Looking for the Union Label

...d a highly catchy ad jingle from the roller disco era, “Look for the Union Label” (youngsters can watch it on youtube here). We looked for the union label and we were surprised to find it via a company called Union House which carries a functional, if unexciting line of apparel. Unless hipsters take to golf shirts in an ironic fashion judo move, these offerings will never be cool like the domestically made clothes made by the union busting folks o...

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Can our landscapes model a vibrant future? Not according to the LA DWP.

...is climate–which is why it’s always doing its level best to die. Here, our lawns live on life support. There has been some movement toward lawn-free yards in the past several years, but the movement seems stalled. I’d expect to see more lawns being ripped out recently due to the drought, but I haven’t seen much activity in that direction, despite the fact the Department of Water and Power will actually pay Angelinos to remove their turf. We hold o...

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Weekend Tweets: Stressing Out Plants, Jerry Baker is Still a Quack and Flower Studded Lawns

...Kempf (@DamienKempf) April 8, 2016 Great Dixter’s meadows-“flower-studded lawns”-blend aesthetics & biodiversity in a yummy way https://t.co/UniXpmTLAy pic.twitter.com/XH2UYHXBvY — Thomas Rainer (@ThomasRainerDC) April 8, 2016 MDF Japanese Woodworking Toolbox https://t.co/96tT0nxZmp — Root Simple (@rootsimple) April 7, 2016 Awesome cat wall instructable: https://t.co/ln3GgNMNoD — Root Simple (@rootsimple) April 7, 2016 Geometric Crystal Terrarium...

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The Wild Yard Project

...illion acres of native-habitat with costly, lifeless lawns. Astonishingly, lawns are the biggest crop in the US, but we don’t eat them, and much of that acreage goes to waste when it could be inviting back in the tens of thousands of essential and threatened species we have pushed out. The Wild Yards Project combines a powerful team of award winning filmmakers with esteemed botanists, biologists and native plant landscapers to generate media and l...

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The Great Water Conservation Grift

...s who exploited their workers and left us with acres of gravel and plastic lawns. Or, since most homeowners don’t have any understanding of climate or horticulture, we just get dead lawns or, at best, decomposed granite and a few sad cacti. Coastal California is not a desert yet, and our landscapes can be both lush and not use a lot of water. Plus we might want to use water for things like parks, schools and athletic fields especially when that us...

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