Field Trip: Food Forest
Save the date. Join us for a tour of artist Jose Ramirez’s abundant food forest in City Terrace. You must RSVP to participate. We will be organizing carpools. Email transitionculvercity@gmail
Save the date. Join us for a tour of artist Jose Ramirez’s abundant food forest in City Terrace. You must RSVP to participate. We will be organizing carpools. Email transitionculvercity@gmail
Meet cyclist-activists and bike-walk-tavists who are changing LA from a crowded isolating car town to a bi-pedal and ped-friendly village . See eco-film shorts + panel + discussion and snack-luck.
You’ll meet Nona Varnado, founder of LA Bike Trains. 
This org provides curated routes run by Conductors – experienced urban cyclists – to educate new riders, harness the safety of riding in a group and kicking it up a notch by making the ride a fun social experience. Plus it’s totally free! All you need to do is submit your email, cell phone number and the route that you’re interested in. If you don’t see a route that works for you – suggest one! http://labiketrains.com/
You’ll also meet Jim Shanman of Walk n’ Rollers http://www.
Sheet mulching’s an alternative way to lose the lawn and prepare for planting.
Join us for a GrassUpRoots Plant-in Party
When: Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014 10 am – 4 pm
Where: Private residence, Leimert Park neighborhood. Please rsvp for address: transitionculvercity@gmail
There’s a drought , you’ve heard about it, so what better time to lose the lawn and replace it with a more sustainable garden. Join us for planting fun and community. Learn how to get rid of your lawn the Transition way…with a party!
This homeowner’s yard has been sheet mulched, so we will be digging holes and planting California natives. Bring gloves, work shoes, shovel and/or trowel, hat. Lunch will be provided.
Please rsvp for address: transitionculvercity@gmail
For information on sheet mulching: http://www.patternliteracy.com/books/gaias-garden/how-to-the-ultimate-bomb-proof-sheet-mulch
For info on water-saving gardening: http://www.bewaterwise.com/
When: Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Where: Private residence in Culver City
RSVP: Transition Culver City for address transitionculvercity@gmail.com
Why build a compost pile? Well, you can extend your efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle by composting: reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill; reuse newspapers, paper napkins, coffee filters and tea bags; recycle the endless stream of veggie waste.
Tina’s got a brand new bin. Let’s help her set it up. Learn how to choose a location for a compost pile. What goes into a bin? How to maintain it? We’ll put together a compost pile and then enjoy snacks and camaraderie and swap some stories.
If you can’t make it and want to learn how:
When: Sunday, February 16, 10am – 2pm
Where: Little Blue House, 11182 Rhoda Way Culver City 90230
Choose landscape for most loads, and sewer when laundry is very soiled.
RSVP: please transitionculvercity@gmail.com, or 310-780-1051
Donation $20 – lunch included.
Bring water bottle, gloves and a shovel (with your name on it), if you have them.
Transition Culver City and Art Lee, founder of Skillbulder meet-up group are offering a Greywater Installation workshop, where you’ll learn to install a laundry-to-landscape-according-to-code conversion.
What is greywater? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FDF-FLw3yM
As everyone knows, water is probably the most important resource for every living species on our planet. Instead of dumping your water back to the sewer system and into the ocean, learn how to double the usage of your water and grow your fruit trees and perennials! This also saves you money by reducing your water usage.
The class will cover all the information you need to install a system at your home, to L.A. County code specifications.
A little about our instructor, Art Lee…..On his Skillbuilders meet-up site, Art provides the following description of himself:
permaculturist, primal metalsmith, organic food gardener,
wild food hunter, grass killer, pescatarian, animal lover,
engineer, mechanic, hiker, biker, moto-biker, chicken whisperer,
backpacker, camper, hot springs hunter, primitive skills nut
See pictures of Art’s many and varied workshops: http://www.meetup.com/Skillbuilders/photos/all_albums/?albumId=16843862
Imagine a parkway designed for beauty and functionality; one that’s a gateway to your property, a habitat for local plant and bird species, AND a sponge that holds and cleanses precious water before it returns to the ocean.
When new parkway regulations were first presented to Culver City council in May 2013, Transition Culver City members decided this would be a perfect time to re-imagine our parkways. We wondered how parkway regs could match what we had already observed in our neighborhoods – parkways that were more than places to curb ones car or dog. Instead, we saw gathering places, native plant sanctuaries, and zen-like gardens.
We interviewed experts in the field of sustainable landscape, to harvest their knowledge. With the assistance of Flowtown Films, we decided to grow a parkway video.
We would like to thank the people and organizations who were involved in the making of this film:
Charles Herbertson – Director, Culver City Public Works http://www.culvercity.org/Government/Misc/GovernmentContacts.aspx
Patrick Reynolds – Culver City Parks Manager http://www.culvercity.org/Government/Misc/GovernmentContacts.aspx
S. Damian Skinner – Culver City Public Works Environmental Programs and Operations https://www.culvercity.org/Government/PublicWorks/EnvironmentalPrograms.aspx
Ray Olson – City of Ventura, Environmental Sustainability http://www.cityofventura.net/environmental
Pamela Burstler – G3 (Green Gardens Group) http://www.greengardensgroup.com/
Tom Rau – Surfrider Foundation http://wlam.surfrider.org/ http://tomrau-rla.com/
Andy Lipkis – Tree People http://www.treepeople.org/
Shelley Luce – Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission http://www.smbrc.ca.gov/
Angel Taeger – LA Green Grounds http://lagreengrounds.org/
To see the Culver City Parkway Draft Ordinance: http://www.culvercity.org/sirepub/pubmtgframe.aspx?meetid=854&doctype=Agenda
And a special thank you to Vallier Hardy and ModMaN of Flowtown Films http://www.flowtownfilms.com/ without whom this video project would not have been possible!!!
Many of you have .worked to ban plastic bags in the City of LA and Culver City. Here’s a chance to raise awareness about Culver City’s new plastic bag ban which takes effect Dec. 28, 2013.
The City of Culver City, with assistance from Transition Culver City and Our Time Bank/Repair Cafe, is hosting a Sew-In on Dec. 9, 5:30 – 8 pm in the Don Patacchia room next to the council chambers at CC City Hall.
We will be sewing cloth grocery bags and teaching how to sew your own. The fabric will be pre-cut and ready to assemble with instructions available… a very easy-to-make design.
http://ourtimebank.timebanks.org/page/repair-cafe-home
If you would like to volunteer, please contact Michelle, transitionculvercity@gmail.com
For more information about the Plastic Bag ordinance:
About Culver City plastic bag ordinance
Transition Culver City hosted a community think tank about plastic bag pollution on Oct. 10, 2010.
View our video report here:
TCC Community Think Tank-Plastic Bag Pollution
Pieter’s Culver City Pruning Workshop, January 2013
In other parts of the country Spring might not arrive until mid-March and run through May. But Southern California is a different story!
According to popular westside arborist Pieter Severynen, spring sap flow in Southern California may start as early as mid-January, depending on the weather. Pieter advises us to prune our fruit trees either before or after the spring sap flow—but not during.
This well-timed FREE pruning demonstration (including resources — see below!) will help you build your pruning confidence and get you on track for healthier and more prolific fruit trees.
FRUIT TREE PRUNING DEMONSTRATION
with Pieter Severynen
Saturday, December 14, 2013
1 – 4 pm
private residence garden
10784 Northgate St. , Culver City, CA 90230
(near WLA College)
Attendance is FREE,
but preregistration is required.
Please RSVP:
pietersev100@gmail.com or call 310-838-6744
Please download and print the following hand-outs to bring to class (PDFs):
• FRUIT TREE CARE in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA >>
• LOW CHILL FRUIT TREES for SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA >>
• A SILENT JUNGLE: THE SOIL UNDERFOOT >>
PIETER SEVERYNEN is an arborist and licensed California Landscape Architect with 35+ years’ experience and a former garden columnist at the L.A. Times (the popular “Tree of the Week” series). He is the former director of planning and design at North East Trees. His presentations on behalf of TCC at the 2013 Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase were well attended so don’t wait too long to reserve your spot at this December Pruning demonstration!
We’re co-hosting the next Westside Repair Café (a semi-regular event) with our local skill sharing group Our Time Bank. Come one, come all— and get your stuff fixed!
WHEN:
Sat, Oct 26, 2013
12:30-4:30 pm
WHERE:
Culver Palms United Methodist Church
4464 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City 90232
WHAT TO BRING:
• Things that don’t work well anymore and need fixin’
• Refreshments for the potluck
• A small donation for supplies ($5-10)
• Items in fair condition for the “Give-Away Table”
• A supportive attitude — because we’re all volunteers!
About TCC’s forerunner event back in 2012 >>
More info about Our Time Bank >>
By the way,
OTB’s next
New Member
Orientation is
Sunday Nov 17th.
Read more >>
Remember to reserve your spot for the upcoming 2-Day EFFECTIVE GROUPS TRAINING in L.A. This course is offered by Transition U.S. who are sending facilitator Nick Osbourne on a US tour. Nick will be passing along important skillsets (and mindsets!) to help us elegantly cross any stormy seas of group process that may arise! Valuable tools for anyone involved in working with groups.
Details in a previous TCC post >>
Nick has already embarked on his tour, and word is spreading about the value of this course! Here’s a report from Amherst, Massachusetts:
I just wanted you to know that Nick ‘s Effective Collaboration training and Train the Trainer were both ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. We had MANY very skilled, seasoned trainers in the room — college professors, consultants and leaders who had studied and facilitated true consensus, sociocracy, conflict resolution, cohousing meetings, Quaker meetings, activist meetings, and different kinds of professional and business meetings for many years. Every one of us was thoroughly impressed.
We told Nick it’s as if he’s done TWO PhD dissertations and is now on his third with holocracy.
Maybe we all liked it so much because we need it so badly over here! Ha!!
—Tina, Transition Amherst
Effective Groups is a 2-day skills-building training for individuals and teams. It started with Transition Town Groups in mind but this course is really for anyone involved in social change efforts. Effective Groups is a dynamic and engaging training course which covers key skills for collaboration.
It will help you:
· Create systems for teams to work effectively together
· Develop an enjoyable and fair atmosphere to work within
· Make order in the chaos to find freedom within a structure
· Utilize diverse perspectives as an advantage not a problem
· Balance achieving goals with keeping your team healthy
· Manage conflicting needs and paradoxes, within & outside of the team
· Develop the skills & mindset to cross any stormy seas of group process that arise!
EFFECTIVE GROUPS TRAINING — LOS ANGELES
Where & When:
2-Day Effective Groups Training
Sat-Sun, Oct 5-6, 2013
9:30am to 5:30pm
The Learning Garden @ Venice High
13000 Venice Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(enter from Walgrove gate)
1-day Training of Trainers:
Monday October 7, 2013
9am-5pm
Rediscover Center
12958 W Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90066
Cost & Registration:
2-day Effective Groups course:
$125 for the 2-day course (max 26 participants)
PRE-REGISTRATION >> http://transitionus.org/event/effective-groups-los-angeles-area
1-day Train the Trainer: 9:00-5:00
$125 for the 1-day Training of Trainers (customized for up to 10 participants)
APPLICATION REQUIRED >> http://www.transitionus.org/event/effective-groups-train-trainer-workshop-los-angeles-area
We have made the cost as low as possible and have several partial scholarships available. For scholarship info contact: carolyne@transitionus.org (707) 824-1554
For additional information, local info contact: Michelle transitionculvercity@gmail.com 310-780-1051
Bring your own lunch, or money for going out together at the lunch break. A list of a variety of local restaurants will be available.