Flowing Talk At Tucson AridLID
Posted on 03. Apr, 2012 by pamela in Attainable Sustainable, G3 Blog, G3 Community, G3 Consulting, G3 Education, Green Infrastructure, Los Angeles/South Bay, Speaker Series, Watershed Notes
We're Not In Kansas
Arriving in Tucson, Arizona in the middle of the day, one realizes immediately that one is in a place completely different from Los Angeles or the succulent-loving San Diego, California. Sunny? Yes. Dry? Very. Lawn? Little. The difference in place apparently extends beyond the climate and rainfall to the landscape aesthetic response to that climate. Most of the lawns are found surrounding commercial and public spaces, while residential landscapes are dominated by much more dry-climate-adapted and Tucson-native plants.
G3's Pamela Berstler
G3′s Pamela Berstler spent the week of the AridLID Conference exploring a variety of approaches to Green Infrastructure, including distributed, community-based solutions and large, end-of-pipe projects. When polled, more than half of the 200 conference attendees could identify the price of gasoline in their neighborhood, but fewer than 10 could identify the price of a gallon of water from the tap, and fewer than 5 could quote the average $2.90/month stormwater abatement fee paid by most Arizona residences. Pamela asked the audience of experts to consider the awareness of the average person’s investment in Green Infrastructure as demonstrated by this poll, and shared some of G3′s program ideas for sparking change in neighborhoods, and raising the awareness of both problems and solutions using the G3 Attainable Sustainable Watershed model.
TreePeople's Andy Lipkis
This third annual conference was the first to host a large delegation from the Los Angeles area, including Andy Lipkis and Edith de Guzman of TreePeople, Eileen Alduenda of Council for Watershed Health, Paul Herzog of Sufrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Gardens Program, and Bill DePoto, formerly of LA County, and now on the board of North East Trees.
Brad Lancaster
Brad Lancaster, rainwater harvesting’s inspirational common-sense-talking guru, whet the attendee’s appetite to tour his transformed street in the Dunbar Spring section of the city, a true Mecca for Low Impact Design (LID).
No week spent in Tucson studying Green Infrastructure would be complete without a trek (and at an hour’s worth of travel outside the city center, it is indeed a trek) to the Biosphere2, passes courtesy of Mitchell Pavao-Zuckerman, a nematode-loving professor (our kind of guy) at University of Arizona.
Biosphere Explorers Paul, Edith & Jolly
Pamela’s Tucson AridLID Talk Preview
Posted on 25. Mar, 2012 by pamela in G3 Blog, G3 Consulting, G3 Education, Green Infrastructure, Rain Gardens, Speaker Series, Water, Watershed Notes
What do you think about when you see this picture? Does the “ordinary person” (read that: “not particularly tuned into the environmental message”) connect this picture with what happens in the winter in Los Angeles? (ie. RAIN) 
We don’t think so. Of course, it makes sense to all of us. But to the AVERAGE property owner or person walking down the street — this sign means “don’t dump my paint/oil/garbage right into the drain.”
The connection between the storm drain and what’s happening on your own property — when you apply fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or allow rainwater to run off the driveway into the street — IS NOT EFFECTIVELY MADE! And that’s because we don’t use a Watershed approach for messaging the urban environmental problems and solutions.
Want to hear more? Join G3′s Pamela Berstler in Tucson, AZ this week at the 2012 AridLID Conference, hosted by Watershed Management Group.
Newport Beach WaterMiser Workshop
Posted on 04. Mar, 2012 by pamela in G3 Blog, G3 Community, G3 Education, G3 In The News, G3 Media, G3 Partners, Orange County, Speaker Series, Surfrider Foundation
Thursday March 8, 2012 – Thursday March 8, 2012
Newport Beach Public Library
Description:
It’s time for the 4th annual WaterMiser Workshop located at the Central Library. The focus of the evening will be on Ocean Friendly and native planting with emphasis on water conservation and water quality (reducing and eliminating runoff). Vendors will set up booths to display their products and services. G3′s Pamela Berstler and Surfrider Foundation’s Paul Herzog will be presenting in the main room and answering questions about Ocean Friendly Gardens.
This event is fully catered (dinner) and, as usual, will host a raffle of vendor’s donated items. Join us to hear our talk or to meet with local landscape designers who will be conducting EGG TIMER CONSULTATIONS throughout the evening at the G3 Table. Bring your design ideas or problems and consult with these experienced local designers who specialize in Ocean Friendly Gardens.
Green Industry Speakers Features Pamela Berstler
Posted on 14. Dec, 2011 by pamela in G3 Blog, G3 In The News, G3 Media, Speaker Series
G3's Pamela Berstler Speaks On A Variety of Topics
A new source for green industry speakers is featuring G3′s Managing Member, Pamela Berstler. Please check out the new site, or send the link to someone you know who is booking speakers for events.
Information about having Pamela speak at your event also can be found at Great Garden Speakers.
Oxnard Residents Learn HOW To Lose The Lawn
Posted on 13. Dec, 2011 by pamela in Build Habitat, G3 Blog, G3 Community, G3 Design Studio, G3 Education, G3 In The News, G3 Media, G3 Partners, Homeowner, HOWs, Living Soil, Ocean Friendly Gardens, Rain Gardens, Sod Story, Speaker Series, Surfrider Foundation, Ventura County, Video, Watershed Notes
Oxnard's Newest Ocean Friendly Garden
G3 led a series of Hands-on Workshops (HOWs) sponsored by the City of Oxnard, to help people understand how to transform their lawn into an Ocean Friendly Garden using significantly less water, with healthy, living soil supporting CA native plants, and retaining the rainwater from the adjacent roof of the home. Ten homeowners followed the series from the Watershed Basics Class (held in a classroom), through the Site Evaluation, Sheet Mulching a.k.a. Soil Lasagna, ending with Planting & Irrigation.
Making Soil Lasagna In Oxnard
The resulting Ocean Friendly Garden, or “Sponge Garden,” is an inspiration to the entire neighborhood and all residents of Oxnard, demonstrating Surfrider Foundation’s tenets of C.P.R. – Conservation (native plants, no chemicals used to remove turf, drip irrigation), Permeability (healthy, living soil created through sheet mulching), and Retention (downspouts re-directed into the landscape sponge).
The City of Oxnard Ocean Friendly Garden is located at 2820 Hill Ave., and is visible from the street. Please do not walk on the property. The garden is best viewed from the sidewalk.
This Oxnard Lawn Will Soon Be Gone!
