Wilson Environmental Landscape Design Inc. (WELDesign) has announced a series of public educational presentations in collaboration with Santa Barbara’s Whole Foods Market beginning this month.

The WELDesign team will educate store visitors and customers about trends in sustainable living, which will be of interest to children and adults.

The WELDesign “Santa Barbara’s Sustainable Lifestyle” topics include “Rain/Storm Water Management and Sustainability” this Saturday, Jan. 22, and “Grow Food, Save Money” on Tuesday, Feb. 1. Both presentations will begin at 1 p.m. at Whole Foods Market, 3761 State St., and are free to the public.

“The Whole Foods community is extremely interested in the connections between where and how their food is grown, as well as ways to live more gently on the planet, a philosophy that is shared by the team at WELDesign,” WELDesign President Daniel Wilson said. “I’m excited to contribute an educational component to the market experience by teaching people about the environment, climate, soils, seasons and food plants unique to the Santa Barbara area.

“Through live demonstrations, my goal is to illustrate sensible ways we can work with nature to utilize rain/storm water effectively, maintain easy-care California friendly landscaping and grow nutritious food in our backyards, in what I call a ‘Home Food Forest.’”

Rae Van Seenus, marketing supervisor at Whole Foods Market, added, “The Santa Barbara store is excited to expand our free educational seminars to include Daniel Wilson’s expertise on organic and sustainable lifestyle measures. Our collaboration with WELDesign supports our company’s fifth core value, which includes caring about sustainable agriculture, wise environmental practices, community citizenship, and integrity in all business dealings.”

WELDesign is a locally owned, fully licensed, bonded and insured landscape design, build and maintenance company. Click here or call 805.957.4729 for more information about innovative sustainable landscapes.

— Green Hawk interactive producer Sarah Ettman-Sterner focuses on current environmental trends and marine-related topics. A member of the Society for Environmental Journalists, she provided the “voice” for Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society for more than a decade. She can be reached at sesterner@noozhawk.com.