The Greenstation at the Green Tent Sunday, Sept. 2

Earth Man Dan visits the Green Tent

LEARN ABOUT THE DARK SIDE OF THE RESIDENTIAL LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE INDUSTRY...and how to improve it in your yard

Green Zoning is how Dan Mabe and The Greenstation are gradually improving our environment one property at a time. 

Did You Know:

• The EPA estimates each weekend approximately 54 million Americans mow their lawns, using 800 million gallons of gas per year. That’s enough gasoline to fill the Rose Bowl 8 times to the rim!
• Gas powered lawn equipment is not subject to the same emission regulations as cars and is a major contributor to the emission of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, hydrocarbons, lead, ozone and sulfur oxides?
• Despite improvements over the years, the Los Angeles area remains the most ozone-polluted regions in the country, according to a report released by the American Lung Association.

Earth Man Dan will explain the typical practices of residential maintenance mow and blow crews and how you can work with your gardener to reduce gas consumption, toxic emissions, noise levels and the toxic and solid waste being created at your house.  He'll conduct hands-on demonstrations of emission free, mowers, mechanical sweepers and other gardening tools and techniques that will immediately improve the quality of life for you and your neighbors—and your gardener.

Learn about the benefits of the Green Zones already sponsored by the city of Santa Monica, Santa Monica College, The South Coast Air Quality Management District and The Malibu Country Mart.

Master Gardeners & Preservers this Sunday, August 26

ABC's of home-preserving...plus seeds

& seedlings

UC Cooperative Extension LA County Master Gardeners and Master Food Preservers take over the Green Tent on August 26th. Master Food Preservers' Erik Knutzen (co-author with Kelly Coyne ofThe Urban Homestead and Making It) will show you his sauerkraut kit, while Shelley Marks brings some of her delectable and beautiful preserved food in jars, all to encourage you to learn the art of food preservation to enjoy seasonal produce all year long at home.

Meantime, the Master Gardeners will give away seeds and seedlings as usual. Master Gardener Julie Strnad says: 

We are now in the in-between season: too late to plant summer veggies, too early to plant fall. But the Master Gardeners are pushing the season, expecting that it will continue to be warm and sunny.  They'll have:

• Poblano peppers
• California Wonder Bell peppers
• Swiss Chard
• Velvet Queen Sunflowers
• Pickling Cucumbers
• Lemon Cucumbers
• 3 flavor melons (a cantaloupe type melon, could be one of 3 different kinds)

Our wonderful Master Gardener volunteers complete an intensive training program in all aspects of gardening and are a font of information. The Master Food Preservers complete an intensive training program in the basics of safe and successful food preservation. They both give their time teaching others, especially in low-resource communities.

LA Beyond Coal at the Green Tent Sunday, Aug. 19

Saying "No!" to dirty energy

Los Angeles gets 39% of its energy from two dirty, out-of-state coal-fired power plants. These coal plants discharge vast quantities of air pollution, consume huge amounts of water and emit destructive global warming gases. Instead of giving our money to these heavy polluting facilities, the Sierra Club's LA Beyond Coal Campaign wants DWP to invest in local clean energy, energy efficiency, and jobs here in Los Angeles. You can help.

Clean energy is the smart phone of electricity -- it is sleeker and cheaper every day and makes lives better. Iowa already gets 20% of its energy from wind. Texas has enough wind turbines to power 2 million homes. 

The fast-growing wind and solar industries each already employ more people in the U.S. than the coal-mining industry.  With more than one in four of them working in manufacturing and exports, clean energy is one of the best ways to continue seeing "Made in the U.S.A." stamped on products.

Come find out more at the Green Tent.  

Hands-on Workshop at the Green Tent this Sunday, August 12

Got dirt? 

Sure you do. But mix in a little sand and straw and do you know what you've got? Building material! 

The earth (dirt) beneath our feet is used for building by 80% of the world's population. Some of the most beautiful homes right here in Los Angeles are made of Adobe.  

What if LA's cityscape was filled with earthen buildings? Aside from beautiful adobe Spanish houses, we would also see  self-sustaining Earthships (tires rammed with earth) and hand-built Earth Domes (polypropylene bags filled with earth). 

On August 12th, join EarthWorks Natural Building for a hands-on earth-building workshop. We will make a cob mix  and find out more about the exciting revival of hand-built houses.