Ocean Friendly Gardens


Learn more about Ocean Friendly Gardens, how to get involved, and how Ocean Friendly Gardens can help you...read on!

What are Ocean Friendly Gardens?
Surfrider initiated the Ocean Friendly Gardens Program (OFG) to help its members and the general public take some steps at their own homes and businesses to reduce and prevent pollution reaching the ocean and to restore urban watersheds. Water leaving residential and other developed sites can carry away and/or pick up pollutants on its journey to the ocean. This urban runoff has become the #1 source of ocean pollution.
Ocean Friendly Gardens and parkways "apply CPR to the landscape" to significantly reduce wet and dry-weather runoff entering our watersheds and ocean. CPR stands for:
Conservation of (a) water, (b) fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, (c) energy (moving water around the state is the #1 user of energy), (d) and reduce the use of gas-powered maintenance machinery (air pollutants) through the use of native and/or climate-adapted plants.
Permeability increased - utilizing materials for a driveway, walkway and patio that allow water to percolate into the soil.
Retention devices like rain gardens, rain barrels and rain chains as well as bio-swales, dry creek beds and dry wells.
How is the Monterey Chapter implementing Ocean Friendly Gardens?
The Monterey Chapter is working to build a demonstration Ocean Friendly Garden at its office space at the Green Spot (corner of Forest and Pine in Pacific Grove).   We will be working in phases and adapting our landscape over time to demonstrate how you can transform your landscape with limited time and budget.   We plan to document this project as we go so community members can follow this project from beginning to end throughout its evolution.  The idea is for the garden to not only be a functioning pollution-reducing and groundwater recharging project, but to also provide aesthetic and educational benefits to the community.
How can I help support Ocean Friendly Gardens in Monterey?
We're glad you asked!  As a grassroots effort, there are lots of ways to get involved:
  • Garden Assistance:  Join us for one of our organized gardening days and get your hands dirty
UPDATE:  Check out our Open Gardening How-To guide which explains how you can help at the demonstration garden site on your own time.
  • Donation of tools or services:  Do you have extra gardening tools or materials lying around?  Are you a landscape or gardening professional?  If so, let us know what you might be able to contribute and we'll follow up with you. Services needed include workshop leaders and landscape design. Email monterey at surfrider.org
  • General Donations:  We plan to work thriftily, but we will invariably need some funds to get started and additional funds to build out the full garden.  Consider making a donation to the chapter. Donations can be sent to Surfrider Foundation Monterey Chapter, 319 Forest Ave. Pacific Grove, CA 93950. In the memo, please write "OFG". Every little bit helps!
  • Community Garden Assistance Program: Want help building your own Ocean Friendly Garden? Want to help your neighbors build theirs? Sign-up to participate in our Garden Assistance Program
  • Monterey OFG Google Group: Receive updates on OFG efforts and share ideas with others! Join here
How can Ocean Friendly Gardens help me?
Have an Ocean Friendly Garden of your own? Looking to build one?
  • Get help building your own Ocean Friendly Garden with help from resources on the Ocean Friendly Gardens website. Use these resources to do-it-yourself, or provide the criteria to your landscape designer.
  • Looking for a landscape designer that can help with your Ocean Friendly Garden?  Start by checking theGreen Gardener website to find a Certified Green Gardener
  • Resources for learning more about Ocean Friendly Gardens:
    Ocean Friendly Gardens main website with garden resources
    State Water Resources Control Board's new film explaining the need for and benefit from Ocean Friendly Gardens:  Slow the Flow
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