PLAYING IN THE DIRT: The back yard of Sophie Clanton, which won awards for Xeriscaping. (Photo: John Davenport/ZUMA)

When I tell Cassy Aoyagi, the friendly and knowledgeable co-owner of C&K Landscape Design, that I want to talk to her about xeriscaping, she laughs.

“The term xeriscaping is so ’70s,” she says. “I think there are really weird associations with it — people see gravel and cactus.”

In case you missed the coining of the term “xeriscape” in 1978, it can very simply be defined as dry landscaping: Gardening in dry regions without much in the way of supplemental irrigation. Seems easy enough — just plant a bunch of cacti, throw in some rocks, and call it a day — but there’s a tad more to it. The term xeriscaping is more and more often interchanged with the phrase “native gardening.” It’s a growing movement that strives to reintroduce plants that are native to dry regions such as Southern California, where they’ve long been squeezed out by thirsty and needy exotics.

Aoyagi and her team are a full-service, Southern California-based landscape design, construction and maintenance company. Specializing in sustainability, they endeavor to make every project as environmentally friendly as possible, which means using lots of natives along with recycled, repurposed materials.

Despite what she calls “terrible stereotypes” associated with natives, Aoyagi has noticed a marked increase in requests for native gardens in the last year. That’s partly thanks to a growing interest in the environment, and partly because native gardening means less water and less maintenance. And although those “terrible stereotypes” about native plants exist — “When people bring up natives, they envision woody, weedy stuff that’s half-dead by the end of summer,” Aoyagi explains — the reality is that xeriscapers aren’t limited by a lack of options.

According to Louise Lacey, whose website Growing Native offers a wealth of information on working with native California plant communities, there are more than 5,000 species native to the Golden State — and that’s not counting subspecies.

Lacey fell into native gardening years ago when living in a shady place on a shoestring budget. With a 60-mile commute, she didn’t have the time or money to care for a needy garden. She fell in love with the plants at a local native plant botanic garden, and quickly realized that they would solve all of her gardening problems.

“I wouldn’t have to water; I wouldn’t have to do anything,” she explains. “They didn’t need me.”

It’s an amazing concept for those accustomed to gardening with exotics, whose care requires water, fertilizer, pesticides and lots of time, but Lacey stresses that even natives do need some attention in the first few years.

Aoyagi echoes that sentiment.

“The biggest misconception about natives is that they don’t require any maintenance,” she warns. “Don’t do any planting, including natives, if you’re not willing to maintain it, because you’ll be disappointed.”

Once they’re established, though, they know how to take care of themselves. Lacey insists that three years after getting started, her native garden only required eight hours of care — per year.

What was born of necessity quickly turned into a life’s passion. Through trial and error, Lacey learned the basics of native gardening, which she now offers online. She’s also quick to speak about the healing aspects of native gardening — both for the earth, and for the gardener.

“It’s really a spiritual experience,” she says, going on to describe how growing native plants creates natural habitats for native fauna such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Lili Singer, special projects coordinator for the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley, Calif., designed her own native garden specifically to attract hummingbirds. A horticulturist, garden consultant and garden writer whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Singer grew up in the San Fernando valley, where she hosted a garden show on KCRW for more than a decade, and worked as the publisher and editor of The Southern California Gardener and The Gardener’s Companion, both specifically focused on gardening in Southern California. Throughout her career in radio and print, she has always included native plants and endorsed the Theodore Payne Foundation, a nonprofit nursery dedicated to promoting the understanding, use and preservation of California’s native flora.

“The foundation has 22 acres, most of it undeveloped, in the middle of residential,” Singer explains. “It’s kind of like this little oasis. We have demonstration gardens, a big retail nursery, an art gallery and an education center with programs all year.”

One of the things Singer was hired to do was get the Theodore Payne Foundation into farmers markets, and she says the Hollywood Farmers’ Market has made Sunday her favorite day of the week.

“We had a native coyote mint plant in there one week, and it had a flower on it. Coyote mint is a butterfly attractor, and there we were, in the middle of this urban farmers market with 7,000 people walking by and all of these booths, and butterflies came in and found the plant.”

The anecdote is a testimony to Singer’s belief that putting natives into home gardens may be the way to save certain species.

“Most insects will not eat non-native plants,” she explains. “Butterflies will not lay their eggs on non-native plants. If we don’t have those little caterpillars, we don’t have birds eating them, and we don’t have the birds. It’s a picture of the food chain, and the fact that we’ve destroyed most of our wild lands means that we can’t depend on that being the sanctuary for the wild animals anymore.”

It’s a bad state of affairs, but the good news is that Aoyagi, Lacey and Singer are all optimistic about the positive impact of native gardening, not to mention the growing interest in it. The moral of the story: Whether you’re planting your own small garden or hiring a landscape design company, try going native.

Resources

Interested gardeners across the United States can contact their state’s Native Plant Societies, where they’ll find helpful information and local native nurseries.

California-based gardeners can check out Louise Lacey’s small book, The Basics, available on her website, and those in Southern California can visit the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley. Take one of its courses, such as California Native Plant Garden Design with board member Cassy Aoyagi. Want to know more about the relationship between native flora and fauna, and how you can make them both a part of your life? Lili Singer suggests reading Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens, by Douglas W. Tallamy.

[Cross posted from Mother Nature Network]

Photo: Eggybird/Flickr 

There have been some truly great scams throughout history, but perhaps none as wide-reaching and environmentally destructive as bottled water. Somewhere along the way, we were all deceived into thinking that bottled water was “better” than tap water, and that we had to shell out to healthfully hydrate.

It turns out the joke’s on us and the punch line, of course, is that a lot of bottled water is just tap water anyway. Aquafina, a PepsiCo brand, and Dasani, a Coca-Cola brand, are two examples of “purified” bottled tap water. Meanwhile, brands such as Fiji, which offers “all natural artesian” water, uncap their own ocean of concerns –namely that the bottles the pristine water is sold in require large amounts of oil to make, and the fuel needed to ship them all over the world results in a huge carbon footprint.

According to Pacific Institute estimates from 2006, “Producing the bottles for American consumption required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil,” and “bottling water produced more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide.” That doesn’t include the energy and transportation involved. And then there’s the waste. The Container Recycling Institute, a Washington-based nonprofit, reports that eight out of 10 plastic water bottles in the United States become garbage or end up in a landfill.

After years of buying into the bottled-water swindle, consumers are being spurred to return to the tap by the growing green movement and the current economic downturn. Fast Company recently reported that Americans spent $15 billion on bottled water last year — arguably $15 billion that would have been better spent on water purifiers and reusable bottles.   Take Back the Tap, a campaign spearheaded by consumer-rights organization Food & Water Watch, is encouraging individuals to take action by contacting their elected officials, and “calling on restaurantsto support the city’s tap water by keeping bottled water off their menus.” Refill Not Landfill and Filter For Good are two more campaigns, organized by Nalgene and Brita, working to encourage bottled-water drinkers to break the addiction. They’ve even partnered with Crystal Light to offer a “reusable water bottle kit,” replete with “one Filter For Good reusable bottle, ten Crystal Light On The Go sticks, and valuable offers including a $5 off Brita water filtration system coupon.” Their tag line should be “a spoonful of sugar helps the tap water go down.”

For those who don’t need the kit or flavor enhancers, the world of water filters, purifiers and reusable bottles is a veritable embarrassment of riches. Well-known brands include PUR and Brita, both of which offer pitchers, faucet mounts and refrigerator filters. Once you’ve filtered and purified your tap water, you’ll need something to carry it around in. This is where a reusable bottle such as the popular Nalgene comes in.

The company is currently in the process of phasing out production of consumer bottles containing the controversial compound BPA. Check out Nalgene Choice for more info.

If you’d rather avoid plastic altogether, consider my reusable bottle of choice — a pretty little stainless steel number from New Wave Enviro Products, which you can pick up on Amazon. Whatever you do, stay thirsty for knowledge and healthfully hydrated.

[Crossposted from Mother Nature Network]

Photo courtesy Herbivore Clothing Company 

Vegetarianism and veganism have received a lot of attention and promotion in the past few years. What was once a little-known dietary choice is now the celebrated lifestyle of celebrities from Alicia Silverstone to Paul McCartney. The movement has inspired a range of groundbreaking cookbooks and even claims its own dance troupe, the Vegan Vixens. While a lot of vegans cite animal rights as their main reason for abstaining from meat, milk and eggs, concern for the environment is another significant factor.

By now we’ve all heard the incredible statistics about the huge amounts of methane — a greenhouse gas — emitted by cows. The EPA reports that “ruminant livestock produce about 80 million metric tons of methane annually, accounting for about 28 percent of global methane emissions from human-related activities.” In addition to the methane mess, there’s the matter of manure. According to the National Resources Defense Council, the mass quantities of waste emanating from livestock farms has been shown to “seriously threaten humans, fish and ecosystems” via environmental horrors such as polluted groundwater and “waste-lagoon” spills.

While more and more people are exploring both the health and environmental benefits of veganism — even just occasional veganism — the choice to go vegan is about more than what you eat. Case in point: Google “vegan belts” and you’ll find a long list of vendors selling nonleather, animal-friendly belts, and yes — there are plenty of handbags and shoes to match.

Renowned vegan cookbook author Sarah Kramer, whose titles include How It All Vegan, La Dolce Vegan and Vegan a Go-Go!: A Cookbook & Survival Manual for Vegans on the Road, explains, “Food is a very important part of veganism, but is just the tip of the iceberg. Veganism is a lifestyle choice from the clothes we wear, to the products we buy, to the life choices we make.”

Isa Chandra Moskowitz, author of celebrated vegan cookbooks such as Veganomicon and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, agrees with that sentiment. “Being vegan is about loving animals and treating them right,” she says.

Which brings us back to the subject of vegan belts. Belts — and other clothing and accessories — are vegan if they’re not made from leather, fur, wool, silk or other animal products. Sound limiting and frustrating? Kramer says that if you’d asked her that question 10 years ago she would have answered “yes,” but things have changed.

“There are so many fabulous vegan choices in the marketplace now,” she says. “Just go to Moo Shoes. You could spend your whole day shopping for vegan shoes and belts.”

Moskowitz admits that sometimes it’s frustrating not to be able to walk into any store and get whatever she wants, but acknowledges, “There are more and more vegan stores popping up all the time.” Among her favorites are Herbivore Clothing and Vaute Couture.

While there are a number of vegan belts that are made from natural materials, and even some that are handcrafted from 100 percent reclaimed inner tubes, many faux-leather belts are made from polyurethane. According to Greenpeace, polyurethane “uses several hazardous intermediates and creates numerous hazardous by-products.” This creates a bit of a challenge for the consumer who is both earth- and animal-conscious. While it may seem like having to choose the lesser of two evils, taking the time to do your homework will uncover a growing selection of rewarding options. Look for belts, clothing, and accessories made from natural fibers, and seek out recycled, upcycled and handmade items.

Ten worthwhile vegan clothiers:

• Herbivore Clothing Company

• Moo Shoes

• Vaute Couture

• Truth

• Humanitaire

• Alternative Outfitters

• Ragazzi Vegan

• Pangea Vegan Products

• Green With Envy

• Etsy

[Crossposted from Mother Nature Network]

Photo: Greenknickers.org

Think turning bamboo into underwear is like spinning straw into gold? While it is a potential goldmine, it’s definitely no fairy tale. More and more clothing manufacturers are using fiber made from the versatile grass in garments ranging from T-shirts and hats to — you guessed it — skivvies and knickers. Skeptics might think bamboo boxers sound abrasive at best, but the cloth can be as soft as cotton and is even being used by some designers as an economical, vegan alternative to silk. So, is bamboo clothing green by default, and how on Earth do they turn those enormous, woody canes into comfortable undies?

Earlier this year, interior design magazine Core 77 explained what makes bamboo so awesome. High on the list is its resilience and sustainability: Unlike trees, bamboo can be harvested without damaging the original plant, plus it grows incredibly fast. Unlike thirsty, conventional cotton, bamboo doesn’t require much in the way of pesticides or water. This is all good news but as any amateur ecologist knows, nothing comes for free, and for every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction. Because bamboo has experienced such a surge in popularity, certain farmers have begun growing it as a monocrop, and in some cases they’re even clearing trees to make room for bamboo plantations.

Furthermore, while the natural product offers a lot of reasons to celebrate, the way it’s processed is raising some eyebrows. As Azadeh Ensha recently noted on the New York Times’ Green Inc. blog, “critics point to the excessive chemicals used in its production.”

The most common process of turning bamboo into raw fiber is similar to that used to produce rayon, and involves two caustic chemicals — sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide — both of which have been shown to cause environmental damage and health problems. That said, National Geographic reported in its Green Guide that more Earth-friendly ways of creating bamboo fabrics are being tested, and a few alternatives are currently in use. Finally, a number of nonprofits are pushing for a third-party certification of bamboo, which would help consumers identify and choose sustainable bamboo products.

You don’t have to wait for third-party certification to feel good about your bamboo briefs, though. One thing you can do is look for certification from an independent and reliable certification company such as Oeko-Tex, the Soil Association, SKAL or KRAV. You can learn more about these organizations and what their certifications mean here.

What it comes down to is this: Nothing is perfect, so as consumers who don’t want to get bamboozled, we’re faced with the challenge of sorting the facts from the hype, and the pros from the cons. Despite its current challenges and shortcomings, bamboo arguably has a much lighter environmental impact than conventional cotton, which requires a huge amount of water and pesticides. The fiber is also preferable to nylon and polyester synthetics, seeing as how they’re derived from nonrenewable petroleum. The best thing we can do is stay up-to-date, share our knowledge and make informed purchases. For a thorough and extensive look at both the upside and downside of bamboo clothing, check out this post from Lotus Organics.

Ready to start shopping? Retailers such as Bamboosa, Shirts of Bamboo and Footprint Bamboo Ecowear offer clothing and underwear made from Oeko-Tex-certified organic bamboo, and they post their certifications on their websites. Then there are the fun-loving gals over at Greenknickers, who claim their bamboo fiber is processed using nontoxic agents, and even offer padded cycling knickers made from 70 percent bamboo to keep your bambooty comfortable when biking.

[Crossposted from Mother Nature Network]

My friend Katherine up the street just clued me in about this fantabulous organization.  Be An Elf offers guidance on how you can read letters that have been sent to Santa by kids in need.  They’ve been collected by the United States Postal Service, and the idea is that you then purchase gifts for the family, and make sure the kids receive presents by Christmas Day.  Katherine is planning a dinner party around the project–we’ll all pick up our letters and buy our prezzies in advance, then get together to eat and wrap.

Here are the steps they offer on how to get involved:

Three ways to volunteer:

1. The best way to help would be to select one or more letters to Santa and buy a gift for a needy child. It may take some research on your part to find out if there is a postal branch in your city offers the Santa letters. Follow the steps outlined below exactly. If there is no branch where you live, we offer some great alternative suggestions below.

2. Another way to help, if you can’t go to the post office yourself, is to Donate Online to Be An Elf. If you prefer to give by check, see Giving by Check. Your donation to Be An Elf will further our mission and help us recruit new volunteers.

3. Another great way to support our mission is to let your friends know about our group. If you like, use our suggested draft of a message to friends to tell them about us. Feel free to rewrite the message any way you wish.

There’s much more on their site, including help for finding the participating post office branch near you, so be sure to click here.

Sometimes, the opportunity to do some good is so darn easy, you’re likely to miss it.  President-elect Barack Obama and his legions of ardent supporters are proof that when people are inspired to take action, they can accomplish just about anything.  Today, I’m inspired, and I hope you will be, too.

My friend and role model, Tanya Petrovna, sent out this email today.  Please give it a read and follow the super simple instructions–it’ll take about a hot two minutes:

Help Close L.A. Zoo Elephant Exhibit And Send Lone Elephant Billy To A Sanctuary — CALL THE MAYOR THIS MORNING!

Zoo supporters are making a last push to influence the mayor on this important issue! Please call THIS MORNING!

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Phone: 213-978-0600

Talking Points:

• The $42 million L.A. Zoo elephant exhibit is a waste of taxpayer money and won’t provide the space that elephants need.
• Too many elephants have suffered and died prematurely at the L.A. Zoo, many due to painful health problems caused by inadequate conditions including pens that are far too small.
• Billy has spent years in solitary confinement in a tiny zoo pen, where he constantly bobs his head up and down, an abnormal behavior not seen in the wild.
• The City of Los Angeles has made great strides toward becoming more humane. Now it’s time to include elephants by closing the elephant exhibit and sending Billy to a sanctuary as soon as possible.

I’m really not the wedding planning type.  I just can’t be bothered to spend precious time and brain power on (what feel like) frivolous details.  I’d much rather read, or write, or walk my dog, or hang with my peeps, or cook, or practice guitar, or volunteer, or…well, do just about anything, really.

Despite my aversion to (what feels like) wedding nonsense, I am doing what’s necessary to put the big essentials in place: I’ve booked a band, a photographer, hair and makeup, got my dress, confirmed the officiant, and found my dream florist, Simply That Flowers.

Ginny and Natalie, the lovely ladies behind Simply That, are the inspiration for this post.  If anyone is going to add a tinge of *green* to this wedding, it’s them.  Not only are they actually based IN Yosemite, where the wedding will take place, but they’re also more than happy to utilize local flowers (or grasses, or sticks, or rocks, or reeds, or whatever this nature girl’s heart desires) in my bouquet and centerpieces.  Of course, these earth (and law) conscious florists don’t use anything that actually originates within Yosemite, which would be naturally disruptive.

But wait, it gets even better!  Check out the above photo of their outstandingly earth-friendly and unique idea for table cards.  My wedding will be at the beginning of Spring, so we’ll use something other than pine cones (river rocks, possibly?) and green leaves rather than fall leaves.  No paper, no garbage = happy bride.

So, I got engaged. About two months ago. And now, suddenly, I’m planning a wedding, which is great and wonderful and exciting, and which raises a whole host of environmental/social issues for me. Of course, I want my wedding to be representative of both me and Matt as individuals and as a couple. It’s fun to find ways to express ourselves in colors and music and ritual, but there’s so much more to it. This is a definitive life cycle event. Our wedding will be the gateway into our marriage, and the rest of our lives as partners. It’s a day that will symbolize our intentions together. Who do we want to become? What do we want to achieve? What do we want our legacy to be?

Weddings are a huge industry in America. It’s called the Wedding-Industrial Complex for a reason, and from the research I’ve done (watching Bridezillas, Married Away, Whose Wedding is it Anyway?, Rich Bride/Poor Bride, A Wedding Story, Platinum Weddings, etc., tee hee), I’ve seen that weddings have a tendency to be both wasteful and polluting. Yuck. That’s so not something I want to invest in. Like a lot of people right now, I’m trying to move away from that kind of mindless behavior. “Waste not, want not,” so the old saying goes. From here on out, this blog will be my place to explore and report on ways to throw a socially conscious, earth friendly wedding. It won’t be exclusively wedding info–I’ll post non-nuptial items as well–but I’ll regularly update on my planning process, from registries (ick) to honeymoon.

Oh, yeah: The big day will be May 16, 2009, at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park.

Armchair Do-Gooder: Birthday Can Collection

Here’s an easy Armchair Do-Gooder project you can try: next time you have a party, ask all of your guests to bring a can of food to donate to your local food bank.

Armchair Do-Gooder: Locks of Love Haircut