Native Growers

Posted By admin on March 13, 2009

These are links from the talks at the Sustainable Urban Landscape Conference at Cuyamaca College, March 12-13. For an overview of sustainable landscaping, see “What is sustainable landscaping anyway?”

http://bewaterwise.com/
This Web site is developed and maintained by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

http://socalwatersmart.com/index.php

Effective July 1, 2008, SoCal Water$mart is a region-wide water efficiency rebate program brought to you by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Family of Southern California Water Agencies.

* High-Efficiency Toilets: starting at $100
* High-Efficiency Clothes Washers: starting at $85
* Weather-Based Irrigation Controllers: starting at $80/controller for less than 1 acre of landscape; $25/station for more than 1 acre of landscape
* Rotating Sprinkler Nozzles: starting at $4/nozzle
* Synthetic Turf: starting at $0.30/square foot

Some participating agencies offer additional rebates beyond the base SoCal Water$mart rebate. Visit the Rebates page to learn more.
SoCal Water$mart provides rebates for residential customers only; residents of single-family detached homes, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes are eligible. Customers interested in rebates for multi-family units should inquire with the Multi-Family program.

http://www.usgbc.org/

The U.S. Green Building Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings available to everyone within a generation. This is the place to:

» Certify your green building
» Join USGBC as an organization
» Join a chapter as an individual
» Sign up for courses and workshops
» Purchase LEED Reference Guides
» Learn about Greenbuild 2009
» Sign up for e-newsletters
» Become a LEED AP
» Learn about green building

http://www.usgbc-sd.org/

Vision

The vision of the U.S. Green Building Council - San Diego Chapter is an environmentally responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life in the San Diego region.

http://asla.org/

Founded in 1899, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is the national professional association representing landscape architects. Beginning with 11 original members, ASLA has grown to more than 18,000 members and 48 chapters, representing all 50 states, U.S. territories, and 68 countries around the world. ASLA promotes the landscape architecture profession and advances the practice through advocacy, education, communication, and fellowship.

http://www.sustainablesites.org/

The Sustainable Sites Initiative is an interdisciplinary effort
by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the United States Botanic Garden
to create voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction
and maintenance practices.

WUCOLS

http://www.owue.water.ca.gov/landscape/faq/faq.cfm

http://www.wateright.org/site2/reference/wucols.asp

http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2009/03/bill_deadline_b.html

Assembly Bill 1408, authored by Assemblymember Paul Krekorian and co-sponsored by PCL and the East Bay Municipal Utilities District, provides a new tool to allow communities to accommodate growth without increase water demand. AB 1408 would institute a water neutral development option that developers and water agencies can voluntarily choose to utilize during the development approval process. The bill would encourage developers to build highly efficient houses, and further encourages developers to fully offset the water demand of the development by taking part in water conservation programs for existing homes and businesses.

California Drought Management

http://www.cadroughtprep.net/

http://www.sdcwa.org/manage/drought.phtml

AB 2717, AB 1881
http://www.owue.water.ca.gov/landscape/ord/updatedOrd.cfm

In 2004, AB 2717 was passed, it requested the California Urban Water Conservation Council (CUWCC) to convene a stakeholder task force, composed of public and private agencies, to evaluate and recommend proposals by December 31, 2005, for improving the efficiency of water use in new and existing urban irrigated landscapes in California. Based on this charge, the Task Force adopted a comprehensive set of 43 recommendations, essentially making changes to the AB 325 of 1990 and updating the Model Local Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance. The recommendation of the bill charges DWR to update the Model Efficient Landscape Ordinance and to upgrade CIMIS.

The Water Conservation in Landscaping Act of 2006 (AB 1881) enacts many, but not all of the recommendations reported to the Governor and Legislature in December 2005 by the CUWCC Landscape Task Force (Task Force). AB 1881 requires DWR, not later than January 1, 2009, by regulation, to update the model ordinance in accordance with specified requirements, reflecting the provisions of AB 2717. AB 1881 requires local agencies, not later January 1, 2010, to adopt the updated model ordinance or equivalent or it will be automatically adopted by statute. Also, the bill requires the Energy Commission, in consultation with the department, to adopt, by regulation, performance standards and labeling requirements for landscape irrigation equipment, including irrigation controllers, moisture sensors, emission devices, and valves to reduce the wasteful, uneconomic, inefficient, or unnecessary consumption of energy or water.

Cottonwood Creek Park — Encinitas

http://www.schmidtdesign.com/
http://greenitecturedesign.blogspot.com/2008/12/cottonwood-creek-park-encinitas.html

http://www.clca.org/

The California Landscape Contractors Association is a non-profit trade organization of licensed landscape and landscape-related contractors. Also included among its approximately 3,200 members are landscape suppliers, landscape architects, public officials, educators, and students.

Water management study guide

http://clca.us/water/
http://www.clca.us/water/download.html

Rick Halsey — California Chaparral Institute

http://www.californiachaparral.com/

Wildlife Urban Interface (WUI)

http://www.fws.gov/fire/living_with_fire/wildland_urban_interface.shtml

Greg Rubin

http://www.calown.com/

Cuyamaca Water Conservation Garden

http://www.thegarden.org/

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Posted By admin on March 11, 2009

Virtually all the bungalows in Jennie and Chas Rightmyer’s Kensington neighborhood have well-tended lawns out front – part of the American dream, along with picket fences and two-car garages.

But increasingly dire warnings about statewide water shortages prompted the Rightmyers to remove their Bermuda grass. They are replacing it with a drought-tolerant garden that should be completed by month’s end.

The couple hope the new landscaping will cut their overall water use by more than 20 percent.

“It just feels like the time has come,” Jennie Rightmyer said.

Californians should end their love affair with lawns, said water officials, lawmakers, conservationists and landscapers. Many of these advocates have promoted native plants for years, but they now sense a greater potential for change because of the public’s growing concerns about global warming, drought and ever-rising water bills.

“It’s the beginning of the end of lawn at home,” said Nan Sterman, who teaches a class called “Bye Bye Grass” at the Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon.

Last week, the garden’s managers started a hotline for people to seek advice from Sterman about “water-smart” landscaping.

“It’s not just the early adopters anymore,” Sterman said. “It’s (average) people who are really getting the sense that we have to do something . . . which tells me that it’s becoming part of the mainstream.”

via Going green, without a lawn.

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Posted By admin on February 10, 2009

Native Growers, version 3.0….

Not sure where we’re going this time, but, hopefully we’ll have fun getting there…

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