THIS IS HOW THEY DO IT: In California

The city of Sacramento has a flourishing public garden and park program, with now not only public plots but private businesses getting in on the movement to green the city and creating their own gardens. My guide through the many gardens Sacramento has to offer was Bill Maynard, Director of Community Gardens. These mini urban oasis feature many creative and innovative methods for re-purposing and ensuring the whole community can utilize and enjoy the gardens. One garden I visited had ADA compliant, raised concrete beds to allow easy access for seniors, and another had a colorful snake made of chicken wire and sand bags for children to play on. Watering methods differed from garden to garden with some utilizing portable water provided by the city, and some had their own water collection system. One garden’s whimsical collection system used towering metal flowers that collected the rain water and ran to a ladybug who served as a storage tank! Re-purposed materials could be found in many of the gardens from trash art to one 25 year old garden whose residents sectioned off plots with metal mattress springs.

Gardens aren’t the only way California is amping up it’s greening efforts. Sacramento’s Walgreen’s offers a parking space with a charging station for electric cars. I used public transportation and was impressed by the number of Alternative fueled busses on the road. I gladly stepped up to pay my fare. The city also provided designated bike paths on most of the streets and thoroughfare. Throughout the Downtown area solar parking meter pay stations were used.   On Lakeshore Avenue in the City of Oakland they have installed solar trash compactors. Throw your trash away as you normally would- the sun-powered motor takes care of the rest. Wind turbines on the Altamont pass dotted the landscape, but few solar arrays.

From public gardens, green transportation, and wind and solar powered city services, California proved its greening efforts to be uniquely innovative, functional, and fun!

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