Compost Bin Discounts and Vouchers
Looking to start composting at home? Many jurisdictions throughout the San Diego region offer discount programs for their residents. Your eligibility for discounted bins will depend on what jurisdiction you live in. It is important to check your exact address, because you may not necessarily live in the city listed in your address, e.g. a Vista address…
Read MoreFall Quarterly Newsletter – 2023
Dear neighbors, If you were one of the many people who made a last-minute rain barrel purchase, I’m sure your barrels filled during the recent storms! 🌧 Store Notes: Solana Center’s store will be closed tomorrow, September 2nd for the Labor Day weekend. Our batteries and lightbulb recycling program is closed until further notice due to difficulty with the City of Encinitas’ hauler…
Read MoreFrom the Rotline: How Can I Harvest My Worms’ Castings?
The ability to harvest small handfuls of worm castings as needed is a thing of composting beauty. However, in order to ensure that your vermicomposting system diverts the greatest volume of organic material and supports the healthiest worm population, it’s important to fully harvest and refresh the tray(s) every so often! You will know that…
Read MoreBack to School: How Can My Child’s Lunch Be Made Low or Zero Waste?
Yes, it absolutely can! By making school lunches more eco-friendly, and by encouraging your kid to recycle and compost, you can significantly reduce your household’s waste. Some helpful guidelines are… An added bonus of paying attention to these guidelines is that you can determine what materials your child’s lunch containers are made of. For example,…
Read MoreClimate Solutions: Find Tools for Your Environmental Journey!
Food Waste Prevention Preventing food waste, and the greenhouse gases it emits, is one of the most impactful ways individuals can combat climate change. Food waste prevention also saves upstream resources used in food production like transportation fuel, labor, energy, water, and land. Solana Center offers free resources, workshops, webinars, and consultations to assist with…
Read MoreConservation: Programming to nurture the natural world
At Solana Center for Environmental Innovation, we center our work around four pillars: protection, conservation, education, and innovation. Each pillar provides the structure needed to fully address the impacts of climate change in the San Diego region: –Protection, or the safeguarding of the rights of humans and living things to healthy environments with sufficient natural…
Read MoreSummer Quarterly Newsletter – 2023
Dear Friends, Summer in San Diego means a slew of natural wonders. Least Terns, an endangered subspecies, migrate to Mission Bay, the Santa Margarita River Mouth, and other select spots from April through September. In July, the world’s largest gathering of leopard sharks will appear off of the coast of La Jolla. August 12 – 13, we can…
Read MorePre-Composting Appliances: Do They Work?
We get questions about pre-composting appliances often these days. Our verdict: While food scrap dryers and grinders can do amazing things, they cannot make compost in less than several months’ time. They are also not the most effective way to reduce your environmental footprint at home. The Dirt on Countertop “Composters” There are several kitchen…
Read MoreThe Benefits of Diverting Organic Waste from Landfills
Written by volunteer: Kate Sheppard Diverting waste from landfill can sometimes feel like a chore, but the benefits far outweigh the temporary annoyance of getting your hands dirty. This is especially true of organic waste. Yes, it may occasionally be sticky or smelly, but it’s not hard to properly sort and divert these compostable materials…
Read MoreFrom the Rotline: Where should I position my compost bin?
There are several things to keep in mind when choosing a location for your compost bin. Sun or shade? A worm bin is best placed in the shade. Worms do not fare well in hot temperatures or during a deluge of water during a rainstorm. By placing them in the shade, they will be more…
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