Secret Gardens Village at Park Day School April 26, 2009

Held in conjunction with the famous Secret Gardens of the East Bay, the Park Day School Secret Gardens Village invites visitors to shop, eat, learn about greening their homes and gardens, and enjoy a lovely afternoon on the Park Day campus. Local businesses at the Village sell unique plants, organic vegetable starts, garden art, water sculpture, home accessories, fine organic preserves and baked goods, wine, gourmet gift baskets, books, jewelry, stationery, garden tools and much more.

For a complete list of vendors, please check the website.

The Secret Gardens Village will also feature live music, activities for kids, and great lectures on greening your home and garden. The speaker schedule is as follows:

11:00 AM
How to Care for the "Urban Forest"
Joe Lamb, co-owner of tree care company Brende and Lamb, is an arborist, ecologist, environmental educator, writer and founder of the Borneo Project. He will provide practical advice on caring for your trees, plus talk about how strategic tree planting, mulching, and using drought-resistant plants in our "urban forests" can help mitigate global warming.

12:00 Noon
From Yard to Garden: The Domestication of America's Home Grounds
Christopher Grampp, landscape architect and teacher in the Department of Landscape Horticulture at Merritt College, is the author of the highly acclaimed book, From Yard to Garden: The Domestication of America's Home Grounds. He will talk about how the American home grounds has transformed from an agricultural space to a utility yard and then again into an outdoor family room. Grampp's book will be available for purchase at the Village marketplace.

1:00 PM
Fresh Food From Small Spaces
RJ Ruppenthal, a licensed attorney and college professor, lives and gardens in the San Francisco Bay area. He will talk about how to transform your balconies and windowsills into productive vegetable gardens, your countertops and storage lockers into commercial-quality sprout and mushroom farms, and your outside nooks and crannies into whatever you can imagine, including sustainable nurseries for honeybees and chickens. Ruppenthal is the author of the best-selling book, Fresh Food from Small Spaces, which will also be available for purchase at the Village.

2:00 PM
Reconnect to the Water Cycle with Greywater, Rainwater, and Composting Toilets
Laura Allen, co-founder of the Greywater Guerrillas, has spent a decade exploring low-tech, urban sustainable water solutions. She will explain how to cut water use in half while growing a beautiful garden. She will demonstrate rainwater catchment, greywater reuse, and waterless composting toilets while focusing on low-tech, simple options for greywater reuse.

3:00 pm The Economics of Solar Power for your Home
Kanyi Maqubela - field director of One Block off the Grid - will walk us through the basic technology and economics of home solar power, including financing, incentives, and how to determine if it's right for your home.

Official Website: http://66.117.159.164/secretgardens/marketplace.html