.

2010-09-26T23:58:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,

It has been quite some time since I last wrote with an update. It has been a very busy summer for me and I haven't been able to give the project my full attention. That is not to say that I have forgotten or given up on the rooftop, or the civic center as a whole. Quite the opposite. At many of our meetings we have discussed outreaching to the community in order to find vested individuals who would be willing to volunteer to help create a beautiful civic center park. While the city has been reluctant to allow us access to beautify the rooftop there have been several important changes that have occurred to the rooftop park and the civic center in general.

When we began Urban Paradise two years ago there was little attention to the civic center. The city attempted to close the main library due to the library's leaking rooftop. Since then, they have recently spent $2 million in removing 10 million pounds of soil from the roof. They have also added a sealant to prevent leaking. On the east side of the park, where there were giant agaves; there is now a gated, white painted surface, perfect for outdoor performances. On the west side, near city hall, the office of sustainability has planted native plants, the same idea we proposed 2 years ago. The public has not been informed of this and I'm not exactly sure why they are planting native plants in a park no one has access to, but on the bright side, they are planting natives, like we suggested.

As for the rest of the civic center, the city has made some major improvements, they have added a dog park in Lincoln Park, inviting more resident to hang out in the civic center. They have also provided outdoor restrooms, so people are less inclined to "go" on the walkways. Also, the office of sustainability has planted edible box gardens and native grasses all around the plots at the civic center. The Urban Paradise plot sits proudly across the Abe Lincoln statue and is the first plot you see when entering the main library.

The plants look beautiful; I invite you to stop by and visit to look at them. I finally have received access to water and was able to water the plants during these hot days. The plot can use some signs and this winter will be a great time to plant some more natives. Other than that, it is truly self-sufficient and does not require much care or maintenance while still providing beauty and habitat, just as we proposed. If you walk by you can see our first plot, on Ocean and Pacific, alive with volunteer plants that grew after we transplanted the garden. That plot is beautiful and lush, because we planted those seeds. At the plot we now have in front of the library people often stop and stare at the beautful drought resistant garden that is home to birds and butterflies. Along the perimeters, as I mentioned, the city has planted native grasses. When we started, the civic center was mulch and weeds in a neglected public area, but now, it is definitely beginning to look a lot like a urban paradise.

While we still have yet to find a resolution for the rooftop, there is some hope and common ground we can begin to work on. The mayor has told me to submit a proposal outlining the vision for the civic center. If you are available to help, please let me know.

Second, the office of sustainability has offered more space in the civic center, if you would like to do another planting or adopt a plot, please let me know. They are open to allowing public art, so if you are an artist or know of an artist who would like to contribute artwork to the civic center, please let me know. This is a great opportunity to offer other community groups the chance to adopt a plot as well.

Also, the downtown residents have formed a coalition of various neighborhood associations called the Downtown Residential Council. This neighborhood association is actively looking to create green spaces downtown. If you are familiar with powerpoint, or putting videos on youtube or facebook, and can help out, please help. Thank you for your continued support. If you would like to be more involved in any way, please contact me. This is a community project, requiring helping hands and open hearts.

Wanted:

Help with Facebook and website
Pictures, pictures, pictures
Videos
Uploading videos to youtube
Help with creating presentations to community groups
Help with creating a proposal
Volunteers

Thank You,
Elliot Gonzales
Urban Paradise Coordinator
(562) 786-3874

2009-05-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

We are exactly one week away from the 1st Annual Long Beach Green Festival May 9th in the East Arts district of Long Beach (around 1st and Linden) and we really want our booth to represent Urban Paradise and our vision of a green Long Beach. So far we still need more volunteers to sit at the booth during the day.

Volunteers will: Explain Urban Paradise and our mission to public, answer questions, pass out flyers, sign people up on the e-mail/volunteer list, and take donations. ( Our hopes are to get 2 volunteers per shift)

Time slots open:
8:30am-12pm (setup)
4pm-7pm (2)
7pm-10pm (cleanup)

Time slots filled:
Thomas 12pm-3pm
Heidi 2pm-4pm
Diana 7pm-10pm (cleanup)

We want to decorate the table with succulents and native plants so if you have any potted plants we can borrow for the day bring them tomorrow or the morning of the event. thanks!

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The Green Festival is still looking for people to make signs. Contact Ana at merrybluesart@gmail.com if you have any questions or if you have a sign or materials they can use.
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Hope to see you all next Saturday at the Green Festival (9am-10pm) or tomorrow at the meeting! Have a great rest of your weekend :)

Come garden this Sunday!

2009-04-17T15:34:00.001-07:00

URBAN PARADISE

Next Meeting Sunday, April 19

3pm @ Ocean and Pacific (in front of our plot)

-We will be gardening and planting...making our garden look beautiful
-Talking and brainstorming artistic ideas/projects we can incorporate into our existing garden
-Discussing our role in the Green Festival and future projects we want to start
COME JOIN US!!!

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Urban Paradise presents at the Art Theater Monday, April 27... after the 5pm and 8pm showing of "FUEL". This movie will be playing all week at the Art Theater on 4th street between Cherry and Junipero. It is an environmentally conscious movie so we have been asked to present our organization to the audience! Come show your support by coming to the movie and sticking around to hear Elliot and Rachel talk about the goals and vision of Urban Paradise. We are also looking for someone interested in sitting at the table taking down volunteer's names and handing out flyers. Let us know at oururbanparadise@gmail.com! Check out FUEL at http://thefuelfilm.com/

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Urban Paradise will have a booth at the Long Beach Green Festival Saturday, May 9th 9am-10pm. We will need of lots volunteers to help run the booth so let us know if you can swing by for an hour or 2 to come help out and spread the word. This Sunday we will come up with some fun things to have at the booth that will share Urban Paradise's vision so e-mail us or come by Sunday if you have any ideas!
A little about the Green Festival...To bring together local green groups, celebrate the environment and encourage ecological awareness in the public through commerce, government, community organizations and the arts. For more info or for participation forms, go to http://www.greenLB.org.

No meeting Sunday + Green Festival

2009-04-03T23:41:00.000-07:00

Hey All!
Just letting you all know there is no meeting this upcoming Sunday April, 5 for Urban Paradise. Elliot and I are both unable to make it but we are still busy bees putting together a portfolio for the city and can't wait to discuss the direction of Urban Paradise at the next meeting. We're on our way to having an amazing logo and feel the time is right to see the bigger vision of Urban Paradise. I'll let you know when the next meeting is.

And now...down below you will see the latest and greatest news about Long Beach's first annual Green Festival May 9th! Everything is still in the works and Elliot (the director) is in need of lots of creative minds and help. See you when we return!
-Rachel
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The Green Long Beach festival is coming up May 9th! There has been a lot of buzz and many questions about the Long Beach Green Festival. I am happy to announce that website with all of the participation forms and links to access more information is now available online.Check out the Green Festival website at

http://longbeachgreenfestival.org

Let's Open our Park!

2009-03-19T17:27:00.000-07:00

Next Meeting this Sunday, March 22

3pm @ Ocean and Pacific (in front of our plot)

Hello Everyone!
Happy Spring! It's Elliot and Rachel here...co-directors of Long Beach community organization Urban Paradise. I know you haven't heard from us in a while so we're here to give you a couple updates on the project. The garden plot on Ocean and Pacific is looking beautiful; flowers are starting to bloom and the garden is really taking shape. I just went up and explored the rooftop gardens and was amazed to see that it was completely green! It's all filled with weeds and other spring time plants that have sprouted up in the past couple weeks. Even though it's not our water-wise vision of the garden it's still pretty impressive to see nature doing it's thing without any help from human hands.
We've been laying low the past two months as far as community meetings to focus on the political side of things. Things are getting a bit sticky and it's obvious that the city doesn't want to budge in terms of re-opening the rooftop park after 15 years of neglect. Here is the catch though. Urban Paradise was informed at the very start of this project that the person that bequeathed the land to the city of Long Beach wrote a deed requesting that the space always remain a public park. This is why we believe they always leave one gate open to the park even though it is supposed to be closed. In addition, the rooftop park is currently being maintained with public funds (tree trimming, etc.) but we still have no access. If we can find this deed in writing (which we are working on right now) it may very well be that this park belongs to the public and should be open to us and should have been open to us for the last 15 years. It is our time as the Long Beach community to claim this park as ours so that this amazing place can be utilized!
We are so close to re-opening this rooftop park as an Urban Paradise for and by the community of Long Beach...We just need some help from YOU! Come join us at our next meeting to help out.

We are still looking for a logo for Urban Paradise so bring anything you've got this Sunday or e-mail it to us!
Are you or someone you know a graphic designer? We are looking for anyone that can help us put a portfolio together for the city council and make it look nice :)
We also need a new flyer! Come out this Sunday or e-mail us if you are interested in creating a new flyer for Urban Paradise.
Secretary needed to take notes at meetings :) It would help us out a lot.

We miss seeing you all...Stay cool Long Beach

Peace and Love, Elliot and Rachel

Meeting postponed until Monday

2009-02-06T20:14:00.000-08:00

Hello,
Well isn't this rain just wonderful? Yes it's not as nice as the usual 70 degree California weather but now all of our baby plants on the plot can have some water.

Sunday Meeting postponed for Monday, February 9th, 6:00-7:30pm
@ Viento y' Agua on 4th and Termino

URBAN PARADISE update: Elliot and I realized that it's back to the organizing and planning for Urban Paradise. Over the past couple of months we have been more than blessed to have the community actively involved in working on the plot and the growth of Urban Paradise and we are realizing that our next step is to finally present to the city. This will take putting together a power point presentation, putting a final packet together we can leave with Suja Lowenthal and her staff, and preparing a presentation for her. Although Elliot and I will be diverting some of our focus from the community to presenting to the city, the presence of Urban Paradise volunteers and its growth is more important than ever. We encourage all of you to come to this next meeting to discuss the future of Urban Paradise and share ideas on how we can make this a reality.

See you Monday!
-Rachel

Time to Plan and Organize...

2009-01-30T21:38:00.000-08:00

Hello!
We had an amazing meeting last Sunday so many thanks to all that came out to help on the plot. We hand crafted some cute signs to identify the different areas of the plot, added more California native plants, and lined the back wall with tree twigs to bring a more natural feel. Try and drive/bike/walk by when you can to see all the new additions (or I'll be putting up a photo soon). On Monday and Tuesday of thise week we mett with Matt Lyons head of the Long Beach Water Department(LBWD), one of the LBWD's landscapers, a representative of the Surfrider Foundation, and the REA (redevelepment..) of Long Beach. All of the meetings were very very successful. Urban Paradise got Matt Lyons' full support and a very strong interest in the project from the Surfrider Foundation. The REA is also very enthusiastic about the project. Although we have made these connections we keep hearing the same thing. We cannot move forward or use these connections until we have the approval from the city for the rooftop. So this is now our main focus; Presenting to the city of Long Beach and Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal so Urban Paradise can gain access to the Main Library rooftop gardens.

Let's discuss our next plan of action...
This Sunday Meeting Febrary 1st
3pm in front of the plot on Ocean and Pacific

Urban Paradise Logo Competition:
If you haven't noticed Urban Paradise lacks a logo so lets design one! Everyone is welcome to submit a logo and is not limited to just one. Bring your design to the Sunday meeting!
Logo requirements:
Must say Urban Paradise
any plants incorporated must be California Native

Signs and Logos for Urban Paradise

2009-01-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,
Let's make some signs for our plot and an Urban Paradise logo!
Our meeting with the Long Beach water department and Surfrider foundation is this upcoming Monday..ah! Come work on the plot with us this Sunday painting signs and planting more California native plants to show them our vision of an Urban Paradise in Long Beach . Just make sure you wear some clothes you don't mind getting dirty or paint on.

This Sunday Meeting January 25
3pm in front of the plot on Ocean and Pacific
Keep an eye out for these items to bring on Sunday:

Recycled wood (any size or shape and we can pick and choose from there)
Stakes, nails, and hammers
Paint (any color) or sealant
Paintbrushes

Urban Paradise Logo Competition:
Design will be chosen February 1st at the Sunday meeting.
If you haven't noticed Urban Paradise lacks a logo so lets design one!
Everyone is welcome to submit a logo and is not limited to just one.
Logo requirements:

Must say Urban Paradise
any plants incorporated must be California Native

**Also! If you went on the field trip to the Beach two weeks ago please send us your pictures from that day or any other pictures you would like to go on the blog.
**Spread the word :) tell at least one person this week about Urban Paradise and share the blog oururbanparadise.blogspot.com
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**Landscape Classes - Long Beach Water Department
Choosing the Best Plants for You
~ April 25th ~ May 23rd~
Location: Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way
Parking: Park in the structure and the cost is $6, but admission to the aquarium after the class is FREE!

Native Plants for Public Space - Sustainable Landscape Design Seminar
February 12, 2009 (thursday)
At the Metropolitan Water District Headquarters

By invite only. On February 12th, 2009, the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council, with sponsorship from the Metropolitan Water District, will host a landscape design seminar for professionals in Southern California. To contribute to landscape architect, designer, and project manager familiarity with the nuances of native landscapes, we have developed a one-day program that provides a comprehensive overview of current best design, build, and management practices.
Click here to visit the website and view the schedule of speakers.
Registration is now available online.
Space is limited and early registration is highly suggested.

First Annual Long Beach Green Fest
May 9^th 2009- …call Elliot Gonzalez for more information 562-786-3874…more info to come.

Field trip this Sunday!

2009-01-08T21:54:00.001-08:00

Hi Folks!
We had a very successful Urban Paradise meeting last Sunday thanks to everyone that showed up. Lots of exciting ideas were flying across the circle and the project seems to be taking off in a great direction. As you'll see in the notes below we have a meeting with the LB water department to move towards a positive relationship with the city.

This Sunday Meeting January 11^th
Field trip, picnic, and working on the Plot!

12pm-Meet at the plot on Ocean and Pacific. At 12:15 we'll be carpooling to a beach in San Pedro (right below the Donald Trump Golf Course). We'll be collecting rocks for our plot and checking out the Native Plant restoration project they have there.

2:00pm-Carry our heavy load up the cliff and enjoy a vegetarian potluck picnic overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean.

2:30pm-Leave San Pedro and head over to the plot to start gardening at 3pm

3:00-5pm-Meet at the plot on Ocean and Pacific to do some gardening, maintenance, and rock designs!

What to bring:
-Something vegetarian to share for a picnic pot luck
- Gardening gloves if you don't wanna get your hands dirty
-A rock you may have you want to add to the garden!

Please RSVP if you need a ride to San Pedro, can offer seats in your car, or have any questions. If you plan on leaving your car downtown, probably best to park in the civic center parking structure on the other side of the Library. If you can't make it to the field trip but still want to come help at 3pm at the plot no problem...see you there!

Events this Weekend...Mark your Calendar!
Sat. January 10, 8:30am-12- Free Residential Landscape Classes at the Long Beach water department. They would like for anyone planning to attend to pre-register through their office: 562-570-2300 (thanks Ty!)
Sat. January 10, 12-2pm- Estuary Explorations at the Colorado Lagoon. Come help salvage native salt marsh plants!
May 9^th 2009- First Annual Long Beach Green Fest…call Elliot Gonzalez for more information 562-786-3874…more info to come.

Meeting Notes for January 4, 2009

2009-01-08T21:53:00.000-08:00

URBAN PARADISE
community project 2009
Long Beach, CA

Minutes from meeting January 4, 2009 @ 3pm
Present: Rachel Bennish, Elliot Gonzalez, Heidi Nye, Ty Teissere, Marcy Sandoval, Jerry Schaefer, Eric Zahn, Diana Parmeter, Monique, Brian Bello

Small Picture: Make our first plot beautiful and complete to present to the Long Beach water department and Surfrider Foundation on January 26, 2009.

A partnership with the Long Beach water department
grants to fund our project
A portfolio to present to the city

Big Picture: Use entire rooftop garden on top of the library as a community garden, art, music, and education center. Start planting rooftop garden by November 2009!

Create timeline
Partnership with other environmental community groups in Long Beach
Connect with community

Check Out...
KCRW's Le Show with Harry Shearer January 4, 2009. Heidi Nye recommended this segment because of the biannual art festival going on in New Orleans. Inspiration that even while New Orleans is getting back on its feet it can put something amazing like this on.

Seedsavors.org Since 1975, Seed Savers Exchange members have passed on approximately one million samples of rare garden seeds to other gardeners. this link shows you that we can get some California Poppy from them in the future :)

E-mail Mayor Bob Foster and Councilman Suja Lowenthal! Jerry wrote Bob Foster an e-mail suggesting he save the library and turn the rooftop into a community gathering place for the arts, music, etc. E-mails like this can really show the council/city that this is something we want and are willing to work hard for! thanks Jerry!

See you Next Year!

2008-12-25T13:23:00.000-08:00

Urban Paradise wants to wish you all a...
Happy holidays and a Happy New Year!

Just popping in to let you all no there will be no Urban Paradise meeting this Sunday. We all deserve a little break but can't wait to get started back up in the new year! Make sure you drive past the plot on Ocean to see the wonderful work Marcy, Allison, Rachel and Elliot did last Sunday. New cool rock design and few new plants. Next meeting is:

Sunday January 4, 2009!!! @ 3pm
We'll meet at our usual spot..our plot on Ocean and Pacific.
If it's raining we'll meet at the cafe right across the street.
(Call Elliot at 562-786-3874 if you can't find us or have any questions)

Here's what we're working on:

continuing to make our first plot beautiful and complete
A partnership with the Long Beach water department
grants to fund our project
A portfolio to present to the city

Like always, you are more than welcome to every meeting and we really want to see new volunteers or faces we haven't seen in a while. 2009 is an opportunity to continue this project with fresh energy and to take it where it needs to be taken. We are so grateful to have you all as part of the Urban Paradise community. Once again have a wonderful holiday and a booty shakin' , champagne drinkin', loud singin' New Years!

-Rachel and Elliot

Come work on the plot this Sunday!

2008-12-20T12:15:00.000-08:00

During our meeting last Sunday we came up with the most brilliant artistic plan to use for our plot...ROCKS! Maybe it doesn't sound too exciting now but just think of all the beautiful designs we can create with rocks (plus we've already gotten the city's approval; a big plus).

We've got some more plants and seeds to put in our garden plot as well as arranging rocks in some fun designs so come prepared with your green thumb and artistic eye.

this Sunday December, 21 @ 3pm (like always!)

At 3pm we will be meeting at the cafe on Ocean right across from the plot. there is parking on both sides of the street so don't fret. We all hope to see you there...this project really needs help and energy from each and every single one of you. We have made large strides but our big goal is still so far away. Please come this Sunday, bring a friend, and let's make this plot look beautiful!

It's time for Art and Gardening!

2008-12-13T19:24:00.000-08:00

Hello Urban Paradise! (yes that's you)

Congratulations on getting to phase one of Urban Paradise...our first garden plot! If you don't already know we had our ground breaking in November for our plot on Pacific and Ocean on the wall of the main library. Thanks to all of you that helped, the 30x70 ft plot is now filled with wonderful baby drought resistant and California Native plants! So what's next? I'm glad you asked the question.

ART and more GARDENING!! Come join us tomorrow
Sunday, December 14 @ 3pm
at Viento y Agua (on 4th and termino right across from Fremont elementary school)

While it's raining tomorrow and our baby plants are getting watered; this is a chance for all of us to bounce all our artistic ideas off one another so that in the next couple of weeks we can continue gardening and making the plot look absolutely beautiful. Can't wait to see you all there for a warm cup of tea and artistic discussion!
-Rachel

THANK YOU!

2008-12-01T10:47:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for your donations, support, encouragement and belief in a our (native) grassroots effort to make a difference in our community. We could not have done this without the help and support of community members like you.

As you all know, this Sunday, November 23 was our first groundbreaking. Since our inception in June, we have finally planted our first native and drought resistant plants. We had nearly 20 volunteers show with many more with us in spirit. The project took about 2 hours to complete and we can now proudly say that downtown Long Beach has an example of what landscape should be. If you go to the spot on Ocean and Pacific you will see tiny baby plants and a giant agave. Don't let their size fool you, within a year these plants will be large beautiful examples of what the water wise landscape has to offer. Another plus, many of these plants are quite fragrant and are likely to attract hummingbird and butterflies, granted the landscape of downtown reflects an urban ecological nightmare in many ways, but now there is a sign of hope. By planting these plants and creating awareness of the rooftop we hope to beautify we are making a giant step towards two major issues: water wise landscaping and the need for community to come together in central areas and congregate much like we have done since the beginning of humanity. Instead of the city being a cold cement filled place where every man is for himself, we hope to create a community area where every man, woman and child can enjoy the wonderful things that make life beautiful: art, culture, plants, and the fact that when we work together we can do amazing things.

I want to thank all of the volunteers who came out to help, may you now proudly know that you have made a difference in our community, one that will inspire others. If you were unable to attend, do not despair; this is only the beginning. We still have a giant rooftop to be filled and we have to convince the city that we can come together and create a functioning civic center full of art, plants and imagination.

Our next step is getting together and creating a portfolio that lays out the details of what we plan on doing to this center. If you are in any way interested in helping assemble this and or have any artpieces, sculptures, plans for plants, organizations that would like contribute, ideas for helping create this as a functioning community center including but not limited to: ways to help abate issues of homelessness, can help in filing non-profit status, would like to speak a council meeting, organize artwork, curate an artshow, work with a theater, organize performing art events, would like to teach a community class, can work with kids caught doing grafitti and would like teach constructive ways to express oneself, if you have any experience in xeriscaping and ways to use recycled materials to reduce water damage, any experience in native plants, creating proposals, any experience in analyzing low-cost or cost-free ways of addressing structural issues, work with or know someone who works with the city and or any other government establishment and can help address any issues that might arise, grantwriting, finding ecological ethical coroporate/private sponsorship, work with schools and students and any other ideas and ways we can come together as a community to make this happen.

Once again, thank you all for being a part of this, special thanks to the volunteers who planted the plants and to the organizations and individuals that donated plants and the media for creating awareness and to all of you have helped and encouraged us. In the spirit of my favorite holiday, I'm thankful for my community who came together to help us all live a much more beautiful world.

Cannot Thank You Enough,
Elliot

URBAN PARADISE groundbreaking ceremony!

2008-11-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

P.S. Join our new Facebook group, "Our Urban Paradise"

Ground Breaking oh Hold!!

2008-11-03T14:14:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately the city moves at a slower pace than we do and we have still not gotten the final permission for our November 9th ground breaking. Because of this we may have to push it back for the following Sunday or later. We will keep you posted. think good and speedy thoughts for us!

University by the Sea + Article in Gazette

2008-09-27T22:41:00.000-07:00

University by the Sea

October 5^th: Urban Paradise had a booth up at University by the Sea to promote the project and have a plant sale. We had a great turnout and made some beautiful art where people could paint their own plants. Armstrong nursery generously donated 42 plants to our project (CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!??) and Jorge Orchoa, a teacher at Long Beach City College donated 36 water wise plants to the project! thank you, thank you, thank you. We all had a great time and thanks to everyone that stopped by or volunteered at the booth, bought our vegan cookies, and took the time to learn a little about the project.

the booth is set up!

...but we had to sacrafice some comfort to get there
Ok, before I say anything else...did you see our article in the Grunion Gazette this week?? Can you believe it? turn two pages in the paper and at the top you will see the title "Group wants to see Paradise on main library Rooftop" or click here ...get
excited, we all did.
-Rachel

PS: big shout out to Elliot, Shelby, Alley, Brady, and Doug for their continuous input and enthusiasm.

5th meeting notes

2008-09-18T00:35:00.000-07:00

Minutes from meeting #5 September 14, 2008 at 3pm
Present: Rachel Bennish, Elliot Gonzalez, Shelby Sanchez, Alley, Joseph Martinez, Brian Bello, Doug Bailey

Informational meeting: Questions asked by new and old members:
How much is the city saying it will cost to put in new soil?
9 million dollars to put all new soil in. Doug Bailey, a retired landscaper and nursery owner went to the roof and explained that it was good soil and that plants will grow in it if planted.
If the problem is leaking, how will the native garden stop that?
There is a technique called thatching in which a layer of mulch is put at the bottem of the plant of plot then added to the top to absorb the water. It has been done to other green rooftops to reduce leaks by 50-70%
New Ideas:
-Once the park is up and running; have film screenings like other parks do during the summer.
-Get Suja Lowenthal a part of the project
-check out permaculture.org
-We could host events at the park on Elm and Broadway

2nd Saturday Art Walk

2008-09-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday September 13: 2nd Saturday art walks on Linden and Broadway. The 2nd Saturday Art Walk was a huge success! Many thanks to Alley, Shelby, Elliot, and Rachel for running the booth. We met some really awesome people that want to be a part of Urban Paradise and felt more support from the community than ever. It just reminded us that this vision is possible when we all work together. We sold yummy vegan cupcakes, rosemary cuttings, and seeds. Combined with donations we raised $70 dollars by the end of the night! Thanks to everyone that signed the volunteer sheet and donated; we can't wait to hear from you and it was really nice talking and getting to know some of you.

We can do it!!!

2008-09-05T19:09:00.001-07:00

Hello supporters of the visionary dream of humanity! Thank you all for your support without which none of this would be possible. We've got A LOT of things to do.

So quick wrap-up, before Sunday. The city council, it appears, does not NOT support closing down the center of knowledlege in the pinnnacle of the city (the library). YAY!!!

However, they did bring up a lot of attention to this area and the council is glad to hear some discussions about this overly neglected area. Now is our time to prove to them that we can do this. Rachel, Shelby, Ivan, and myself are going to be working on a portfolio, we want to make this portfolio as legit. as possible and will be working very hard on getting it order.

As for the whole community outreach, we need from everyone support in this. You might say, even me? Yes YOU! each and every one has something to offer to this, whether it be artistic, whether it deals with plants, whether you can help collect plants or have tools or can recruit people you know who would love to see and empty park made use of. We need you. This is a community effort, and yes it's cheesy, but true, "we can't have community", without the "u."

Upcoming events:

Artwalk Sept. 13 This is to outreach to more artists. We have many artists already in many types of arts, from performing to visual to poets to artisans. To create the rooftop as a center for the arts, we will need even more and keep 'em coming!

Meeting with architect. We've invited him to a meeting a he said he would like to come and tell us about how it was designed and take a look at the damages and ways plants can fix them.

The gathering of the plants. We will need everyone to collect as many succulents, cacti, and native plants as possible If you're unsure as what these might be check out these websites:

Also we would like to ask our neighbors, our community, door to door to donate plants they may have in their front yards and can spare a cutting of. We will need to get togther and do this soon as the rainy season will be here soon.

The layout, we want to get the ideas of proffesionals/ and or experienced gardners in designing a palette that works year-round and is always beautiful. Jaide and the city staff will be able to answer questions we may have and if everyone can do a little research, we can design a few options.

The planting, finally, we will be putting the plants in the soil. we want to make sure that the plant sure they are developed enough and ready to leave our TLC and go back to the Mama (Earth).

Everyone has something they can contribute to this, everyone, ages 0-100. If you have any questions or need help finding your little niche in this just ask, this unsolicited email and you are receiving this because you are a unique indivdual with something to offer our comunity. When we put our abilities together, we can, scratch that, we will, do great things.

Quicknote: I'm unsure as to whether someone I can make Sunday's meeting, but I'm trying to get someone to trade, if not there's still a lot we can get done, including gathering plants. If not Rachel will be there to share more information, including possible field trips and go over some information we will present to the city.

http://bewaterwise.com

2008-09-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

3rd Meeting Notes/ Updates

2008-09-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

URBAN PARADISE
community project 2008
Long Beach, CA

Minutes from meeting #3, August 31, 2008 at 3pm + Updates
Present: Rachel Bennish, Elliot Gonzalez, Shelby Sanchez, Steven, Alley

Small Picture: Outreach and bring in more volunteers, create a flyer for outreach, work on a portfolio we can present to the city, work on booth for 2nd Saturday art walk, collect plants and cuttings for plot, finish plot in less than 5 months.

Big Picture: Get permission from the city to re-open the rooftop gardens as a public native plant, music and art sanctuary by and for the community of Long Beach.

Updates:
-We have the ok to put a booth up at the art walk September 13th for $5
-We are officially a part of Long Beach Organic so we are a non profit organization and we can receive financial donations and make money as well for the project.
-library budget meeting 9/3:
http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_10367372?IADID=Search-www.presstelegram.com-www.presstelegram.com
-save the Main Library!
savelbpl.blogspot.com

Ideas and Notes:
Set up informational placards next to each herb and plant (put in proposal)
-Collect bottles and things to put plants in.
-We were in the downtown grunion gazette on September 1st!! (front page)

To do list: Volunteer sign up sheet, announcements for The District and The Grunion Gazette to bring in more volunteers, work on a portfolio for the city!! SPREAD THE WORD!!

Layout meeting Thursday 10am!

Original Proposal to re-open rootop gardens by Elliot Gonzales

2008-09-03T19:02:00.000-07:00

Hi my name is Elliot Gonzales and I have a few solutions for the main library rooftop problems. When the city tried to fix the problem, they found it to be a very costly project and frustrating project. This is a big space and the library's roof leakages are a big problem. The city eventually decided that they will build a new library. Lately, however the city coffers have drained, and it will most likely not build a new multi-million dollar library for quite some time. The garden space remains neglected in the meantime. I live and work across the street from the library. In fact, from my break room where I am writing this I am staring directly at the garden space and it is quite and eyesore. As an environmentalist and gardener I'm more than willing to volunteer to work on this space. It is already zoned for parks and would require no further action from the city. I understand that I cannot use water and that the building has no watershed, however, where there's a will, there's a way. The area across from Verizon, (where I work), has a desert microclimate. This means that that this area is dry and sandy like a desert. For this space, I can plant more cacti in addition to that ones that are already there. So far this area has aloe vera, and some plants that look like agave. There are other microclimates on the roof where more types of plants can be planted. For example, in the beds that have dandelions, and other plants commonly called "weeds" we can introduce new native "weeds", wildflowers, like the ones you see on mountains and hills or succulents. Another microclimate is the cooler, less sunny area by the city hall, where jacaranda trees and bushes still are, this area would be perfect for drought resistant herbs like sage, sagebrush, rosemary and lavender. More trees, like beautiful jacarandas or water absorbing yet drought resistant eucalyptus would go great here. Now you may have the questions, like how can you sprout seeds or native plants without water? Many plants, especially cacti, I can get from cuttings donated from the community, as for watering them, these plant require little water, and once they've established a root system will drink the water where they can find it and store it. I can start them off and then transplant. This way they won't require any more water. Also to retain moisture, we could place plastic bags or discarded children’s swimming pools under the plants, these methods will not only help retain moisture, but also help prevent as much rain from dripping into the library. This is a trick I use when I want to stop water from dripping indoors through the holes of my indoor plants.. I also water them less often. This trick would be great for the plants I'm speaking of as they don't require much water in the first place. So water is not an issue. Ok, next issue, why the city is reluctant - money. I'm going to underline the next sentence. I'm not asking the city for money or time. I plan on asking for donations. Donated time - volunteer work and asking for cuttings from neighborhoods, especially, the Belmont Heights area where I used to live and see gardener's THROW AWAY plants. Many residences, like myself love Long Beach and would love to donate for this project. I have space in a Long Beach Organics, through this space I have so many wonderful members of my community who would love to help work on this project. A few of them not only are experts on gardening, but also are environmentalist who are very familiar with the need to reintroduce native species and the use of drought resistant species. In speaking about this idea I’ve met teachers from the local colleges who have a great amount of knowledge in propagation and planting techniques. Just by speaking of this project I’ve met so many people who are more than willing to help out with either time, plant donation, money, or information. The city of Long Beach has many other resource I can use that won’t cost a dime. For information, tips and visual model of a great native landscape I can go to the city water department’s native garden. Also there is the Urban Forest project sponsored by the city. They have spoken at city meetings and they have lots of information. I’ve mentioned at city hall how this is a great program, which if were actively working directly with communities can help create a sustainable city. One idea they proposed that the council members really liked was the idea of teaching community members how to landscape and take care of the city owned area in front their homes. This cuts down on expenses and gets the community actively engaged in their city. What better project than a community space in desperate need of trees and attention?This is just a general description of the plan. Of course, there are many smaller detail to sort out, but in the understanding that whoever reads this is probably busy with many other more urgent needs I chose to spare the excess details including more information about identifying microclimates, identifying soil nutrients and acidity through weeds, xeriscaping, container gardening, and urban gardening. I have researched all of these categories very extensively and have found that there is a seemingly never-ending plethora of information. To alleviate any doubts as to why this is a completely feasible and beneficial project here are some question and answers:How are we going to deal with leaks on the library? These plants will not fix the problem of leaks. To fix the problem will cost millions of dollars, as asserted by the city. However, by not watering the plants there will help absorb excess water instead of the soil staying bare and heavy with rain water continually dripping with no way to pump it out. These plants will make use of it, and after waiting a whole summer and hot fall will gladly “drink” it and store as much as possible. Also there will be a layer of wood and mulching under the soil. This technique also helps retain moisture by absorbing water, creating a buffer that absorbs water before it can make to the holes of the rooftop. Also adding plastic underneath the soil beds will help keep water in the soil and prevent as much drainage. How are you going to maintain the park? This area is dry and full of space, so it will be quite some time until actual trimming maintenance is needed. There are many gardeners who believe in work-less techniques for gardening these include mulching, which helps preserve moisture, absorbs waters and slowly releases organic matter into the soil. When the trees and bushes need trimming, simply leave trimmings there and it becomes mulch that has the nutrients taken from the soil and puts them back in. As I mentioned before, I both live and work across the street, so when this is necessary, and it won’t be for quite some time, I can just go over and take care of it. If not myself some other volunteer would gladly do this. This project is to make use of neglected space and create a mini urban forest. If you go on the rooftop as of this moment you can see how nature has maintained the area fine with just neglect! How do you plan on getting plants and volunteers? I am an active member of my community, especially environmental and art communities. I already have quite a few volunteers and can easily get more if necessary. As for plants I plan on asking for donations in well gardened neighborhoods. When people are gardening, as I mentioned before they throw lots plants in the trash. Also you can start many vines and plants just from cuttings. A sprig of rosemary left in a water for a month, when planted can turn into a giant bush. Also many gardening stores will probably donate plants they plan on discarding. These will provide quite a few plants. Of course this may not provide enough to cover the entire area. That’s when we go to wholesale seeds. Seeds retail are relatively inexpensive; you can buy 500 seeds of wildflowers for under $5. At wholesale seeds are way cheaper and would be great for a project like this where you can see them take off and flourish. Just imagine sowing a handful sunflowers on this space in fall and seeing them bloom in summer. Now imagine just 10 people doing this and what and effect if would have! Many of the seeds can be planted before the rainy seasons and it wouldn’t be until summer that you have an abundant garden of flowers and herbs. This will cost less than $40 to saturate the area. (I can spare that.) How many people are going to be involved? Already I have twenty-two people who are waiting for approval get this project started. These people all know people who would love to volunteer and if necessary I’m sure we can find more. Also, when it comes to information we have not only the city sources, but two great colleges with horticulture programs that specialize in native plants. In fact, LBCC has a great plant sale of native plants and if asked I’m sure would contribute whatever they can. Who is in charge? I have been really organizing this with my partner, Ivan Deavy and we will take the role of coordinator and assistant coordinator. However many people will hold different responsibilities, for example, helping finding plants and funds if necessary. Also, Ivan is in charge of organizing artwork, the experienced gardeners will be in charge of helping and teaching amateurs. The city owns the property a will be in ultimate control of regulations, like hours of operation and, granting permission for this project. If the person in charge plans on leaving, who takes authority? If I cannot for whatever reason, keep the position of coordinator, Ivan will handle the project and if not him, whoever is the most dedicated volunteer will take the position, hopefully this project will be maintained until a new library is built.How do you deal with the homeless and crime? The homeless are the only people actually using this space as of today. So far, since this area has been closed there does not seem to be any problems with them being there. In fact of all the people in Long Beach they are the only people enjoying this space. If more people began using this space it would help repel crime more than neglect, which only encourages it. I can not guarantee there won’t be tagging or vandalism. This is Long Beach, but there are some ways to repel it. One is to give the area attention. Neglect only gives people a sense that they won’t get caught. Also adding artwork has been proven to defer graffiti. Even if a person graffiti when there is better art, the artwork stands out and soon enough graffiti can be painted over or turned into mosaic. As for drug dealing and the other stuff that happened in the past. All of those things are a result of neglect. The building has security and someone is paid to keep an eye on this area already. Also, there is a courthouse and police station less than 50 yards away. The area is literally directly under the noses of the people who run the city of Long Beach and is there main view. I can’t think of any other better ways of protecting it. The offices across the street and condos have direct view of this area as well, a view that adds to the property value. The city, the police, the security, the neighbors and the community using the site all have direct access to watch this place. Are you planning on this being an event site? Yes, if possible, to raise funds and awareness and get the community involved quite a few artist have agreed to sell and or donate pieces for the space. We can host a gallery, on the roof! What other ways are there to beautify this area? Besides the giant gardening project, Ivan who is a local artist would like to donate pieces for display on the site. He also knows many people who are willing to donate pieces to the city. Volunteers, Stephen,Luz,Rene and Pablo also would be willing to donate pieces.When do you plan on starting? As soon as possible. The meetings and donation collecting can begin this summer. The artist can start projects and have them ready for spring after the rainy season. Also this summer is great time to plan out a guide for where to plant what. Summer is a good time to start taking in cuttings and allowing them to soak for a few months and develop roots. We can also take native plants in pots and begin watering them. As for the actual gardening this will be effective only if we work with nature. In late fall we can plant seeds, many of which won’t grow until spring and blossom late next summer. The purpose of waiting for late fall is to wait for the rainy season. This is also a good time to transplant the cuttings and native plants, which will, after being placed in the soil will not receive any more water besides rain. They will absorb what water they can and be left outside to adapt to the weather. What plants do you plan on growing? I plan on growing mainly native plants, however, there are many medicinal plants that grow in waste areas and require no outside sources of water. These would be great to introduce weedy area, instead of constantly fighting weeds, we can introduce new “weeds”. Here is a list of the native plants followed by a list of non native medicinal plants that grow in waste areas: NativeEvening primrose, coneflowers, Colorado four o clock, Trembling Aspen (tree), chaparral, cardinal flower, California Poppy (state flower) , Canaigre, California Laurel (tree), Broom Snakeroot, sagebrush, horseweed (already growing on roof) , Juniper, male fern, mormon tea, Pine (tree), Redwood (tree), aloe (on roof), Joshua Tree, Yucca (tree), Oak (tree)Waste AreaFlax, feverfew, cowslip, Eucalyptus (tree), ivy (vine) , dill, dandelion (already growing), cornflower, chicory, catnip, caraway, basil thyme, alfalfa (ground cover), chamomile, lavender, lavender cotton, milk thistle, mugwort, mullein, oats, passionflower (vine), morning glory (vine), jasmine (already on roof), mustard, Jacaranda (already on roof), sunflower, psyllium, rosemary, sage, wild thyme, winter savory, wood sorrel, wild senna, clover (ground cover)Many of these plants can be grown by seed, others, by transplants. Ground covers and vines will help take up the open space.Who will help you? This is a list of names only, I have contact information if necessary, many of the last names I spelled from memory, so they are subject to error: Daniel Brezenoff, Rana Brezenoff, Luz Mc Durina, Stephen Woodruff, Pablo Romano, Mark Likowski,April Cooper, Renee Quie, Sherine Jaharaz, Ginger White, Tony Johnson, Mary Beth Greenwood, Mary Burgess, Mr. Burgess, Steven Delgado, Annie Gholson, Paul Hoag, Zara Kind, John White, Allen Johnson, Brian Michaels, Amber Green, Ivan Deavy, Elliot GonzalesHow much will this cost? Even if I started planting seeds by myself, this would cost less than $40 for quite a few , (obviously not most or all), but quite a few of these. Ivan would like to plan an outdoor gallery on the roof. We are part of an art collective in Downtown LA called Catalyst and we’re both experienced in curating events. It’s amazing how much people will give if you just ask and I don’t see money being a big issue. I’ve started many small gardens in empty soil with just a little effort. The financial aspect will be one of those things to be determined once we’ve started this project. First we will have to see how many plants have been donated, how much members are willing to contribute and how many contributions we can receive from the community.The main point that I would like to mention to the city, is that I’m not asking a dime. If anyone has little cash that can feel they can donate, that is more than gladly accepted; however, I am not asking the city for funding or any extra time.Why are you so determined to do this? I live and work across the street and see this site everyday. Living downtown, I have no place to garden and reconnect with nature and everyday I see this space that is neglected and is going to waste. This is a space that took a lot of time, work and thousands if not millions of dollars. I would love to do something about it. Often times people see problems and complain about them, but never take action. I would love to take this problem and turn it into a solution. I think it’s the little things that tell the big story and when I see a neglected investment in the center of city, it only shows how sometimes we let great things fade and how sometimes people give up. I started this project thinking it would be easy for the city to fix this problem, but after attending city meetings I realized things aren’t always as easy they seem. That’s when I realized that the individual and the community has a role to play in maintaining the city. So instead of complaining and waiting for someone to do something, I’ll do it. If given permission for this project and it is successful, this can only be the beginning for a progressive city thinking green. Not only by big projects like greening the port, but smaller “people” projects like making use of neglected space and letting citizens maintain the city property around them, saving the city money and allowing the neighborhoods to be directly involved in their community’s appearance. Long Beach is an amazing city with great people who can make big changes in their community and making the world, just that much better. So far there have many talks in the council meetings about making Long Beach green, about getting communities to take care of their areas, what better place to start than our own neglected rooftop?

MEETING TIMES

2008-08-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

Hola, guten Tag, hello....So as for our next meeting we're realizing that it would help the project and everyone else to have consistent meetings every Sunday at 3pm in front of our plot on Pacific and Ocean. We will definitely remind you all so don't make any plans on Sundays from 3-4!

We've been getting so much support from the community and in our next meeting plan to talk about setting up a booth at the 2nd Saturday art walk in the East Village, outreaching to the community to bring in more volunteers and supporters, and also collecting plants and art for the plot. Hope to see you all there!
-Rachel and Elliot

PS: If you are interested the next Main Library budgeting meeting will take place September 2nd around 6:30pm in the Library auditorium. This is where the community can speak up and share their ideas and constructive criticism for the proposal of the new Main Library.

We're back in action!

2008-08-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

Hello my Urban Paradisers,
It's been a while and we've missed you all alot. If you haven't noticed things had unexpectedly been put on hold for a while because of the city threatening to shut down the main library. We are completely against this idea and have been trying to figure out a way our project can link up to help the struggle against saving the main library. Check out Savelbpl.blogspot.com and spread the news around because more support is needed. Anyways, we assumed that when they said the building was unfit for use, it meant they were going to tear it down or something so we've been in limbo trying to come up with a plan A B and C for our Urban Paradise. The amazing news is that they have no plans to tear down the actual building. This is great news because it means we can continue with our project in hopes of turning the rooftop gardens into a plant, art, and music sanctuary. We have so much work to catch up on and we need everyone's support and ideas to make this happen. Please contact us with any of your questions, love, comments, or ideas at oururbanparadise@gmail.com.
Peace and Love
-Rachel and Elliot

PS: don't you love our new website? I thought you would...share it with others so they can know what's going on

2nd meeting notes

2008-08-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

URBAN PARADISE
community project 2008
Long Beach, CA

Minutes from meeting #2, August 3, 2008 at 3pm
Present: Rachel Bennish, Elliot Gonzalez, Tessa Sanchez

Small Picture: Create a beautiful garden in the given plot to prove to the city we can do this. Start building a community project out of this one plot. Finish plot in less than 5 months.

Big Picture: Use entire space on top of the library as a community garden, art, music, and plant sanctuary.

Urban Paradise has been split up into two parts; PLANNING and PLANTING
PLANNING:
-Ivan and Elliot made list of species they are looking for. Thyme.
-Layouts needed.
-VOLUNteers needed!
-Made list of nurserys that need to be contacted.
-CA native plant society!!! How to grow…lots of great information.
-Send links to contact list.
-native plants!! We want native plants first.
-Someone in this community be involved in this project.
-Get other gardens involved!
**Word of mouth is the most powerful. Collect members.**

ACTION:
-Collecting collecting collecting. We can’t plant until the rain.
-Start planting seeds now in your home!
-Seed bombs…little balls made of clay/mud …let them dry and put them in the soil.
-Donations of seeds and $$ . Theodore payne…sun valley non profit. Sells butterfly -mix/hummingbird mix and planting them.
-Free mulch at the sanitations sites. San Pedro…free mulch
-set up trips to different nursery/ sanctuaries. Bring a big purse…check out plans.

SIDE PROJECT: Termino storm drain wants to be restored.
Ongoing community projects.

Next meeting:
just for layout.
Potluck/layout meeting

Ideas:
The corn field project in LA., Idealist.org group…online..ask for volunteers, Guerrilla gardening, Tessa will e-mail them, The LA chapter. (e-mail contacts and ideas), Free plants- garden centers…if we can use anything of theirs. Don’t leave voice mails at nursery’s…show up.
Tessa will work on moli site.

our 1st meeting notes

2008-08-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

URBAN PARADISE
community project 2008
Long Beach, CA

Minutes from meeting #1, July 20, 2008 at 3pm
Present: Rachel Bennish, Jessica Bennish, Annie Gholson, Raul Ruiz, Ivan Jimenez, Elliot Gonzalez, Luz Mack

Small Picture: Create a beautiful garden in the given plot to prove to the city we can do this. Start building a community project out of this one plot. Finish plot in less than 5 months.

Big Picture: Use entire space on top of the library as a community garden, art, and music space.

Short Term Planning and Planting
(See what we have, then make a landscape plan.)

A. We have been given a garden plot on the side of the Library on Ocean and Pacific
-We have a deadline of 5 months to make this plot established
-We are not allowed to use a hose or irrigation system; only water in buckets
-If there is cactus it has to be on top away from children
-the pre-existing bushes have to stay
-pre-existing soil will be needed to be treated with compost and mulch (broken up sticks
to keep weeds under control and dirt moist.)
*Keep in mind- Some plants don’t do well with other plants and will take over!! (city will
be mad at us if this happends.)

B. 1. CUTTINGS and DONATIONS
-We need as many CUTTINGS and DONATIONS as possible
(Including GRAVEL AND ROCK)
*Cutting: a piece of plant that looks like it will grow into a plant
*Examples of plants; Jade, cactus, rosemary, sage, aloe, lavender, flowers, and herbs
*diversity in plants is VERY IMPORTANT!
-Plants need to be succulent, California native, and drought resistant.

-Ivan will create list of succulent and other approved plants

-Elliot has donated $40…for things we really need such as Poppy, etc.

-Everyone is encouraged to start composting but the one at the community garden is
available for us.

-The designated spot to store our cuttings will be at the community garden on 10^th and
Grant and possibly Jessica and Rachel’s backyard.

2. TOOLS
-We have access to the community garden’s shovel’s on 10^th and Grant
-make a list of all the tools you have to donate/share
*Ideas for finding cuttings (tool to get the community involved!)- Ask your neighbors for cuttings, use wagon to go to Belmont shores, knock on doors, and get some cuttings from residents, craigslist.com, door to door, community garden, Local nurseries (search google). Ex.Rosemary: cut and stick it water and it will root.*

C. Talking to the City
-Sandra Gonzalez is the person in charge of landscaping at the library and will ultimately
give the thumbs up or down (she’s who we want to impress!)
- Present something appealing for them to look at.
-Elliot needs to present a landscape outline and or plan to her ASAP
- Convince the city that nothing will be an issue (plants)

Things to work on before next meeting Sunday, July 27 @ 3pm
A. Create landscape plans to share and discuss
-plot of land about 35x70ft
B. Start working on presentable binder for Linda Gonzalez
-work on mission statement and cover page
-outline binder proposal
C. e-mail a list of all the GUARANTEED tools, cuttings, and materials you have to
D. Assign jobs (be ready to assert what you want to do)

Sunday, August 3 @ 3pm- Have a complete binder to show Linda Gonzalez

IDEAS!

*bring in volunteers from meetup.com
*bring the 5 different senses to the garden (touch, taste, smell, sound, sight)
*back of shirt says UP with arrows pointing up..uplifting
*Myspace, blog, google calendar
*Procession of the plants from the community garden to Urban Paradise singing “Wick”
*Encourage all volunteers to learn and self teach
*native plants along the Termino greenbelt
* Post a sign at bottom of first plot with info about the Urban Paradise project