Westside Pacific Village, April 3

Do you have surplus towels and linens? Please bring them to the Green Tent on Sunday, April 3^rd! Our guest, Westside Pacific Village, will take them to a local homeless shelter and put them to good use. 

Aging is usually accompanied by a need for less stuff.  As a healthy, strong individual, you could choose to de-clutter and downsize now, rather than waiting until you are infirm.  Unfortunately, a more common scenario is a sudden, incapacitating illness that forces an elderly individual to leave their home and all their possessions behind. Too often, loved ones have to remove our “stuff” during a time of stress and much of it ends up in a landfill.  

You can also learn how you can become a part of the growing village movement of neighbors helping neighbors. Meet the team from Westside Pacific Village (WPV) and learn how they can make a difference to our seniors in Mar Vista as we age in place!

The Village Movement was born out of the desire to create a local support system for seniors, and their families, who want to “age in place” without facing expensive home care support or being placed into an alternate living facility. For a nominal annual fee, WPV members gain access to pre-screened volunteers who help with a wide array of tasks that older adults need assistance with, including:

-  grocery shopping and running errands
-  transportation to and from medical appointments, social outings, hair salons
-  taking trash bins out/in on a weekly basis
-  help with household chores and minor handy work
-  teaching computer skills and how to use other electronic devices
-  yard work and gardening
-  friendly visits, walking buddies, and pet care
-  referrals to pre-screened service providers
-  opportunities to meet other members and volunteers through special events and informational programs

Master Gardeners, March 27

Welcome to Spring!

The UC/CE LA County Master Gardeners return to The Green Tent on Easter Sunday, March 27, with plants that sing of spring and seeds just waiting to be sown, free for you to take home when you stop by between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. 

They've planted up some tomatoes that won’t be ready this month, so make plans now to stop by in April. But they are going to bring:


Heirloom Italian Kale, baby leaf, just perfect for smoothies and a superfood, too.

Baby Leaf Lettuce aka heirloom cutting mix for those delicious spring salads.

French Gold green beans, they're pole beans, so you’ll need to trellis them or put up a stick tepee.

Bush Green Beans, that grow like a bush instead of a vine, so staking isn’t necessary.

Heirloom Broccoli Raab, aka rapini, a constant favorite with the Mar Vista crowd.

Italian Arugula, for the spicy greens lover in your life.

Slow Bolt Cilantro that’s not supposed to go to seed ("bolt") when heat hits.

Italian Gigante Parsley, flat, large bright tasting leaves.

Catalina Baby Leaf Spinach makes baby sized leaves filled with beneficial phytonutrients.

Please remember to continue being Water Wise. We haven’t weathered the drought all that well in SoCal. http://bewaterwise.com/gardenspot.html is a great resource.

And please don’t forget to drop off those empty plastic six-packs for next month’s planting session.

Eco Car Expo Preview, March 20

Visit the MVCC Green Tent at the Mar Vista Farmers Market this Sunday to take a quick Eco Transportation Survey. Help us learn more about how we get around and what we need to do it better. And learn about the upcoming Mar Vista Eco Car Expo that will be held on April 10th!

Eight EV & plug-in hybrid cars - and their real live owners - will be at the Eco Car Expo on April 10th to answer all your burning questions. You'll be able to see the following vehicles: Nissan Leaf, Fiat EV, Ford C-Max Energi, Zero S Electric motorcycle, Chevy Volt, Tesla Model S, Toyota Rav 4 EV, and the newest addition to the EV arsenal, BMW i3. We’ll also have “car-free living” representatives on hand offering alternative transportation options including Santa Monica’s bike share program, an electric scooter, a bamboo bicycle, demonstrations of several car-free ridesharing apps, and a hover board.

Feel free to download (http://www.marvista.org/files/Eco_Car_Expo_Transportation_Survey.pdf) and complete the survey, and bring it by on Sunday when you visit to learn about the Expo! 

Garden School Foundation, March 13

t's time to Spring Ahead -  Daylight Savings Time starts this Sunday. Come celebrate Spring at The Green Tent. The Garden School Foundation will be there making seed bombs. Bring the kiddos by to cultivate a new generation of guerrilla gardeners and teach the little ones that you can garden anywhere! 

The Garden School Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides interactive garden-based education to under served-children across LA in their outdoor living classrooms. Since 2003, they’ve been turning asphalt into ecosystems, working to create a healthy, educated and aware future generation that care for their bodies and for the earth. 

GSF works at 6 schools in underserved communities to implement their Seed To Table program, which consists of a full schedule of standards-based gardening and cooking classes, after-school and recess activities, community outreach & events, and garden management.

GSF is gearing up for their Fiesta de la Huerta, a family-friendly garden festival and crafting fair that celebrates their mission and all the garden has to offer. Click here for more information. And check out their gardening and cooking summer camp, City Seedlings, which is coming up this June.

Girl Scouts, March 6

Light Pollution and Energy Saving

Come meet members of Girl Scout Junior Troop 925 of our local Marina Service Unit of Los Angeles at the Green Tent this Sunday.

They'll be sharing with our community the importance of saving energy for our world.  They'll help you understand how light pollution affects our environment we live in. And they'll have easy tips on reducing light pollution and saving energy to make the world a better place for all.


Click here for more information about the GET MOVING! Journey these scout are on.