Adopt A Tree For Free For Orange County Residents

Orange County residents can adopt a tree for free compliments of Orange County Mayor Richard T. Crotty’s ReNEW program, along with Cooperative Extension.  The program is being used to encourage residents to add trees to their landscape to help the environment.  Trees provide oxygen, filter pollution, and create habitats for wildlife.  Adding trees also replenishes lost canopy due to storm damage, age, and development.  And of course, pride of ownership, a sense of accomplishment and increased property value are added perks.

Orange County residents who want to participate need to register upon arrival at a Streetscape Adopt-a-Tree event and provide proof of Orange County residency, such as a driver license, photo I.D., or utility bill.  No pre-registration is necessary at an Adopt-a-Tree event.  Trees will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.

Participants must attend a 15 minute educational session to learn to plant and care for their new trees before receiving them.  The supply limits two 5-gallon trees per household.  Depending on availability, which is subject to change, trees include Live Oak, Sand Live Oak, Southern Magnolia, Red Maple, and Bald Cypress.  Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer landscape questions.

Below are the 2008 Streetscape Adopt-A-Tree events dates and locations.  Adopt-a-Tree events begin at 8 a.m., and last until noon, or until all the available trees have found a home.

Date	Location	Address
Feb. 2	Bear Creek Park	1600 Bear Crossing Drive, Orlando
Apr 19	Barnett Park	4801 W. Colonial Dr. Orlando
Jun 21	Jay Blanchard Park	2451 N. Dean Rd. Orlando
Aug 16	Clarcona Horseman’s Park	3535 Damon Rd Apopka
Oct 18	Tibet Butler Preserve	8777 County Rd 535 Orlando
Dec. 6	Bithlo Community Park	18501 Washington St Bithlo

For more information, contact the Streetscape Adopt-a-Tree program at the Orange County Extension Center, 407.254.9200.  Funding for this program is courtesy of Orange County: Residents and Neighborhoods Empowered to Win.

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Teavana, A Heaven of Tea

Do you love the smell of fresh, loose tea?  If the answer is yes, you will love Teavana.  Their store is a tea lovers paradise.  Part tea bar, part tea store, it is a heaven of tea

Teavana carries everything you can image pertaining to tea making and they select the teas they offer based on their flavors and health benefits.  Among the varieties you will find are black, green, white, oolong, rooibos, pu-erh, herbal, and mate teas.  They also carry an array of tea products such as cups, storage tins, makers, books, and music.

My personal favorite is rooibos tea.  Rooibos is from South Africa and is naturally decaffeinated, high in mineral and vitamins, it is higher antioxidants than green tea.  This is the tea South Africans give their infants to soothe colic!  It is excellent hot or iced too.

There is a Teavana in the Florida Mall, 8001 S. Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando.  When you go be prepared to spend plenty of time browsing and tasting!

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Eco-Nomic Living EXPO — Save Money, Reduce Costs, Live GREEN!

I just got an exciting press release from the Orange County Extension Office for a “green” event called the “Eco-nomic Living Expo!” You will learn how to save money while going to a greener lifestyle!

Orange County Saves: Eco-Nomic Living EXPO
February 9, 2008
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Orange County/University of Florida IFAS Extension/Education Center
6021 South Conway Road
Orlando, FL 32812

This FREE EXPO is a new program developed by the Orange County/University of Florida Extension faculty and staff.

Orange County/University of Florida IFAS Extension educators are helping Orange County Residents build wealth through living green. How consumers do things in their daily routines can make a big difference on their wallet and the environment.

Residents will learn simple strategies and Best Management Practices to:
• Save Energy
• Improve Health
• Save our Communities Natural Resources
• Water & Energy Conservation
• Water Quality
• Use and Reuse of Materials
• Safety Issues

University of Florida agents and vendors will be present to share innovative products and services.

For more information and to pre-register call 407-254-9200.

For those who want the PDFs to print and share with others — here they are:

• press-release-economicversion-3-with-quote2.pdf
• orange-county-saves-eco-schedule-12-11-07.pdf
• information-document.pdf

The workshop schedule looks awesome! Workshop titles include

• Eco-Decor
• Save the Good Bugs
• Clean and Green
• Strategies for Saving Water
• Energy Efficiencies and Alternate Energy Sources
• Enviro-shopping for the Kitchen
• Ways to Reduce Your Electric Bill
• Top Ten Ways to Save on Irrigation
• Food: Is it Organic?
• What’s Underfoot in a Green Home
• Landscaping to Save Energy
• What Comes Natural? Family Time

The Youth Program Stations feature:

• Using Water Wisely
• Bicycle Safety
• Solar Energy
• Staying Fit With Veggies in a Pot
• Vermiculture Compsoting
• Robotics

The event is free to the public, but do take the time to pre-register over the phone (407-254-9200) so they know how many supplies and refreshments to have on hand.

See you there!

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Green Earth Expo 2008 here in Orlando May 15-18

Green Earth Expo 2008, a production of Global Green Alliance, will be held here at the Orlando Convention Center May 15-18.  The Global Green Alliance is an Orlando-based corporation whose mission is:

“To support and promote sustainable commerce and lifestyle practices in the State of Florida, and to achieve a collective reduction in the impact of those practices on our natural environment everywhere.” 

The motivation behind Green Earth Expo 2008 is to provide a venue where those concerned with green issues and living a life of less impact can come together and share ideas.  This includes manufacturers, retailers and consumers all coming together to network and learn.  The Orange County Convention Center is the chosen venue since it is the greenest convention center in the US.   

Green Earth Expo 2008 will be open to the public and they are expecting 600 exhibitors and over 50,000 attendees.  Put this weekend on your calendar as it is sure to be a wonderful event for the eco-conscious.  For general information please visit Green Earth Expo 2008.  

Exhibitor space for Green Earth Expo 2008 is still available.  For more information on exhibiting please contact Laura Painter at laura.painter@globalgreenalliance.com or Ginger Puckett at ginger.puckett@globalgreenalliance.com  Please mention that you learned of Green Earth Expo 2008 on the Central Florida Green Guide.  

Kristy has a three-year old son and since his birth she’s been researching to find healthier ways to do things and live a life of less impact. In a city that is less than “crunchy” it has been an adventure and she hopes to share some of what she’s learned both here and at her store Wee Willie Winks where she offers cloth diapers and other earth/child friendly parenting solutions.

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SFG Series: Filling Your 4 x 4 ft raised Bed

“Dirt Day” is always a fun day over at my house. My preschooler looooves to dig and it’s one of her favorite parts to getting a new bed together.

In the All New Square Foot Gardening book, Mel Bartholomew suggests this formula for making up your soil mix for your raised bed:

• 1/3 vermiculite
• 1/3 peat moss
• 1/3 compost

In a 4 x 4 ft raised bed that is 8 inches high, that translates to about 3.5 cubic feet of each thing.

That doesn’t sound so bad until you go to the store and figure out that compost is sold by the pound, you get peat moss in bales or litres, and then the best vermiculite source I found sells in quarts or bushels. (Hint for homeschoolers: There’s your math lesson of the day — converting things from one volume measure to another!)

Luckily, you don’t have to be exact.

SHOPPING LIST

First, go to the Home Harvest website and order 1.5 bushels of vermiculite. They will ship to your house. Even with the shipping, I haven’t found vermiculite locally in this quantity for a better price than the ~$30 it costs. It is your most expensive soil mix ingredient, but you never have to put it into the bed again. It won’t rot away. (Don’t substitute with perlite — perlite has a habit of rising to the top and floating away in the rain.)

It takes about a week to arrive and when it comes, save the box and packaging.

All the rest I picked up at Lowe’s this afternoon for $40.

• 1 bag of Black Kow compost — 50 lbs
• 1 bag Black Velvet Mushroom Compost — 40 lbs
• 1 bag Timberline Organic Compost (cow) — 40 lbs
• 3 bags Majestic Earth Peat Moss — 44 L per bag

The peat moss doesn’t have to be Majestic Earth Brand — any will do. Try to go with 3 to 5 different types of compost if you can. The more varied, the better, but shoot for three at minimum. But don’t worry if you have to adjust for costs and budget — just go all Black Kow. You will still grow things.

FILLING THE BED

Mel suggests using a tarp to mix all the ingredients together. My helper is too small to deal with trying to fold tarp full of more than 120 lbs of soil mix and I don’t feel like washing the tarp afterward so we do it this way instead… sort of lasagna gardening style but not quite.

The first step is to put down cardboard at the bottom of the bed. If you saved your vermiculite shipping box, you can use that. If not, use a thick layer of paper grocery bags, newspaper, or a mix of all three. This will kill off the grass and prevent weeds from popping up into your bed. If it is flying around, wet it down with a hose so it stays put.

Next, dump two bags of peat moss in. Use a rake to spread it around to cover the cardboard.

After that, dump in the two 40 lb bags of compost. Spread it evenly over the peat first, then start raking it so it is mixing together.

Now dump the vermiculite in. Have child stand back because it tends to be dusty coming out of the bag. Wet it down a little bit with the hose if you need to so the dust isn’t flying around. (If dust sensitive, wear a mask or bandana around your nose while doing this.)

Do the same thing as before — use the rake to spread the vermiculite evenly across the raised bed first and then start to mix it into the other ingredients.

Now add your last bag of peat and your last bag of compost. Spread it out evenly, and then mix. Children tend to like the mixing so let them go at it as long as they want to. Just remind them to keep the soil mix inside the raised bed. You will end up with something like this:

You may also end up with a planted rake or two!

Previous:

• Building a 4 x 4 ft Raised Bed

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• Making the Grid and Insecticidal Soap Recipe

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Matthew Michaels Aveda Salon and Spa

I had the pleasure of getting my haircut at Matthew Michaels Salon and Spa the other day.  They use all Aveda products except for their nail polish which is soy based. Aveda offers non-carcinogenic organic hair color and perms.

When you walk in the door the decor has a wonderful earthy and organic feel.  The salon and spa are separated for a totally tranquil experience.  Most importantly, when you walk in the door you aren’t slapped in the nose with chemical smells!

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Herbalist Susun Weed at the Florida School of Holistic Living!

I am so excited that Susun Weed is coming to Central Florida!  Susun founded the Wise Women Center in Woodstock, NY where she hosts workshops helping women use their ancient ways to make informed decisions about their health.

Susun will speak on Herbs for Healthy Heart, Healthy Love, Healthy Sex, just in time for Valentine’s Day!  She will be at the Florida School of Holistic Living  on February 13th at 6:30 p.m. giving us tricks and tips.

Tickets are $40 in advance and there are only a limited amount.  To reserve your space or for more information, please call 407.595.3731 or mail@holisticliving.org.

I can not wait to attend what should be a magical evening!

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ArtsFest — Free Celebration of Art and Cultural Experiences

I really look forward to this time a year when I know that the ArtsFest is coming! My family and I have been attending ArtsFest for 5 or 6 years now! What is ArtsFest, you ask? Well, let me tell you!

ArtsFest is a festival that kicks-off the fundraising campaign for the United Arts. It is being held this year from February 7 – 17, 2008. It includes about 285 free arts and cultural events held in 48 locations throughout Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.

All events are free and open to the public, although venues such as theatres have limited seating and you do have to get tickets (free!) beforehand. The first ArtsFest event I attended was to a showing of “Lily and the Purple Plastic Purse” that was being staged by the Orlando Repertory Theatre. Up until that time, I didn’t know that there was quality theatre for children in Orlando. After that show, my family and I were hooked and now attend several shows every year. Thanks ArtsFest!

Other venues that are offering activities are the Annie Russell Theatre, the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, The Center for Contemporary Dance, Central Florida Ballet, Creadle School of Art, Lake Eustis Museum of Art and the Maitland Art Center, to name a few. Some of it is for watching only, but others offer free activities for all ages. The Center of Contemporary Dance offers dance classes such as a creative movement class for ages 2-8 and a jazz dance class for ages 9 and above. The Maitland Art Center is offering yoga and creative writing. To find out who is participating and what they are offering, go to the Red Chair Project website to see the schedule online.

For the events that will require tickets, you do need to register with the Red Chair Project ArtsFest ticket Lottery.

A more comprehensive FAQ can also be found at the United Arts website.

WARNING: Once you participate in ArtsFest, you will become hooked and want to participate in activities every year!

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East Orlando Holistic Parenting Group

I am a member of 2 wonderful parenting groups for holistic-minded parents in Central Florida.  However, I found myself not attending many of the scheduled play dates or mom’s night out dates due to the meeting places being a good distance from my home.  Another Orlando Peaceful Parents member invited me to join the East Orlando Busy Bees.  Like the OPP group, this group’s parents hold ideals that include positive discipline, attachment parenting principles, and holistic living.  The best part for me?  It’s in East Orlando…my side of town! 

The group meets weekly for playdates and strollerobics all in East Orlando.  There is even a babysitting coop in place!  Topics discussed on its yahoo email group include how to manage your day, meal planning, and coordinating additional playdates.  I’ve personally found this group to be quite helpful and am looking forward to participating in more of its activities.  If you live in East Orlando I invite you to join!

Michelle lives in Orlando with her husband and baby daughter.  She is passionate about pregnancy, birth, and motherhood.  She is a doula, lactation counselor, and Itsy Bitsy Yoga instructor.  You can also find her doing henna at various events.  She is a conscious and spiritual being.  Her dedication to spiritual evolvement led her to become an Avatar Master through which she is creating an “enlightened planetary civilization”.  To learn more about Michelle and her offerings visit her home online. 

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SFG Series: Building a 4 x 4 ft Raised Bed

Different Types of Raised Beds

There are many kinds of raised beds to fit any budget and style. For our 4 x 4 ft square foot gardening project, I’ve tried to keep it simple and affordable by going with a plain wooden box frame that can be made and installed in less than an hour:

While you can Google all sorts of styles, I will mention three other types for those who lack tools or feel nervy about carpentry with small children under foot:

• (14) 8″ x 16″ cinderblocks. I know they get heavy, but they are cheap, and offer you extra planting space in the holes. Lay it out so you put down 3 blocks, then start the second side with 4 blocks, then the third side 3 blocks, then complete the square with 4 blocks on the last side. The inside dimensions should be about 4 x 4 ft square.
• Raised Bed Connectors — If you get the connectors, all you need is a screwdriver. Plop your boards in and screw it up. (Both Home Depot and Lowe’s will saw your wood to size for you.)
• 3 x 3 ft Grow Beds – Recycled plastic sections that snap together and are a smaller size to deal with.

(Those wanting a deeper 4 x 8 ft wooden bed — check Sunset’s “The Perfect Raised Bed.” If you were wondering what I use, I’m a link-a-bord fan. It’s slowly making it’s way over here from England.)

Shopping List

If you are like me, you probably have a sidekick that isn’t crazy about long errand days.

I’ve written the supply lists with the idea that it will take three trips to Home Depot or Lowe’s. One day to get lumber, one day to get soil ingredients, and plants/seeds day.

On lumber shopping day you will need:

• (2) 8 ft long pieces of 1×8 untreated lumber for the box sides
• (1) 4 ft long piece of 2×2 untreated lumber for the box support posts
• Box of 1 ½ or 2 inch deck screws with at least 16 screws in it. More is ok.

SUBTOTAL:~ $25

If you can get cedar or similar rot resistant wood that is great. Otherwise get untreated pine and just know that it will require replacing after a few years.

Get them to cut the 1×8 wood into 4 foot lengths for you in the store so it is easier to transport home.

Check the scrap bin first for a 4 ft length of 2×2 that you can have cut into 1 ft sections for posts. If you have to buy a new 8 ft long piece, cut it up into 1 ft chunks and take the extras home for a second box at a later date.

On the posts, it’s nice to cut one end at a 45 angle so it is easier to drive into the ground. If you can’t, don’t worry — you can dig it in instead.

Assembly

First, clamp a post to a board. Then drill two pilot holes with a drill bit smaller than your screw size. This will help the screw go in straight.

After that, put the screws into the pilot holes and screw them all the way in either by hand or with a screw bit on the drill.

Then clamp the next 1 x 8 board on to the 2×2 support post and repeat the process. Keep going all around the box frame.

Watch where you put your screws. While they don’t have to be perfect, you also don’t want to crash into another screw that is already there. Stagger it a bit. Also mind how you line up your boards as you work your way around the box frame so you will wind up square.

When you have screwed the frame together, carry it to a sunny spot in the yard. Ideally it will get at least 6 to 8 hours of sun each day but if your yard is less than ideal, just go with the best sunny spot you have.

You can dig little holes for the posts to go down into and fill them back up once the bed sides are flat the lawn. Or if you have a soft lawn and you angled the posts, pound them into the ground with a hammer. Your raised bed is done!

Previous:

• Square Foot Gardening With Children (and Tools)

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• Filling Your Raised Bed

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