30. July 2008 by Ana Connell.

Ever wonder what grasscycling is?

I didn’t, but I did find out recently that golf courses, school districts, parks, commercial landscapers and city landscape crews are doing it!

All it entails is leaving grass clippings on your lawn.  It’s really the best way to use your clippings as grass clippings contain nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, which are the same nutrients that fertilizers provide.  This approach helps to build your topsoil, reduces water demand and reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers!

When doing this it’s recommended:

• That you use a mulching blade on your mower
• Mow your grass high
• Cut when dry
• Water after cutting

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25. July 2008 by Ana Connell.

We’re not only having to conserve our water as we’re having a tough time with our water supplies, but we also need to conserve on our energy usage. Reasons to conserve are many……from helping our environment to saving a few dollars……whatever your reasons, keep it up!

Here are some conservation tips:

• Set your air conditioning to 76 degrees

• Run fans instead of central air

• Turn off lights in any of your unoccupied rooms and don’t turn on lights close to your thermostat.

• Unplug any charging devices that are not currently in use…..if you really want to take this concept further you can unplug any electronic item in the house that’s not in use.

• Use low flow showerheads

• Use low flow faucet aerators

• Plant drought tolerant varieties in your garden

• Use high efficiency toilets

• Try to be efficient with your sprinklers……I know this one is challenging. I’m constantly trying to monitor how much time my sprinklers are on as well as using mulch/bark to keep the moisture in the ground.

Don’t forget that Burbank Water and Power will pay $100 bounty for old refrigerators!

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23. October 2007 by Ana Connell.

City of Burbank has an excellent page on their website, under conservation, that lists over 50 energy saving tips!

Many of these tips are common sense and you may be using them already, but there are some you may not have considered, such as:

• Make sure the seals in the oven fit properly.
• Do not use fireplaces while your central heating system in on.

• Use reversible ceiling fans to push warm air downwards and keep rooms warmer.
• Match water heater size to your needs and set the temperature at 120°-140°

• Cover wall-mounted air conditioners with plastic film or an airtight cover.
• Check with your pool supply advisor for recommendations on how long to run your pool pump daily. Don’t run it any longer than necessary.
• Don’t block microwave vents.
• Keep lids on pots when cooking. While baking, do not open the oven; consider using the light instead.

For the complete list, check out Burbank Water and Power!

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23. October 2007 by Ana Connell.

Congratulations to City of Burbank for winning a clean air award from the South Coast Air Quality Management District(AQMD).

Thanks to Burbank’s environmentally friendly policies they joined with other Southern California cities to form the Five Cities Hydrogen Program in 2006. The other cities that participate in the program are Ontario, Riverside, Santa Ana and Santa Monica. The AQMD has promoted this demonstration program in order promote public awareness of both the efficiency of hydrogen fuel technology and to show how safe the technology is for transportation use.

Given the population growth that will be coming to Southern California over the next 10-20 years it is imperative that we develop and utilize energy efficient, zero emission technologies. Part of the problem is that while these technologies have been around for some time, they are not getting the support they need to go mainstream. It starts with individuals and small cities that want to make a difference. Please contact your government representatives and let them know that you want these types of viable technologies to get the support and funding they deserve!

The City has a “green” fleet that includes 14 buses, 35 heavy-duty trucks and 40 passenger cars for city use. The hydrogen fleet includes 5 toyota priuses that were converted for hydrogen gas and the cars can go for 80 miles per fill of hydrogen!

For more information, please visit the links provided in this article!

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5. October 2007 by Ana Connell.

In an effort to promote water conservation and bring back Burbank’s native landscape, there will be a workshop where you can learn how to cultivate native and California friendly plants!

This event features Lili Singer, a recognized garden plant writer and plant expert!

Where:Buena Vista Library

When: Tuesday, October 23, 7-8:30pm

Monday, November 5th 7-8:30pm

Free drought tolerant seeds and refreshments at the event!

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