Surfrider Foundation: Ocean Friendly Gardens

05/09/2017

It's . Check out this great video on compost, which is important to Ocean Friendly Garden objectives such as filtering pollution, sequestering carbon and holding onto water. Nice job Kiss The Ground.

05/03/2017

Surfrider-Eastern Long Island Chapter is creating an Ocean Friendly Garden in the East Hampton Village Green! This area runs down the middle of town, so it's highly visible. As the consultant to the chapter says, it shows an alternative to large expanse of lawn, which will prevent fertilizer runoff to the ocean and reduce algal blooms.

A project started last fall to improve the water quality of Town and Hook Ponds in East Hampton should be expanded slightly, not only to be more effective but to set an example for residential property owners, a landscape architect told the East Hampton Village Board on Friday.

04/29/2017

If you are nearby Glendale, CA and finished with your Climate March-ing, stop by the Glendale Salon Spa for a fundraiser for 's Clean Water Initiative (6-9pm-ish). 513 E Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205

04/20/2017

Paul Herzog testifies before CA Senate Environmental Quality Com't on Senate Bill 780, and it passed out of Com't 7-2! SB 780 gives preference to projects applying the watershed approach when seeking state funding. It also will educate consumers and train landscape professionals. Thanks to our partners at the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, CA Conservation Corps, EEC, G3 and the many groups who support the bill. The new landscape at the capitol needs a low spot and mulch to apply the watershed approach. Now onto getting Starbucks at LAX to allow me to use my own mug to get a drink!

04/15/2017

This article shows how Ocean Friendly Gardens are a solution to climate change. Plants: (1) pull carbon from the air and secrete unused carbon into soil via soil microorganisms; (2) absorb heat; and (3) "sweat" water v***r, which helps create clouds and absorb heat.

In this time of reckless US action, it’s crucial to shift the narrative beyond despair over fossil fuels and look at water as a primary tool of climate control

04/13/2017

Hooray, a New Jersey state bill would protect people who replace turf grass with native plants from city "nuisance" codes and fines! California and Texas have passed similar bills.

Those native plants provide food and habitat for butterflies, birds and bees; and it provides habitat for insects, which the bird chicks eat a lot of. Just add areas to retain rainwater to that native plants, compost and mulch, and you have an Ocean Friendly Garden.

Native species furnish food for Monarch butterflies on their long migration to Mexico, and necessary nourishment for thrushes, tanagers, and warblers as they wing their way south

04/12/2017

Surfrider chapters had another great year of clean water work in 2016 - check out our cool annual report. In many cases, Surfrider chapters are the only ones testing the water for being safe and letting people know. And OFG educates, trains and pursues policy changes to clean the water and get multiple other benefits.

(OFG) programs during the calendar year of 2016. Especially during times when the authority of the federal agencies tasked with protecting our clean water and healthy coasts is becoming more and more uncertain, it is so encouraging to see how much a dedicated network of volunteers can accomplish in...

04/10/2017

Here are 2 more gardens from the APLD garden tour. There's one "in action," holding onto rainwater, which happened on a recent day when there was 3 inches of rain.

04/09/2017

Our friends at the Association of Professional Landscape Designers are hosting a great garden tour today, featuring gardens that apply the watershed approach. (The watershed approach follows the same principles as Ocean Friendly Gardens: climate appropriate plants, healthy soil, and rainwater retention.)

04/05/2017

Today we're launching a new video showcasing our program. Our waterways are all connected. What you do in your garden affects water quality in our ocean, bay, and creeks. uses landscapes and streets as a solution to keep polluted runoff out of our waterways.

Watch the full video with and learn more by clicking the link in our profile. Video courtesy of

Follow along as host and Surfrider Ambassador, David Chokachi, tours an ocean friendly garden in Los Angeles, CA. David interviews our Ocean Friendly Gardens...

03/29/2017

CA legislation requiring the watershed approach just gained ground yesterday! The legislation, Senate Bill 780, passed out of the California Senate Natural Resources & Water Committee and next goes to the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. This bill, if passed, would direct the CA Department of Water Resources to require the watershed approach for qualification or preference for state-funded rebates, tax credits, and other incentives. It also includes workforce training development, e.g, California Conservation Corps.

Advocacy is being led by our friends at the Association of Professional Landscape Designers-CA Chapter. Cheryl Buckwalter of EcoLandscape California testified on APLD's behalf. Surfrider Foundation is a supporter, along with G3/Green Gardens Group, The Trust for Public Land, Heal the Bay, ReScape California, Tree People, and many other respected organizations. The bill's author is Senator Scott Wiener, whose district covers San Francisco.

If you ever have a chance, go to Sacramento to experience the state legislature at work. Here's a link to the bill text: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB780

03/28/2017

If you will be in or near Pasadena TONIGHT, stop by this fun fundraiser for Surfrider Foundation. It's Drag Queen Bingo, put on by our friends at Glendale Salon Spa, and it starts at 7pm at the Edwin Mills gastro pub. Buy a ticket here (and sales are still open even though the website says they are closed): http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2890164.

The Spa is an Aveda salon, and Aveda salons in the Southwest have raised over $1.1 Million for Surfrider during the last 11 years!