News & Updates

rain barrel county discounts san diego

Solana Center offering discounted rain barrels for as low as $25

Sep 25 2019

Pre-order online by 10/13 for pick up at Fallbrook Mission Resource Conservation District event on 10/19 or Solana Center in Encinitas ENCINITAS – Solana Center for Environmental Innovation (Solana Center), in collaboration with the County of San Diego and SoCalWaterSmart, is offering rain barrels to San Diego County residents for a...
rain barrel benefits

Solana Center, County Offering Discounted Rain Barrels To San Diegans

Sep 20 2019

Now is the perfect time to purchase and install a rain barrel. A rain barrel keeps water that falls or collects on your property from leaving, transporting pollutants to creeks, streams, waterways and, ultimately, the ocean through runoff. Keeping the water on your property also benefits the soil. If situated properly, rain barrels take...
sticks and wood chips create pores to aerate a compost pile

How to improve aeration in your backyard compost bin

Sep 12 2019

An ample supply of oxygen is key to the success of your backyard compost bin. Decomposer microbes need oxygen for their metabolic functions to operate efficiently. Without access to oxygen, some microbes die and others switch to a different form of metabolism, anaerobic (without air) respiration. This has a few negative consequences: ...
Worm bin bedding

Why do I need bedding in my worm bin? Can't I just feed them food scraps?

Aug 19 2019

Q: Why do I need bedding in my worm bin? Is it okay if I just give the worms my food scraps? A: Bedding, which can be made of shredded paper, coconut coir, cured manure, or dry leaves, is an absolute necessity in your worm bin. Supplying your wiggly workers with bedding has a number of benefits: Bedding provides a light, fluffy medium...
red wigglers

From the Rotline: Do red wigglers belong in my backyard compost bin?

Aug 10 2019

Q:  Should I put red wiggler worms in my backyard compost bin? A:  This is a question that comes up often when folks visit our store to purchase composting worms, and we often have to urge folks not to add worms to their backyard bin. The reason lies in the fundamental differences between traditional (backyard) composting and...
Volunteers trenching food waste at Solana Center

What is “Trenching” and How Does it Reduce Food Waste?

Jul 12 2019

Do you have food waste but no place to put it? Instead of putting it in the garbage and sending it to the landfill, perhaps try “trenching” as an option. We worked with volunteers and trenched food waste directly into the ground using extra buckets of Bokashied food scraps from Solana Center’s Food Cycle program. The result: healthy soil...
healthy soils program funding, chard greens

All Five Applicants Provided with Technical Assistance by Solana Center Receive Funding Approval from State of California Healthy Soils Program

Jun 19 2019

For Immediate Release: June 19, 2019 Contact: Noelle Collins Funding to offset greenhouse gas emissions, prevent erosion and improve soil quality

Fifteen Horses on a Farm Outside Frankfurt

Jun 10 2019

A compost story shared by Peter Ash. There’s no question that composting requires physical labor. Composting the manure of 15 horses in Frankfurt was intended to be done on a farm with a tractor to remediate soil that had previously been leased to a farmer using chemicals. The land transformation has instead taken place using a...
trommel, compost, soil

Benefits of a Mechanized Trommel

Jun 5 2019

How will Solana Center’s mechanized trommel benefit you? Investing in a trommel has multiple benefits, but the primary purpose for acquiring this equipment is to accommodate the growth of the Food Cycle program and process compost faster. A trommel will:
MaryAnn Stone, Volunteer Spotlight, Golden Pitchfork

Volunteer Spotlight: Mary Ann Stone

Jun 4 2019

"The list of Mary Ann's contributions to Solana Center is endless," shared Executive Director Jessica Toth. "We all know that without her, the Center would not be here today and that the journey would not have been nearly as much fun! Most importantly, Mary Ann has been a steady sounding board for every aspect of our organization -...

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