Exciting News! A friend is a Finalist for the KFOG 104.5FM Live From The Archives Album Design Contest. Please vote and show our support...

KFOG 104.5FM Live From the Archives CD Cover Art Contest Benefitting Bay Area Food Banks

Just learned that Alexa and Cindy Rubin of Pleasant Hill, CA have been selected as finalists in the KFOG 104.5FM Live From the Archives CD Cover Art Contest. Sales of the CD is KFOG's annual contest benefitting Bay Area Food Banks.

Please visit KFOG's website and vote for Alexa and Cindy Rubin - or for the best CD Cover Art of your choice! I cannot think of someone more wonderful to receive the prize. Cindy is a great person and obviously a very talented artist. She and her daughter have volunteered in our community for years, supporting the Lindsay Wildlife Museum, the hunger cause and other important community organizations. Cindy was one of the very first people to offer help with the lemon lady fruit harvesting hunger cause over a year ago! Keep up the great work Alexa and Cindy. Congratulations for being selected as a finalist! I truly hope you win the contest. My vote's for you.

CLICK HERE to go to KFOG's website, view the ten finalists and cast your vote by July 29th!

KFOG has raised over $4 million for Bay Area Food Banks through the sale of these CD's. Here is the link to the cover art. If the spirit moves you, you can register to be a "foghead" and vote for the album cover of your choice.

http://www.kfog.com/Pages/LFTA17/LFTAVoting.aspx

Random Acts of Kindness...Won't you please help?

Volunteers Needed to distribute "Fruit Tree Flyers." See a fruit tree, drop a fruit tree flyer.

For a FREE Fruit Tree Flyer:
Email:
AnnaAndAva@gmail.com

CLICK HERE for my previous post about Random Acts of Kindness.

CLICK HERE for How to Save the World One little lemon at a time.

CLICK HERE to view a sample Fruit Tree Flyer.

Do you know that children in our very own neighborhoods do not have access to fresh fruit at their supper tables? (These are facts.) The bountiful harvests line our urban sidewalks, yet children are starving in our very own neighborhood. Food pantries rarely receive fresh fruit donations. YOUR help is needed! Won't you please join me today? Any Town, USA. We can help bring fruit to food banks. Ask me how.

All across America, YOUR help is needed. If we do nothing, nothing will ever get done. Fruit grows on trees, but it can't walk itself into the food pantries without a little help and kindness.

Grants Available For Military Kids...

Our Military Kids provides grants to children of National Guard, Reserve Personnel and severely injured service members. Explore their website for further details. What an endearing program. Easy application and up to $500.00 per child is available.

Our Military Kids Mission:

"Our Military Kids provides tangible support to children of deployed National Guard and Reserve personnel as well as to children of severely injured service members through grants for enrichment activities and tutoring. Such activities help these children cope with the stress of having a parent in a war zone or recovering from injury at home. Our Military Kids grants are made to honor the sacrifices that military families make and to ensure that their children have access to sports, fine arts, or academic tutoring programs.

As of June 30, 2010, $7.6 MILLION in grants have been awarded to 19,536 children!


UPDATE:

From Greg at "Our Military Kids":

"Hi Anna,

I work at Our Military Kids, and I just wanted to point out that our grants are not available to Active Duty service members - just those in the National Guard and Reserve. Those branches are geographically dispersed throughout the country, limiting their access to support services found on bases. This is why we award grants to their children.

In addition, we also provide grants to children of severely injured service members of all branches, but the service member must be classified as severely injured in one of the six categories designated by the Department of Veteran Affairs.

I hope that clarifies! Please let me know if you have any questions."

Recycling in Schools. Funding available. Let's change the world together!...

Earth Day - Every Day. Recycle Plastic Caps and Lids. Join the fun! This is an excellent recycling program for schools! Help OUR Earth today. Please contact me for a collection container or flyer. I can email or drop one off to you.

AnnaAndAva@gmail.com

(510) 406-1625

Of interest to schools, garden clubs, civic groups: Did you know that mini-grant funding is available to non-profits or schools who can demonstrate waste reduction or prevention, reuse, recycling and composting? CLICK HERE to learn what one Bay Area City has launched to inspire "greening efforts" and recycling in their city. Excellent incentive. I'm very impressed with the program. Go Green Pleasant Hill, California!

CLICK HERE for other GRANTS and CONTESTS rewarding volunteer service.

Dear Biochemist...

Thank you for taking the time to comment on my blog. Since you did not write in directly via email, I am not able to reply to your comment privately. Your very dear compliment about my work really made my day! (BTW, I have removed the posts in question.)

I absolutely love the work I do. You are correct - my mission is to feed the hungry, utilize our urban resources, inspire others to garden and share with the poor. Thank you again for stopping by my blog. Happy Gardening and Happy Harvesting.

Best Regards,

Anna, The Lemon Lady

AnnaAndAva@gmail.com

Sustainable Contra Costa...

Enjoyed a lively conversation today with Sheila Hill, Board Member of Sustainable Contra Costa (SCOCO.) Sheila works very hard to engage the community on up and coming green issues, initiatives, helps local schools develop and maintain recycle programs and habitat gardens and is involved in organizing various other community programs. Please visit SCOCO's website to learn all that they're involved in; meet the other Board Directors of this wonderful organization promoting sustainability and outreach in our County!

From their website: "Sustainable Contra Costa is a non-profit organization working to create more sustainable communities in our county. We are part of a growing coalition of individuals, families, businesses and organizations who are committed to making personal changes toward more sustainable living and working while also addressing broader issues and practices that affect our communities, our eco-systems and our planet. Join us!"

Why Can't You Recycle Plastic Bottle Caps?

Why Can't You Recycle Plastic Bottle Caps?

Great question! If you've ever wondered - very worth 4 minutes of your time. Excellent interview by NPR.

CLICK HERE to link to NPR, read transcript or listen to actual radio interview.

"July 14, 2008 You can recycle plastic bottles, and even metal bottle caps. So why can't you recycle plastic bottle caps? Sierra magazine's Josie Garthwaite has the answer in another installment of the Bryant Park Project's one-question interview series."

CLICK HERE to link to the "Earth Day Every Day. Recycle Plastic Caps and Lids" campaign. If you're inspired, please contact me for ways to help.

AnnaAndAva@gmail.com

(510) 406-1625

Lindsay Museum Collect-A-Thon, Ongoing Now. Calling All Kids! Celebration Party on August 19th...

Collect-A-Thon

Calling all kids! Want to help Lindsay Wildlife Museum care for injured or orphaned animals?

Now through August 12, collect items from our wish list of needed items (or even cash donations!) and you will earn certificates, awards and an invitation to a special celebration party on August 19.

Just print out the instructions, a Junior Volunteer Badge, wish list of needed items, and Collect-A-Thon sponsor sheet and you will be on your way! You can also pick up Collect-a-Thon packets here at the museum or at the libraries in Orinda and Moraga. Good luck!

CLICK HERE for more info.

Anna, The Lemon Lady thoughts on this:

This is an excellent way for children to be big helpers for local causes. Some of the "wish list" items are so very easy to collect around the house, i.e. margarine containers with lids, toilet paper, pillowcases, old towels, etc. Any one of us could easily search our closets for items that can be donated to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum for their ongoing care of injured native wildlife.

Do Good. Help the animals. Have Fun!

Edi Birsan - The Pulse of Concord. NEW July Survey!

The new JULY survey is here!

PLEASE take a few seconds and complete this short survey.

CLICK HERE to take the NEW survey.

From our friend, Edi Birsan. In the Summer, Edi will be running for Concord City Council. This survey is very important to him and to our community.

Edi advises that:

“The Pulse of Concord is designed to be a quick 10 question survey of perspectives, issues, concerns or simply snap shots of the Concord views.

The first round of questions came from walking around talking to people after the budget workshops and at various community gatherings in the course of my campaign for Concord City Council. From the responses I will be gathering a panel of people to help craft questions. All of this will develop a greater profile of what makes people’s blood pressure pump here as well as explore perceptions of our community."

CLICK HERE to take the NEW survey!

Thank you.

Home Composting...So easy, even Oscar the Grouch can do it!

The best way to amend poor soil is to start your very own garden compost! Toss nutrient rich kitchen scraps into the compost pile, instead of into the garbage can. Be kind to Mother Earth, and reduce waste. The Environmental Protection Agency has great composting information on their website.

There are many Bay Area Workshops on how easy home composting really is. Even if you live in an apartment, a small worm box can do the job! The Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority (CCCSWA) sponsors upcoming classes in several cities throughout the year. Click HERE for the 2010 schedule. All classes are FREE of charge!

A few upcoming dates:

07/07/2010, Walnut Creek, 9-10:30a.m.
Composting Vermicompost
Heather Farms Community Center

07/16/2010, Walnut Creek, 10-11:30a.m.
Composting Vermicompost
Contra Costa Times Garden

07/24/2010, San Ramon
9-10:30a.m.
Composting Vermicompost
Crow Canyon Gardens

08/10/2010, Walnut Creek
7-8:30p.m.
Composting Vermicompost
Heather Farms Community Center

08/22/2010, Danville
2-3:30p.m.
Composting Vermicompost
Navlet's Garden Center

08/28/2010, Moraga
1-2:30p.m.
Composting Vermicompost
Moraga Hardware Lumbar

Excellent rebates are available to CCCSWA customers who purchase composting or vermicomposting bins through the CCCSWA. I spoke with Ashley at the CCCSWA and she told me about the rebates. She was very knowledgeable about their composting programs, helpful and pleasant to speak with. Give her a telephone call, at (925) 906-1801 or email: Ashley@wastediversion.org with questions.

"We have two different types. We sell the Norseman Earth Machine and the Smith and Hawkin BioStack (one of the most popular bins). The BioStack is normally around $130.00. We sell this bin, with shipping and tax included, for $53.04. The Norseman sells for $39.00, and can be picked up at the Walnut Creek Recycling Center."

Oscar the Grouch says:
"Please don't throw banana peels in the garbage. Thank you."