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| January 2008 »
 Do you take the Big Blue Bus to the Santa Monica Farmers' Market? I sure don't. Instead, I bike there pretty much every Wednesday. And I actually don't know ANYONE who takes the farmers market shuttle to the market.
Maybe that's why we're going to discuss the possible discontinuation of service to the farmers markets at the next Big Blue Bus community meeting:
When: Thursday, Jan. 3, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Where: Fairview Library, 2101 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica.
Other topics up for discussion at that meeting: upcoming changes to the Sunset Ride service, and potential changes to Line 6 and Line 7 service.
If you're affected by any of those lines, make sure you show up to put in your 2 cents. Because Jan. 8, the Santa Monica City Council will hear from the Big Blue Bus -- and the public -- at its regular meeting at the Santa Monica City Hall, 1685 Main St., starting at 6:45 p.m. On the agenda: possible cancellation of the farmers market ride services in February.
Can't make it to the BBB or the City Council meeting? Then e-mail your comments to Bus-Info@BigBlueBus.com or write Big Blue Bus, 1660 7th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401, Attn: Dan Dawson.
If you have questions about any of this, contact Dan Dawson, customer relations manager, at (310) 458-1975, Ext. 5831 or Dan.Dawson@smgov.net.
Photo by Siel
 Bypass the drunk driving problem -- your own or that of others on the road -- and get to and from your New Year's Eve party on Metro for FREE!
From 9 pm tonight until 2 am on New Year's Day, all rides on Metro -- both bus and rail -- are free. Metro rail will even run all night, every 20 minutes.
So start off the new year NOT with a DUI but with a new de-car-ing habit.
If you must drive, carpool and don't get drunk. If you find a friend who drove to the party has been drinking, take advantage of AAA's free "Tipsy Tow" service, offered between 6 pm tonight until 11:59 pm on New Year's Day. Call 800.400.4AAA, ask for the "Tipsy Tow" service, and get your friend a free tow home (up to 7 miles). (via LAist).
Photo courtesy of MetroRiderLA
>> Parks get contaminated by ammonium, which can subtly alter ecosystems. Yellowstone, Glacier, and Rocky Mountain National Parks, plus six other parks, have air that's increasingly contaminated with ammonium, possibly originating in concentrated animal feeding operations, says a report from the National Park Service.
>> Wal-Mart sold portable gas cans not compliant with Cali's clean-air regulations FOUR times in recent years, then settled for a mere $250K with the California Air Resources Board.
>> Radars taken out by global warming.
"The Pentagon is closing down three of the 20 NORAD (North American
Aerospace Defense Command) early-warning radar sites in northern Alaska
because the ground they’re built on in some cases is literally
crumbling into the Arctic Ocean as a result of erosion caused by waves
on ice-free waters."
Every Sunday, help me turn fugly old stuff into stylish green stuff. Or at least try to.
You may think your mama gives you the worst holiday gifts, but you're wrong.
This year, my mama got me hi-rise granny undies -- in a 3-pack, no less. In pastel colors.
They are a lot like the undies Bridget Jones wears, except these have no slimming properties. They are just very large for no particular reason.
While I understand that the model in the photo still looks hot, I think we can agree that the hotness is not due to the granny undies.
Most of my pants don't even go that high. They are not super-low-rise pants. They are just not granny sweatpants.
No, these panties are not eco-friendly whatsoever. But that is the least of my complaints.
Lest you think that this year's gift from my mama was an anomaly, lemme show you what I got from her last year:
My mama gives me things I never knew even existed. Is there an entire subculture of people out there who enjoy wearing cheap blue knitted socks with the head of a girl with blond pigtails on it?
If you look at the pic carefully, you'll see these socks are for girls ages 9 - 11.
Last year, I was 28.
What is the meaning of these "gifts"? Be careful what you don't ask
for? It's the lack of thought that counts? Develop a very large ass
while shrinking feet?
No, it's not a money issue. My mama always includes a check for a few hundred bucks with her gifts. The check, perhaps, is the real gift. Koreans often give cash gifts.
It's not a passive-aggressive thing to show her dislike of me. My mama's a rather blithely social person who is rather desperate for approval and company, especially from her daughters.
My best guesses: Maybe she just has very bad taste. Yet I'm not sure how bad taste account for socks meant for pre-teens. Or maybe, since the money's the real gift, she sees occasions like birthdays and holidays as opportunities to unload unfortunate gifts she's amassed....
The undies, being brand new, will hopefully find a new home via Freecycle. What I need advice about are the socks. Is there some way to recycle and salvage these into something new and useful? Let me add that the blond heads are synthetically glued, not sewn, on --
Lastly: Here's a guide to eco-friendly panties.
Photos by Siel
This week's eco-topic: Recycle
Unbeknownst to many Californians, throwing spent batteries into the trash is illegal. No, I'm not just talking about car batteries, which most people know better than to dump into a black bin. I'm not just talking about rechargeable batteries either, though these too shouldn't be black-binned.
I'm talking about those simple alkaline household batteries that go into flashlights, some clocks, and even walkmen, for those still stuck in the 80s. Throw one of those in the trash, and you're breaking the law. Since Feb. 9, 2006, those AA - D batteries have been technically considered hazardous waste. That said, little has been done to let people know about this new categorization -- let alone tell people how they could go about actually disposing of these batteries properly.
Enter Jiffy Lube. Yes, Jiffy Lube. Via a partnership with the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Jiffy Lube's putting white battery recycling containers into 28 of its locations in LA County. All AA, AAA, C cells, D cells and button batteries (hearing aid and watch batteries), to be picked up by the DPW and recycled.
Certainly, it's not as if people had NO options before this recent Jiffy Lube dealio; we have permanent drop-off facilities for household hazardous waste in the city. However, we have just SIX of these in the city of LA (although there are more in the county, including one in Santa Monica)-- all open rather sporadic hours. Adding 28 Jiffy Lube locations to that meager six is a huge improvement.
A few other businesses also offer battery recycling help. Amoeba Hollywood has a Big Green Box where you can throw in not just old batteries, but small electronics and CFL bulbs as well. Co-opportunity, a Santa Monica grocery store that has a little battery collection container up front, is the recycling service I end up using most frequently. Whole Foods too has little recycling boxes (they can be hard to find sometimes; ask for help if necessary) where you can throw in batteries, cell phones, and other little hazardous recyclables.
If none of those options are nearby, you can always try searching by zip code on Earth911.org. The search function's spotty for batteries though; I looked up "alkaline batteries" and turned up locations that only recycle cell phone batteries. Read carefully before heading over.
Which is to say that, while I love that businesses are meeting a recycling need, the way we deal with hazardous waste in the LA area is very half-ass and hodgepodge. I mean, the HARDEST way to recycle batteries is by getting to one of the difficult-to-find city hazardous waste centers during their limited biz hours....
I guess that's a good argument for buying rechargeable batteries. Those will eventually need to be recycled too, but much less frequently --
Update, 2/8/08: The City of Santa Monica has an expanded list of battery collection locations.
Photo by David Jones via Flickr
>> Animal birth control: Successfully prescribed to Hollywood pigeons, but denied to Santa Monica squirrels, about 45 of which were "trapped, euthanized and fed to hawks"! Eek! Did you know that if "county inspectors count about two to three ground squirrels visible at any one time per acre of property, they can cite a homeowner, business or municipality"? My apt complex is so getting cited -- They're cute, but we have what seems like a half dozen in a small 4-apartment complex. What will happen to Nutta?
>> Audubon Society's recruiting members from minority neighborhoods. Says John Flicker, president of the society: "Most conservation organizations are run these days by white 50-something guys like me, and I'm hoping the next generation looks different."
>> Michael Pollan's back with "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto."
"Pollan isn't just asking us to consider changing the way we eat. He's
asking us to join a movement that's 'renovating our food system in the
name of health . . . in the very broadest sense of that word.'" I plan
to read it -- right after I finally read "An Omnivore's Dilemma."
Earlier: Eating cookies while reading "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle."
>> Raw milk advocates fight back. California dairies say a new standard on raw milk would put them out of business, and sue to stop enforcement.
Photo by John X via Flickr
Your eco-questions answered:
Question: Siel, I'm curious about recycling newspaper. Where I work we seem to amass a lot of yesterday's newspapers. I use as much as I can as packing mat'l for shipping, (much better than styro beads, peanuts, and bubble wrap), but I've got stacks of the stuff left over. I can't find anyplace that buys it, and I don't want to see it go in a landfill....
My workplace is, 7th between Olive and Grand. It's an old bldg. ca.1917, it's not full of tenants, and to the owner it's a really just cash cow. The only advantage is cheap rent. I wonder if another bldg. nearby, that has a recycling program would let me drop it off there? James Bean [via comments, here and here]
Answer:While I first suggested taking the newspaper home for recycling, I'm now wondering: Since you seem to be somewhat familiar with the owner, why not set up a recycling program at your workplace? That way, you'll bypass the hauling of newspaper problem altogether. AND your workplace might start recycling more than just newspaper.
If that proves difficult, I'd definitely try to make friends with your neighboring businesses. Unfortunately, the last time I worked in downtown was in 2001, so I can't really help you out with that directly -- but you might make new friends!
In case you decide you want to combine your biking workout with your recycling activism and make a bit of money while you're at it: After your comment, one Darren from Active Recycling Co. emailed me to say that his company "buys newspaper, cardboard, office paper, and other recyclable papers and metals (i.e. iron, copper, aluminum, and brass) at VERY HIGH PRICES." However, locations are in East LA, South Central, and the Valley -- all a bit of a trek.
I'll let you know of any drop-off locations I hear of closer to where you work. If others of you know one, please let me know. Got a question? Ask me: greenlagirl@gmail.com.
Photo by caleb condit via Flickr
Your eco-questions answered:
Question: Dear Siel, I came across your blog and found it very informative about local "green" happenings. I am involved in starting a new [eco-business] in Los Angeles area. I was hoping to see if you can be helpful in guiding me to get involved socially in local green business scene. Thanks, Khurram
Answer: You're in luck, Khurram, because LA green business people really love socializing -- or networking, as they call it. Some events and organizations where you can shmooze eco-style:
 * Green Business Networking: This monthly event's has the noble goal of "serving our city's green business community by providing the owners and decision makers of socially- and environmentally-consciousness businesses a time and place for connecting, sharing, deal-making and networking."
Described in a less flowery manner, basically GBN's a place anyone with 10 bucks an interest in the green biz can go to meet the like-minded. Inside, there's free wine, free organic snacks, and lots of mingling and swapping of business cards.
The networking event happens at the Ambrose Hotel in Santa Monica on the second Tues. of each month -- meaning the next one happens Jan. 8. Downside: GNB starts at 6 pm, when most working stiffs are stuck in traffic, and ends ridiculously early at 9 pm. I don't like that curfew.
 * Sustainable Business Council. A nonprofit that was founded just last year by some green biz execs, SBC's goal is to "serve LA-area “businesses and individuals working with sustainable products, services and processes.”
Events happen sporadically every two to three months or so. They usually have a $20 cover that includes drinks and snacks, showcase a panel on a specific sustainable topic, allow for shmoozing before and after the panel, have a few green companies tabling to promote their products or services, and draw a good crowd. The September fashion event was a nice time; check the website -- or this blog -- to hear about future events.
* Los Angeles Green Drinks: While not specifically business-oriented, many a green biz person's made connections at these low key social events. GD happens at each of four LA-area locations once a month. Come, drink, make connections, and make friends. And say hello -- I'm at the west side GD most months.
Then there are a couple orgs that I know exist, but don't seem to be doing much right now. That said, maybe they will in the future:
Happy networking!
Got a question? Ask me: greenlagirl@gmail.com.
Bad news is funnier read all in a row:
>> On this day, Dec. 28, in 1973,
The Endangered Species Act was signed into law by President Nixon. Today, the act's constantly in the news -- because political pressures have watered it down.
>> Just last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service admitted to being "inappropriately influenced"
by political pressure and reversed seven rulings that denied endangered
species -- including the white-tailed prairie dog (right) -- increased
protection.
>> Yesterday, the Center for Biological Diversity sued the Interior Department to get documents about allegedly politically-influenced decisions made about other endangered species.
>> Read the entire Endangered Species Act here.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
>> The new alternative fuel: Human fat?! An engineer and sailor from New Zealand, along with 2 of his crew members, got 2.5 gallons of fat liposucked out of their bodies to use as fuel to circumnavigate the globe in world-record time. Mostly, however, the boat'll be fueled by biodiesel.
>> Muscle car aficionados unlikely to suffer from the new 35 mpg standard. "Putting aside the question of whether anyone needs that kind of power, you can argue the 35 mpg standard will make all cars - including high-performance vehicles - better. Some of the first things Detroit will do to boost fuel efficiency are reduce weight, improve aerodynamics and reduce parasitic loads by replacing engine-driven components like power-steering pumps with electric parts. That's a sure-fire recipe for better performance even if horsepower figures decline significantly."
Earlier: 35 mpg by 2020 might mean just 33.2 mpg for Detroit.
>> Green hotels in California, reviewed. Along with Santa Monica's own Ambrose, The Orchard Garden in San Francisco, Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa in Napa Valley, and Cedar House Sport Hotel in Truckee get some ink. Earlier: Green hotels in the LA area.
>> The ultimate R&R: A green burial. "If nothing else, penny-pinching baby boomers might be willing to embrace the economic good sense of natural burial, which is thought to cost one half to one-third the price of a regular burial." (via Utne)
This week's eco-topic: Recycle
 Never recycled before? Don't know where or how to recycle? Here's a crash course for total recycling newbies:
[Update: The info below's for the city of LA only. Beverly Hills, Culver City, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and other surrounding cities have their own confusing rules and standards.]
1. Get recycling bins. If you own a home, this will be easy. But if you rent, chances are your apartment doesn't have a recycling system set up, because the city of L.A. started offering those things only last summer. Here's how to get blue bins for your apartment, free to you, from the city.
2. Know thy blue bin. The city of L.A. recycles much more than just bottles and cans; you can throw hangers, aluminum foil and all sorts of other stuff in there too. Find out all the stuff you can put in the blue bins.
3. Reduce before recycling. Yes, plastic bags and plastic foam (a.k.a. styrofoam) can now be recycled in the blue bins. However, both of those cost more to recycle than to produce -- especially as there's little to no market for the recycled products.
In fact, the prohibitive cost of trying to recycle plastic foam in particular has prevented other cities from attempting to recycle the stuff, opting instead to ban them altogether. San Francisco and Oakland have banned plastic bags from big grocery stores and pharmacies; Santa Monica is among nearly a dozen California cities that have banned plastic foam from city facilities or private vendors.
Besides, it's a drag trying to clean out foam cups for proper recycling. Just bring your own!
Photo by ClydeHouse via Flickr
Your eco-questions answered:
 Question: Can you tell me how I can start a recycling program at our private school in Sherman Oaks? We throw out so much paper & so many plastic bottles... Styrofoam lunch boxes... It's making me sick to think of all we waste! Thank you!! Tamar
Answer: Ah -- recycling would be so much easier for you if you were at a public school! (more on that later). Private schools are considered "commercial" -- and don't get the same recycling dealios as L.A. Unified schools. On the upside (for me), that means this post will be useful not just to private schools, but for any L.A.-based business considering a recycling program. :)
While residences and public schools can get hooked up with the city's recycling services, businesses, including private schools, basically have to set up their own. That might sound like a pain in the ass, but recycling is good for the business bottom line as well as the environment. Get a good recycling program in place, and you'll earn some money from your recyclables -- as well as cut your waste-hauling costs. The key is to think about the long-term benefits, both environmental and financial.
The easiest way to get started: Download "Mind Your Business: A Recycling Guide for Offices" (PDF) -- free from the L.A. Bureau of Sanitation. Not only will this 24-page brochure give you an overview of recycling options for your school or business, but it'll also answer a lot of questions you might have: Whether to go with a hauler or an independent recycler, how to sell the idea of recycling to management, what sort of letters and contracts to use, etc.
Then, get started! If you're having a hard time figuring out what sort of recycling needs your business has, the L.A. Solid Resources Citywide Recycling Division can help you get started by doing an assessment of your recycling needs -- including looking for ways to first reduce and reuse waste, thereby minimizing recycling and trash-hauling needs. Call (213) 485.2260 or e-mail SRCRD@san.lacity.org to set up an appointment.
For those working in an LAUSD school: Setting up a recycling program is just a phone call away! Just call Steve Casares in the Solid Resources Citywide Recycling Division at (213) 485.3903; he'll hook you up to the Joint City-LAUSD Blue Bin Recycling Program (PDF). Participating schools get free blue bins and collection services -- as well as free recycling presentations for students!
Oddly, only about half the schools -- 327 out of almost 700 in LAUSD -- are enrolled in the program thus far. Your school can be number 328 -- and perhaps the first to join in the new year.
Got a question? Ask me: greenlagirl@gmail.com.
 >> Since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency refused to let California set its own car emissions standards, California plans to sue the EPA. At least eight other states plan to side with California in the suit.
>> The EPA now wants to exempt factory farms from reporting their levels of air-polluting emissions. "Under a proposal put forth today, commercial livestock operations would not have to report hazardous chemical pollution if the source was animal waste."
>> Enviro-activist and L.A. Urban Ranger Jenny Price makes a compelling case for letting us camp in Malibu. Also worth checking out is Jenny's three-part guide to accessing Malibu: one, two, three. Earlier: Citing wildfire threats, Malibu seeks to ban overnight camping in Malibu parks.
>> Another state beach has become off-limits to the public. The road to Point Sal has been barricaded by the Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
This week's eco-topic: Recycle
 Back in the day, you could just send your old cards to St. Jude's Ranch, a nonprofit home for youths that would turn the oldies into new cards and sell them. But St. Jude's Ranch isn't doing that anymore -- which means you can put your own DIY skills to use!
Easiest reuse tactic: cut the backs off, use them as postcards -- assuming there's nothing written on the front of the card. (via unclutterer) A slightly more involved method is to glue clean, pretty, 100% post-consumer recycled paper over the writing on the back, then use them as postcards.
Otherwise, you can cut the card front and paste it into a blank card to create new cards. Or cut pieces out of multiple cards and make them into collage cards. You might even be able to sell them on Etsy!
If only portions of a card are cute, cut those sections out to create gift tags.
Keep a scrapbook? Cut out could-be-useful images to use for decorative purposes.
And remember to throw the recyclable remaining bits of the cards into the blue bin!
Update: One more idea -- make placemats. The end product looks rather tacky to me, but making one might be a good parent-kid project.... (via Lifehacker)
Photo by ebroskie1234 via Flickr
This week's eco-topic: Recycle
 Sick of seeing plastic bottles in the black bin? Wish recycling was mandatory? Well, when it comes to holiday trees, it kinda is. Leaving those newly naked trees at the curb or in a street or alley is illegal, as per L.A. Municipal Code 57.21.06!
However, it is not illegal in West Hollywood, at least for the next couple of weeks. In fact, every little city in our L.A. area has different rules, dates, times and locations for tree recycling. Can't they coordinate this stuff, at least this one time a year? L.A.'s Department of Public Works tried to -- and made this crazy chart here -- that's totally incomplete and inaccurate.
So, things being as they are, here's the info for L.A. and a few nearby cities:
Los Angeles: If you have the energy and tools to chop that tree up, then cut it into bits and throw it in your green yard trimmings container. The alternative is to take the tree to a drop-off site on Saturday, Jan. 5, and Sunday, Jan. 6, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In fact, L.A. residents who drop off their trees will receive tree seedlings, energy-efficient CFL bulbs, while supplies last, courtesy of the L.A. Department of Water and Power, plus mulch coupons from the Department of Public Works Bureau of Sanitation.
Beverly Hills: Just put the naked tree next to your trash bin on trash day. No specific dates or deadlines! It's always so simple for the rich folk.
Culver City: Drop off your trees at the northwest corner of Washington Boulevard and Centinela Avenue or the Culver City Fire Drill Yard at 9255 W. Jefferson Blvd., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the weekends of Jan. 6-7 and Jan. 13-14. There's a third location, but Culver City's flier about this program is messed up, so I can read only about two of three locations, with a little help from Google.
 Santa Monica: Take advantage of the "Park Your Tree" program. During the entire month of January, trees can be brought to four parks: Clover (25th and Ocean), Douglas (Chelsea and Wilshire), Christine Emerson Reed (Lincoln and California) and Los Amigos (5th and Hollister).
Alternatively, take your tree to the Santa Monica Transfer Station at 2401 Delaware Ave., Mon. - Fri., between 6 am and 2 pm. Make sure you do it this month, however; come Feb. 1, the parks will no longer collect trees, and the Transfer Station will start charging for tree drop-offs.
West Hollywood: If the deal is the same as last year, you should be able to put that tree -- sans decorations and base or plastic bag covering -- on the sidewalk on your regular trash day from Dec. 26 to Jan. 13.
Are the cities of L.A. County just bad at getting the word out about these programs? I don't know for certain, but those in other areas leave a lot to be desired too. I got a breathless press release from Zero Waste Communities of San Bernardino County about how it's encouraging people to recycle their trees, but the multi-city org doesn't actually offer any info to help its residents take that idea into action -- beyond a long phone list from which they can pick out their city's number and call for more info....
I'm dreaming of a unified tree recycling program for SoCal.
Images courtesy of the cities of L.A. and Santa Monica
This week's eco-topic: Recycle
 If you have a floorful of discarded ribbons, tissue and wrapping paper, the easiest -- and most lucrative -- green step is to reuse that stuff to wrap presents all through the year. Your presents will look just as pretty.
But for the mangled or ripped papers and tissues -- or a simple overabundance of the stuff -- try this tip from Real Simple magazine: "run it through a paper shredder and use the fluffy strips as packing filler when you’re putting away your decorations." (via lifehacker).
I don't think the shredding is even necessary; just make sure there's enough paper padding to give the ornaments a little cushion. Turning them into strips might make it easier for next year, though: Take out your decorations again and reuse those shreds again as decorative filler material for gift boxes and bags!
Next: How to recycle your now-naked holiday tree, assuming you went the green route and got a real tree this year.
Photo by tracy ducasse via Flickr
 This week's eco-topic: Recycle
Recycling is more lucrative than ever in Cali, now that you can get a nickel per small container and a dime per large container. Better yet, since your home is now full of those empty bottles from your holiday parties, you don't even have to dumpster-dive to make a little money to spend in the new year!
So: This week is recyling week, covering everything from holiday trees to motor oil. Unlike other weekly green topics, recycling week starts today, the day after all the xmas parties, to run until New Year's Eve. This way you can properly recycle the post-party detritus from your holiday fun, as well as make informed recycling resolutions for the new year.
Before we begin: A little humor from the Onion, from an article titled "EPA: Recycling Eliminated More Than 50 Million Tons of Guilt In '96" "A ceramic, reusable mug is the most environmentally sound choice for coffee drinkers," [EPA spokesman Patrick] Toomer said. "But a mug only makes you feel good once—at that moment when you first buy it. On the other hand, using a new disposable cup made from recycled materials every single day will make you feel like you're doing your part to help the environment every single day."
Which is just a cheerful reminder to say that reduce and reuse always come first -- and are much more important -- than recycling. Yes, if you already drank that bottled water, please do throw it in the blue bin. But a pretty reusable bottle is really the way to go.
Previous weekly green topics: de-car-ing, energy, bring your own
Photo by Vaugn Hannon via Flickr
>> The new eco-solution: Kangaroo farts, because they don't contain methane like cow farts do. Scientists are looking into giving cows and sheep the bacteria in kangaroo tummies, or encouraging people to eat more kangaroo meat instead of beef. (via Freakonomics)
>> Walruses stampede, trample each other. Global warming shrinks the sea ice walruses rest on, creating killer stampedes whenever walruses see something scary (like a polar bear).
 >> Tibetan antelopes are getting killed for shawls. Conservationists, in an effort to prevent these antelopes from becoming extinct, are advocating for shawls made from the wool of non-endangered, domesticated Himalayan goats.
Photo by George Schaller / For The Times
 So my friend Traci and I (right, at Akasha) threw a holiday party on Saturday -- and tried to make it as green as possible. Or more accurately, I baked a gingerbread house and Traci basically took care of the rest of it -- but I'm writing a how-to anyways:
1. Create a green centerpiece for the party -- in my case, the eco-gingerbread house dubbed gingerApartment -- with mostly organic and/or fair trade ingredients.
2. Get organic wine and juice (mixers) and chocolate at my fave grocery store, Co-opportunity, which I technically own a piece of.
 3. Catch a cab running on CNG (the gingerApartment was too fragile for the bus or bike) -- thanks to Eurotaxi -- to Traci's in Culver City.
4. Sip organic wine and nibble on appetizers with Traci and Greg in their eco-friendly home (including a permeable driveway!) while waiting for guests to arrive.
5. Party. Things that went really well:
- Real flatware and plates. Banishing those crappy red plastic cups and disposable forks not only helped minimize waste but also had the side effect of making the party look more classy.
- Vegan eggnog. Even the nonvegan peeps seemed to love the stuff -- though no one knew whether to mix it with rum or brandy. One person did an eggnog-Kahlua combo and seemed to like it....
- Organic fair trade chocolate. Always a crowd-pleaser.
 Things that went less well:
- Not having napkins. I think this was more of an oversight than an overzealous effort to green the party. Next time, I must find a way to either amass reusable cloth napkins or just settle for 100% post-consumer paper napkins.
- Not having toothpicks. A guest brought veggie meatballs -- which were v. tasty, but we quickly ran out of forks and people resorted to picking them up with their fingers -- a problem when combined with the no napkin issue. Reusable or bamboo toothpicks may be in order for next year.
- Picture-taking. My camera -- albeit powered by rechargeable batteries -- really sucks at its job (example below); I've decided to upgrade in the new year.
6. Carpool home with friends, with a brief stop at Hal's Bar and Grill -- for one last glass of wine.
Yesterday I threw a much smaller, more low-key orphans' xmas party (not necessarily for real orphans, but for those away from family) -- with Five Hills Blue organic wine, organic cookies made from the leftover gingerbread dough, and the like. Yes, I had 100% post-consumer unbleached recycled napkins this time. :)
Hope you had a merry xmas, if you celebrate it. How did you green your celebrations?
Photos by Siel
Where does all the transportation money go? Freeways and stuff, apparently. Actually, Cali's transportation money often gets diverted into the general fund, which could be part of the problem. But in any case, the public transit projects everyone seems to want are always in jeopardy because of lack of funds:
>> Money to create the Subway to the Sea is -- not there yet. Elected officials are considering everything from repealing the 1998 voters' prohibition on using local sales tax money for subway tunneling, instituting a half-penny sales tax hike that would raise about $500 million a year for transit projects, and forging a partnership with private firms.
And yes, people want the subway to the sea. Don't we all want to get from downtown L.A. to the beach in 35 minutes for under a couple of bucks without fighting traffic or paying for parking?
>> Money for the bullet train from L.A. to San Francisco is -- not there yet. To fund the $30-billion Anaheim-to-San Francisco line, officials are planning 1) a $10-billion state bond issue on the November ballot next year for seed money, 2. federal matching funds (if the bond issue passes), then 3) private investment, via the public-private partnerships Schwarzenegger's been promoting.
A couple of days ago, my high school friend Melvin, who now lives in San Francisco but planned to come down to L.A. for the holidays, wrote me: "when they gonna build that high-speed train from norcal to socal?!" My answer is: When they have the money, which unfortunately doesn't sound like anytime soon but fortunately voters have some control over. Vote for public transit!
Image courtesy of Metro
 Wow! So Chicago is actually putting a tax on bottled water! Every plastic bottle of water will cost an extra 5 cents in the Windy City, starting in the new year. (via thedailygreen)
If you've been keeping up with Bring Your Own week, you already know that beyond posing an enviro problem, bottled water is not actually safer for you than tap water, and the plastic bottle encasing water could itself pose health risks.
Not everyone's ready to stop throwing away money, though. The Chicago Tribune quotes a somewhat deluded woman who thinks that bottled water is part of a "health regimen." Um, you know drinking tap water will, amazingly, do that crazy thing water is generally known to do: hydrate.
People determined to remain suckers say they will buy bottled water from outside Chicago and worry that others will turn to soft drinks to quench their thirst. For my part, I hope L.A. will pass a similar tax.
Photo by Jay Wilson via Flickr
 Want to feel free and liberated in the new year? De-car-ing might be the answer. Wait -- Don't stop reading! I'm serious, and you'll wanna know this too! Karrie Higgins reports for the L.A. Times on Tom Hodgkinson's book "The Freedom Manifesto":
Hodgkinson explores how the very machines and appliances that supposedly save time actually devour it, cars being the prime example. Americans associate cars with personal freedom, but Hodgkinson points out that, according to the late cultural critic Ivan Illich, once you consider all the labor required to pay the loan, gas and repairs, not to mention all the time spent at the service garage, you get an average of only a lousy 5 mph. Marketers prey on our sense of being "time starved" and exacerbate the condition to their advantage.
I can't emphasize how much I agree with this. My take on my past car ownership: When we think of cars, we often think of freedom to go where we want, when we want. Certainly that's how cars are marketed to us. But in many ways, I found my car restricted my freedoms. The car kept me from spending a good chunk of my money on other stuff, from sleeping in late on street-cleaning day, and even from a stress-free evening out without worrying about finding parking and a designated driver.
This doesn't mean I no longer ever ride a car. I sometimes Flexcar, sometimes cab it (my whole de-car-ing series here). But I'm free from both the physical and financial unfreedoms of having to own a car 24-7.
Karrie Higgins' whole article, "Escape from Consumerville," is an interesting read that reviews both Hodgkinson's book and Anne Elizabeth Moore's "Unmarketable: Brandalism, Copyfighting, Mocketing, and the Erosion of Integrity." Beware: It's not all an easy road to checking out to consumerville. After all, "attempts to fight the consumerist culture can actually advance it." But you're not a sucker to advertisement, are you?
 >> Knit your own red Ferrari. Some imagination, lots of yarn and one intrepid knitter equals a 1:1 scale knitted Ferrari.
>> Craft your own champagne chair. The annual DWR Champagne Chair Contest invites all to "create an original miniature chair using only the foil, label, cage and cork from no more than two champagne bottles." (via Eco-Chick)
>> Bake for a Change's eco-gingerbread house contest continues. Enter, but try not to make yours better than mine.
Photo courtesy of Lauren Porter
 Do you suffer from solastalgia? Defined as a pining for a lost environment, Solastalgia is a global warming threat we should be concerned about, writes Clive Thompson for Wired. Apparently, many in Australia are already suffering from solastalgia:
Scores of Australians described their deep, wrenching sense of loss as they watch the landscape around them change. Familiar plants don't grow anymore. Gardens won't take. Birds are gone....
Will global warming bring about a worldwide depression? Clive writes that "In the modern, industrialized West, many of us have forgotten how deeply we rely on the stability of nature for our psychic well-being." The effects of global warming aren't as noticeable in L.A. as they seem to be in Australia yet, though. While the unexpected rainy, gloomy days threw me for a loop, rain in L.A. always throws me for a loop -- and now it's sun as usual....
We may all get pretty depressed, though, if California wines start disappearing -- which is a serious possibility. A couple of studies released last year warned that huge swaths of California's wine areas may disappear by 2050 if world temperatures continue to rise at their current rate." Let them drink Bordeaux?
Photo by Marin via Flickr
Why prep early when you can prep last minute? Gifts I wrapped in a frenzy yesterday -- greenly, of course:
 Exhibit A: Reused gift box wrapped in a potato chip wrapper, washed and turned inside out, tied with a reused bow which -- being brown, is not particularly a holiday color but happens to go handsomely with a notecard that my friend Anna handmade and gave me as part of my birthday gift this year.
 Exhibit B: Reused box covered in a Metro map -- I believe this is the 12-minute map, which I thought was a cool idea but ended up rarely using -- reincarnated as wrapping paper, tied with a reused bow.
 Exhibit C: A reused box with an ad in Wired magazine as wrapping paper, tied with a reused bow and accessorized with a handmade name tag I crafted with pretty 100% recycled Twisted Limb paper and old business cards.
 Exhibit D: See Exhibit C.
Exhibit E: Simplest of all, these are wrapped in reused tissue paper and placed in reused bags, again decorated with a reused bow and accessorized with the handmade name tags described in Exhibit C.
Green gift-wrapping saves you money, keeps junk out of landfills and encourages creativity. :) For more ideas, here's my guide to green gift-wrapping, from box to ribbon! Got more ideas? Share them in the comments!
To make green gift-wrapping easy, remember to keep an eye out for reusable materials this holiday season. Nicely fold or roll up the tissue papers and gift bags that your gifts come in this year, and throw all the ribbons into a shoebox for future reuse. Your collection will serve you well for all birthdays and special occasions requiring gifts in the next year.
Happy holidays!
Photos by Siel
Bring your own style to your enviro-conscious lifestyle and say bye-bye to cheapo, one-use disposables forever! A roundup of eco-totables:
1. Bag the plastic bag. L.A. County's Day Without a Bag has come and gone, but that free reusable tote you go is good for years to come! The trick is figuring out a way to remember to take your bag when you'll need it. Could the bra bag be your eco-solution?
2. Drink in style. I've nixed the styrofoam cup with its flimsy plastic lids that always drip on me. Now, not only do I remain stain-free, I save myself some money because many coffee shops offer BYO-mug discounts.
3. Bottle up. Why tote a cheap and dingy plastic bottle around when you can tote a stylish reusable bottle?
4. Enjoy a zero-waste lunch. Why brown bag it and risk squishing your sandwiches when you can tote a nifty little lunchbox you can reuse? Find out about the most stylin' lunch totes out there, then look to the Vegan Lunch Box blog for lunchbox inspiration.
5. Collapse those chopsticks -- or fork or spoon or knife. Sushi-addicted environmentalists tired of those one-use pairs in restaurants have many totable chopstick options to pick from. Or get a whole set of totable utensils, in stainless steel or bamboo.
Previous weekly green topics: de-car-ing, energy
Bra-bag photo courtesy of Pink Tentacle, mug photo by Siel, lunch tote photos courtesy of To-Go Ware, Vessel and Reusablebags.com
 Best way to get to a Radiohead concert: public transit! Thom Yorke, in his interview with David Byrne in Wired, says Radiohead is trying to to green up its tours:
We did one of those carbon footprint things recently where they assessed the last period of touring we did and tried to work out where the biggest problems were. And it was obviously everybody traveling to the shows..... Especially in the U.S. Everybody drives. So how the hell are we going to address that? The idea is that we play in municipal places with some transport system alternative to cars.
Side benefits of de-car-ing to get to concerts: You avoid the traffic crunch and exorbitant parking fees. I've found Hollywood Bowl's park-and-ride program is super convenient!
More and more bands seem to be going the green route these days, with biodiesel buses, recycling programs and of course, carbon offsets. CLIF GreenNotes is one program that's helped bands like Gomez and Guster green their gigs.
Want to calculate your own carbon footprint? Use the calculator here. Mine is 3.8 tons!
Photo by joe goldberg via Flickr
This week's eco-topic: Bring Your Own
 Liked the bra-becomes-BYO-bag idea? Then what about the chopstick bra, complete with collapsible chopsticks and a removable chopstick rest between the cups?
That bra-chopstick combo is not for sale, but lots of BYO chopstick options exist for sushi-addicted environmentalists tired of those one-use pairs. You can pick up a collapsible stainless steel pair at L.A.'s Japanese American National Museum (right), stop by an REI for a pair made from stainless steel and recycled birch wood from old baseball bats, or pick from a number of options online.
 I got my cute set (left) as a gift from my mom. No idea where she found it, but the decorative ends are a teensy spoon and fork, so they're technically multipurpose if I decide to eat lilliputian meals.
 Totable utensils are also available: Sigg makes an especially handsome stainless steel set (right), complete with a nylon pouch. To-Go Ware offers a bamboo utensil set (left) -- including a pair of chopsticks -- that you can roll up in a pretty cloth holder. My one quibble with the bamboo stuff has to do with the knife: I'm just not sure it's useful for actually cutting food, though I can see how it's fine for, say, spreading mustard --
 Of course, if you're just packing a lunch for work, the easiest option is just to throw in a set of flatware you have at home. The collapsible, totable stuff might make it easier for you to remember to BYO, though -- and be more convenient for picnics and camping trips.
Top to Bottom: Photos courtesy of JANM, reusablebags.com and To-Go Ware
 >> Recycled plastic water bottles become chandelier (right). Stuart Haygarth, the artist who created this "Drop" chandelier, talks about how "empty plastic water bottles are littering our landscapes and filling up our landfill sites at an incredible rate."
>> LED lights are cool -- and thus, safer, because they generate less heat. Unsurprisingly, LED holiday lights are very popular this year. (via eecue) Earlier: LEDs make the best holiday lights, even if it means throwing away your old lights.
>> Free reusable bags went like hotcakes during the Day Without a Bag Thursday. Now, will people actually remember to use them?
>> Brangelina plus brood, all on bicycles! Earlier: Bike me.
Photo courtesy of dezeen
[The eco-gingerbread project begins here]
Behold: The gingerApartment. Or more accurately, the gingerDuplex. I know it looks simple, but making that was way harder than I thought possible. The main reason: I'm not a baker and lack basic tools, such as an electric beater o a rolling pin.
But at least I did it, hand beating the icing and rolling out with a wine bottle! The apartment has passive heating (in the form of gigantic windows), a green roof (spirulla energy bar -- I didn't use sprinkles because they seemed too synthetic), solar panels (Green & Black chocolate squares), ginger-dirt flooring (just gingerbread), and little herb gardens.
How the green gardens thrive when there's so much snowfall is a question that can only be answered in the gingerbread world. Now I'm gonna enter Bake for a Change's eco-gingerbread house contest. Photos from me and other eco-gingerbread house bakers should pop up here soon.
Photos by Siel
This week's eco-topic: Bring Your Own
 You don't have to be vegan to get addicted to Vegan Lunch Box. The updates have gotten sporadic of late, but vegan mom Jennifershmoo used to blog daily about the gorgeous lunch boxes she made for her kid -- complete with a picture and a five-star rating system. To the right is a Christmas lunchbox.
What the lunches come in: Laptop Lunches, which is a self-described "American-style bento boxes designed to help families pack nutritious, environment-friendly lunches for school, work, and travel." Why brown bag it and risk squishing your sandwiches when you can tote a nifty little lunch box you can reuse?
 Because I work at home, I don't need to pack a lunch anymore -- but I do have a little Built lunch carrier (left) I used to fit my reusable mug and tupperware-type sandwich holder into.
You have lots of options for stylish lunch toting, actually. From left to right are the To-Go Ware 2-Tier Stainless Steel Food Carrier, the Vessel workplace dish | |
Do you take the Big Blue Bus to the Santa Monica Farmers' Market? I sure don't. Instead, I bike there pretty much every Wednesday. And I actually don't know ANYONE who takes the farmers market shuttle to the market. 
