Water 4 Life Global

Water 4 Life Global

 is a women-led 501c3 nonprofit working on the ground in Guatemala to provide clean water to indigenous communities. Through the distribution of water filter technology, we help provide families with access to clean water they can drink, cook and clean with. 

We imagine a life free of 

water transmitted diseases, water toxins, malnutrition, and 

environmental damage, in a country that maintains each of

these issues as very viable threats to the communities and ecosystems. 95% of the water in Guatemala is dangerous to drink, mainly 

due to pollution, poor infrastructure, and unregulated sewage systems.

 Together, we can help heal the environment and health 

of families who rely on their waterways as a source of potable water.

Spreading awareness about the global water crisis and ways to help is crucial to our mission. 

At the Green Tent, we will 

demonstrate how our village water filter works and share the environmental issues Guatemala faces. 

You will have the opportunity to donate a filter and receive unique, hand-woven textiles made by a women's cooperative in Guatemala. Each piece was created using sustainable materials, natural dyes, and patterns that express the deep Mayan culture. Come by and share the love!

Loop Holes

 

Want to hear a shocking statistic? In the US, nearly 1 in 4 teens who menstruate cannot afford or access the period care products they need. As a result, they miss school and work and suffer from a lack of dignity - all because of a period. To make matters worse, there are no meaningful federal programs to help provide these necessary products to the people who need them. Until now, because we found a loophole. 

The federal program SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as Food Stamps) provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income people. We created a (fictional) cereal called Loopholes where the prize inside every box is one cycle’s supply of pads and tampons, so families don't have to choose between buying food or menstrual care products. And because it’s food, the government pays for it with SNAP benefits. That’s right. We found a way to make the government pay for period care products.

While Loopholes is a fake solution to a very real problem, there is actual legislation in the works to do something about this. New York State Representative Grace Meng has introduced a brave new bill called the Menstrual Equity for All Act. The bill seeks to make pads and tampons freely available in public schools, universities, and prisons. In addition to many other reforms, the bill also proposes expanding Medicaid to cover these necessary items. 

Visit LoopholesCereal.com to ask your representative to support the Menstrual Equity For All Act and to find other ways to take immediate action. Together, we can make period poverty a thing of the past. Come visit the MV Green Tent this Sunday at the Mar Vista Farmer's Market to learn more!

Planting California Natives

 

Come by the Green Tent this Sunday, February 27th from 9am-2pm to learn about the incredible benefits of habitat gardening. Trish Mazure will be sharing how planting California natives creates a visually stunning display of color, provides a living ecosystem, and a thriving sanctuary for wildlife. 
We also have some good news! The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is offering rebates for removing your lawn. At the Green Tent, we will be offering FREE advice to help you create a new landscape that will provide beauty and natural habitat. So come down to the MV Farmer's Market this Sunday and see our display of resources to help you get started!



TESSA GROWS - February 13



TessaGrows is a celebration of the wonders of gardening and nature. It was born out of Tessa Nathan's desire to cultivate and spread the knowledge that plants yearn to share. Tessa describes her work as "an immense joy and privilege".

This Sunday at the Mar Vista Green Tent (located in the heart of the Mar Vista Farmers Market) Tessa will be sharing information about the ‘sprout, grow, feast’ cycle with aspiring gardeners. Tessa will describe how intention and simple, practical applications create miracles in both small and large outdoor spaces. Her ethos is largely based around the idea that this ancient wisdom already exists in all of our genes and, through a process of remembering, we are able to harness it and watch it grow in the most beautiful way.

Tessa loves being able to share the hard-earned nuggets she’s learnt from master teachers along her journey. And it’s beyond exciting to witness the joy of her students as they taste the fruits of their labor, while gaining respect for their environment and exploring ideas for sustainable living. 

 


Based in Los Angeles, TessaGrows offers one-on-one weekly or bi-monthly classes with families and children, sells vegetable and herb GrowBags, as well as insect identification cards, edible flower identification cards and other gardening accessories. 

 To find out more, please visit her website at www.tessagrows.com

 




 

Master Gardeners, February 6

On Sunday, February 6, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., swing by the Green Tent at Mar Vista Farmers Market when the UC/CE LA County Master Gardeners return with lots of lovely green gifts: free seedlings and free seeds!


This month they’ve lovingly grown the following plants and herbs (from seed) for you:

Cilantro — love it or hate it, it’s a unique plant whose leaves AND seeds can be used as herbs or spices! The seed pod becomes coriander, and you can use it whole or grind it to add a piquant flavor to whatever you’re cooking or eating. 

There’s a few parsley plants — the flat leaf Italian kind. 

Broccoli Raab — It looks like broccoli but it’s related to turnips!!  It is a cruciferous vegetable, alongside broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. The long, slender stalk is light green and topped with large darker green leaves intermixed with small buds that look like broccoli florets. While it's more similar in appearance to broccoli or broccolini, it's botanically closer to turnips and the taste is more like mustard or turnip greens.

Shelling peas — these plants are SO TALL right now, they’re just BEGGING for a place in your garden! 

Also in the legume family, they’ll share some fabulous FAVA Beans with you! These versatile beans are not only delicious, but they help fix nitrogen in your soil.

Nasturtiums are both pretty AND edible — put a little goat cheese and balsamic together with them for a unique appetizer. Or top a salad with them! 

And it wouldn’t be spring without some salad greens — there are plenty of mixed lettuce varieties to share!

And on the menu: ARTICHOKES!!! You can eat them, of course, with a decadent butter or mayonnaise sauce, or use their gorgeous flowers as table decorations or in a vase!

Wondering what to do in the garden this month? Click here for a great, easy-to-follow guide for February in LA County gardens.

Protect Playa Now ! 2022

Protect Playa Now

Join us at the 

Green Tent

 this Sunday in imagining clean air! 

learn about actions you can take to help protect our community. 

Protect Playa Now

 will have a prototype of an air quality monitor currently in design to detect combustible gases. The monitor is a citizen science effort with plans to create a network throughout the Westside and help keep us safe.

Protect Playa Now is a collection of concerned citizens mobilizing to protect Playa del Rey and surrounding communities from the threat posed by the SoCal Gas Natural Gas Storage Facility. 

The facility, located south of Culver Blvd and west of Lincoln Blvd, has an unsafe track record and puts our community at risk. When pressure builds and the company needs to release gas, toxic substances such as formaldehyde, benzene, hydrogen sulfide, and n-hexane, (a neurotoxin) are released into the air...the air our community breathes! Cumulative exposures to these chemicals can pose serious risks to the health of those living nearby. 

We have the ability to transition to real clean energy and ensure a future of climate resiliency, good green jobs and healthy communities. Click 

here

 to learn more about Protect Playa Now and their work. 

Electric Soup Recipe - January 2022

 

Honeynut Squash and 

Sweet Potato Soup

THE RECIPE !


Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

My goal was to convert my favorite soup recipe so I could avoid the use of my gas cooktop, and get the same delicious results from clean electricity.  I decided to experiment with my Instant Pot.  


I am excited to report that my experiment yielded a rich yet subtle soup with much less time spent in the kitchen. Among other adjustments,  I switched from butternut squash to a combination of honeynut squash, jersey and japanese sweet potato,  and yukon gold potatoes. 






Honeynut Squash 

The following recipe will provide a basic soup that will soothe your soul and satisfy your taste buds.  You can spice it up, thin it with broth, add texture with vegetables or make it into a hearty meal with the addition of tofu or chicken.  Top it off with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt and some fresh chives and you have created a work of art.





Squash and Sweet Potato Soup Recipe


Weights shown in grams.


800 G    Honeynut squash, seeds and stems removed .  Peel it if you like.
600 G    Sweet potatoes (white or orange flesh) cut into 1.5 inch chunks
300 G     Yukon, Red Bliss or similar potato, cut into 2 inch chunks
250 G     Yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1-2 Tbsp    Oil, butter or ghee
1 Tbsp    Miso
6-8 Cups    Water or broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Set Instant Pot to medium Saute.  If you are new to using this feature, get some tips here. 
Add oil, butter, ghee or a combination.
Add onion and saute until translucent.  (Note: sometimes the saute mode becomes too hot and I hit the Cancel button, wait a minute or two, and then turn Saute back on.)
Add cubed squash and saute for 3 minutes.
Add sweet potato chunks and saute for 2 minutes.
Add potato chunks and saute for 2 minutes.
Add about 3 tsp. salt and several twists of the pepper grinder.  You will add more later on, according to your tastes.  
Add water or clear broth.
Switch the Instant Pot to the "Manual" setting and set to 22 minutes.  Make sure the valve is set to "Sealing" on the lid, so the pressure builds.
After the cooking time is finished, allow at least 20 minutes of additional time for the soup to continue sitting in the pot with the lid on.  You can leave it in the Instant Pot for longer,  if you wish, until the pressure releases and the metal button on top drops down.  It will, of course, continue to cook as long as it sits in the pot.
Add miso.  Using an immersion blender, puree the soup.  Keep it thick for now.  You can add more broth later if you choose.
Correct for seasoning and add more spices now if you wish.  Or put into jars and store in the refrigerator or freezer for later use.  I make a lot at once, so I can share it with friends and use it throughout the week.




  
 


Electric Soup - January 2022

Electrification Made Tasty


Squash and Sweet Potato Soup


Let's face it, Southern California is the home of the "winter wimp".  When the thermometer hits 50 degrees, it's time to wrap yourself in something warm and make some soup.  The sight of a big soup pot, simmering on top of the stove, has always been the essence of cozy.  But where there's a kitchen flame,  there is natural gas used as fuel.  And where there is natural gas, there is pollution, global warming and habitat destruction.  If you are reading this, you are probably aware of the effects of climate change and curious how you can help to reverse its devastating effects.  Luckily, Jane Goodall states repeatedly in her latest work, The Book of Hope, we humans are adaptable and creative.  So let's start with a simple soup...

I always thought that the rich yet subtle flavors of soup came from simmering it on the stove for an hour or two.  I am excited to report that using my Instant Pot and incorporating some unexpected ingredients produced a rich yet subtle soup with much less times spent in the kitchen...

Recipe and more details will be provided soon.  


Advance Praise for Electric Squash Soup

Jeanne, omg you are a soup maven. That is the best most delicious healing dish ever!
Marilyn G.  

OH MY GOODNESS!!! 😳I forgot to tell you

I LOVED ❤️the soup! Soo delicious ❤️thank you for sharing its goodness with me 🙏🥰

Birgitta K.





 

Bike Mar Vista and Beyond! January, 2022

 January 9, 2022

Bike Mar Vista and Beyond


Got a new bike over the winter holidays and don’t know quite where to ride it yet?  Maybe you recently pulled that bike that has been hiding in the back of the garage and need to get it road ready.  If you already ride, learn how to register your bike to minimize the risks of bike theft.  

Stop by the Green tent this Sunday, January 9 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and let’s talk.  Mar Vista's "Master of Cycling", Rob Kadota, with be there with his trusty bike stand and few tools to get your bike as road ready as possible. We will also have wide array of bike-related resources, including clubs and ride tips. 


Earth-Friendly Note:  When you do errands by bike, you will almost certainly end up shopping closer to home.  Great for the small businesses in your neighborhood.  It also fosters a sense of community, a stress-reducing bonus.  Lastly, if getting more exercise in the open air is one of your New Years goals, cycling ticks all the boxes!

See you on Sunday!

Master Gardeners, December 5

PEAS PORRIDGE HOT...
           PEAS PORRIDGE COLD


It’s a Pea Fest this month at the Green Tent as the LA County Master Gardeners return with FREE plants and seeds galore! Sunday, Dec. 5 from 9 am to 1 pm.

This month you can pick from a variety of garden peas:




Sugar Snap peas are crisp and delicious, eaten raw, steamed, blanched for your salads and side dishes…eat the entire pod as well as the peas. These are the chunky peas.







Snow peas make a wonderful addition to stir fries, but can also be eaten raw or cooked, pods and all. These are the FLAT, SKINNY peas.






And for those who like to do a little work in the spring, there will also be shelling peas! You won’t want to eat those pods, but don’t throw them away — use them in your compost 

Plus to help you make salads in the winter, they’re bringing mesclun mix lettuces, other mixed lettuces, Swiss Chard and mixed kales!





Top it all off with some edible flowers: Calendula! So many uses for this pretty plant: 









We hope you’ll bring your gardening questions and your empty six packs for the MGs to recycle and use to grow more plants for you!

 

Citizens Climate Lobby - November 28, 2021

Come to the Green Tent this Sunday, November 28, and learn about the work of Citizen's Climate Lobby and their audacious plan to make have CORPORATIONS use their resources on behalf of our precious planet Earth.

Citizens’ Climate Lobby

Citizens’ Climate Lobby(CCL) is a

nonpartisan, grassroots organization

focused on national policies to address climate change.

We work to create a broad foundation for climate action across all geographic regions and political inclinations.

CCL supports the inclusion of a carbon pricing and dividend  policy in  the 

Budget Reconciliation bill.

This policy is:

Effective

Economic  models indicate that this legislation would lead to 30 % less

carbon emissions in the next 5 years,  and to net zero  emissions by 2050  

Good for People

Will improve health and save lives.

The  carbon dividend puts money directly

into people’s pockets every month to spend as they

see fit, helping low and middle income Americans.

Good for the economy

W

ill create over 2  million new jobs,

thanks  to economic growth in local

communities across America.

Revenue Neutral

The fees collected on carbon emissions will be allocated

to all Americans to spend any way they choose. The

government will not keep any of the fees collected.

Master Gardeners, November 7

The UC/CE LA County Master Gardeners are bringing you plants, seeds and some sugar cane to give away FREE at The Green Tent on Sunday, November 7th, from 9 am to 1 pm.

They’ll share knowledge of how to grow your own sugarcane from a cutting. 

They’re also bringing seedlings they’ve been growing for you including: 

A whole mix of lettuces  


Broccoli Raab aka rapini. Wondering about the difference between broccoli, broccolini and broccoli raab? How about THIS for an explainer? Come get one for your garden.

Lovely, crisp, snappy snow peas, just right—cold or hot—for an autumn salad or a stir fry. Grow your own! Here’s a tasty side dish you can make as well: 

Swiss chard and kale are hearty, healthy, super-green favorites in the autumn and winter. Great in stews, soups or sautéed as a side. See how long these amazing plants can last in the ground or a container!

And don’t forget to decorate your holiday plates with the happy-faced and amazingly edible flower, that can also be the base for a healing ointment — Calendula. 

The LA County Master Gardener website offers a wealth of information and additional resources. Click here to view articles on multiple topics related to your backyard garden. 

Happy Gardening!

 

Cool Blocks October 10, 2021

 https://www.ncsa.la/cool_blocks_la


Stop by the Green Tent this Sunday, October 10 

 Learn About the Cool Blocks Program!  

9 a.m. - 2 p.m in the heart of the Mar Vista Farmer's Market  @ Grandview and Pacific


CALL FOR cool_blocks.png LEADERS 

  • Do you know your neighbors well enough to knock on their door and ask for the proverbial “cup of sugar”?
  • Do you wish there was more you could do to have an impact on climate change and conserve resources for the sake of your children or future generations?
  • In an emergency, would your neighbors know what to do to help you? Would you know how to help them?
  • Would you like to make your neighborhood safer and more livable?

Want to check out a Cool Block in Palms from our pilot? Watch this video:

 

The Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance is partnering with the Climate Emergency Mobilization Office to bring Cool Blocks to LA and to bring people together to create the neighborhoods we want to live in. 

Cool Blocks LA uses a proven neighbor-to-neighbor model that has helped thousands of people make their neighborhoods safer and healthier, prepare for disasters, save money, and lighten their environmental impact.

You can green your neighborhood, make it safer to walk in, or decide with your neighbors to do whatever is right for your area.

HOW IT WORKS

  • Cool Blocks LA is a free, five-month, nine-meeting, action-based program.
  • It is self-directed by a team of five to eight households on your block (defined as both sides of the street up to the corners, a cul-de-sac, or an apartment building).
  • A meeting is hosted by a different team member in his/her/their home (or via Zoom!!!) every two weeks with the support of a step-by-step guide.
  • Each 90-minute to two-hour meeting focuses on a distinct topic connected to reducing your block's carbon footprint, adopting water stewardship practices, preparing for disasters, and improving the quality of life in your neighborhood.
  • Every Cool Block Leader will receive full training, coaching, and support.
  • The time required is approximately two to three hours a week for five months. 

WE ARE LOOKING FOR COOL BLOCK LEADERS in the city of Los Angeles to engage their neighborhood blocks in this effort. 

This is an opportunity to build a stronger community with your neighbors, expand or capitalize on your leadership skills, and improve the quality of life in your neighborhood.

More information is at coolcity.earth and CoolBlock.org. The first group will begin in January 2022, the second group in May, and the third group in September.


Ready to learn more? Attend one of our Cool Block Cafés. Visit ncsa.la/events to choose a time and sign up.

Can't attend a café, but want to sign up to be a Cool Block Leader anyway? You can do so here.

Want to help spread the word? Here are links to our social media posts:
facebook.com/events/380088267105791
twitter.com/LA_NCSA/status/1433811991924072451 (English)
twitter.com/LA_NCSA/status/1433814958806945794 (español)
instagram.com/p/CTXbcGupQFr/ (English)
instagram.com/p/CTXd3-aJYpc/ (español)

 

 Questions? Please contact us: lisahart@ncsa.la or 323.660.278

Master Gardeners, 10/3/21

The UC/CE LA County Master Gardeners return to the Green Tent on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3, from 9 am to 1 pm. They’re bringing seedlings they’ve lovingly grown for the MV community, and packets of seeds to give away FREE! And they’re available to answer your gardening questions, so bring them all your challenges!

This month help your garden grow with:

A hardy mix of kales, including Tuscan (lacinato/dinosaur/black), red russian, curly and dwarf. Get out that famous Esalen Kale Salad recipe. You can improvise ingredients, but here's a recipe to start with: Esalen Kale Salad. 

A lovely lettuce mix, with oak leaf, black seeded Simpson, bibb, arugula, mizuna and tat soi. Make a salad! 

Swiss Chard: their stems are bright red and their cute little green heads are ready to stand up tall and leafy!


Two varieties of SNOW PEAS (really big now — need to be transplanted!!) These are the flat ones (eat them pods and all) that people love to use in stir fry.

And Italian red (Florence) bunching onions  Fun in the kitchen!!

Ask  the Master Gardeners about Grow LA Victory Garden classes and what to grow in October!

And don’t forget: If you’ve got lots of these “pony packs” aka plastic six-packs, please recycle them with the MGs so they can continue to grow seedlings for you next month, too!   









Protect Playa Now - September 12, 2021

 Protect Playa Now


Join us at the Green Tent this Sunday in imagining clean air! learn about actions you can take to help protect our community. Protect Playa Now will have a prototype of an air quality monitor currently in design to detect combustible gases. The monitor is a citizen science effort with plans to create a network throughout the Westside and help keep us safe.

Protect Playa Now is a collection of concerned citizens mobilizing to protect Playa del Rey and surrounding communities from the threat posed by the SoCal Gas Natural Gas Storage Facility. 

The facility, located south of Culver Blvd and west of Lincoln Blvd, has an unsafe track record and puts our community at risk. When pressure builds and the company needs to release gas, toxic substances such as formaldehyde, benzene, hydrogen sulfide, and n-hexane, (a neurotoxin) are released into the air...the air our community breathes! Cumulative exposures to these chemicals can pose serious risks to the health of those living nearby. 

We have the ability to transition to real clean energy and ensure a future of climate resiliency, good green jobs and healthy communities. Click here to learn more about Protect Playa Now and their work. 

LA County Master Gardeners, 09/05/212

 The UC/CE LA County Master Gardeners return to the Green Tent on Sunday, September 5, from 9am to 1pm

They’re bringing free seedlings, free seeds, important information and their enthusiasm all to help you grow your own food, flowers and veggies.

This month they'll have:

More succulents (Aloe vera pups) for your drought tolerant garden.


Nasturtium seedlings which are both edible (yummy with goat cheese) and attract white flies away from your other plants.


Three varieties of sunflowers, large and small, and Butterfly Tithonia.





Veggies include Bunching Onions plus yellow and green bush beans…and they don’t need to be trellised because they grow bush-like, rather than tall and sprawling.

Now that the Governor has asked us to voluntarily reduce water use, and the federal government has issued a warning about shortages in the Colorado River Basin, we really need to learn about how to be WATER WISE. Did you know that the MOST EFFICIENT way to water is to use a hose and water your plants by hand? Check your sprinklers for overwatering/spillage, consider installing drip irrigation, and make sure you’re putting the water where it’s needed. Rebates are back too; click here to find out more.

Click here to learn what you should be doing in your garden this month as we begin preparing for LA’s version of fall.


If you have gardening questions, you can always reach out to the Master Gardener hot line by phone (626-586-1988) or email (mglosangeleshelpline@ucdavis.edu).

Free Street Trees !

Line Your Street and Fill Your Neighborhood with 

FREE TREES

Delivered and Planted by the City of Los Angeles !!!

Trees

    - Save water

    - Combat the greenhouse effect

    - Clean the air

    - Provide oxygen

    - Cool the streets and the city

    - Conserve energy

    - Provide homes for local wildlife

Bureau of Sanitation Adopt a Street Tree Program

Street trees improve walk-ability of our neighborhoods while helping reduce the impacts of climate change

.

Learn how you can request planting of a tree along your street in the public right of way. 

Many different tree varieties are available. 

Tree adopters are responsible for the early care and watering of the sapling. We'll have information about different watering options to make this task easier.

Contact

Shelley Wiseman

to find out about all of free tree programs available from 

City Plants, a public-private partnership between the City of Los Angeles, local non-profit organizations, community groups, residents, and businesses.

Audubon Society - August 8, 2021


 

Sunday, August 8 at the Green Tent:

The Los Angeles Audubon Society


Join us on Sunday, August 8, at the Mar Vista Green Tent for our guest: Los Angeles Audubon Society.

The Los Angeles Audubon Society has taught local school children about the
Ballona Wetlands since 1991. Every year, 2500 students have the opportunity to visit this special place and see the plants and animals that make Ballona their home. As restrictions ease up, they hope to continue their monthly Open Wetlands Days.  

Destruction or Restoration?
Environmentalists don't always agree!  A plan that is favored by the State of California has been put forth that, if implemented, will see tremendous changes at Ballona.  Although the plan is touted as restoration, other members of the environmental community feel it could spell disaster for some of our local wildlife.  Learn more and make up your own mind!

 The Los Angeles Audubon would love to share more information about the future of the wetlands. Stop by the Green Tent this Sunday to learn more about programs that inspire our future conservationists and what you can do to keep Ballona thriving!



Coastal wetland ecosystems are one of the top 100 solutions for reversing Global Warming. Relative to their land area, they sequester huge amounts of carbon in plants aboveground and in roots and soils below. Coastal wetlands can store five times as much carbon as tropical forests over the long term, mostly in deep wetland soils!

LA County Master Gardeners, 08/05/21

 The UC/CE LA County Master Gardeners return to the Green Tent on Sunday, September 5, from 9am to 1pm

They’re bringing free seedlings, free seeds, important information and their enthusiasm all to help you grow your own food, flowers and veggies.

This month they'll have:

More succulents (Aloe vera pups) for your drought tolerant garden.


Nasturtium seedlings which are both edible (yummy with goat cheese) and attract white flies away from your other plants.


Three varieties of sunflowers, large and small, and Butterfly Tithonia.





Veggies include Bunching Onions plus yellow and green bush beans…and they don’t need to be trellised because they grow bush-like, rather than tall and sprawling.

Now that the Governor has asked us to voluntarily reduce water use, and the federal government has issued a warning about shortages in the Colorado River Basin, we really need to learn about how to be WATER WISE. Did you know that the MOST EFFICIENT way to water is to use a hose and water your plants by hand? Check your sprinklers for overwatering/spillage, consider installing drip irrigation, and make sure you’re putting the water where it’s needed. Rebates are back too; click here to find out more.

Click here to learn what you should be doing in your garden this month as we begin preparing for LA’s version of fall.


If you have gardening questions, you can always reach out to the Master Gardener hot line by phone (626-586-1988) or email (mglosangeleshelpline@ucdavis.edu).