If your community is experiencing drought, you can use the information below in blogs, articles, or websites to educate your customers and provide tips for using less water. Include any additional facts, tips, restrictions, and resources your organization has available to help consumers curb their water use. You can also refer them to the WaterSense website or the U.S. Drought Monitor (www.drought.gov).

When in Drought, Use WaterSense

With the current drought conditions in our community, we need everyone to help conserve water where possible. In the midst of this serious water shortage, there are a number of things you can do to reduce stress on our local water supply without sacrificing your comfort, convenience, or curb appeal:
 • Follow the rules. Our community has put temporary water restrictions in place to save limited supplies for those who need it most, including firefighters, health care facilities, and electrical utilities. Please respect our request to use less water on your lawns, cars, and other outdoor uses during this water shortage [insert specific local watering times or requirements here as appropriate].
 • Consider an upgrade. If you're thinking about a bathroom update, now is the time to replace old plumbing fixtures with more efficient, high-performing models. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense® program labels toilets, faucets, and showerheads that have been independently certified to perform well and use less water than standard models. You could even save a little green on utilities!
• Take a sprinkler break. Grass doesn’t have to be bright green year-round. It's natural for your landscape to turn a little brown at the tips during summer’s hottest months. You can cut back on watering without compromising the health of your lawn. And if you have an irrigation system with a clock timer, consider upgrading to a WaterSense labeled controller, which tells your system when and how much to water based on local weather and landscape conditions.

For more information about how to save water during the drought, visit [insert url for your water conservation page]. Visit www.epa.gov/watersense to learn more about finding WaterSense labeled products and promoting water-smart landscapes.

An expected high of 87 degrees today... It's only March!!!

http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?NID=4375

Photo: California DWR

Despite a good amount of rainfall the last few days, we're still in a significant drought, with our drought rating listed as EXCEPTIONAL on the USDA Drought Index (http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/). That's like a DEFCON 1 rating, the highest possible- the maximum level on the scale !!!

Landscapes make up an estimated 70% of a homes water using during the summer months, and summer is just around the corner. So we'll soon be entering the summer months, and we're already facing maximum drought conditions. Aren't you alarmed yet?!

As drought becomes increasingly more common throughout the world, the investment in smart water systems is on the rise. Does your landscape irrigation system respond to daily weather factors in order to fine-tune water use and minimize the need for supplemental irrigation? If not, it's time to invest in some SMART IRRIGATION. Ask me how.

Landscapes Require Less Water Than You May Think

The Importance of an Urabn Forest.. Arbor Day is now a full WEEK!

It's Groundwater Awareness Week, March 11-17

Benefits of an Urban Forest

Urban Forests = Cleaner, Cooler Air from ASLA on Vimeo.

July 1st marks Smart Irrigation Month - Water Wisely

Today’s irrigation systems include sophisticated controllers that allow you to easily adjust
watering schedules to fit different needs.
• Get in the zone. Schedule each individual zone in your irrigation system to account for type
of sprinkler, sun or shade exposure, and soil in that section. Different zones will almost
always need different watering schedules.
• Consider soil type. Type of soil determines how quickly water can be absorbed without
runoff. Watering more than soil can absorb causes runoff and waste.
• Don’t send water down the drain. Set sprinklers to water plants, not your driveway,
sidewalk, patio or buildings.
• Water only when needed. Saturate root zones and let the soil dry. Watering too much and
too frequently results in shallow roots, weed growth, disease and fungus.
• Water at the best time. Watering during the heat of the day may cause losses of up to 30
percent due to evaporation. Prevent water loss by watering when the sun is low or down,
winds are calm and temperatures are cool — typically between the evening and early
morning.
• Water more often for shorter periods. For example, setting your system to run for three,
5-minute intervals lets soil absorb more water than watering for 15 minutes at one time,
reducing runoff.
• Adapt watering to the season. Familiarize yourself with the settings on your irrigation
controller and adjust the watering schedule regularly based on seasonal weather conditions.
Or invest in a smart controller so your system can make these changes automatically.

Smart Irrigation Month is an initiative of the Irrigation Association, a non-profit industry
organization dedicated to promoting efficient irrigation. Learn more at
www.smartirrigationmonth.org.

Trees Can Positively Impact Your Home's Energy Efficiency

Energy Efficient Home Landscapes from ASLA on Vimeo.

Lawn Be Gone Program

For quite some time now, water agencies have offered rebate incentives for converting those high water using lawns to drought tolerant plantings. Watching grass grow is like watching paint dry, not too exciting. So not only does the conversion save a bunch of water (which equals water bill reductions), but you will get far more enjoyment from the color, contrast, and texture of plantings, in addition to the wildlife it attracts.

For more information, please see the links below:

For Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (basically north of Palo Alto/Fremont)
http://bawsca.org/water-conservation/residential-water-conservation-programs/lawn-be-gone/

For Santa Clara County Water District (San Jose and surrounding areas)
http://www.valleywater.org/Programs/LandscapeReplacementRebates.aspx

With several lawn conversions under my belt, please let me know if you have additional questions I can answer....spring is coming!

July is Smart Irrigation Month

Landscapes require the largest amounts of water in July making July Smart Irrigation month. A plants water-loss through evapotranspiration, the combination of evaporation and transpiration into the air, is highest this month. If you have an irrigation controller with a seasonal adjustment that allows flexibility to change the watering durations to meet the seasonal water needs of the landscape, it can now be set to 100% ET. Supplemental water deliverance being the highest this month also means that if an irrigation system has efficiency issues, it will also waste high amounts of water. So here are some Smart water savings tips and items to check in your irrigation system to minimize potential water-loss.

- Water early in the morning, never in the middle of the day or early evening, and not when it’s windy

- Schedule individual zones in your system to meet the needs of the specific plant material in that zone. Established shrubs, for instance, require nowhere near the water a thirsty lawn does. And hydrozone, keeping plants with similar water needs together

- Lawn sprinklers need almost constant adjustment. Fine-tune them to minimize watering the pavement.

- Check for leaks, clogs, and sprinklers blocked by growing plant material

- “Drip Happens” … drip irrigation is more than 2x more efficient than spray so convert wherever possible

- Allow some dry-out days between waterings. Overwatered soils can lead to several issues, even plant death

- Get a weather sensitive Smart Controller

- Save water and money by getting an irrigation system audit! I have appointment times available.

An estimated 50%-70% of a properties monthly water usage is outdoors. By keeping up on the irrigation system, it can save a lot of water and money. If you have any questions or comments about what you’ve read, please let me know.

Arbor Day….let's get out and plant something!

Arbor Day has been celebrated since 1872. In California, Arbor Day is more like a week, running March 7-14, and if you are planning to plant a tree(s) this year it is important to make the proper tree selection for the area you have chosen. I know you have seen those lifting sidewalks being ramped by the root structure of a tree, or even a lifted street gutter. I’m sure you have also noticed oddly shaped or even topped trees under power lines, where, a better tree selection would have been a shorter grower. Perhaps you have experienced having to cut tree branches away from your home because the tree was just planted too close. Placing the right tree, in the right place is as important as planting the tree itself.

A few benefits of properly located trees are:

• wildlife habitat • home energy savings • clean air

• natural growth pattern • increased property value • erosion control
• beauty ...and the list goes on.
  

Here are some additional resources on tree selection and placement: http://www.arborday.org/trees/righttreeandplace/righttree.cfm http://pge.com/myhome/edusafety/diggingyard/planttrees/index.shtml http://www.canopy.org/forestbenefits.html
http://ourcityforest.org/

Irrigation Control Settings for March

March is here and so is the potential need for supplemental irrigation. Your irrigation controller should be set to deliver only 5% of what it would in July. However, with the consistent soaking rainfall we've been experiencing in the bay area, the need to flip the switch to ON or RUN could certainly be delayed. My controller has been off since early November and not going back on until a more significant dry period, maybe, 1 1/2 - 2 weeks...

Mobile Veggie Garden....?

Saw this on Treehugger, and though a little silly, might be good for the snacker on the go...

UrbanBuds: Mobile Suitcase Garden For The City Dweller
In tightly packed urban settings, finding places to produce fresh food in close quarters can be quite frustrating for the conscientious urban dweller. Even more frustrating is wondering how to move one's carefully-planted balcony or window garden once moving day comes. Eindhoven, Netherlands-based Italian designer Gionatta Gionno proposes a clever package, however: UrbanBuds is a mobile garden in the form of a suitcase filled with soil, designed to grow thirty-six different types of edible plants in all types of spaces. It's a simple idea, yet invokes more meaning than a bag of soil on wheels.

'UrbanBuds' uses the concept of food as a sign of cultural identity... The design of the project involves the metaphor of a suitcase as a symbol of cultural background. We all are used to saying that wherever we move we bring with us our backpack of culture, background, our bag of experiences. The design takes influence from this picture and it transforms the products in movable suitcases, filled up with soil. Families can grow vegetables and fruit on each side of the bags: each one of them allows growing about thirty-six different plants, which can grow vertically along the fabric.

It's a neat idea, and with modern lifestyles becoming more and more mobile, why shouldn't our food too?

Is your Swimming Pool Water Rising?

It's raining, it's pouring...And according to the meteorologists' the Bay Area will have received as much as 8" of rain in some locations after this storm system is done. So, what about all those swimming pools? Due to the environmental implications from releasing pool water into our storm drains, it is illegal for pool professionals to do so. To my knowledge, this law has not yet caught up with homeowners, yet.
As a Green Building Professional and my attempt to be an all around environmentally conscious person, my design methodology strives to reduce impact to the environment. So for the pool owners out there, I wanted to provide you with some information on what to do with that overflowing pool as an educational tool towards environmental stewardship. Clean-outs on the house are often an access point for the freeing the clogged pipes when the drain backs up. These are also access points to disposing of the chemically treated pool water. Visit San Jose's Environmental Services page on the subject for additional information.

http://www.sanjoseca.gov/esd/stormwater/poolwater.asp


An important fact to remember is that the storm drains read 'No Dumping, Flows to Bay' because whatever enters the drain reaches the bay untreated!

First Flush......Time For Action!

In a couple days the Bay Area is scheduled to see a significant amount of much needed rainfall. I for one will have a few containers out for rainwater collection as, many of my plants, orchids in particular, seem to prefer pure rainwater instead of city water. But my first course of action will be to take care of a few simple tasks before the rains come.
First flush is the term given to stormwater from the first rain that dislodges pollutants from the ground surface i.e. driveways, sidewalks, roads, etc. This stormwater typically carries with it a higher initial contaminant load and is a major source to the pollutants in our creeks, rivers, bays and oceans. There are ways to minimize the pollutant levels ordinarily found in a first flush event and strategies to control the stormwater runoff in order to reduce the effects on the environment.
There are steps you can do at home to minimize pollutant levels. Analyze the area and judge what possible effect rainfall will have on that area. If your are still using chemical fertilizers, sweep up any granules from the impervious driveway and sidewalk to minimize the opportunity that it gets washed down the stormdrain. Oil spots in your driveway, parking stall or street in front of your house should be soaked up with kitty litter and disposed of properly. It may be necessary to sweep the street gutter free of debris, leaves or soils. Anything you may think of that does not belong in our watershed, find a way of preventing it from going there.
Controlling stormwater runoff can be a more difficult and in-depth solution requiring planning and technical knowledge. Collection, treatment, and discharge systems can be part of the solution to handling stormwater runoff. My preference is to work with nature and create vegetative bioswales to collect, treat and discharge stormwater. The swales are both an eye pleasing landscaped solution and functional in stormwater runoff mitigation. I enjoy designing them for parkways in place of the useless lawn between the street and sidewalk.

Rainwater Harvesting Workshop

The California Landscape Contractors Association: San Francisco Bay Area Education Committee presents our next informative workshop, Rainwater Harvesting for the Landscape Professional.

The residences of California use 5.6 million acre-feet of applied water annually and the growing population puts further strain on this limited resource. With the Bay Area now in its third drought year, we are finding ourselves having to do more with less. With landscape being the larger contributor to the strain on our water supplies, there is an increased need to incorporate water conservation strategies including; lawn reduction / removal, drought tolerant plantings, high efficiency irrigation systems, and rainwater catchment systems otherwise known as rainwater harvesting.
Some benefits of rainwater harvesting include having a reliable water source, the ability to store water for emergency purposes, on-site stormwater retention, and recharging of our aquifers. Additionally, with water rates on the rise, rainwater harvesting offers the opportunity to offset those rising water bills.
Given the increased demand, this rainwater harvesting event is expected to fill quickly so make your reservations now. The workshop will be an invaluable resource!
The event is set for Friday November 6, 2009 at Foothill College in Los Altos.

Your Landscapes Water Needs By Month

As temperature, humidity, and solar orientation change from month to month throughout the year, so do the needs of your landscape. It is my experience that the general population makes only two adjustments to the timers that control the amount of water the landscape receives. On and off. It is estimated more than 50% of landscape water is wasted by wind drift, evaporation and overwatering.
If you have an irrigation controller with a 'Seasonal Adjust' feature, this chart can help guide you towards performing the proper adjustments to conserve water. Note that July is the basis with watering times at 100%. Being this is September, your irrigation controller should only be about 60%. When the time comes for the controller to be set lower than 50%, my recommendation is to actually increase the duration at that point and reduce the days watered. The roots appreciate a deeper watering so watering deeper with less frequency is advantageous to the flora instead of small, shallow watering.


Wind drift is a term to describe overspray due to breezy/windy conditions. Many irrigation valves have an adjustment screw on them for flow control. Typically I find that new controllers are in the 'wide open' position. Most sprinklers, however, mist heavily when receiving that much pressure so dial it down to reduce evaporation, but make sure you still get adequate coverage. Adjusting the direction the sprinkler heads are aimed so that you are not watering your patio, driveway or sidewalk is helpful too. Changing the sprinklers themselves to a more efficient style like MP Rotators can help dramatically.
The time of day the irrigation controller comes on is important as well. The middle of day is the warmest so watering during that time only leads to increased evaporation. A large part of the water is lost. 40-50% of it I read in one article. Watering at night is better but often the ground is still warm leading to higher evaporation again. Additionally, many bad bacterias and molds like warm, moist conditions so start growing. These can harm your plants and grasses. My recommendation is early morning waterings, before the sun comes up. Between the hours of 4am and 6pm, the sun is not quite awake yet giving an opportunity for the ground to take in the water.

Decline of the Honey Bee

The reality of the important role the honey bee plays in our survival is delivered in the popular kids flick, Bee Movie. It is not just that the writer is telling a story but, as in many movies, there is a message being delivered. The problem is so severe in London that residents are encouraged to become bee keepers! Following is a portion of an interesting article I came across.

Bee populations are changing.
It's thought that there used to be 25 species of bumblebee in the UK, but now three are known to be extinct (Bombus cullumanus, B. pomorum and B. subterraneus).
Seven more species are listed on the Biodiversity Action Plan list as being in danger.

Honeybee numbers in the UK have fallen by up to 30% since 2007.

The 70% fall in Bumblebee numbers since the 1970s is largely attributed to the growth of industrial agricultural practices resulting in monocultures of crops, without suitable wildflower habitats for bees, and many other insects, to live on.
But some farmers are helping wildlife on their land and an increasing number of food products are now made from crops grown in a way that protects the countryside and provides food for bees.
Sadly, original wild honeybees (Apis mellifera mellifera) are now thought to be extinct in Britain, but literally millions of domestic strain honeybees are managed by beekeepers each year, which are familiar to all of us buzzing about parks and gardens.
Honeybees in Britain, however, are having a tough time and are increasingly affected by a range of problems including foulbrood; varroa mite; viral diseases and dysfunctional immune systems.
Colony collapse disorder, although widespread globally, does not yet seem to have arrived in the UK.
But just like bumblebees, honeybees are also suffering from the loss of widespread and varied foraging habitats, especially in the countryside.
The value of bees through pollination of crops is thought to be in the region of £1 billion a year and 35% of our own food crops are estimated to be directly dependent on honeybee pollination.
Bumblebees pollinate crops too, especially fruit like tomatoes and apples as well as other crops including oilseed rape and beans.
Some farmers even keep bumblebees in their greenhouses to pollinate crops that are grown all year round, and import southern European bumblebees raised in countries such as Slovakia and Holland.
The concern of conservationists is that this could potentially introduce further pest and disease risk to native British bumblebees.
Evidence in the US shows wild bumblebee numbers have collapsed since the 1990s - following the introduction of parasites carried by European species brought in to pollinate greenhouse crops such as tomatoes and peppers.
As well as decreasing numbers, there are also changes being observed where bumblebees live and how they behave.
The buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) for example has recently been recorded in flight in December and January along the south coast as far east as Ramsgate, as far north as Leicestershire and even North Wales.
This is really unusual, as typically only the queen bee overwinters in holes in the ground.
The suggestion is that global warming is affecting bee behaviour - which may, in turn, affect pollination, flowers, plant survival, fruit, crops and ultimately numerous species of wildlife...including us. -BBC London