploring all forms of alternative transportation.  Created as a means of improving the walkability of our neighborhood, The Mar Vista Art Walk is a fun, FREE celebration of all the arts.  

The first Mar Vista ArtWalk was held in December 2015, when the environmental non-profit Green Communications Initiative and local artists came together to encourage community members to stroll their sidewalks and explore their neighborhood “Main Street." 

Now over three years later the ArtWalk continues to bring lovers of all the arts together to support one another and the community. Our mission is to grow, learn, and improve the strength of our community of neighbors, artists, galleries, and small businesses.

Food Forward May 11, 2019

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 a land of abundance, so donating this surplus food to over 1.75 million food insecure individuals in LA and Ventura counties is a win-win!

This year, Food Forward is celebrating its 10th anniversary! Since forming in 2009, Food Forward has collected over 70 million pounds of produce, which has helped to feed millions of people through more than 1,800 diverse distribution partners across Southern California.

Sign up to volunteer at foodforward.org/volunteer

Food Forward hosts about 200 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. 

Julia and Chiara - the T-shirt Bag team- May 5, 2019

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ANNOUNCEMENT!!!  WE ARE BACK!

The Green Committee will meet at noon on  Sunday May 19 

at Grandview Market  12210 Venice Blvd.  

New Members get an extra smile and high-five!

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This Sunday at the Green Tent

What Can Our Community do to 

REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE?  

According to the Annenberg Learner, “Every day 230 million tons of trash are being thrown out. Only in the US!” My name is Julia and on May 5, 2019 my friend, Chiara and I will be handing out handmade bags to the Mar Vista Farmers Market. The Silver Award project in girl scouts is “the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can earn— it gives you the chance to do big things and make your community better in the process.”

The Artist at Work-or is it Play?

 Our project is to help reduce, reuse and recycle wastes in our community. This issue concerned us because so oceans are being polluted with waste and marine life is being harmed. According to the Asean post, 100 million animals every year are being harmed or killed by way of plastic. Even though there are many movements to help the animals, it is not enough. 

To do this, we first collected gently used t-shirts. We cut and knotted the shirts and printed our own, handmade logo. Not only did we reduce the use of plastic bags, but we also reused old t-shirts that would have been eventually thrown out. 

Some ways YOU can help the environment:

Refuse plastic straws at restaurants. Bring your own or just drink from the glass.

Reuse plastic bags.

Participate in beach cleanups.

Be careful of what can be recycled and what cannot. Many people mess this one up. When a batch of recyclables is contaminated, there's a good chance it'll be rejected and end up in the landfill, this is called wish cycling.

Pick up trash around the neighborhood.

Master Gardeners May 27, 2019

More Goodies from your Favorite Master Gardeners

This Sunday, the  UC/CE LA County Master Gardeners are springing into spring with lots of seedlings for your garden — and lots of seeds to start your own. From 9 am to 1 pm, stop by the Green Tent for:

Lettuce Red and freckled, makes a lovely salad

Arugula Spice up that salad!

Cucumbers Make your own pickles!! 

Squash Winter or summer, squash is a healthy veg!

Basil The king of garden herbs

Sequoia strawberries They should leaf out very quickly and produce prolifically 

Yellow and green bush beans 

Not all beans are green, you know…  

Chives They add kick to any dish

Scallions: yummy little sidekick or base for recipes. Itty bitty mini onions, only milder.

And please, if you have any empty six packs (plastic, not beer!), let the MGs recycle them next month with even more plants to give away; just bring them to the booth.

And look here for great articles and monthly tips for LA County gardeners:Garden Tips for Los Angeles County