Grey Water from Your Washing Machine, November 5

GREY WATER FROM LAUNDRY WASTE

What is greywater? It's the "waste" water from your washing machine reused to water your fruit trees or perennial plants instead of being sent to the reclamation plant and then out to the ocean. 

With a greywater system, every time you do a load of laundry your plants get a good drink and you save money as well.


As everyone knows, California has experienced an extreme drought for many years and it will most likely continue. Water is probably the most important resource for every living species on our planet. Learn how to double the usage of your water!

Green Tent guest Art Lee holds workshops that cover all the information you need to install a grey water system at your house. He's bringing a mini greywater demo system so visitors can see how it works and will answer your questions. He'll also have a signup sheet for those interested in attending a future workshop.

A bicycle built for solar power!  And yeah, it works.

Art can explain how to install your own personal solar panel for small projects or emergency power for your cell phone, laptop, or ham radio.

Art is also a solar energy expert!  When it comes to versatility and sustainability, he has all the info you need to painlessly shrink your carbon footprint.  Come by the Green Tent this Sunday and benefit from his free advice.

DIG - October 31, 2017

DIG Childhood Center is a unique, non-profit, toddler-to-preschool program that provides caring, respectful, and enriching support to children and their families in the cooperative spirit.

Sustainable practices are important to our community. Our families pack healthy, no-waste lunches. We compost. We make choices based on reducing packaging and consumption. We reduce, reuse, and recycle (in that order!) We intentionally use cast off or recyclable materials in our curriculum plans daily. We use products and materials that are not harmful to our children or our environment. 

At DIG, we believe in spending time outside, rain or shine, and connecting with natural materials – plants and trees, dirt and water, stones and wood. Our child-directed program focuses on each individual’s social and emotional well-being. We provide this support via our wonderful Outdoor Classroom, our free-flowing space, and our low teacher-to-student ratio.

Through our program, we strive to create a world of self-reliant, empathetic, mindful, and compassionate community builders: young people instilled with non-violent conflict resolution skills and resilience, living free from shame. We see the whole child and, rather than judging good and bad behavior, we model tools to navigate the waves of life. 

We are excited to be opening our doors at our new location in Mar Vista in the West LA Imago Dei Church on the corner of Pacific Ave. and Grand View Blvd. 

Stop by our table on October 29th at the Green Tent and introduce yourself! As part of our science curriculum, we will be explore magnets and metals with repurposed metal bits and pieces we find at home or at work — jar lids, Altoid tins, old locks, keys and chains, etc. 

We are looking forward to connecting with our neighbors!

DIG Childhood Center

DIGcenter.org

info@DIGcenter.org

3480 Grand View Blvd.

Mar Vista, CA 90066 

424.272.8988

Master Gardeners, October 22, 2017

It’s KITTY GRASS day on October 22 as the UC/CE LA County Master Gardeners  occupy the Green Tent, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The MGs are bringing seeds and plants to give away FREE, and they have lots of cat grass seed. Come grab your bonus seed pack and if you’re lucky, you can pick up one of the plants that have already sprouted.

Here's what else they're bringing, (in addition to the kitty grass):

Italian parsley — easy to chop flat green leaves 

Kale — everyone’s favorite

Leaf lettuce - who says you can't eat salads in the Fall?
Snap peas  —  MG Sarah’s favorite, the chunky, crispy pods with sweet peas inside, eat ‘em whole, raw or cook ‘em  

Spinach — where would Popeye be without it?

Sweet William — flowers that are pretty AND edible!

Fava Beans — they might not turn into food until spring but they are also considered a cover crop, locking nitrogen in your garden’s soil.

For what to do this (and every) month in the LA County garden, visit http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/Garden_Tips_for_Los_Angeles_County/

And please remember to recycle your “pony packs” — those little plastic 6- or 8-pack plant holders you get from the nursery — with the Master Gardeners so they can continue to plant seedlings for the Mar Vista community! 

Seed Library of Los Angeles, October 15, 2017

Saving Seeds

David King, SLOLA Chair, is waiting
to teach you about seed saving!

This Sunday at the Green Tent, representing the Seed Library of Los Angeles, David King, founding chair, will have seed samples and information on upcoming SLOLA events!

SLOLA is our local organization protecting the diversity of our food supply – come and talk to David about saving some of the remaining seeds from summer or to gear up for the coming winter harvest. You can see the seed inventory awaiting checkout at SLOLA.

SLOLA always features a speaker at the monthly Seed Library meetings that helps you learn more about your food, seeds and gardening.. This month. on October 21, Azita Banu will talk about seed saving basics and will get you set up to start your seed saving journey.

Amaranth --- Sacred Ancient Grain

SELVA International, October 8, 2017

CONSERVATION DONE RIGHT

...after.

SELVA International, a Venice-based environmental non-profit, has partnered with conservation biologist and landscape contractor Steven Williams to offer EcoGardens, a sustainable landscape service to help you convert your water thirsty lawn to an ecological garden.

Learn how your garden can:
• Conserve water
• Save money
• Grow native plants to attract birds and butterflies
• Reduce polluted runoff to our beaches
• Collect and use rainwater
• Support our local community

before...

Selva EcoGardens is pleased to announce that they have recently been awarded another Community Partnership grant from LADWP, and will be offering five FREE Hands On Workshops, which will teach residents how to remove turf and install California Friendly Landscapes in their yards.  Learn by Doing!  If interested in attending a free workshop, sign up at their table!

At the Green Tent, SELVA International will display before and after pictures of sustainable, "Ocean Friendly Gardens." They'll have informational handouts on SELVA's EcoGardens program and Surfrider's Ocean Friendly Gardens program. They'll have some CA native plants local to our area. They will also be distributing free LADWP water-saving devices (low-flow shower heads, sink aerators, and more!) Get your questions answered and free advice on ecological landscaping!

Teaching Wellness October 1, 2017

How Do Your Eating Habits Impact the Environment?

Help sustain our fragile planet while you enjoy healthier, less expensive meals.

  Here are some tips to get you started.  Stop by the Green Tent this Sunday and learn more or share your own suggestions.  

Eat foods in their original form.  
No processing to degrade food value, no packaging to deplete the environment.

Grow your own  
Food is right outside your door. What could be more convenient? Don't have space for your own garden?  Help a friend or neighbor with their crops and share the bounty.

Buy and prepare only what you need. 

Learn how experts such as Kitchen Karate and My Fitness Pal help you determine the right quantities of food to purchase and prepare for your meals.  

Save Water
Eat Lower on the Food Chain

Eat Lower on the Food Chain
Replace beef with other forms of protein to save water, money and lives.  And when you do consume animal protein, look into how it was raised.  Choose farmers who use more humane practices at all stages of meat production.

Prepare  and eat meals at home. You will burn about 250 calories for each meal you prepare.  If you have young children, include them in all phases of the process, from menu planning to cleaning up.  You will teach them a valuable skill which is empowering and a money saver.  

Mar Vista resident and Green Committee Chair Jeanne Kuntz is a certified wellness coach.  Stop by the Green Tent and get a free consultation on habit change.  Learn more at her  website, Teaching Wellness .

Master Gardeners, September 24, 2017

FAVA BEANS !

Join the UC/CE LA County Master Gardeners this Sunday, September 24 beginning at 9 a.m. at The Green Tent. As usual, they’re bringing hand-sown, home-grown seedlings and seeds to give away, and they’ll answer your burning gardening questions till 1 p.m.

Not just good for your tummy but good for the soil, FAVA beans help fix nitrogen in your soil.  

Baby container lettuce will make your little ones feel like giants!

And baby tuscan kale makes a lovely green smoothie, salad or side dish.

Swiss chard is hearty and lasts for years.

Arugula adds just a touch of leafy spice to your life

Sweet william is pretty but also edible! 

Cilantro doubles as an herb and a spice — seeds become coriander, and you can either replant the seeds or grind them into powder for seasoning 

Parsley is always refreshing

If you’re new to gardening, try one of these excellent classes taught by Master Gardener volunteers.

And don’t forget: bring your plastic “pony packs” to the MG booth and they’ll fill ‘em with more plants for the Mar Vista Community.

Repair Cafe September 17, 2017

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 one of the local Westside Repair Cafes.  They will be running a "mini Cafe" this Sunday at the Mar Vista Farmer's Market from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. offering knife sharpening, small appliance repairs and sewing/mending tasks.  

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.

Straight Trash Talk

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.