Sonoma County's 4th Annual 350 Home & Garden Challenge

About

Overview

On May 18th and 19th, thousands of people across Sonoma County will rise to the challenge of creating a more sustainable community. Building upon the incredible success of 628 garden actions in 2010, 1044 actions in 2011 and 2,304 in 2012, our goal this year is to inspire 3,500 registered actions.

Please join us! You can start a garden, transform your lawn, hang a clothesline, transfer your money to a local bank or credit union, go car-free…or take action in your own way! Small or large, every action counts. Together, we can become more food and energy independent, and build our communities stronger, healthier, more beautiful, and more resilient! Join this community-wide effort by registering your action or multiple actions today! Doing a lot already? Help others. Inspire a neighbor and help them transform their lawn. Plant extra food and share the bounty.

Vibrant Stories

Those couple thousand actions represent so much more than a number. They represent stories of transformation – transformation of people’s lives and landscapes; revitalizing family relationships and neighborhoods; feeding the hungry; expanding school, church and community gardens; going solar; renovating homes into energy- and water-efficient havens.

Learn more here about the 350 Home and Garden Challenge.

Here are a few examples of actions we all took in 2012 ...

convert your lawn (or patio/balcony) to grow food
plant a fruit tree
create an herb garden
grow a row for a local food bank
start a worm bin or compost
install low flow
set up a greywater system
harvest rainwater
switch to drip irrigation
hang a clothes line
conduct a home energy audit
unplug and tune-in to Nature
have a block party and share stories
help a neighbor meet the 350 Challenge

Why 350?

It is possibly the most important number in the world and so we want to draw attention to it. It refers to 350 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We are currently at 394ppm. Top climate scientists say 350 is the safe upper limit of CO2 in the atmosphere to maintain a stable climate. Together, our actions and alliances add up to reduce our carbon emissions and dependency on fossil fuels, and to create real solutions to the climate crisis. Collectively, small actions add up! Join in! Take action today!.

The urgency of our every action was recently highlighted by this powerful article by preeminent scientist and author, James Hansen, in the New York Times “Game Over for the Climate.”