Now is a perfect time to grow your garden green. While other parts of the world are snow-covered and frigid, Southern California’s mild, wet winters make this season ideal for planting climate-friendly natives that provide habitat for our native fauna. Here are two beautiful California evergreen shrubs to check out and add to your weekend…
Lisa Cahill
Lisa Cahill first began her work with TreePeople as a volunteer Citizen Forester. She currently serves on the board of directors for the reDiscover Center, continues to volunteer as a Citizen Forester, has been on the Mar Vista Green Garden Tour and serves on several green committees at her church and children's schools. She most enjoys working in the garden with her husband, watching her children and vegetables grow.
Building resilient communities one tree–and many neighbors–at a time
January 11, 2013Want to know how to survive the next natural disaster? Think community and good neighbors, not concrete barricades and security guards, as Eric Klinenberg recently recommended. Klinenberg says in an NPR interview, “In light of the risk we face with climate change, I sincerely hope that we invest in the social infrastructure. Because when a real disaster strikes,…
How Did Hollywood Get Its Name?
December 31, 2012Legend has it that early residents of SoCal were so inspired by a lovely holly-like bush that they were inspired to call their new digs Hollywood. It’s easy to see why the legend spread even if it wasn’t true. The shrub that captured their imagination was the toyon, which grows throughout Southern California. During the…
After Christmas, What to Do with Your Tree?
December 27, 2012Did you opt for a real Christmas tree this year? A lot of us grapple with the choice between real and fake, weighing the proverbial environmental impact of one vs. the other. One dilemma people face with a real tree is, what do I do with it after the holidays? Mulch it! While your tree…
Vote for a documentary to make you fall in love with nature
November 30, 2012Our founder Andy Lipkis is an expert in the extraordinary film Love Thy Nature and we’d like you to join TreePeople in helping the Director Sylvie Rokab take it to completion. She launched a Kickstarter campaign (to raise finishing funds) where you’ll see a short video and info about the film. Watch trailer here Not…
Would you eat your landscape?
November 20, 2012As we near the Thanksgiving holidays, maybe you’re thinking about fall harvests. But if the land around your house is covered in lawn, consider this: traditional turf uses the same amount of water as vegetable gardens. If you’re going to grow something that uses that much water, maybe you should be able to recoup some…
LEARN HOW TO MAKE EVERY DROP COUNT
November 14, 2012Did you know unfiltered storm water runoff is the number one pollutant in our coastal waters? And in one inch of rainfall, that parched Los Angeles throws away 7.6 BILLION gallons of water into the storm drains? On Saturday, November 17 at 4 PM join me at the DIY stage at the Green Festival where…
Take A Water Quality Quiz
November 9, 2012October 18th was the 40th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act. Did you miss it? Not me, I was celebrating with a couple of salt water taffies and my little kiddos. Since our family lives near the ocean, I am thankful every time we go to the beach and don’t come back with some really…
“Cash for Grass” is back in L.A. – Rip up your grass and get some green
November 8, 2012In L.A., over half of our drinking water goes to water our lawns. Shifting to more climate appropriate plants can save up to 85% of outdoor water use. Now the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Residential Turf Removal program will pay you $1.50 for every square foot of turf you remove. Plan…