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Ocean Friendly Gardens

"Be part of the solution, not the pollution."

OFG standards use this everywhere possible: contouring landscape for rainwater retention; creating living soil to sponge up water, filter pollution and sequester carbon; and installing climate-appropriate plants to create wildlife habitats and a sense of place. 

The Ocean Friendly Gardens program is Surfrider Foundation's volunteer-run landscape education, hands-on training and advocacy program. In addition to providing valuable information to property owners on how landscapes and hardscapes can prevent water pollution, we encourage landscape professionals to incorporate the program’s principles into their business practices. Chapters also use the program to motivate local governments to support OFG-oriented policy changes for existing and new development.

Water runoff is the #1 source of ocean pollution in urban areas, contributing to flooding and wasting water that can irrigate landscapes and replenish groundwater.

What is an Ocean Friendly Garden?

OFGs apply CPR – Conservation, Permeability and Retention – to landscapes, hardscapes and streets. They allow soil to act like a sponge to help restore the helpful functions of watersheds like protecting local water supplies and preventing pollution from reaching the ocean. They also reduce flooding during storm events, pull carbon from the air and into plants and soil, and create wildlife habitat.

OFGs apply what is coming to be known around the country as the watershed approach. The principles are the same: healthy, living soil; retain rainwater; climate-appropriate plants; efficient supplemental irrigation as needed.

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Irby Park: Native Plant Restoration

Irby Park located in Huntington Beach is an area of focus for us as the land was used for a variety of purposes throughout the years. 

We are working with neighborhood and our volunteers to bring back native plants to the area on the first Saturday of the month.

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River's End Park: Native Plant Restoration

The River's End Park in Seal Beach is a fairly new one however the developers did not think things through and left behind a lot of invasive plants. Due to a lack of activities on the weekdays we decided to tackle this issue the third Saturday of the month. Plus you will be in walking distance to a couple Ocean Friendly Restaurants.

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Learn More About The Program

SOCAL EDISON OFG NEWS ARTICLE

Read about the World's Largest Ocean Friendly Garden!

Resources

Surfrider Publications

Program Criteria

Benefits of Healthy Soils and Ocean Friendly Gardens

Toolkits and Online Tools


Signs, Brochures, and Educational Resources

Guidelines and How To's 

Donations allow us to purchase native plants for Ocean Friendly Gardens.

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Program Coordinator:

Paige_Brue_OFG (1)

Paige
Green Thumb and Native Plant Identifier
OFG@NorthOC.Surfrider.org

Civil engineer during the week. Planter and weed puller on the weekends.