Mar Vista has earned two honors this month, and they both deserve to be acknowledged. 
First, the Mar Vista Community Council was honored by the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) during their Empower LA 2009: A Congress of Neighborhoods. The MVCC won one of only 8 First Annual Neighborhood Council Peer Awards given in four categories. (That’s out of 89 Neighborhood Councils in total.) 
The MVCC was chosen in the Environmental category, no doubt for the work the Green Committee has done this year on events like the Green Garden Showcase, the Wise Water Use Expo and the Rainwater Harvesting program. Keep going Green, Mar Vista! And Congratulations to the entire MVCC!
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The other notable honor Mar Vista can take credit for this month is the superior baking talent of another Mar Vista Mom, Barbara Treves. Barbara entered her Forever Favourite Apple Pie in KCRW’s 1st Annual Good Food Pie Bakeoff and it was deemed Best in Show! 
Congratulations, Barbara! And for those bakers in the audience, the recipe is available on request.
Yum!
My 250-gallon rain barrel is all set up. See Before 
and After.
These barrels will collect runoff from the roof during a rain storm so it can be used to water plants during the dry times. It’s totally smart – and the barrels normally cost around $250. But I got this one free. And if you live in Mar Vista, you can, too! This is a free pilot program run by the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works. Please contact