Last year, we transformed a conventional water-wasting lawn in Leimert Park into an Ocean Friendly Garden with the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance (LANCSA). A year later, the new OFG is harvesting precious rainwater, preventing it from flowing out into the street as runoff pollution that would end up in nearby Santa Monica Bay. It's maintained without chemical fertilizers, toxic pesticides, or weekly fossil-fuel powered mowing, avoiding the major sources of pollution from conventional landscapes. Not only is it better for the environment, it's also a peaceful oasis for butterflies, hummingbirds, and a place for the homeowners to relax and recharge during stressful times (something we could all use more of!)
The front of the house 1 year after installation; The homeowner, Marilyn Snell, tends to her Ocean Friendly Garden
The success of this project inspired LANCSA to once again reach out to their alliance of neighborhood council sustainability groups and ask if anyone was interested in transforming their yard. Kristen Cervantes, who lives with her family in a condo in the Palms neighborhood of Los Angeles, had started planting a few native plants in the backyard, but the size of the front and backyard was too large for her to tackle alone. She volunteered her yard to participate in this year's transformation, and was selected by LANCSA as the lucky recipient.
The Palms Condo before the transformation, a dry grass lawn typical in Los Angeles
On the first day of the transformation weekend, a bus load of high school senior scholars got to work removing all of the grass in the front and back yards, thoroughly removing all of the roots of turfgrass and invasive English Ivy vines. Steve Williams, the lead OFG volunteer for the LA Chapter, explained how the turfgrass wasted fresh water resources and its shallow roots did little to support healthy soil and soak in runoff. The students worked together to tackle the new gardening activities, and by the end of their volunteer shift, they were confidently using new tools and techniques.
More Surfrider LA volunteers, both first-timers and regulars, continued to roll in throughout the day, bringing fresh energy and positivity to the project. The activities shifted from removing grass and invasive plants to sheet mulching, a method that uses brown paper and recycled tree trimmings to naturally suppress weeds.
Plastic weed barriers degrade into microplastics that pollute our soil and waterways, and sheet mulching is a great plastic-free alternative. Plastic weed cloths are not effective at preventing weeds when they break down, block rainwater from soaking in, and are hard to remove after they are buried in soil and mulch. By using recycled rolls of brown paper, light is prevented from reaching any weeds in the soil, reducing weed growth and giving the new plants time to grow larger, establish roots, and eventually shade out more weeds. The brown paper and wood mulch naturally break down over time, feeding the soil microbiology, making it healthier, spongier, and ready to soak in more rainwater.
Why not just use chemical weed killers? Homeowners use up to 10 times more chemical pesticides per acre than farmers apply to their crops, including a whopping 80 million pounds of pesticides on lawns every year (source). And these chemicals don't stay put where we spray them, they are easily carried in by rainwater or irrigation into groundwater and waterways. Pesticides have been detected at unsafe levels for aquatic wildlife in 83% of streams in urban areas, polluting local waterways, disrupting aquatic food chains and contaminating the places we swim and surf (source).
Another way this project is helping to prevent runoff is by utilizing more water from the building's roof! About 1000 square feet of the roof drained into a downspout pipe that originally sent the roof runoff directly out into the street.
Volunteers first dug a small basin at the top of the hill to give the rainwater a place to slow down and sink in, and then added a notch for water to overflow. A swale was dug out in the shape of a creek to guide any overflowing water across the landscape, and gravel was added to help prevent erosion.
Volunteers begin digging the rain garden basin; volunteers set up plants in the finished swale
By rerouting this pipe to drain into the new rain garden we dug, the rain will be able to soak into the soil and hydrate the new plants instead of being wasted as runoff pollution. For every 1 inch of rainfall, 620 gallons of rainwater will be saved from the storm drain, a total of 7440 gallons every year!
Between 30-60% of the water used in our homes is used outdoors on lawns and gardens, and as much as half of that is wasted with inefficient irrigation (source EPA). The rainwater will reduce the need to use fresh drinking water from the building's pipes, saving on the water bill and conserving a valuable resource in dry, hot Los Angeles.
On the 2nd day of the transformation project, volunteers planted 215 native plants and trees! Lemonade berry, bladderpod, sages, and oak trees are just a few of the exciting new plants that will provide habitat, food, and shelter for bees, butterflies, and other wildlife. The deep roots of these plants make them resilient to drought and great at filtering out pollution and nutrients from runoff.
Lots of neighbors were curious about the project, and stopped by to talk to us and learn more. Many told us they thought it was a great idea and they were happy to see the changes, and asked how they could start the process to change the landscape at their own apartment buildings or homes. Some even came and lent a hand! Many neighbors and volunteers connected with Charles Miller, who spearheaded the project, and realized they lived just down the street from one another.
With the devastating Los Angeles fires just a few months prior, many of the LA chapter's consistent volunteer activities, like water quality testing and beach cleanups, had been temporarily on pause to prioritize volunteer safety and minimize exposure to the toxic runoff and debri affecting local beaches. It was awesome to see this positive, transformational Ocean Friendly Gardens event act as an opportunity for volunteers to keep making an impact for our oceans, waves, and beaches from miles inland, and kickoff the return of volunteer events.
As we saw earlier this year, the Los Angeles community is full of incredible, generous, and driven individuals who will roll up their sleeves to make a difference for others. Thank you to all the volunteers who made this project possible, for all the neighbors who voiced their support, Chaminade High School and TreePeople who donated plants, and to Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky who sponsored the tasty burritos.
We are so excited to watch this project grow, and hope it inspires others in the neighborhood to take action!
Check out our events calendar to volunteer at an upcoming event, and support projects like this one by becoming a member of Surfrider Los Angeles!