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 16 Comments

• The Guerilla Gardeners

  2008-07-23 10:28:23 UTC

  Greetings Fellow FSBs-
  
  I had the opportunity to meet the guerilla gardening group of Los Angeles. Iwas greatly impressed. LA's public landscape ismaintained at a very poor level, the city is underfunded in every sector. What this group is doing is wonderful, taking derelict patches of the city landscape, clearing off the shopping carts, weeds, profuse trash, dead animals, etc., and installing nice xeric plantings. And all of this at their own expense and personal risk, withno support from the city. Indeed, the city wants them to stop, worried about possible liability. In reality, groups like these are LA's only hope. Private citizens directly investing in the public landscape. This group could really use some help in the form of funding for plants, mulch, and parts to repair derelict sprinkler systems. I welcome your comments, or go to www.laguerillagardening.org.
  
  Laurence Budd, CLT, CLIA,
  
  CWMP DBA Urban Water Conservation
  EPA Watersense Partner
  IA Select Certified
  LBBUDD@yahoo.com
  cell 970-402-3216
   

• How to Measure Residential Outdoor Water Use and Reductions

  2008-07-12 10:45:30 UTC

  A lady in Canada asked about this. Here is how we compute outdoor water use on a mixed meter, before and after xeriscape conversion. If there is a winterseason, take the average use in Fan and Feb. This becomes the winter average.The extra water used during warm monthsis outdoor use. Add up all the ectra water from the bills for a year. Voila! Now you know theiryearly landscape water use. If there is no clear winter season, the use the London indoor average of 50 gallons per person per day (GPCD number). Not exact, but a very good baseline. EX: a house with 3 people would use 150 gal/day, or 4500 gal/month. Water use over 4500 would be outdoor. Do this water bill monitoringfor theyear before xeriscape conversion, and the year after conversion. This will show overall water use reduction. Cities are using this method to set residiential water budgets and tiered rates for outdoor use.
  
  Laurence Budd, CLT, CLIA,
  
  CWMP DBA Urban Water Conservation
  EPA Watersense Partner
  IA Select Certified
  LBBUDD@yahoo.com cell
  970-402-3216
   

• Water conservation education programs

  2008-01-30 13:54:58 UTC

  Lisa,
  
  Thanks for asking, this has been a hot potato recently. Many water agencies feel it is better to use a big stick and just raise prices until people respond, others feel education and outreach are important. Of course they are important, if we hope to see future conservation. We do a lot of eduaction for the earlier school grades, with the garden in every school project, field trips, municipal planting projects. Please look at the article on boston's successes in the new issue of Water Efficiency magazine, at www.waterefficiency.net
   

  Laurence Budd, CLT, CLIA,
  WaterSense Partner
  LEAP Program Manager
  CBWCD Montclair, Cal

• Estimating Carbon Emissions Associated with Water Pumping

  2008-01-19 11:36:03 UTC

  As part of our large turf landscape audits, I am including ROIs on smart upgrades as an incentive to participate. I would also like to show potential carbon emissions reductions created by each acre foot in overuse reductions. If anyone has a universal set of numbers for this, please let me know. California estimates 30% of all power is used to pump water.
  
  Thanks,
  Laurence budd
  
  Laurence Budd,
  CLT, CLIA
  www.urban-water-conservation.com
  cell 970-402-3216
  off. 970-490-1080
   

• re Stefan Kaufmans comments on energy

  2007-12-07 11:25:17 UTC

  Dr. Kaufman-
  
  You are dead on target. We are in a short window of fossil energy. However, I do believe massive conversion to wind and solar, both PV and solar steam would help very much. Both of our countries are laden with sun and wind. But- look at how miserably Los angeles has continually failed to reach any pollution reduction targets. I have been surveying water use in LA, and it is appalling. At this moment- the primary water providers know how dire the future is, and our Nat. public radio is telling LA how dire it is. Yet, there is no movement on the ground. LA will definitely be in the same spot as Australia in a couple of years, with no idea how they got there. I interviewed several local water providers that have not done one single water efficiency upgrade project, in an area with among the highest per capita water use in america. I felt a strong perception there that if one is wealthy, then one is allowed to use all the water one wishes to. Truly a place where ego supercedes physics and the laws of nature. Given the immense level of complacency in LA re water use, how quickly could LA and Cal switch to green energy? I see it going the same way as green housing in colorado- only for the very wealthy, who have the capital to invest in it.
  
  Laurence Budd, CLT, CLIA
  
  www.urban-water-conservation.com
  cell 970-402-3216
  off. 970-490-1080

   

• Los Angeles Water followup

  2007-11-14 10:50:32 UTC

  First, thanks for all the emails on this from around the world. Two weeks ago I was reprimanded for suggesting the LADWP needs an outreach program. Today,WEds the 14th, the LADWP announced a 15 person outreach team to help residents reduce landscape water waste. THanks to everyone who chimed in on this, we made a difference.
  
  Laurence Budd,
  
  CLT, CLIA
  www.urban-water-conservation.com
  cell 970-402-3216
  off. 970-490-1080

• Los Angeles Upcoming Water Rate Hikes

  2007-10-26 11:01:53 UTC

  I am now in the LA area looking at water use levels. The LADWP informs me they are about to ask the city council for major rate price increases, more tiers. This is in an effort to lower water use. This type of approach has NOT worked in other cities, the LADWP has no outreach programs for the public. The result of this type of program will be much higher water bills but no real reduction in water waste. I hope to appear before the LA city council when the motion is made. I have found several homes using over 200,000 gal per month in the summer, they should be at 15,000. In ALbq. this would be an automatic contact from the water dept. In LA, nothing. Curiously, the MWD for S. Cal and the LADWP appear to have no water conservation field staff. They could cut water waste by millions of gallons per week just by having licensed auditors adjusting controllers. Stay tuned as the rest of the SW US is appalled by LA's water waste.
  
  Laurence budd
  
  Laurence Budd, CLT, CLIA
  www.urban-water-conservation.com
  Editorial Revue Board, Water Efficiency Magazine
  cell 970-402-3216
  off. 970-490-1080
   

• Water Waste in Los Angeles

  2007-10-05 12:47:12 UTC

  For those of you in the water or energy conservation world, I have finished my short DVD on the massive water waste in LA. If you would like a copy let me know, we may post it to youtube soon. Copies have been sent to the EPA, CUWCC and RWA.
  
  Laurence Budd
  LBBUDD@yahoo.com
  www.urban-water-conservation.com
  Laurence Budd, CLT, CLIA
  www.urban-water-conservation.com
  Editorial Revue Board, Water Efficiency Magazine
  cell 970-402-3216
  off. 970-490-1080

  
  

• molded cups and plates from sugar cane

  2007-09-11 10:14:44 UTC

  There is a company in boulder, Colorado, that is making these from compressed sugar cane fiber and corn byproducts. They are supposed to break down in the landfill in about 2 months. I have used them, they are fine for hot liquids and such- but you can't eat them! see them at www.ecoproducts.com This would be a great industry for NE Australia and the Philippines.
  
  Laurence Budd

   

• Solar Shading for Buildings

  2007-09-05 10:55:13 UTC

  We use solar durable screens made by Ludvig Svensson to keep greenhouses cool. These are nylon woven screening with mylar woven in for heat reflection. They work very well. About 12 years ago LS did some experiments with placing the screens on the roofs of flat top comercial buildings, with good results. I would like to find some sites in Phoenix and Las Vegas to wrap some typical 2 story commercial type buildings. I am looking for buildings with lots of glass on the E,S, and W sides. We would measure surface temps before and after, leave them on for a month or two to compare cooling energy costs from the same period in previous years. If anyone is interested drop me a line.
  
  Laurence Budd
  970-402-3216
  LBBUDD@yahoo.com
  
  
   

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