San Diego Sustainable Landscapes Program Follows Watershed Approach

Surfrider's San Diego Chapter as well as our national Ocean Friendly Gardens Program Coordinator have been a partner in the development and implementation of a sustainable landscape report program that covers all of San Diego county. A key element of the program is a rebate for retrofitting a landscape that follows the “watershed approach.” Like our work with the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, we worked to ensure that the:

1. Rebate guidelines were as strong as they could be. One member of the team was not as concerned with having them be the strongest. The guidelines turned out to be the strongest in the state.
2. Training for professionals follow these strong guidelines. The training that Surfrider, and it's partner at the County of San Diego's Watershed Protection program, provided did follow these guidelines, i.e., making sure to teach about rainwater retention. A separate training for professionals, led by another team member, followed a training curriculum that did not teach about rainwater retention or living soil, and had more attention to irrigation efficiency and integrated pest management.