Seasons

Its Time to Green Winterize Your Home

The chilly winter months provide a great opportunity to initiate some green energy saving practices within your home. These simple steps will not only minimize your carbon footprint, but they will also save you money in the long run, something that cant hurt during the holiday season! To start, consider making a few simple changes to your habits. To cut back on your heating expenses, run your ceiling fan in reverse. Most new fans have a switch that allows you to run the fan in a clockwise rather than a counterclockwise direction. This takes the warm air that is trapped near the ceiling and circulates it back into your living area. This is very simple, but can actually cut your energy costs by an average of 10%. Another low-cost switch involves your hot water heater. Conventional water heaters are set to 140 F when installed. If the temperature is lowered to 120 F, you can expect an approximate 10% decrease in your water heating costs. For a more expensive yet effective switch, purchase a tankless or a solar water heater. Remember to check with your local utility provider about possible rebates for making the switch. One more easy practice is paying attention to the actual temperature of your thermostat. Turning down the heat when you
See Winterize on Page 2

IERCD Quarterly Newsletter Winter2010

Inside this issue:

Draft Snake DIY Project

2 2 4 4

PAL Center Garden

On November 4th the IERCD installed a drought tolerant native plant garden on the campus of the Provisional Accelerated Learning (PAL) Center in San Bernardino! This 3,000 square foot space is going to be open to the public as an example of the tremendous beauty and functionality of a garden composed entirely of native vegetation. In addition to the savings in irrigation, the PAL Center garden will demonstrate benefits of native plants including provision of habitat for local wildlife, reduced need for fertilizers and artificial pest controls, and lower overall greenSee PAL on Page 3

New Staff Speak-Off Fall Clean-Ups

Contact Us at (909) 799-7407 or visit our Web site at www.iercd.org for more information

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Seasons

Winterize Continued from Page 1

leave your house can have dramatic effects, since every degree lower during the winter season can save a household about 2% on its heating bill. Be sure to consider your clothing as it is much easier to turn the heat down if youre wearing a sweater and socks. Remember that a light, long sleeved sweater provides about 2 degrees of added warmth and a heavier sweater can add up to 4 degrees of warmth. Another important step in winterizing your home is finding and repairing any small leaks. These usually occur when one building material meets another kind, like in corners or around chimneys and can cause considerable energy loss. They should be sealed up with caulking or weather stripping to prevent heat from escaping and cool air from entering. This winter, give your furnace or heating system a tune-up to ensure that it is working for maximum efficiency. Check with your local utility provider or manufacturer, as they may offer free checkups for your heating system. Replacing your doors and windows with new, energy efficient models is another green winterizing option that can significantly increase your homes overall energy efficiency and reduce your heating costs. All of these listed practices are simple examples of ways to reduce energy consumption and increase energy efficiency during the winter season. Every little effort counts. Make it your goal to achieve one or more this winter season!
*All numbers and estimates come from the Department of Energy

Winter Project: Construct your own Draft Snake

As stated in the front page article, energy efficiency is very important, especially in the winter months. One of the biggest culprits of wasted energy is drafts from doors and windows that do not seal out all the cool air properly. A great way to prevent this loss is by making a simple DIY project that prevents the air from entering your home and driving up your energy needs Materials 1 Pair of thick womens tights or long tube socks 10 pound bag of dried beans, rice, sand, or kitty litter 1 Spool of Ribbon Step 2: Tie off one of the ends with a piece of ribbon Step 3: Fill with the beans or rice until the leg of the tights or sock is filled Step 4: Tie off the open end with another piece of ribbon. Enjoy A Draft Free Door!

Directions Step 1: Cut the tights so that just the long, leg segment remains

Kimberly Lary is the new District Conservationist for the Redlands Natural Resources Conservation Service Field Office. She received her Bachelors Degree in Environmental Science from Haskell Indian Nations University located in Lawrence, Kansas. Kim has ten years of multi-state experience with NRCS. She is excited to meet and assist local producers and landowners. If you have time please stop by the field office and visit with her.

Sarah Ulloa is the Soil Conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Redlands. She recently received her B.S. in Agronomy from Cal Poly Pomona where she focused on sustainable agriculture and greenhouse vegetable production. Sarah previously worked in the Redlands office as a student intern with NRCS.

New Staff!

Katie Heer started at the IERCD about 6 months ago. She was born in Columbia, Maryland, but has also lived in Ohio and Arizona. Katie just graduated from the University of Redlands with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science. Her year-long graduation project focused on the carbon sequestration capabilities of the entire tree population on the University campus. In addition, Katie co-led an environmental education organization called Roots & Shoots.

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PAL Continued from Page 1

waste produced and time required for maintenance and upkeep. Preparations for garden installation occurred well in advance of physical planting; these involved meetings with PAL Center staff, correspondence with landscape consultant, Rob Moore of California Native Plant Design, and purchase of materials required for the garden including plants, mulch, sand, and rock. On the day of installation, staff from the IERCD and PAL Center worked with over 15 students on the intensive eight-hour process of garden creation based on layout and plant palette selection provided by Mr. Moore. Prior to beginning the project, students were prepped with a safety discussion as well as an explanation of the significance of the garden and the plan for site prep and planting. First, students worked with Mr. Moore and District staff to remove the unnecessary material and non-native plants that were present at the garden site. Next, most of the efforts were concentrated on the installation of a dry creek bed feature that entailed digging a trench, applying weed abatement

Student learning the proper planting technique

Garden After-Shot
Students After a Long Days Work

Digging the Dry Creek Bed

cloth, filling the space with 3 inch rocks, and filling in spaces around the rocks with sand. This feature will accumulate any excess water in the garden, and will use it to irrigate the hydrophilic species planted adjacent to the creek bed. Finally, Mr. Moore laid out the plants and gave all volunteers an instructional lesson on the process of planting preparation specific to native vegetation. Over 13 different species were chosen to be used for this space including California grey rush, coyote brush, ceanothus, and deer grass. After all 60 plants were in the ground, mulch had to be spread, using a specific berm and watering technique. As with all newly installed native plant gardens, this space will have to be monitored regularly and placed on a precise watering schedule for the next 3 months. After the full two-year establishment period, the garden will be self-sufficient and need no additional watering from the PAL Center. The IERCD looks forward to watching the garden flourish and the publics interest grow as well!

Contact Us at (909) 799-7407 or visit our Web site at www.iercd.org for more information

cently The IERCD has re w web created a brand ne RCD staff site! The IE s the frequently update ts, prosite with new even ws. jects, and local ne rly to Check back regula stay informed!

! DONT FORGET

We are excite d to announce that Julia Bra this years CA y was RCD State Sp eak Off 2nd P ner! Julia won st lace Win1 place at ou r District Spea and she went k Off on to speak at the South Coa gional Meeting st Rebefore movin g onto the Stat Off. She is a so e Speak phomore at R edlands High and is part of School the Speech an d Debate Tea m.

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Fall Clean-Ups
This quarter the IERCD participated in two different Clean-Up projects. The first took place in the Cucamonga Canyon in Rancho Cucamonga on October 2nd, an area that has been subject to degradation from both dumped trash and graffiti. Multiple agencies partnered on this clean-up effort, including the office of San Bernardino County Second District Supervisor Paul Biane, the U.S. Forest Service, the Rancho Cucamonga Fire Department, and the Cucamonga Valley Water District. More than 100 volunteers removed over 1,500 pounds of trash and applied special mudding techniques to cover graffiti markings and maintain the natural appearance of the area. The IERCD also hosted its annual clean-up on Saturday, November 9th at an illegal dumping site near the North Etiwanda Preserve in Rancho Cucamonga. The event attracted volunteers from the local community and schools, such as Scripps College, Rialto High School, and Los Osos High School, as well as staff from the San Bernardino County Special Districts Department. An entire 40 yard trash bin was filled with debris and trash found on the site, amounting to 2.70 tons of waste. In addition, 6.98 tons of recycled concrete and rock were taken off site. Both clean-up events were highly successful and the IERCD continues to work to educate the public about the importance of keeping native habitat and waterways clean of trash. If you live in San Bernardino County and witness illegal dumping in your neighborhood, call (800) 78-CRIME to report it to authorities. Do not attempt to confront those engaging in suspected illegal dumping.

Contact Us at (909) 799-7407 or visit our Web site at www.iercd.org for more information