green gardens

this past saturday i attended the 3rd annual green gardens tour featuring sustainable gardens in santa monica. the tour benefitted the virginia avenue project, a free after-school program that uses the arts along with one-on-one mentoring to help kids discover their full potential.

the goal of the tour, themed "the value of trees" was to highlight environmentally harmonius landscaping practices, and it did a great job at that. here is an excerpt from the booklet that i received at the tour:

"in natural systems, rainfall is caught by trees or shrubs and released slowly into the ground. this natural cycle produces nutrient, fresh water and clean air. even in a semi-arid landscape like early los angeles, the eco-system was in balance, providing everything that native people, plants and animals needed for a sustainable and prosperous life.

in the los angeles of today, we have interfered with the natural cycles of energy and water with thousands of square miles of concrete, asphalt, skyscrapers and residential neighborhoods. in this system, rainfall is channeled to our roadways, where it picks up...a toxic soup of pollutants and washes into the over-taxed storm drain system and out to our beaches and bays. very little water remains to replenish the water table for later use.

two important and expensive problems result from this: we must import billions of gallons of water each year, turning other regions into deserts; and we spend half a billion dollars on massive flood control projects.

in order to turn things around, we need to begin understanding los angeles as a living ecosystemm and working with nature to rehabilitate its ability to protect and meet our needs. trees are central to this rehabilitation."

so what constitutes a "green" garden? aren't all gardens green? well, these gardens were chosen for their use of recycled materials, climate appropriate plants, urban runoff systems, organic practices, wildlife friendly-ness, edibles, water efficient irrigation, green building practices, mulch, and lawn reduction.



below are photos that i took of some of the gardens. i'll be following up with a series on green landscaping and my experiences in designing through a whole-systems approach.

sustainable cinema

mark your calendars, the santa monica public library is hosting a free showings of four films that examine the relationship between humans and planet earth. the films will be shown monthly in the martin luther king jr. auditorium of the main library from february through may, 2007.

the series begins with a screening of who killed the electric car? on wednesday, february 7 at 7:00 p.m.; a panel discussion with environmental experts will follow.





the film super size me is featured at 7:00 p.m. on tuesday, march 6.





al gore's film an inconvenient truth will be shown on wednesday, april 4 at 7:00 p.m.







and fast food nation, will screen on wednesday, may 16 at 7:00 p.m.







this program series is cosponsored by the environmental programs division of the city of santa monica.

the library is located at 601 santa monica boulevard.

alternative car expo

this past weekend was the first annual alt car expo presented by the city of santa monica. two jam-packed days of seminars, panels, and discussions on alternative fuel technologies, urban planning, mass transit, cycling, and more! tomas and i got there sunday afternoon and unfortunately missed the seminars, but we got to catch up with some of the exhibitors and familiar faces of the alternative transportation world.

flexcar, who i am familiar with from up north, was representing their car-sharing service that they have been expanding here in el lay. flexcar offers a very affordable and convenient solution for those who only need a car a few hours a week or so. you pay a yearly membership fee and are then charged by the hour for using a vehicle (around $9-12) and they cover gas, insurance, road-side assistance, and maintenance! car shares are a more sustainable alternative to having your own vehicle, and about 30% of their vehicles are hybrids (which usually cost a fortune to rent!). i know that one flexcar is parked on 5th ave. at rose in venice and others can be located around el lay.

new to me was the euro taxi of santa monica...a taxi service currently running 4 cars all sourced with biodiesel. the father and son running the booth were so sweet and excited about their business. i'll definitely give them a call next time i am going out on the town. you can reach euro taxi at 310.828.4200.

i also got to meet some of the guys behind carless in l.a. who are documenting katie rogers and her adventures in giving up her car for 80 days. i was carless in el lay for months when i got back from indonesia, and i really loved the freedom that it gave me. i made good use of the big blue bus system and my bicycle but i did not leave the west side often. i survived my experience...and it looks like katie will as well. hoorah.

with a wide selection of electric, hydrogen, natural gas, biodiesel, ethanol and other high mpg cars, the expo did a great job of showcasing many alternatives to the standard gas guzzler. in line with the permaculture principle of diversity, it is essential for many technologies to be explored because the only way to create a resilient system that will get us through difficulties is to utilize many elements. otherwise, like the current mono-fuel system, we are setting ourselves up for failure.

on my bookshelf

i'm blogging from the santa monica public library today where there is free wireless, a coffee shop/cafe, and an amazing selection of resources for bibliophiles like me. the santa monica library is also acknowledged by the u.s. green building council as a silver-rated leed certified green building and hosts community workshops and lectures in sustainable living...rad. you can find out more about the library's initiative in sustainability here.

the following books are staples on my personal shelves. any of these books are worth a trip to your local library to check out and would make a great present for the environmentally inquisitive on your holiday list...be sure to support local independent bookstores when purchasing (you can find one near you through booksense) or buy used when possible.


gaviota's a village to reinvent the world, by alan weisman

weisman tells the story of how a diverse group of visionaries (engineers, biologists, botanists, agriculturists, sociologists, musicians, artists, doctors, teachers, and students) created a very real, socially viable, and self-sufficient community for the future in the los llanos region of colombia which is generally considered uninhabitable. today the people of gaviotas produce innovative technologies (solar collectors, irrigation systems, windmills, and hydroponic gardens) that use the environment without depleting or destroying it. the story he presents is a wonderful testament to human creativity, commitment, and effort toward building a socially viable and environmentally sustainable future.

cradle to cradle: remaking the way we make things, by william mcdonough & michael braungart

“the world will not evolve past its current state of crisis by using the same thinking that created the situation."

mcdonough & braungart have been my heroes ever since i saw "the next industrial revolution" which documents their cradle to cradle design projects pointing the future of design as being one of use, recycle, and used again without losing any material quality (cradle-to-cradle) rather than the all too familiar use once and then dispose (cradle-to-grave) mentality. i bought the dvd a few years back and then the book. as a 'treeless' publication printed on a synthetic plastic resin 'paper' made to be easily recycled, the book "cradle to cradle" is itself a symbol of the design philosophies inside.


natural capitalism: creating the next industrial revolution, by paul hawken, amory lovins, and l. hunter lovins

this book, written by three visionaries from the rocky mountain institute, explains how the world is on the verge of a new industrial revolution—one that promises to transform our fundamental notions about commerce and its role in shaping our future. natural capitalism describes a future in which business and environmental interests increasingly overlap, and in which businesses can better satisfy their customers' needs, increase profits, and help solve environmental problems all at the same time.

this is my all-time numero uno. you can even download the book from the natural capitalism website for free and start reading it right now!

santa monica takes the leed in greening parks

did you know that the first park in the united states to be awarded a LEED certification is right in our backyards? me neither, but virginia avenue park in santa monica was awarded a silver rating from the u.s. green building council for it's 9.5 acre addition in 2005.

one may think that it would be a cinch for a park to get a LEED award for environmental sustainability...it's green right? but many traditional parks are constructed and operated using wasteful systems such as grading and demolition, over-irrigation, and chemical fertilizers. even the plants that are chosen have a big impact on the "greenness" of a landscape plan.

koning eizenberg architecture of santa monica and spurlock poirier landscape architects of san diego obviously understood this in their design process for the urban park. the park at virginia avenue took advantage of sustainable techniques such as rainwater capture and use, construction waste recycling, efficient irrigation and electricity (all energy is supplied by renewable power), drought tolerant plantings, natural ventilation, and four recharching stations for alternative fuel vehicles. also, all paint, wood, and carpet materials were specified sans volatile compounds or formaldehyde.

LEED certified building is getting a lot of press (and rightfully so) but it's great to see parks joining in the mix.

(via garden design magazine nov 2006)

cool stuff around town

bubbles installation at m&a. i stopped by m & a last night while i was in silverlake for greendrinks and got a peak at the new bubbles installation in their courtyard. the interactive installation consists of large air-bag "bubbles" that inflate and deflate in response to visitors, expressing a continuously changing urban architectural experience. the installation is up through the end of january.

first leed platinum residence in u.s.. phil and i recently took a stroll by livinghomes' new project in santa monica which is the first u.s. residence to be awarded the highest rating possible from the u.s. green building council’s (usgbc) new pilot, leed® for homes rating system. designed by ray kappe, the livinghomes model home is a zero energy, zero water, zero waste, zero carbon, zero emissions residence. it's a beautiful architectural statement, although it does seem that they could use some landscape help - lh, call me :). livinghomes is the first company to make leed certified, prefab homes available to consumers nationwide.

sustainable works green living workshops in santa monica. sustainable works, a non-profit environmental education organization sponsored by the city of santa monica, would like to introduce a workshop designed to help families learn about important environmental issues, save valuable resources, lower utility bills, and protect their health. their next two workshop cycles begin monday, october 23rd, and wednesday, october 25th, 7:00 p.m. for more information call anna cummins at sustainable works 310.458-8716 x1