Sustainable Fairfax

Bringing people together to support a vital environment and thriving community

Sustainable Fairfax

Fairfax Community Seed Exchange Now at the Fairfax Library

by

Sustainable Fairfax has partnered with the Marin County Free Library and 2014 Branson Environmental Action Network to create a Community Seed Exchange.

The Community Seed Exchange is a free seed library that supports our community with locally-grown, pesticide-free, non-GMO seeds. This is an important program to preserve and maintain agricultural biodiversity, develop seed stock that is well suited to our climate and inspire our community to share in the magic of growing edibles, flowers, herbs and natives. In the last century, over 94% of our seed varieties have been lost. “Genetic Erosion” refers to the loss of genetic diversity between and within populations of the same species. The Seed Exchange decreases our dependence on agro-business, helps to create viable possibilities for watershed appropriate plants and is an educational resource.
Find the “Reference” section in the Fairfax library and check it out!

Garden Tips for January

by

It’s bare-root season! Plant-bare root fruit trees, roses, berry vines, etc. Some nurseries will prune the tree for you before you take it home.

Start vegetables indoors: Broccoli, cabbage (early varieties), cauliflower, celery, kale, Romaine lettuce, peas, artichoke, chard, leeks, rhubarb, spinach.

Garden upkeep: Prune fruit trees and roses, Cover frost-tender plants (Leave plants already damaged by frost alone. Prune blackened branches and leaves in April, when the true damage will be more apparent).

Take your living Christmas tree back outside If you plan on planting it in the ground, remember that most of them get very large. If your tree is going in the compost, Marin Sanitary Service is picking trees up at the curb through the month of January.

It is a great time to sheet mulch weedy areas or lawn that you want to convert to drought tolerant plantings. Find out more about sheet mulching here.

It Was Another Great Craft Faire (And We're All Tired)

by

CraftFaire1The 2014 FOCAS and Sustainable Fairfax December 13 Craft Faire was a popular and fun-filled event featuring sustainable crafts and gifts, including recycled sweaters, knit hats, jewelry,   pottery, origami ornaments, aromatherapy, handmade soap, and more.  Particularly popular were the wide assortment of pin-on animal ears and tails, and the “ear stylists” who fitted them to each potential buyer.

 

Music was provided by Ukulele Friends Ohana, Jack Irving and Kyle Alden.

Food included the very popular Good Earth mac & cheese and vegan chili, as well as the bake sale featuring organic and vegan options.  A new addition was chai and other warm beverages offered by Key Tea.

The Bake Sale

The 2014 Craft Faire featured a “new” tradition–a baking contest judged by local luminaries. The judges included Fairfax Mayor Barbara Coler, Fairfax Vice-Mayor Renee Goddard, Taste & Kitchen owner Lorenzo Jones, musician Jack Irving, Lola’s store owner Joelle Levy, and owner of Aphro Cuisine Megan McCulloch.  Two winners won a gift certificate and cooking class at Taste & Kitchen .

CraftFaireCookiesThe winner in the Cookies and Brownies category was a traditionalGerman Christmas cookie, the Zimmt Stern, or Cinnamon Star, made almost entirely of egg whites, almonds, and powdered sugar.

The winner in the Cakes and Cupcakes category was a wonderful Olive Oil Cake, a recipe which has ancient origins in Greek tradition of olive oil and honey cakes (Karithopita) developed prior to the widespread availability of sugar and butter.

Sharing treasured holiday recipes, crafts, and music  help us connect across and within cultures and generations, building new traditions layered with the old.

A special thanks to Camille Esposito of FOCAS who selected and managed the sustainable local vendors that made this event a huge success.

Thank You for Making Our Benefit Party a Success!

by

On December 6, 2014 we hosted a benefit at the new Marin Museum of Bicycling in Fairfax. The event brought over eighty people together from the Fairfax community and beyond to enjoy an evening full of conversation, wonderful local food and lively music in the beautiful space at the museum.

Sustainable Fairfax President Elizabeth Baker, a board member of 10 years, kicked things off with a wonderful history and summary of accomplishments of our organization. Our Executive Director Jennifer Hammond followed with remarks about our exciting upcoming programs and initiatives. And the one and only Renee Goddard, our dynamic Vice President, performed a memorable rap called “Reduce By Two,” promoting our new alternative transportation campaign to inspire a reduction of two car trips per week.

Fairfax local Jack Irving created a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere early in the evening with his lovely guitar, and “The Right Time” band got people dancing in the later hours with their lively funk rock tunes. Some people cozied up next to a warm fire outside, chatted with friends new and old, and sipped on some amazing chai prepared by Key Tea.

Our silent auction raised $2300 and featured over thirty items, many relating to sustainability, such as the Laundry to Landscape Greywater Starter Kit from The Urban Farmer Store, Good Earth Natural Foods certificates, heirloom seeds from the Petaluma Seed Bank, Nutcase bicycle helmets, a 4-seasons permaculture course from the Regenerative Design Institute and honey from Bonnie Bee and Company.

Sustainable Fairfax is grateful for being a part of such an engaged and connected community, and thanks everyone who has supported our mission over recent years. Special thanks to the board of Marin Museum of Bicycling for its support in helping us create such a successful event, and bringing life to a fabulous new venue in Fairfax.

We received tasty food donations from Donna’s Tamales, Grilly’s, Jasmine Market, Miyoko’s Kitchen (incredible vegan cheese!) and Sorella’s, and beer donations from Lagunitas Brewery and Marin Brewing Company.

Also thanks to Marin Sanitary Service, Flynn Riley LLP and North Berkeley Investment Partners for helping with event expenses.

We look forward to continuing with more education, activism and conservation in the years ahead!

Sustainable Fairfax Announces First Annual Baking Contest at the Fairfax Craft Faire

by

The Fairfax Craft Faire is holding its first annual Baking Contest!

There will be two categories for judging: Cookies & Brownies and Cakes & Cupcakes.

Bring your bake sale donation to the Fairfax Craft Faire Bake Sale at the Fairfax Pavilion, 142 Bolinas Road (the red barn) by 10:45am on Saturday, December 13. Provide your name, name of dish, and ingredients list to be entered into the contest.

Fairfax Craft Faire hours are 11am-5pm and judging for the baking contest will take place at NOON. Judges

baking_contest_flier3

include Mayor Barbara Coler, Fairfax Council Member Renee Goddard, Taste & Kitchen owner Lorenzo Jones, musician Jack Irving, Lola’s store owner Joelle Levy, and owner of Aphro Cuisine Megan McCulloch.

Winners will receive a gift from Taste Kitchen & Table. Category 1 will receive a $25 gift certificate to Taste and Category, and Category 2 will receive one cooking class from Taste’s new cooking class series starting in January (value $65).

Entries will be judged equally on 1-appearance (1-10), 2-taste (1-10), and 3-ingredients (1-10).

For more information, contact SustainFX@gmail.com.

October Garden Tips

by

Plant native trees, shrubs, and perennials. Fall is the time to plant natives. The cooler weather lets plants transition with less stress, rain is more plentiful, and the warm soil encourages root growth for a head-start in Spring. Also, many of the native plant nurseries in our area have sales at this time of year!

Clean up foliage but put diseased leaves in the green bin. Your home compost pile may not get warm enough to kill harmful diseases at this time of year.

Divide your spring-blooming plants like irises, as well as ornamental grasses. Later bloomers that can also be divided include black-eyed Susans, geraniums, coneflowers, and yarrows.

Leave the dead stalks of purple coneflower, black-eyed Susans, sunflowers, and other plants whose seeds or berries feeds birds through the winter.

Create habitats for beneficial insects. In our area, we have to be careful not to let brush piles accumulate because of fire danger. Creating a habitat for beneficial insects will give helpers like spiders, solitary bees, and beneficial beetles like ladybugs a home for the winter.
Find instructions here:

Building an Insect Hotel

Put your beds to bed! Any vegetable beds or unused plots can be protected over winter with mulching to help prevent erosion and weed growth, or with a living cover crop like winter peas (Pisum sativum), oats, vetch, and even fava beans. These plants improve soil biology, but should be mown or cut and either mulched in or added to your compost before they go to seed. Put your asparagus to bed with a layer of compost and a layer of straw or leaves to get them ready for a strong start in the spring.