Winter Quarterly Newsletter – 2018
Solana Center’s Winter News
Green Greetings
Our Fall has been as busy as promised. We hosted more than 25 workshops and events, including a 5-week Master Composter class, chipper training, and an employee-engagement program for Kashi. In partnership with SeaWeeders, we supported Solana Beach in a drive to collect and dispose of harmful pesticides and herbicides which netted over 800 pounds of chemicals.
Staff and volunteers distributed more than 320 rain barrels to San Diegans getting ready for winter, offered at a generous discount by the County of San Diego. We’ll have another rain barrel sales event in February.
Our Food Cycle food scrap program has increased to 57 households and 3 businesses who have diverted over 4,200 pounds of food scrap to be composted at our site since the program began a year ago. Encinitas City Hall and Senior Center are participating too.
We continue our waste diversion support at events all around the region. Most recent successes include over 43 pounds of greenhouse gases avoided from waste diversion at the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership Luncheon, 80 pounds of food scrap composted from Encinitas’ Oktoberfest, and 1,000 energy bar wrappers kept from the landfill at Surfing Madonna Run.
In September, we received recognition with a prestigious EMIES Unwasted Food award from the San Diego Food System Alliance. We’re also excited to share that Diane Hazard, Director of Education, will receive the H. Clark Gregory Award from the U.S. Composting Council in January.
Please consider becoming a Solana Center member. If you have a used van/truck to donate for a full tax-deduction credit, please contact me.
Resourcefully,
Jessica
Master Composters Tour Compost Facility, Dairy
Students in Solana Center’s Fall Master Composter course, sponsored by the County of San Diego, were treated to an excellent example of how composting can solve local waste issues during a field trip on November 3rd. The class visited San Pasqual Valley Soils and Konyn Dairy, adjacent businesses that partner together to make the most of organic materials. Read more…
Can I Really Manage Weeds Without Chemicals?
What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Before discussing how to eliminate weeds, there are some common weeds that are both edible and nutritious. Harvesting free greens from our gardens is one way to approach the plants we did not intend to have in our gardens. For more information on edible weeds go to UC Davis Weed Photo Gallery. However, if there are unwanted plants in your garden, there are a variety of ways to prevent or remove them without harmful chemicals, including mulching, torching and solarizing. Read our blog post for more information about nontoxic weed prevention and removal.
Master Composter Course in Encinitas
Want to deepen your understanding of composting, learn how to build healthy soil, and reduce your carbon footprint? Sign up for our next County Master Composter Course! The five-week Master Composter course provides training in the art and science of composting.
Sunday, January 13 (First of five classes)
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
San Diego Botanic Garden
230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas
Course fee: $50
Please note that residents of Encinitas receive preferential registration. Bring a friend from Encinitas and their fee is waived. Non-residents will be put on a waitlist until 1 – 2 weeks before the start of the course.
Master Composter Course in City of San Diego
Sign up for our next County Master Composter Course in the City of San Diego! This five-week Master Composter course also provides training in the art and science of composting.
Tuesday, March 12 (First of five classes)
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Ridgehaven Green Building
9601 Ridgehaven Court, San Diego
Course fee: $25
Please note that residents of the City of San Diego receive preferential registration. Non-residents will be put on a waitlist until 1 – 2 weeks before the start of the course.
Upcoming Workshops
Backyard Composting – Ocean Beach
Wednesday, January 16
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Ocean Beach Library
4801 Santa Monica Ave
San Diego
Free
All About Worms Workshop – Rancho San Diego
Saturday, February 2
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Water Conservation Garden
12122 Cuyamaca College Dr. W.
Rancho San Diego
Free
Backyard Composting – Lakeside
Monday, February 18
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
The Olde Church
9906 Maine Ave
Lakeside
Free
Green Living Tour
Visit us at our home base in Encinitas as we walk you through some easy steps to address issues around water, waste, soil health, and more with practical solutions you can incorporate into your life and home starting now!
Saturday, December 1
10:00 – 11:00 AM
Green Living Tour – Solana Center for Environmental Innovation
137 N El Camino Real, Encinitas
$10 suggested donation
Saturday, January 5
10:00 – 11:00 AM
Green Living Tour – Solana Center for Environmental Innovation
137 N El Camino Real, Encinitas
$10 suggested donation
Saturday, February 2
10:00 – 11:00 AM
Green Living Tour – Solana Center for Environmental Innovation
137 N El Camino Real, Encinitas
$10 suggested donation
Green Gifts and Saturday Hours
Happy holidays everyone! Need a holiday gift for those eco friendly folks on your list this year? Solana Center has you covered! Come buy a rain barrel, compost bin, red worms, and more to give your gift a little extra meaning and to give your holidays an important environmental impact. See our complete list of all store items or register that special someone for one of our composting workshops – gifts that keeps on giving! Stop by during our store hours (through New Year’s) to learn more!
Tuesday: 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM Thursday: 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM Saturday: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Rain Barrel Event is Coming Soon to North County
Hoping to get a discounted rain barrel to capture rain and dew drops from the cool night air?
Our spring Rain Barrel event is coming to North County in February. Learn more about rain barrels or pre-order yours today!
Become a Member of the Solana Center!
We’re excited to announce our new membership program! As a member, you can make a HUGE difference in your community. Our members are key to helping us further our mission, and grow our innovative programs to reach and educate more San Diegans, divert more waste, prevent more greenhouse gases, and continue to innovate for the benefit of our region and our planet.
Memberships start at $35, and you can be sure that every single dollar of your membership goes right back into our community, helping us to improve the environmental health of San Diego.
Thank You to Our Sponsors and Donors
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County Board of Supervisors
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SDG&E
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Lindsey Sheehan
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SDG&E in honor of Sandy Atkinson
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Virginia Grigg
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Dr. Bronner’s
The year is almost over, so why not make a tax-deductible donation to Solana Center before 2018 is done?
You get the gratification of knowing your money is helping our environmental work here in San Diego AND a tax write-off! Make your donation now!