Long Beach Rebates Offered

Replacing high-maintenance grass and flowers with drought-tolerant vegetation is meant to help the city conserve water, reduce maintenance costs and set an example for residents, said Larry Rich, Long Beach's sustainability coordinator. Matthew Lyons, the water department's director of planning and conservation, said homeowners are catching on to the benefits of drought-tolerant landscaping, thanks in part to the city's Lawn to Garden Incentive Program. This presents opportunities to landscape contractors to work for clients wishing to reduce water consumption and earn rebates from the city.

The incentive program has provided rebates to homeowners who agree to remove grass lawns in favor of environmentally friendly landscaping. Since being established last year, Lyons said more than 200 lawns have been converted, with another 300 planned for renovation. Rebates are worth $2.50 per square foot of turf removed, with a maximum of 1,000 square feet allowed per customer, or $2,500 total.

''Homeowners submit their designs and we look at their plant list and see that the landscape is going to be drought tolerant and beautiful and then we give people a certain amount of time to complete the construction,'' Lyons explained.

A common misconception from area residents and business owners is that drought-tolerant plants are not as beautiful as grass and flowers, Arevalo said. To change that misconception, he said the city would continue to lead by example and show people that drought-tolerant plants can be used aesthetically.

''We are in a desert, arid climate,'' he said. ''People are going to have to find a different appreciation for this type of plant palate. These plants can really beautify a community.''