November 17, 2022 “Dance like no one is watching,” wrote Susanna Clark and Richard Leigh in 1987. Now, “Recycle like everyone is watching” is one of the slogans Keep America Beautiful uses to promote America Recycles Day, which was on Nov. 15. Keep America Beautiful, a nonprofit organization supported mainly by major corporations and public…
VC Reporter November 3, 2022 Written by: David Goldstein To afford a house in Ventura with an ocean view, I bought an older home in need of many improvements. The real estate flipper who sold it to me had made only cosmetic changes and was selling it “as is,” so, as I knew following my…
October 6, 2022 VC Reporter Article by: David Goldstein If we do not recycle food and yard clippings, what will we do with all the garbage? But if we do recycle, what will we do with all the compost? Two compost contests and one competitive grant opportunity might provide some answers. Wasted food and yard…
By David Goldstein Special to Ventura County Star Sept.17,2022 Skeptics ask: “How are we going to charge 35 million electric vehicles in California with an electric grid that can barely support air conditioning?” Kent Bullard, field representative for the Electric Vehicle Advocates of Ventura County, hopes to share answers at upcoming events celebrating National Drive…
By David Goldstein On Saturday, from 9 a.m. to noon, Ventura County Coastal Cleanup Day will bring trash-gathering volunteers to more than 20 sites as part of the 38th annual International Coastal Cleanup Day on Sept. 17. The local effort targets beaches as well as inland sites from Fillmore to Simi Valley. Last year in…
By David Goldstein Special to The Acorn “Avocados grow better with chips.” That was the humorous, informal title of a study launched 25 years ago called “Use of Yard Trimmings and Compost on Citrus and Avocado.” The findings gleaned by researchers have taken on new relevance today as farmers and gardeners look for ways to…
By David Goldstein Special to the Acorn Due to watering restrictions, many residents are planning changes to their landscapes. Besides drought-tolerant plants, fire resistance should be considered. Nearly any plant becomes tinder when dead, so if your thirsty landscape cannot survive the reduced watering schedules, remove them before they die. You might also consider ridding…
by David Goldstein Come take a walk on the wild side if you are tired of paring back your home’s landscaping in response to watering restrictions and fire dangers, and you just want to plant big, beautiful expanses you can visit in years to come. On the wild side of the urban/wildland interface, conservationists are…
EYE ON THE ENVIRONMENT | BATTLE OF THE WATER CONSERVATION AND WASTE REDUCTION METHODS by David Goldstein Most methods of reducing waste and conserving water complement each other, but sometimes, there can be only one. WOODY MULCH VS. FINE COMPOST AS A TOP DRESSING Mulch is a material applied to the garden surface, and compost…
By David Goldstein “Keep it clean in bed,” urges an advertising campaign by a major retail chain of mattress stores, trying to coax consumers into buying a new mattress at least every eight years. The television ad features a comically scowling actor dressed in a dust mite costume and another actor feigning disgust at the…