SmartScape: Save Energy, Water and Money

Turn off the water when you brush your teeth and save money. Go vegetarian one day a week and save money. Adjust your sprinkler settings and save money.

These tips and lots of others were provided by professionals and volunteers at the Laguna Beach County Water District SmartScape Expo in Laguna Beach over the weekend. 

LBCWD Executive Assistant Andrea Miller and Traci Acosta were on hand to answer questions from visitors.

"We're here today to help inform our customers and the general public about water efficient landscaping," Miller said.

Miller suggested that people with gardens water early in the morning and check their sprinkler settings now that temperatures are getting cooler. She recommended checking for leaks in and around the home. 

Waste Management Community Relations Manager Michelle Clark said that the company is giving free compost to Laguna Beach residents.

"At Waste Management," said Clark, "we collect the green waste for recycling and processing. We provided all the free compost today for residents to help aid them with their drought-tolerant planting. Compost makes your soil richer and makes everything grow a lot better. It helps the soil retain water."

"Waste Management believes less is more," said Clark, "especially when it comes to conservation of trash, water, energy and green waste."

Ecology Center Director Evan Marks was educating visitors about how to maintain a healthy watershed.

"We are here today," said Marks, "to educate and illustrate that everything we do can make a difference around creating a healthy watershed. If we understand where our water comes from, we become one step more empowered."

"It’s not just what comes out of your tap," said Marks, "and how you make that decision. It’s the products that we consume and buy that also create a healthy watershed."

Marks said, "You can save 500-1,000 gallons of water when you turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth or ‘go veggie’ once a week or use a reusable water bottle."

Transition Laguna volunteer Stacey Rollings is interested in Laguna Beach becoming more sustainable as a town.

"People can convert their lawn ornamental gardens and lawns to a vegetable or fruit tree garden," Rollings said. "Transition Laguna helps people assess what their gardens could potentially be and we help them convert to fruits and vegetables. We’re trying to reduce reliance on foreign oil and transported food and clothing."

Just outside the expo, Emerald Bay Succulents owner Dwona Downes was tending to the city's water-wise and fire-safe garden of succulent plants.

"What I’m doing today," said Downes,"is just a little maintenance. I'm just getting the dead sycamore leaves off and removing a lot of debris that's fallen from the tree. But there are no [dead leaves or debris] from my plants."

To save water and money, Downes suggested planting succulents in the garden.

"If you want to plant flowers," said Downes, "you have to pay for soil and the water and prepare the soil. We have a ‘succulent sod.’  We lay it down one time and there’s no more maintenance. The plants are already fully rooted in the sod." 

Along with information booths, the expo provided several hands-on activities for adults and children. Local vendors were on hand to explain how their products saved water, energy, and money.

The two-day event at LBCWD headquarters was sponsored by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Toro, Bushman Rainwater Harvesting, Ganahl Lumber, Hunter Industries, Imperial Sprinkler Supply, Inc., Laguna Nursery, Larry's Building Materials, Rain Bird Corporation, Waste Management, WaterDex, and Susan Trindle/A Native Garden Design, Inc.

To find out more about LBCWD programs, incentives, and informational assistance about water conserving measures at your home or place of business, CLICK HERE.