AVCSG Newsletter #20
- Kacey Arntz
- Jun 29
- 5 min read
Email: altavistasustainabilitygroup@gmail.com NEW FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sustainaltavista/ INSTAGRAM: @SustainAltaVista |
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NEWS |
Thank you for coming to our Community Connector events! We’ve had over 40 neighbors join us to gather over coffee, pastries, crafts, plant sharing, stories, neighbor connections, neighborhood history and more! It's so wonderful to come together, new neighbors and those that have been here for long-time. AVCSG loves to hear about your wants and needs, and all the things that we can do together to grow as a community and become more sustainable. In an everyday effort, the Office of Resiliency and Sustainability provided us with 50 boxes containing everyday household items that can be used to make your home more resilient. The boxes included 4 LED lightbulbs, a kitchen sink water aerator, a shower head water aerator, pipe insulation, and the window insulation wrap. We have 20 boxes still available – please contact us if you want one, and please share the items that you can’t use with your neighbors. If we have any left over after this last call, then we’ll provide them for pick up at the Midtown Meetup food pantry. We hope to see you soon at the San Pedro Springs Park Pool, on our Alta Vista Moves Thursday Evening Walks or around the neighborhood out and enjoying the dog days of summer. Here are some tips to remember for the summer: – Seal windows and doors to save on electricity; every little bit of stopping cold air out and hot air in helps to reduce the energy exchange. Tape it, caulk it, block it; you know what you have to do :0 – Change HVAC air filters; keep your air filters changed out no more than 3 months (that's alot!) at a time. Dirty air filters reduce the air exchange and create more allergens, including dust, in your home. – Mow to no less than 4 inches; the code is 12 inches, and while most neighbors like to cut really short to the ground, when we hit the hot summer temps, the grass/weeds die off quickly and turn into dust/allergens. The short, close to ground cut also kills any ecosystem that you might have to retain water and keep insects. Also, when weeds and grass are allowed to grow to a fuller size than they enrich the soil and are easier to pull up (natural garden method). – Summer prep for fall seeding; Solarization uses clear plastic to create a greenhouse effect that superheats the soil to kill weed seeds and pests. Occultation uses black or opaque tarps to completely block light, starving plants and forcing weeds to germinate and die in the dark. Kill off any sections of lawn by using one of these methods during our high temp, hot summers! Keep an eye out for our July Summer Cool event! We’ll have many opportunities for volunteering working on gardens and easement space – connect with us on FB page or through Signal Chat. Keep the COSA Project Cool Summer Program info handy for yourself and your neighbors: https://www.sanantonio.gov/humanservices/SeniorServices/ProjectCool - Check this out or call 211 to see if you qualify for a box fan (60+ yrs old, resident, and in need), and also for those who want to donate. Do you have ideas for projects and workshops? Our Planning Team needs help with finding leaders who can help us expand our programs and services. Please reach out with any interest in email: altavistasustainabilitygroup@gmail.com. |
COMMUNITY CONNECTORS |
Please consider helping AVCSG strengthen our community by volunteering as a Community Connector. The idea is that there is one person on each block that will help get information to their neighbors and build relationships with those who need the connection. Many neighbors are not on social media and feel isolated without access to community programs.
Send us an email at altavistasustainabilitygroup@gmail.com
to connect with us on this and other ways to be involved!
Follow us on social media for weekly reminders! ***Weather Permitting***
GARDEN CLUB |
These mosquitos are a killer! Usually I’m left alone, so I know it’s really bad when they are attacking me. Have you heard of a mosquito dunk tank? It’s what we’ve been using to help enjoy our outdoor spaces without damaging wildlife, pets, or family with items like pesticide sprays.  Homegrown National Park has come up with a great flyer showing exactly how to build one for your yard on the cheap! The only thing you’ll need to source is a bucket and a Mosquito Dunk. I’ll include an image of the package, you can find them online, but bonus points if you are able to find them at a locally owned shop!  The natural bacterium in them targets mosquito larvae, but doesn’t hurt bees, birds or butterflies! You can set them up around your property. Encourage your neighbors too! |
Here you can see one of my buckets I made this past weekend. Since I have a dog, I put a lid on it and drilled holes in the top so I don't have to worry about him getting into it. The organic waste is starting to get funky, so I think the mosquitos are going to looove it. I plan on painting the bucket so it's less of an eyesore.
What to do next?!?
Seed collection starts now for natives!
Tomatoes are out and melons are in. Go for cantaloupe and watermelon!
Partial shade is still viable for getting big leaf starters like Spinach, Blackeyed Peas.
Okra
Eggplant, Pumpkins
Cup back tomatoes that are healthy but unproductive, continue to water and feed them, moving them into a little more shade if possible.
Plant fall tomatoes or root layer your tomatoes. Here's a great video of how to!
Join our signal group to ask questions, share photos, and inspire each other!
RECIPE OF THE MONTH |
We are going to share a recipe each month that uses something our neighbors have planted in their gardens. If you have any submissions, shoot us an email! |
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ALTA VISTA MOVES |
Get Ready! Get Moving! Meet up weekly on Thursdays at 7pm at the AV Community Micro Garden at the corner of N Flores and Agarita. Bring a small trash bag and gloves to pick up trash along the route - only if you want, we thought it'd be a great idea because there’s so much of it! Kids and family groups are more than welcome. We’ll head out on a walk to San Pedro Springs Park, follow the trail around one time, and head back. Those who wish to run or bike are more than welcome to start off with the group. Connect with us if you’d like to lead a group walk, bike, run, or stay with those who want to use the time for stretching or light yoga.  Follow us on social media for weekly reminders! ***Weather Permitting*** |
INDOOR FOOD PANTRY |
AVCSG has partnered with Midtown Meetup to support an indoor food pantry!
The food pantry has shelves for dry goods, canned foods, and a small fridge space for fresh produce and eggs. Please consider donating food to the food pantry when you can and take what you need!
M-F 3pm - 1am and Sat-Sun 12pm - 1am
AVCSG POP UPS |
Looking forward to October - we’re moving this to the fall to line up with the next planting season and round of SAWS Water Saver Coupons and CPS Tree Rebates! |
LOCAL BUSINESS & ORGANIZATIONS |
Please forward our newsletter to a neighbor as an invite to have them sign up by emailing us to be included in our directory. Spanish speaking? We need a volunteer who can translate our materials! We’re 109 neighbors strong so far! Copyright (C) 2026 Alta Vista Community Sustainability Group. All rights reserved. |
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