Independence Day of Dreams – Part 2

America does not have a long-term energy policy committed to sustainable energy. I see this as the # 1 issue we as American’s must address in order to ensure the health and well being of our nation. There is progress on the regional level where states and municipalities have taken action. New Jersey for example, has an innovative solar program that provides residents with rebates and assistance for the installation of solar electric systems. Residents of Los Angeles can elect to have green power supplied to their homes and businesses by paying a small surcharge per month on their utility bill.

There has been no significant leadership on the federal level for the deployment of a sustainable energy program. The energy policies of the current administration can be characterized as arcane and irresponsible. While our president has acknowledged “we are addicted to oil”, Washington has done little to ease our dependence upon foreign oil. Relying on increasingly expensive oil imports is like borrowing on credit; sooner or later we will have to pay the price for our consumption. This nation needs a broad based commitment to self reliance. I would like to see the leadership in Washington embrace this issue much like the Conservation Corps of the 1930’s initiated by Franklin Roosevelt as part of the New Deal to revive America. With the proper leadership we can actively engage business, individuals, schools and other organizations to work towards the goal of energy independence.

With an eye toward the future, I’ve begun to read up on the proposed energy policies of the two presidential candidates. For additional reading, here are Barack Obama’s energy policy and John McCain’s energy policy.

Independence Day of Dreams – Part 1

American’s proudly celebrated our love of country yesterday with hands over hearts, flags raised high, singing the national anthem. I returned from a 4th of July celebration last night proud of our country’s heritage and accomplishments. As I work towards goals of personal responsibility as an American citizen, I am plagued and perplexed by one issue in particular; where is the formidable, sustainable energy program for this great nation of ours? Brazil became energy independent two years ago. Should we not be leading the world in the development of renewable, sustainable energy sources? Of course we should.

While this blog is dedicated to personal goals of changing the carbon footprint of one home and one family, I would be remiss in not addressing the bigger picture here. Earlier this month, Steve Bishop contributed a timely article, Where Do We Start Being Green to the Harvard Business Review. Mr. Bishop breaks sustainability down into three impact areas; personal, social and environmental. If I make lifestyle changes that improve my health, I am promoting personal sustainability. When Kristin and I reduce our water consumption at home, we will be making a social & environmental contribution.

I see plenty of examples of individuals and organizations embracing eco-friendly practices. What I would love to see is our nation as a whole take on the goal of cleaner, more sustainable living for ourselves and our children. I cannot wait to sing the national anthem in the future, knowing that this nation has taken the leadership to become truly independent.

Sustainability Defined

The capacity of a system to perpetuate itself with minimal impact upon the environment.

This is the definition I’ve coined after researching various interpretations of the term. The concept of sustainability is prevalent in Native American and other indigenous cultures. Sustainable living takes into account how our actions affect future generations. This attitude fosters a responsible relationship with cause and effect.

The Center for Ecoliteracy, cofounded by Fritjof Capra, asserts that:

We do not need to invent sustainable human communities. We can learn from societies that have lived sustainably for centuries. We can also model communities after nature’s ecosystems, which are sustainable communities of plants, animals, and microorganisms.

City of Los Angeles Imposes Water Restrictions

In June, the city approved a new round of water restrictions similar to those imposed during the drought of the 1990’s. Those cited for violating these regulations are subject to a $50 fine for a first offense. Pending approval, there is a proposal to double the existing fines. Last year the 4 million residents Los Angeles used 200 billion gallons of water, according to the Department of Water & Power.

Under these restrictions residents cannot:

• Use water on hard surfaces such as sidewalks, walkways, driveways or parking areas (with the exception of water brooms).
• Water lawns between 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., April 1 to September 30 and between 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., October 1 to March 31.
• Allow excess water from sprinklers to flood gutters.
• Use water to clean, fill or maintain decorative fountains unless the water is part of a recirculation system.
• Serve water to customers in eating establishments, unless requested.
• Allow leaks to go unattended.

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I knew the city had issued these restrictions in June, but did not know the specifics until yesterday. In the past I’ve generally viewed these government restrictions as “guidelines”, never taking them too seriously. There was a time when I routinely hosed down all my walkways, and let the lawn sprinkler run for hours.

So what is the level of compliance at our household now? Well, we are not too far off the mark. Just last month all the plumbing leaks in the house were repaired. Our fountain is recirculating. I no longer hose down walkways. No sprinkler runoff. Do I water my lawn between specific hours? No… I just can’t wrap myself around this restriction yet. Easy to comply if you have an automated irrigation system; simply set the time earlier or later.

I am paying the price now for not installing an irrigation system years ago. I water almost all of the garden by hand, and in the summer it often takes an hour a day to properly irrigate our 4,800 square foot lot. This is no longer acceptable to me; too much time and too much water. We will change this.

A Day Without Water… So What

Today is the first day I did not have to water our garden. Is this a big deal? Not really, considering I bathed our yard in 314 gallons the past two days. I was able to make a small withdrawal from the water bank after making a rather large deposit. An interruption in the water supply would surely kill off much of the patio plantings. Where is the sustainability here? It simply does not exist, at least not yet.

There is much talk these days about the right plant in the right place. I seemed to ignore this message when designing and planting our patio garden. Kristin and I wanted lots of flowers and bold color. Indeed I love the comments we get about the flowers.

Every single plant on this patio is in a container, with the exception of some peppermint growing through a crack in the concrete. This type of arrangement is more subject to the whims of nature and fluctuations in water than plants placed in the ground. The way to overcome this problem is to choose plants that are more adaptable, and better suited for the location. We have already started collecting new, water-wise plants. Exploring all of the alternatives including natives plants with their built-in adaptation for this naturally warm and arid region in Southern California.

A Collection of New Succulents

Starting small here, acquiring new plant material for this eco project to reduce my consumption of energy and water. I’ve begun collecting some common succulent plants like Sedum, Echeveria, Aeonium and Jade. They require very little water or attention, truly economical and efficient. My current garden is luxurious and demanding and not sustainable with by any stretch of the imagination. Plenty of time and resources go into maintaining it. I need to change things in my garden, to make it more contemporary.

These plants have an attitude I want to embrace; simplicity, beauty and grace.

Last bit of History – Part 4 – 1993

I am sure we used plenty of resources establishing our initial garden. Lots of water and time and a little fertilizer were necessary. Large home centers were popping up; plants were inexpensive. It may not have been a conscious effort on my behalf, but I did take into account water use as I designed the backyard garden. The plants that required the most water we located closer to the house. Those that required less were further away. It just seemed more efficient this way.

In the far back corner of the garden I planted Sages, Agaves, Yucca, Abelia and Bougainvillea; all drought tolerant plants. A period of social unrest in Los Angeles the year before brought the issue of security into consideration. For the back area off the alley, I not only wanted plants that didn’t require much water, but also had thorns or spines. I had never landscaped this way before, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. The joke back then was if someone hopped over the fence I would not have to call the police, I would have to call an ambulance.

I learned a lot those first two years on this property. This neighborhood has changed considerably too. We don’t really need the agaves anymore. The advancing shade from Liquidambar trees put an end to them anyway. Kristin and I wax nostalgic on the occasion of a police helicopter overhead; it reminds us of these formative years reclaiming the landscape.

History again – Part 3 – 1993

Two years in the making, homesteading a wayward and neglected property: Here is the result. Kris and I wanted to accelerate a garden in one of the worst neighborhoods in the city at the time. It was our way of creating peace and serenity within the chaos. We built up the back wall and covered it with vines. What a joy it was not to see drug deals from the kitchen window. We choose a particularly invasive vine, a perennial Morning Glory to provide the coverage. We were warned about how rampant and vigorous this vine could be. That is exactly what we wanted; an invasion of greenery.

A tall stand of Bamboo was planted to partially shade and protect the precious Avocado tree. Perennials were our plants of choice. We were establishing a beachhead and didn’t want to mess with the temporal nature of annuals.

Two concrete strips comprised the old 1908 driveway off the alley. We traded extra parking for the herb garden I planted instead; the concrete providing footpaths around the herbs.

Bit more History – Part 2 – 1991

This is the rather bleak view from the back of the subject house to the alley, the week we moved in. The the only record I have of that moment is a photocopy of the landlord’s snapshot. Suppose he wanted evidence of how things looked before we moved in, in case we wreaked the place. At least there were no appliances in the yard, or cars that needed towing. The one and only plant back there, other than some weeds, was the dying Avocado tree seen in the upper left.

Within our first week, I realized a collection of sewage was bubbling up from the ground near the tree. What a big, soggy mess. Landlord arrives the next day and suggests we do some digging of our own to find the source of the problem. In lieu of calling a professional, I agreed and we excavated a 30 foot trench about two feet deep. We determined the contractor building a house next door allowed his backhoe into this yard, and in the process crushed the old ceramic sewer line. Weeks later with a new line in, I begin to notice the Avocado tree starting to leaf out. I later learned that the contractor took the liberty to severely prune the tree so as not to encroach on his client’s property. This poor tree had it’s roots mangled, and it’s canopy cut and chopped, but was now showing new signs of life.

In retrospect, I credit that sewage spill and all the water I provided later, for reviving this once majestic 60 year old fruit tree. Back in 1991 I was not concerned with saving water but with using water to conserve what little life there was on this property.

A wee bit of History – Part 1

This conservation project takes place upon a property that is rented, a leasehold estate if you will. I am radically changing the course and future of this property’s landscape. This is an experiment. Here is some of it’s history.

Did we move into a marginal neighborhood back in 1991? No, we moved into a bad neighborhood. The landscape confirmed it. A formerly formidable Avocado tree, hacked up and truncated, the only living thing here at the time. When I brought Kristin to look at the house, she gazed over the bleak horizon as I said, “look honey, a blank canvas.”

This house was languishing on the market, vacant for six months. The dying Avocado, and open desolation beckoned me; they needed me. We inked a deal, moved in and worked feverishly for 18 months to create something, anything that looked and felt different from what we started with.

The Avocado tree? I’m so glad that is has survived, a testament to perseverance. This former giant still emanates love, providing shade and sustenance. It doesn’t produce much guacamole, but it sure keeps the squirrels and us humans happy; honored by it’s presence.

Measuring Water Consumption

So it’s getting pretty gritty, with me poking my head down into the water meter to take daily readings. In particular, I am measuring the amount of water that the garden requires. For one month I will log the readout from this meter as I water, making a point to irrigate as I normally do, which is liberally. This is how I shall establish the benchmark for our peak season water consumption. Thus far, it looks like we are using one hell of a lot of water outdoors. My initial estimate is that 90% of the total household water use is devoted to maintaining our garden.

Honey don’t flush is a new phrase in our household, when I water the garden.

In one month, with my benchmark established, I will begin replacing some of our garden plants with new, drought tolerant plantings. Next year at this time, I shall measure our water consumption again for a month, comparing those figures to this year’s.

The idea here is to not only save water, but to also save time. We do not have an automated irrigation system for our property. All of the water provided to our garden is delivered by hand…. that’s me, your’s truly. I would like to devote my gardening time to more creative endeavors.

The table below shows the log of water/time consumption. I’ve not included the daily temperature, for that is a variable I have no control over. Indeed, the first few days of this project were very hot. The garden required a whopping 269 gallons of water on the first day. This is just crazy. If the city imposes water rationing, they will surely put me in jail for this.

Amount of water Day Time watering cubic feet gallons 1 60 minutes 36 269 2 30 minutes 11 82 3 30 minutes 11 82 4 50 minutes 14 105 5 30 minutes 35 262* Total 3.3 hours 107 800

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* Includes lawn sprinkler for additional 30 minutes

Establishing benchmarks

I’ve been tossing around a few ideas for implementing the objectives established yesterday. Turning an overly consumptive household into a sustainable model is no easy task. I shall be discussing implementation in the ensuing days and weeks, as summer temperatures soar into the 90’s.

The first thing I’ve got to do is document energy & water consumption for one month. This needs to occur before any changes are made in the house or garden. These measurements will be compared to ones taken in the final month of the project. The comparison will determine the success or failure of this sustainability project.

Evaluating utility bills will be helpful, but will not provide the accurate energy measurements I desire. To determine water consumption for example, I want detailed information for specific areas of the house and garden. How much water does my lawn require? What are the water demands for the entire garden?

On day 1 of this project, I started to measure the amount of water I supply the garden each day. Simply logged the readout from the water meter, before and after watering the garden. Until I find a handy, inline device for measuring water where it is being used, I will use the readout from the water meter in the parkway.

Frankly, I’m shocked by the amount of water we are using to keep our environment green and lush. I suspected our consumption was high… but had no idea to what degree.

I’m am posting initial water measurements tomorrow. Think swimming pool.

Today, Krisin and I have established the objectives for this eco project. We are determined to transform our home and garden into a more sustainable place to live and play. We want to have fun while implementing changes, indoors and out. Water conserving measures top the list.

Here is the list of our objectives:

• Reduce water consumption for the house & garden by at least 50%
• Reduce garden maintenance time
• Remove all unnecessary and unused toxic chemicals from the property
• Reduce the amount of air pollutants we produce
• Recycle more vigorously
• Create more homemade compost
• Use less fertilizer in the garden
• Install more solar lighting outdoors
• Reduce our electricity consumption
• Ride bikes more; drive less, conserving gasoline
• Evaluate, possibly implement gray water system for irrigation
• Expand current misting system to cool outdoor areas
• Install drip irrigation for patio area
• Automate irrigation where possible
• Provide more shade, reducing outdoor temperatures
• Increase the ratio of propagated vs. purchased plants
• Plant California natives and drought tolerant plants in the garden
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Whew! This is a tall order. I think we can do it all!

Today Ive been evaluating the course and direction I want to take this eco project. I’m taking a serious look at what my objectives are and how to accomplish them. I’ve been discussing my intentions with Kristin, the friend I share this property with. She is quite fond of the garden as it is now; a rich Mediterranean landscape with plenty of English flourishes. Neither one of us want to trade this for the often typical, dry & dusty xeriscape that is common in the Southwest. We will both be making difficult decisions over the course of this year about what to keep and what to change.

What better day than the Summer solstice to launch this ambitious project. Over the course of the next year I plan to make my house and garden a more eco friendly, sustainable habitat. The biggest environmental decision was made 17 years ago when I first moved to this house. I was determined to establish and maintain only an organic garden, free of commercial fertilizers and harsh pesticides. I have honored this objective, and the abundance of beneficial insects and birds attests to this.

While this home garden is a lush oasis, it is not sustainable. The amount of watering and maintenance especially in the summer is staggering. This is not the natural environment that I had intended, regardless of it’s organic orientation.

This wonderful haven created with my friend Kristin, is located in Venice, California, a beach community within Los Angeles. The entire Southern Californian region is in the midst of voluntary water conservation. These programs have worked in the past, reducing the need for more severe government mandated water rationing. I would like to do my share by converting our home & garden into more of a water-wise, energy-efficient environ. This shall be a challenge, for we want to have diversity and a rich colorful palette of plantings, along with the utility of herbs and edibles.

I shall post our list of objectives on day 3 of this project.