Last night a group of us from the Richmond Rivets, a transition town initiative for Richmond, California, got together for an evening of merriment including singing alternative carols. It had been at least 25 years since I went caroling - a tradition worth reviving!

We found and wrote a number of songs to entertain, educate around climate change and peak oil and inspire people to action and involvement. Here are two of my favorites from the evening:

San Francisco Version, September 2008

Global Version, September 2008

All-Purpose Cleaner*
1 quart warm water
1 teaspoon liquid soap
1 teaspoon borax
¼ cup undiluted white vinegar

Mix ingredients and store in a spray bottle. Use for cleaning countertops, floors, walls, carpets and upholstery.

* from the Ecology Center, Berkeley, CA

How it works?
1. Before you go clothes shopping, look in your closet. What do you like? These are the items to build your wardrobe around.
2. Identify things that you need to add to your wardrobe. For example, you need 1-2 nice shirts for dressier occasions and you are running low on socks.
3. Go to the store. Sometimes it helps to have the list of what you have/need with you.
4. Only buy an item of clothing if you can identify THREE things that you currently own that would match. When you do this, you build a wardrobe quickly and inexpensively.

Why not check out the local thrift store? There are always treasures to be found.

Even if you have lots of money to spend, the Rule of Three strategy is great because it leaves a lighter footprint on the planet. It’s a great gift to the planet and to you because you still get lots of outfits!
Another helpful hint: Buy classic clothes. For kids this means jeans and T-shirts. Help your kid identify what is trendy and classic. Have them identify the value of buying classic clothes.

If you or your kid want to update your look, you can do this in a way that has no impact on the environment and very little on your budget - update your hairstyle!

It is also a good idea to start learning about the materials that your clothes are made from. Consider hemp, wool, bamboo and organic cotton.

Check with your local waste management recovery organization. Many of them sell compost and worm bins at a discount in an effort to reduce waste. It doesn’t make sense to use fossil fuels to remove healthy nutrients from your property. Do not compost food high in protein, such as meat and cheese.

Here are some helpful links on composting:

1. How to Compost
2. HowtoCompost.org

If you are a do-it-yourself person, you can make your own compost bin. There are a number of compost and worm bins that can be purchased. Things you may want to consider when purchasing a compost bin are how easy is it to turn (assuming you are not a lazy composter like me) and is it raccoon proof. I have a BioStack and have used one for years. When raccoons decided to make my compost bin part of their nightly run I put rocks and/or bungie cords. I also experimented with added a bit of cayenne on top of the pile. The Earth Machine is raccoon and opposum-proof. If you opt for a worm bin, make sure it doesn’t get cooked by being in the sun. Also, you may need to get worm sitters if you leave town for a long vacation.

Putting in a full sized garden may be so daunting that you never get started. You’ll enjoy your garden a lot more if you can manage it.  One idea is to start with a small culinary herb garden and one fruit tree. This is ideal for most apartment dwellers as well as people in homes.

If you live in a house, the best place to locate your herb garden is right outside the kitchen door. If it’s raining, you are a lot more likely to go grab a handful of parsley if you only have to go a couple of steps to walk! Apartment dwellers can set up a few containers of herbs on the patio. There are even some ready-made herb containers for small spaces that you can buy. Some are even designed for indoor growing.

Consider starting your garden by planting at least one fruit tree. Some trees do fine in containers so apartment folks can have fruit trees too. If you plant more than one tree, plant ones that ripen at different times.

Lawns take up a lot of water, which is a precious and under appreciated resource – that is until we have a drought or shortage. Some say, “Water is the next oil.” As you look out your window and watch the lush green lawn turn brown due to lack of this precious resource, don’t despair because there is an easy solution that is light on your pocket and on the environment: convert your lawn to an ecological landscape.

One way that you can convert your lawn into a landscape for you and other denizens of this planet is to use a method called sheet mulching. It’s light on the back because it requires no tilling. Here are the basics:

Step 1: Decide Types and Locations of Trees
•    Consider planting what type of trees to plant. Fruit or nut trees attract pollinators and provide food for you and others
Determine where your water and sewage lines are and plant trees away from them. Avoid planting near perforated pipes too. Consider purchasing trees that have different ripening times so you have a continual supply of fruit. Ask if the trees are good for canning, drying, freezing or storing.

Step 2: Plant Trees
•    Plant your trees and amend the soil around the tree in a wide ring an inch from the trunk out  to about 1 yard with a light layer of chicken manure or nitrogen fertilizer.
•    layers of newspaper on top of the fertilizer, leaving about a 6 inch diameter uncovered. This serves as a weed barrier.
•    Put several inches of compost and/or mulch on the weed barrier. Make sure the compost is an inch away from the trunk to let it “breathe.”

Step 3: Compost Layer
•    Cut down tall weeds and woody plants.
•    “Jump start” the soil by adding 50 lbs/100 sq. f ft of compost, manure or worm castings.
•    Soak the area well with water.

Step 4: Add Weed Barrier
•    Place a weed barrier down. The weed barrier can be 4-6 sheets of newspaper or cardboard
•    Make sure the pieces overlap to prevent weeds from popping through gaps.

Step 5: Compost Layer
•    Place about 3 inches of weed-free compost on top of this barrier.

Step 6: Plant
•    Select plants that are drought tolerate. California natives require no water once established.
•    Plant culinary herbs close to your house for easy access.

Step 7: Top Layer
•    Put a top dressing on the soil. This layer mimics newly fallen organic matter of a forest.
•    Call up an arborist and see if they have some wood chips that they can
give you for free.

Step 8: Celebrate!
Share your surplus food with friends, neighbors and of course, the animals.

Look on the web or get a good natural gardening book, like Gaia’s Garden for more tips on sheet mulching.

Community Suggestions
•    Have a work party and invite friends and community members to help you.
•    Connect with other neighbors who want to make edible landscapes and order the compost and top dressing together.
•    Coordinate with neighbors so that you are planting a variety of different fruit and nut trees.

This month’s issue has articles on getting clotheslines back in backyards… or wherever you want to put them. In my neighborhood, I got a neighbor to act as the contact person for people interested in getting lines up. He and a couple of other neighbors have volunteered to help install them in other people’s yards as a community service. The other main article is about Earth victory gardens. I’m starting that process. We have a several neighbors that are distributing hard copies of the newsletter. As we go around, we are updating the contact information of the 50 households on our block (name, house number, telephone number, cell number & email - you may also want to get emergency contact information). We are also gathering information on who wants a clothesline, compost pile, fruit trees and a garden. From that survey, we’ll organize a collective purchase of trees, compost bins and dirt to save money. I’m creating the list on Microsoft Excel so that we can arrange the data easily depending on the focus.

There are two copies of the newsletter. One is for the San Francisco Bay Area (though fog belt communities may have to modify the garden options). The other is a global template that can be used regardless of where you live. Here are the newsletter versions:

August Thriving in the ‘Burbs San Francisco Bay Area Version

August Thriving in the ‘Burbs Global Version

Some words are highlighted and may need to be changed. For example, if you are sharing this with a school group you may want to write “community member” instead of “neighbor.” I’ve also highlighted where contact information needs to be placed and parts that need to be modified for different regions.

Please share this newsletter and blog with others so that we can all thrive in the ‘burbs. Also, please “Digg” this article or “Stumble Upon” it to make it easier for others to find.

Today in the consciousness of a number of people, the idea of the victory garden is being revived in an effort to take pressure off the environment and our dependence on fossil fuels to transport our food. No matter where you live you can grow some of your own food. Everyone can contribute by having an “Earth Victory Garden” whether it’s by putting in a garden, having a few tomato containers or some pots with herbs.

If you want to have a garden or enlarge it, coordinate with your neighbors to get started . If multiple people want to put in gardens, get together and rent a roto-tiller and do it together.

In my neighborhood, we are distributing the Thriving in the ‘Burbs Newsletter. (See the “August Newsletter” post for a downloadable and customizable version). As we distribute it to neighbors we’re checking with people to see who wants to add or enlarge their garden, who wants to plant fruit trees, and who needs a compost bin. Then collectively we are going to support people in getting the job done and will probably collectively purchase dirt and trees to get a discounted rate.

There are a number of great books on starting gardens. One of my favorites on sustainable gardens is John Jeavons’ How to Grow More Vegetables* *than you thought possible on less land than you can imagine, published by 10 Speed Press. The classic I grew up with was Rodale Press’ Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening by J. I. Rodale. If you have your own place and a bit of space, you may really want to go to town and get this oldie called Five Acres and Independence by Maurice Kains.

University of California Agricultural Extension Unit has a helpful video by Rose Hayden-Smith on getting started with victory gardens. Hayden-Smith launched a Victory Grower website with everything a new gardener needs to get started. Another useful resource is how to find a master gardener in your area, then again you can also stop by your local nursery to ask what can be planted and how to deal with pests.

If you are interested in learning more about the Earth victory garden movement, visit www.revivevictorygarden.org.

2. It’s healthy for you.

3. It saves you money.

4. It reduces your carbon footprint.

5. It’s fun!