January 27, 2016 begins a 10-Week  River-Friendly Landscaping Green Gardener Professional Training Program

The Green Gardener Training Program is a ten-week series of classes that provides professionals with a foundation of knowledge and training on the following topics:
      River-Friendly Landscaping Principles
      Soil Health
      Mulches and Compost
      Water Efficient Irrigation (3 classes)
      Right Plant in the Right Place
      Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
      Pruning for Plant Health
      Fertilizers & Turf Care
Why become a Qualified River-Friendly Green Gardener Professional?
  
The qualified Green Gardener conscientiously adheres to the River-Friendly Landscape Guidelines and will have successfully completed intensive training.

• Gain a competitive advantage by being a part of this dynamic green industry movement.
• Be qualified to respond to the increased need for professionals trained in environmentally-responsible principles and practices for the changing California landscape.
• Receive recognition in public outreach opportunities, including the opportunity to be listed on the EcoLandscaper™ Professional Referral List.
• Identify yourself as a Green Gardener and ultimately an EcoLandscaper, and use the official titles and logos to promote your services and qualifications.
• Reduce pesticide use, minimize runoff, and prevent pollution for a healthier landscape and environment for you and your clients.
• Diversify services and communicate your water-efficient landscaping practices to clients and employers.

Sacramento's Organic Advocate Steven Zien with Living Resources Company, Our Water Our World and Ecolandscape California will be the instructor for three of these classes including Soil Health, Integrated Pest Management, and the Fertilizer/Lawn Care presentations.
Classes will be held at the Sacramento Tree Foundation 191 Lathrop Way, Suite D, Sacramento, California on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. For more information or to register go to the Ecolandscape California webpage.

January 14, 2016 begins a 10-Week River-Friendly Green Gardening at Home Series

Learn how to conserve water and still have a healthy, productive, drought and pest resistant, garden and landscape. Topics covered will include River-Friendly garden principles, soil health, landscape design, installing and maintaining edibles, compost/mulch, right plant-right place, Integrated Pest Management, lawn care, appropriate fertilization, proper pruning techniques, water wise irrigation and much more.
Sacramento's Organic Advocate Steven Zien with Living Resources Company, Our Water Our World and Ecolandscape California will be the instructor for three of these classes including Soil Health, Integrated Pest Management, and the Fertilizer/Lawn Care presentations.
Classes are offered by the City of Roseville and EcoLandscape California and will be held at the Roseville Utility Exploration Center 1501 Pleasant Grove Blvd. Roseville CA 95747 on Thursday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information or to register call 916-746-1550

Saturday January 30, 2016 at 11:00 a.m.:  
Organic horticulturist and Sacramento's Organic Advocate Steven Zien, from Living Resources Company, Our Water Our World and EcoLandscape California will be making a presentation on "Gardening Green - From Soil to Managing Pests" at the Northern California Home & Landscape Expo at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds, 1600 Exposition Blvd., Sacramento California. It all starts with the soil, and if you manage your soil properly you will have healthy, productive, pest resistant, and drought tolerant plants. If pests do come to visit learn some environmentally sound methods of management. Steve will hang around after his presentation to answer any questions you might have about managing your garden and landscape using eco-wise, River-Friendly tools and techniques.
 

August 30, 2015 from 8:00 am to Noon:

September 27, 2015 from 8:00 am to Noon:

December 6, 2015 from 8:00 am to Noon:  

Organic horticulturist and Sacramento's Organic Advocate Steven Zien, from Living Resources Company, Our Water Our World and EcoLandscape California will be a guest on Farmer Fred's garden radio talk shows from 8:00 am to 10 am on 1530-AM/93.1-FM KFBK and from 10 am to noon on Talk 650-AM KSTE discussing fall and winter garden and landscape tips. Listen and call in to get your questions answered. Both programs are also available live streaming on your device or as podcast with links that can be found at Farmer Fred's garden radio talk shows webpage.

Kiss The Soil & Save The Soil Video 

Building healthy soil has the miraculous ability to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Two years ago Kiss the Ground was founded to share this message with the world. And it's not just carbon storage; the ways that healthy soil stands to positively impact lives of billions worldwide are tangible and immediate. Clean water. Healthy food. Drought resistance. Restored habitats.
This week they are sharing this important message with the world through The Soil Story video that they created.  And they encouraging as many people as possible to sign the petition and stand with California Governor Brown in allocating funds to farmers building healthy soil.  

This is a huge moment - California, one of the biggest agriculture economies in the world, could be the first US state to fund healthy soil as a solution for climate change. 

Please take five minutes to watch their video, sign their petition, and share their message.

Thank you for being part of the regenerative future that we can create together.

October 1, 2015 in Vallejo California at the Vallejo Veterans Memorial Building

November 3, 2015 in Petaluma California at the Veterans Memorial Hall

December 1, 2015 in Chico California at the Holiday Inn Hotel and 

December 3, 2015 in Sacramento California at the Scottish Rite Center

Sacramento's Organic Advocate Steven Zien will be discussing "Soil: Not Just A Dirty Word But An Overlooked IPM Tool" at the above Pesticide Applicators Professional Association's seminars.

You may consider yourself a pest control or horticultural professional, or even a back yard gardener. If you do your job correctly you are a landscape and pest management supervisor and your workforce is the Soil Food Web. Successfully manage these soil artisans and they create the glorious pest resistant landscape you desire with minimal input on your part. In this presentation you will learn the invaluable contributions these essential creatures make to the landscape and pest management process. Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, mycorrhizae and others improve plant fertility, water efficiency while helping manage pests. They sequester nutrients and improve soil structure, which protects ground and surface waters from contamination. A healthy Soil Food Web results in healthy, pest resistant plants minimizing or even eliminating the need for pesticides. Explore methods to maximize the benefits from the Soil Food Web as we dig into the latest tools and techniques of environmentally sound soil management.

Join Sacramento's Organic Advocate Steven Zien for a journey into this dirty world. For more information (to be posted soon) go to the PAPA seminar website.

  

November 13, 2015: Soil Is Not Just a Dirty Word: Exploring the Mysteries of Managing Soil Biology.

Soil contains an incredible diversity of organisms known as the Soil Food Web. Unearth how soil bacteria, fungi, protozoa, mycorrhizae and others improve plant fertility, manage pests, sequester nutrients, improve soil structure, reduce the need for pesticides and protect local waterways from contamination. We will dig into the latest tools and techniques of environmentally sound soil management maximizing the benefits from these soil artisans. Discover how you proper management of the soil can create beautiful, pest resistant landscapes and actually help improve the water quality of Chesapeake Bay.

This presentation by Steven Zien will be part of the Turning A New Leaf Conference sponsored by the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council. It will take place at the Sheraton Baltimore North Hotel in Towson, MD. For more information go the the Turning A New Leaf Conference webpage.

February 17, 2015 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm - PST: "Soil Not Just a Dirty Word - Exploring the Mysteries of Managing Soil Biology" webinar presented by Steven Zien

Soil contains an incredible diversity of organisms that make up the Soil Food Web. You may consider yourself a landscaper. In reality you are a landscape supervisor and your workforce is the Soil Food Web. Successfully manage these soil artisans and they create the glorious landscape you desire with minimal input on your part. In this webinar you will learn the invaluable contributions these essential creatures make to the landscape process. Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, mycorrhizae and others improve plant fertility while helping manage pests. They sequester nutrients and improve soil structure, which protects ground and surface waters from contamination. A healthy Soil Food Web results in healthy, pest resistant plants minimizing or even eliminating the need for pesticides. Explore methods to maximize the benefits from the Soil Food Web as we dig into the latest tools and techniques of environmentally sound soil management.

Steve Zien founded Living Resources Company (LRC) in 1974 as an organic farm that also rented 1,000 community gardens in Southeastern Wisconsin. Moving to California in 1977, Steve transformed LRC into a horticultural operation providing organic landscape and garden services to businesses, governmental agencies, and the general public. These services include soil analysis, custom organic fertilization formulation and application, organic pest management, consultations, and educational instruction. With Steve’s commitment to education and outreach, he quickly became known as Sacramento’s Organic Advocate while writing an organic garden column in the local paper, teaching courses in organic horticulture at American River College, the University of California Davis, serving as the IPM Specialist at the California State Fair, managing an organic retail nursery and regular appearances on radio talk shows. Steve has worked with and served as a technical advisor for numerous organizations including the National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns, Pesticide Free-Sacramento, California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s School IPM Program, Our Water Our World, EcoLandscape California and others. After receiving his Soil Science Degree from the University of Wisconsin, Steve became a Wisconsin Certified Soil Tester.  He currently is a California Licensed Pesticide Applicator utilizing only organic practices, a Qualified EcoLandscaper, and a California Certified Nursery Professional. 
This webinar is brought to you by EcoLandscape California as part of a series of webinars "A Focus on Sustainability: Season 2." Tickets for the webinar must be purchased in advance at the EcoLandcape California webinar webpage. The ticket price for the webinar is $10.00 for the general public buy it is free to members of EcoLandscape California. Join EcoLandscape California today for your free ticket.

March 7, 2015 10:00 am to 11:00 am - PST: "Boot Camp for Managing Pests and Weeds in Your Garden"

Join up for an intensive, hit the ground running , hands on hour with Our Water Our World pest expert Steve Zien.

Take Action without polluting and find out what tools you will need in your tool belt to keep the pests under wraps.

You will get

A list of products that give results

A list of what tools work best for what pest

Free samples of products that don’t pollute

Confidence to take charge against pests

This boot camp will be held at Green Acres Nursery Folsom location, 205 Serpa Way, Folsom, CA 95630 (916.358.9099).

This event is sponsored by the Sacramento Stormwater Quality Partnership.

April 4, 2015 10:00 am to 11:00 am - PST: "Boot Camp for Managing Pests and Weeds in Your Garden"

Join up for an intensive, hit the ground running , hands on hour with Our Water Our World pest expert Steve Zien.

Take Action without polluting and find out what tools you will need in your tool belt to keep the pests under wraps.

You will get

A list of products that give results

A list of what tools work best for what pest

Free samples of products that don’t pollute

Confidence to take charge against pests

This boot camp will be held at Talini's Nursery, 5601 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento, CA  95819 (916.451.8150).

 

This event is sponsored by the Sacramento Stormwater Quality Partnership

 April 11, 2015 10:00 am to 11:00 am - PST: "Boot Camp for Managing Pests and Weeds in Your Garden"

Join up for an intensive, hit the ground running , hands on hour with Our Water Our World pest expert Steve Zien.

Take Action without polluting and find out what tools you will need in your tool belt to keep the pests under wraps.

You will get

A list of products that give results

A list of what tools work best for what pest

Free samples of products that don’t pollute

Confidence to take charge against pests

This boot camp will be held at the Green Acres Sacramento location, 8501 Jackson Rd., Sacramento, CA 95826 (916.381.1153).

 

This event is sponsored by the Sacramento Stormwater Quality Partnership. 

April 25, 2015 10:00 am to 11:00 am - PST: "Boot Camp for Managing Pests and Weeds in Your Garden"

Join up for an intensive, hit the ground running , hands on hour with Our Water Our World pest expert Steve Zien.

Take Action without polluting and find out what tools you will need in your tool belt to keep the pests under wraps.

You will get

A list of products that give results

A list of what tools work best for what pest

Free samples of products that don’t pollute

Confidence to take charge against pests

This boot camp will be held at Home Depot Elk Grove, 9150 W. Stockton Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95758 (916.478.2388)

This event is sponsored by the Sacramento Stormwater Quality Partnership.