CONTAINER GARDENING & RAINWATER HARVESTING

There are two events going on at Tree Of Life Nursery in January that I would like to share with you.

January 16th, Harvesting Rainwater 10-11am - "Come learn basic principles about how to harvest rainwater on your property. In dry climates like ours, rainwater is scarce and precious, so when it falls on your property, keep it in your garden! Rainwater harvesting strategies can save you water as well as prevent run-off, which is one of the highest contributors to pollution in our water-ways."

January 23rd, How to Create A Beautiful Native Plant Container10-11am - "Tree of Life Nursery's Patty Roess will speak about how to create attractive containers using native plants, as well as appropriate maintenance techniques for long-term success. Create your own right here! Space, extra soil and some extra decorations will be provided for you to assemble your own native plant container. Small plants and our beautiful clay pots will be available for sale."

Both of these lectures are great. Whether you live in a small space with no land to garden in like me or whether you have a enough space to collect rainwater it is often useful to expand your knowledge and explore. Happy gardening!

YARD CLIPPINGS AS MULCH

If you have any deciduous trees in your yard then you know all too well how frustrating it is to rake up those leaves and put them in bags etc. Well why not avoid all of that and just use those leaves as mulch. Nature gives you these leaves for free so take advantage of that. I am not saying that you should not use mulch. In some cases you might have to, but if you can also use your yard clippings then you should consider it. Just look at all the lovely colors you will have added for free to your yard. A great cost savings!

SOLAR LANTERNS

I actually have one and it works. What is it you may ask well it is simply put a solar powered lantern made by Allsop. These lanterns which come in different shapes and colors are really cool and a fun way to decorate your space for a party with out burning through your electricity bill.


Allsop also makes other solar powered goodies that make the perfect birthday gift. Very fun, cute and festive.

IMBY ONLINE ESTIMATING TOOL

IMBY (in my back yard) is a tool that can calculate how much electricity you can create through solar or wind power. The online tool was created by The National Renewable Energy Lab and is really easy to use.

First you input your address, then you indicate whether you want solar or wind power. You then draw the area on the map of your house were you want the system and then it calculates based on the area you selected what type of system you need etc. Below is the info the tool gave for my mother's house is Irvine, CA assuming a solar system. This is a really neat idea that allows you to determine what you may need without having to sign a contract. I suggest you take it for a test spin. It's free! (you can click on the image to get a closer view)

KENETIC ENERGY POWERS MUSIC PLAYER

No more forgetting to charge your music player just when you get the urge to workout. Now you can burn calories, charge the music player, have an awesome workout breathing in the fresh air and all you have to do is go running. Created by Inesa Malafej and Arunas Sukarevicius from Lithuania these Dance Pants literally power the music player. As long as you keep running or dancing your favorite music will play. When you stop the music stops. This is a great motivator for those that don't like to workout without music.

"It is a 100% interactive way to feel the value of energy on your own . During the movement of feet, kinetic energy is collected to play music. The inverse dynamism of "Dancepants" motivates you to move your feet in order to hear your beloved music. And as long as you keep running or dancing you can be sure you won’t run out of battery." Say's the designers.

I am not sure when this technology will come out but when it does I will surely buy one.

LIVING WALLS AND ROOF TOP GARDENS

Someday I will get the chance to design a garden that allows me to go up the walls and the roof. It'll be the ultimate living wall or roof top garden. But what exactly are they and how is it beneficial? Living walls essentially means that you plant on a vertical structure while in roof top gardens you plant literally on the rooftop. It is a perfect concept for those that do not have any actual land to garden in. You could even use the Wooly Pockets to create living walls. Whether you plant a vine on the wall or something more unique it is often best to do your homework and actually have a drawing so that you know what will and will not work for the space that you have allotted. The same could be said about roof top gardens. You should also keep in mind that you might have regulatory restrictions. Hopefully you won't.


What if the roof top garden became an edible garden while the living wall was just merely decorative? Your options are endless. Imagine the possibilities. I surely will try the living wall concept in my condo but the roof top garden may not sit well with my hoa.

RE-PURPOSING - CRAFTY FOR THE HOLIDAYS

re-purposing is the art of taking something old and making it new again. Whether you refinish the object or take it apart and give it a new life. It's always fun to not buy new and simply re-purpose. Below are some re-purposed items.
A small town in England turned their old phone booth into a mobile 24/7 library. You could even take a bunch of old water bottles and create neat things like this bus stop. However if these are out of your league and too big for you then enjoy these much simpler things that you can make in your own back yard.

Take those old shoes that you just don't want anymore and use them as planters. For an even more creative idea cover the shoes with buttons or beads for a bit of extra bizzazz.
This is where I really wish I had kept all the old floppy disks. Totally could have re-purposed them. Maybe it's time for you to rummage through the attic.

This holiday season consider that the state of the economy may not leave you with much of a shopping budget, but that should not stop you from giving the neatest gift. Try getting a little crafty. From re-purposing items to making your own holiday cards these ideas will not only save you money but the fact that you took time to make it, ads a special touch that something store bought can't do.

THE EMPTY LOS ANGELES

I don't live in Los Angeles, but I have driven there many times to one place or another. Sometimes I end up in traffic and other times the ride is smooth sailing. But what if there was no one there? What if the streets were completely empty then what might Los Angeles look like? Well! Photographer Matt Logue has beautifully demonstrated this thought in his work titled Empty LA. The pictures are stunning! Makes you think what this county could really look like if we made an effort to sustainably enhance it. I live in Orange County and I wonder what it might look like empty.

IRVINE UNIFIED GETS AMBITIOUS

When I was a kid growing up in Irvine, CA I hated it when my high school decided to remodel. I hated the idea of change, but as I look back I realize that the changes were just what the doctor had ordered. In fact these changes added more classrooms and made the school feel less crowded. So when I read this article on the OC Registers website I was overjoyed.

The Irvine unified school system has decided in a very ambitious master plan to install solar panels on most of their two-dozen campuses. The trustees of Irvine unified agreed to lease portions of district property to Sun Edison, which will install and maintain solar systems. It is estimated that this program could same close to $17 million in energy costs. The city of Irvine just might be the only city in California to attempt such a plan. Sun Edison will build and run these systems at their own costs and Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, will be the first recipient. This program is also education for the staff and students who can track the energy usage and learn a little something about solar systems and how they work.

EDIBLE ORNAMENTS

I have to admit that I don't like the traditional ornaments that you can buy at the store. A little to cookie cutter for me. So this year instead I decided to experiment with edibles and try something unique and different. Here are some fun options.


Take a bunch of cinnamon sticks and tie them with string. Instant ornament that will also add a nice aroma. You could even add beads to the string for bit more pizazz.

Marshmallow's anyone? Take the marshmallow's and stick them together with glue or toothpicks. Use paint to add some detail, toothpicks for arms and legs, some string and whoa-la you just made an instant snowman.

This one requires a little baking but is super neat and fragrant. Cut some citrus into 1/4" slices. Bake them at the lowest temperature until they are completely dried (approximately 2-4 hours). Poke a hole through the dried citrus and ad a string. You could even do this with apples.

These ornaments are inexpensive to make and can become a great craft project for the kids. You could even invite a bunch of friends over and have a wine sipping ornament party. Super fun, easy and cute!