Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership Newsletter
Summer | 2026
| | Eco-Friendly Garden Tour Success! | | |
What an incredible day at the Eco-Friendly Garden Tour on Saturday, May 9th!! This was the 16th year of the Tour, and it only gets better and better each and every year.
This year, we had close to 4,300 registrations. The Tour featured 25 gardens, 19 of which were new. Some gardens saw as many as 450 visitors!
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered, supported, and helped make this year’s tour such a wonderful success. We were thrilled to see so many people enjoying the beautiful gardens, connecting with the community, and celebrating the joy and inspiration that gardening brings.
Thank you again for helping create such a memorable event. We’re already looking forward to next year!
If you have a native focused, drought tolerant, or fire-safe landscape and would like to feature your garden on the tour next year, please send us a message.
See ya on the next Eco-Friendly Garden Tour!
| | How much water does a lawn need during the summer? | | |
In our region, 1,000 square feet of lawn can require as much as 5,000 gallons of water every week to stay healthy and green. Converting unused lawn areas can save a significant amount of water – low water use plants need up to 70% less water than grass.
Act now to take advantage of increased incentives available for a limited time to offset the cost of conversion. Get up to $23,400 in rebates per project or even free plants and mulch, depending on what your water provider offers.
Find out what is available from your water provider for lawn conversions at https://www.savingwaterpartnership.org/rebates
| | Petaluma Mulch Madness: Now with free plants! | | |
From lawn to pollinator paradise! Turn your yard into a water-wise oasis with Mulch Madness. Mulch Madness is a FREE lawn conversion program available to all City of Petaluma water customers. Converting your lawn can save thousands of gallons of water per year, lower your water bill, and can create pollinator habitat. The City provides you with free sheet mulching supplies, including compost, cardboard, and mulch.
Plus, once you complete the sheet mulching process, you are eligible for free low water use plants! By prepping your yard for a no-water spring/summer, you’ll be ready to apply for a variety of pollinator-friendly native plants and shrubs just in time for fall planting season. Check out the available palettes and learn more about the program at CityofPetaluma.org/mulch.
| | Sonoma Water High School Video Contest Winners Announced! | | |
The Russian River Watershed Association partners with Sonoma Water to sponsor an annual video contest for high school students. The winning videos are used as public service announcements and educational outreach materials. This year’s theme is “The Future Flows through Us” and is aimed at inspiring people to take care of local creeks and protect the watershed for future generations. Students use their own creative approaches to get their message across.
All three winning videos will be posted to Sonoma Water’s website (sonomawater.org/video-contests), and the first-place video will be shown in Before the Movie advertisements this August at select local theaters.
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First place: To Whoever Finds This by Nhat Hudson and Joshua Kim, Maria Carrillo High School in Santa Rosa
Second place: Meet Me at Our Creek by Sirus Birnbaum and Viper Stafford, Technology High School in Rohnert Park
Third place: Watershed Storytime by Johanna Canto and Delenna Canto, Analy High School in Sebastopol
(unable to attend celebration in-person)
| | Winners of Marin Water High School Video Contest Recognized | | |
Marin Water is pleased to announce the winners of the District’s Inaugural High School Video Contest:
First Place: Jack Buchanan, Marin Academy
Second Place: Grayson Rothbart, Marin Academy
Third Place: Michael Maguire, San Domenico
An offering of Marin Water’s School Education Program, the High School Video Contest invites local students to embrace creativity, storytelling and themes around our local water system through film.
This year’s contest theme was “Your Water’s Journey,” and gave students the opportunity to tell the story of how local drinking water makes its way from the watershed to your tap – and all that is part of that process – through short, 1-minute videos.
An interagency eight-judge panel reviewed the submissions for theme, creativity, originality, entertainment value, accuracy and composition.
The winning students were recognized last month during a Marin Water Board of Directors meeting and will each split cash prizes with their schools.
Marin Water will continue the High School Video Contest in the coming year, with plans to announce the contest theme later this summer.
| | New Certified Green Businesses in Petaluma: | | |
The City of Petaluma is proud to announce 17 newly certified Green Businesses! These businesses received support from Cool Petaluma and the County of Sonoma’s Energy and Sustainability Division. To become certified, businesses must meet standards for water and energy efficiency, reduce waste, and prevent pollution. Congratulations to the newly certified Green Businesses!
| | Volunteer in the Native Plant Garden at the Laguna Environmental Center! | |
Get your hands dirty for a good cause—volunteer in the native plant garden and help pollinators thrive. Snacks provided!
Help Laguna Environmental Center native plant garden flourish while connecting with community and nature. Volunteers play a vital role in keeping the Laguna Environmental Center beautiful and thriving. Typical tasks include planting, pruning, weeding, and spreading wood chips.
The diverse landscape features native wildflowers, grasses, sedges, forbs, and trees, along with special highlights like a living willow tunnel in the Children’s Playscape, a scenic bridge over a swale, a tranquil pond, and an observation deck with sweeping views.
No experience is needed—just bring your enthusiasm and curiosity about native plants. They provide training, tools, and plenty of hearty snacks. Wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Only heavy rain cancels.
| | Friday, June 5th from 9am-12pm at the Laguna Environmental Center in Santa Rosa | | Resilient Landscapes Coalition Firewise Landscaping Webinars | | |
The Resilient Landscapes Coalition is hosting a free, bilingual Four Part Webinar Series on creating firewise landscapes in the Defensible Space Zone, while at the same time enhancing biodiversity and wildlife habitat, and conserving resources.
Defensible space is the buffer between your structure and the surrounding area, which can slow or halt the progress of fire and protect your home.
Residents can register to learn how to create and maintain a firewise, sustainable garden that supports biodiversity while meeting County code requirements.
The workshop series aims to equip you with the knowledge to navigate the new and updated California Zone 0 guidelines, including considerations for trees, existing landscapes, plant placement, and maintenance, to preserve and even enhance wildlife habitat.
Webinar Dates: June 9, 16, 23, 30 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
June 9th, 2026: Framework of sustainability for defensible space and beyond
June 16th, 2026: Defensible space zones and code requirements
June 23rd, 2026: Firewise design with the defensible space zone
June 30th, 2026: Maintenance in the defensible space zone
Participants may sign up for all four parts or just one. All workshops will be available in both English and Spanish and will be held on Zoom.
Zoom registration link: https://ucanr.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6HkwgNjlS-Su-F7PKIkYUA#/registration
| | Tuesdays, June 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th from 5:30-6:30pm | | Green Home Tour for Real Estate Professionals | | |
This FREE home tour offers real estate professionals a chance to learn firsthand what makes a home green and why it matters for buyers/sellers.
Join the Bay Area Regional Energy Network on a two-hour green home tour specifically designed for real estate professionals. This tour of a 1950s home in Santa Rosa will provide a firsthand look at a variety of green home features. They will discuss the benefits of these features and how communicating the benefits to buyers and sellers can distinguish your business from your competitors’.
Green home features that will be covered in the tour:
- All-electric home with the gas line capped off
- Heat pump ductless split system with 3 heads
- Heat pump water heater
- Induction cooking range with battery storage
- Blown-in insulation in most outer walls
- LED lighting
- Hardwood flooring in most of the home with linoleum in other areas
- Front yard was redone using Cash for Grass program – replaced grass with mulch and drought-tolerant plants
- Fruit trees and vegetable garden with chickens
- Solar panels installed
- Did Home Energy Score and used the Energy Smart Homes rebate
The location of the green home tour will be disclosed after you register for the event.
| | Wednesday, June 10th from 11am-1pm in Santa Rosa | | Join Marin Water at the Fairfax Festival and Ecofest | | |
Marin Water is pleased to be a sponsor of this year’s Fairfax Festival and Ecofest. This annual event draws thousands to beautiful downtown Fairfax with a parade, followed by two days of community exhibits, hands-on activities, art, music, and a special focus on sustainability and community engagement.
The District will host a water bottle filling station and engage with visitors on useful water efficiency programs available to our customers.
| Saturday, June 12 to Sunday, June 13 in Fairfax | | Get something fixed at your local Repair Fair! | | |
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Do you have a small appliance, textile, or bike in need of repair? Bring it to a Repair Fair hosted by Reuse Alliance!
Volunteers and specialized repair professionals will be on-hand to repair many types of items. Please stay with your item while it's being fixed, so you can learn tips for future maintenance, how to shop for repairable goods, and even how to repair things yourself!
If you’d like to bring an item to repair, please register the item here. (Pre-registering allows them to prepare for your item!)
Alternatively, does fixing things sound like a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon? Or, want to help out in other ways?
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Upcoming Repair Fairs:
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Corte Madera - Saturday, June 6 from 1-4pm at the Corte Madera Community Center
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Sebastopol - Sunday, June 14 from 1-4pm at the Sebastopol Center For the Arts
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Marin City - Saturday, August 15 from 1-4pm at The Lab
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Fairfax - Saturday, September 12 from 1-4pm at the Fairfax Library
| | Email volunteer@reusealliance.org or sign up here to get involved! | | Volunteer in Petaluma's Community Gardens | | Looking for a hands-on way to support Petaluma’s community gardens? Join the Garden Steward Volunteer Days, ongoing care is provided for local demonstration gardens while creating meaningful opportunities for community involvement. | | |
These are casual, small-group workdays (typically 1–5 volunteers) where seasonal garden needs are tackled. Tasks may include:
- Mulching, weeding, planting
- Pruning (excluding fruit trees)
- Irrigation fixes & garden assessments (staff-led)
- Fun projects like plant mapping, signage, or outreach
Reach out to Daily Acts anytime by email to emily@dailyacts.org or by phone at (707)789-9664.
| | 1st Friday and 3rd Tuesday of each month from 9:30am-12pm in Petaluma | | | | |
