‘Lawn Be Gone’ Turf Removal Workshop This Saturday

By ALEXANDRIA BORDAS  | Reporter

Palisadian Gail Wirth is hosting a ‘Lawn Be Gone’ workshop at her home from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 11.
The event is funded by Los Angeles Department of Power and Water and was created in response to the severe drought crisis in California.
This how-to event focuses on the first steps in removing turf to create an eco-friendly front yard landscape.

Attendees will observe while instructors and the Los Angeles Beautification Team remove turf from Wirth’s lawn, install rain barrels and grade for rainwater capture.
The event comes on the heels of Governor Jerry Brown’s historic statewide mandate to cut water usage across the state of California by 25 percent.
The announcement didn’t surprise Wirth whatsoever.
“The Palisades uses the most water for irrigation purposes in all of L.A. County,” Wirth said in response to the importance of the mandates. “I will go to people’s front door when I walk my dog if there’s water being wasted. If I can see it happening then I will say something, which may seem pushy but that’s the life of a conservationist.”
Wirth and her husband turned off their lawn sprinklers one year ago. After five years of contemplating the removal of their lawn altogether, they are taking their conservation efforts to the next level.
Wirth said the event fell into her lap. “I was given information a couple of weeks ago about a rebate program for turf removal and how if my lawn passed an inspection test, a professional team would start my lawn transformation process.”
After applying and passing inspection, Wirth’s lawn is on its way to a landscape overhaul.
The water crisis is very concerning for Wirth, who became an activist and conservationist after she wrote a college term paper on the extinction of wild mustangs.
After moving to California over 30 years ago and settling in Pacific Palisades, she shifted her lifestyle to encompass eco-friendly methods to support her conservationist interests.
Wirth doesn’t see herself as a trailblazer, instead she sees herself as someone who takes advantage of opportunities.
She hopes the event will draw a big turnout and that it will inspire others to get rid of their lawns, which she said are, “just plain bad!”
“I am happy to be a part of the movement. It is a mindset change, but it is not an impossible change,” Wirth said.
The event is free but prior registration is required.
To register, visit: www.watershedwisetraining.com/events/how-lawn-be-gone-13-ladwp/