illuminateLA

I read this on CityWatch and I had to repost because I thought this was very inspiring.

Daily News Issues Challenge to NCs … and the City

1. Plant a garden on the City Hall lawn

First lady Michelle Obama did it at the White House; California’s first lady Maria Shriver plans to plant a vegetable garden in Capitol Park in Sacramento. These plots won’t make significant contributions to the country’s food supply. But it does send a powerful message about the country’s need to get back to its agricultural roots.
Los Angeles has some of the best growing conditions in the world — and sadly more grass than it can now afford to water. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa or the City Council should take the initiative to dig up some of the lawn surrounding City Hall and sow some veggies. Or at the very least plant some citrus or nut plants on the sunny grounds.

Then they should do the same in each of the city’s 15 districts, while working with neighborhood councils to identify ways to encourage residents to pull up part of their flower beds and lawns and plant some food.

2. Develop bike paths and trails along the L.A. River and its many tributaries

These flood control channels crisscross the city and usually have nice, wide paths on each side that could be used by cyclists or walkers. The city already has the easements and space, it wouldn’t take a huge investment to open them to bikes.

More Angelenos might choose to leave the car at home if they had a pleasant route to walk or didn’t have to share the road with cars.

3. Hurry up and build alternatives to landfills

The city of Los Angeles was supposed to break ground on the first conversion of trash-to-energy plant this year. But the project has been delayed. Too bad. Los Angeles could take garbage that now rots in a landfill and process it into ethanol, biodiesel and other fuels.

4. Install smart sprinklers

This one is for all of you who see red when it’s raining and your neighbor’s (or the city’s) water sprinklers go on.

With new usage restrictions and surcharges on water wasters, Angelenos with the lush landscapes to maintain (and that includes the city of L.A.) ought to consider installing smart sprinklers.

They’re not cheap. But they can save money and water long term. These high-tech irrigation systems make conservation easy by watering based on weather conditions, soil moisture and plant type. When it rains, sensors tell the system to irrigate less or not at all. If you have a steep lawn, the system can adjust to apply less water more frequently so there’s less runoff.

5. Create a water wasters virtual wall of shame

The Drought Busters can’t be everywhere, so the Department of Water and Power or some Internet savvy Angeleno could create a Web page where people could upload pictures of flagrant water waste. There’s nothing like photographic evidence coupled with the ability for readers to comment to call attention to ridiculous uses of water.

This might, however, be a job for the private sector. It’s likely the most frequent Wall of Shame offender would be the city itself.

6. Eat the lawn

Ahh, spring. A time when neighborhoods and parks are alive with the sound of power lawnmowers, and the air is redolent of blooming bushes – and gasoline fumes. We know that push lawnmowers are better for the environment, but it sure takes a lot of work – especially at golf courses.

But there are alternatives to both – and they come on four legs. Herds of sheep or goats could trim grass at parks, cemeteries or other large expanses of lawn for pennies – and maybe do a few residential jobs on the side. Unlike power mowers, when these grass cutters break down, they turn into a tasty meal.

Imagine the bucolic imagery of a flock of the fluffy beasts being led by a Rec and Parks Department shepherd alongside Riverside Drive in Griffith Park.

Sound silly? Only if you don’t like saving money. Last year Turin, Italy saved nearly $40,000 in gardener fees by grazing sheep in its parks.

7. Harvest rainwater and reuse gray water

Contrary to what outsiders think, we know it rains plenty in Southern California. And when it does, we’re prone to minor flooding on problem streets and the occasional hillside falling down. Meanwhile, much of that natural resource goes whooshing down storm drains into the sea.

A simple water barrel attached to a home’s gutters can recapture some of the water before it’s lost. Homeowners can find kits online for about $100. Better yet, the city could encourage rainwater capture in the same way it started encouraging composting a few years back – by providing workshops in how to do it and offering barrels at cost to people who take the workshop.

Then there’s gray water, the stuff that people shudder to think about. This is the water that comes out of the washing machine and bath tub and faucets – not the toilet. But right now state and local laws make it very difficult and expensive for homeowners or businesses to install systems that let people reuse gray water for irrigation.

That means gallons and gallons of water are sent to the wastewater treatment plant, purified at top dollar and then released into the ocean, while we use drinking water to water our lawns.

As a result, there are guerrilla DIY gray water recapture movements afoot in the city. Better that the city and state guide the safe and effective capture of that water for landscape irrigation than to leave it just to amateur water savers armed with determination, a little information and a wrench.

8. Never buy another paper towel again

It’s shocking how expensive paper towels are these days – $2 per roll at times. Save money – and paper pulp – by investing some of the extra paycheck bucks (due to the president’s tax credit for working Americans) into buying a handful of ShamWows or microfiber towels that can be washed and reused. They might seem like cheesy “as seen on TV” products, but they work for years.

9. Embrace shade

Car-savvy Angelenos know that a windshield shade for your car will keep the temperature down when you must park in the full sun – not to mention keep the dashboard and steering wheel from getting damaged.

You can do the same for your home – and reduce the need for air conditioning – with craftily placed foliage or shade sails that block south-facing exposures which absorb the most of the day’s heat.
For the natural look, it’s easy to build a simple trellis over windows for fast-growing vines to take root. If you can’t wait the few years for shade trees to grow big enough, consider hanging cloth or bamboo shades outside the house to catch the sun before it hits your house. You might find that in addition to reducing your electricity bill, it creates a comfortable outside spot for those late summer margarita moments.

Wednesday was the 39th anniversary of Earth Day. And since this annual reflection on the planet’s environmental health comes at time of economic and climate crisis – as well as a local water shortage – going “green” has more meaning than ever.

With that in mind we offer some ideas for green projects that Los Angeles and Angelenos can use to be lighter on the environment and lighter on wallets. Some are small, practical ideas, others are whimsical – but all could be accomplished easily and, with a little political will, immediately.  (This editorial was posted on April 18. More Daily News views at www.dailynews.com )

CityWatch
Vol 7 Issue 33
Pub: Apr 24, 2009