California Drought in | AllGreen Grass

Global Warming is Happening: Surviving Retirement

If you are retired and live on a fixed income, don't fall into a trap of ignoring the entire global warming concept. According to surveys, two-third of Americans believe in a scientists disagreement on the issue. You might be surprised, but today scientists agreement on climate change exceeds 99%. Global warming is happening. The consequences are terrifying.

Water deficiency leads to a farming crisis in the drought states. Did you know that 90 percent of the broccoli, distributed in the United States, is grown in California, along with 99% of artichokes, 99% of walnuts, 97% of kiwis, 97 % of plums, 95% of celery, 95% of garlic, 89% of cauliflower, 71% of spinach, and 69% of carrots (the list goes on)? There is no other state, or a combination of climate and soil can outmatch California's production per acre. Lemons and Spinach California's supply is 55 percent higher than in any other state. If California farming fails to meet demand, prices will sky-rocket across the country.

While Jerry Brown, the Governor of California, ordered mandatory water cuts for residents, agriculture was exempted from new rules, even though farms are the biggest water users. Not everyone likes this measure, but if you think of a bigger picture, agricultural exemption prevents food and vegetable prices to become volatile shortly. 25% water cuts in California during the state of historic drought means a different world where "we have to act differently", said Jerry Brown.

Changing lawns to a drought-tolerant landscape is the big step toward global warming survival. Cutting down an outdoor irrigation saves more than a half of water usages for an average household. As far as options for waterless landscape go, artificial grass installed in your front and backyard can save you gallons of water every day. Synthetic surfaces made by AllGreen Grass can last twenty years or longer under standard residential use. It means water compliance with the state requirements and no maintenance fees. Artificial grass looks and feels better than semi-arid desert with concrete pavement, or a rock garden. If you have dogs, you don't have to worry about dust on your kitchen floor nor brown or dead spots of your lawn. The time of old astroturf that looks more like a short-fiber outdoor carpet is gone.

Today, we have more than 75 different types of fake grass that come in various colors, shades, heights and backing for any custom application. If you like to play golf, you can choose to transform your backyard into a tranquil golf course. If you have a dog, our pet turf is the cost-effective, environmentally friendly surface that allows any liquids including a dog urine to drain quickly through the backing leaving no smell and no residue behind.

In the last decade, artificial grass lawns became popular across the United States, not only in California, Nevada, Texas and New Mexico. Earlier, synthetic turf solutions were available only for commercial applications due to the high costs of material and installation, today we provide cost-effective solutions to homeowners and small businesses that can fit any budget and taste. Synthetic lawns significantly cut water bills and eliminate the need of lawn maintenance. If you are retired and getting ready to retire and keep you bills down, we suggest you to put artificial grass on your big investment list.

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Homeowners Associations: Can I Install Artificial Grass?

Question: The homeowner's association in my "planned community" does not allow artificial grass in my yard. What are my options?

Answer: You should point the administration of your HOA to a new extension AB 349 of the bill AB 2104 by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego. AB 2104 required a common interest developments to adopt a updated model ordinance regarding water-efficient landscapes that are effective in conserving water. New assembly bill AB 349 prohibits HOAs impose a fine or assessment on separate interest owners for use of artificial grass or any other synthetic surface that resembles grass, unless your homeowner association uses recycled water for landscape irrigation.

"We face a very real water shortage that challenges many of our old habits, and there's nothing fake about our responsibility to find ways to conserve wherever we can," Gonzalez said. "All Californians have tough benchmarks for reducing their water use, and it's our job to make sure homeowners have every opportunity to achieve the conservation we need."

At the time of California historic drought, this act is an urgency statue shall go into immediate effect. Numerous homeowner associations discriminated and fined homeowners who attempted to replace their water-thirsty lawns with synthetic grass.

Morrison Ranch Estates Homeowners' Association fined Agoura Hills homeowner, Greg Greenstein who replaced the grass on his property with artificial grass in his effort to conserve water, with more than $4,000 and demanded to remove the new lawn.

Rancho Pacifica, a gated community of multimillion-dollar homes in the hills east of Del Mar, prohibited a retired couple, Brian and Frances Holloway, who live in a palatial 9,000-square-foot Mediterranean to get rid of the water- sucking front lawn. They fine them $50 per day until the lawn removal.

La Costa Valley HOA, Carlsbad, CA turned down Val Buonaiuto, who planned to install artificial grass in his front yard.

In Carlsbad, California James Zemel installed synthetic lawns in his front and backyards. According to LAtimes he spent $14,000, and his monthly bill has dropped to $38. His water district sent him a thank you letter for his conservation effort. However, his HOA has demanded to remove the grass from his front yard, and threaten him with fines and legal action.

Las Costa Green HOA is one of the few in San Diego County that allows fake grass on front lawns. Its resident, Rocky Wilson, grandfathered synthetic grass installation in his home, in 2006.

The first bill didn't include artificial grass as a part of the water-efficient landscape. Gonzales said she held back because of Brown's past opposition to protections. In 2011, the governor said individual HOAs should make the decision, not state government. Residents outside of homeowners associations are free to install fake grass with few, if any, restrictions. But in 2015, California found itself in the fourth year of severe and potentially devastating drought.

Landscape irrigation, according to the Department of Water Resources draws 43 percent of residential water use. The installation of artificial grass, instead of traditional landscapes and lawns, can directly decrease outdoor water use to support the Governor's mandated 25-percent statewide water use reduction.

During the state of emergency, declared by Jerry Brown on July 1, 2015, homeowners associations are prohibited to fine and discriminated the members who are installing artificial grass on their front lawns. Throughout California, homeowners are subject to strict water conservation ordinances. While in the middle of a water deficiency crisis, homeowner associations are not allowing members to perform deliberate sacrifices and are still forcing them to keep grass lawns, and fining them. AB 349 ensures that all homeowners have the right to conserve water by replacing grass with artificial turf.

The bill stated that "Property owners who pursue water conservation should be encouraged, not sued or fined. Thus, this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety."

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August 10, 2015 | Water Conservation, California Drought, Drought In California, Drought California, Drought

How Do You Feel About California's Water Restrictions?

Al Madrigal, L.A. resident, wasn't in mood to discuss California drought with Jon Stewart.

"I'm sick of it," - he says. "Back home it's all we talk about. We use to go to dinner and discuss movies. Which stars are secretly gays. But now it's just - "How long was your shower. Did you use a backet? Hey, that's a guy whose lawn is green. Call the cops! "

Man, it feels good! I am taking an advantage of your unregulated East Coast Water-topia! Man, it feels good!

Jon, I have to get it out of my system before I go home and slip the recycled toilet water.

I haven't wasted water like this in years!

I am going to paint this town wet, Jon!

Named Best Stand-Up Comedian by the HBO/U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Al Madrigal's comedy has been called "dynamic" by The New York Times. His unique, spontaneous and fast-paced lyrical storytelling style has made him a regular on television with numerous appearances on Comedy Central including his own half-hour Comedy Central Presents Special and appearances on John Oliver's New York Stand-up Show and Pretend Time with Nick Swardson. Al has also appeared with Conan O'Brien (as one of the first 20 guests during his stint as host of "The Tonight Show," and on "Conan" on TBS) as well as multiple appearances on ""Lopez Tonight," "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

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June 11, 2015 | California Water, California Water, California Drought, California Drought, Drought In California, Drought In California, Drought California, Drought California, Drought, Drought, Water Scarcity, Water Scarcity

New Silicon Valley's Future - Drinking Out Of The Toilet

What wouldn't you do in the face of California Drought? San Jose's and Santa Clara's mayors took big gulps of filtered sewage water on Monday, April 28. Good stuff? Ouch.

Disinfected and purified water from the sewage has been used since 1997 in Silicon Valley for the landscaping irrigation and industrial purposes.

New Advanced Water Purification Center in Alviso opened in July 2015, take previously filtered water to a new level, cleans it with microfilters, ultraviolet light and reverse osmosis. The outcome is generally distilled water. After five years of nowhere near sufficient rain, Californians are questioning where else to find water, and it often comes to the question about the desalination.

The cost of water that comes from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is $400 an acre-foot. Filter sewage water will cost $1,100 - $1,500, and the desalination brings the price up to $3,000. Silicon Valley political leaders propose to almost triple the use of purified water from twenty thousand acre-feet a year to fifty-five thousand, which covers twenty percent of the country's total water demand by 2025.

They hope to get by the California Environmental Quality Act using an exemption from CEQA under an executive Gov. Jerry Brown's mandate issued April 1. The $800 million finance for this project could be funded with state bond money and federal funds. But to the homeowners it still means increased water rates. While Silicon Valley is facing the future of drinking out the toilet for the double price, it might be a good time for us to make less dramatic steps. For example, replace natural turf with artificial.

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California drought worsening: New water restrictions carry penalty of up to $500

As California imposed its first-ever statewide rules to
punish water wasters, a new survey showed why state officials say the drastic
measures are needed: Californians actually increased their water use amid the
worst drought in decades.
The new rules, approved by the State Water Resources
Control Board on a 4-0 vote, impose new restrictions on outdoor water use
starting Aug. 1 that could result in fines of up to $500 per violation.
Gov. Jerry Brown in January asked Californians to slash
their water use by 20 percent. But a new state survey released Tuesday showed
that water use in May rose by 1 percent this year, compared with a 2011-2013
May average.
The survey of 267 water providers by the water board
found that water consumption in the Bay Area dropped 5 percent. But in coastal
California, south of Santa Barbara, consumption rose 8 percent.
"California is in the worst drought we've seen in
our grandparents' generation or beyond," said Felicia Marcus, the water
board's chairwoman. "Fields are going fallow. Thousands of people are
going to be out of work. There are communities that are out of water -- they're
bathing out of buckets and water trucks are coming in to help them.
"But many parts of California don't seem to realize
how bad it is," she said, "because they are so far away from their
source of water. We are all in this together, and this is not a time to waste
water."
The new rules ban washing cars without a nozzle on a hose;
watering driveways or sidewalks; using potable water in ornamental fountains;
and over-watering landscaping so that water runs off into roads and adjacent
properties. Recycled water is exempt.
Under the new statewide rules, any agency that does not
impose mandatory conservation measures could be subject to state fines of up to
$10,000 a day. But it remained unclear Tuesday whether local agencies will be
able to keep in place rules that don't include enforcement or penalties.

More than 60 percent of a regular
residential home's water usage goes to lawns, in order to fight the drought
effectively, changing real lawns to artificial grass or other low water
requiring plantation becomes almost imminent. Synthetic grass company,Global
Syn-Turf, Inc. offers more than 50 different type of artificial grass products
with distribution centers throughout California: From Sacramento to Fresno to
San Francisco Bay Area to Greater Los Angeles, you will be able to find their
wonderful product to fit your preference. ...

Two Ways to Save Your Lawn in California Drought

It is no mystery that California is currently experiencing a drought. Many lakes, rivers, and reservoirs have dried up and depleted. Not only does the drought have a severe impact on California as a whole, but it also has an impact on individual homeowners. Many lawns have shriveled and withered away due to the drought, and it makes the front yard look terrible. As you can see in the pictures below, many lawns have died and look bad (as seen in the top row of pictures below). Many homeowners don't have the time to maintain a green and vivid lawn. They only rely on rain to supply the grass with water now and then. Unfortunately, the drought has made this method of keeping a healthy lawn ineffective.

What if your lawn is already dead and shriveled? Is there anything you can do to make it look better? There are only two practical options at this point. The first option would be to remove the dead grass and replant new grass seeds. However, if your previous lawn died because of poor maintenance, it is likely that your new lawn will be the same. The second more efficient alternative is artificial grass. Artificial grass is an excellent alternative to real grass because it requires extremely low maintenance and looks good year long( as seen in the bottom row of pictures below).There are many different types of turf, and each product has its unique design and color. You will never have to water your lawn or cut it ever again! Your synthetic turf will look great and save you time and money. The best part is, the drought will not affect your new lawn in any way. distributes to all states in the U.S and can recommend top professional installers, so all you have to do is sit back and watch your lawn transform! Speaking of transformations, have you seen our latest Youtube video? Check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8pviDFUb2c&feature=youtu.be ...