Hughie Sink--Order Now!

We're planning on putting in an order for Hughie Sinks by this Sunday, April 12th, but we need your help to get them in the store. We need ten orders to be placed by Sunday or we won't get any at all. 

So, if you're interested, please give us a call at the store (323) 665 - 7454 or shoot an email to info@allshadesofgreen.net.

(They run for about 40.00 to 45.00).

Why would you want one? The Hughie is this amazing water-saving/reusing product that fits like a glove in your kitchen sink. It captures the water you use to wash dishes or hands or to rinse veggies and then allows you to you simply pick it up and use that same perfectly good water to soak your plants. Genius, right? We think so.

See it in action here.

So if you're interested in having one of your own to save water and save money and be a creative re-user of this precious resource, give us a buzz.

And thanks!

Los Angeles: Conserve!

According to the Environmental News Service (and we can all attest to this by living here), California is in its third year of drought. In fact, reservoir levels are at their lowest since 1978, only a third full. In Los Angeles, we may even be facing a downright water shortage of 12% this summer.

The LADWP is telling us to conserve 24/7 and Mayor Villaraigosa has a twenty year plan to get us back on track, the first phase of which is in place now. Not complying with the new ordinance will even cost you--for every drip over a 15% reduction in your water use, you'll pay a premium rate for from the LADWP.

Here's what we all need to know about from Water Conservation Ordinance:

We CANNOT:

*Use water to wash any hard surfaces such as sidewalks, walkways, driveways
or parking areas, unless flushing is needed to protect health and safety;
*Use water to clean, fill or maintain decorative fountains unless the water is
part of a recirculating system;
*Serve water to customers in eating establishments unless requested;
*Permit leaks from any pipe or fixture to go unrepaired;
*Allow for the washing of a vehicle without using a hose with a self-closing,
shut-off device;
*Permit watering during periods of rain; 
*Irrigate landscaping between the hours of
9 a.m. and 4 p.m.;
*Water outdoors for more than 15 minutes per watering station, 10 minutes for
other irrigation systems;
*Allow runoff onto streets and gutters from excessive watering... 

To take a proactive approach, here are a few ideas for

what we CAN do to conserve this precious resource:

*Fix leaky faucets.

*Use a broom or rake instead of a hose to clean off driveways.

*Take your car to a car wash that assures you it's recycling and treating its water (more on truly CLEAN car washes here).

*Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators (we've got you covered).

*Run only full loads of laundry (cooler water will save energy too, as will sun-drying).

*Turn the faucet off when you brush your teeth. You'll save up to five gallons of water per day, depending on your brushing habits.
*Reduce your shower time--even cutting back one minute will save five to seven gallons of water every time! (We've got the 4-Minute Shower Timer in the store to help you keep your commitment.)
*Most of our water use is outside, so plant drought-tolerant and native plants in your garden that don't need a lot of water to flourish.
*If you have a lawn you can't part with or are growing edible goodies, make sure to water in the early morning or evening before any moisture is lost to evaporation.

Let us know in the comments if you've got any more water-saving wisdom to share!

Water Conservation Ordinance

The LADWP is getting serious about saving water these days.  If you didn't already know, we want to share with you that there is a new conservation ordinance in effect.

It's great to know about because, well, it helps save our city's precious resource.  It's also good to know about because fines are in effect for certain water no-no's.

Here's a rundown of the H2O DON'TS:

*Don't use water to wash down hard surfaces like driveways.  (Brooms will do the job and provide a workout at the same time.)

*Don't serve water to restaurant customers unless they ask for it.

*Don't water your yard during the rain.

And DO's:

*Fix leaky faucets to save 20 gallons of water drip, drip, dripping down your drain.

*Adjust your sprinklers (if you have them) so there's no water wasted on the pavement--that'll save 500 gallons a month and prevent runoff.

*Run only full loads of laundry.

You can read the whole list here.

And if you own your own washing machine, you can get a $250 LADWP rebate for a new, high-efficiency model that can save 50% of the water you use in a year on the most water-heavy task inside the house.  Find out how.

Smarter, More Sustainable Sinks

We talk a lot about water conservation in Silver Lake and Los Angeles at large.  And we're always encouraged by the front and backyards around us that boast native, drought-tolerant plants and the people who do water-saving practices like watering plants after sundown as most H2O use occurs outside the home, taking care of lawns and the like.  Find out more about outdoor conservation here.

For inside water use, we've just gotten in a very smart product indeed, made in Los Angeles, go figure.  The smart faucet eliminates the water dribbling from our faucets when we don't need it.  And, it makes that happen much more easily than if we had to reach up and turn off the knob every time we lather our hands or stop to scrub a pan.  Plus, it's got an aerator in there so when it is running, it's not gushing.

See that black lever in the photo?  After you turn the faucet on, if you're not putting pressure on that lever, the water stops.

Since 80% of the water we "use" isn't really used, but flows right down the drain, the smart faucet creates a no-water-wasted situation.  In fact, it can save up to 15,000 gallons a year per unit installed.

We hope you'll come into the store and find out more about how to save this precious resource in your home or apartment.

Water-Wise Living Continues

The last month of summer is often the hottest.  So, with water still (and always around these parts) on the brain, here are a handful of water-wise living tips from a recent workshop:

Turn off the faucet when you don't need it--that means teeth-brushing, face-washing, even when you're just scrub-a-dub-dubbing your hands or body at the sink or in the shower. 

Fix leaky faucets and toilets (a leaky faucet can waste up to 100 gallons of water a day!).

Run your dishwashers and washing machines only when they are full.

Install a water purifier that will provide cleaner and healthier water for
drinking and cooking. At All Shades, we reccomend Aquasana for an affordable and thorough water filter--and we've got them in the store.  You can also visit www.waterfiltercomparisons.net to find out more about your water filtering choices. 

Every drop counts!

Another Water-Wise Workshop this Wednesday

We're  hosting another Water-Wise Workshop Wednesday evening and hope you can make it.

Water is a very hot topic around these parts!  Read a recent article from The L.A. Times in which Schwarzenegger proclaims a drought after our second very, very dry year.

Come learn tips to save it inside and outside of your home. 

How to Live Water-Wise in Los Angeles
Wednesday, August 27th

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
@ All Shades of Green

Call to sign up!  (323) 665 -7454.

Water-Wise Living in the Heat of Summer

You may have heard these before, but the Summer Solstice is often a good time to check in and reflect on what's going on in your world, including as it relates to your environmental awareness and action.

So, here is the must-do list of water-saving actions to be sworn in as a full-fledged conservationist living in drought:

• Turn the faucet off when you brush your teeth. You'll save up to five gallons of water per day, depending on your brushing habits.
• Reduce your shower time--even cutting back one minute will save five to seven gallons of water every time!  (We've got the 4-Minute Shower Timer in the store for 15.50 to help you keep your commitment.)
  
• Most of our water use is outside, so plant drought-tolerant and native plants in your garden that don't need a lot of water to flourish.
• If you have a lawn you can't part with or are growing edible goodies, make sure to water in the early morning or evening before any moisture is lost to evaporation. 

For more in-depth water conservation, check back for future workshops on the subject or step into the store where anyone in an All Shades t-shirt can tell you everything you'd like to know.

How To Live Water-Wise In L.A. (in the heat of summer) Workshop

How To Live Water-Wise in Los Angeles (during the heat of summer)
Wednesday, June 18th
7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
@ All Shades of Green

$25.00

Here's what we'll be up to tomorrow night:

Staff Sustainability Coach, Deborah, and Landscape Designer of Swamp Pink, Gabrielle, will help you along the path to conserving water inside and outside your home.

Gabrielle has over 11 years of landscape design experience and as a Los Angeles native, she wishes to improve the health of our city by implementing water-wise landscapes. She's worked on an array of residential and non-profit projects with that principle in mind.  Take a peek at the work she does here.

With the first day of summer just around the corner (June 21st), we're here to help you think creatively and consciously about saving our most precious resource as you enjoy all that the heat has to offer.

Hope to see you there!

Please give us a call for more information or to reserve your space at (323) 665 -7454.

How To Live Water-Wise Workshop

We hope you can join us for our fourth Earth Month Wednesday evening workshop

 (donations only):

How To Live Water-Wise in Los Angeles
Wednesday, April 23rd
7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
@ All Shades of Green

Here's the scoop:

Staff Sustainability Coach, Deborah, and Landscape Designer of Swamp Pink, Gabrielle, will help you along the path to conserving water inside and outside of your home. 

Gabrielle has over 11 years of landscape design experience and as a Los Angeles native, she wishes to improve the health of our city by implementing water-wise landscapes.  She's worked on an array of residential and non-profit projects, many of which you can view here.

With summer approaching and with last year being the driest on record, the time to think creatively and kindly and to shut off those sprinklers while we're at it is here!

Water Use Calculator

H2O Conserve has a simple Water Use Calculator

on its site.

Go through a few questions (it takes about five minutes) and it will tell you how many gallons of water you and your household use every day (the average for Americans is about 1200 gallons per person--ouch!).

Once you're done with the quiz, you'll see a couple of water-saving tips tailored for you as well as over 50 general water conservation practices (many of which cost absolutely nothing to implement, but will save you money and H2O).