Local Politician Tom LaBonge Wants LA Covered in Astroturf and the City to Pay For It

...ncluded that they did not want to subside artificial turf. Why waste staff time?] Let me predict the results, should Tom’s AstroTurf vision become law. In a few years we’ll see acres of ripped, smog and dog feces stained plastic turf that will eventually end up in our overflowing landfills. The present rebate program is an opportunity to create landscapes that support birds, bees, butterflies and other wildlife at the same time as they reduce wate...

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Permaculturalist Paul Wheaton in Los Angeles

...specially relevant talk given our climate here in Southern California. Day/Time Sunday, March 3rd 10am to 8pm Location Daytime Events @Institute of Urban Ecology 3896 N Fair Oaks Avenue, Altadena , CA Evening Paul Wheaton Lecture @Armory Center for Arts 145 N Raymond Ave Pasadena, CA 91103 Registration (click here to register) $5 for 1st ticket $1 each add’tl ticket Sponsoring Organizations Institute of Urban Ecology RIPE Altadena La Loma Developm...

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Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities

...ed within the urban homesteading movement. A confession here: when it came time to write our two books, Kelly and I leafed through our old copy of the Whole Earth Catalog to make sure that we didn’t leave any topic out. Kevin Kelly kept the Whole Earth Catalog ethos alive through his Cool Tools review website. That website has morphed back into print in the form of Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities . This new book is just as addictive as the...

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The Other Kind of Fencing

...When I returned to fencing in 2012 I managed to re-injure myself. But this time around I made a decision I should have made years ago: I hired a personal trainer at the YMCA to deal with my knees. She helped me strengthen my legs, hips and core to take the pressure off my joints. After many hours at the gym I was able to return to fencing and running. The pain still comes back at times but I’ve got it under control. The experience highlighted a pr...

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Why it’s Better to Pressure Can Tomatoes

...cipes. All of these factors are why the recommended hot water bath canning time for raw packed tomatoes is 85 minutes. I’ve hot water bath canned tomatoes and got great results (especially with San Marzano tomatoes). But 85 minutes is a long time. You can cut the processing down considerably and get better results by pressure canning tomatoes. Here’s a raw pack recipe that includes both hot water and pressure canning instructions. Note that you st...

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