update!

Green and Greener has increased the discount to 10% off your mattress; refer a friend who purchases a mattress with the non-profit donation special and you'll get you an extra 5% back (that's a savings of up to $420!) Sweet!

"Do Well By Doing Good"

I told our friend Alegre we would spread the good word on a promotion they currently are running at her shop Green and Greener... D and I are in the market for a new mattress - and are going to bring in our donation to the Parent Group at our elementary school.

"DO WELL BY DOING GOOD" SPECIAL DISCOUNT ON MATTRESSES
Bring in proof of a $50 or more donation to a non-profit that benefits the environment, children or animals and you'll get 5% off your mattress; refer a friend who purchases a mattress with the non-profit donation special and you'll get you an extra 5% back (that's a savings of up to $280!) **(see below for full details)

You can come check out the latex/wool/cotton mattresses carried in store...they feel like a dream. They are made in Southern California out of 100% natural latex foam (latex is from the rubber tree) that is wrapped in organic cotton to start and can be customized to include Pure Grow wool. You can also order inner-spring mattresses if you prefer, although they prefer the latex to inner spring though because 1) no pressure points, 2) they are anti-dust mite and other allergens, 3) they last more than twice as long and 4) no EMF radiation because no metal parts.

**Donation must be to a registered 501(c)(3) and a copy of the donation receipt on organization's letterhead must be dated on or after January 1, 2010 and be shown to Green and Greener employee at the time of purchase. Each $50+ donation is good towards the purchase of one mattress. This offer is good through December 31, 2010.

You got your wish - it's *still* raining

You reminded me of an episode of Living With Ed where he buys a rain barrel and his wife hates how it looks. I actually kind of like the way it looks, but then you know how I feel about orange. I consulted his book to see if I could find a resource for you but alas there wasn't one. It does say it costs $90 which seems steep. He also writes you shouldn't water your vegetables with water collected from your roof, just your ornamentals, which I wouldn't have thought of.

Can you believe this weather? - I bet we could have filled up a couple of barrels over the past couple of days.

I do like the grey one below. If we lived in the city of LA we could get a free barrel as part of the LA Rainwater Harvesting Program. LA Times article here.

Update: I think I just found Ed's rain barrel here.

Rain Rain Don't Go Away

I am loving the wet stuff. We don't get enough of it over here - compared with you. Crazy how you can live in the same city and have completely different weather.

So I am thinking to maximize we should invest in a rain barrel.

I like these - but wonder if they are too "traditional" for our mcm home?

$149-$219 at Gardener's Supply Co.

Maybe this grey one instead. (Supposedly designed after an English "dollie"??)

$149 at Gardener's Supply Co.

What do you think? I am hoping they go on sale in the new year.

Or we could just go the "do it yourself" route. Instructions here. Will watch Craig's List for free barrels.

Stay wet! xo

Get off the couch!

New to me, Kids Off the Couch, is a free weekly e-newsletter "that offers parents fresh ideas for using movies to connect their kids to culture".

You can sign up at www.kidsoffthecouch.com and check out their archives for kid-tested pairings of great family films and cool adventures in Los Angeles, such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, apple picking at Riley's Farm and making apple prints with the kids.

wiki-d

My favourite native plant nursery - Theodore Payne, in Sunland - has a new Native Plant Wiki chock full of useful information for the native plant gardener.


encelia californica

Around Los Angeles

One of my all-time favorite shops, Eden's Green Closet, is closing. They are having a huge sale so if you are in Venice, California, any time soon go stock up on kid's clothes and say good bye.

I'm off to the Los Angeles premiere of Handmade Nation this Saturday and I have an extra ticket for the noon showing if anyone is interested...

All the Way to the Ocean

find it here

If you are in Los Angeles, Joel Harper will be reading his book on Saturday, October 11 at Green and Greener in Valley Village. Details here.

Heath(en)

I love Heath ceramics. Am absolutely smitten with their new kids line.


$135 at the Heath website

And oh so happy that they are opening up a shop in L.A. (Alongside another of my favourite potters, Adam Silverman.) Swoon!

Green and Greener

Our friends Alegre and Sean have realized their dream of a brick and mortar location. Come join in the fun!



Green and Greener Grand Opening
June 10, 2008 10:00am - 6:00pm
Eco-living general store and design center, Green and Greener opens its first physical retail location at 4838 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Valley Village 91607. There will be a grand opening eco-living inspired art show (until July 10th), free gift with every purchase on the 10th and an on-going 10% off discount if you don't drive to the store. Bike rack located in front of the store and public transportation map available here. Regular hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-6pm.

Baby2Baby

I love it when a plan comes together, especially when it involves friends and doing something positive for your community. Started by three friends with too much stuff, Baby2Bady recycles new and gently used baby goods and distributes them to families living in poverty in Los Angeles.

You can learn more about them from their website. Why not get your friends together and have a donation party?

If you live in the New York area Baby Buggy does similar work.

Eden’s Green Closet

This weekend we dropped by the grand opening of Eden’s Green Closet on Abbot Kinney in Venice, CA. The brainchild of Emily Blakeney, this children's eco store specializes in recycled children's clothing and new organic children's fashion and products. Think of it as a Buffalo Exchange for kids.



If you are a thriftier, like we are, it's fantastic! All the work has been done for you. Emily handpicks every item in the store. Her criteria? “Would I put it on my daughter?” We had a great time going through the racks of cute duds and you can be sure we will be back, not only to buy more, but to resell some of our own kid’s outgrown clothes.



Emily from Eden's Green Closet. Go sell her your kid's (nicely) used clothes.

A Smart Mama

Any breastfeeding mom living in the Los Angeles area hopefully knows about the Pump Station, a breastfeeding center and store on Wilshire in Santa Monica. I say hopefully because the place is a true sanctuary, or as they describe themselves, nurtury, for new moms. Their services include lactation consultations, breastfeeding groups, pump rentals, and classes and you only have to scan their online store to see the amazing range of products they offer.

I’ve been spending a lot of time there recently with my new little one and on Friday I attended a talk called The Smart Mama’s Green Guide: Reducing Your Baby’s Toxic Chemical Exposure by Jennifer Taggart. While the information Jennifer provided on lead and mercury exposure, pesticides in foods, harmful plastics, and toxic cleaning supplies was overwhelming and sometimes plain scary, she was also quick to give simple and straight forward solutions or alternatives to a lot of the issues she bought up. Check out her website and blog at The Smart Mama for some of the same sound advice.

Meanwhile, I’m off to buy a home lead testing kit.

Los Angeles Green Tour

A couple of weekends ago we were lucky enough to go on a tour connected with the Do it Now: Live Green exhibition at the Ben Maltz Gallery at Otis.

We started at a green home in Malibu owned by Colette Brooks and Eric Cadora. They talked us through figuring out a green remodel and shared some great resources with us including:

The Giam Catalogue
LaundryPure by EcoQuest. You don’t need to use detergent with this.
Trex Decking
Home Depot Eco Options
Mother Earth Magazine
Waterless Urinals by Duravit. Here is Eric in the NY Times with his.

Because of the remodel Eric has become a consultant on green building. His company is Moss Cadora

But best of all they shared their beautiful property with us which overlooks the pacific, oh, and their 5, hugely entertaining dogs!

Second was a tour of a client’s home of architect Roger White. The architect himself gave us a tour and showed us what could be done with a typical residential home. Noah Goldman who consulted on the roof solar panels was also there to talk us through some of the issues.

We then headed over to Living Green in Culver City. This is a great building materials and interior furnishings resource. Although I’ve been before, having the owner show you around adds a whole different dimension to a place like this.

Next was a prefab residence in Venice designed by Living Homes. They have a really great audio tour on their website which is worth checking out.

Finally we visited the residence of David Hertz of Syndesis, Inc.; He is currently building a home out of a 747!

Reduce Reuse Recycle...

My kids have become obsessed with the 3 r's. Pointing out to me each time we successfully take one on. (Reusing the milk pitcher as a bird seed scoop before putting it into the blue can scores big points!) Yes, we have even been spotted sorting the neighbors trash for them. (With L.A.'s new guidelines we want to make sure that everyone is doing all they can!) And most of their clothes come as hand-me-downs or thrift shop finds. (Lucky girls at the bottom of a line of 11 granddaughters to my mother-in-law!)

In our constant hunt for bargains, and our making a point to reuse, we are going to try and make it to annual LA Kids Consignment Sale this weekend in Van Nuys. Held twice a year, the sale features more than 20,000 new and gently used kid items from babyhood to teens. Admission is free. Hours are 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Sunday. Bargain hunters should note that on Sunday, items are 50 percent off. And pull the piggy bank down off the shelf - all sales are cash only. Seville Hall, 7963 Van Nuys Blvd. in Van Nuys. 818-693-3183.

(thanks Judy!)

an exhibition and related public programming at otis

more info here

{thanks for the info sam - it does look great!}