Green Wednesday: Garden Allies and the Power of Thoughtful Consumption
By Penny Pawl, U.C. Master Gardeners of Napa County / Marilyn Knight-Mendelson, Environmental Contributor
Green Wednesday: Gardening and Ecological Insights
Every Wednesday Napa Valley Features brings you Green Wednesday, featuring articles from environmental voices and the UC Master Gardeners of Napa County. These contributors share research-based horticultural advice, insights on sustainability and climate topics relevant to our region.
Summary of Today’s Stories
In "The Tiny Intruders That Help My Garden Thrive," Penny Pawl highlights the beneficial roles of frogs, lizards and snakes in her Napa garden and how reducing chemical use helps support their survival.
“They aren’t pests but garden helpers.” — Penny Pawl
In "Slow Buy for Fast Change," Marilyn Knight-Mendelson explores how mindful purchasing, community reuse and repair initiatives can meaningfully reduce waste and environmental impact.
“Less stuff means less resource consumption, less pollution and less impact on our climate.” — Marilyn Knight-Mendelson
Slow Buy for Fast Change
By Marilyn Knight-Mendelson
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — A year or so ago my daughter’s toaster oven broke. My son-in-law was adamant that it should be repaired, and so began a fruitless search for someone who could fix it. Everyone’s advice was, “Just buy a new one. It will be cheaper.”
We have all had this experience. Mostly we cave in and click on Amazon. It is only when we are confronted with the grim statistics of how much trash we produce that we start to question the way we deal with our waste.
According to the Global Waste Index in 2025, each American generates more the 2,000 pounds of trash each year. We soothe our guilty consciences by convincing ourselves that recycling will take care of the problem. However, recycling is not enough.
Only a small percentage of what Napans put in their blue bins can be fully recycled. Kevin Miller, recycling manager for the City of Napa, says we all should all try to “reduce and reuse before recycling.”
In response, people are finding creative ways to address this growing waste problem. While some environmentally conscious individuals have attempted to generate zero waste during the course of a year, this is a challenging and often unsustainable undertaking.
Much more realistic is the “slow buy” approach, in which people carefully prioritize purchases and give up single-use gadgets, fast fashion and plastic items where possible. This is no easy task; it demands clarifying your values and reflecting on what is really essential. Less stuff means less resource consumption, less pollution and less impact on our climate.
There are many resources available to help. Apps such as Next Door provide an opportunity to borrow items such as tools and equipment or give away excess articles. Refilleries like Juniper Station on Main Street in Napa allow you to buy products using your own reusable containers rather than plastic packaging. Thrift stores in Napa offer gently used and often stylish clothing that helps to combat the wastefulness of the fast-fashion industry.
There are still other ways to cut down on buying new things. Napa Library houses a “Library of Things,” where you can borrow anything from ukuleles to “gadgets, tools, games, kits, electronics and more,” according to their website. All you need is your library card. Community Resources for Children on Claremont Way in Napa has a free Toy Library with educational toys and activities. (Discarded toys are highly visible in our mountains of trash.) These services address the practice of reusing items rather than slavishly consuming more
What about my daughter’s broken toaster oven? In France, they use a “repairability index.” Products are rated on a scale of one to 10 based, on how easy they are to fix and the availability of spare parts. The index is mandatory for smartphones, laptops, washing machines and televisions. This system combats planned obsolescence and encourages people to repair rather than reflexively replace items.
Just as I was wishing we had such a system to deal with our expired toaster oven, I learned about a recent “Repair Fair” hosted by the Napa County Resource Conservation District at the Napa Library in July. The RCD website explains that volunteer repair coaches “help you bring your items back to life while showing you how to do it yourself.” Monique Byro, the community engagement project manager, reported that 80 people attended the Repair Fair and 40 items were fixed, saving about 500 pounds of waste.
I look forward to resuscitating our toaster oven at the next Repair Fair.
Actions you can take:
Support Napa’s refillery and thrift stores, Toy Library, and similar businesses and organizations.
Check out Napa Library’s “Library of Things.”
Seek out or organize community repair events.
Embrace a “reduce and reuse” mindset.
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Marilyn Knight-Mendelson is a former teacher and administrator at Napa Valley Adult Education, an author and co-chairperson of Napa Climate NOW! Napa Climate NOW! is a local nonprofit citizens’ group advocating for smart climate solutions based on the latest climate science, part of 350 Bay Area. For more information: napa.350bayarea.org
The Tiny Intruders That Help My Garden Thrive
By Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — I live near the end of a country lane. I have lots of little creatures that live in my garden and seem to thrive. Among them are tiny toads, baby tree frogs, lots of blue-belly lizards, an occasional alligator lizard who likes my garage and, now and then, a snake of one type or another.
I like these residents of my garden. I talk to them when I am outside, and they come check me out. The toads and frogs seem to like living in my worm bins. I hope they are there to eat fruit flies and not my worms.
Sometimes they want to leave the bins but have trouble getting out, so I help them. Some are willing to get in my hand and others say, “No way.” One special toad sat on my hand as I moved items around in the bin. I fear he is gone as I have not seen him this year.
The lizards had an abundance of babies this year. They are tame with me but not my dog, the great lizard hunter. She has never caught one, but they fascinate her, and she knows their hiding places.
I have a shed with a crack under the door just big enough for lizards to go back and forth. The blue-bellies seem to love this shed. They are warmer inside in the winter, but on sunny days they come out to lie on the driveway and soak up sunshine.
All the lizards are named Lizzy, and some let me get quite close as I talk to them. One time a lizard, frightened by my dog, jumped on my pant leg and stayed there for quite some time. Blue-bellies are also called western fence lizards, but I have never seen one on a fence.
Another time, when we were eating on the patio, a nearby pair got very passionate. We sat quietly and watched this X-rated lizard show.
Alligator lizards are much bigger than blue-bellies, but I rarely see more than one each summer. He seems to patrol my entire garden and on occasion goes into the garage. The last time he went in he did not want to leave.
I have seen fewer racer snakes over the years, although I have found them in my worm bins, likely feeding on the frogs and toads. I ask them nicely to leave, but occasionally I have to get physical. Once a snake was moving around the bin with a frog hanging out of his mouth. I grabbed him behind the head and he let the frog go. Unhappy snake but very happy frog.
It is easy to identify racer snakes. I look at the shape of the head, then the body. They come in a variety of colors but are easy to distinguish from rattlesnakes. I also welcome king snakes and gopher snakes, but I do not see them as often as the racers, also known as whip snakes.
So why do I welcome these critters in my garden? Because they eat a lot of pests. I quit spraying chemicals a few years ago because I did not want to hurt my little garden pals. Their average lifespan varies, depending on whether they live in the wild or in a controlled environment. In the wild, toads and lizards can live up to three years, while as pets they have been known to live up to 10 years.
One old blue-belly would hang around while I was at my garden workbench. One day I found him drowning in a bucket of water and tried to revive him. I laid him with his head down and worked on his little chest. Unfortunately, it was too late to save him.
I am seeing fewer and fewer snakes in the area. I hope it is not because people are killing them. They eat small rodents. The gopher snake is terrific at keeping gophers out of my garden beds. I could use one right now as the moles and gophers are very busy.
Many a bullfrog has made itself at home in my fishpond. One year I removed 13. I would return them to the Napa River, which is just across the road. I discovered that if I put it on its back, it would lie quietly in my hand while I carried it back to the river. I bet Mark Twain never told that bullfrog story!
I hope the next time you spot one of these creatures in your yard, you’ll remember they aren’t pests but garden helpers.
Events
Library Talk: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for a talk on “Compost: It’s Alive!” on Thursday, Sept. 4, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. via Zoom. Learn how decay breeds life in your garden and how you can harness the power of compost. Register to receive the Zoom link. Note that the meeting will lock and allow no further entry at 7:15 p.m. Please join prior to 7 p.m.
Tree Walk: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for a docent-led tree walk of Fuller Park in Napa on Friday, Sept. 12, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Historic Fuller Park is an arboretum with many exotic and native trees planted over the past 120 years. Meet at the corner of Oak and Jefferson streets in Napa. Registration is required for each participant.
Fall Faire: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for the annual Fall Faire — “Where science fair meets carnival”— on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the UC Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Ave., Napa. Enjoy kid-friendly demonstrations and talks ranging from dehydrating produce to designing a pollinator-friendly garden, along with plenty of gardening advice. A plant sale will feature ornamental plants and seven varieties of winter vegetables, with all proceeds supporting Master Gardener programs. Event entry is free.
Become a Master Gardener Volunteer: UC Master Gardeners of Napa County is now accepting applications for the Class of 2026. Visit napamg.ucanr.edu for more information and register to attend a mandatory information session for applicants. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Sept. 25.
Help Desk: The Master Gardener Help Desk is available to answer your garden questions on Mondays and Fridays from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the University of California Cooperative Extension Office, 1710 Soscol Ave., Suite 4, Napa. Or send your questions to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. Include your name, address, phone number and a brief description of the problem. For best results attach a photo.
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Penny Pawl is a UC Master Gardener of Napa County.
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