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If the Green Guide magazine is too big a dose of green for you, maybe bpm (beats per minute) magazine's
more your style. Each issue of this "music.tech.nightlife.style"
magazine's got a sizable green section on the back that reports on
everything green and now, thanks to a collaboration with green
lifestyle site The G Living Network.
bpm brings pop culture together with environmentalism. There's an
article about Shepard Fairey of "Obey Giant" fame, making The 11th Hour
posters. There's a feature on green L.A. gallery Eco-Logical Art.
TempoHousing, stackable little homes, gets an article too, as do Illy
insta-cafes made entirely from recycled materials.
Tightwads might not like bpm, because -- sort of like Wired -- the magazine
reports on the newest goods and gadgets -- which tend to be higher-end,
design-oriented, pricy stuff as opposed to more quotidian, practical
green goods. In many ways, bpm and gliving are about exposing
eco-potentialities as opposed to giving DIY eco-advice.
Some articles are really more about popular stuff with a barely-green slant. A few issues
ago, Avalon Hollywood was featured as a music venue going green, but
really, Avalon was making only the teensiest steps: recycling, using 25%
recycled paper, and switching to CFLs -- after each incandescents burns
out. And in the latest
issue, a blurb about Blackle -- a website that's basically the Google homepage turned black -- doesn't include the fact that the black screens only save energy on old CRT computer screens.
Still, the mag's generally a fun, informative read -- and available for free reading online!
The current issue includes a review of MOMA's pre-fab exhibit and a
feature on the newest and coolest bikes. Check it out for yourself.
Your eco-questions, answered.
Question: Would you know if LA pursued the Earth Hour?
I know I turned of my lights, but being green seems not popular in LA.... I went to Mulholland Drive and saw no dimming at 8 pm. L.A. was as bright as usual. Very few city buildings have CFLs and solar panels in general.
So why is the LAT, a pretty liberal paper, not talking about earth hour at least (besides your blog)? Must we accuse once again the bad influence of our shameful Mayor? Ed
Answer: Cheer up, Ed. It's true that L.A. perhaps burned a little too brightly during Earth Hour on Saturday, but it may simply be that we've got a little burnout on the lights out thing.
After all, just five months ago we had Lights Out LA, which urged everyone to turn out their lights from 8 - 9 pm on Oct. 20. The city of L.A., led by Supervisor Yvonne Burke and City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, got behind that lights-out movement. You'll be glad to know that the L.A. Times -- the print paper, not only this blog -- DID cover this city effort back then.
Considering the fact that Earth Hour basically just repeated what Lights Out L.A. did, I'm not surprised that this deja vu didn't get as much attention in the city this time around.
That said, many people -- including both you and I, celebrated Earth Hour and turned the lights out. Great thing about grassroots actions: Government involvement's nice, but not a pre-requisite. In fact, I'm sure if both you and I worked a little more to get the word out, we could've gotten more people to turn their lights out. I'll admit I made no effort as a Santa Monica resident to get my city to sign on to Earth Hour. If I and my neighbors and friends had pushed for it, it could've happened!
Lastly: These lights out events are gonna keep happening, so even if you as an individual or your city as a whole missed the last few, you can take part in the next ones. Rufus Wainwright, for example, is calling for a blackoutsabbath from noon to midnight on June 21. "The time could be spent contemplating alone or with friends on the coming year and what personally one can do to save the planet," he says, in his call to turn off not just the lights, but all electronics for 12 hours!
If all electronics for 12 hours seems like too much, Earth Hour 2009's already taking signups. So there's a challenge you can look forward to -- and perhaps write
your councilmember about, if you're keen on city involvement.
Remember -- If you want your city to do something, you as a resident need to ask them to do that thing. I'll definitely try to get the City of Santa Monica to sign on to Earth Hour next year. Will you do the same for the City of L.A.?
>> Did you turn out your lights for Earth Hour on Saturday? Many people -- and entire cities -- did. Even Google went black in eco-celebration.
>> A look at the downsides of suburban living, both on the environment and on family life. The NPR piece focuses on the environmental impact of long commutes; I'm also concerned about major quality of life issues that arise from having to spend so much time behind the wheel. (via groovygreen)
>> Design a cool biking accessory or add-on, win $5000. Design21's contest is looking for extras that'll make biking more enjoyable and get more people on bikes. Deadline's April 30. (via Inhabitat)
>> San Francisco gets strong green building standards. "Potential homes and offices will be rated on measures including the quality of insulation and the amount of recycled materials used in their construction. Only projects that score enough points will be allowed to go ahead."
>> A trailer for Blue Gold : World Water Wars, a new film about the politics and privatization of clean water. Earlier: Water week.
Two doors down from Reform School in Silver Lake, you'll find Kelly Green -- a one-stop-shop for eco home and lifestyle goods.
Here the shopping ranges from the practical to the purely aesthetic. You can find lamps made from eco-friendly materials, gorgeous sustainably-made tables, candlesticks, eco-friendly kitchenware, and much more.
And by the register are the cutest mini-garden tools -- the cute little items you just have to plant and water -- or even just water -- to get herbs to grow.
This is where Missy Higgins got her Happy Farmer composter. One of these days, I may do the same. I just need to figure out what to do with the resulting compost --
Kelly Green. 4008 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles. (323) 660-1099.
I love the handcrafted, one-of-a-kind goods made with recycled materials on Etsy, but to find the good stuff, you usually have to slog through all the crunchy-looking duds. But at Reform School, a cute little eco-store in Silver Lake, the owners have doe the hand-selection for you, collecting together all the artsy, whimsical, pretty eco gems that don't look like the product of a sad home ec project.
Plush pillows are made of everything from organic cotton to reused car seat belts. Journals, calendars, and cards are made with recycled paper -- and look pretty too. Shoes made of recycled materials are all the rage -- including cute teensy shoes for tots.
Find all sorts of green books, from Slow Food Nation to Myspace / Our Planet. Reform School also seems to have a soft spot for recent TED prize winner Dave Eggers' press McSweeney's; you can pick up the latest edition of The Believer or artsy tomes by David Byrne.
You'll find lots of DIY books too, to instruct you on guerilla gardening, guerilla art, and pretty much any type of eco-related guerilla activity.
Reform School's also a one-stop-shop for chic home decorations. Eco-friendly candlesticks, paintings, drawings, and mobiles are all ready for you to take home and get compliments about at your next house party.
I got myself a mousepad, made by Remarkable from a recycled car tire! My mouse feels v. eco atop it now.
Reform School. 4014 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles. (323) 906-8660.
>> California electric car company ZAP has been promising but failing to deliver green cars, leaving would-be ZAP car dealers financially ruined while making, according to Wired magazine . "[ZAP chair] Gary Starr and [CEO] Steve Schneider have likely done more damage to the EV industry than Detroit and the Japanese combined," [former ZAP employee] Scheder-Bieschin says. "And the failure of this industry to thrive has affected everything from global warming to the war on terror. How do you put a price on that?"
>> Global warming causes aggravated allergies -- which explains why I've been so sniffly lately. Live Science has the "Top 10 Surprising Results of Global Warming," which includes speedier satellites and growing mountains. (via Low Impact Living)
>> Organic onion rings taste best. LA Weekly's Pulitzer-prize winning food critic Jonathan Gold says eco-conscious restaurant Akasha serves "what are probably the best onion rings in town."
>> An interview with actor and enviro-activist Ed Begley, Jr. "You do those things that you can afford, the things that you can do, and then you build from there."
>> L.A. Times writer Elizabeth Douglass continues her greening efforts. Starting with nixing disposable bottled water, Douglass has now greened her office by plugging into a power strip and greened her bathroom by opting for eco-friendly cleaning products.
>> Dorsey High School students get into cleaning up the California least tern's nesting area in Marina del Rey, with a little help from the Audubon Society, which is trying "to spark interest in birding and the environment among young people in minority neighborhoods."
Photo by Sarah Gilbert via Flickr
Green advice givers are all talking about diapers this week. Both Slate's Green Lantern and Salon's Pablo tackle the subject -- and give conflicting advice.
The Lantern says that cloth diapers are greener -- but that he uses disposables themselves due to time management issues, and will consider switching to cloth or flushable gDiapers later on.
Pablo too says cloth diapers are greener -- but is not so keen on the gDiapers -- and recommends diaper services that'll launder the dirty diapers for you.
In an earlier column, Umbra of Grist concluded that "the disposable vs. reusable diaper fight is in a stalemate for the foreseeable future," and suggests diaperless parenting -- an option Pablo deems impractical.
I'm more psyched than ever that I don't have to deal with diaper issues, but having read all these diaper articles in detail, Pablo's option sounds like the most practical green option, assuming you can afford a diaper washing service -- something you likely can do if you can afford to buy disposable diapers at a buck a pop.
Any green parents got more practical advice or stories?
Photo of baby in gDiaper by Donna D via Flickr
>> Cute polar bear Knut's a psychopath.
"Knut is a combination of abused child-soldier and abused child-star --
treated as a useful spectacle, with too little regard for his long-term
psychological well-being."
>> Deplastickers: Here's how to refill your Brita filter.
You'll need a sharp utility knife (and/or drill), a cheap polyethylene
plug, and an activated carbon mix from an aquarium store. (via Lifehacker)
Earlier: FilterForGood.
>> L.A. Times environment reporter Elizabeth Douglass finally nixes disposable bottled water in exchange for a BPA-free CamelBak water bottles. It's like she's reading my blog and taking my advice
-- though her husband seems oddly comfortable with his plastic bag
habit. I wonder what steps the other enviro reporters at LAT have
taken --
>> In the market for a green computer? Sony's TZ series of 11.1" subnotebooks gets Greenpeace's nod as the greenest computer. Prices start at $1900.
>> Chipotle's no longer owned by McDonald's, and the Mexican grill's making strides into locavorianism!
>> The Environmental Protection Agency plans to reopen five closed libraries by this fall,
after critique over the slipshod decision to close the libraries and
the failure to open them on a timely manner once the funding came
through.
Photo by Patrick via Flickr
Flore Vegan Cuisine's been on my list of restaurants to try for a long while. Vegan, organic, and -- according to other people's blog reviews -- very yummy. The one problem: Flore's all the way in Silver Lake -- which is practically a different country from Santa Monica, where I live.
But on Wednesday, I braved the traffic -- and was rewarded with a tasty quinoa tabouli wrap (above), served with a side of fruit (you can also opt for a potato or side salad). With it, I sipped an organic juice concoction called "Refresh" -- mainly fresh carrot juice with a healthy kick of ginger.
Everything at Flore's organic and vegan, including the Intelligentsia Coffee, Frontier Tea, kombucha, and organic cola. The Silver Lake crowd seems to love Flore; most tables were full at 4 pm on a Wednesday. The outdoor seating can get a tad noisy from the heavy traffic on Sunset, but it's not so loud that you can't hold a good conversation.
I'm going to try one of the decadent desserts the next time I go back -- though considering the fact that the drive took me 1.5 hours in midday traffic, I might have to wait until L.A. gets a full rail system....
Flore Vegan Cuisine. 3818 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 953-0611.
Second from top photo by Siel; all other photos by Shane Redsar
Your eco-questions, answered:
Question: Hi. I am trying to figure out if Los Angeles accepts compostable food scraps in its green bins. I gather from it's website it does not, but i am hoping, perhaps, it is out of date?? Thanks, Tracy
Answer: Yes, you can put food scraps in the green bins -- as long as they come from fruits, veggies, and grains. Don't put any food scraps that contain animal products, even if it's just milk, eggs, or cheese. Your green bin's vegan!
Other things that can go in your green bin: grass, leaves, weeds, tree branches, and clean wood (no nails, etc.).
Unfortunately, compostable food containers, bags, and forks that look like their plastic counterparts cannot go into the green bin, as our composting facilities are not set up to handle these newfangled disposables. Paul Gomez in the L.A. Department of Public Works says plastic-like compostables still need to go in the black bin, though the city is "looking at various aspects" to change that in the future.
And just as an FYI: Here's what goes in the blue bins. Don't have one yet? Get one -- Apartment dwellers can get blue bins too!
Photo by Leo Reynolds via Flickr
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