Lawndale Library OFG Teen Friends
Teen Friends of the Lawndale Library were back in City Council chambers Monday evening, almost one year from their first visit to gain approval for building their garden dream. This visit was not to speculate on how much water would be conserved by converting 1,200 sq. ft. of turf into a sustainable landscape, but rather to receive commendations for their perseverance in building and maintaining an Ocean Friendly Garden that reached their stated objectives. The Teens showed the Council how the new landscape accomplished C.P.R. (Conservation, Permeability, and Retention) having reduced water consumption by 80%, and virtually eliminated all dry-weather and stormwater runoff. Director Donald Dear of West Basin MWD presented the City with a grant check for eliminating the stormwater runoff from the adjacent Community Center and directing it into their new garden. Teen Friends presented the City Council with their Thank You picture and offered an Ocean Friendly Gardens Yard Sign.
Master Gardener, Kim Lauritson, Dennis Yamashiro of Yamashiro & Sons landscape contractors, Surfrider Foundation, G3, and members of the community helped build the OFG through a series of hands-on workshops and volunteer workdays. The garden now features a native edible landscape as well as a vegetable garden tended by the Teen Friends, yielding lots of vegetables for cooking and learning about healthy food choices.
