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>> All four Republican presidential candidates say they support California's bid to set tougher standards on vehicle emissions during last night's CNN Republican Debate. Here's the text of that portion of the debate.
>> The "feebate" bill got shelved. The California Assembly Bill aims to tax gas guzzlers and give rebates to fuel-efficient car buyers. Ira Ruskin (D-Redwood City) says he'll reintroduce an amended version next month. Earlier: Cali bill calls for "feebate" that would put a fee of up to $2,500 on gas guzzlers.
>> Plastic bottles are a bad idea -- especially if you boil them! Polycarbonate plastic bottles release up to 55 times more bisphenol A -- linked to breast and prostate cancer -- after they've been washed in boiling water. Earlier: Bring your own bottle.
>> A San Carlos man goes zero waste, gets sued by the city. Eddie House canceled his garbage service because he recycled and composted most everything -- to get slapped with a lawsuit. (via Groovy Green)
Being a happy apartment dweller, the many green home improvement questions I get are usually not ones I've had to deal with myself. Many short TV green home improvement shows, however, are popping up to help you out. A few of the newish fun ones:
>> Host Alex Pettitt guides you through your next green project in the Green-it-yourself videos on OnNetwork’s Mainstream Green. (via Utne)
>> The show "Inside Job" on the DIY Network features a "green element" in each episode. Check out this short clip, where carpenter Carter Oosterhouse uses recycled tires as mulch to pad the ground beneath a treehouse.
>> HGTVPro.com has put together a collection of videos on Green Building Best Practices. Watch short videos on everything from xeriscaping to "The Zero Energy House." (via Utne)
Last but not least, here's a little something for the apartment dwellers: A Santa Monica apartment recently got redone greenly, courtesy of Lori Dennis (ASID, LEED AP) of Dennis Design Group. Get the details -- and ogle the pretty pictures.
Image courtesy of Mainstream Green
 Yesterday I noted that enviros have been haranguing the candidates to talk about, and the media to cover, the bigger issue of climate change for months with little success. It appears that this haranguing -- and I use that word affectionately -- will continue today at the Kodak Theatre, before the CNN Democratic Debate begins there.
Basically, the California League of Conservation Voters wants to put the heat on the media. Their beef: The "most-watched reporters" are not asking presidential candidates about global warming issues. "Since January 2007, they have asked presidential candidates a total of 2,938 questions. Just 6 of those questions mentioned global warming."
Want to join them? Show up at 2:30 p.m. today (RSVP here) in front of the Kodak Theatre, ready to march. If you stick around until 4 p.m., you'll spot Teddy Mather -- a.k.a. a costumed bear -- from the National Parks Conservation Association, fighting to make parks a campaign issue. Or if you're not so bold as to march, you can just sign the CLVC petition here.
Image courtesy of CLVC.org
 On the heels of green clean week comes news that California officials agree that many chemicals used in consumer products are not actually safe for us or the environment. The L.A. Times reports that state officials and researchers trying to find new green chemicals to replace the old, questionable ones. Why?:
About 80,000 compounds are used commercially in the United States, and many are polluting the water and air, accumulating in human bodies, spreading globally in the environment and harming wildlife. For nearly all of them, the effects on human health are unknown....
Exposure to toxic compounds is costing Californians an estimated $2.6 billion a year in medical expenses for cancer, asthma and other diseases and lost wages, according to the report by [UC Berkeley research scientist Michael] Wilson and other UC Berkeley and UCLA researchers.
To address those findings, the state Department of Toxic Substances Control's unveiled today a "Green Chemistry Phase 1 Report" with 818 ideas to be considered for "spurring innovation that could lead to nontoxic substitutes for many of the thousands of chemicals on which industries rely." Detailed recommendations are expected to be sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in July.
Although it's too early to know how tough the recommendations will be, the fact that California's considering "the environmental effects and "life cycle" costs" of the chemicals we use sounds promising. According to the L.A. Times, "three of the fundamental policies involve creating a new regulatory and enforcement system, strengthening consumer protection laws and better informing consumers about toxic substances in products." So we could, in fact, get a regulatory system with some teeth out of this report.
 In the meantime, you'll have to do your own research to make sure that the products you're using don't have harmful chemicals in them. To that end, here are the posts from green clean week to help you pick out safer cleaning products. And Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep cosmetics database can help you pick out the personal care products that are safest for you and the planet.
You can read more about the California Green Chemistry Initiative here, and even sign up to receive e-mail updates.
Top image via dtsc.ca.gov; bottom image via ewg.org
The Subway to the Sea idea's looks more complicated now, with 19 alternatives -- including not having a subway at all -- on the table. After all, the first round of meetings we had were ostensibly to see "what, if anything, would be built," to quote Jody Litvak of Metro.
So it makes sense that, at this early stage, many options are still on the table for consideration. Thus, we have 19 alternatives -- and the resulting map (above, via Bottleneck Blog) looks quite different from the simpler map we were looking at during the first round of meetings (below).
Weigh in on what you think is best at the upcoming meetings (details on where and when are here). The first one happens tonight at LACMA!
In other traffic news: L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's 2008 Traffic Relief Initiatives (PDF) -- covered more briefly in a press conference yesterday -- lays out the 10 short-term measures for the next 12-16 weeks. Zach Behrens of LAist has a quick rundown of the initiatives.
Edwards may have dropped out of the race, but one Teddy Mather -- a.k.a. a costumed bear -- is joining it a bit belatedly. Before the CNN Democratic Debate at the Kodak Theatre tomorrow, Teddy will show up toting an oversized-petition encouraging the presidential candidates to address national park issues.
This publicity stunt's planned by National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit, non-partisan group, in an effort to make parks a campaign issue:
Our national parks, including 24 in California, protect some of America’s most significant landmarks and landscapes. Yet they suffer from air pollution, development threats, a chronic lack of funding, and other threats. So far, few of the presidential candidates are talking about national parks, so Teddy is traveling across the country to help gain attention for park issues during the campaign season.
I'm not sure how successful Teddy will be; enviro's have been haranguing the candidates to talk about, and the media to cover, the bigger issue of climate change for months with little success. Still, Teddy should make for a cute photo opp if you plan to be in the area; he'll be hanging around Hollywood and Vine between 4 - 8 pm tomorrow.
Election-related events will be going on all day in front of the Kodak Theater. Among them: The CNN Election Express Yourself tour stop (11 am - 5 pm), The Barack Obama "Debate Visibility Rally" (2 pm), and the A.N.S.W.E.R. LA anti-war rally (5 pm - 7 pm; via blogging.la) -- and many others. My mention of these other events aren't an endorsement of them, BTW (I'm voting for Clinton).
All the action's almost enough to make one miss the Metro Westside Extension meeting for the Subway to the Sea! The first of that round of meetings also happens tomorrow, starting at 6 pm at LACMA West.
Photo courtesy of NPCA
 >> L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the L.A. City Council discussed a plan to reduce traffic in some of the city's most congested areas yesterday. Villaraigosa said we'll see more traffic light synchronization, diagonal crosswalks, and smart parking meters. There will also be tougher penalties for people who are caught blocking intersections and tougher enforcement of parking laws by a "Gridlock Tiger Team."
>> Most of all, Villaraigosa urged Angelenos to go Metro; for his own part, Villaraigosa pledged to ride a bus, subway or light-rail line at least once a week. He also publicly announced that he is considering backing the proposal to raise the sales tax by a half-cent to raise money for public transportation.
>> The L.A. blogosphere is abuzz with that traffic news; MetroRiderLA provides a handy roundup of the commentary.
>> O.C. tollway must be built following California environmental laws, since it lost its bid for an exemption. The original plan would have cut across the popular San Onofre State Beach.
>> Will Anaheim get a monorail? The city's mayor, Curt Pringle, "proposed a way to fund such a monorail to connect the tourist area with a planned transportation hub." (via Bottleneck Blog)
>> A U.S. Coast Guard study reports on the aftermath of the San Francisco Bay oil spill last November. The verdict: Poor initial response, but an aggressive mop-up of a fast-spreading spill was conducted. The ship apparently spilled 53,569 gallons of fuel oil, nearly 5,000 gallons less than first estimated. Earlier: The Bay Area gets tainted with thick oil.
>> We may see steep fishing restrictions to save California's Central Valley chinook salmon population, which has been down. Possible reasons: ocean conditions linked to global warming, and/or water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Decisions about restrictions is expected to be made in April.
>> A "clean coal" plant in Missouri loses funding. Although "clean coal" is often touted by the coal industry as a cheap energy source, the Department of Energy found that building this plant was anything but cheap.
Photo by andropolis via Flickr
I really should've mentioned this "Marketplace" series earlier, but luckily we live in the age of TiVO and endless Web archiving -- which is to say that “Plan B: Adapting to a Warmer World,” a six-part special series on "Marketplace" from American Public Media, started airing yesterday, but you can catch up by reading and listening to the segments you've missed so far.
"Plan B" begins with the premise that we've already changed the world irrevocably, and thus works to answer the question: "what should we do to prepare ourselves to live in a warmed world?" These aren't the doom-and-gloom stories of what could happen due to climate change; these are post-climate change stories of adaptation and innovation.
Yesterday's segments, for example, covered water issues. In Australia -- where people have seen such drastic climate changes already that a new term, Solastalgia, was coined to name their despair -- rainfall is so scarce that desalination is all the rage. And Aussies are willing to pay up to make that desalination process green -- even if the average family will have to pay an additional $150 a year. "The Australian public is obsessed with its climate footprint," says "Marketplace's" Nate DiMeo. "It's been forced to be."
The stories so far are all quite amazing -- and rather hopeful. There's an atmospheric scientist who wants to use wastewater from shrimp farms in Mexico that currently pollute the environment to instead irrigate and create green pastures -- and make money while doing it. There's a town in the Netherlands where houses are built to float; most of the Dutch already live below sea level, and climate change could raise water levels an additional 25%, after all.
Tomorrow's reports will look at some new, big ideas -- like projects to save animals facing extinction or strange, scientific “geo-engineering” initiatives. Hear them on "Marketplace" and "Marketplace Morning Report," locally broadcast on KCRW 89.9 and KPCC 89.3. Or if you end up missing those, catch up later on the Web.
Photo of a drying Murray River, the longest river in Australia, by Mundoo via Flickr
L.A.-area schools have a new green fundraising tool. Kids raising money can get the first green coupon book for Southern California -- dubbed myGreenSpark redemption book -- and help support green companies while fundraising for their school.
There's a coupon for everyone in myGreenSpark, which covers everything from healthful activities and gear to apparel and gifts to eco-tourism. Businesses got free listings -- so all sorts of companies, big and small, decided to throw in a coupon. As a result, the companies and products represented really run the gamut, from coupons for 10% off an Eco-Me home kit to $500 off solar pool heating from All Valley Solar.
MyGreenSpark is a whopping 570 pages long, listing 150 businesses and 270 coupons. No, not all those green businesses are local; while many green businesses are based in L.A. or Orange County, the majority of the listings are Web-based. Why? "There aren't "Green" stores in every neighborhood," says Don Caronna, one-half of the husband and wife team that created myGreenSpark, "so we ended up with half the coupons in the book being Web-based. We found that most green entrepreneurs can't afford storefronts."
Cost for the book: $30, half of which goes to the the fundraising organization. Schools can register here to get their own fundraisers going. So far, Green Ambassadors, an environmental education program of Environmental Charter High School, is using myGreenSpark to raise funds for its programs. Support it by buying the coupon book via this link.
Enviro-coupon clippers can also buy the coupon book outside of a fundraiser. At least $10 of that purchase will go to the ecoScholarship Fund, which will go toward scholarships for students pursuing environmental careers.
Not all the companies listed in myGreenSpark are all that green. Arbonne, many of whose products have parabens in them, has several coupons in the book, for example. Still, most coupons are for very green products -- and a couple are appropriate for Valentine's Day! A coupon for 15% off Organic Bouquet is in the book (note: Not all Organic Bouquet's flowers are organic, although all are VeriFlora certified), as well as a coupon for a free, $25-worth of flowers if you sign up for organic produce delivery from L.O.V.E.
In fact, myGreenSpark can serve as a green directory of sorts for green businesses. And if you want an actual green directory, you can use the coupon for $4 off the new L.A. version of Greenopia.
Image courtesy of myGreenSpark
 President Bush's last State of the Union Address is met with derision from environmentalists:
>> Think Progress debunks Bush's statements on energy line-by-line in these posts: "Bush Has Repeatedly Blocked Global Climate Efforts" and "Bush’s Policies Have Catered to Energy Interests"
>> David Roberts of Grist live-blogged SOTU: "Next steps -- funding clean coal! Fund renewables and nukes. Fund batteries and auto technologies. Create a fund to fund the fund overseas. Funding! Funding! Never, ever regulation!"
>> The Daily Green emphasizes that Bush's pledge of $2 billion to "an international fund designed to speed the development and deployment of clean energy technologies" comes with strings attached: the U.S. would only contribute if "every major economy" contributes too. DG concludes that this "continues the Bush climate doctrine of shirking bold leadership."
In greener news:
>> Basic tips to help you avoid greenwashed products. First tip: Beware vague claims like natural, and opt for organic certification instead.
>> No more URL-only pages on your printer. GreenPrint World Edition's free software that gets rid of unnecessary pages or space from your print jobs -- while keeping track of the paper, money and greenhouse gases you've saved. I always use print preview and select specific pages before printing, so I won't be downloading it, but the app could help trigger-happy people who print lots of documents. Windows only. (via Lifehacker)
>> Two million new gardens planted this year! That's the goal for the FoodShed Planet Victory Garden Drive, which encourages everyone to take back the "ability to sustain our own lives in nature" and plant a garden already. A poster competition is also a part of the drive. (via Ethicurean)
Photo by Jim Watson / AFP/Getty Images
In the middle of nowhere -- or more accurately, in South Pasadena -- lies one gem of an eco-store: Organic Rush. Who knew?
Here, everything's green, and everything's pretty. You can get everything from recycled glass kitchenware to organic bedroom wear. Colorful bamboo bowls and flatware? Check. Wide selection of organic cotton towels? Check. Sumptuous robes ranging from organic cotton plushness to a satin-like kimono style? Everything you need to create an organic, hypoallergenic bed? Check.
There's lots of eco-baby stuff -- and lots of eco-doggie stuff too. And conveniently for Valentine's Day, Organic Rush carries Theo's chocolate bars in all their organic, fair trade yumminess. Unfortunately, my favorite chocolate curry flavor wasn't there, but the Madagascar choco bar I settled for wasn't bad either.
 
 I got some organic cotton Under the Canopy slippers too. Made with organic cotton under fair labor conditions, these have replaced my Camper wabis as my in-apartment footwear. Loved the biodegradable, recyclable wabis, but they were seriously about ready to biodegrade on my feet.
Why the husband-and-wife team decided to open this forward thinking shop in South Pasadena, I'm not sure. If Organic Rush was in Santa Monica, I -- and many other tree-hugging types -- would be frequent shoppers.
In the meantime, I've at least discovered that there is indeed green life in South Pasadena; I've duly added the city as a category on Emerald City. Those of you living way out there -- Stop by and give Organic Rush some green love!
Organic Rush. 960-962 Mission St., South Pasadena. (626) 799-8099. Closed Mondays.
>> The Navy watches out for whales. Complying with court orders, naval training exercises now include turning off sonar when marine life gets close to the ships.
>> Don't miss the Sustainable Santa Monica Community Event (PDF) tomorrow! Get an overview of Santa Monica’s Sustainable City Plan, as well as information on programs, rebates, grants & educational opportunities. The event happens tomorrow, Jan. 29, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. at the Santa Monica Public Library, MLK Room, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica.
>> Santa Monica's Farmers Market rides are officially ending. After a public meeting and a City Council vote, the Big Blue Bus has announced that, due to very low ridership, the Downtown Farmers Market Ride and the Pico Farmers Market Ride will make their last trips on Feb. 2.
>> Solar energy people are working on getting solar power via sleek, thin films on windows and other surfaces. The technology's still a ways away, however.
Photo by Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times
The following essay is the first of a guest series on HOT lanes by Damien Newton, author of the blog Street Heat LA.
 In Los Angeles, it’s not hard to picture yourself missing a plane or an important meeting because you’re caught in traffic. Figuring out how to end L.A.’s traffic nightmare has become a top issue not just for transportation planners, but also for Mayor Villaraigosa, the City Council and Metro Board Members. Yet, when Metro announced it was submitting a funding proposal to pay for a congestion pricing plan, the reaction was near-uniformly negative.
Before going on, let's make clear what congestion pricing is. Metro defines congestion pricing as “charging for the use of a transportation facility, such as a roadway, based on the level of traffic congestion. The greater the level of congestion, usually occurring morning and evening rush hours, the higher the cost to use the facility.”
The particular plan being proposed involves so-called high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, which have a price that fluctuates with demand and the number of people in the car. Much of the current anger comes because Metro is, in some instances, going to take lanes that are currently HOV lanes and change them to HOT lanes. Many people see this as a new tax on people driving hybrids or carpooling.
When the L.A. Times asked people to e-mail them their comments, the response was negative: “every reader who e-mailed us said they hated it.” LA City Beat described the public reaction as similar to what would happen if a small tactical nuclear bomb went off.
When it comes to public reaction, Metro only has itself to blame.
When New York City decided to propose a congestion pricing plan, Mayor Michael Bloomberg realized such a proposal would be controversial. Before releasing his plan to the public, Bloomberg enlisted allies. Leaders of environmental and transportation reform groups were given special briefings and banded together to promote the plan and win over a skeptical public.
The key to gaining approval was knowing what the benefits of the plan would be. Congestion pricing proponents were able to paint a complete picture of the benefits: lower air pollution, better transit service (funds generated go right back to transit) and less highway congestion. New York City hasn’t unified around a single congestion pricing plan, but several different plans are being discussed at the moment, and the natural allies for congestion pricing have kept the most ambitious plans on the table.
In L.A., it hasn’t worked out that way. If there was a head’s-up to transportation reformers and environmentalists, it didn’t energize anyone enough to get them to speak up for the proposal. The silence from potential supporters is deafening.
If HOT lanes are ever going to catch on with the general public, these leaders have to join the debate. Right now, the discussion in the public is about whether or not tolls can solve congestion. It’s not one Metro can win on their own. A massive and organic PR campaign would change the debate and focus people on the positives (clean air, better transit) instead of the costs.
The dispute against Metro’s plan (which incidentally, hasn’t been completed yet) can usually be traced back to one of four arguments:
1) This is just another tax.
2) This plan will disproportionately help the rich.
3) Drivers already pay too much for roads.
4) The plan (yet to be finished or released) doesn't make any sense.
Each of the four arguments show at least some misunderstanding of what an HOT lane really is, and each will be discussed in future posts.
Visit Damien Newton's blog, Street Heat LA, for more on L.A. transportation matters.
Photo by Don Bartletti / LAT
Tomorrow, L.A. will get its own edition of Ideal Bite, the popular eco-tip e-newsletter. Ideal Bite's like Daily Candy with a green vibe. If you're already a subscriber to the national edition, but wish the tips pointed you to local stores and services instead of web-based ones, the L.A. edition should better fit your needs.
New York and San Francisco already have their local editions -- and Chicago will soon get its own too. The first L.A. tips will cover organic chocolate stores, green moving companies, eco-friendly building supplies -- and even local L.A. eco-heroes. Sign up now to get an locally-relevant eco-tip delivered to your inbox every weekday.
Whether it's composting or recycling or trash hoarding, more Californian environmentalists are getting obsessive about waste. Now, the City of L.A. as a whole is talking trash, working to develop a citywide Zero Waste Plan to turn L.A. into a zero waste city.
Can L.A. really divert 70% of trash from landfills by 2015? That's one of the main goals of this Zero Waste Plan, also known as SWIRP (Solid Waste Integrated Resource Plan). At the moment, SWIRP's still at the beginning stages of creation; after all, the effort started just last year. So far, the city Department of Public Works has conducted interviews with stakeholders, held 21 regional workshops, and organized the first Zero Waste Conference, which happened Oct. 2007 at the Los Angeles Convention
Center.
Now, we're having the second Citywide Zero Waste Conference (PDF), which will focus on "Policy, Program and Facility Options":
When: Feb. 2, 8:30 am - 3 pm
Where: Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St., West Hall 515 A and B
RSVP: Call Glenda Silva at (323) 349-0661or email glenda@victorgriego.com
Councilmembers Rosendahl, Smith, Reyes and others will be there to talk trash. Join them, and you'll get free meals and refreshments -- plus an optional Zero Waste Film Festival to kick off the day.
SWIRP’s key goals are to:
- achieve a 70% diversion (recycling) rate by 2015
- operate an alternative technology facility by 2010
- convert the Bureau of Sanitation fleet of over 750 trucks to run on clean fuels by 2010
- reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 35% below 1990 levels by 2030
- implement Council’s adopted RENEW LA Plan that recommends 12 key measures to make LA a zero waste city
This second conference will still only be the beginning for the Zero Waste Plan. The whole planning process is supposed to take six years, to eventually become a 20-year master plan for the City’s solid waste and recycling programs. After the conference, the city will hold 14 community workshops in February and March. Then on April 26, we'll have a third Zero Waste Conference, in which the guiding principles for this program will be announced in a signing ceremony, thereby concluding the first phase of SWIRP.
Get involved now and help shape the Zero Waste Plan from the start!
>> Another reason to take public transit: To write the novel inside you. Rin in Japan wrote her cellphone novel while commuting to her part-time job. It's since been published, selling 400,000 copies in hardcover.
>> More details on the feebate bill that would tax gas guzzlers and offer rebates to fuel-efficient cars: To pass, AB 493 needs 5 of 7 fence-sitting assemblymembers to vote for it. Check the article to see if one's your assemblymember; call if so. The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that, if the bill passes, the result in emissions would be equivalent to taking about 9 million cars and trucks off the road by 2030.
>> Had pancakes for Sunday brunch? Here are some reasons to opt for organic maple syrup, including "Organic syrup doesn’t use any lead or lead solder in the processing equipment, so consequently there’s no lead in the finished product."
>> Five days to a greener diet: Start by taking an inventory of your fridge and cupboards. (via Lifehacker)
>> Enviro-sensitive artists: The Arroyo Arts Collective is taking
proposals for a site-specific temporary installation exhibition, Zone 5 in the City: Art Sustaining Nature, happening at Debs Park. Deadline's February 15.
Image courtesy of cicle.org
L.A. County chickened out on a plastic bag ban, but the city of Oakland's fighting hard to make its ban happen. Oakland passed a plastic ban last year that was supposed to go into effect last week on Jan. 18. Unfortunately, the plastic bag industry sued, delaying things.
So on Monday, Oakland's city council's holding a pro-bag-ban press conference; all Oakland peeps are encouraged to attend. The very next day, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch will consider the lawsuit. Good luck Oakland!
In related bag news, the L.A. Times has more details on China's plastic bag ban that goes into effect June 1. China's new bag rules are actually a combo of a ban and a tax. The ban applies only to the thinnest plastic bags, which has some people complaining about the flimsy rules. Thicker ones -- which are supposed to be easier to recycle and dispose of -- are exempt from the ban BUT must be SOLD, not given free, to customers.
The cities and counties and countries that have enacted plastic bag related laws and ordinances all have slightly different rules and regulations. If you're interested in the nitty gritties, check out Heal the Bay's roundup. The one silver lining in L.A. County's delay of bag bans is that, since we've chosen to be followers instead of leaders, we'll at least be able to learn from the successes and failures of similar programs before enacting our own ban or tax.
Photo by Mike Innocenzi via Flickr
Feel like the only person toting your own to-go mug? The Mug Project's here to give you some love. A couple guys in Jamaica Plains, Mass. started this social site for mug-toters living the bring-your-own lifestyle.
Visitors can commiserate by sharing their mug stories (I'm wondering if these are actually going to be interesting to read), or more practically, add some local coffee shops that offer a discount for bringing your own mug to the Mug Project Partner Map.
The project even has a cute little video, in which a guy "cheats" on his reusable mug with disposables:
Find more videos like this on The Mug Project
Join in the fun and upload your mug shot --
(h/t Rodney)
>> A Cali assembly bill calls for a "feebate" that would put a fee of up to $2,500 on gas guzzlers; the money would be given as rebates to fuel-efficient car buyers.
AB 493 is expected to return to the Assembly before Jan. 31 for a last-chance vote; call your assembly person now. Above: L.A. transportation chief Jaime de la Vega's Hummer.
>> Orange county held opening ceremonies for a "toilet-to-tap" system yesterday. This Groundwater Replenishment System, which cleans sewage water into drinkable water, is the world's largest water-purification project. Check out eecue's photos of the facility on Wired.
>> Bicyclists: Put these Bicycle Master Plan community meeting dates in your calendar. The City of L.A.'s is holding four around the city in February and March.
>> California raw milk remains in limbo.
The anti-raw milk legislation has an injunction on it, but hasn't been
repealed. Instead, a "blue ribbon" commission is to research and
recommend a new standard.
>> The EnviroMedia Greenwashing Index. A new site lets you watch ads for allegedly green products, then rank them from one to five on how greenwashed that ad is. (via 3p)
>> In case you haven't heard yet, Dennis Kucinich dropped out of the presidential race, to the sorrow of some environmentalists.
Photo by Steve Hymon / LAT
Your eco-questions answered.
Here's one of the most unique -- and longest -- enviro questions I've gotten, from reader m. I found it hilarious, simply due to its detail and length. However, it's a serious question, and I've duly answered it seriously:
 Question: Am I the only person that reuses grocery store plastic bags to haul around recycling? Is there a good "green" alternative for this?
I'd use paper bags, but the recycling I take from work usually has so much soda residue that it leaks out of the cans and with paper bags and carrying the bags on the train for over an hour, they just disintegrate. The paper bags are also prone to tipping over and spilling the contents. (and I have been yelled at on the train for throwing garbage all over the place when this happened...)
I have to carry the recycling to a center since we don't have recycling services at my work or at my apartment right now, so just tossing it into the "blue bins" isn't the work around. I reuse the bags I can, but sometimes the resulting sticky, moldy residue in the bags is difficult to get out and the plastic bags end up ripping.
I would feel stupid and wasteful buying new plastic bags just to carry around recycling. Should I just make myself a 2 week supply of huge hemp bags or try to obtain water proof bulk grain bags or something?
[Siel's note: Here ended that comment, after which reader brooke suggested rinsing out the recyclable containers first. m's conundrum, continued]
I collect all of the recycling for about 50 people that I work with in addition to my own -- getting people to put items in the bins is a task in itself. I think most people would just skip the whole recycling step if I asked them to rinse out things.
From what I have read it is preferable to rinse out the containers so they don't attract insects/stink, but not necessary in Los Angeles - maybe Siel or someone has the correct answer on this though.
I think rinsing out the cans and bottles from 50 other individuals would be incredibly time consuming, makes everything even more wet, which kinda adds to the whole issue of mold (or my recycling program will be put to an end immediately if I leave wet cans and bottles all over the counters and floor of the work-kitchen) and is a waste of water if it is not necessary.
Also, as I mentioned, this stuff isn't going to a blue bin because I don't have one in my apartment building or at my work building. It goes into my car trunk and sits there for 2 weeks until the trunk is full and I can take it away to be recycled (I don't have a garage, porch, yard, balcony, etc).
I don't drive to work though, so there is a step in-between where I carry the recycling from work to home on the train.
At home I use paper bags or newspaper bags to carry my recycling to the center since most of my stuff is small and dry or can easily be left out to dry on my kitchen counter. m
Answer: Let me just say that you have a v. unique situation and conundrum here.
Anyway, to start with the easy question: Recyclables don't have to be squeaky clean. It is a good idea to rinse them out, but the main reason to do this is so that wine / soda / food or whatever doesn't contaminate other things (i.e. paper) in a blue bin, rendering them unrecyclable. Since it sounds like you're taking your stuff to a facility where cans / bottles are sorted separately, it's unlikely that your recycling will cause a problem.
As for the transport of masses of dirty recyclables on the train: I think you mentioned in another comment that you received Envirosax as a holiday gift? Being (unfortunately, but in this case, fortunately) synthetic, those Envirosax are easily cleanable and infinitely reusable -- and more importantly for you, bigger than the average plastic bag.
So -- I suggest using and reusing those bags for this purpose. Leave a little room at the top so you can securely tie the handles together so as to avoid bottle / can spillage on the train.
Got a question? Ask me: greenlagirl@gmail.com.
Top photo by Jennifer Snyder via Flickr; bottom photo courtesy of envirosax.com
The freeway is the new park?! Maybe, if the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce gets its way. The group's proposing a freeway park deck, running from Bronson Avenue to Wilton Place above the 101 Freeway. The project's name: Hollywood Freeway Central Park. (via groovy green)
Why a park there? For one, it'd mean "24 acres of new green space in Hollywood, directly adjacent to a high school currently under construction." The 101 runs below street level in that area, so the park deck would create "a brief tunnel for vehicular traffic while affording a street-level park for pedestrians." Plus, of course, there'd be environmental benefits:
In addition to the many obvious benefits of creating new park space, by placing a “cap” over one of the world’s most congested freeway system, the necessary ventilation system would be required to clean the air before re-circulating it back into the environment - creating a positive improvement in the air quality in Los Angeles.
From what I can tell so far, the project has broad-based support. Mayor Villaraigosa -- as well as all four are neighborhood councils -- are behind the plan. Anyone have objections to it? Whether you're for it or against it, you can weigh in at the Community-Wide Hollywood Central Park Meeting tomorrow:
When: Saturday, Jan. 26th, 9 am - 1 pm.
Where: Selma Elementary School - Auditorium, 6611 Selma Avenue, Los Angeles
RSVP: email rsvp@hfcp.org
Villaraigosa, LA City Council President Eric Garcetti, Councilmember Tom LaBonge, and Assemblymember Mike Feuer are all expected to represent. Oh, and there'll be free refreshments and lunch.
For more details about the plan, check out Militant Angeleno's posts; he's been following the park progress since June last year.
Image courtesy of hollywoodfreewaycentralpark.org
Odd advice and strange happenings are all over the green blogosphere today. Some of the highlights: 
>> Spanish driver sues dead crash cyclist for damage. Self explanatory headline. A reminder to bikers to always wear helmets and turn on your lights at night. (via Treehugger)
>> Enviro guy urges you to hack your friends' toilets, greenly. Lloyd Alter at Treehugger shows why that's not such a great idea.
>> Freedom from groping: Mexico City gets women-only buses. "Women-only buses or subways have been rolling for years in India, Brazil, Japan and other countries." (via grist)
>> Knit your veggies. Cute, but what does one do with them afterwards?
If you knit it, will it grow?
Photo courtesy of Berroco
>> "I am not a paper cup."
Here's a reusable cup that looks like a disposable one. Made of
porcelain with silicone top, the cup will be available late Feb. for
$20. (via ATLA)
>> EPA chief Stephen L. Johnson told a hostile Senate committee that denying California's bid to set tougher car emissions standards "was solely my decision." Sen. Barbara Boxer -- whose staff went through EPA documents that showed Johnson went against EPA staff's recommendations in making his decision -- has already introduced legislation to overturn Johnson's decision.
>> Bureucracy's holding back California solar power plants from getting built. "No application to build a large solar power plant in California has been approved in 18 years, and new projects could face significant delays in the bureaucracy."
>> Park vs. wildlife habitat: "Residents who live around Silver Lake Reservoir will learn Saturday how Los Angeles officials plan to open a six-acre plot called "the Meadow" to the public."
>> Another reason to opt for organic strawberries: Pesticides create smog -- and so much pesticides are used to farm strawberries in Ventura county that smog reduction targets are tough to achieve. The state plans a crackdown.
>> Think the Metro chats with Board Chair Pam O'Connor are a bore?
Sean Bonner of blogging.la's with you: "you aren't fooling anyone here
and these publicity stunts filled with canned answers and non
information aren't helping at all." Earlier: Chat has little new info, a lot of generalized statements.
Image courtesy of dcigift.com
The following essay is a guest post by Damien
Newton, author of the blog Street Heat LA .
At Thursday's meeting,
Metro’s Board moved forward with a plan to reduce its own carbon footprint, and
save itself some money, by embracing solar technology at its largest garage.
Everyone knows that commuting
via bus or train is an environmentally-friendly way to travel, but a new plan
to "Go Green" at the Metro Support Services Center (MSSC) shows a new way for
Metro to help the environment. By
turning the Metro bus fleet's home for central maintenance, painting, restoration and
engine rebuilds into one that is almost completely solar-powered, Metro won’t only be saving
money, it will turn what is essentially a giant auto-shop into a green-friendly
building.
The retrofit of the MSSC will
include:
- Completion of a minimum 1,000 kW (1 megawatt) rooftop-mounted photovoltaic solar generation system
- Installation of Web-based direct digital
control of temperature control , and monitoring and control of all interior
large area lighting systems
- Replacement of over 4,000 lighting fixtures
- Replacement of three older and inefficient
packaged HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning)
- Installation of two new air compressors and
optimization of the existing compressed air system
Metro
estimates that over the next 30 years it will save money. The capital costs of installation will be
more than made up by energy savings, and if the energy produced by the panels
isn’t what is expected, the contractor (Chevron Energy Solutions) will pay
Metro the difference.
Aside from bus maintenance
and rebuild functions, the MSSC also houses administrative offices, Operations
Central Instruction, Stops and Zones, and the Central Warehouse for all
operations.
Other
news and notes from the board’s agenda:
1)
Metro released its long
range plan for public comment
2)
All
people aged 62 and over will receive a senior discount
3)
The controversial plan
to install turnstiles was delayed
4)
A vote on a farebox
recovery plan that would lead to more fare increases was delayed
Visit Damien
Newton's blog Street Heat LA for more information on the board meeting and
other transportation matters.
Photo by Jonathan Pobre via Flickr
Like to plan ahead? Check out the Emerald City calendar to find out about all the green events around town.
Friday, Jan. 25
"Changing Climates: Adapting Law and Policy to a Transforming World": UCLA Law Review Symposium [PDF] (free) - UCLA School of Law, 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles. 8 am - 5 pm. This all-day symposium will bring together eighteen of the most respected environmental law scholars from across the nation to discuss current legal issues involving climate change.
Los Angeles Critical Mass (free) - Check website for closest location. Start times vary by location (between 5:30 and 7 pm). This monthly bicycle ride "celebrating the joy and virtues of bicycling" is open to all. Just show up with a bike.
Saturday, Jan. 26
Downtown Pasadena Walkabout - Meet at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, 585 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. 8:30 am - 2 pm. Join Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard and other community participants and examine how you can improve the quality of pedestrian life to make walking conditions better for Pasadena residents and visitors.
The Green Resolutions Ride (free) - [Update: Due to the weather, this ride's been postponed] At the park next to Silverlake Recreation Center, 1850 W. Silver Lake Dr., Los Angeles. 10 am. Join C.I.C.L.E. and friends to explore the Silver Lake and Los Feliz neighborhoods by bicycle in search of green and sustainable living ideas on our Urban Expeditions "Green Resolutions Ride." Stops includethe Silver Lake Farmer's Market, the Eco-Home, and the Bicycle Kitchen.
Walk, Ride, & Roll in the Park (free) - Los Angeles State Historic Park, 1245 N. Spring St., Los Angeles. Bring the kids and learn how to ride a bicycle safely! This event features free bike checks and free helmets for the first 300 kids under 18 that participate in the bike safety rodeo. Free refreshments.
Locavorian food events: Book discussions and presentations (free) - Santa Monica Public Library (Ocean Park Branch), 2601 Main Street, Santa Monica. 2 pm. Judith Gerber will lead a discussion of "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. Then Amelia Saltsman, author of "The Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook," will discuss how to eat well throughout the year with menu suggestions based on the bounty available at our local farmers' markets.
Sunday, Jan. 27
LA River Tour ($20-25) - Meet and form carpools at the River Center & Gardens, 570 W. Ave 26, Suite 250, Los Angeles. 10 am - 4 pm. See firsthand the metamorphosis in progress by taking a car caravan tour organized by the the Friends of the L.A. River.
Thinking Outside the Bike Lane: An Exercise in Communal Co-Designing - Self-Help Graphics, 3802 East Cesar E Chavez Ave, Los Angeles. 12 pm - 4 pm. Frustrated by LA's bike route signage (or lack thereof)? Then weigh in on a new bike signage system system that will reflect the needs and desires of real LA cyclists and will be flexible enough to be modified and expanded over time.
An evening with Liza Shtromberg of All Shades of Green - All Shades of Green, 3038 Rowena Ave, Los Angeles. 5 pm - 6:30 pm. Liza will speak about her studies at The Arava Institute, Israel's innovative Environmental Studies Program, where she is studying this year. There will be hors d'oeuvres, fair trade coffee, and tea.
Vanishing of the Bees Film fundraiser ($20 suggested donation) - 821 Traction Ave. #108, Los Angeles, 6 pm - 12 pm. Raise awareness and funds for the completion of The Vanishing of the Bees, a documentary that looks at at the economic, political and spiritual implications of the world wide disappearance of the honeybee. The night's events include a trailer screening, special speakers, a honey tasting, a bee art exhibit, music from Project Butterfly's dj Jun, vegetarian fusion cuisine, and sangria. RSVP required.
Image courtesy of C.I.C.L.E
Update: Due to the weather, the Walkabout has been postponed until March 1.
Live in Pasadena? Then clear your Saturday for the Downtown Pasadena Walkabout. Join Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard and your fellow Pasadena Peeps to make Downtown Pasadena a more walker-friendly city -- by -- walking together.
Basically, the walkabout is a walker's audit of Dowontown Pasadena. You'll show up, enjoy a FREE continental breakfast, hear Bogaard give a speech, then split up in small groups to start walking and assessing 25 downtown walking routes. You'll evaluate and record your walking experience, ideas and recommendations. Then you'll meet back up and enjoy a FREE lunch.
When: Saturday, January 26, 8:30 am to 2pm.
Where: Meet at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, South Hall, 585 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena
RSVP: Contact the Playhouse District Association at 626.744.0340 or email info@playhousedistrict.org.
A main goal of the event's to make walking the favored way to get around downtown Pasadena. At the end of the day, Pasadena will have a specific plan of action "to improve Downtown Pasadena walking conditions in the short-, medium- and long-term."
The event sounds like it could be a lot of fun -- and I'd totally be there if I lived there. It's sort of like my Walking Santa Monica project, except with more than one person, and an end action plan --
 Suddenly, my car-sharing program is gone! The Santa Monica Flexcars that I could book instantly in case I ever needed a car last-minute have been removed, thanks to the recent merger between Flexcar and Zipcar.
Apparently, Flexcar vehicles all over Los Angeles have been removed -- and not replaced with Zipcars. Only the cars in locations near universities -- USC, UCLA, Pomona, UCSB, UCSD and UCI -- remain.
I'm especially shocked that the cars were pulled out of Santa Monica. Unlike other areas of L.A. where cars sat unused, the Santa Monica cars were often booked up -- and commanded a $10-an-hour rate while other, lower-demand areas cost only $5-$8 an hour. Plus, at a Santa Monica city transportation workshop late last year, the city's presentation touted car-sharing programs as one of the solutions for our transportation issues -- even using my pictures of Flexcar in their Powerpoint!
On the one hand, I'm sort of freaking out. Basically, I used Flexcar for last-minute events and emergencies. Actually, no car-requiring emergencies have even come up, so really, I only booked a Flexcar when I decided to go somewhere far off at the last minute. But suddenly, I'm afraid I'll be "stuck," unable to get around L.A. like a "normal" person.
On the other hand, I used Flexcar -- when I had it -- less than once a month. Most of the time I walk, bike or take the bus. When I need a car, I usually know well in advance, rent one for the day from Enterprise and run all far-flung errands at once.
Is the stress and expense of owning a car actually worth the one trip I need to make every 40 days or so? After all, I can always call a cab...
The turn of events is throwing a wrench into my de-car-ing efforts. I have some thinking to do. Got advice?
Photo by Siel
>> President Bush's effort to overturn a court order that restricted the Navy's use of sonar is unconstitutional, says the California Coastal Commission. "The notion that the president can act like some medieval autocrat and impose the law as he sees it violates the fundamental basis of the American Constitution," said state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown.
>> Finally, some news that the EPA's catching up to the rest of the world: "The Environmental Protection Agency's staff concluded last month that greenhouse gases pose a threat to the nation's welfare." No guarantee, however, that EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson will act on that, as he went against staff opinions to deny California's bid to set tougher car emissions standards.
>> The text of the Metro interactive chat with Pam O'Connor about public transit funding is now up without much new info but as usual, a lot of generalized statements -- like this one about a possible sales tax increase: "At Metro we're looking at the possibility of such a measure -- and other options -- as well as looking at the potential for public-private partnerships. "
 >> High-end electric sports car Tesla's on its way to the U.S. "All necessary EPA, DOT and NHTSA approvals have been received. And series production begins in March, beginning at the rate of one per week."
>> San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom lays out his plan to decrease CO2 emissions 20% below 1990 levels by 2010.
>> Yes, you can be indicted for cutting trees. In search of a better view, a Nevada woman allegedly cut down 3 ponderosa pine trees, each 80 to 100 years old, on U.S. Forest Service land at Lake Tahoe. "If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count."
>> College students: Win one of 3 scholarships of $10,000 each by writing the best renewable energy plan for America. Deadline is Feb. 1.
 Since the Environmental Protection Agency denied California's bid to set its tougher emissions standards for vehicle, Cali politicians, enviro-groups, and many others have been after the EPA. For one, California, along with 15 other states, sued the EPA early this month.
And EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson's story -- with its less-than-convincing reasons for denying California's bid -- keeps unraveling. Now, Sen. Barbara Boxer's people, who got to look at some of EPA's documents behind the decision, say that EPA officials told Johnson that California had "compelling and extraordinary conditions" to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles.
That's more proof that Johnson went against even his own staff's recommendations, choosing instead to side with the auto industry, which opposes California's efforts to set tougher standards.
Boxer had to fight to see these materials, which the EPA refused to release, invoking executive priviledge. The EPA did finally allow Boxer's staff to look at and take notes from some of these documents yesterday. Then the staff released excerpts from the documents to the media. Read the full AP story here.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
 Why'd the environmentalists lose the plastic bag fight yesterday, with business interests successfully lowering plastic bag reduction goals by 5%? L.A. Times follows the money in an article today: Jean-Paul Renaud reports that the California Grocers Assn. -- one of the main groups pushing for lower standards -- hired and paid lobbying firm Rose & Kindel more than $33,000 by December.
I wish Heal the Bay had more money. The nonprofit got lots of people to wear "Ban the Bag" buttons and rally the hearing yesterday but still lost out to CGA's powerful lobby. Why is it that we enviros are always so cash-poor! :P
Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay, weighed in on the supervisors' final decision on | |
