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A Native Plant Barn Raising

9/13/2016

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Jackie Robinson Post Office

Saturday, October 22 — 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Jackie Robinson Post Office
1355 N. Mentor Avenue, Pasadena


Did you know that the Jackie Robinson Post Office recently moved? The new J.R.P.O. is at the old Catalina Post Office on the corner of Mentor and Washington.

After Lisa Novick of the Theodore Payne Foundation passed the post office a few months ago, she challenged us (Transition Pasadena) to create a native plant landscape in the 2,000 square feet of fallow beds that surround the plain, boxy building.  A posting on Nextdoor.com, a local social media website connecting very local neighbors, yielded 20 excited neighbors willing to make it happen!  

Placemaking? Yes! Local networking? Yes! Support for water conservation, local pollinators, public awareness raising? Yes, yes, yes! The proposal we gave to the Postal Service was met with enthusiasm! 

Four native-garden designers, including Lisa Novick of TPF and Nick Hummingbird of Hahamongna Cooperative Nursery, and two others who stepped forward from Nextdoor, have created a deliciously beautiful garden design.  Lisa said, “It has to be drop dead gorgeous!” 

The final design considers year-round color, blooms, berries, leaf color and texture and even leaf-litter.  It incorporates plants that are host or food for a variety of butterflies, bees and birds.  It softens the architecture with variety of height and patterns and keeps low maintenance as a priority. It will be gorgeous and hopefully inspiring to passersby.

The City of Pasadena Water Conservation Program has offered to install an efficient irrigation system. The City's Forestry Dept. has agreed to deliver 15 cubic yards of mulch to the site. The two nurseries will collaborate to source the plants. And neighbors will be volunteering the labor and ongoing maintenance. ​
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The one day "barn raising" will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 22.

Our wish list includes a few (or even one) Arroyo stones to punctuate the garden with reminders of our beautiful wilderness area, the Arroyo Seco. (They must be too big to throw, or roughly, larger than a basketball.)

Stay tuned for more details! To get involved with digging or dig support on October 22, kindly RSVP: Therese

— Therese Brummel
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“Good To-Go” Keeps Going!

9/12/2016

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Moving Pasadena to Zero Waste

Pasadena joined 90 other cities by enacting the Polystyrene Food Packaging Ordinance that bans Styrofoam take-out containers. The Ordinance is in accord with Pasadena’s Zero Waste Strategic Plan, enacted in 2014, which outlined 19 program initiatives to achieve the goal of sending zero waste to landfills by 2040.

We are grateful for the support for this from City Council, Mayor Tornek, and the staff of the Public Works Department. We also thank all who participated in the “Good to Go” campaign to bring this success.

We realize this is the beginning of a transition that will impact our entire community. That is why the “Good To-Go” campaign continues focusing its energies on implementing the Ordinance. Ginko Lee made a public statement to this effect to City Council, and we intend to support this effort.

To this end, Ginko Lee and January Nordman met with theEnvironmental Programs Manager, who has been overseeing the campaign to roll out the polystyrene ban. Municipal Services intends to put information regarding the ordinance and compliance in business license renewal packets, health certificate applications, and other, to be determined, forms of outreach. They have developed several information cards and brochures:
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Excerpt from Pasadena Public Works' Polystyrene Ban Bill Insert.
Here’s where we can help. Pasadena is viewing this ordinance as a ban; a negative that figures more on prohibitions than possibilities. One way to get better compliance is to focus not on the negative, but on the positive. Ginko has offered the following:
  1.   Develop a “care package” of information, resources, and trends that would be delivered to all food establishments.
  2.    Develop a “feel good” campaign that puts a positive message on using alternatives to Styrofoam. This could include posters and stickers indicating the use of compostable or recyclable containers. This would have attractive, branded graphics, with simple slogans.
  3.   Perhaps a “green seal” campaign, similar to what is being done in Santa Monica.
  4.   Develop, promote, and demonstrate Zero Waste take-out containers, a bring your own container approach. This would be done under Health Department guidelines. Michiko Lynch demonstrates how to make your own containers every Wednesday at Altadena Farmers’ Market at Loma Alta Park. This program may be expanded.
 
We are gratified to work with the city on this important step towards Zero Waste.

— January Nordman

Good To-Go Campaign on Facebook 

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