STUDENT IN POMONA

It's been a while, here's why

2010-12-09T10:33:00.000-08:00

So my blog has basically been defunct for some time. But here is a link to an article about what I've been up to.
In the meantime I'v contributed to M-M-M-My Pomona once or twice

Home Buying

2010-03-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to buy a home in lovely Pomona. I put in an offer for one and I really hope I get it. Even though the house has been on the market for a few months i made a really low offer because it needs work and i've seen vandals walk out of the property. Send good vibes or prayers, whichever it is that you do. I'm remaining reservedly hopeful.

Why didn't anyone tell me that home buying is so stressful?

Congratulations Juan and Susie!

2010-02-20T19:47:00.000-08:00

When I first moved to Pomona I didn't know a SINGLE person living in the area. So I asked a friend in Santa Ana (who i knew knew people in Pomona) who i could talk to so I wouldn't feel like a stranger. She (Teresita) told me about Susie, Juan and Bunny Gunner. It took me a while to ever approach them because well, what was I gonna say? "Hi I'm new, will you be my friend?" Well, it turns out, I probably could have done that and they would have been my friends!

What happened instead is, I started blogging and I started following their blog as well, Pomona's Art Colonists and I began to get the feeling that they were warm and welcoming people whose doors seemed to always be open to people in the community. We slowly became virtual buddies by reading each others blogs and eventually i decided to pop my head into the shop in the middle of the day on a weekday. So I rode my bike over there and finally got to meet them face to face. They were the kindest people and they welcomed me to the community with open arms! I incidentally got to meet REN for the first time during my visit. Although I spend most of my time locked away studying, when I do go out and I see Juan and Susie it always makes my day because they are both such genuinely good people. I thank Juan and Susie for welcoming me to this tight knit community, I never once felt like a stranger and i love them dearly for their kindness.

Congratulations Susie and Juan! I wish you both the best from the bottom of my heart!

Forgotten Fruits: Cashew Apple

2010-01-20T19:32:00.001-08:00

Cashews - Maranones
Originally uploaded by rnoltenius

So, it's the return of the forgotten fruits topic. Today I'm going to talk about the Cashew apple (or marañón). There is a lot to discuss when talking about the Cashew apple and it has a lot of implications as a fruit.

As you could have guessed the Cashew nut and the Cashew apple are from the same tree, and as you can see, the nut actually grows from the end of the fruit (making the cashew apple a pseudo fruit).

You may be wondering why the cashew nut is so prevalent yet the fruit is nowhere to be found anywhere! Because this is a perfect example of a fruit that is unavailable to our markets because it cannot be shipped. The skin of the fruit is too fragile for shipping, so we won't see it in any markets anytime soon. "What about at a farmers market?" you ask. Well, it's a tropical tree that begins to decline at about 50 degrees F and will die if temperatures get close to freezing. Trust me, I tried growing a tree once and it didn't even have a chance. Until I get a large greenhouse, I won't be trying it again.

There are also a lot of arguments against shipping foods overseas, however shipping via boat is actually super-efficient and more greenhouse gases and emissions are emitted from delivery trucks going short distances. So really the best solution is to grow your own food in terms of shipping emissions concerns.1

The fruit is described as very juicy and sweet and juice made from the fruit is fairly popular in Brazil. I suppose the juice could be shipped and sold here, but introducing new foods to existing markets is probably very hard. That is, until someone claims it as a "superfruit"

Source: 1 Weber, Christopher & Matthews, Scott (2008) Food-Miles and the Relative Climate Impacts of Food Choices in the United States, Environmental Science and Technology 42 (10)

Uncertain Futures and Invested Interests

2010-01-17T10:00:00.001-08:00

CIMG3128
Originally uploaded by Akanzler

In a discussion in class recently, we touched on the idea of how people deal with time in relation to their living situation. It really hit home.

Here in Pomona, I've noticed from first hand experience that a lot of people who live here are renting either their apartment or their house. I for one am one of them.

This affects my invested interest not only in my home but also in my city. The uncertainty of my future in this particular home makes it so that I have very little interest in spending money to fix my home. Unfortunately, the house needs a lot of work. A new roof is needed (those who follow my blog will remember the loss of a laptop due to a leaky roof) but all that has been done is that plastic has been placed on top of the roof. I am not interested in paying for the new roof. Seeing as how I sublease, I am not in contact with the actual property owner so my line of communication is already complicated.
(Why not just move out? well, as a starving student who is trying to save money to buy a house I have very few options)

If I owned my home my futures have a higher level of certainty so my invested interest in the house would be increased. And the home that I might own, being in a certain city would also increase my invested interest because I am more likely to stay within that city because I live in the home that I own.

To be honest, I don't know how long I will be living in Pomona because I do not own a home here. Also, I do not know what home prices will look like when I have enough saved up to buy a home. Though homes are cheap in Pomona and I really want to stay, there is a chance that I may need to look elsewhere for a home.

SO, like most renters I have a greater likelihood of transience. Thus my invested interest in the city is not as high as it might be due to that. With so many homes "se rente," we wonder why, with a population so high, so many people don't show that they care in this wonderful city of Pomona.

We studied this in relation to environmental issues but it indeed relates to many other issues of concern inside a city.

There are other cities that require that when someone buys a house, they (or sometimes an immediate family member) must live in it for at least a year or more before they can consider renting it out. I'm just saying... it's something worth considering.

(The article of discussion was "Time, Cycles and Tempos in Social-ecological Research and Environmental Policy" by Charles H. Wood from Time & Society 2008; 17; 261)

Pomona's FIRST Bike Lane!

2010-01-14T21:29:00.000-08:00

Technically it's not the first but I don't think I can justify the roundabout bike lane at the Red Cross building as being of any use to the city since it is probably only used by Cal Poly Students who typically have no desire to be invested in the city.

BUT, Pomona finally has a bike lane! and here it is!

View Larger Map

I noticed it a few months back but never reported on it. Unfortunately, that bike lane is very much out of the way for me except when I ride to school. Also, the lane is less than a mile long. A bike lane down Garey would be great, but then we'd lose a lot of parking and street parking is way smarter in terms of walkability than having parking lots. UNLESS we have the bike/car lane hybrids like they have in Pasadena we may never see a bike lane along Garey. But, there are other streets closer to Garey that could fit bike lanes, such as Park and also Palomares. There are also a lot of east west streets that have room for bike lanes such as oh... I don't know, ALL the number streets, 1 through 12th, then grand, phillips, franklin, lexington, philadelphia, and olive.

In fact, until I see bike lanes on all those streets...

Well, I just hope it happens soon.

Journey to Peru + Water

2010-01-12T21:35:00.000-08:00

I recently guest "blogged" on Green Empowerment's blog about my experience with them in Peru.

There was the link and here is the nearly identical post.

In August myself and some classmates headed down to Peru with some folks from Green Empowerment. We flew into Lima and from there we went to Cajamarca. Cajamarca is in the Andes on the east side of the continental divide. This city is known as the switzerland of Peru because of their well known dairy products. I was pretty excited because I'm a huge fan of cheese and I've heard nothing but good things about Cajamarcan Cheese. What's cool about this town is their old architecture and city plan. There is a plaza in the center of town called Plaza de Arma (turns out just about every plaza in Peru is called plaza de Arma). We stayed in a hostel just a block from the center of town called hostal de Cajamarca. Hostels in Peru aren't like hostels that we think of in the states, Hostels are really just hotels that aren't 4 star hotels. This hostel was really cool because it had a courtyard that we often used as the central gathering location or hang out spot when we were waiting or just chatting. It reminds me of how much I want a courtyard to be the center of my house. Of course this style is of spanish influence, not of the indigenous groups. We spent the first few days here, getting acqainted with what to expect and meeting with various people from the NGO Soluciones Practicas.

We were here because me and a few others had spent 6 months preparing a project for a community in the Andes of the La Cocha subwatershed. 6 months is a lot of work to be doing for a place that we had never seen before. We based all our judgements on figures and numbers on everything we could find about the area. We did research on the slopes, the rainfall, the temperature, types of crops they were growing, types of innovations their ancestors employed and a bunch of other things. We came up with as many solutions we could to help them adapt to global climate change and help them survive in a more globally effected climate.

But we finally made it out here, and were excited to be able to see what it was really like. Cajamarca is a relatively cold city, but based on our research we new that the town we were going to, Chilete, would be warm or even hot like it was back home. Unfortunaley I had forgotten that the climate and temperature could change in Peru in such relatively short distances. On our way up we found that much of the Andes is being afforested with new trees that never grew here before.

Trees like Eucalyptus and pines we being planted along grids, and some of us weren't sure wether they were the best species or not because they could become invasive.

The ride was definitely educational and we began to learn more about the Yanacocha mine that was nearby. It is one of the largest gold mines in the world yet the locals do not benefit from it.

Once we got to Chilete we presented some of our work to some leaders of the community. It was amazing to finally present our work to the people we intended it for. It being a class project that we had spent 6 months on, it never seemed like it was a real and viable project until that day. Our work was finally coming to life. If only we had really had this feeling earlier we may have been more prepared. Things like understanding that we need to produce our work in spanish for them, and many other language barriers were a problem but we were able to make it through with our classmate Rene. Rene hadn't been part of the project, but he was the most fluent spanish speaker and he became an important part of the project. After our presentation we exchanged contact information with the hopes of keeping in touch.

We received a much needed info on the La Cocha sub watershed and we finally were able to see the hillsides we had been so accustomed to seeing on maps.

It was getting closer to our trip to Suro Antivo.

Suro Antivo is higher up in the Andes, on the way up we almost hit a Vicuna, a rare species related to the Alpaca. Its fur was once reserved for royalty because it is so soft.

There was much concern over how well our bodies would be able to handle the altitude when we got there, so Jason thought it'd be a good idea to play soccer when we got there. The long car ride made me beat so I decided to sit this one out.

Suro Antivo is an amazing town to visit. Farmers all own large plots of land and everyone lives no less than a quarter mile apart. Suro is a type of bamboo that was used as a common building material. That plant is no longer found in town. Antivo means “old” similar to the word antique. The grassland landscape here must have changed a few times over the many years that people have been here. It is likely going to change again.

Most of our meetings took place in the school house because it is the only public gathering place. In Suro Antivo many people have just received running water for the first time, and neighboring communities many people do not having clean running water at all. This means the most common causes of death is dysentery from dirty water.

Our objective in Suro antivo was to locate and plot the existing springs on a GPS unit and then create tapstands for the existing taps so that they will not break.

We split up into a few groups, Some of us checked the flow of water on the existing springs. Some went and did environmental assessments on springs around town. When we returned we shared our findings with each other and began working on plans to keep the newer springs in optimal condition over a long period of time.

Here we are working on the plans for the assessments

And presenting them to the community.

Later on we went to other communities in other parts of the greater Jequetepeque watershed. We assessed other springs and conducted interviews of people that lived there.

So many people have no clean running water and so many people are sick every other week because of it. It's truly eyeopening to know how fortunate we are in the US to have clean running water.

Our nights were coming to an end in Suro Antivo and our next stop was to be in Alto Peru on our way back to Cajamarca.

On our way to Alto Peru I noticed some locals packed in hauling trucks who seemed angry at us. We were driving by in the same kinds of trucks that the miners use so, many of the locals thought we were miners. When we arrived in Alto Peru we spoke with some of the community leaders who voiced extreme concerns about the mine.

The irony was that there were many power lines held up by large towers that ran right past Alto Peru and went directly to the yanacocha mine. The only source of power for those in Alto Peru were from their own wind turbines.

The road the rest of the way was paved. Again, the road to the mine is paved, but not to other parts of the watershed.

When we arrived back to Cajamarca we took a trip out to Cumbe Mayo. Something I have been wanting to see. Cumbe Mayo is the location of a pre Incan aqueduct, the craftsmanship of the aqueduct is just amazing.

Back in Cajamarca we met with some more folks from soluciones practicas and discussed our findings and impressions of Chilete, Suro Antivo and the surrounding areas. We said goodbye to our drivers who became our friends and before we knew it we were on our way back to Lima.

On our last days in Lima it became easy to become bored because our days previously were so filled. However it was our friend David's birthday and we had a chance to celebrate. (he loves the cuy.

Now only a couple of months later I am back in school and still thinking about what kind of impact we may have had on the people we had visited.

Local Honey in Pomona/Chino!

2010-01-07T19:53:00.001-08:00

IMAG0110
Originally uploaded by Akanzler

One day, I was driving down East End in south Pomona and I noticed a sign outside someone's home that said HONEY. I immediately made a U-turn to get back to the Honey and was pleasantly surprised.

This part of Pomona is in the unincorporated zone so their Address is officially in Chino (12011 East End Ave.). But the street signs around are still Pomona signs.

View Larger Map

Because they are unincorporated, they can legally have bees and thus are able to harvest honey AND Bee Pollen.

The great thing about Bee Pollen or Bee Bread is that it is the ONLY food that contains ALL 22 Amino Acids. The Bee Pollen that they have is actually the best tasting and cheapest Bee Pollen I've ever had. It is 10 dollars for half a quart sized ziploc bag and 20 for a full bag. I generally have a spoonful first thing in the morning for my protein fix and allergy reducer.

Their honey in comparable to store bought honey in prices but it definitely tastes GREAT, it is VERY Rich and much tastier than Cal Poly's farm store honey. This jar of honey was purchased for 7 dollars. I think it's somewhere between 20 and 25 Fl oz's.

The owners of this bee farm are Rodolfo and Martha. I spoke briefly with them and they have for boxes of bees. The darker honey is from various trees such as avocado and the lighter honey is from clovers and wildflowers.

I suggest going there. There are many health benefits to local honey and local bee pollen, particularly for allergies. And there's a benefit in knowing exactly where your food comes from. The next time I head out there to buy honey or pollen I'll ask them if I can have a tour of their bees and I'll see if I can post some pictures. Support your local economy and buy some honey!

Great Inventions: Mushroom Jerky

2010-01-04T19:14:00.001-08:00

mushroom beef jerky, originally uploaded by Akanzler.

Now I've got friends and family who are vegetarians and also either have an aversion to soy or are allergic to soy.

Being a vegetarian means one must give up a lot of foods and not eating soy means one must give up even more.

I've often used mushrooms to replace meat, sometimes using a portobello instead of a patty on my burgers, (though I'm not a vegetarian myself). So this great invention was somewhat of a surprise, but not completely.

Unfortunately, you probably won't find it in your local supermarket, you may not even find it in your local asian market. I found this in a chinese market in Rowland heights called SF supermarket. (on google maps it's called Hong Kong supermarket). I will, however, be keeping an eye out for it at the more local markets.

There are 4 different flavors, the green bag is Mustard, and quite delicious. There is also a note on the bag that says GMO FREE, that's always a good sign. Though the ingredients don't state any animal products There is a sticker on each of the bags that says if it has milk or eggs in it. Unfortunately, that sticker is in chinese, so unless you have someone with you that can read chinese, you vegans are SOL. There was one that had no milk or cheese but i don't remember which it was, it was either the red bag or orange. The flavors are also written in chinese so you may be playing a guessing game with that. This particular bag has milk and is the mustard flavor. The only problem is that it is shipped all the way from Taiwan.

While you're there you may want to pick up a bottle of fresh squeezed soy milk over by the butcher(instead of that stuff made from soy flour), something you cannot find in the vicinity of Pomona. The freshest ones are usually pretty warm, almost hot. I must warn you though, if you don't like the taste of soy in your milk, you may not like it.

Bilingual Typing

2009-12-27T12:51:00.000-08:00

I recently converted my keyboard to the following keyboard

The Dvorak.
It is the only other keyboard recognized by ANSI. Th Dvorak Keyboard was developed as a way to speed up typing and efficiency with typing. If you didn't know, the QWERTY was developed in order to slow down typists. Back in the day when typewriters were in use, typewriters would often jam if a typist would type too fast. Hence, QWERTY.

I began using the Dvorak back in October near the beginning of my quarter in school. For the first few weeks I would switch back to the QWERTY when I had papers longer than 2 pages to write. At some point, I don't remember when, I stopped switching back, even for long 15 page papers. That was probably only four weeks into using tho keyboard. One thing I can say, is that i can definitely feel a difference in typing. At work where I use a QWERTY my fingers fly all over my keyboard, but at home my fingers barely move, and at first it felt VERY strange.

I decided to make the switch, even though it created challenges at first because it is a technelegical advancement, that is appropriate for computing and is much more efficient. Appropriate technology and efficiency, if you haven't noticed, are two (of many) things that I try to live by.

Pomona Massacre of Dec. 11th 2009

2009-12-19T09:32:00.001-08:00

On December 11th in the still of the night, masked bandits made their way into my yard and opened the door to my chicken coop.

Unfortunately I was partly at fault. It was the night that i did not make sure the coop door had latched.

When I woke up in the morning I found that only one of my fifteen chickens and ducks were left alive. It was the sole rooster.

Raccoons massacred all but one of my birds overnight.

Raccoons are jerks. Let me tell you why; they did not eat most of the birds, in fact only one and a half were actually eaten. most of the rest were just killed, many of them with their heads severed.

I have already set a preliminary fence around the coop so that it will be harder for the raccoons to get to them and so that I can let my dog out to protect the birds. (i've successfully gotten our dog Nova to stop chasing chickens thanks to a dog whisperer episode) I will also be setting some humane traps for these bastards and will be sending them to the mountains.

Let this be a lesson, if there are critters in your yard call vector control services and also if you've got birds, keep them safe at night!

p.s. i would share pictures but it's pretty disturbing.

Back with a Hobbit Story

2009-12-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

Hi All, I've been out for some time since Grad school Started. you can imagine why. It's VERY time consuming. But I've been up to a LOT. Really, I've been putting my money where my mouth is.
so in November a classmate of mine Kim P. and myself designed and built a test cell for thermal comfort. We also had help from my classmates Jacob, James, Melissa, and Alexandra. yau can go see it for yourself at the Center for Regenerative Studies at Cal Poly Pomona.

Essentially it is a hobbit hole with a large door facing south. We open up the door during the day and let in some sun that heats up stone tiles on the floor. We had initially been closing the door at around 3 pm but after we pulled the data we discovered it'd be best to shut the door no later than 1pm. I talk about why building underground is beneficial in a previous post.

The blue line is the temperature range inside the house and the red line is the temperature range outside. The yellow bar is the typical temperature range for thermal comfort. As you can see it did ok, but next time we should close the door at the peak of it's temperature gain. The lowest it got outside is just below 35 degrees and the lowest it got inside is just under 60 degrees while the warmest it got outside is just over 60 degrees but inside it got up to just over 85 degrees. This is all with passive methods and no energy usage.

When it's hotter in the summer we'll probably just need to keep the door closed and it'll stay cool all day.

Here's the opening line to The Hobbit
"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort." - Tolkien

Just won an award for these.

2009-10-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

So I'm adding a creative commons license so no one makes money off of them

Finished product.

Tire Chair by Andrew Kanzler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Just got back from Peru,

2009-08-30T19:40:00.001-07:00

I forgot to post that I was leaving for a couple weeks to Peru. I went with Green Empowerment to provide assist with water problems in rural communities of the andes. I'll have to fill you all in about it once I've finished catching up on things to do around the house.

More Community Action! Through the Weekend and Wednesday at DBA 256

2009-07-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

So all through this weekend there will be more work parties to help out Dawn of the Garden and Pam of the Yarn Shop.

ALSO! I'm looking forward to this. There will be a fundraising event at DBA 256, drinking beer and wine for a cause? Sounds good to me!

The First Organic Garden Shop in LA "The Garden" in Pomona Burned Down Yesterday

2009-07-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

click here for more info at M-M-M-My Pomona
there are updates from community members there as well and links to News coverage.
The owner is Dawn Van Allen, she is also a regular on the workshop and lecture circuit for urban gardening among other things

The Yarn Shop next door also burned down.

These two businesses are well known among the community, in fact The Garden is the only place that Lisa ever frequents, and those that know us, know that Lisa almost never leaves the house, especially during the day.

Bicycling: The New Golf?

2009-07-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

In New York (and Provo, and San Diego, and San Francisco) they are saying that Bicycling is the new golf. I'm not quite sure about that, and I don't think bicycling could adequately replace golf. I'm not a golfer, I've been golfing a handful of times, but I do think there are some fundamental differences that won't allow for one to replace the other. I do however agree that bicycling is picking up in popularity while golfing is declining, but it's not quite the same. So I've made a few comparisons (without addressing much in the article which talks more about the social aspects of golfing and networking):

Outdoors: Both "sports" happen outdoors, one in a very specific place that I find to be redundant and also not very conducive to the diversity of the environment. The other can happen almost anyplace at anytime.

Danger: Cycling is much more dangerous you cold get hit by a car! Though golfing DOES have its dangers.

Shoes: You can really golf or bicycle in almost any time of shoe. However, serious golfers and serious cyclists both have their own versions of cleats.

Clothing: I probably will not be wearing lycra anytime soon. Look at that style on those golfers though, I love it. Knickers also make perfect sense for bicycles. They'll keep your pants out of the chain instead of having to roll up your pant leg.

Folks early on seemed to recognize that golf clothing would work great for cycling. But somewhere along the development of bicycle clothing, clothes became geared only towards those who love spandex.

Fortunately, it looks like there are some folks who hate lycra as much as I do. This looks like a viable option, but i think there's still a ways to go.

Skill: Both Cycling and Golfing take adequate training. I know there are some people who teach their kids how to golf early on in their lives, but I still don't think it's as common as being taught how to ride a bike as a kid. One can learn how to bike in a day, it's much harder to learn how to golf in a day.

Transport: As we can see in this exhibit, it takes a bicycle in order to bicycle, and in order to golf one either needs to walk or use a golf cart. ALSO in order to GO golfing one needs to drive to the golf course with clubs in hand. In order to bicycle one just needs to jump on a bicycle. So you inevitably are being environmentally friendly, and with being environmentally friendly you are going to save money.

Here's a great article from Health & Fitness It talks about some more differences from golf and cycling. Things like Health benefits, Family time, Cost etc...

So is bicycling the new golf? I think it can be a viable way for execs to network over golfing, I think it's a better "sport" than golfing is by far. If I want to play a game that puts balls in holes I'll go play pool down on second street, (that guy really takes care of his tables AND cues they're PERFECT) and I'll bicycle there.

Bicycling is the new golf in that it is taking the place of many social aspects of golf while the popularity of the sport declines and while cycling ascends. But cycling will never take the place of the type of sport that golf is (for old white and asian men, which I will be one day except not plural)

Bee Orgy

2009-07-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

Found this in my yard today in one of the flowers on a squash vine. Thought I'd share it with you all.

Future of Housing: Living Underground?

2009-07-02T13:00:00.001-07:00

Bilbo's House
Originally uploaded by Jose Palad (modezero)

The ninja turtles did it, why can't we?

I've often wondered about the direction in which home building is going. "What will homes look like in the future?" And I always come to the same conclusion. Homes of the future are all going to be "underground" in one way or another. I put it in quotes, because the definition of "underground" in the way i speak of it can be disupted.

If we look back at the history of homes the first shelters were caves. It seems like a caricature of the cave person, but there is much evidence that points to caves being used as the earliest shelters by humans. See Lascaux. I'm also sure that trees were used as shelters, soon afterwards, sticks from the trees to prop an overhead structure up, then huts made of sticks and wood, and eventually that evolved into the modern day house.

I believe if the technology were available much earlier in our human history, we would probably be living in man made caves and underground. But it didn't and so instead, we are coming up with buildings with green roofs and living walls.

Windows. it seems silly, but that seems to be the most important distinction. When thinking of a cave, one typically imagines a dark, often damp, hard and sometimes scary place. Buildings instead, (particularly homes) are well lit, have windows to see outside and let in sun, are dry and very warm and comforting. With what is possible now and all the achievements made in engineering, living underground can be just as comforting, warm, well lit, and dry as living above ground.

Living underground is environmentally friendly on very many levels. More and more buildings today are taking advantage of the consistent 58 degrees Fahrenheit of being underground. Here in Pomona, the Center for Regenerative Studies has a building built into a hillside. This design takes advantage of the earth's natural insulation. Other buildings like that are popping up all over the place. Having a green roof also provides opportunities to grow food, and/or a place for wildlife to visit. The California Academy of Sciences building in San Fran does exactly that, it is planted with vegetation found specifically in the area where the building was placed. The Center for Regenerative studies also has a study building with a green roof that has some food plants growing on it. The same can be done with living walls.

When I own land, I'm going to build my home underground. And I mean literally underground, I'll likely be living in Pomona and since our water table is relatively high it'll look like a mound. It will have solar light tubes to let light into the home and I'll be growing fruits and vegetables all over it. Maybe it'll end up looking like Bilbo Baggins house from The Hobbit.

Forgotten Fruits: Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana)

2009-06-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

Ah, the mangosteen, the sweet sweet mangosteen (no relation to the mango). The Queen of fruits. This fruit is described as sweet and tangy, citrusy with peach flavor and texture. I've had it (canned), it's pretty delicious and definitely different. You can obtain canned mangosteen at many asian supermarkets nearby. It may even be possible to find fresh mangosteen in some asian markets but i've never seen it. In New York fresh fruits have gone for $45 a pound in some produce stores. It is very rare to find fresh mangosteen. So if you can ever get your hands on it, try it!.

Until recently it was completely unavailable in the States. It is a very tropical fruit and there were many restrictions on fruit imports from southeast asia where the mangosteen is native to. In 2006 Puerto Rico began sending mangosteen to some specialty food places in the US and in 2007 the ban on fruits without special preparation was removed allowing mangosteen and all its forms to be allowed into the states.

There is a legend that says that Queen Victoria had offered a reward to anyone that could bring the fruit back to her as the fruit itself had many legends behind it.

Because it is ultra tropical, it is nearly impossible to grow in the states. In it's native home, the tree can grow from 25 to 80 feet tall. What can be done though is to grow it in a greenhouse in Southern California. The mangosteen will surely die if it even spends a single night anywhere below 40 degrees F. Here in Pomona it's common to see nights down in the 30's in the winter. But with a green house some good design using passive radiant heating techniques could probably solve this problem.

There are also other types of mangosteen. The most popular is the purple mangosteen but there is also the lemon mangosteen, which is more citrusy in flavor and almost looks like a lemon (it's yellow) and also the button mangosteen. The lemon mangosteen is from South America instead of from asia and is described as a lemony cotton candy. The button mangosteen is described as having an almost tangerine like flavor. There are actually more types of mangosteens but it's hard to find much information on them. These two mangosteens can survive in temperatures down to 35 degrees, so i'll grow them in containers and at nights i'll bring them inside in the winter.

I have very young plants of both the lemon mangosteen and button mangosteen. I'm being very careful with these two as I've already accidently killed my jackfruit due to over watering. The button mangosteen is doing well, but the lemon mangosteen is going much slower, and I accidently burned part of one leaf. I'll need to make a small greenhouse out of the plastic bottles i've been collecting.

Building Architecture and how it helps us understand who is running things.

2009-06-22T22:23:00.001-07:00

Neuschwanstein's castle
Originally uploaded by ingirogiro

Food for thought (something I saw on the discovery channel a few years back):

In the western world, during the Medieval era (and in some places into the modern era like Germany), the largest buildings were castles. The people who built these castles were kings who were the ultimate rulers.

In the late Middle ages and into the early Modern Era, in many places such as Spain and Italy, the largest buildings were religious buildings (churches) in these places and at these times the greatest rulers of the land were religious leaders. Think Spanish Inquisition, The Pope and the history of the Church of England.

Now, look around, and see what the largest buildings are, they are owned by large corporations. Essentially these are the people in charge. "Corporation" tends to carry a negative connotation, but not all corporations are bad, like not all kings are bad and not all religious figures are bad.

I bet a thousand years ago, the concept of the corporation was completely inconceivable. I don't think anyone had written about these powerful businesses before they had existed. Authors like Jules Verne probably had no idea.

So I wonder what would be the next type of big shots of the world.

Just thought it was something interesting to share.

Downtown to Fill Emptry Tree Wells: Fruit Street Trees a Possibility?

2009-06-21T10:59:00.001-07:00

Street oranges
Originally uploaded by Phil Jackman

This image is of orange trees lining the streets of Seville, Spain.
In other parts of the world Fruit trees lining streets is a common thing. It is also beginning to gain some movement in Berkeley and apparently Boston.

There are also sites like fallenfruit.org that maps fruit trees that hang over private properties into public space which make the fruits available for the public. There is a map for our neighbor Claremont on this site as well.

In the states, this public urban foraging is gaining some footage. It allows people within the community the opportunity to harvest locally grown public food which helps the environment in many ways including the reduction of fuel for shipping.

Let's not forget what Pomona means and the historical relevance of the city. Pomona is the Goddess of Fruit, Pomona was once a great agricultural town and I believe that bringing some of that history back would be great for the city. Ontario has been planting small grape orchards in corporate parks because of the history of Ontario. It helps to distinguish Ontario from other parts of the country and give it some character based on its history. It can be seen along Haven in North Ontario on the West side of the street. There are even some residential complexes with some grape orchards in the area. I think it makes sense for Pomona to bring some of the history back along with the Fox theater and allow Pomona to develop its own character. It'll also put is one step ahead of all the other cities of Los Angeles.

Even in the historic district there are some community members that have taken the initiative to plant some fruiting trees along the street, and their fruit is always harvested by passersby, it never goes to waste and almost never hits the ground.

According to MetroPomona, on July 9th. There is going to be a meeting with the Vehicle Parking District to discuss the three-way partnership developed with the VPD, Public Works Department and the DPOA, to fill the emptry tree wells in the Downtown Area.

With a Farmers market in Downtown, plenty of people living in Downtown (who do not have yards to grow their own food in) and this evolving shift in Urban Planning to provide more publicly available food. It only makes sense for Pomona to consider planting some Street Fruit Trees.

Some other sites that promote Urban Foraging are
Neighborhoodfruit.com
and
veggietrader.com

Here is also a June 9th 2009 article published by the New York Times about Urban Foraging.

Finals week.

2009-06-10T00:00:00.001-07:00

Nini in Her Study
Originally uploaded by knit_purr

Here I am studying (just kidding, we all know I'm semi-anonymous). We all also know what finals week means. It means my blog is down for the week. I'll be back once it's over. I always come back.

Forgotten Fruits: Goji Berry (Wolfberry)

2009-06-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

This berry isn't totally forgotten, it has recently found a new following in health circles, but it is still unavailable as a fresh fruit. It is sometimes labeled as the Himalayan or Nepal Goji Berry to some exoticism to the berry but it is most likely actually just from China, like Citrus.

The botanical name is Lycium barbarum. As you can see, the "Lycium" is indicative of the name "Wolfberry" However it is probably a misunderstanding. (Lycos is latin for wolf but lycii and goji are Chinese terms)

It's gain in popularity is due to its high level of antioxidants. It is labeled as a superfruit like the acai berry (but note that oranges and strawberries are also "superfruits"). They are available in stores such as whole foods and asian markets as dried fruits. They have consistencies like that of raisins. Here in the States people will eat them by themselves or mixed in foods akin to foods with raisins or dried cranberries. Most Goji berries are grown in the Ningxia Hui region of north central China. In August there are Goji berry festivals that coincide with the harvesting of the fruits.

In China they are typically cooked usually in soups. In fact Lisa often makes soup with Goji Berries as an ingredient. These soups are generally used as tonics and are supposed to make you healthier.

They aren't readily available fresh because they are not shipped well. Only in regions where they are grown can one find them fresh at a store or farmer's market.

You can actually find the plants for sale. I recently purchased one and I will probably get fruits some time next year. The plants are used for erosion control in semiarid regions of China and are also being used to reverse the effects of desertification.

When I get my first harvest of Goji Berries I would be more than happy to do some trading with my fellow victory gardeners.

Oh, and the first time I had ever heard of the term Goji berries was from the first video made of the fellow below. (this is the second video made of him but you can see some of the exotification of the fruit however false it may be.) I had always known them as Wolfberries before.

Pomona's Old Pacific Electric Rail Lines

2009-06-04T11:04:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, there used to be a fairly extensive network of rail lines in Southern California. The removal of all the streetcars is known as the "Great American Streetcar Scandal" also the "General Motors Streetcar Conspiracy" in which the streetcar systems were replaced with buses illegally by General Motors, Firestone Tire, Standard Oil of California, Phillips Petroleum, Mack and the Federal Engineering Corporation. Those gave rise to the Car Culture of the U.S.

It is often said that driving is a privilege, but in southern California it seems like driving is a necessity, (especially considering there are exemptions made for people with revoked licenses to be able to drive to and from work, and the lack of an efficient mass transit system in places like Orange County).

It is unclear if Pomona's rail system suffered from the same fate or if it was a victim of the Great Depression.

However, the Pacific Electric lines that ran through the city were indeed some of the "World's Wonderland Lines" as the slogan for PE goes.

The first rails in the city were put in only twelve years after the city was founded in 1875. There were Five lines in the early lines Four of which were HORSE DRAWN and the last one was a small scale steam engine.

By 1907 Pacific Electric had purchased all the lines and began installing 8 more lines up through 1910:
Garey from 4th to walnut,
Walnut St. to Park
West Holt
East Holt
West Second
South Garey and E. 5th
South Gary and Franklin
Ganesha Park

By 1924 after WWI, PE applied to abandon the lines and the rails were removed in 1925.

Could you imagine what it'd be like if we had rails in Pomona today? It's unlikely to ever happen. I always hear that cost is a big issue. But is it really?

I have a personal agenda againt cars which I don't expect everyone else to have. But I'm telling you life would be so much easier if one didn't have to care for an automobile that needs constant upkeep. Plus if we had a rail system and you car broke down, you wouldn't have to rent a car.

I always wonder what it would have been like to live back in that time and to be riding electric rail street cars around town. Probably pretty awesome.

for more info on Pomona Rails click Here

Downtown Pomona Owner's Association: Good for the City?

2009-05-31T16:31:00.001-07:00

Pomona, the Roman goddess
Originally uploaded by ai pohaku

Short answer? Yes.

First step go here, there are some great points made to the benefit of keeping the DPOA and the city's involvement(and here). For example, certain funds for the land owned by the city in Downtown by Pomona cannot be relined for general funds, so it would not save on cost.

The Downtown Pomona Owner's Association (DPOA). Essentially is exactly what it says it is. But what they do is provide funding for extra patrolling by police, keeping the streets clean and coordinating events. It essentially unifies the folks in downtown and helps to organize efforts and really push the downtown into becoming a haven in Pomona.

With a population of around 149,000 (about a third are under 18) and the number of jobs in Pomona being only about 58,000. Pomona probably cannot sustain itself without money coming in from outside. What that means is that we here in Pomona need to bring people into Pomona to spend money. But before we ask other people to spend time and money in Pomona we have to be able to do it ourselves. That means shopping and buying locally within city limits. And hopefully from locally owned businesses, instead of large chains with headquarters outside of Pomona (at the very least not outside southern california).

That also means that the city needs to invest and spend money locally with some of the goal to draw business in from outside. To bring people that aren't from Pomona to experience what's best about Pomona and essentially spend some money here.

The biggest draw to Pomona is without a doubt Downtown Pomona. With neighboring Claremont quickly expanding their downtown, and even drawing Pomona residents out that way, Pomona has a lot of catching up to do. Fortunately, we have the Fox Theater, The Glass House, a Great Arts Colony, DBA 256 etc... and we also fortunately have the DPOA so that the owners in Downtown can make decisions as a unit and draw people into Pomona to help support our economy. If Pomona had a face it'd be the Downtown.

With the exception of Flame Broiler, Starbucks, Chase, and UPS, the businesses in the downtown are not large chains. Each of the business owners has a connection to Pomona. This is also what makes the DPOA successful and it is also something that slows gentrification. (by having local business owners being the primary makeup of the downtown, small timers have a better chance of making it)

People that I know that have lived in Pomona for over 20 years, have all said things like "Pomona takes one step forward and then two steps back" or "Pomona is always on the edge of cleaning itself up and becoming a great city, but over and over some bad decisions are made."

I just hope Pomona doesn't take two steps back when voting on Monday. They took a step forward by their efforts in recent years and they should be commended for it. But withdrawing participation, will indeed be a big mistake for the future of the city.

Someday if I ever own a business in Downtown, I'd like to be part of the DPOA, and I'd be able to voice my opinion on improving economics and the environment with the association. Sounds like a pretty sweet association to me.

So if you happen to live in Pomona, and you have an opinion one way or another, write your council person BY TOMORROW and better yet, try to go to the council meeting tomorrow. I probably won't be there but I'm going to write to my council person.

Tomato Tasting at The Garden Nursery, Aug. (date unconfirmed)

2009-05-27T20:06:00.001-07:00

tomato harvest in full force
Originally uploaded by methyl_lives

Dawn over at The Garden Nursery on Holt will be hosting a tomato tasting event at her nursery sometimes in August. Lisa is a big fan of her nursery and we purchased a couple of tomato plants from Dawn earlier this spring.

Unfortunately I will be in Peru at that time but Lisa will be going to the event (she says she's going to help out at 7am, but I doubt she'll wake up in time, she's a night owl.) The event begins at 10:00 am and ends at 2:00 pm. She is expecting around 99 varieties of tomatoes. I wish I could go, but what I'll do instead while I'm in Peru, I'll try to sample as many Potatoes as possible (I'll even try to beat 99 varieties).

Also my dear friend Olympia who now works there should be there. She's the infamous Goddess of Garey Ave.

The best tomatoes will be voted on and you could win a prize. So remove that lawn, plant some food and bring your best Big Boys.

For more information on the event click here

Forgotten Fruits: Nungu Fruit, Borassus flabellifer

2009-05-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

(yes I've changed it from Lost to Forgotten)

The British call it Ice-Apple, in Southeast Asia it has names that cary from Nungu to Tal. The palm itself is called different names from the Asian Palmyra, to Sugar Palm and also Toddy Palm (the last two for it's sugary sap)

The unpopularity of this fruit probably has more to do with sociocultural reasons than it does with shipping. Because this palm is a tropical palm from Southeast Asia, it was probably difficult to grow in Europe, so it never made it to the Americas. Most fruits available in supermarkets are generally from East Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. This one is from Southeast Asia, (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the south east tip of India) and surrounding regions. Because those countries are not major world powers influence in new fruits is relatively slow in America.

The palm can get up to 100' high (like the Mexican Fan Palms that are common in southern California). It is the official Tree of Tamil Nandu (a state in southeast India) and is the palm most associated with the Angkor Temple in Cambodia. It could be a great replacement for the MFP's that line the streets of Garey Ave. in south Pomona. (it only makes sense, considering what "Pomona" means)

This description is from Wikipedia "The fruit measures 4 to 7 inches in diameter, has a black husk, and is borne in clusters. The top portion of the fruit must be cut off to reveal the three sweet jelly seed sockets, translucent pale-white, similar to that of the lychee but the flavor is milder and there is no pit. The jelly part of the fruit is covered with a thin yellowish brown skin."

The tree itself also contains a sap known as Toddy, it is sometimes used to make sugars and fermented drinks. This is also one of the few genii of palms that are actually used for timber.

I found a Nursery in San Diego called J.D. Anderson Nursery that lists it as a palm that they sometimes carry, they are however out of stock. I haven't called them yet to see when they might get some more, but when school gets out I'll be doing more nursery visits to find some more forgotten fruits.

Pomona Checkpoints: Saving Lives or Ruining Lives

2009-05-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 26, 2009
7:00pm - 10:00pm
Bronco Student Center-Ursa Major Suite
3801 W. Temple Ave
Pomona, CA

A Panel discussion on checkpoints in P-Town

Guests will be:
Mayor Elliot Rothman
Pomona Habla Coalition
Dr. Jose Calderon of Pitzer College
Chris Rodriguez of Cal Pulli Sound System/Community activist
Shawn Fago, President of the Young Republication Party of Orange County

Should be Interesting!

New Urbanism vs. Landscape Urbanism

2009-05-20T13:23:00.001-07:00

A reader asked what my bias is between these two schools of thought in regards to city design. Simply put, I find both of them useful but both of them also do not answer certain concerns about life in the city. I'll also discuss New Pedestrianism.

New Pedestrianism and New Urbanism both tend to focus on the walkability of the town or development. They tend to keep parking lots away from the streets instead making buildings and building entrances on the street. Walking to the center of town would take 5 minutes or less(in which there is usually a transit station) and all children should be within walking distance of schools. New Pedestrianism goes further to almost entirely abolish automobiles based on the way cities are designed. Allowing for more walking bicycling and public transportation. Both schools of thought exemplify mixed use and mixed housing types allowing for young people, older people and families to all cohabit with each other.

This allows people to remain in their town. With everything being walkable, money remains in the city, more jobs are placed in the city and pollution is reduced (as cars are gross polluters)

For those things, New Urbanism and New Pedestrianism is powerful and works. Downtown Pomona seems to be on the path of New Urbanist values. It isn't quite there yet especially with the large parking lots, and a lack of investors but it's definitely on it's way and I think it's great. A lack of investors is a blessing in disguise. it keeps investors that come into downtown coming FROM locals. Chains and corporations would suck the life and charm out of the city. For this I think the DPOA can be powerful as well.

View Untitled in a larger map
If you look at the map you can see the tight grids and the downtown is in the center of the city which is good. the transit system is however a tad weak and along major arteries such as Garey and Holt parking lots are in the way and there aren't many businesses that I can personally use.

Landscape Urbanism seems to be a bit more theoretical. It is a much newer school of thought and accepts suburban has and is happened and may be difficult to alter. This school of thought focuses more on landscape as organizing a city rather than buildings. Adaptability and change are utilized and expected and instead of a city being static it is understood to be dynamic and ever changing. The city becomes a series of of adaptable systems rather than a series of structures.

What this does, is it allows for ecological habitation. If the landscape organizes the city instead of buildings, the landscape is exemplified. The landscape can then provide for ecological habitats and green space. Phillips Ranch is the closest to this in Pomona but it is not nearly to the scale it should be, but even more so but on much smaller scale the Lyle center for Regenerative Studies at Cal Poly. The Lyle Center is designed according to the forms of the landscape, keeps space open and provides space for ecological habitats. Phillips Ranch provides a fairly long greenway, though somewhat narrow, it is the ravine for the Phillips Ranch area to carry water away. It is also however mostly lawn and the plant palette had very little variety.

View Untitled in a larger map
So while New Urbanism and New Pedestrianism provides great solutions for walkability of cities reducing dependence on automobiles and keeping money circulating. That's all it really does.

Landscape Urbanism provides opportunities for change in situations as big as global warming and as small as wildflowers in a park.

One of the most important things that they both don't do is to solve problems with food. Food has not been self contained for a long time. Food grown in public spaces like the Lyle Center and around the Regen Co-ops becomes a problem because it is often harvested prematurely and not shared publicly. It is fine do so and grow food publicly, but one cannot depend on it.

I think a hybrid of New Urbanism and New Pedestrianism with Landscape Urbanism could provide the adaptability needed for cities and ecological habitat (food can even be planted in the public spaces) and reduce dependence on driving as well.

What is missing is private food production. One cannot grow their own food in a highly densified city without land. Vertical green walls could work, but try growing a fruit tree on a wall.

I think a solution could be placing a large center like Downtown Pomona in the middle of the city, with major arteries like Garey, Towne, White and Mission & Holt should be lined with mixed use retail, living, dining and office space (with no parking lots!). Each Corner of the city (NE, NW, SW & SE) should also have smaller centers. The landscape could demarcate where "green" corridors could be placed. IF the land is entirely flat like Chino and In the Midwest, Diagonal axes of large greenbelts could be created going from the NorthEast corner to the SouthWest corner and the SouthEast corner to the NorthWest. Since that diagonal is the longest it would take to walk, a large park that can be walked through to get to the center of the city could be helpful. Yards can remain large for food growth and as residences get closer to city centers they can become smaller and smaller, that would provide different types of housing for a variety of people. That could be the most basic infrastructural framework and nuances could be developed as needed. I don't know that's just my thought. Phillips Ranch could be great if there were more retail space(minus the parking in front), dining and variety of housing types. The retail could be on the opposite of the long phillips ranch park all along village loop and it'd be perfect. (forget the fact that the house designs are basic tracts and have no character that reflect the landscape and the region.)

I wonder if this comes off as a rant but anyone with ideas and input is ALWAYS welcome. I've just grown more and more concerned with the problem of growing food and I see that as a problem with the existing popular schools' of thought.

Forgotten Fruits: The Thimbleberry

2009-05-13T20:47:00.001-07:00

This one isn't so lost as it is uncommon. The Thimbleberry is another one of those fruits that no one eats because it cannot be found in the market. The reason this isn't grown commercially (as with most unavailable fruits) is that it does not ship well. When ripe it is softer than a raspberry but also larger.

As with the Raspberry and Blackberry the Thimbleberry is part of the Rubus genus. In fact there are hundreds if not thousands of plants in the Rubus genus and most of them have edible berries.

This Rubus, the Rubus parviflora is unique to most others in that it has NO THORNS! It is native to North America mostly in northern and western regions so it probably isn't as hard to find. The leaves resemble maple leaves which is different from the blackberry. It grows more similarly to the raspberry than the blackberry, which, means that it is more upright than bramble-like.

This shrub isn't as hard to find as the medlar tree, It can be ordered from most Northwestern native nurseries

Economic Sufferance vs. Environmental Guilt

2009-05-10T23:31:00.001-07:00

day 287 - money tree
Originally uploaded by Amadika

So, I was writing a paper on Nietzsche and contemporary problems. When Nietzsche's existentialist philosophies and that "exercise" led me to discover that it is Personal or Individual Economics that is the root issue with Environmental issues.

It goes like this. I figured that herd mentality is a problem with environmentalism and "going green." See this previous post for more information. I basically say that the fad and popularity of environmentalism leads to the labeling of something as environmentally friendly or sustainable when it is actually harmful to the environment.

It is not conducive for humans to constantly tell someone that what they are doing is bad. I doubt that most people are intentionally bad, so when one tries to make someone feel bad for what they are doing, what ultimately happens is that that person is filled with guilt or becomes highly defensive. When we feel guilty we often try to find the easiest way out of that guilt and end up buying the first thing we see that is labeled green(herd mentality). Or by being defensive one grows an aversion to the issues at hand. I'm sure we all know how annoying it is when someone tells you that you are doing something bad.

Besides, aren't people part of the earth and thus really a result of the earth's dynamic changes? We could really just be the opposite of Blue-Green algae which, was the earliest organism to convert our highly CO2 filled environment into a highly O2 filled environment. We very well could be a tool of the Earth (but that is an entirely different philosophical debate altogether, and I'm kind of digressing.)

Here's where I'm going with this. If we were instead to concern ourselves with putting in some extra effort into saving a buck those actions would ultimately supersede all environmental concerns and make them non existent.

Let me explain with a few examples. Driving: Cars cost money. Even hybrid cars. Well, what if the hybrid car is a gift? Then you must ultimately refill that car with fuel. Besides, are hybrid cars "environmentally friendly?" Not really, you're still using petroleum. So instead, save some cash and ride your bike. It takes 2 hours to ride 25 miles and you won't need to spend an extra 2 hours at the gym. Talk about killing two birds with one stone. Of course, this solution should be entirely subjective.

Food. All modern food production techniques are not "green" by any means, even with labeled organic food pesticides are still utilized. What if one were to grow his/her own food? It would cost a ton less AND there would be tons more variety! As we all know monocultures are bad for soils and growing food at home would inevitably provide polycultures.

So instead of feeling guilty about harming the environment, one should instead try to avoid economic sufferance. Not by going to Wal-Mart because crap is cheaper, but by avoiding the desire to go to Wal-Mart in the first place.

By avoiding the sufferance that comes with a culture of consumerism instead of self sufficiency, the ultimate result ends up being environmental friendliness.

Landscape Phenomenon: Phillips Ranch Linear Park

2009-05-06T14:20:00.001-07:00

P5040550
Originally uploaded by andrewkanzler

Hurry and see this before it disappears! This is a photo of some great landscape phenomenon occurring right now in Phillips Ranch.

What is happening is the Poplars in the park have seeded the surrounding area and saplings are beginning to come out of the ground. They are all over the place!

Unfortunately on my way to school today I saw a maintenance guy with a weed whacker hacking away at these saplings.

This phenomenon is a bit of what happens in Landscape Urbanism. Plants are set in and a growth in density naturally occurs. Unfortunately our infrastructure is built around the control and stasis of parks rather than encouraging growth and development.

I hope that this occurs again next year and some of the saplings are left to grow into trees. Maybe it'd be a good idea to bring this to the city council and see what they think about letting it grow. I think the problem with maintenance like this is that there is this constant need to control nature. We should let these poplars grow and see what the earth systems engineer on its own.

There are a lot of benefits for this. For example Poplars don't require as much water as turf and so when a Poplar takes over the space of the turf less water is required. When trees get old a new tree will need to take place, there are quite a few places where some poplars were obviously cut down for one reason or another. Since the poplars are columnar trees they'll provide enough shade for people and water conservation but not too much to choke out the sun, so more won't hurt. Not to mention the carbon intake and the provision of wildlife to the surrounding area (which should be obvious).

It may be too late for people to see what was happening but it was pretty cool while it lasted. Hopefully we'll see it again next year and maybe even the city will choose to save funds on maintenance and let them grow. (one can only dream)

Downtown Design Guidelines: Should Pomona Follow this Model?

2009-05-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

Today at school Emily Gabel from the Urban Design Studio for the City of Los Angeles came to speak to us about the City of Los Angeles' new Downtown Design Guidelines. Now I have to say that this model could greatly be used by Pomona. There is a lot of emphasis on the walkability of the downtown area and it sets guidelines for Planners, Building Architects and Landscape Architects. If Downtown Pomona is to become a vibrant area these guidelines provide a strong framework for doing so.

An example of a building I can think of that could use some of these methods is the Chase (formerly WAMU) building. The entrance is facing the parking lot, but if we were to change the entrance to the street sides on both Garey and 2nd it would provide welcoming sidewalks. Think of a person facing you or having their back towards you. What is more welcoming? There is a reason why not a whole lot of people walk from the west side of Garey to the east: The massive Chase parking lot and the building being oriented towards the parking lot. (I would suggest getting rid of their parking lot altogether)

These methods could probably be considered "New Urbanism" I am rather partial to "Landscape Urbanism" which takes into consideration the ever shifting dynamism of the landscape of a city and includes the extension of ecological systems. This method does include the walkability methods of this guideline but it also includes more "green" space. However this is a great start, and in retrofitting an existing city, "New Urbanism" is much easier to deal with.

With the Pomona Planning Commission still trying to catch up to modern methods of urbanism, the downtown area provides a great framework for these methods to be implemented in. It would retain it's historic charm and also improve pedestrian traffic which is great for the business owners and also good for the environment. It is conducive to business and will help bring dollars to our city.

Should Pomona Adopt This Model? (by no means is it flawless, but...) HELL YEAH!

Forgotten Fruits: The Medlar Tree

2009-04-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

I'm going to make this a new part of my blog. So we'll see how it works.

Here's an introduction:
Think about all the food you eat. EVERYTHING you purchase at the supermarket has ONE thing in common. If you ONLY eat food from supermarkets and food from restaurants that means EVERYTHING you eat has this same thing in common. Give up?

All that food is profitable. All that food you eat is grown, or sold, most likely because it can be shipped. Think about figs, only recently have fresh figs been available in the market because of new breeds. Figs were only available as dry fruits (see: fig newtons) and that is really the only thing that saved the fig from being lost in oblivion. Figs typically open up on the ends when ripe and so they were never suitable for shipping. The tomatoes one buys at markets are also tough skinned so they won't bruise or break when being shipped. And so our diets are based on what foods are profitable for business. (see: McDonalds)

Unfortunately this has happened to many fruits. And today I'm going to talk about the medlar fruit.

I've never had one, but i've heard good things. It is native to Iran and was grown in ancient Rome and Greece. This leads me to believe it may be a PERFECT tree to grow in southern California as we share the mediterranean climate it was originally grown in. Mespilus germanica is it's botanical name. The fruit needs to be bletted in order to be eaten (that means it needs to be over ripe like the persimmon) It is also similar to the persimmon and blueberry in that the flower is directly attached to the fruit and noticeable. The fruit is a matte brown when ready to eat and is described as similar in taste and consistency to apple sauce.

Here is a photo of some of it's flowers. The tree gets to about 25 feet or so and is deciduous. "medlar" was once used as a term for "whore." And Mercutio mentioned the tree in this context in Romeo and Juliet.

"If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark.(35)
Now will he sit under a medlar tree
And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit
As maids call medlars when they laugh alone.
O, Romeo, that she were, O that she were
An open et cetera, thou a pop'rin pear!(40)
Romeo, good night. I'll to my truckle-bed;
This field-bed is too cold for me to sleep.
Come, shall we go?"

I would LOVE to get my hands on a tree, but I can't seem to find a local nursery that has them for sale. I did find this nursery in northern california that I could order one from but they seem to be out of stock. Rolling River Nursery

If anyone knows where I can find one TELL ME. If I can find a place that sells them I'll share it here. And if anyone has ever had one fresh, please share your experience! Otherwise I'll keep checking back on Rolling River Nursery until I can get one of my own.

What is Green? a critic's view

2009-04-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

As a self proclaimed environmentalist. I often find myself to be critical of what it means to be an environmentalist. I have an aversion to this "Green" culture that is evolving. Even "sustainability" is shifting in meaning.

I recently heard an advertisement for Monsanto (see: The World According to Monsanto, and Aspartame) on NPR. Monsanto is the enemy of the original meaning of sustainability, BUT they are now saying they are leading agriculture towards sustainability! Well, in the sense that they can grow food for long periods of time they are right! But are they ACTUALLY Sustainable? When their patented genetically modified crops cross pollinate with neighboring crops on other farmers' land they will sue and they will win. Even though there was nothing that could have been done by the farmer. Monsanto even genetically modified their seeds so that when the plants become adults those new seeds are NOT VIABLE! They will NOT germinate! That is NOT sustainable. Imagine of those plants cross pollinate. And cross pollinate across the world. Monsanto would own ALL food and NO food could be grown without purchasing seed from Monsanto

Hybrid Cars. I'm very sorry to all my hybrid car driver friends but you may have bought into the hype, I do not find hybrid cars to be sustainable or environmental in any way. They still use gasoline: a non renewable resource that pollutes. alternatives? Mass Transit, Bicycle, Biodiesel and Vegetable oil and even electric cars, there's a company in San Dimas http://www.acpropulsion.com/. If you live to far from where you work to ride a bike or take mass transit, then maybe you should consider moving. Of course those who drive hybrids say they are "Green" and maybe that is so, but what does that really mean? That they are polluting a little less than others?

Recycling. Not that great. Simple fact. Recycling takes energy to create something new. Try reusing and buying compostable packaged items. Bring your own cup to your coffee shops, or drink at a coffee shop that uses mugs.

I think the problem comes in the group mentality. Like established religions, people begin to accept and think how everyone is thinking. Jesus was actually an anarchist yet many so called christians believe in placing heavy restrictions upon other people. Many so called buddhists often pray to the Buddha (much in the same way one prays to a God) and did you know Islam actually means peace?

It's when people begin thinking and acting within a group and become a single mass that single mass becomes easily manipulated like Hitler's Germany was manipulated. And how Gang Culture manipulated many people into thinking the toughest were the coolest.

Groups like Monsanto, Car Companies, the United States Green Building Council are leading and manipulating the poor folks who want to be "green" or "sustainable" and are making them think they are doing the right thing by bringing in the shiny and the new. And those poor folks aren't actually questioning or looking deeper to find the truth to what is actually happening. Not many people know what is real anymore.

But then, there's the effort. It's just so easy to see the advertisement that says "be green, by a hybrid" it takes much more effort to really think about it.

Live Chickens in Pomona

2009-04-10T14:29:00.001-07:00

Little chicken
Originally uploaded by hddod

The other day (before my bicycle got stolen) I found a chicken walking around my yard. It had actually been walking around quite often in my yard and figured it was a neighbors coming to hang out. I'm fairly busy so I don't go out in my jungle that often.

But the other day I decided to chase it around. It had three chicks following it and I wanted to see where it'd go. As it turns out, this chicken and her chicks have been LIVING in my yard without my knowledge! I chased it to its nest which is hidden behind a few stalks of bamboo where our fence meets the shed. Very hidden and discreet. I found a lot of broken egg shells and feathers in the nest.

I decided I'd have to take the chicken to court and file a civil suit. But, I figured it could wait until the morning. Later that night, I heard the chicken get in a fight with a cat, twice. I went out to see what was going on but I was too late each time. Come morning, there was only one chick left. Poor chickens. So, while the chicken was out grazing for some food, I blocked off her nest and then cornered the chicken into our cage(it was formerly a wild cat cage) and then locked her up.

So with this, I've been looking at chicken laws in Pomona. Calwatch had given out some information previously but I wanted to know more. Pomona Muni Codes see Chapter 6

Chickens ARE legal to keep in Pomona BUT Roosters are not. There are at least two roosters in the neighborhood, one of them frequently visits (probably the father of the chicks).

I am a little confused about about 6.9 since the chicken had been obviously living at my house. Do I need to actually go to the shelter manager and then see if I can own the chicken?

Animals that aren't allowed within city limits are Swine, Dangerous or Poisonous Reptiles, Bees, Male Goats, (and exotic animals without a permit)

Unfortunately the only animals that one is allowed to slaughter are Chickens and Rabbits, (I would like to raise ducks but I won't be able to legally slaughter them within city limits, however I just might accidently do it anyways)

So, I suggest more peole raise chickens in Pomona, Maybe we can all help feed each other. And you don't need a rooster to get eggs, just eggs that turn into chicks.

Planning Commission Meeting + Update on Watt and the Artisan.

2009-04-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

So I went to the planning commission meeting tonight. Are there always that few people? I think I was the only "non-official" of some sort myself and three others were in the audience and the three others were Larry Eagan, Mr. Fong, and another city employee.

Anyways. The Pomona Downtown Parking plan that was proposed actually looks really good AS IS. They seem to really know there stuff. The only thing I would be concerned with is the design for future structures and how those are designed. But that's something far in the future.

It's a lot to go into so I won't.

Ray Fong also gave a quick update on Watt and the Artisan Project. The Artisan project is entirely abandoned. BUT Watt is revisiting the project and going to come forward with some new ideas. The old ideas are dropped because the return on the market for what they had planned to build isn't enough to continue with the project. SO there will be new ideas put forward hopefully within a year.

on a sour note, I rode my bike to the meeting. I locked it RIGHT OUTSIDE the Council Chambers. went in at 7pm walked out at 8:40 and the chain was cut and my bike was gone and I had to walk home. I filed a report, but am kind of sad because I had just gotten that bike in perfect working condition on Monday, and Today was the first day I rode it in that condition. New Seat, New left Crank and New Rims front and back. (oh well, you win some you lose some, life goes on)

15 Gallon Tree vs. 36" Box Tree

2009-04-08T14:04:00.001-07:00

Bridge
Originally uploaded by andrewkanzler

I take requests!

This image is of the Chino Creek Wetlands Educational Park, It was taken a Year Ago. If you were to go to that same spot, your view would be completely obstructed with green crap(leaves).

Chainsaw Eddie asked a question. The basic question is, What is the difference between planting a 36" tree and a 15 Gallon tree. The answer is ONE thing. INSTANT GRATIFICATION. and even THAT can sometimes be a FALLACY.

Trees come in many different sized containers. The most common being 15 Gallon 24" Box and 36" Box. There is little difference between a 24" box and a 36" box and there is also little difference between a 15 Gallon container and a 24" container.

The INTENT for the difference in sizes of containers is based on the size of the ROOTBALL. NOT the size of the tree above ground. That can vary in relation to the size of the rootball. There is little consistency whatsoever.

Not only that, but sometimes a nursery will have just transplanted a 15 Gallon sized tree into a 24" Box just before it was sold and sometimes directly into a 36" Box (because it is harder to transfer from box to box due to the size) So There ARE chances you are getting a 15 Gallon Tree in a 36" box.

A lot of times those transfers are done TOO LATE! and that can be VERY DANGEROUS. If a 15 Gallon tree has been root bound in a bucket (meaning if you took the tree out and you can see a LOT of the roots and it begins to wrap around) Then that tree is in danger of Falling over in a few years. Trees need their roots to spread out laterally to gain a footing in the ground, not around in a circle (Arch principle doesn't work here folks). Nurseries WILL transfer those root bound buckets into boxes and SELL THEM. It is easier to check for this danger while it is still in a bucket. You can just pull it out, check the roots and put it back in. When it's in a box it's a little harder to check but you can push the trunk back and forth and see if the root ball moves in what might look like a 15 gallon sized radius(might take a trained eye).

Now let's say you've got ALL the BEST scenarios for a 36" Box, a 15 Gallon tree, of average size and healthy, and a MASSIVE 36" box with healthy roots and a healthy top.

That really means one thing. One is a bit older than the other (probably by a year). When you put the 36" in the ground it'll look like a tree (Instant Gratification Realized). The 15 Gallon won't look like an established tree for another year or two. But when it comes to trees, growth spurts happen only in their first few years of life. If you plant both those trees at the same time, by the second year, you won't be able to tell which one was the 36" tree and which was the 15 Gallon tree. (granted they are well taken care of)

So in the BEST Case scenario, the only difference is instant gratification.

No wait, that's not true. Let's not forget the price. a 36" tree can cost a few hundred dollars. A 15 Gallon tree, almost always under a hundred, say more like 50 dollars. If that tree dies, You'll be glad you went with the 15 gallon tree. Actually, no matter what, you'll be glad you spent 4x's less for any tree that'll look the same in 2 years.

Too many workshops on April 4th!

2009-04-03T22:58:00.000-07:00

Don't forget everyone, My good friends at the Regen Cooperative of Pomona is putting on the 6th annual Sustainability Seminar beginning at 8am at 341 Kingsley Ave. Pomona

More info and Schedule can be found here

Also there is an Old Home Restoration Workshop put on by Pomona Heritage at 9:00am at the Trinity Methodist Church at 676 Gibbs, near Holt

More info here

and ONE more!!

According to Lisa, The Garden (nursery) at 845 N. Garey Ave. is doing a Victory Garden workshop at 2:00pm

Here's a website but not much info

so much to do, so little time! Maybe next year our good community organizers can get together and try to do things on different weekends! wouldn't it be great to have different things to go to every weekend?

Did I mention EVERYTHING IS FREE!?

Landscape Architects to Design Skins of Buildings?

2009-04-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

Caixa Forum and the Living Wall
Originally uploaded by sallylondon

This photograph here seems to be only the beginning(Patrick Blanc is however a botanist). With Living Walls and Green Roofs growing in popularity, Landscape Architects are encroaching on the field of Building Architecture. (I hope they don't take it personally) But this is really only the beginning.

As experts of exterior design, no one understands better than the Landscape Architect how exteriors change with time. If it happens on the outside the Landscape Architect knows best how to deal with it. And though buildings are currently being dressed in living material (which Landscape Architects are also experts at designing with) Soon Landscape Architects will be dressing exteriors with other kinds of materials.

Landscape Architects are also experts on materials. They have an extensive world of materials and a great understanding in weathering and change of the materials is always taken into consideration.

One thing that permeates throughout all aspects of Landscape Architecture is the idea of Change. Landscape Architects never design for stasis. However it is common to see Building Architects design with stasis in mind (or at least that ends up being the result). Buildings do not typically change (especially the skins of and with exception to the flux of people) but Landscapes always do. Even the most highly groomed gardens like Japanese Gardens and Versailles are in a constant flux. Changes in the seasons, the movement of water and its affect on stones, growth of plants , the weathering of materials, climate change etc...

So, will it be that one day Landscape Architects will be designing the skins of buildings? It seems like it may be going that way. But only as long as Building Architects design with change in mind.

Spring is Here, Don't Forget to Save Your Seeds!

2009-03-31T19:30:00.001-07:00

Water lotus seed pod
Originally uploaded by petrichor

All you Pomoniacs out there, as you're planting your vegetables and harvesting fruit and what not, DON'T FORGET to SAVE YOUR SEEDS!

It'd be really nice if we could have a vegetable seed exchange at the end of the Summer and again at the end of Winter.

That way resources won't be spent on shipping seeds around the country. We can just trade.

Also don't forget to share your fruits and vegetables with your neighbors. I've got a bunch of All Reds Potatoes growing I'd love to trade with some others. (I've even got some Lemon Tree seedlings I'm willing to trade)

I will be glad to organize such an event.

Underpass vs. Overpass

2009-03-29T19:51:00.001-07:00

Pomona Train Station Pomona, California
Originally uploaded by saimo_mx70

I'm sure everyone recognizes this photo. It's of the Pomona Train station. This is also the location of the Garey Ave. underpass.

See, here in Pomona we have Underpasses. Overpasses aren't as popular. We've got three underpasses that dip down under the rails. A lot of excavation must have taken place to get the road carved down under an existing rail line. Residents used to have to just sit and wait for the train to cross in order to get to the other side of the tracks.

But today, I rode my bike to Montclair. Overpasses are all the rage in that city. Over the same rail the road is lifted up over the train instead of sent under.

I never really paid much attention to the differences when walking or driving. But riding a bike? There is a HUGE difference. While in a car one doesn't use much energy, it's all in the foot and gas pedal. While walking it doesn't really matter what you do first, go down or go up, the same amount of energy is generally used.

But on a BIKE? Pomona? Thank you for those underpasses! With an underpass you could use the bikes momentum going down for most of the energy coming back up. Less energy is used in pedaling in order to get back up the hill.

"But Andrew, don't you gain some of that energy back when going down after an overpass?" Well, sometimes you do but that's only of you're lucky. You're most likely going to hit a traffic light or a stop sign right after that overpass (underpass included) So all that momentum you've gained after the overpass is lost 'cause you've got to stop.

If you're familiar with how roller coasters work it's basically the same concept. But on the streets you have to stop, so would you rather have that momentum before or after going up hill?

Underpasses win, at least when it comes to bicycling.

Unfortunate Events, what's goin' on?

2009-03-27T19:29:00.001-07:00

click on the picture to enlarge

It's not often I hear the Police Helicopter in the late afternoon or early evening, but here in south Pomona on Towne between Lexington and Philadelphia a helicopter was circling overhead around 6:00pm.

I noticed it on the way home on my bike, I jokingly thought to myself "the police are following me!" but when I turned onto Towne I noticed what it was. The police wouldn't let me by so I would eventually have to go around. I did get a snapshot with my camera phone. (i swear every i forget my camera i wish i had it with me). Yo can't tell from the photo but there is at least one Ontario PD car, a large armored police vehicle, and even an animal control truck. I saw some armored men with helmets and all enter the home it was at and I also did see a pit bull being put into the animal control truck.

I eventually turned around and went the long way home, does anyone know what was going on? I was considering asking, but not sure if it was my place to or not. It was pretty unusually for this to happen during the day. At least the bike ride was nice, I rode halfway through carbon canyon and back.

CAL POLY POMONA: NCAA FINALS Division II

2009-03-26T17:29:00.000-07:00

Cal Poly POMONA is in the NCAA Finals! For the Firs time in History! Is there ANY Place in Pomona (other than my campus) that is going to PLAY this on their TELEVISIONS??

It'll be on Saturday March 28th. at 10am! Channel 2

Cal Poly Pomona: NCAA Final Four Division II

2009-03-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

Cal Poly Pomona was the lowest seed in the Elite Eight and the largest school. Now they are in the Final Four of the NCAA Division II Championships.

Too bad there isn't a bar around town that can stream Live Video online or I'd be there watching the game!

If anyone wants to watch the game it'll be on CBS's College Sports network live at 3pm TODAY

Pomona's Radio Station? Hot 92.3 and KDAY 93.5

2009-03-24T22:42:00.000-07:00

I am one of those folks that says "I like everything" and I really do mean it. I enjoy all types of music from Broken Beat to Country and Classical to Classic Rock. But, most people don't know this, but I'm partial to "Old School" (more specifically James Brown to Curtis Mayfield type stuff). I grew up listening to KRTH 101.1 so it's only natural that I connect with music a few decades too late. ;)

So when I'm in my car I generally tune in to four stations. That would be 89.1(same as 89.3), 89.9, 92.3 and 93.5(the new KDAY)

The first two are obviously public radio stations and when I'm in the mood for music and it's a weekday I'll tune into KDAY or HOT 92.3

The point here is: I've noticed a LOT of callers to these two stations are from Pomona. It is a guarantee that I'll hear at least one caller per day from Pomona, either requesting or song or trying to win something.

Is this Pomona's radio station? Might it be a good idea to promote community events through these radio stations? I think I will look into that in the future. Anyone else who is trying to reach out to Pomoniacs out there I would suggest these two radio stations. Hot 92.3 and 93.5 KDAY(aka the beat)

Just remember to always Make it Funky.

SAVE THE DATE: APRIL 4th! (FREE event in Pomona)

2009-03-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

Come one come ALL to the Sustainability Seminar in Pomona at 341 Kingsley Ave. on April 4th FREE

Here's a schedule of Events (it's hard to read so just click on the link above.)

I'll definitely be attending the beginners beekeeping, edible mushroom cultivation and transition towns

I hope to see many of the other bloggers there and other community members. You'll get to meet some interesting some eccentric and just some plain old normal members of the community that have some skills and ideas to share.

Private Vegetables

2009-03-17T17:18:00.001-07:00

Private vegetables
Originally uploaded by xiaming

When I talk about major changes is a result of our global economy and global warming what I'm actually talking about is the change in our daily lives.

And this is what I'm talking about most. "Ten Winners in the Recession - #1"

While we are used to having a supermarket around the corner, it is only a matter of time until most people on the street are growing their own vegetables and even their own meats.

Our neighbors have chickens and a pair of roosters that sometimes escape into our yard. Does anyone remember victory gardens? Growing your own vegetables is fun, it's easy and it's only a tiny piece of what is coming to be known as urban homesteading. Instead of buying complete products at the market we can do the processes ourselves.

We would no longer have food that is grown for its ability to ship well, we'll have food grown for the quality of the taste and nutrition. (remember quality over quantity?) That can only happen with homegrown food.

It's just unfortunate that some cities don't even allow chickens. You can own a dog that barks all night (not to mention it might kill a baby) but a chicken that clicks and gives you food is illegal? Laws like that NEED to change.

It doesn't stop at vegetables and chickens. it goes beyond that. Try brewing your own beer. Try mending your own clothes. Instead of flushing all that water out of your washing machine, use a safe cleaner and reuse that water to water your garden. Why not? it's such a waste and you'll save a couple of bucks.

If you don't know where to start, the folks at the Homegrown Evolution blog can help you out, they even have a book out called "The Urban Homestead" which I had mentioned in a previous post

If there's one thing I am more than an environmentalist it's that I'm cheap(though that may be a result of circumstances). If it doesn't save me money I probably won't do it. That's why I only hit Trader Joe's and the like when there are sales. (It's a different story for specialty shops because they ARE cheap).

So get some private vegetables and share your seeds and chicken eggs.

adaptability

2009-03-15T14:58:00.001-07:00

like water that molds itself to any environment, adaptability under nature rather than the mastery of her, allows for the ability to integrate into a globally affected environment rather than to assimilate.

Change is Good

2009-03-12T11:42:00.001-07:00

Moon Eclipse
Originally uploaded by toptoolpro

One thing I've noticed that is obvious in speaking with some of my artistic friends is their desire for change. Many of them are trying to break this invisible barrier of creating something new, something that hasn't been seen before. Some of them want to see a dramatic shift happen while others want to be a part of that.

With the last election, all the political promises were about "Change" Obama's slogan "Change we can believe in"

I think this desire for change and something different is something that is deeply seeded within the human psyche.

The problem comes in when our surroundings and our world is designed to be static. Our cities and buildings are meant to be in a permanent state, never changing. The basis of our government is meant to be the end all be all solution that should never change. When sidewalks are paved it is meant to keep that space it is paved over in the same state for as long as possible. Corporations design their businesses to constantly be bringing in money a consistent state of profit.

BUT, our world shifts and changes around us and we must adapt to those changes. Let's start at the smallest scale of time. the Day, There is night and day, and Night and day are never the same one day to the next. in the Summer days are longer. That brings me to the seasons. In a year the seasons change Spring Summer Fall Winter.

Then there's the BIG one (not the most recent one but a big one). GLOBAL WARMING. Our entire planet is shifting in a direction that we all never expected it to. Why didn't we expect it to change? because we expect everything to stay the same. But what do we do? We Adapt, we embrace this change, shift the crops that we grow, prepare for more el ninos and flash floods, stop growing plants that don't grow in our changing climate and change the foods we eat to something that is more adaptable.

Now the most recent one. The global ECONOMIC climate. It is foolish to assume that everything is going to be ok and everything is going to return to the way things were. I'm not saying that this is NOT going to happen. Been our world has proven time and time again that it is NOT static, it changes and it shifts no matter what we TRY to make it do. While we can remain hopeful, we need to keep in mind what we might do if things do NOT get better in our lifetimes. If it's not our generation that experiences something so terrible it will be one in the future. Don't ignore your intuitive senses that are bracing for change and adaption.

Change is good. one example is the explosion of Pomona blogs. With our voices reaching a broader "audience" maybe our city will shift in the garden of eden it once was.

Graffiti in Pomona, Fighting Fire with Fire?

2009-03-10T22:46:00.001-07:00

From the Street
Originally uploaded by andrewkanzler

Along Holt, west of Hamilton, on the north side of the street, I ran into what looked like a Bar-B-Q and a large group of Graffiti artists.
I recognized one of them, it was "Worm" I mentioned him in a previous post about graffiti

Worm invited me into the fenced off area to come check out the activity, (the figure next to his tag was by a friend of his, I forget his name, but he gave me his real name anyways which I am reluctant to publish for safety reasons) there were a LOT of people, quite a bit in fact, and a lot of faces I hadn't seen before.

This guy even came out from the San Fernando Valley (if I remember correctly)

There was even some semi professional filming going on of the artist Neko.
Many of these artists are extremely talented, and if you go back to my previously mentioned old post on Graffiti, and take a look at the photos and then go and visit the location you will notice that the graffiti looks almost exactly as it was back in October. It was not written over or tagged over with the type of Graffiti(or tagging) I might find on my sidewalk (which lacks artistic talent) And as you can see by these photos Graffiti has it's own kind of community, much like us bloggers who all have blogging and a sense of community activism in common, or maybe those involved in neighborhood watch programs, or even book clubs as a community. The only difference is these people belong to an "underground" community. What happens is at some point is that many people how do graffiti develop a level of respect for those that write graffiti with a certain amount of artistic value.
What's interesting, and I sort of follow this, is that Southern California Graffiti has always lacked in artistic value. San Francisco has long been a hub for great Graffiti artists and as we all know New York as well as it is the birthplace (See: Style Wars)

What would you rather have? This? or

This?
I'm not exactly sure where this is going, but if the greater community recognizes the talent of these people and encourages the "quality" type of graffiti over the other there is a chance that the bad stuff may become less. Pomona may also become a well known mecca for street artists. With our Artist's colony how can we pick and choose and exclude those that "commit" art because it is different? It may in fact be a solution to making the city clean.

Did anyone notice the new Mural at Dynamic Grafx at 1192 N. Garey? That was done by a Graffiti artist, unfortunately I didn't get a shot of him working on at as I was in a hurry and driving. (maybe I'll get a shot of the finished product) But take a look at the work on Garey it might be something more relevant than what we take it for

Public Art in Pomona

2009-03-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

tomorrow (March 9th) morning around 8 am an anonymous underground artist is putting up an installation on Ridgeway and Valley(Holt) in Pomona on the southeast corner (it's a bus stop.)

Tonight I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak of what is going there.

What is it? I'm not allowed to say, you'll just have to take the bus and see for yourself.

Tire Chair by Andrew Kanzler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

How Does Your City Emerge?

2009-03-04T22:29:00.001-08:00

A City Emerges
Originally uploaded by ZenPhoria

I have just one (maybe 2) question(s). One question especially for those involved in the design and creation of cities. "How does your city emerge?"

Cities crystallize like halite into buildings and infrastructure. Just like crystals growing from the earth. Our network of roadways is like a complex series of ant farms (though a bit less complex as our paths are mostly flat). Cities grow from something.

But what do they grow from? Do they grow from the earth which they are located on? Are the ideas native to the landscape with which they are in? Or are these emerging cities masking over the language that exists? Are they paving over a system that could be beneficial and utilizable?

Whose idea was it to build Los Angeles or Pomona the way it is built? Why is it built that way? is it an imported idea and process? Is it not invasive but impossible to sustain? CAN it sustain itself?

I don't think that the modern design of cities and urban arenas are thought of as something that grows from where it is. I think cities are designed to pave over a "hostile" environment. But, unfortunately, the environments that we have paved over, aren't actually hostile. They are actually pieces of this complex system which help sustain us HUMANS, PEOPLE.

So how should we design our cities? I'm never quite sure. But we cannot pave over it. This is America, we aren't supposed to assimilate the landscape, we are supposed to integrate with it. Somehow a city needs to emerge from what is already there. Not just the materials but also the language of the place, the existing systems and environments should be the framework for our cities. A concrete sidewalk in New York should NOT be the same as a sidewalk in L.A. (it can be argued that there shouldn't even be concrete sidewalks at all)

So. How does OUR city emerge?

I'll be back up in one week

2009-02-24T21:10:00.000-08:00

I plan to be back up in one week, stay tuned. I've got a lot on my mind. 12-16 hour days are just KILLING me!

Stay tuned, I'll be right back.

2009-02-10T22:09:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to get Solar Panels put onto the student union (officially the Bronco Student Center) in order to make it carbon neutral. that means i'm putting in extra hours with my school and not enough on the blog. But don't worry. once it gets approved. I'll be back. See you all at the Second Saturday art walk on second street. Pomona!

in the meantime. SAVE THE DATE FOR FEBRUARY 24th!
Community dinner at the Center for Regenerative Studies at Cal Poly.
ERIK KNUTSEN will present he's the author of "The Urban Homestead"
Starts at 6pm. Bring a dish. it's like a big potluck!

Mexican Coke!

2009-01-23T18:25:00.001-08:00

I love coke that is made in Mexico. Why? Instead of High Fructose Corn Syrup they use real Sugar from sugar cane. Why not drink Coke Zero? One word, "Aspartame". I avoid it at all costs, the evil company Monsanto created it and it's bad for you.

The other night I went shopping for Chinese New Years supplies in Alhambra and they supermarket had Coke made in Mexico, Not only is the coke without sugar it also doesn't use plastic! the bottles are GLASS! Do you know what that means? No Fossil Fuels! AND the bottles can be reused for whatever purpose one desires!

Real Sugar? Real glass bottles? I would never drink soda but thank God for Mexican Coke!

So does anyone know where I can get some Coca-Cola Hecho En Mexico in Pomona? Refresco!

Mexican Immigrants: An Invasive Species?

2009-01-18T11:59:00.001-08:00

palm silhouettes
Originally uploaded by hortulus

Now that I've got your attention, let's talk about another invasive group; the Europeans and their take over of the Americas, after all Mexicans are indigenous descendants of the Aztecs(but even Aztecs are from "south of the border" you say? I know!). JUST KIDDING! I won't be talking about People this post.

But really this isn't about people, or indigenous people (or is it?). This is about plants(and animals if you so wish). So what is an invasive species? Wikipedia claims there are three definitions. The first being:

The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species (e.g. plants or animals) that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically.

The second:
broadens the boundaries to include both native and non-native species that heavily colonize a particular habitat.

The third:
is an expansion of the first and defines an invasive species as a widespread non-indigenous species.

Most people, when talking about invasive species are talking about the first one. But, there are those that argue that there is no such thing as an invasive species. Let's refer to Darwin, let's go back to evolution. Survival of the Fittest!

Most argue that invasive species take over already established ecologies, choke out existing species and possibly cause extinction. But hasn't that always been happening? Hasn't that been happening for billions of years? Where are the dinosaurs? where are the Saber Toothed Tigers!? Evolution occurs when one species becomes extinct in favor of another. So where does that put invasive species?

Humans can very well be considered invasive, not just to each other but also to other environmental issues. An article I just read, states that (while human induced evolution has always been known) trophy hunting is also speeding up the process, causing some animals to reproduce sooner and remain smaller. Humans are also known to bring plants and animals from for away lands that are invasive.

But then there is the natural process, it's a very grey area. for example, I did a post a while back about California Fan Palms and Mexican Fan Palms in Pomona. Mexican Fan Palms are considered invasive, they take over California Sycamores' natural breeding grounds. However, Mexico is RIGHT NEXT DOOR! Wouldn't birds naturally bring seeds over during migration patterns? Absolutely! At some point the evolutionary process would eventually bring the MFP's all the way up to California anyways, the border is just an imaginary line!

Confusing? Well, I am definitely confused, I am in no way making an official stance on invasive species. Invasive species affect already established ecological systems. but maybe it's part of the evolutionary process. who knows!? I sure as hell don't!

In Australia the removal of one invasive species allows for the explosion of another even MORE invasive species. Maybe if we allow all the invasive species to move in to this tiny island, it would balance itself out? If one goes deep enough into it, it becomes a can of worms. I'm going to stay on the surface for now.

Best view of Pomona (South Pomona)

2009-01-15T22:15:00.000-08:00

When I drive home from work I get, what I think is the best view of South Pomona's landscape. The view is looking north and can only be seen from the northbound Rio Rancho Exit off of the 71 freeway. Unfortunately I haven't been able to take a photograph of the view because I just haven't grown the cajones to get out on this two lane exit. Here's a map.

View Larger Map
I suggest everyone make someone else drive and sit in the passenger seat while taking this exit. The best view is Usually in mid to late spring when the Pyrus (pear) trees are flowering white. What I like about this view is that one can barely see the houses, it looks like a dense forest from this strange exit.
The exit itself is very strange indeed. It is the last exit before the 71 turns into regular street with traffic lights. Because of this, the exit is a long two lane bridge that separates from the rest of the 71. It's like the 57/60 northbound carpool lane in Diamond Bar or the 55 to the 5 carpool lane in Santa Ana.

Poly Post: Another Bad College Newspaper (venting)

2009-01-12T23:05:00.001-08:00

The Poly Post is our University's newspaper. And I have same major issues with it.

There are a handful of new columns. "Dan in Real Life," "Sex Ed," "Fashionistas," and "Foul Play"
Dan of "Dan in Real Life" recently made a stereotype of the Jew saying "bring out your inner Jew," his version of an apology was something along the lines of saying (this is not a direct quote) "I'm a Jew so it's ok for me to perpetuate a stereotype of Jews" That's a pretty weak argument and it's also very narrow minded.
Then there's Ed of "Sex Ed" what bothers me is that this column is in the "News" section and not the "Opinion" section because that is exactly what it is. This is an editorial about a Christian who is a virgin and wants to wait until marriage for sex. His views are also narrow minded perpetuating stereotypes that people who have sex before marriage consider that to be the only part of a relationship. He gives his reasons for staying away from sex before marriage, but actually he doesn't, he just says what makes a relationship, which, is NO different then for people who do have sex and have a meaningful relationship. He implies in his writing that sex and meaningful relationships are mutually exclusive. It mostly bothers me that this is considered "NEWS" it belongs in the opinions section. and considering how conservative leaning our university already is, it does not offer alternative views.
These are editorials, I understand that. But they are opinion and they belong in the opinion section. News should really be balanced and fair and these editorials are not.
Not only that but the editorials do not push any new ideas. And in many aspects do not discuss issues that matter. Will Ed ever discuss gay marriage(he may have to understand that gay people exist first)? Will Dan in Real Life (who by the way ripped off his title from a movie about a guy named Dan with an editorial) ever swallow his pride admit to perpetuating a negative stereotype and maybe one day discuss issues that really matter? Will he say something that's more than obvious? (be frugal in this economy, duh?)

Why isn't there an environmental editorial? What about a political column? Local politics? economics?

And WHY THE HELL doesn't the Poly Post get outside of its Cal Poly bubble that it's so happy in and go out into the CITY of POMONA and discuss what's going on THERE!? Do they even KNOW what's going on with Chief Romero? Do they CARE about city blight? Is one article on Downtown's nightlife enough? Without a City newspaper the Poly Post has this GREAT opportunity to pick up some of the slack, but for some reason they're more interested in their own personal agendas! that's upsetting to me! I want to be proud of my school!

I know I sound whiny, but I've been holding my tongue about the quality of the paper and with the slew of new, low quality editorials, I just can't help it anymore
(vent over)

Pomona PD vs. LA County Sheriff: The "Sustainable" Choice.

2009-01-07T11:45:00.001-08:00

Police Pyramid II
Originally uploaded by Pilot Productions

Holidays are over so it's back to some serious blogging!

I feel left out on this discussion over the future of the police department so I figured I'd exercise my education. I've done a lot of exercises on the creation of sustainable models in ALL things. So I'll be comparing the Pomona Police with the LA County Sheriff to see which one is more sustainable. (we're talking about the root of sustainable, long lasting, self sustaining, good for society, environment and economy.)

The above picture shows the model of the structure of the LA County Sheriff. Let me explain. The bottom four cops represent the multitude of the cities that the LA County Sheriff serves. The remainder of the pyramid is representative of the multitude of people or departments that the individual city departments must report to. The guy on top of course being Sheriff Lee Baca.

Dewy Web
Originally uploaded by shesnuckinfuts

Having individual local police would essentially have individual "motorcycle cops" (bottoms of the pyramid without tops). creating instead a web of police departments like THIS image, each point of connection is a single police department, some of them bigger some smaller some connected some not. If one connection is lost then the others are still functionable.

The web construct is the sustainable model. Let me explain why. With the pyramid model it is much more difficult to get to the main on top from the departments on bottom. The sustainable web model instead creates an individualized department easy to get to the man in charge thus serving the local people better(society). Money remains in one spot instead of being funneled to the man on top, and it is more easily spread to those that deserve it(economy). It is harder to see how this works in terms of environment but the locational value of the police department is key. It is a local department which creates less of an impact on the environment, also it being a local department in which the people in charge are easier to reach it also make it easier for us to have an influence (which would really be society, but i'm sure you can begin seeing how that affects environment.)

So the sustainable choice in short answer? Local Pomona Police. no more pyramids please!

My New Favorite Juice Bar: Lady Fresa

2008-12-27T20:22:00.000-08:00

Tonight Lisa and I drove by Lady Fresa on the NW corner of Garey and Grand. Lisa had been wanting to go for some frozen yogurt and I wanted some Rite-Aid(Thrifty) Ice Cream. Instead we decided to stop where we saw a sign that said "Donuts and Ice Cream" mind you this isn't where we went. When we parked Lisa (as she does) immediately began walking into Lady Fresa. I Think this place was recently erected because I only noticed it about a week ago. There is a sign above the store that says "Raspados Bionicos" Raspados is a snow cone with fresh fruit and Bionocos is sort of like a parfait

We walked in and the decor was quite nice, similar in style to Pittsburgh Broasted with three large photos os Marilyn Monroe on the wall. Apparently "fresa" means strawberry and is also a slang term for preppy unfortunately for us the nice lady who worked there didn't speak much english, but Lisa speaks some spanish plus it added to the excitement! We weren't sure what we were getting, but for $3.50 there is no way we could complain! We ordered the Mangorrico drink and the Chemise with guava pulp, mango chunks, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sprinkles. FREAKING DELICIOUS. The Mangorrico is like those mangos with chile powder in a blended drink with mango chunks. The Chemise is really thick so a spoon was needed while a spoon was only required to get the mango chunks out of the mangorrico.

The drinks are cheap and delicious and they also serve sandwiches, salands and blended cappucinos. We'll be going back to this place every weekend at least until we've tried everything on the menu.

I Highly recommend this place to everyone for some healthy drinking. Support Pomona's economy!

View Larger Map

Second Hand Fur Coat: Vintage shopping in Pomona, Claremont etc...

2008-12-20T23:53:00.001-08:00

Vintage Fur and Winter Coats Under a Mercantile Sign
Originally uploaded by astrycula

So my GF and I ventured out to Claremont today. (boo traitors I know) but we had to visit a couple of yarn stores, and 2 Old Divas on Garey has been closed the last three afternoons we tried to stop by. So we finally decided to go to Phebies in Claremont. It ended up being a good trip, we met a Peruvian woman named Edda who worked there and we spoke for quite a bit about Peru she organizes trips out there and I'll also be heading out there in July with Green Empowerment to help some farmers in the Andes out with their sub-watershed. So we exchanged information and it was a good trip to the yarn shop.

I digress...

Afterwards, my GF and I stopped by downstairs to Replay for some vintage clothing window shopping. It turns out that they are owned by the same people as La Bomba on second street in Pomona, which we visit every so often. There is also a La Bomba in Long Beach and another store by a different name in Silverlake (I think that one may be a "replay" as well).

Let me tell you. These stores are some of the better vintage clothing stores, They have a great variety and the prices aren't too bad. The woman I spoke with at Replay in Claremont says that the La Bomba stores are more 60's to 80's clothing, the Store in Claremont is mostly 40's - 80's and the store in Silverlake has more 20's to 50's clothing. So if you're looking for decently priced clothes, try these stores out.

This brings me to my next point...
Reuse vs. Recycle
The glory of vintage clothing is that when you buy it and wear it you are almost always reusing it. This cuts out the process of, well, reprocessing. The only energy input into vintage clothing is the transport of the clothing. Recycling requires energy to reprocess and it almost always loses some of the material from the original piece. So when you buy bottled water, try to find a way to reuse them before you recycle them. same should go for clothing, donate your clothing, and buy used clothing. It's the sustainable thing to do!

That also brings me to another point.
Carbon Storage.
Simple and easy. Clothing, specifically clothing made of natural/organic materials (not synthetic) store carbon. think of it like this. All life is carbon based, trees store carbon, so when you built a house out of wood that carbon is stored until the house is torn down and the wood decomposes. Paper stores carbon but it is thrown away a lot, that's why when printing I always use the back side of other things I have printed on(reuse), and whenever possible I use recycled paper. I want to store the carbon as long as I can.

Another Point.
Reduction of Waste.
Reused clothing reduces waste, we. are. running. out. of. landfills!

One more thing before my last point.
Second hand stores are cheap (at least they should be or you're doing it wrong) In this economy these places are like heaven!

Now this brings me to my last point.
The Second Hand Fur Coat.
I've been fascinated with this idea of the second hand fur coat. The folks at PETA and all my "fur is murder!" friends would cringe at the thought of fur coats. HOWEVER, fur coats at second hand stores had already been purchased. they are often decades old, the proceeds do not go to the creator of the coat. Instead the purchasing of a second hand fur coat would provide income for a local business or a non-profit business like Salvation Army or Goodwill. The second hand fur coat would not be wasteful, less trash is a good thing. Second hand fur coats help to store carbon longer (especially good for the global warming generation we are in) and for some people it mitigates the purchasing of a new fur coat that may cause the death of another animal. The fur coats are already out there. No need to buy a new one. No need to even make more.

The same would go for leather. I had been thinking about this second hand fur coat thing for about a year since discussing it with a classmate. I even asked some of my vegan friends who are very anti fur, leather, dairy and meat. They seemed to understand. However they are friends and of course they'd be a little forgiving. And sure, I may be just trying to justify my actions. (but the idea came before the action!) "Some may say but it's the principle!" And I say "I believe I'm doing the right thing. I'll never buy a new fur coat."

So I bought my girlfriend a second hand fur and leather coat. and for CHEAP. UNBELIEVABLY cheap! Cheaper than what I was planning on getting her for christmas! by a LOT! I mean... HOLY CRAP! And the lady gave me a christmas discount just because I asked for it!

We actually both did our shopping for each other at the same place, she bought me a wool coat, a knit scarf, and a new gatsby hat.

We decided to not wrap our gifts and just give them to each other in the car. We only buy things for each other once a year and we both already knew what we got so, forget it!

Everyone! Go check out those stores! Support Pomona's Local Economy, Save some money in this bad economy! Go toLa Bomba! Buy a second hand fur coat! Of all people I'll understand!

Now you should know, serious vintage clothing shoppers (like myself) usually never share their shopping locations, but it's Christmas, and I'm in the giving spirit! Don't spill the beans!

Graduate Schools

2008-12-16T19:48:00.000-08:00

Well it's obvious I've been slowing down. There are a number of reasons why.
I just got a new computer (I've had two posts since then... more like 1 and a half)
Finals week was last week, finals week is always rough.
and Graduate School applications.

Graduate school means a lot of things though. I'm applying for UCSB and Cal Poly Pomona and Humboldt State

"oh no but if you leave you won't be "student in pomona" anymore!"

well. guess what. I plan on coming back. Pomona is one of the greatest cities and I realize why. It's because there is room for someone like me to in one way or another be involved in the cities community and with the amount of potential that Pomona has it's like having the reward of raising a child. Other cities like Pasadena, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Franetc... already have a lot of what I consider an ideal city so there is no opportunity for me to voice what kind of improvements I think can be made. Call me an opportunist but I like being in places where opportunities exist.

With that said. I've got to get back to my applications.

Idle workers taking over factories.

2008-12-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

This morning I read this. Idle Workers Occupy Factory in Chicago It's an article about Chicago factory workers occupying a closed down factory demanding severance and vacation pay that is owed. They were not given 60 days notice as is required by law and owners of the factory did not show up for a meeting.

What's interesting are the parallels that happened in Argentina in 2001.

In the documentary "The Take" The same thing happens but they factory workers end up taking over the factory and begin producing. They actually start working as a co-operative in order to keep their jobs. With the Presidents and CEO's out of the way the workers can keep that extra money and use it in order to keep their business alive. They are many cases of this in Argentina this particular documentary just discusses one such group.

I wonder if the Chicago group will eventually do this. I highly doubt it, but it would be smart if they would. They've already begun cleaning the place. Why not get it up and running and just TAKE IT. At least they'll have jobs!

This post has little to do with Pomona (specifically) or the Landscape but I do find it important. If anyone knows any of those folks in Chicago show them this documentary.

Landscape Phenomenon: Autumn Leaves, Rain and Material

2008-12-04T22:40:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah, And I'm BACK! I got a new computer. debt inducing... but nice!

So, amazingly the same day I lost my laptop I was able to see some amazing sights with some help from the same autumn season and rain that had destroyed my beloved computer. This photo was taken at the Center for Regenerative Studies at school. A common phenomenon of the landscape is the falling of deciduous leaves (like the flowering of flowers). This phenomenon however was accentuated by the rain and the material that it fell upon. The cedar wood panels under the leaves are usually a paler grey then they were this day. This added contrast increased the beauty that I was luckily able to witness. These leaves are california grapes and the hues of the deciduous fallen leaves of this grape are beautiful paler colors that look great on the background of darkened wet cedar.

Another phenomenon I witnessed at the center was the fallen deciduous leaves of a Jujube Tree (that's the asian date) laying on top of Urbanite (broken concrete) This Urbanite retaining wall would normally be a darker grey when wet but because the way the pieces are lain there are dry areas on the sides with Jujube leaves laying on the tops. The wet leaves add a glossy yellow brightness that normally wouldn't be seen without the rain.

And another, I'm sure by now you can figure out what I'm trying to communicate. I hope you see something beautiful and I hope now you know why.

What makes this great is that these phenomena are created. Sure the leaves are going to fall naturally, BUT, would they fall on these particular materials providing the level of contrast and mixture of colors that make them so vibrant? The materials which these leaves fall on was chosen by someone. Was it intentional that these particular leaves would fall on these particular materials on a particular day after a night of rain? Maybe, maybe not. But for Landscape Architects I think these kinds of phenomena are just one of the many but important things that we strive for. How to create phenomena? How to enhance existing phenomena in the built environment? Not just with leaves, but with angles of the sun in the sky, cloudy days, bright blue skies, the existence of Wildlife, The other day I say a flock of hundreds of birds flying in one pack and then splitting into two and converging again, it was amazing and it looked like mercury droplets converging and separating in slow motion. These things all happen in the landscape.

How can we harness these phenomena?

Water Damage.

2008-11-26T07:55:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to find a leaky roof. As if an act of God the leak was Directly above my laptop. That red square is where I generally leave my laptop, that thing has a puddle of water on it. The dry square is where I had a pile of books. the books soaked up all the water there. Bye-bye computer and files. Laptops are required in my major. I usually backup my files at the end of every quarter, our quarter ends in two weeks. so everything in the last three months is gone, like homework.

A good number of my homework files I've e-mailed, so those are retreivable, But none of them are the original raw files, I won't be able to edit them, which I need to do for my final project. I'm using my girlfriend's computer right now, she's sleeping and still doesn't know yet.

This also means I probably won't be blogging for a while, so get used to seeing this not updated. sorry folks.

despair, Tomorrow's thanksgiving. I refuse to let this bring me down! (too bad you can't build laptops out of bamboo)

Working with Bamboo

2008-11-25T22:01:00.001-08:00

PB150080
Originally uploaded by andrewkanzler

So along with this blog, work, and school, I've got a lot of other projects going on. Learning how to work with bamboo is one of them. There are a lot of resources I've found on the internet and I've also been able to ask a Japanese craftsman some questions I had.

This bamboo grows in my backyard, It's black bamboo (this one hasn't turned black) and it's very strong. The first photo is of some bamboo that is dry on some culms but not ready on others.

Here's a photo of heat treated bamboo. The top two pieces are heated treated and are thus shiny and polished. The bottom piece still needs to be heat treated. The top piece is of black bamboo that had actually turned black before it was harvested. Heat treating does two things. It melts the white waxy stuff and with a cloth you can polish it, and second the interior starches are broken down so that bugs won't eat the bamboo. Here's a closeup of how different it looks after heat treating.

one culm shiny and one culm not shiny

Bamboo is a grass so not all grasses are bad. BUT, with bamboo being considered a highly sustainable product be careful! Not all Bamboo products are sustainable. For example most(90% of) bamboo clothing products use a lot of chemicals to break bamboo down into usable threads. So unless that bamboo shirt you're wearing was turned to thread mechanically it is NOT sustainable. (there are no legal restrictions for calling something sustainable). The more the bamboo sticks to its original form the more sustainable it is.

Here's a single shot of a Bamboo pipe I made. It's the first thing I made with bamboo because it's very simple. I don't have much use for it so I might sell it on ebay.

And I just made this right now it took about two minutes. It's a bottle opener I learned how to make from Home Grown Evolution. scrap bamboo and a screw. I used it and it works wonders, MUCH easier than using the edge of my cel. phone

Transit in Pomona: Campus to Downtown and Back

2008-11-21T07:26:00.001-08:00

With the growth of new businesses in Pomona including nightlife I figured it's important we all know the bus routes to and from Campus to Downtown. After all we want everyone traveling safely and responsibly that includes financially and environmentally.

Route and Schedule for 480

For you living on or near campus the latest bus to leave downtown back to campus on weekdays is the 490 it leaves at 12:28 am (the earliest if you're willing to wait is 5:38am) HOWEVER on weekends that last bus leaves at 10:00pm There are no stops in between and the route is direct.

I live in the city so I'll be riding my bike, so for those of you that ride bikes remember you CAN get a DWI on a bicycle.

There is another bus that goes through Phillips Ranch the 195 but the latest that leaves is 6:15pm but it goes a little out of the way and has five stops in between. On weekends the last bus leaves at 6:35pm route and schedule for 195

Where the Sidewalk Ends

2008-11-20T10:35:00.000-08:00

Where the Sidewalk Ends
Originally uploaded by andrewkanzler

On my block, the sidewalk ends abruptly. Why? I don't know. It sure is a lot softer to walk on especially in the rain! There are also a number driveways that are just dirt.

Will this ever get fixed? It's been like this for a while. Does anyone care? Is this the image of Pomona? Where does the money for Pomona's infrastructure go? Come on council people, FIX OUR INFRASTRUCTURE!

BUT, What if Pomona isn't paving this stretch of sidewalk because they understand sustainable practices, conrete increases water runoff, makes water dirtier and doesn't recharge our groundwater(which would help us in times of drought like now). Maybe Pomona wants the water that lands here to percolate back into our groundwater! HA! Yeah Right! Then where's the Decomposed Granite? Why is the surface a layer of dust? Talk about mud on a rainy day!

Instead of getting a traveling Vietnam war memorial in our town, why not stop wasting water and fix broken irrigation?

Instead of military banners why not fix the potholes in the roads?

Not that those causes aren't admirable causes but shouldn't we be focusing on our infrastructure first? Shouldn't we be fixing our city first? It's like cleaning your house before inviting guests over. It's courteous. We should have a clean city and functioning infrastructure before we invite the Memorial to stay in our town or post up military banners in our town, we should be treating our guests, heroes, families, and friends with respect.

This stretch of sidewalk is a perfect OPPORTUNITY for Pomona to use some BMP's (that's Best Management Practices) and use PERMEABLE paving. It's already permeable but in this case that means mud for pedestrians or you'll have to walk in the street. At the least can we get some Decomposed Granite? How about some permeable pavers? It's not a problem it's an OPPORTUNITY!

Fried Chicken in Pomona: Pittsburgh Broasted vs. Louisiana Fried vs. Donahoo's Golden

2008-11-17T20:55:00.000-08:00

View Larger Map

It is time for some lighter news and some FOOD!

It looks like no matter where you live in Pomona there is a local walkable place to get fried chicken, so my girlfriend and I have been testing them out. So far we've eaten at Pittsburgh Broasted Chicken and Subs at Indian Hill and Holt, Louisiana Fried Chicken and China Bowl at Garey and Philadelphia to the south and Donahoo's Golden Chicken at Garey and Alvarado to the north. (There is a Church's to the west on Mission Blvd. even.)

Donahoo's is a staple in Pomona so that was easy to find, It is perfect for those in the historical district, it is take out only and it's very close to homes to walk to. Louisiana Fried is right next door to Food-4-Less where we shop sometimes, It is definitely close enough to walk to for us but I'd rather ride my bike. Pittsburgh Broasted we found through Inland Empire Restaurant and Food Reviews, it is close to Claremont and Montclair, it is more surrounding by businesses than homes but for those that work in that area it is a great place to eat.

Here are our verdicts, placed by Rankings.

3rd. Donahoo's. I know there are many Pomona faithfuls who may disagree but my girlfriend and I both agreed that Donahoo's was lacking in flavorful content. HOWEVER their sign and recognizability in Pomona is unique and deserves credit for that, however their fried chicken doesn't live up to the hype, I haven't tried their biscuits yet, I've heard they are tasty.

2nd. Louisiana Fried Chicken. If Pittsburgh weren't broasted-fried these guys would have won. Louisiana FC has very tasty chicken full of flavor and the hot sauce definitely packs that extra punch we often crave. Plus if you have the hankering for Chinese food that option is present.

1st. Pittsburgh Broasted. Though more expensive then the other two, Broasted makes the chicken healthier, less greasy and more juicy while retaining fried chicken values (since it is technically still fried just under pressure). Lousiana Fried has slightly better flavor than the Pittsburgh Broasted Original, BUT Pittsburgh Broasted has other options! We also tried their Cajun flavored broasted chicken and that was exceptional! One other option we did not try was their lemon pepper broasted. They also have sandwiches and subs and EVEN Korean Bar-B-Q chicken (chicken Bulgogi).

Interestingly enough Donahoo's owners are Chinese-American (Mandarin speaking) Louisiana's owners are Vietnamese-American and Pittsburgh's owners are Korean-American.

Next to try are Popeye's (which I haven't had since I was a kid) and Church's we won't be considering KFC for contention (maybe). And then we'll be comparing roasted chickens e.g. Juan Pollo vs Macho Pollo. In the meantime, here's a link for your enjoyment about someone trying to find an ordinance for keeping chickens in Chicago.

Protesting Prop 8 in Pomona: Defamiliarizing the Landscape in a Good Way

2008-11-16T11:57:00.001-08:00

Jesus Loves Gays
Originally uploaded by andrewkanzler

Pomona isn't exactly known for its political activism, so when I see any sort of political activism of any sort that really draws any group of people together I get excited. On Saturday morning while riding my bike to Stater Bros. I stopped by the protest of prop 8 in downtown Pomona. Here is some footage, with a statement at the end.

From across the street along Garey. (Does anyone else agree that that massive parking lot at WaMu is a major waste of space?)

Crossing Garey on Second, protesters coming towards me. (please excuse the glare streaks from here on out. I don't have a real video camera)

Moving in the same direction of protesters Car/Bike's-Eye-View along Second st Antique Row. (note the police car keeping the peace, I actually caught one of them sleeping in his car with it on over by Sakura Ichi, must've been pretty boring for them. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me Mr. Officer. I don't want to get on his bad side and he clearly saw me.)

Protestors coming towards me at Second St. Antique Row, Cars are honking and people are on both sides of the street.

Wrapping the corner from Second to Third along Gibbs. The background is either crazy cloud cover or the Fires in Carbon Canyon. (this one's a little longer but the different chants are interesting, I'm glad they didn't rhyme 8 with 8)

Last Video, Corner of Garey and Third, being swarmed by protesters. After reviewing the video I spotted Bill Korthof the owner of Energy Efficiency Solar in Pomona(they install solar panel systems) He also owns the Regen Co-op houses in Pomona. If you don't know who he is, he's probably the most conservative looking one in this video.

Pomona looked different on this day. It was grand, and I wish there were more of this more often, about anything. The crowd wasn't that large, it was definitely minuscule only in comparison to the Anti-war protests just before the Iraq War in 2001/2 in Downtown LA, (I helped to film some of that for a documentary in China called "Run, China" with a real camera(please check it out, video is split in three parts)). The sound of the landscape was very different, the sounds of the environment seemed to have the most impact. If people were just marching, people would not be heard, it could be easier to ignore them if sounds were missing. In this moment people were in fact taking back Pomona. I'm almost certain that if this many people were out everyday violence and crime in Pomona would reduce. The presence of other people make people who are about to do no good more apprehensive. In this special case the presence of activists encourage others to be more active. I digress... Anyways, Pomona, Good job.

Time Banking & The Urban Homestead

2008-11-12T21:14:00.000-08:00

Last night I made it out to Los Angeles, to
Materials & Applications. They put on a workshop for Time Banking by the Echo Park Time Bank and short presentation by a co-author of "The Urban Homestead"

"M&A is a research center dedicated to pushing new and underused ideas for art, landscape and architecture into view." I'll show some photos of the place later on.

Time Banking is a very interesting concept developed by Edgar Cahn. Lisa Gerstein and Autumn Rooney explained to us the system of trade based on time. What you do is you work for someone for an hour and then you've earned a one hour time dollar which can be spent on having someone do something else for you! One issue of concern brought up was that some people may consider their time more valuable based on the work you do. Well, get over it! An hour is an hour. How many times have you helped a friend based on your expertise? Well that friend probably owes you a couple of dog walks, and with a time bank you can "purchase" an hour from anyone involved in the community! This system is not the same as bartering. The terminology is actually tax exempt, even the goods trading is tax exempt, but that trade is based on the honor system.

I think this form of exchange of services can be very useful, I wonder if it would work in Pomona. There is software to keep this all in order available from timebanks.org In fact if we had a time bank in Pomona I would offer my Landscape and Environmental Expertise in time dollars.

Shortly afterways Erik Knutzen spoke to us about his book that he co-authored with his wife Urban Homestead

It's a great book (I haven't read it completely yet) about self sufficiency in the urban arena, It includes not just home gardening but also how to cook with passive solar energy, how to store food for the long haul, and also many other eco-friendly and cost effective ways to sustain oneself.

I had the chance to speak with Erik and he's a really nice guy, I asked him if he would speak at my school about his book at one of our community dinners. He said he has been meaning to come out and visit the Regenerative Studies Center, and well, this would be a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. I will keep ya'll posted as the events unfurl.

And about M&A there is an installation in the front called Yakuza Lou, I took some shots of the robotic ephemeral landform.

And a Cloud

Need Something to do on Veterans Day?

2008-11-11T11:22:00.000-08:00

Beyond Appearances II
1619 Silver Lake Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323.913.0915
emanate.org
contact@emanate.org

Urban Homestead & Echo Park Time Bank
November 11th 2008 gates open at 7:30 lectures at 8pm
$5 donation at the door

Erik Knutzen is the co-author with Kelly Coyne of The Urban Homestead a guide to self-reliant living in the city. Infused with the DIY spirit and distrust of the pre-packaged and the spoon-fed, they believe that in this age, gardening and the home arts can be a revolutionary gesture towards richer lives and better communities. Erik will be speaking about how the subject of home economics needs a revival and how the subject can positively influence our lives. Erik and Kelly also blog at homegrownevolution.com.

And the Echo Park Time Bank, a very interesting local solution to the hardships and injustices of global capitaliasm. The EPTB is a collective whose purpose is to facilitate the cooperative exchange of goods and services among it's members. Autumn Rooney and Lisa Gerstein, co-founders of the Echo Park Time Bank, discuss the concept of complimentary currency as an alternative to the cash economy, and share their own experiences creating a time bank in their neighborhood.

Our sixth lecture series, Beyond Appearances, will address the growing feeling in our society that we need to pay closer attention to the events that are shaping these times. Everything designed, built, created, used and disused requires an infrastructure and a plan to get it from concept to reality. Understanding the origin and trajectories of these systems is key to understanding and coping with our future. A deeper understanding of what others are doing, both regularly and radically, is a step closer to making the world a better place. These lectures will take place semi-regularly, but it is best to keep an eye out as we have not really discovered if there will be a rhythm to them.

M&A is a 501c3 non-profit organization dependent upon your donations to continue its programs.

Let's Build Something Beautiful!

Progress In Pomona?

2008-11-10T20:41:00.001-08:00

Where Holt Becomes Valley
Originally uploaded by andrewkanzler

So on Friday on my way to school again, I saw this on Valley near where it becomes Holt (that bridge is the 57 fwy). They're clearing the brush!

Before this I had to ride my bike on the road and others even had to walk on the road. BUT, since there is no bike lane I like to ride on the sidewalk when there aren't many people on it. NOW I can actually ride here. So, today, this morning I rode my bike to school and tried out the cleared sidewalk. It was better than I had ever imagined.

PLUS on the other side of the street they were fixing the sidewalk! Awesome! If only Pomona would do that on my street.

You're a Bad Person if You Have a Lawn.

2008-11-08T18:50:00.001-08:00

Food Not Lawns
Originally uploaded by andrewkanzler

Not really, but kind of. Thursday night at the community dinner at the Regenerative Studies Center, Todd from the Claremont chapter of Food Not Lawns came out to speak with us. Thursday was officially "Lawn Day" for me.

Here's Todd, he's a real friendly guy. And I think he's getting his Masters in Regenerative Studies.

Hopefully most people are familiar with Food Not Lawns (it says it all in the name and the Goddess blogged about it once before) so I won't get too much into it. But the organization itself, the chapter in Claremont is an ACTUAL community that will HELP you convert your front lawn into a full-on vegetable and herb garden including POMONANS. They will send out a BUNCH of people to convert your lawn in a single day. A colleague of mine, Anne, who lives in Pomona just outside of the "hysterical" district as she calls it, has had her lawn redone. Unfortunately it was taken over by the invasive nut sedge after some time BUT the Claremont Food Not Lawns group WILL be going back to take care of the nut sedge problem and replant the garden. So if you can't tell by now, they are a very supportive group.

The reason why they prefer to do front lawns is so that it is visible. So that people can understand that there are options to the front lawn. Paula Lantz's interview with the Goddess mentions that there are people that don't like that some homeowners choose to plant foods in their lawn. I for one think that is ridiculous.

Anne brought up a point made by Paul Robbins in his book "Lawn People", that people with lawns and the care for lawns is a cause, for some people, of great anxiety. It is because it is an image that one is upholding for their neighbors. Lawns have a bigger impact on ones life than you'd think. Todd mentioned that the lawn is sort of an extension of the interior home, bringing the well manicured carpeting outside for presentation to the neighbors. I would hate to have to be constantly appeasing my neighbors with my lawn.

One of my Professors Dr. Susan Mulley was also there and she brought up the point of how the shift between lawns and edible gardens has happened repeatedly and is also a source of discrimination. During the war effort (WWII) it was considered patriotic to grow your own food at your home so that more resources could be poured into our troops (those gardens were called victory gardens). Then when that began to calm down and the lawn was replacing edibles it was considered that only immigrants grew their own food and of course immigrants don't know any better and no one likes immigrants!(kidding... or am i?) sad. Now according to Ms. Lantz there are still people in her district that feel others should not be growing food in their lawns! Well... they're stuck in the 50's and aren't very patriotic! (kidding, for reals this time)

The Claremont chapter of Food Not Lawns covers the surrounding areas, so it includes Pomona. I say join them and convert your water guzzling drought inducing lawn into a food production organically grown produce oasis.

Oh and if you want to keep a lawn here are some photos of 241 Franklin in Pomona of the drought resistant Carex pansa

Waste in Pomona (Phillips Ranch)

2008-11-07T08:47:00.001-08:00

Waste in Phillips Ranch
Originally uploaded by andrewkanzler

On my way to school yesterday afternoon I saw this in the Phillips Ranch district in Pomona.

First, let's talk about the turf, the unused lawn. There is about a six foot wide buffer of turf between the street and the sidewalk. Because it is between a sidewalk and the street, no one, seriously no one is going to use that lawn area. Now for those of you that don't know, turf-grass is used as a standard for measuring water use. It's like this: Turf-grass is considered 100% water use, ALL other nursery stock plants are considered a percentage of the amount of water that Turf-grass uses. California native and California friendly plants are usually between 10% and 30 %. MOST nursery stock that people plant are between 60% and 90%, only turf-grass is 100%.

So the fact that no one is going to USE this turf-grass is a complete waste of water. But what else is going on here? A broken sprinkler! This sprinkler is SPEWING water out, wasting GALLONS more than normal, and our tax dollars are paying for it.

First solution? Fix the sprinkler. THEN, if the Phillips Ranchers really want a turf-grass like buffer for their sidewalk, they can replace it with Carex pansa (or Carex texensis) Carex Pansa is a California native and looks and acts and feels JUST like turf grass (Carex texensis is naturalized in California) and since it is a sedge and not a grass (the untrained eye would never tell the difference) it even looks great if you mow it only twice a year! It'll even save some gasoline!

(if you're wondering why I'm driving a mercedes and I claim to be a starving student, it's because it's an oldie, a 1984 diesel that i bought for 1,000 bucks, It will be running on waste vegetable oil soon, like my isuzu pickup)

Nanotechnology, the Environment and, the Landscape

2008-11-05T14:56:00.001-08:00

Nano Landscape
Originally uploaded by andrewkanzler

Nanotechnology is obviously growing, it is expanding and moving into other fields. This map literally puts nanotechnology on a map(pulled from penmedia.org). The colors show the type of work being done with red for tools and instruments and blue for energy and environmental applications.

My friend Tekena Tamuno-Koko (That would be Nigerian) and I were talking today about nanotechnology and how it could affect the landscape. It seems that much of it is already in R&D and considering that the environment is so closely related to R&D it is one of the most active arenas for nanotechnology. It is something that should really be discussed with Landscape Architects on a much wider scale, especially considering the relation we both have with energy AND the environment. There must be some common ground somewhere, for example this article discussing waste water cleanup

So you Landscape Architects (and students of)start discussing, 'cause it's going to hit us sooner or later and we better NOT miss it. Where is our shared information!!?? Is there anybody out there?

Homosexuality and Space, Christianity and Anarchy, Ownership and Stewardship

2008-11-02T10:20:00.001-08:00

What do these all have to do with each other? You'll find out. This weekend my girlfriend and I drove through Chino Hills. On one of the main intersections (Grand Ave. and Pipeline) there were demonstrators for and against Proposition 8 (if you don't know what that is, it is to ban gay marriage) here's a video I recorded on our way to get some frozen yogurt.

There were many Christians there as well as some Anarchists. I was quite happy to see people demonstrating on the same corners for completely opposing views yet being quite peaceful towards each other. It was an interesting experience seeing how these demonstrators used the landscape to get their point across. Many People would stand at each street corner and wait for the crosswalk to turn green. They would then walk back and forth and often circle the entire intersection. I've always been intrigued by how the landscape is used during demonstrations ever since I helped film a war protest in Downtown LA in 2001.

Then on Sunday morning (when there's nothing good on TV) I left the channel on a preacher while I did my homework, after all I just recently had an encounter with a large group of Christians. Interestingly enough the man brought up the idea of "Ownership vs. Stewardship." Now this REALLY caught my attention. It caught my attention because what he continued to say is almost exactly the same things that Anarchists preach. I grew up as a Catholic (though I'm agnostic now) I was baptized and confirmed and even passed a course on teaching Sunday school. From my experiences in the church I knew that the Jesus preached that man should not be enforcing law (John 8:1 - 11) "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." But right in front of me was more proof that Christianity and Anarchy had much more in common (I'm surprised I never realized it before).

Anarchists also preach Stewardship over Ownership. Whereas in Christianity it is not a choice and people do NOT own anything because God is the owner of everything and people are just stewards of the Earth (somewhere early in Genesis). Anarchists lean more to it being a choice. That no one person should claim ownership over anything but instead be stewards of what exists so that all people can benefit.

A friend of mine (Olympia) is an open Anarchist and a Christian she is also transgendered, an Urban Planner and an activist. So there are people that are openly Christian-Anarchists. It really isn't that uncommon.

Then I did a flickr search for "ownership" and I found this photo. With a link to The Sexuality and Ownership of Space. It's about the Pansy Project, what it is is whenever the artist Paul Harfleet experiences verbal homophobic abuse he would plant a pansy thus creating a sense of entitlement to the space in which it happened. I feel it is quite powerful.

The Southbank Center calls it the ownership of space but I believe it is much more a stewardship of the space in which Homophobia has occured because as the artist states, "These self seeding pansies act as a living memorial to this abuse and operate as an antidote to it..." One could discuss the ownership vs. stewardship construct in this context to its death. Plus it's not my art, it's Paul Harfleet's.

The point is, beyond the relationship between Anarchy and Christianity, or the relationships between Political Activism and the Landscape, or even the relationship between Homosexuality and Space. What it is, is that I'm amazed how everything seemed to come full circle and have a strong relationship with each other. I'm also very amazed at the activism, creativity and the similarities people all share.

Drought: California Cutting Supply of Water!

2008-10-31T17:37:00.001-07:00

drought
Originally uploaded by freef0cus

I read this article yesterday, from the Associated Press. Read it then come back, it talks about how the DWR is going to cut the supply of water to cities and farms. What that means for us is a hike in domestic water prices. Farms will also not be able to plant as many crops for food. That will also inevitably increase food prices especially considering 85% of America's crops comes from California valleys.

Soon cities in California will be installing separate meters for landscape water so that they can determine how much water each resident is using just on their landscape. The water agencies can then charge you more for "overuse." There is also a new DWR ordinance going out limiting the design of landscapes so that they do not use as much water. See AB 1881

Well, it looks like since people aren't doing it themselves the government is stepping in to do something to conserve water. I know I've said this before but there are regenerative ways to deal with water use and reuse, but we continually ignore those ways. If only people really understood what treatment wetlands can do for our water supply.

So for you home owners. Kill your lawn if you don't use it to for play (or at least replace it with Carex Texensis yes you can mow it). Fix your irrigation so it waters your plants and not your sidewalk. Don't over water, don't use your hose to clean your driveway, take shorter showers, and learn how to capture rainwater (maybe i'll do a blog on that soon).

I.D. THIS! Super Mario Bros. Mushroom

2008-10-30T18:28:00.001-07:00

Amanita muscaria (I)
Originally uploaded by .Bambo.

Some of you may recognize this from your younger days, from a variety of sources. Someone in class recently drew the cartoonish version of the mushroom from Super Mario Bros on the chalk board and wrote "ID this!" next to it. Identifying plants is something very familiar to Landscape Architects (and students) so it's often a running joke. But we never ID mushrooms because they're hard to garden with.

Strangely enough, I am actually familiar with this mushroom. It was also featured in "The Smurfs" as the homes where the smurfs live in. In Super Mario Bros this mushroom makes Mario grow when he eats it. It's a power up. There are variations of the color that do different things for Mario. I think that the inspiration for this came from Alice in Wonderland when she ate a piece of a giant mushroom (where the smoking caterpillar sat on top of) from one side it would make her grow and if she ate a piece from the other side it would make her shrink. This particular mushroom is also seen in a lot of mystical art such as faerie art.

What's even stranger is that this mushroom is a very strong hallucinogenic used by Shamans in Siberia for religious purposes. It is also claimed to be the Soma mentioned in the Rig Veda of India as well as a claim of being used by Nordic Vikings. There are also some lesser backed claims about its use by Biblical figures such as Moses, Adam and Eve.

I wouldn't suggest consuming this. It is also considered poisonous and has been proven to induce cold sweats, vomiting and delirium for hours at a time. Maybe that's why only shamans would eat it, no one else wanted to!

Maybe there is some sort of strange connection to this mushroom's hallucinogenic properties and the relation it has with Super Mario Bros and the Smurfs as well as Alice in Wonderland. Or maybe it just looks really interesting and the rest is coincidence. I don't think we'll ever know.

But for whoever was ever curious about the Smurfs or curious about the Mario Bros Mushrooms and for whoever wrote that "ID this!" in class your mushroom has been Identified.

It is Amanita Muscaria also known as Fly Agaric (because it's also a fly poison)

Halfway through the quarter and it's time to push harder

2008-10-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

We're halfway through the quarter, that means a lot of things. Midterms, Burnout, Registration for next quarter, and since it's fall and this is my last year that also means applying for grad schools, taking the GRE's, building up my portfolio, Getting a Grad Check done, making sure I have all my classes to graduate.

In case you don't know I'm majoring in Landscape Architecture, with a minor in Regenerative Studies and a minor in Philosophy. I'm a Senator in the student govt. Since the president of the club that I was president of last year is in Italy I have to take over for him for now. I'm also helping to organize our department's student published magazine.

So as you can see I like to keep busy.

with that said, I have some posts up my sleeve so stay tuned.

Economy + Environment: This decade's environmental fad may be more than just that.

2008-10-27T11:24:00.001-07:00

Money tree
Originally uploaded by neil-san

The other day I had a chance encounter with Mr. Bob Cordoza at school. Every chance I get I pick his brain because I never fail to realize something from what he says. Mr. Cordoza is one of the senior principals of Nuvis, he is an ASLA Fellow and I interned with his company two summers ago.

I asked him his thoughts on the economy and asked his advice about my graduate school options. Now we all know that environmentalism is a major trend right now. But, in previous environmentalism fads the "green" movement did not last. Such as in the 60's when it exploded on the scene, the environmentalist movement quickly died down afterwards. While there were still many people lingering around, it was by far a lessened movement. Then there was the hole in the ozone layer that was discovered in 1985 and the movement that followed in the late 80's and early 90's. The reason that didn't last is because everyone thought we fixed the problem, and so "out of sight, out of mind."

This time it is different it's hitting our wallet. While the BIG fad is global warming, there is much more to it this time around. What Mr. Cordoza made clear to me, though the reason was staring me in the face, was that the big difference is that previous trends had little or nothing to do with economic factors. This time the economy is so closely tied with the environment that the "green" push may actually stick around.

Peak oil is effecting nearly everything not just your car and big house like in the movie End of Suburbia. All plastics are made from oil and plastics are in just about EVERY product you own, Fuel and most of the world's energy is from oil, pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers are from oil. It's not just oil, We are running out of Landfills to throw our trash in, so hauling trash is getting more expensive. Farmers that practice contemporary methods are beginning to feel the pinch of their invasive methods, sterilized soils where nothing grows unless tons of chemicals are pumped into the ground, Monsanto and their legal "ownership of life" as mentioned in The World According to Monsanto

I don't see this environmentalist trend dying down any time soon. Its economic ties are too strong. It will soon force people to practice sustainable methods in their everyday life. I won't be surprised to see more solar panels on homes just for the purpose of saving money. We're already seeing it with people driving more fuel efficient cars. It may take longer for there to be a cost benefit in buying organic food, but food is already becoming more expensive in the regular market, a few things are already cheaper at whole foods and trader joe's.

Weekend Repost: :Landscape Architecture Needs Fixing (Amenities)

2008-10-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

Unwind
Originally uploaded by aurastra

It's the weekend and it's time for a repost.

Park benches. Trellises. gazebos. hand rails. These are all things that are wrong with Landscape Architecture.

Why does this profession continue to order benches out of catalogs? who actually believes that they look good? Do designers really want the stamp of another company on all of their designs, the same stamp that is on hundreds if not thousands of other designers landscapes?

We are taught to design, why is it so hard to design a simple park bench that has a designers stamp? I visited an award winning dog park in the fall of 2007. It was recently featured in Landscape Architecture Magazine. When I saw the park the first thing that stuck out was the shade structure. The cataloged gazebo. It looked exactly like every other parks shade structure. nothing unique about it. some pillars and a blue metal roof.

If the park could win awards for its uniqueness why couldn't the designers design a shade structure instead of ordering it from a catalog? Are Landscape Architects lazy? A common response is "budget" let's face it, "budget" is a POOR excuse for a lack of creativity and creativity INCLUDES finding solutions on a low budget. not just ordering it from a catalog. I've SEEN these catalogs and I KNOW the costs. I also know how to build them and I know that with some creative thinking it can be done CHEAPER than what can be ordered in a catalog.

It's frustrating to see the laziness of designers in the profession I am going into.

I vow to not order amenities from a catalog. I hope others take this same vow and really push our profession to the respect it should deserve.

Oops!: Mistakes in Pomona's Landscape (California Fan Palm vs. Mexican Fan Palm)

2008-10-24T23:30:00.000-07:00

One of my first impressions of Pomona, before I moved here, was of this mistake made in the landscape in front of the Pilgrim Congregational Church on Garey near Holt.

This image is more recent with the church undergoing some rehabilitation. It seems like most people don't notice, but considering the field I'm in it's very obvious to me. These trees are all different trees. Let's do this, the shorter and wider trunk tree is the California Fan Palm now referred to as (C), and the Mexican Fan Palm which is much taller and thinner will be (M). So in the picture it's (C)(M)(C)(C)(M)(M)(M)(M). That's 3 California Fan Palms and 5 Mexican Fan Palms all mixed together. Here's another image.

Now, if you are familiar with Pomona there is a row of California Fan Palms in front of the YMCA, which looks consistent and cohesive, and in other areas there are also Mexican Fan Palms (across the street from the church). So it is fairly obvious that it is meant to be one consistent Palm in front of the church. The question is, which one was it supposed to be? Because of the size of the palms you can tell that they've been here for quite a long time, but I hope it was the California Fan Palm since Mexican Fan Palms are invasive in this region.

When these plants are young it is easy to confuse the two especially to the untrained eye.

There is another place where the mistake occurs

This is on front of the Pomona Catholic School on Garey and White.

I sometimes wonder if these mistakes are a reflection of the disorganization of the city as a whole. If old street trees like these are hastily put together and gathered without a second thought or any sort of verification, then is the rest of the city put together like that? I hope not. I hope the next leaders of Pomona really put their best foot forward and really pay attention to the city's needs.

There are other places where this mistake occurs, and to be fair it is a common mistake when the trees are very very young. But I wonder if the mistake will ever be fixed, (if they do I hope they replant the removed trees).

Support Your Local Businesses: Lobos Glass in Pomona

2008-10-23T23:00:00.001-07:00

P9270696
Originally uploaded by andrewkanzler

A window pane had recently broken at my home and I had to replace it. Since I had also recently written a blog about Graffiti on Holt and Fillmore. The Graffiti next to a sign for a Glass business on that building.

That glass business is Lobos Glass. I decided I'd give them a visit and order a piece of glass. Though the address is on Holt the entrance is actually on Fillmore. The service was IMPECCABLE, very polite, and the person that cut my glass for me measured three times a side to make sure he cut it the right size.

If I had done the job myself by buying a glass that was a sufficient size and cutting it myself it would have cost me about 28 bucks. This glass from a local mom and pop was a flat 18 bucks, so I tipped the guy two bucks, for a straight twenty. So whoever says mom and pops are more expensive isn't really thinking about specialty shops.

So if you ever need to replace a pane, or a piece of glass from a framed work, I highly recommend Lobos Glass. I also read a review online that gave them high reviews.

Support your local businesses.

Get Lost!: A Better Way to Road Trip.

2008-10-22T21:58:00.001-07:00

20080322-_DSC4837
Originally uploaded by rudedog78

Early this summer my girlfriend and I went on a road trip up California. Our plan was to go North on inland roads up to Redding cut across to the coast of Humboldt County and take the coast all the way south back to LA County.

Unfortunately after camping for a few days in the Sequoia National Forest over 1000 (yes one thousand) fires developed across California. Seeing as how we were out in the wilderness without any reliable forms of communication we had no idea what was going on.

Once we left the forest we set on our way. I called my brother to let him know when we'd make it to his home in Humboldt. With that phone call I found out I had to stop immediately and take a detour. Our plans were all completely changed and we had to find alternate routes to get to my brothers house. The ultimate goal was to get to Humboldt so we HAD to find a way to get there.

We had already gone through Sacramento on the 5 but Redding was on fire and the stretch of road between Redding and Humboldt was closed. We stopped dead in our tracks and explored a map for about 15 minutes. We found an old highway by the number of 20 that would cut across to the 101 so that we could get to our destination in Humboldt. (though I didn't take this photo, it is of some of the scenery along hwy 20)

This detour was by far the best detour I've ever taken. The hills were beautiful like the drive from LA to San Fran in Gorman. But it also had the ancient rock formations protruding from the ground like the drive to Sequoia from Tulare. Parts of those hills were freckled with oaks (or black walnuts, it was hard to tell from a distance) This valley was hidden and beautiful with horses roaming and oaks telling their old stories. It started getting dark by the time we got to a city called Clearlake Oaks on a lake that's about 10 miles wide and 5 miles across (the lake is obviously called Clearlake). This lake was also very beautiful, the street front properties lining the edge of the lake reminded me a lot of Malibu. There were a number of quaint towns along this northern edge of the lake, and a number of unlisted campgrounds. I even began to fantasize about settling down here.

By the time we ended our trip along the 20 connecting to the 101, I was excited to have gotten "lost" just to experience this long stretch of road especially being able to see its tranquility at night.

On the way back home we even took a one night detour from the 1 to the 101 using the 20, we were able to see the rest of the stretch of road which was a dense redwood forest. My brother told me of a secret campground around the area which he won't allow me to share with anyone.

Had we not been forced to make this detour I may have never seen this stretch of highway. I could have ended up living my life never knowing this place was there. (who knows you may end up finding a secret camp ground.)

My suggestion? The next time you take a road trip, get lost, take detours,and like Robert Frost take the road less traveled (literally).

Motorcycles: The forgotten form of Sustainable Transportation.

2008-10-21T22:42:00.001-07:00

Not too long ago, my brother completed his Chopper, this is my brother with his bike. It recently won an award for paint and was also a runner up for best custom chopper. It was also recently featured in "Horse" magazine. My brother is the machine shop foreman at West Coast Choppers so Motorcycles are essentially his life, like Landscape Architecture is mine.

With a closeness to motorcycles in the family and myself being so close to the landscape, I find that motorcycles are almost always looked over and forgotten. It is not uncommon for a motorcycle to get about 50 miles again, often times more than that and sometimes less. There are four types of street motorcycles, the cruiser, The standard, the sport and the touring bike. A chopper is almost always a cruiser your typical Harley (of more artistic), a standard (or naked) bike is a very basic motorcycle usually a throw back to the 70's or 80's, and a sport bike is also known as a crotch rocket (think speed).

If more people rode motorcycles fossil fuel consumption will be reduced and with a higher concentration of motorcycles on the road a heightened awareness of bikes from drivers would develop. Most motorcycle-car collisions are because the drivers of cars are unaware of the motorcycle, they often forget to look carefully when scanning the road.

If public transportation is not a viable option (as it often isn't in the Greater Los Angeles area) a Motorcycle or Scooter is another economical and environmental solution to hasty transportation.

So please, while you're out there, be aware of motorcycles on freeways, and all other roads. While you're at it, be aware of bicyclists as well. SHARE THE ROAD! My brother has already been in at least three motorcycle accidents. I'd hate to lose him because of some negligent driver. Remember, he's helping reduce greenhouse gasses AND keep the cost of gas down, he's your friend and he's my brother.

Weekend Repost: Building or Landscape (Semantics)

2008-10-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

Two months have past. I know but I got too ambitious and found I was too busy to maintain a blog. But not too busy to look at others.

arkhi, chief + tekton, builder

So, I recently filled out a form that asked what my industry was. I looked for Landscape Architecture but it wasn't there and I looked under Architecture and it had two subheadings: Building or Landscape.

Now I find this interesting and I think that this language should be used more often. The next time someone says they are an Architect I will ask "Building or Landscape?" When I refer to what most people call Architects I will call them Building Architects. I plan to make this a normalcy in my vocabulary. After all both Building Architects and Landscape Architects are chief builders of their respective fields of the "Built Environment" A landscapes are often built just as buildings are.

My girlfriend, who is getting her masters in linguistics, always calls me on the use of terms and reminds that words are ever-changing. For example "orientate" was not a word until recently(Got a dictionary over a few years old? Look it up.), the correct term is orient but there is a growing misunderstanding that the root words for ALL words with the suffix -ation usually have the root suffix -ate. Hence Orientation causes Orient to become Orientate. Don't buy it? More examples... Conversation makes Converse become Conversate. Registration makes Register become Registrate. ( I actually expected orientate to have a red underline (indicating a misspell) when i typed this but it didn't causing me to change some terms on my post. (conversate and registrate still have red underlines)

The use of terms also change the way we think. In the past under forms, Hispanics were considered white when marking "white or colored" Asians were also grouped under one heading and even STILL we are often told to "mark only one". The differentiation of races is also a linguistic battle. Because Hispanics were no longer considered white a new minority was developed and it also helped to perpetuate prejudices because they are now "different". On the other hand this helped with the Asian cause because instead of grouping all Asians and assuming that their cultures, languages, and customs are all the same by using semantics on forms to differentiate Asians it is helping people understand that there are major differences (No, I don't speak Asian)

Architect is to Landscape Architect and Building Architect
as
Asian is to Korean and Chinese

So what I am trying to do is change the way we speak which will thus hopefully change the way we think. Architect and Architecture are the Suffixes, Building and Landscape are the Prefixes. Building Architects can't (or at least shouldn't) do landscapes and Landscape Architects can't (or at least shouldn't) do buildings.

SUBSURFACE Magazine: First meeting for the Second Issue

2008-10-17T19:58:00.001-07:00

SUBSURFACE Magazine Cover
Originally uploaded by joshua l

Today we had our first meeting for the second issue of Subsurface Magazine, Cal Poly's Landscape Architectural magazine.

"Where's our magazine? Where's our resource? " Was the question asked by classmates of mine at Cal Poly from the class of 2008. With Landscape Architecture Magazine as "vanilla" as it is, the information we want and the voice of our ideas were minimal at best.

This year we hope to continue the voice and possibly and bring our own take to the magazine. We would like to make it a biannual production instead of an annual publication.

By being our own, without advertisers and being without any sort of organization we are able to be as free as we want. Hopefully our first publication for this school year will by done by the beginning of January. We have large shoes to fill, I forgot to mention it won an ASLA award last year. Thanks class of 2008 for getting this started.

Let us be bold.

Building a Cob Oven: Cobbie The Cob Oven

2008-10-15T18:16:00.001-07:00

Today I just finished (well almost) our cob oven at work/school at the Regenerative Studies Center at Cal Poly. I built most of it with Justin and Jill, my coworkers, we named it Cobbie (don't ask). We built it on our outdoor Barbecue next to our Bocce ball court.

A cob oven is a wood fired oven made of Earthen Clay and Sand as well as Hay (or sun dried manure, we used hay). Our cob oven is "sustainable" since we used clay from on site and the rest of the materials we used are not necessarily renewable or regenerative but abundant and thus "sustainable"

What we did first was lay out some bricks for the oven to be on top of and then Mound up some wet sand into a Half Sphere on top of the bricks. We covered the wet sand with plastic and then began the main process.

We mixed clay and sand together 2 parts clay and one part sand.

A sifter is used for the clay to make sure we don't get any rocks into the mix.

The clay acts as a cement, when clay drys it hardens and like mixing cement the sand helps to aggregate it.

The next day we mixed sand, clay and small pieces of hay. The reason for the hay is for the fibers, the fibers hold the mixture together stronger.
The cement brick will serve as a door. The bricks on the bottom were used because bricks retain heat and help keep the oven hot. We also used a Coffee can as the hole for our chimney (that's the only part that isn't finished yet.)

You can see how thick the layers are. The first and last layers are thinner than the middle layer, this mixture is typically 3 parts sand and 1 part clay. Here are Jill and Justin hard at work.

When we were done with the last layer and the oven began to dry we removed all the sand from inside.

But alas! as the oven dries it begins to develop wide cracks, the cracks only go as deep as the layer the cracks occur on (hence one of the reasons for the three layers).

Now that it is fully dried it is a much lighter color and the cracks have finished developing. We also removed the coffee can so we can soon add the chimney. If you notice on the bottom of the oven where it meets the counter the oven is no longer touching the counter. When the cob mixture dries it shrinks, that causes the cracking and also the lifting, The large cracks are about a half inch thick and the bottom of the oven is about a half an inch off the counter now. (it's not floating it's all resting on the bricks, but that's obvious right?)

With the cob oven all dried I made a final mixture of clay and sand to the consistency of a wet plaster, (much like the final layer) and filled in the cracks. This trowel that I'm using is a sponge trowel used to smooth out the final texture of the plaster.

All that remains is the chimney (this photo is before I fixed all the cracks). You can see how thick it is in its thinnest area. If you look carefully you can see the middle layer with pieces of hay.

Here's the near final product. Once it is dry and the chimney is put in we'll fire it up to harden everything even more even though it's already as hard as a rock. Take note of how thick it is in some parts near the brick on the bottom, also note the roof above it, cob ovens shouldn't get wet unless it has a lime coat on it, we don't need one so we won't put one.

I can't wait to cook some pizza in it. Winco in Pomona near Phillips Ranch has some pizza dough in a ball near their dairy section. All of those in Pomona come to the Regenerative Studies Center at Cal Poly and check out our handy work.

An Authoritarian State?: Pomona, Regen V and the Josh Connole story:

2008-10-14T13:46:00.001-07:00

Guatemala: FBI presence visible here
Originally uploaded by xeni

In 2003 Josh Connole a Pomona resident Peace and Environmental Activist living in the Regen Co-ops, was wrongfully arrested for setting fires to hummers in car dealerships in West Covina.

I'll let you read some links

LA Times

LA City Beat

Grist

This is one of the reasons I'm uncomfortable with Checkpoints, I had just been stopped at one on Saturday evening, I was asked for my I.D. it was checked and I was waved through. I understand that DUI checkpoints serve a benefit in many ways, there's no denying that. But I can see it becoming a sort of soft surveillance. I am an environmentalist and I am against war, I also live in Pomona like Josh Connole, I have friends and acquaintances that live in the Regen V co-ops currently the same home that the FBI and ATF raided. I don't do anything illegal and I would rather not be afraid of my actions especially when I do nothing wrong.

On the other hand, I could use that $100,000 that the FBI gave Mr. Connole when they admitted they were in the wrong.

Dinner in Pomona: Pho VI

2008-10-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

That's Pho Six for those of you that are Roman Numerically challenged. On sunday night my girlfriend and I went to Pho VI for the first time. It was pretty tasty and it felt good to spend money in Pomona.

I found this photo on yelp that has a mix of reviews which I can fully understand. The place is located on Third Street in Downtown Pomona.

I ordered the most expensive dish on the Broken Rice Dishes portion at 8 bucks, it was sliced steak and actually VERY good, the Steak was marinated nicely VERY tender and tasted great, it came with a salad and rice, and I was barely able to finish it. The amount of meat was proportioned well with the amount of rice. Both my girlfriend and I were VERY impressed with this dish.

My girlfriend ordered Pho and the meat was sliced very thin. I normally don't like soups but this tasted quite nice to me. She on the other was was somewhat unimpressed. It wasn't bad to her but it wasn't great. It DID come with the bean sprouts and Basil leaves before the Pho bowl came out. So we had no problem with that.

The service wasn't the best but it wasn't horrible. We asked a question about a dish and I'm not sure of the waiter didn't understand the question but he just said "i don't know" in his broken English and we never got an answer. But besides that he was fairly attentive and filled our water when it was low.

It is designed in a typical asian-american restaurant style fashion. Nothing extraordinary about the decor, but it does have a nice little "euro" patio one could dine on.

I also saw Calwatch from M-M-M-My Pomona at the restaurant. He was coming in just as we were finishing and we just waved a friendly hello at each other and finished up.

I would definitely come back for that Diced Steak dish (which BTW came in a boat) I'd like to try some other dishes as well. But there's more to see and try in Pomona and we only eat out once a week.

Weekend Repost: Tent City

2008-10-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

It's the Weekend and that means it's time to repost an old post. 4-19-08

I recently visited tent city. A man told me that this upside down American flag is not a sign of disrespect but instead a sign of desparation, it means help.

It doesn't seem right to cage these people in. A new curfew is being set up for them and I even heard a story of a girl who is pregnant. Her boyfriend was forced to leave because he is not a resident of Ontario. Dogs will also no longer be allowed even though all the dogs are tame and friendly

This dog is named Little Buddy. What if some of these people find jobs that don't allow them to get home on time? What if their kids dads are sent away because they aren't Ontario Citizens? This man in particular was able to build a nice shelter out of scrapped wood (it was made in one day). Those aren't allowed inside the fence. His makeshift home will be torn down and he'll have to find a tent. A tent is required for Tent City. A classmate who was with me said she thinks these people are complacent with the handouts and food donations. I think otherwise, I couldn't disagree more.
What amazes me most is that the people that live here trust eachother. One woman let another man borrow her bicycle because hers had a basket to carry food in. People talk to eachother and help eachother. A lot of the people know eachothers names. How many of your neighbors names do you know?
A lesson can be learned from those in desparation. They've developed a community, a REAL community that helps eachother out. someday i hope to live in a real community.

Movin' on up!: Internships

2008-10-10T23:16:00.000-07:00

I recently received an e-mail from Pomona's Redevelopment Agency in which they stated I would not be hired as their intern for the year. Though they said I was one of the six finalists of Ninety applicants I didn't make the cut.

BUT, the Inland Empire Utilities Agency DID make me an offer as an intern and I accepted, and if you aren't familiar with them that is the location of the Chino Creek Wetlands Educational Park that I'm fairly excited about.

(My new office? I could only wish)
Looking forward to working for the IEUA, I hope I'll be doing some planting designs for the "Garden in Every School" program.

Graffiti on my Sidewalk and Bamboo (not the good kind)

2008-10-09T22:17:00.001-07:00

Graffiti on my Sidewalk
Originally uploaded by andrewkanzler

Ever since I turned on the flood light towards my driveway allowing light to splash onto the sidewalk there has been more graffiti on the pavement. Interestingly the light was turned on in order to deter hooligans, but instead it has made the area easier to see and thus easier to tag on.

Maybe instead of trying to beat them I'll join them like I did with the graffiti on my home's bamboo.

Them

Me

Them

Me

Me vs. Them

This is the bad Graffiti, not the artistic graffiti like in my previous post about the art on Fillmore and Holt

The Shoppes in Chino Hills: Planning Almost Done Right

2008-10-09T01:27:00.001-07:00

DocumentView
Originally uploaded by andrewkanzler

So close, so so close. The planners for the Shoppes in Chino Hills have almost gotten it right. This is a photo of the master plan of area on the corner of Peyton and Grand (North is to the left). Only in the past few months has it opened. I've visited it a number of times and though I think what they did was very progressive they've still been confined to adhere to an old style of massive land-waste in parking lots.

What I consider to be the main corridor of the shopping center runs east to west with the entrance on Peyton and the foci being on the bookstore. The street dead ends on the strip to the bookstore allowing pedestrian access only. The North-South Corridor like the East-West one are narrow two-lane pedestrian friendly streets with pay street parking. In a previous entry I mention that stores with entrances on the street are good for business and walkability.

What's interesting is that this just seems to be plopped right in the middle of a massive parking lot. Surrounding all four corners of the shopping center are a LOT of parking spaces. There are sporadic restaurants to help disguise parking lot, but really it is too much.

Though the planners made an attempt to be progressive, by plopping it in the middle of a huge parking lot it defeats its own purpose. The streets that run through the intersection of The Shoppes seem out of place as one enters this parking lot paradise, it turns out those streets are little more than a facade serving very little actual purpose. At the very least they could have expanded The Shoppes and instead of a parking lot built a parking structure so that the footprint of parking spaces could be much smaller.

I do like the fact they they've included residences, offices including public offices as well as continuing some of their faux streets all the way through. This does push their progressive planning with the mixed use planning. They do however fall short with the massive parking footprint and their streets do seem a little too "Disneyland"

I hope this same mistake is NOT done in downtown Pomona, keep their parking lots small (in fact get rid of some) and allow for businesses to have street front properties.

Traveling: Can ASLA help?

2008-10-07T11:40:00.001-07:00

Garrett JUly 046
Originally uploaded by unbound003

Last year my classmates and I traveled to Arizona for a few days. Just before the trip I contacted the presidents of the Student Chapter of ASLA at ASU. Once we got into town I called them and asked them about places to visit, unfortunately they were unable to come out with us, but they were able to point us in the direction of some interesting projects to check out.

While my classmates are in Italy, and ASLA is in Philly right now, these thoughts become fresh again.

This connection we all have through ASLA or through IFLA or USGBC or any other organization should really be used in times of travel. How often have you been to a new city and had no idea where to go? Couldn't find any projects to check out or anything of the sort. I went to Chicago not long after that, but I tried to find projects without contacting anyone. It was VERY difficult, I DID find some places to visit through some heavy internet researching, but if i felt comfortable enough to contact an ASLA member in Chicago I definitely would have. I know absolutely no one out there and had difficulty finding interesting work to check out.

ASU was very helpful on my trip out to Arizona, They pointed us towards Cosmo Dog Park and that was Nine months before ASLA published an article about it.

Why not develop a travel network through ASLA or some other organizations. We can have some people volunteer to point out projects of interest even as they are being built. Even when we're in a strange city, we could have someone to meet based on that common bond of Landscape Architecture.

Why Not? If any Landscape Architects or Students of, are in Southern California (LA IE or OC) PLEASE feel free to contact me. I will point out projects to check out and I'd be glad to meet them over lunch or a beer. (I of course would imagine it'd be taboo to ask for a job, so that'd be off limits)

Landscape Architecture: Demeaned by Building Architects once again.

2008-10-06T01:37:00.000-07:00

portfolio08_Page_01
Originally uploaded by Jo3L_C.

Cassius Pealer Had this to say about Landscape Architects, "Civil engineers do one thing, [building] architects do another, and interior designers and landscape architects can do some subset of those things."

Really? A Subset? I don't think so. For someone who is so educated this fellow seems to know very little about what it is Landscape Architects do. I hate to sound like a whiny landscape architecture student. But seriously, must architects continue to demean our profession? I'm sure that it has to do with our profession being SO broad that people outside of the profession never really fully wrap their heads around it, but I would think a fellow with a Law degree a Masters and a Bachelors in Architecture and a double major in Philosophy would be close enough to our profession and knowledgeable about it to make any sort of accurate comment about it.

This is often where I am troubled about the secrecy of our profession. If people do NOT know about us, then they may never fully understand what it is we do. They will continue to think we are just landscape designers or landscapers. It is so much more than that. Here are some of the things I responded with.

"A good Landscape Architect understands cyclical systems especially those of landscape ecology. There are of course bad landscape architects as there are bad building architects who may bot have this understanding. Landscape architects must have at least a basic understanding of horticultural principles including plant capability and the sciences of soil. I’m sure a building architect couldn’t tell me the difference between both kinds capillary action in loamy, sandy or clay soil and what happens when those soils are partly mixed.

I understand the confusion because landscape architect[ure] is extremely broad and so for those that do not understand what landscape architects do they tend to stick with a stereotype or a deconstruction of the term landscape architecture rather than a hybrid of the two words. It is not the same as landscape designing and it is not the same as building architecture. Sure a building architect can explore the possibilities of buildings and most people can design a landscape, but not anyone can be a landscape architect."

I could go on and on about it, but it may never end...

I encourage all you Landscape Architects and students to leave the nice man a friendly comment or two.

I went and visited his article once again today and found both my lengthy comments had been removed. I wonder why? I was very cordial

Graffiti in the Landscape

2008-10-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

As I was riding my bike home from work over the summer, I ran into a group of graffiti artists painting their work up on the side of a building at Fillmore and Holt in Pomona. I was interested in their work and their medium so I began talking to them. The first person I spoke with was working on this piece. I like his composition, his color combination and the contrasting highlights he uses to make his name pop out.

If you are graffiti illiterate it says his name "Redoe." He spoke a little about the difference between his art and kids just messing around causing trouble, he said (I'm paraphrasing) "We get a bad reputation because of some people who write on windows and sidewalks."
I think the big difference here is the difference between graffiti and graffiti art. Graffiti art got its start in the 70's of New York on subway trains. The trains traveled all city and were a mobile form of communication. It was a precursor to buses that now have advertisements covering the entire vehicle, including windows. When it moved to the west coast, there were no subways but there were a lot of roads and parking lots instead of the art becoming mobile the art was mostly stationary and the people moved. Not to say that train graffiti doesn't happen in the west, It is still practiced even by this group of artists. In fact "Worm" told me RustOleums are the best for metal surfaces. This is "Worm" he uses bright and vivid colors with a very traditional style of lettering.

Interestingly enough the style of Graffiti exists on the same building as a sign for the business that the building conducts. This sign had been there for some time before the writers decided to do this wall.

This leads me to my question. Does Graffiti art have a place in the landscape? Is there a way to incorporated their style, their method, how they affect the landscape into what we do? There are those who battle Graffiti often by planting vines up walls etc... but can we utilize them? Like the Glass business that utilized their style for a sign for their business, and how advertising companies now run buses with advertisements along the entire stretch of bus. Can this be done with landscape architecture as well?

I know Landscape Architects don't often put physicalwords into their landscapes but if they did, what words would they choose? would it be more cryptic like "Redoe's" style or easy to read like "Worm's" Even just the style. It does not have to be a word or phrase, the style of graffiti is trying to express a three dimensional form on a flat surface. Landscape Architects have access to a medium that allows three dimensional forms. The shapes that they use may be too radical for some, but it doesn't mean it cannot be done in the landscape effectively.

Whether or not we incorporate what they are trying to do with what we are trying to do we can at least learn from them. Graffiti art will always be a part of the landscape because there are a lot of dedicated artists. To learn more about the start of modern day Graffiti art here's a documentary called "Style Wars" made in 1982. Here's a link to a world famous graffiti artist who also incidentally does land art installations Banksy.
To see the rest of the graffiti art go to Holt and Fillmore in Pomona. Or see this.
There are some closeups on my flickr account at Flickr