Ocean Friendly Gardens

The Ocean Friendly Gardens program (OFG) sees landscapes and streets as solutions to water pollution - and more. OFG standards use this simple approach everywhere possible: contouring landscapes for rainwater retention; creating living soil to sponge up water, filter pollution and sequester carbon; and installing climate-appropriate plants to create wildlife habitat and a sense of place.

Below are a few videos on OFG project in California:

This video shows why to create an OFG and how it was done.

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Understanding OFG

What's the problem? Urban runoff is the #1 source of ocean pollution. In Ventura, storm drains and farm runoff funnel into the ocean un-treated, polluting our water with motor oil, synthetic fertilizer, and other contaminants during heavy rain. Click here for more info about the causes of pollution.

The solution - home, business and public properties can all help prevent this runoff by turning their space into an Ocean Friendly Garden. OFG gardeners apply "CPR:"

C - Conservation - Conserve water, energy and wildlife habitat by using native and climate appropriate plants, and nutrients with properly spaced native & climate appropriate plants.

P - Permeability - Allow air and water to percolate downwards. Healthy soil, mulch, and limited hardscape sponge up water.

R - Retention - Retain water in the ground, not in the streets. Direct rain gutters into low areas in the yard & create curb cuts to capture street flow.

Learn more at surfrider.org/ofg

Convert Your Yard

• Do it yourself - here's a great design guide created by G3/Green Gardens Group.
• Materials - coming soon. Contact your city for sources of materials like mulch. In Ventura, you can get it for free at Cornucopia Community Garden.
• Map of gardens - Check out the map of OFGs here The map reports include plant lists, designs and more.
• List of Professionals - if you can't do it yourself, hire a pro! Those on the list have passed G3/Green Gardens Group's Core Concepts Workshop exam, which qualifies you to be a watershed evaluator following the OFG criteria.

Contact us if you are interested in helping out with Ocean Friendly Gardens