The Environmental Nature Center (ENC) is excited to announce a new sponsor, Earth Friendly Products, the maker of ECOS® plant-powered cleaners, who will be providing the ENC and the ENC Nature Preschool with a range of sustainable cleaning products to utilize at its facilities. Products include ECOS® all-purpose and bathroom cleaners, as well as hand soap and laundry detergent. Headquartered in Southern California, Earth Friendly Products produces environmentally friendly cleaners that are biodegradable and recyclable.  They are family owned and operated and committed to creating a cleaner, safer environment through their green cleaners, which “are made in the USA using thoughtfully sourced global ingredients and 100% renewable energy.” Earth Friendly Products is the world’s first carbon neutral, water neutral, TRUE Zero Waste Platinum certified company….

by Angelica Camacho, ENC Communications Intern With advancements in research and technology, we know two basic principles of modern energy use: greenhouse gas emissions are bad for the environment and renewable energy sources wreak far less havoc on the environment.  Thankfully, our emissions are decreasing in recent years and renewable energy actually makes up nearly 20% of electricity consumed by the United States. Where do we fall as a state in terms of adapting to changes in the energy market?  On July 19th at 6:00 PM the ENC invites you to join our discussion with The Living Greener Series: Going Solar. Learn how Southern California is taking on these energy challenges and what the future of renewable energy looks like for the state. The ever-changing…

Hummingbirds prefer native species (commonly Sambucus, Ceanothus and Arctostaphylos) for nesting, and they prefer a mixed diet of nectar from multiple sources for their daily diet. Since hummingbirds have to eat twice their body weight in nectar and insects each day, they’re protective of good food sources in the garden and will fight aggressively to defend them. Here are some great locally native species to get your hummingbird garden started!   California Fuchsia (Epilobium canum) Hummingbirds do tend to try the red flowers first. The general tendency to frequent red flowers is not because hummingbirds like red flowers, but because bees avoid red flowers and the lack of bees means that there is usually better nectar quantity and quality in red flowers. California Fuchsia is…

Everyone loves succulents and the Environmental Nature Center will have three species of locally native succulents available for sale at our upcoming Native Plant sale on November 12!  These great species provide nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds, and do well in either a pot or in the ground. Here is more info about them: Fingertips (Dudleya edulis) This succulent gets its name from the fleshy finger-like leaves that sprout from it. Fingertips is bee pollinated and the tips of the ‘fingers’ turn orange or red during the summer season. It prefers to grow on rocky slopes or in canyons, but despite it’s rugged location it is somewhat delicate, for the fingers break readily! In the spring and summer, Fingertips will blossom a white flower. Lanceleaf Liveforever…

In the story of The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein, children are given an example of a toxic relationship. The boy only comes to the tree to take what he needs for his own life, and essentially gives the selfless tree nothing in return. The plot of the story by Silverstein parallels the effect invasive plants have on our native plants. When invasive plants take root, they drain all the resources native plants need to thrive and cultivate. They take, but do not give. This means the native plants slowly start to disappear from the landscape, also causing all the other species that rely on those plants to suffer and begin disappearing as well. Suddenly a perfectly crafted ecosystem vanishes. By planting native plants, you…

Since hummingbirds have to eat twice their body weight in nectar and insects each day, they’re protective of their good food sources in the garden and will fight aggressively to defend them. Hummingbirds do tend to try the red flowers first but their sugar content is what they really are looking for regardless of color. Hummingbirds prefer the native species (commonly Sambucus, Ceanothus and Arctostaphylos) for nesting. They prefer a mixed diet of nectar from multiple sources for their daily diet. Here are some locally native plants that are great nectar sources for hummingbirds: Arctostaphylos species, Manzanita Comarostaphylis diversifolia Summer Holly. If you live in Coastal Areas of Southern California it is a great summer flowering bush for hummingbirds. Diplacus species, Monkey flowers of all…

Folks frequently look to us for suggestions on how to make the holidays less wasteful and more eco-friendly. Here’s some ideas, and we welcome you to send us yours to add to this list! Gift Wrap For gift wrap we encourage folks to use re-usable wrapping, “furoshiki”. Furoshiki are a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloth that are a re-usable, eco-friendly way to wrap gifts, carry groceries, decorate the home, and so much more.  If re-usable wrapping seems too pricey we recommend using recycled materials to wrap gifts. Boxes you’ve saved, the paper packing materials that comes in boxes, old maps, paper grocery bags, magazine pages, old calendar pages – “brown paper packages tied up with string” can be so lovely! There are also lots of alternatives to…

L Facio Designs was founded in 2014 with the goal of creating an affordable candle that smells amazing while still using responsibly sourced materials, not mass produced but homemade and hand poured with love.  Their loyal customers make them feel like we accomplished that goal. All of their candles are made from 100% soy wax grown in the USA, with a classic cotton wick, fine fragrance and essential oils, and hand poured into a recyclable glass tumbler. Whether you love the relaxation of a candle or the simplicity of a reed diffuser, L Facio Designs has over thirty exciting fragrances to choose from including fun seasonal picks.  You’ll find something for all fragrance palates. Learn more at  www.lfacio.com. L Facio’s candles will be available for sale at the ENC Artisans Marketplace on…

Everybody likes hummingbirds; they are energetic and fearless little warriors, guarding flowers and feeders with their lives from anything that might cross their path. Due to their charming allure and vivacity, hummingbirds enthrall watchers in any garden setting, leading people to invest in their own feeders in order to attract these birds in their own backyards. However, while these feeders exhibit bright colors that would attract any passing hummingbird for your viewing pleasure, hummingbird feeders have the potential to cause more harm than good. Feeders can keep hummingbirds from pollinating flowers or worse… cause them to become unhealthy due to dyes or because most feeders are not cleaned frequently enough. What if I told you that you that you could attract more hummingbirds with almost…