Tour benefits budding youth
OCEAN AVENUE — Sustainability is once again the theme for the second annual Green Gardens Tour — Santa Monica, in which ticket holders will be introduced to a wide variety of native plants and new technologies that conserve water, protect the environment and beautify open space.
Proceeds from the tour, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 29, will go towards programs provided by The Virginia Avenue Project, a 14-year-old charity that provides one-on-one mentoring for at-risk youth, as well as after school programs at the Police Activities League. The nonprofit uses the performing arts to help build self-esteem and foster creativity.
Eight private gardens will be featured in the tour, including both newly planted and the fully mature variety. Three of the gardens were funded partly by the city as part of City Hall’s Landscape Water Efficiency grant program, which will pay up to $20,000 of the cost of the garden.
Homes scheduled for a visit range in style from contemporary and Craftsman, to Santa Monica Saltbox and Spanish Mission. Apartments will also be on the docket.
“Through this tour we hope to educate people about the possibility of building a garden that is sustainable, and in turn, help sustain the self-esteem of the children (who are part of the Virginia Avenue Project,)” Marilee Kuhlmann, the chair of the Green Gardens Committee, said during a press conference held last week at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel, which is donating employees to serve as guides along the tour.
“What I like is that the gardens are not like those in ‘House & Gardens’ (magazine) that are so elaborate and expensive that you could never dream of doing it yourself,” said John Lyons, a Green Gardens committee member. “These are actually attainable gardens that people can not only imagine in their own backyards, but are gardens they can do themselves without hiring some big designer.”
The conservation of water is crucial in Santa Monica, according to Andrew Basmajian, an environmental outreach specialist with City Hall’s environmental programs division. The city currently imports all of its water from outside sources, mainly the Sacramento River delta, which Basmajian said comes at a great cost, both financially and environmentally.
“Every time someone flips a switch to pump water to Santa Monica, they are using a tremendous amount of electricity, which is primarily generating from the burning of fossil fuels,” Basmajian said.
For quite some time, City Hall has looked at ways to reduce the use of water inside all public buildings with the installation of water-free toilets and other measures.
“We still use water very inefficiently, a lot of that having to do with how we use water at home,” Basmajian said. “The great thing about the tour is not only are we helping youth by raising money, but we are also helping the environment by educating people about the possibility of installing sustainable gardens, but it also gets people thinking about other uses of water at home and how they can cut back.”
The tour is set to begin with a start garden at 629 16th Street, but those who buy their tickets in advance will be able to start at any garden they choose.
“It’s a great way to avoid the crowds,” Kuhlmann said. The tour raised just under $5,000 last year for The Virginia Avenue Project, according to Tom Carroll, a mentor with the project. Tickets for this year’s garden tour are now available by calling (310) 265-4224.
“This is an incredible resource for us and really gives us an opportunity to reach out to the community and make new friends,” Carroll said. “We can always use more mentors.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 15, 2006. Read the original PDF.