Thank you to Oak Grove School environmental science teacher Jennifer Jesu-Anter's 9th grade class which met with biologist and creek restoration project director Brian Holly, along with colleague, botanist Cedrick Villasenor in February to transplant existing seedlings into individual pots and seed new flats for future transplanting. Oak Grove School has generously allowed OVGC to use its greenhouse to propagate native plants for creek planting.

After letting the rain do its thing for the winter, we will have our first spring workday March 5. Help is needed with more nonnative removal and mulching. We meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Libbey Park gazebo, downtown Ojai. To join us, please wear sturdy work shoes, a long-sleeved shirt and long pants.  We also encourage you to bring gloves and a shovel or hand trowel. This phase of creek restoration work is funded by a U.S. Fish & Wildlife grant. The mulch for Saturday's work was funded by a Rotary Club of Ojai grant and Consolidated Disposal generously donates bins for the collected green waste, recycling, and trash. For more information call (805) 669-8445.

Get ready for Ojai EarthPlay 2011,
a destination Earth Day Event 

In celebration of sustainable living, global awareness, and the joy of nature, four Ojai-based green organizations are teaming up to host this once-a-year community event:  Food for Thought, the Oak Grove School, the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy and the Ojai Valley Green Coalition.

Please join us under the historic oaks, on the 150-acre campus of the Oak Grove School, 220 W. Lomita Avenue, Ojai, on Saturday, April 23,  

11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Along with environmental exhibits and a green marketplace, the day will include art and outdoor activities for all ages, live entertainment, food, and more. Admission is free.

To get exhibitor information or to purchase raffle tickets to benefit Earth Day efforts, go to www.OjaiEarthDay.com.

We look forward to having you join us for a special Earth Day 2011 in Ojai!

The Coalition Welcomes  

Noel Douglas to the Board  

and Carlon Strobel as City Liaison

The Coalition Board of Directors welcomed long time Food and Agriculture committee member Noel Douglas-Roth to the board in January. Noel brings a wealth of nonprofit knowledge and community experience to the table. Noel shares that his "purpose in lifeis to empower us all to be more our creative selves by sharing experiences which encourage productive thinking, open communication, close friendships, supportive environments and humanitarian services which can prosper everyone."  Noel's first generous act as a committed board member was to donate a complete audio visual system consisting of a projector, screen, speakers and microphones worth well over a thousand dollars. Thanks Noel!

Joining board meetings in February was new Ojai council member Carlon Strobel. Carlon will keep the board apprised of the city's environmental efforts and advise on Coalition projects from the city's perspective. Carlon comes with a thorough knowledge of how Ojai does business after twenty years of service and will be a great resource and connection to the city for us. Thank you Carlon, we look forward to working with you to advance a resilient and sustainable Ojai.

Educating Students for Sustainability

"Educating for Sustainability," a green school conference hosted by Besant Hill School on January 22, drew participation by schools from as far away as the Bay Area, which were represented by students, administrators, and teachers. Attendees at the conference also included representatives from the Ojai Unified School District, Thacher School, Ojai Valley School, and Oak Grove.

Tod Cossairt, event coordinator and Director of Sustainability at Besant Hill, opened the conference planting the thought that a curriculum centered around sustainability activates an "ethics of care" and is rooted in a knowledge of place. It requires learning a skill that has been left out of most educational programs. Fortunately, we found that the students attending the conference were excited and involved in numerous sustainability projects on their campuses and eager to share their ideas.

Speakers included Anna Cummins, co-founder of Five GYRES Institute, who has traveled 20,000 miles of oceans collecting and studying the volume of plastic that is decomposing in the oceans and showing up in the bellies of many sea animals. She is seeing plastic everywhere. She reminded us that plastic lasts a very long time, yet it is usually used in disposable items that are made to use for a short time and then thrown away in landfills.

Mark Montygierd, the Secondary Education Program Coordinator for the Los Angeles Tree People, spoke about the role of the Tree People, founded by Andy Lipkis. At a young age, Andy realized the importance and value of trees in the city. Tree People is very active in educating students K-12 and in community action and outreach. Paul Chapman, former principal of Head-Royce School in Oakland, shared the upgrades on the campus that have included installing solar panels that now provide 35% of the campus electricity needs. They also reduced trash by 50,000 lb/yr resulting in lower hauling fees. The afternoon speaker was local teen activist Alec Loorz who gave a powerful yet moving report on global climate change.

Composting and gardening by the students and staff of the Athenian School from the Bay Area resulted in significant reductions in their food waste. Their trash hauling fees went from $58,000 in 2004-05 to $27,000 in 2009-2010. A two-ton Earth tub composts the food waste for the 500 people on the campus. A permaculture project started with three interested students, who worked on a solution to a flooding problem on the campus. Rather than installing an expensive system of pipes to drain water off a meadow, the students designed and built a series of swales that absorb and redirect the water to a catchment system in another area where the water is needed.

Participants were also invited to take a walk on the beautiful Besant Hill land, visit the organic garden and the vernal pool that also serves as an outdoor laboratory, and soak in the beautiful setting. The information presented at the conference was valuable and thought-provoking, and the excitement of the students and staff sharing their many successes was inspiring!