On the other hand, when stormwater is allowed to infiltrate back into the ground, it is cleaned and treated naturally by percolating through the soil. Both permeable pavers, which are hard surface units typically made of concrete, and pervious concrete, which is a special mix of concrete with open pores that allows water to readily flow through it, will allow stormwater even from a heavy downpour to travel into the ground where it will be cleaned as it recharges the water table.

Chicago’s U.S. Cellular Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox, is also now home to the largest installation of permeable pavers in the country. A parking lot the size of four and a half football fields has been covered with pavers, instead of asphalt or concrete. The joints between the pavers allow stormwater to seep directly into the ground, rather than needing to be collected with drains and underground pipes. Permeable pavers and pervious concrete let the water directly into the ground, and the slow uptake of water across the entire surface is adequate to absorb the water from even the heaviest storms.

In addition to being better for the environment, the permeable pavers also saved money for the owner.

The ISFA ( Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, the project developer and owner) achieved a $400,000 cost savings compared with what it would have cost to install and maintain traditional asphalt paving, Royse said.

Not only does installation and maintenance of permeable pavement typically cost less than it would for poured-in-place concrete and bituminous asphalt, but it is highly durable and stronger that those materials and it lasts twice as long as traditional paving, according to an ISFA press statement.

It’s hard to argue with the combination of better for the environment and less expensive for the owner. While the pavers themselves might be more expensive than installing asphalt, the owner saves money by not needing to put in drains and pipes that would otherwise be needed to handle the stormwater. That avoids a lot of labor cost and material use. Furthermore, the light colored pavers help reduce the urban heat island effect by reflecting more solar energy rather than absorbing it where it becomes heat.

via: Medill Reports

I’m often pleasantly surprised at how much interest and passion you (our visitors) display for water-saving technologies. Renewable energy is sexy, and eco-friendly cars are top-of-mind for most people these days, but graywater systems? Rain barrels? Rain gardens? Even water-conserving toilets and showerheads? They’re pretty hot too … I for one am thrilled, for not only have I spent a good part of my career designing stormwater treatment systems but I believe that water shortages are a pretty pressing and difficult environmental challenge that doesn’t get enough attention in these days of $4 gasoline and global warming.

The beauty of any of these water-saving technologies is that a) they achieve multiple benefits, saving water while reducing wastewater or stormwater runoff and b) you can see the results right at home. It’s pretty satisfying to open the valve on a rain barrel, see the water flow out and know that you reduced pollution downstream and also prevented water from being siphoned from lakes or rivers tens or hundreds of miles away.

There are some challenges, though. In order to really make a dent in your runoff, you might have to use ten or more rain barrels - not so great if you don’t have space or your downspouts are on the visible side of your house (or if you’re not Ed Begley Jr and just don’t care!). Cisterns give you more capacity, but you’re talking about a real construction project with some possible permitting hurdles.

I recently saw another solution at a green show here in LA - the Rainwater Pillow, designed by Jim Harrington, a landscape designer in the Atlanta area. It’s basically a big flat rubber bag that allows you to store and then reuse rainwater for landscape purposes. The beauty of the system is that the pillows have capacities ranging from 1,000 up to 40,000 gallons, can be installed as a DIY project on Saturday afternoon , flatten out when not filled, and can be easily located in that unused space in your basement or crawlspace, out of sight but protected. They come with all of the prefilters, pumps, tubing and fittings needed to connect it to your drainage and irrigation systems, and also with a remote control so you can operate the pump from anywhere nearby.

I had some concerns at first. Rodent damage? Check - very strong materials used. How about stagnation / septic issues with the water? Check - very simple process using household bleach deals with that. How about freezing? Check - safe by design down to -30 degrees (except for pump and fittings, which must be protected). Cost? That’s where a little bit of “ouch” creeps in - they are a bit pricey (starting at $2,500 list price, although I’d hope there might be some negotiating room in these difficult economic times). They won’t pay for themselves anytime soon at that price, but if you’re considering graywater systems, cisterns or an army of rain barrels then you’re already thinking of making a substantial investment.

Other folks think they’re pretty swell too - This Old House just listed them as one of the greatest new green products.

We haven’t seen one in action yet, but some day I will have one of these at my home … and I’ll fall asleep knowing the rain is being squirreled away in my own rainy-day pillow.

Read More about Saving Water:

Did You Know…? Conserving Water

Increasing Water Security with Rainwater Catchment

WaterSense: The New Symbol of Water Conservation

What Can You Do to Reduce Water Consumption?

Improve the water efficiency of your lawn.

For many homeowners in the southern United States, lawn irrigation is likely the largest source of residential water waste. There are many things one can do to correct this.

Adjust your irrigation controller to fit your climate conditions and landscaping. This alone can produce water savings of over 30%. Some water utilities offer water audits, so check with your local water provider to see if they offer this service. Or, find experienced landscape maintenance firms in your area.

Install rain and soil moisture sensors. Many people don’t turn off their irrigation when it rains. Also, most lawns receive far more water than they actually need when it isn’t raining. Both problems can be corrected using sensors attached to your irrigation system. See examples.

Replace existing landscaping with climate-appropriate options, keeping grass to a minimum. The biggest challenge with many yards is that they are composed of plants originally from other areas with vastly different climate conditions. The typical turf lawn can use up to 40 inches of water a year or more; many climate zones in the US have far less than that in rainfall. What most people don’t realize is that all regions of the US have native plants that are beautiful, durable, and adapted to local climate conditions. Some native grasses can provide the benefits of turf while requiring 1/3 of the water. So, if you really want to save water and also want to stand out on your block, cut down your turf use and rebuild your lawn using beautiful natives. Find landscape architects in your area who can help.

Install graywater system to reuse household waste water. Much of the water that you use inside your house can be reused outside for irrigation (excluding toilets and kitchen drains). This water is called “graywater”, as it is used but does not contain health hazards. Not only do you use less water this way, but you also save on sewer charges. This requires some fairly complex plumbing work, so it might best be left to professionals. Please contact us through this link if you would like more information about gray water systems.

Replace high-flow plumbing fixtures with efficient versions.

Today’s high efficiency plumbing fixtures (toilets, showerheads, etc) not only save water and energy, but also perform as well as their water-guzzling predecessors. You may be wasting tens of gallons a day if you live in an older house with old fixtures. Browse some of today’s attractive and water-saving options.

Replace old clothes washers and dishwashers with Energy Star versions.

The main benefit of most Energy Star appliances is that they save energy. But, most also save significant amounts of water at the same time. See energy- and water-efficient clothes washers and dishwashers.

Evaluate and fix leaks.

This might come as a surprise, but over 10% of an average household’s water use can come from leaks. These are often undetected because they are small, hidden in water fixtures, walls and basements, or happen underground. But, drop by drop every minute of the day they add up. Check your water meter to see if you have any leaks (shut off all water uses in your house for an hour, and see if your meter moves). Find plumbers in your area who can fix them.

Reduce second-order impacts.

As described above, most of us use as much water via the products and services we use as we do directly (all of the products we use require water somewhere in their production process).

Reduce electricity use. Electricity is the biggest water hog by far. In some states, you “use” far more water by using electricity than through all other water-related activities combined. Use less juice, waste less water! Get electricity-saving tips.

Know your food supply. The growth in demand for organic and other natural food products shows that people care about where their food comes from. Another dimension of this is the water that it takes to grow them – for many products, the water used in growing them in a particular region (say, rice in the desert?) may counteract the organic benefits. Here are a few quick pointers:

• Buy produce from areas and farms that practice water-efficient agriculture. Ask your grocers and farmers’ market vendors how they use water in growing their products.
• For protein, eat less beef and more pork, chicken and fish. Beef is a real water hog. Pork, chicken and fish all use substantially less water per pound of meat.

Read More about How to Save Water:

• Did You Know? Conserving Water
• Daily Tip: Water Your Lawn Smarter
• WaterSense: The New Symbol of Water Conservation

Photo Credit: pink hats, red shoes on Flickr under a Creative Commons license

Designed to promote green building, alternative energy, and sustainable technologies and practices, the Expo brings together all members of the building and construction community. This includes architects, contractors, designers, government representatives, as well as the interested public. And really, aren’t we all interested these days?

Though I didn’t attend last year, I did go to the event’s transportation equivalent, AltCar. I found AltCar to be very interesting, with tons of great information available to those looking to learn more about sustainable options. If AltBuild is as good, it will be well worth attending.

This year, AltBuild has moved to a new home at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium at 1855 Main Street. On Friday the 25th, the focus is geared toward those in the building trades, while Saturday’s agenda focuses on the general public.

Though admission is free, the event features many top speakers in addition to exhibitors. On Friday at 1pm, a special presentation will be made by Green Cities of California, a collaborative made up of cities throughout the state dedicated to accelerating efforts to achieve sustainability. The group will share its goals and impacts thus far.

Also of note, Victoria Johnston, LEED AP and board member of the US Green Building Council - Redwood Empire Chapter, will deliver Saturday’s Keynote address. Her topic: “Things that work to manifest your green vision.”

A few other panels and presentations that look interesting include:

• Exhibitor Paul Mosier from InvestGreen will offer insight into socially-responsible investing resources.
• SoCal’s Edison and Gas Co will showcase their latest professional and homeowner energy efficiency programs and rebates, and conduct extensive giveaways of showerheads, aerators, and light bulbs. That means free stuff!
• The “Developments Go Green” panel of residential developers and homebuilders will discuss financing sustainable homes and communities, and the integration of deconstruction and reuse into the development of green homes. The panel will be led by Greymar Associates founder and CEO Wally Geer, who brings an extensive background in design, construction, marketing, and finance of both conventional and alternative housing systems.

In addition, workshops and panels on landscaping, climate, interiors/remodeling, and affordable solar applications are scheduled. Check the full schedule for more details about dates and times.

To wrap up the event, the City is hosting free Green Building Tours on Sunday, April 27th. Tours include homes, offices and gardens. Check them out if you need a little inspiration!

If it looks green, smells green and feels green, it must be green. Right? The answer, it turns out, is more of a maybe. It is common knowledge that green technology has large positive environmental impacts: large-scale energy savings, run-off reduction and heat reduction among their chief assets. But as green builders continue to define the standards and guidelines for sustainable construction practices, different levels of earth friendly products continue to circulate the market. Green roofs in particular are taking a harder look at the sustainability of their component materials.

Make it last
Brad Budde of Conwed Plastics, Minneapolis, Minn., believes the future development of sustainable green roof products lies in the hands of builders. He suggests that as companies continue to understand the commercial concerns regarding the application of sustainable and earth friendly products that the market as a whole will become more educated about their applications, benefits and uses.

His company is a leader of earth friendly, compostible packaging materials as an alternative to traditional plastic bags, as well as biodegradable plastics that don’t leave the harmful, long lasting resins of other industry plastics. “It’s a really great product that solves some of the disposal concerns for traditional plastic products,” he says.
One of Conwed’s most earth friendly products is its erosion control blanket netting. While not typically used in green roof applications, it is nonetheless a big step toward creating holistically green products.
“The temporary rolled erosion control products are meant to stabilize the ground until vegetation comes in and provides natural stabilization,” Budde says.

Jeff Stillman of ZinCo USA, Newton, Mass., says one of the keys to his company’s sustainable green roofing products is the use of non-rotting, recycled polypropylene. The substance’s long lasting capabilities and recycled nature make it a shoe-in for sustainable building material.
“It’s the fabric that we use for our protection mat and filter sheets,” Stillman says. “The mat is needle punched and usually made with a fleece backing composed of recycled polypropylene fibers.”

Top of the heap
Sustainable materials aren’t confined to the base level of green building projects. When it comes to the greenery on a green roof, plants come into play. Ed Snodgrass of Emory Knoll Farms, Maryland has provided plants for 268 roof projects, providing more than 2 million square feet of green roofing in the U.S. Snodgrass’s farm is in collaboration with several university research programs. The effort is producing a fund of knowledge about soil depths and plant types that create healthy, lasting and sustainable green roofing projects.

The Emory Knoll farm employs photovoltaic panels, bio-diesel engines and composting toilets all to save and create sustainable energy. All of the farm’s plants are chemical free.
“We try to produce as much energy as we can,” says Snodgrass. “So as we can afford to make capital improvements, we want part of that capital to go to energy production of some kind.”

Sustainable Landscapes 101

What if you could have a beautiful garden that also put a “Mona Lisa smile” on Al Gore’s lips? And what if your yard thrived without toxic chemicals and reduced your energy and water bills?

It’s not only possible, it’s easy. Just adopt a few simple sustainable landscaping practices to have a positive impact on your pocketbook and the environment.

By now, the principles of sustainable landscaping are becoming more commonplace, but you’ll still get a variety of definitions depending on who you ask. Sustainability is certainly about eliminating the use of toxic substances, conserving resources, recycling and reducing waste. But there’s also a strong connection between landscaping and climate change. By implementing a few common sense changes in the design and care of your yard, you can start making things better.

The simplest approach is to create a garden that mimics nature. You won’t see a gardening service driving through the Los Padres National Forest turning on sprinklers, spreading fertilizer, or raking leaves. That’s because our back country has evolved into a system that doesn’t need anything more than what nature provides. No extra water, no hedge trimming, no insecticides.

In our own yards, we can copy this idea by selecting plants that thrive on little or no supplemental water. Nurseries are filled with California native plants and plants from Mediterranean climates just like ours. These plants are all adapted to our dry summers and when properly placed in the garden, can be pest-free. The result is minimal irrigation and healthy plants that don’t need to be pampered.

That big patch of green in your front yard might be another place to do something positive. The monetary cost of maintaining a typical American lawn approaches $1500 a year for water, fertilizer, weed killers, labor for mowing, and maintenance on the equipment. The environmental cost comes from gas-powered tools that can be 20-30 times more polluting than an automobile engine operated for the same amount of time. One more piece of the environmental equation – the nationally advertised lawn products we dump on that patch of green are mined from the earth, refined and processed, packaged and shipped. All of these activities consume energy and produce CO2 - another strong argument for removing lawns that do not provide true recreational value.

What about those energy bills? “Passive solar” is one answer. That big evergreen tree on the sunny side of your bedroom looks majestic, but wouldn’t it be nice to get a bit of morning sunshine through the window on a chilly morning? Deciduous tree to the rescue!  In the winter, the bare branches let the warmth of the sun in so you can turn the thermostat down sooner, save a few dollars and consume less energy (there’s that carbon thing again). When the warm days of summer arrive, the leaves will be filled in keeping the house shaded and cool. Even better – if you have an air conditioner, place a shade tree nearby so the unit starts with cooler air and doesn’t have to work so hard.

I can hear the cry – deciduous trees equals raking leaves, and that’s work. Not necessarily. Let’s go back to our natural system analogy. Back in the mountains - - where never is heard a discouraging rake - the leaves decompose, the nutrients reenter the soil, and the cycle starts again. This is what mulching is all about, but you don’t have to purchase and haul bags of the stuff from the local garden shop. No packaging, no shipping, no carbon. If you pick the right plants to grow under your trees, the leaves can just fall through the shrubs and stay on the ground. Less work, greater water retention, more fertile soil – you get the idea. But if you absolutely have to rake the area, please add the leaves to your compost pile. You do have a compost pile, don’t you?

As you can see, there’s nothing mysterious about adopting sustainable gardening practices. It’s a common sense approach that benefits the environment and saves you a pile of money, all the while reducing some of the drudgery that can steal your weekends away.

Is that a smile I see in the corner of Al’s lips?

(First published in Santa Barbara Homeowners Magazine - March 2008) 

Apparently, there was enough concern about this and our practices had a significant enough impact to warrant special consideration.  In 2002, the National Lawns and Environment Initiation was founded.  The goal of this initiative is to encourage environmentally responsible lawn care and landscaping practices in residential design and maintenance.  The initiative is run by a committee of governmental and non-governmental organizations including the EPA, USDA, the National Gardening Association, and the University of Florida.

The initiative has develop several useful resources for home owners and landscape professionals.  Particularly useful is the list of 10 Guiding Principles for Responsible Lawn Care and Landscaping.   I think this guide is the best place to start if you want to learn about some things you can do to minimize the impact your lawn care practices have on the environment.   The first guideline on the list is probably the most important.  The #1 guideline is to spend the time to learn about your lawn.  If you want to improve your practices to minimize their environmental impact you have to first understand the environment.

Take a walk around your yard.  Look carefully at the types of plants and wildlife inhabit your outdoor living space.  Try to identify all of the plants and do some simple online research to learn as much as you can about them.  Do the same for the wildlife that inhabits your yard.  Learn about what types of habitats the various creatures that live in your yard like.  All of these things will create a good foundation of knowledge that will help you make decisions about yard care that are both effective and not harmful to your environment.   I think it also makes sense to take a walk through the woods or other unimproved habitat closest your house.  Look around and observe the types of plants and animals that live in this natural environment.  Carefully analysis the habitat.  This information will help you create a lawn and landscape plan the fits into the natural environment.

Once you spent the time to learn about your yard go back to the guidelines and use them to help you prepare a plan for caring for your yard.  If you use a lawn care service make sure to discuss your plan with the company you use.  In many places there are lawn care and landscaping companies that specialize in environmentally friendly lawn care.  Seattle, San Francisco, and many of the other larger cities on the west coast have a number of companies that specialize in green lawn care.

One common area we can all seek to improve our impact is lawn care and landscaping.  For many suburbanites the absolute goal of the summer is to have a lawn that is greener than the Jones’ at all costs.  So each spring we can find an army of suburbanites dumping pounds of harmful chemicals and nitrates on their lawns.  I’m sure that most of these well-meaning home owners have not considered the cost and impact their ultra-green lawn has on the environment at large–and it is probably not feasible to try and convince them.  The better solution is to teach them how to achieve maximum greeness and neighborhood domination without the use of harmful chemicals.

The recent revival of the environmental movement has spurred the growth of a cottage industry of green lawn care companies.   This movement, largely pioneered by Seattle landscape companies and other progressive landscape companies has been gaining traction.

“This is not something that is driven by the marketing efforts of landscape and lawn care companies,” said Andy Nicholls of Ecoyards, LLC based in Seattle, Washington, “this is driven by a very strong consumer demand for environmental responsibility in all services and goods.”

Environmentally sustainable lawn care can be as simple as recycling rainwater for irrigation; use of natural pesticides; and implementation of a compost program.

Google sheet mulch and Permaculture. (For those not in the know, Permaculture is a fairly recent term for cultivating an edible landscape that establishes positively reinforcing relationships between water, soil, insects, microbes, sun, etc…for the purpose of sustainably and organically feeding its designing human.)

Sheet mulches are an easy way to ‘compost in place’, delivering all the water-borne yummies to the plants instead of under the compost pile. Design-wise, sheet mulching also avoids the not-so-Neighborhood-Association-Friendly look of compost piles, so it’s a tricky way to subvert the negative effects of suburban sprawl - grow a food landscape!

How the cardboard boxes fit in: They’re the weed suppressant. I am making mine according to the directions in the book Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, by Toby Hemenway. I’ve done a couple sheet mulch beds already, and the blueberry and quince bushes seem very grateful. You’ll need to make a collection of boxes, as well as manure/finished compost, and a high-nitrogen additive like bloodmeal, or cottonseedmeal.

First, I slash the existing vegetation to the ground. Then I soak the ground (from my rain barrel of course). Then a thin layer of manure or meal to attract the earthworms from wherever they come. Then the cardboard. (Hemenway says you can use 1/4″ of newspaper, and some say the results are better with paper - but I read my local online, so I just have cardboard.) Overlap the pieces 6″ so the weeds won’t wiggle through. Now soak the cardboard so it won’t blow away. Sprinkle another layer of high-nitrogen meal, then cover with 8-12″ of bulk mulch. I use the leaves that just fell from my hickory trees, and try to fish out as many nuts as I can for eating. I dampen the leaves to keep them stable and start the decomposition process, and add a bit more meal as I build this thick layer. Then the compost goes on, and finally, a ‘pretty’ mulch, like pinestraw or bark chips, for Neighbor Approval.

The final advantage to sheet mulching is that then the whole landscape is an opportunity to compost kitchen scraps - if you don’t have a Bokashi bucket or a wormery. Just lift up the corner of a mulch and tuck under those apple cores. I have not seen animals digging my mulch yet - well, except for the earthworms, who are very welcome.

(Photo by the author, under her plum tree.)

Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Kansas, Wisconsin, and the Canadian province of Manitoba all signed onto the agreement at the Midwestern Governor’s Association (MGA) Energy Summit that was held in Milwaukee, WI earlier this month. Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle (D) and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) co-chaired the summit. The governors of Indiana, Ohio, and South Dakota signed on as observers to the process but did not commit to the accord.

The Midwest relies heavily on coal for most of its energy now: roughly 71 percent is from coal (national average is 49 percent). And although it has 22 percent of the nation’s population, the region produces 27 percent of its global warming emissions.

Why this agreement now? Because, lacking federal action, there is an urgent need to move forward regionally on global warming and achieve real results. The Energy Security and Climate Stewardship Platform for the Midwest further explains:

“Rising energy prices, increasing dependence on imported energy, growth in domestic and global demand for energy, and mounting concern over how to address climate change while sustaining and enhancing economic growth and job creation pose serious challenges to the Midwest’s energy future. As Midwestern leaders, we recognize our region’s obligation to provide leadership on these challenges, and the clear benefits of cooperating regionally to meet them.”

The Midwest is the third area in the U.S. to agree to a regional plan to slow global warming. Both the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in the East and the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative aims to cut emissions by a target date.

The thrust of the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Accord is to generate 20 percent of the region’s electricity from renewables by 2020 and 30 percent by 2030. Other key points include:

• Reduce energy use 2 percent by 2015 and to continue to reduce it 2 percent every year after that.
• Develop a multi-sector cap-and-trade policy to reach emission reduction targets. The targets for the cap-and-trade program will be determined in the next 12 months and implemented by mid-2010. Each state will have its own CO2 reduction goal.
• Accelerate the commercialization of advanced coal and natural gas technologies for the capture and geologic storage of CO2 emissions, including for enhanced oil and gas recovery.
• Offer E-85 (fuel that is 85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline) at 15 percent of gas stations, up from the current 3 percent.
• Work together on regional transmission planning and siting to better move renewable energy from rural areas where it is often generated to the urban areas where it is needed.

The signing of this agreement means that, in combination with other regional agreements in the the country, nearly half of all Americans live in areas covered by agreements to fight global warming.

Detroit Free Press
Energy Security and Climate Stewardship Platform for the Midwest
Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Accord
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Reuters
Associated Press, via WCCO TV
Wind Energy Weekly

But how about designing with nature and not pushing uphill to work against it?

Living here in Santa Barbara, CA, I look out at the Santa Ynez Mountains every day. Tons and tons of native chaparral vegetation that bursts with shades of blue Ceanothus flowers and the rusty branches and trunks of Manzanita, then becomes dotted with stunning wildflowers in the open spaces. Cool canyons shaded by sycamore trees. It does this with no help from me or anyone else, thank you very much. It’s a natural system. No weekly gardener, no “projects” over the three-day weekend.

Here’s my philosophy about the “tip” on adding all that organic material to your soil—go with the flow. Why pay good money to add stuff to the soil, then rototill until the natural, living web of life that makes up soil is disturbed? Did you know there are billions of living organisms in a handful of soil? Who are we to mess with that?

What about selecting plants that are either native to your area, or from other parts of the world similar to yours? Stands to reason that there’s somewhere in Europe or Asia, or South America with a climate just like yours. It also stands to reason that plants from those regions need the same conditions and shouldn’t have to be put on “life support” to thrive.

So I get to play with plants from Chile, Australia, South Africa, Italy, France, Spain, Libya, and my home state. They’re all adapted to a Mediterranean climate – dry summers, wet winters, mild temperatures, low nutrient levels. Most need little or no fertilizer, can get by with minimal summer irrigation, and if I create a lot of diversity, no pests. I use good design to create interest–form, foliage color, texture, contrast, harmony–it doesn’t have to be only about big fat flowers. I work with what nature gave me and create beauty with plants that thrive on their own.

I’m all for a bit of homemade organic compost, but please respect the structure of the soil and minimize turning or tilling the soil unnecessarily.

Your garden AND your lower back will thank you.

Just before dawn, as an waning moon sets over the gnarled and twisted trees, a barely visible white oval, perched on a slender filament, slowly splits open, revealing the hideous baby within. (Pretty spooky so far, eh?). Barely newborn and craving its first meal, this grotesque creature prowls for a living meal. (O.K., now I’M getting creeped out.) The sun breaks the horizon and the creature’s neighbor begins to stir. Suddenly aware that a terrible fate is about to befall it, the neighbor, disoriented, attempts to escape, but it’s too late. It becomes baby’s first meal and the taste of living flesh is forever imprinted in its young mind. Sorry. Not flesh; make that “chitinous exoskeleton.”

Gotcha! You were picturing something like the Gerber baby, but with a hideous misshapen mouth. Nope. Just our friend the lacewing larva, out for a quick snack, biting through the luscious, crunchy surface of a destructive mealybug.

I’ve known for a long time that beneficial insect beat out toxic pesticide sprays any day. That’s why it’s usually rare to hear anyone complain about ladybugs in their gardens. But my visit to Lotusland yesterday helped fill in the blanks. Owen Dell and I were taping a new segment for our TV show, Garden Wise Guys, at the Ganna Walska’s Lotusland insectary and butterfly garden. Lotusland has been pesticide-free for years, and their insectary gardens are strategically placed to offer good habitat for good guys.

Virginia Hayes joined us on camera on very short notice and shared some very cool information with us. Virginia is not only Lotusland’s curator, but also writes a delightful weekly column for the Santa Barbara’s weekly Independent chock full of great garden info.

We stumbled through a few hours of taping and will probably end up with about 5 minutes of information and madness. No, not fair–I stumbled, Owen nailed it, and Virginia was as smooth as silk. But what I learned in those few hours should be shared with all of you.

Here’s a quick preview of what you’ll learn when this segment airs in mid-fall. We hope to add one more good reason for you to abandon the use of toxic chemicals in your landscape and adopt a more sustainable model for your maintenance.

First, beneficial insects come in all shapes and sizes, but what most have in common is that they are first attracted to your garden by a source of food (generally nectar-bearing flowers), then take up residence to lay eggs. When the babies hatch out, they’re the ones that eat the larva and adult pests in your garden. If you get this part right, you have an endless supply of garden helpers.

Next, the more diverse your offerings, the more diverse will be the range of beneficial insects. The tiny good guys generally seek out small flat flowers that have their sweet nectar within easy reach (native Buckwheat, parsley, carrots), whereas the dudes and dudettes with long “drinking straw” feeding tubes can slurp nectar out of deeper tubular flowers, like the plants in the mint family (sage, lavender, Lamb’s ear).

To be sure they will set up housekeeping and hang around to feast, be sure there’s some dense cover. Planting a few of the big ornamental grasses work well and they look great year round.

I continually extol the virtues of mulch as a way to keep down weeds and conserve soil moisture, but it’s got an equally important role. The insects that inhabit your decomposing mulch can also act as a food source during certain parts of an insect’s life cycle. So keep that mulch layer nice and thick and you’ll get even more benefit!

With all the big Hollywood film industry folks that live around here, maybe this blog will get me my first horror flick screenwriting job. Hey, I guy can hope!

Bearing in mind that I’m writing from southern California, here’s your next question. If the average annual rainfall in Santa Barbara is between 18 and 21 inches, and we only received 6 this year, and a chicken gets on a train in Miami heading north at 60 mph into a 6 mph headwind, how long will it take to water your lawn when the reservoirs go dry?

O.K. I’m ready to rant. That’s not usually my style. I try to gently convince people of my views without putting any guilt trips on them. I’d hate to make anyone feel uncomfortable. I’ve never been a hardcore activist about much of anything—more of a quiet “you have your opinion and I’ll have the right one” manifesto.

But a recent LA Times article (Public Enemy No. 1, July 5) about the astounding impact of our obsession with lawns has got me cursing out loud about the gardens I see in this town and around the nation.

Would someone PLEASE tell me why there are lawns in front of houses? The kids are in their rooms playing computer games, chatting on AIM, or downloading pirated videos, so don’t tell me it’s about a place for them to play. Lawn in the backyard? Maybe. Into nude sunbathing? Get a chaise lounge and place it on your permeably paved patio. Something for the kids and dog to cavort on? O.K., there’s nothing to completely take the place of a patch of turf, but how many thousand square feet do you really need?

Let me go on record as stating that a lawn that is not used for recreational purposes is an act of environmental arrogance. (Geez, I can sense someone out there feeling uncomfortable—better pull back. NO! I’m going to overcome the “everyone has to like me” urge.) I’m talking about arrogance in the form of a blatant or ignorant disregard for the multiple environmental impacts of growing turf, at least the way the vast majority of people approach it.

Arrogance is the use of toxic pesticides to maintain that perfect suburban carpet. I screamed at my radio this spring when those lovely folks from Scott’s Lawn Care Products unleashed their campaign about protecting our kids from “nasty bugs.” They don’t really define “nasty.” I’m not sure if it’s a Donald Trump “you’re fired!” kinda nasty or “Mature Audience” nasty, but we’d better make sure we indiscriminately kill everything, just to make sure.

Arrogance is having an irrigation system that hasn’t been adjusted for the season, checked out for leaks or had the heads fine-tuned to keep them from soaking the sidewalks.

Arrogance is having your gardener run their inefficient mower that spews 10 times more emissions per minute than a car. Then, since no one is enforcing the local ban on gas-powered blowers, the clippings are blown into the gutter and then on to the creeks. Since most folks don’t really care if the gardener complies with the rules (the faster they mow, hoe and blow the less you have to pay), we have the insult of all that dust and exhaust going airborne with the grating noise as the sound track.

Ya get the idea? Do you really have to have it? Imagine life without a lawn. Imagine a diverse, low water-using palette of texture and color that attracts birds and other fun critters.

Consider taking the pledge. Join a support group for the forlawn (use a pun, go to jail). Be the pioneer on your block. Murder your lawn and set yourself free! Up next - murder without herbicides!

Addressing the issue of preparation for these extreme conditions as part of a sustainable building strategy only makes sense. Water use and xeriscaping (drought tolerant landscaping) are issues that are included in the LEED rating system, and are well regarded as part of the overall sustainability of buildings. But addressing a building and it's site in terms of wildfires should be equally considered for regions where fire susceptibility is high. Keeping the building from burning down is also an issue of conservation of resources and should be part of a green building approach.

A Norwegian company called Renewable Energy Corporation (REC) will build the complex, which will be completed in different stages to incorporate wafer, cell, and module production. REC already operates the world's current largest solar plant in Norway, which produces about 650 megawatts of energy annually.

A solar manufacturing plant would be the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, and REC looked at 200 locations before settling on Singapore. A combination of tax incentives, grants, and a skilled workforce were some of the reasons REC liked it. Likewise, Singapore officials are thrilled about playing center stage in the world's rush to clean technology. Ko Kheng Hwa of the Economic Development Board explained:

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak may be the first mayor in the nation to drive a plug-in hybrid vehicle as his official city car.

Since he was first elected in 2002, Mayor Rybak's official car has been a Toyota Prius. But the dramatically superior gas mileage of a plug-in hybrid vehicle prompted him to make the switch: he had his hybrid converted to a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, from which he expects to get about 70 miles per gallon (mpg) compared to his average 40 mpg with the Prius.

A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is like a regular hybrid with a cord. That is, its battery can be recharged by plugging it into a regular 120-volt outlet.

Typical of many PHEVs, Mayor Rybak's car can travel about 30 miles solely on battery power if the speeds are 30 mph or less. If he drives further or needs to go faster, the car automatically switches over to using the gas engine. But for local city driving — when speeds are low and distances are shorter — he could go days without using any gasoline to power the engine.