Instructions & OFG Sign

1. Click the "Submit a Report" button. BEFORE YOU START FILLING IN THE ON-LINE REPORT:

* Type responses to each of the report categories into a Word .doc format (or similar), save it, then cut-and-paste it into you OFG map report. The report page does not have a "save" function, and anything typed into it can be lost if you move off the page or upload a picture that is too large. This is a free platform, which is great, but it's not perfect.

* Do not move off the report page to look at another web page, as everything you have typed will be erased (there is not a "save" function, unfortunately). Open a separate page on your web browser to do any web searching, then switch back to your "report" page.

2. "Title" - Give your entry a title, e.g., your address (so people can stop by to see it) or at least the city and state; home, business or public space.

3. "Description" - Provide any details such as:

- What changes you made – can include what the site started out as
- Who did the work - you, someone you hired (share their contact info)
- Where you got the materials
- Costs

4. “Categories” - Click the small "+" sign next to the categories (Conservation, Permeability, Retention) to see the components you can select to describe your garden. Next, review the OFG criteria - located at http://www.beachapedia.org/Ocean_Friendly_Gardens_Yard_Sign_Criteria - to see if you have met them. Click on the small boxes that correspond to the landscape changes you made. Note: if you can’t do this yourself, contact the local Surfrider Chapter’s OFG Program to see if a volunteer came come over to verify whether you have met the criteria: www.surfrider.org/chapters. We also welcome posts that are in process and aren’t yet a completed OFG, though they won’t qualify for a sign.

5. “Permeable ground – how large is your OFG area? (sq. ft.)” – provide the size of your OFG in square feet, i.e., multiply the length times the width.

6. “Water saved – how much have you reduced your water bill? (percent reduction)” – estimate the reduction in water use that will occur, assuming average rainfall, e.g., 80%.

7. “Runoff prevented – how much runoff is captured, e.g., roof, driveway? (in square feet)” – For your own information, every sq. ft. diverted prevents .62 gallons of runoff, e.g., 1000 sq. ft. = approx. 600 gallons per inch of rain.

8. “Share you plant list” – type in the list.

9. “Optional Information” - This will never be displayed on the site and is only available to Surfrider Foundation staff

10. “City, State and/or Country” box – type in your address and click “Find Location” button, or drag the red-colored diamond to the spot at which your garden is located.

11. “Location Name” – This could be simply your city, but it’d be great if it is your address so others can come see your wonderful example (if you are comfortable sharing your address).

12. “New Source Link” - Provide links to any news articles.  Click the “+” button to the right of the “Browse” button to upload more than one picture.

13. “External Video Link” – Provide links to an videos about your garden. Click the “+” button to the right of the “Browse” button to upload more than one video.

14. “Upload Photos” – (Note: stick with smaller sizes, as larger ones tend to crash the program. Example: 640 x 480 pixels; under 300-400 KB in size.) Upload photographs of your garden. The only accepted formats are .JPG, .PNG and .GIF. This is a great way to share the beauty of your yard. Click the “+” button to the right of the “Browse” button to upload more than one photo.

15. Click the “Submit” button. Your entry will not appear on the site immediately as they must be approved by our managers (to avoid spam on the site).  Check back to see your entry and grab a link to share with your friends.  Feel free to comment on other entries you see on the site (see the Facebook posting option near the end of the entry).

16. “Information Evaluation” box (“Approving” & “Verifying” your report) :

- Approving - assuming you have provided all the essential information, the National OFG Program Coordinator will approve your report.

- Verifying – ideally, someone familiar with the OFG criteria comes to your garden to verify that it meets the criteria; that person could be a Surfrider activist, water agency rep, landscape professional, etc. Your local Surfrider chapter OFG Sub-Committee will be notified of your report and asked to contact you (assuming you have provided contact info). Since Surfrider is a volunteer-based organization, there may or may not be a “verifier” available. So, the fall-back option is that we trust what you have reported and leave the “verified” box un-checked until it’s verfied.