Recycle Your E-Waste
This Saturday!

In partnership with Gold Coast Recycling and Transfer, E-Recycling of California, Ojai Community Bank and the Ojai Valley Directory, the Coalition will once again hold an e-waste recycling event this Saturday, January 14, in the Ojai Community Bank's parking lot located at 402 W. Ojai Avenue. The event is open to all Ojai Valley residents and businesses and will occur rain or shine 9 A.M. to 1 P.M. For more information about the event call us at (805) 669-8445.

2015's e-waste heads to E-Recycling of California.

If you received new electronics or small appliances as holiday gifts, remember that it's illegal to dispose of your old items in the trash or in regular recycle bins. These universal wastes, as they're called, contain toxic heavy metals that can leach into the ground, so they can't go to landfills.

Thanks for recycling - you can also help by sharing event info or flyer with friends and neighbors!

$1,000
and 16 Members to Go!

As a supporting member, you are our lifeblood and help the Coalition carry out its mission to advance a green, sustainable and resilient Ojai Valley. We like to think that's a pretty good vision and goal to have, and if you agree and haven't done so yet - please become a new or renewing supporting member. And if you are part of the $9,000 raised so far during our $10,000 matching challenge membership drive ending January 31, we thank you!

We also have the goal of reaching 200 members by the end of January, and we're currently at 184 business and individual members, so.... can you be one of the 16 to get us to 200? Need more information? Get to know us through our annual reports.

Thank you for your consideration. Your Coalition staff in service to the Ojai Valley community -

Russell, Deborah, Noel, Renee

Dear Fellow Coalition Members:

I am into my 10th year with the Ojai Valley Green Coalition, and I know it's time for me to step down. For many years I've put activism and advocacy first and family second, but now with my parents living with me, it's time for me to reverse that paradigm.

The silver lining to my many years with the Green Coalition is all the wonderful people I've met, relationships that have been developed, and feeling I belong to a community - I've never experienced that before.

Of course, our environment is critical, but really my passion is community; making connections; sharing hopes, fears, joy, and pain; because it's in that place of being real, of being vulnerable that I believe we truly learn and engage. It's where we gain what we need most from my perspective - resiliency and civility. Two words that cannot work alone and were not part of my vocabulary 10 years ago.

I will be staying connected to the Coalition as a volunteer and will continue my community activism - but with more balance. A heartfelt thank you to all who have worked with me - successfully bringing the Coalition through its first 10 years. It's been an honor.

Deborah

Program Director, 2016-2017
Executive Director, 2008-2015

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

- from the Executive Director -

The Ojai Valley Green Coalition is in transition. Our 'fearless" advocate, Deborah Pendrey, is going to be moving on. The Ojai community put our trust in Deborah to lead the way toward a more sustainable future, and she responded with a passion and a dedication that has made all of us proud.

Deborah's leadership has built the Green Coalition to the point where we can do even more, provided the Ojai community is willing to stay the course. The Ojai Valley is raising the standards for being a sustainable, regenerative community with an impact that can reach as far as our community reputation can extend. We have strong leadership on our City Council, on our County Supervisors board and in every elected body that impacts our community. We also have a Valley teaming with concerned and engaged people willing to do what they can in keeping the quality of life strong and resilient for all our wildlife and native ecosystems.

The Board of Directors and the staff of the Coalition are continuing to do the work. This work needs to expand so we can meet the growing challenges and become an even stronger and more stable organization. We are looking at ways to bring in the funding, people and resources. People are key to making this work succeed and we trust that you will be one of the many who continue the momentum. Thank you.

Russell Sydney
Executive Director, 2016 -

Water Wise When Wet

Being water wise isn't just about saving water, it's about managing it, and being prepared for it as well.

• In addition to saving us money by reducing our water bills, reducing water consumption also reduces energy costs associated with water heating.
• Using green infrastructure to manage rainwater lessens the load on our wastewater infrastructure.
• Allowing water to infiltrate into the ground instead of run off into storm drains enhances the local watershed and improves both water quality and resilience to drought AND flooding.

When much of California is facing drought and limited water supplies, capturing and reusing every drop of water is crucial. The State Water Board's Storm Water Program has created a seven part film series to bring to life simple practices that individuals and communities can do to conserve water, become stewards of our watersheds, and slow the flow of stormwater from homes and businesses when it's raining. We also recommend the free download of Basins of Relations a great citizen's guide to protecting our watershed promoting the philosophy of SLOW IT, SINK IT, SPREAD IT!

In Other Water-related News:

Comment Period Open for Ojai Basin Analysis of Basin Conditions - The Ojai Basin Groundwater Management Agency alternative to a Groundwater Sustainability Plan is now available for review and comment on the State Department of Water Resources website.

Ventura River Watershed Council Meeting - Thursday, January 26th, 2017, 11:00 am to 1:30 pm, at the Bell Arts Factory. More details and agenda here.

Free Horse and Livestock Services Available - Horse and Livestock owners/operators are invited to take advantage of the Ventura County Resource Conservation District (VCRCD) FREE services: property visits, site-specific nutrient management plan development, and cost-share opportunities for Best Management Practices (BMP) installation. For more information please contact Lexi Everhart at (805) 764-5135 or by email here.

Horse and Livestock Watershed Alliance (HLWA) meeting - Scheduled for Wednesday, February 8, 2017 in Kent Hall at the Help of Ojai, 111 W Santa Ana St, Ojai, CA, 93023 from 5:30-7:30pm. The agenda will cover local water quality issues, anticipated regulations, BMP education, and VCRCD's services.