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In case you missed the news, the city of L.A. is aiming to drastically reduce its trash. The goal: A 70% recycling rate by 2015, eventually getting to zero waste within 2 decades. Doable? I hope so, because landfilling's costing us a lot of money -- and we're running out of room.
L.A.'s Zero Waste Plan, also known as SWIRP (Solid Waste Integrated Resources Plan), kicked off last August with a number of public outreach efforts. So far, we've had numerous regional workshops and two big public Zero Waste Conferences.
From those efforts, the city's come up with 12 guiding principles for the zero waste effort, which will be used to create an action plan to eliminate landfilling -- after which we'll actually start taking action. Yes, it's a very long process, a.k.a. "a 6-year stakeholder-driven planning effort."
But for now, the public's invited to a third Citywide Zero Waste conference (PDF), where said 12 guiding principles will be announced and "confirmed":
When: Saturday, May 3, 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Where: The Center at Cathedral Plaza, 2nd Fl. Ballroom, 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles
RSVP: Call Vikki Zale at (310) 822-2010 or email vikkizale@aol.com
In exchange for your time and input, you'll get complimentary meals and free parking -- though really, de-car-ing's recommended. Early birds can get there before the rush for an optional Zero Waste Film Festival from 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
That's Katie Ricketts, community/market organizer at Southland Farmers' Market Assn. and contributor to Emerald City, giving out bags of yummy, farm-fresh produce in front of the Santa Monica Main Public Library!
Stop by between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. today and you can meet her in person -- and sign up for the Santa Monica Market Basket Program. Want in-season strawberries but don't want to fight the crowds at the Santa Monica Farmers' Market? If you join the Basket Program, all you'll have to do is choose a pick-up location -- either the SM Main Library or the parking lot at the SM City Hall -- and a pre-packed bag will be waiting for you between 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. every Wednesday.
Cost: $25 for a "classic" bag, which'll contain 8 to 10 pieces of produce. You can opt for a $30 "specialty" bag that includes a few items with higher price points or a $38 family bag. Yes, prices have gone up a tad because some of the summer produce costs more.
To sign up, just stop by either location during the pick-up time on a Wednesday -- or contact Katie at katie@sfma.net or (310) 740-7544. After prepaying (credit card, check or cash), you can start picking up your bag o' goodies every week! Eating local's never been easier.
I believe the Basket Program's still trying to implement a viable bag reuse program, but having a hard time making the process simple and feasible for produce buyers. Got suggestions?
Photo by Siel
 >> Wondering why food prices are so high? The Washington Post has put together a series on the Global Food Crisis -- a more apt name for which would be a Global Food PRICE crisis, as Michael Tobis points out. For a shorter primer, read Tom Philpott's quick rundown in Grist.
>> "Factory farms pose unacceptable risks to public health, the environment and animal welfare," according to a two-year study released by the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production.
>> Should organic standards for food serve as the organic standards for shampoos and lotions too? That, essentially, is the debate over which Organic Consumers Assn. and Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps have sued a whole bunch of personal-care product companies. The OCA and Dr. Bronner's feel only products that meet USDA's organic food regulations should be able to use the word "organic" on their packaging. Other companies argue personal-care products shouldn't be held to the same standards as food.
>> U-See-LA Without a Car: UCLA students get a de-car-ing map! (PDF) It's a 6-page guide to popular L.A. destinations, from the Rose Bowl to the Santa Monica Pier. Thanks to reader April for the tip.
>> You know about MillionTreesLA -- and the many critiques surrounding it -- but did you know New York had a similar program? MillionTreesNYC also gives away trees, but the standards appear to be stricter than ours: "individuals and families are limited to adopting one tree per household and required to register their new tree at milliontreesnyc.org."
>> ReShirt Cutting Contest: Revamp your old T-shirt to win a 30-minute style consultation with Barbra Horowitz and a $300 Greenloop Gift Certificate. Unleash your imagination within very strict eco-friendly guidelines. Not only must you reuse a T-shirt you already own, the redesign process must be limited to cutting and tying. No dyeing, silkscreening or sewing.
Photo by Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press
(Curmudgeonly L.A. cyclist Alex Thompson's rants cause the conflict-adverse discomfort, but he cares a whole lot.)
Between 1996 and 2008, the city of Los Angeles added 5 miles of bike paths or lanes each year. That's an astronomical success!
No, that's a complete failure. The city of Los Angeles encompasses 469 square miles. Adding 5 miles of bike lanes per year corresponds to adding 56 feet per square mile each year. 56 feet. That's the width of a small 7-11 parking lot. Ride your bike for 2 seconds, and that's how much farther you can expect to be able to ride on bike lanes in your neighborhood next year. You can expect a complete network of bikeways in about 100 years. City of L.A., EPIC FAIL.
There isn't just failure on cycling infrastructure. There's failure on all cycling issues. The Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee, which advises the City Council on cycling issues, can't find a steady meeting location. The committee president, appointed two decades ago by then-Mayor Bradley, still fails to follow basic rules of order or treat the public with courtesy. Councilman Bill Rosendahl is indulging residents of Mar Vista who are convinced bike paths cause crime, rather than insisting on better law enforcement.
Worst of all is the institutionalized bias against cyclists at the L.A. Department of Transportation (LADOT). LADOT bicycle staff spend most of their time explaining to bike activists, "here's why you can't have what you want." In order to update the L.A. Bike Master Plan, the LADOT and Planning department scheduled four meetings for community input. That's about one meeting per million people. Portland had one meeting per 12,000 residents to update their bicycle master plan. It gets better, if you visit LADOT's Bicycle Services website and follow the link to "planned bikeways" it sends you to this map:
This map is from 1996!!! I was still a virgin. "LADOT, planning to make a difference since 1996."
The only reasonable way to interpret the city's inaction is as a collective "Go **** Yourself" to cyclists. Punk rock til the end, cyclists irreverently flipped this, and interpreted it as "Do It Yourself!" And so a large segment of cyclists have found new and innovative ways to make progress without the cooperation of local government. Indeed, when the Bike Kitchen's budget purportedly surpassed the LACBC's, it was a quiet signal that doing it OURSELVES is the way to go. Does that sound angry? That's an echo of a whisper of the frustration that exists throughout the cycling community.
So we've been doing it for ourselves. Outreach? Midnight Ridazz has developed it's own brand of outreach: F.U.N.! Fun rides through the city -- a nightlife that revolves around biking -- is the unexpected form that cycling outreach takes in L.A. Most Ridazz prefer not to describe their activities as activism, it's just what they do for fun. Whatever it is, it's fun and effective. Thousands have been inspired to bike by these epic displays of F!U!N!
(RichTOtheIE demonstrates FUN at CRANK Mob, best bike ride on the Westside! photo by digablesoul)
Cyclist education? The bike repair collectives -- the Bike Kitchen, Bike Oven, and Bikerowave -- do more to educate cyclists than any other L.A. org, governmental or not. These entirely volunteer organizations mobilize over a hundred volunteers weekly to teach cyclists how to fix their bicycles on a not-for-profit basis. Informal education on other topics takes place here as well. Step into the Bike Oven and mention a recent problem with a motorist and you'll likely hear several similar stories, and learn a couple new coping strategies. To a certain extent this happens on Midnight Ridazz rides too; I learned a lot of the tricks that keep me safe talking with other riders at group rides. There might even be a motorist education effort on the way, and not from the Metro, but from cyclists.
Bike infrastructure? At Semiotics of the Ride, activists are developing a signage system to turn 4th St. in Hancock Park into a bicycle boulevard. Is the city supportive? As far as I know, they're not. These activists lobbied hard, to no avail, to get cycling improvements on 4th St. This DIY effort is a reaction to unassailable status quo that persists within city departments. So, now we do our own infrastructure.
There are a few people in the city, or other local governments, that get it. The Santa Monica Planning Department has shown not only a progressive attitude toward cycling, but a remarkable willingness to open their planning process to the public. Lynne Goldsmith of Metro is doing good work to connect cyclists and bus operators to try to prevent conflicts. The city of Pasadena & CICLE successfully worked together to produce Bike Week Pasadena last year. They did so well that the 2nd Annual Bike Week Pasadena takes place in two weeks. Surprisingly, one of the best allies of cyclists is the LAPD. LAPD treats social bike riders with an open mind, allowing big group rides to continue if the ride is safe and moves along quickly. As well, anecdotal evidence suggests that officers in the LAPD are far better educated in the rights and needs of cyclists than in other jurisdictions.
There are people in local government who do right by cyclists, they're just the rare exception to a daunting rule. News that the L.A. bike culture is a fully DIY culture should resonate ominously within deaf ears at City Hall. 100% independent of city support, a growing constituency of cyclists can now bring uncompromising political will to bear on city officials.
(Next week I'll summarize some ways you can get involved in bike activism.)
 Feel like the only 29-year-old at Green Business Networking events? If you've had your fill of biz-social events that end by kids' bed times, it's time for you to sign up for Room 367's launch party.
Intended as an after-work gathering for twenty- and thirtysomething green-minded professionals, Room 367's launch party is a business and social networking event that aims to let young would-be eco-entrepreneurs mingle over drinks and music -- without people their parents' age hanging about -- while plotting a green takeover to transform business-as-usual.
When: Tuesday, May 6, 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Where: A&D Musuem, 5900 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles
Cost: $20 for advance online registration, $25 at the door. Use the promo code "greenopia" to get a free copy of Greenopia, given to the first 100 registrants.
There'll be an open bar, organic nibbles, a live DJ, free admission to A+D's new main exhibit "After the Flood," and a guest speaker -- Michael Danenberg, the COO of GOOD magazine. I'm guessing there'll be lots of MBA types as well, holding drinks in one hand and business cards in the other. After all, USC Marshall School of Business and UCLA Anderson School of Management are among the event partners.
Room 367 -- named after the cool green shade of Pantone -- is the younger offshoot of Opportunity Green, which puts together an annual green business conference. It's unclear as of yet how Room 367 peeps are going to make sure only twenty- and thirtysomethings come to the event. Past experience with events that attempt to enforce an age cap tells me older people in denial about their age will surely try to crash the party.
Valley girls looking for the latest eco-fashions don't have to drive to West Third Street. greenROHINI, an environmentally-conscious boutique that opened the doors to its LEED-certified shop in Sherman Oaks last year, carries everything from Del Forte jeans to Deborah Lindquist designs to recycled tire purses.
The spacious boutique invites browsing -- especially since the items made with pre-loved fabrics are often one-of-a-kind. Shoppers can sip on the complimentary organic tea and coffee -- served in reusable mugs, of course.
Not all items will meet with choosy environmentalists' seal of approval, however. Some organic jeans were available, but many others were made with conventional cotton, despite the anti-conventional cotton message on greenROHINI's website. Apparently, these non-organic jeans' claim to eco are the sustainable dyes used in the manufacturing process.
Still, most of the fashions here are made of recycled, organic or sustainable materials such as bamboo and hemp. And Lorin Becker, the owner who also runs the store, is very knowledgeable and will answer any eco-questions you may have about specific pieces.
I splurged on a reversible halter top made out of vintage fabric by Aster Park in Portland. Since it's reversible, it's really like getting two halters for the price of one... Cost: $115 -- except when I declined a bag and pulled out my reusable tote, Lorin gave me an unexpected 10% off!
greenROHINI. 13327 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. (818) 981-0023
 >> Live Earth's coming back on Oct. 5, this time to college campuses. The event's a series of overlapping concerts around the world, intended to raise awareness about global climate change. Earlier: Live Earth returns, now as a CD/2-DVD set.
>> Design an eco-inspired poster for the Abbot Kinney Festival and win $500. The organizers plan to make the annual event green-themed, so let your artwork reflect that. Deadline: May 9.
>> Green claims on cleaning products can be confusing, because not all products that claim to be eco-friendly are created equal. Investigating all the different ingredients on a product label can be time-consuming, stressful work.
>> To really be on the safe side, you could try making your own green cleaners.
>> Conserve water -- seriously. "We must learn from the history of the great droughts and begin to think of ourselves as partners with, rather than potential masters of, the changing natural world," writes Brian Fagan, author of "The Great Warming: Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations."
>> Polar bears: Endangered or not? A judge says the decision on whether or not to include polar bears on the endangered species list must be made by May 15.
Deborah Lindquist, the queen of recycled eco-couture, has a cute little boutique in North Hollywood, I found out. So a couple weeks ago I tried to drop by this stained-glass-decorated, sign-less store next to a tattoo parlor -- only to find that the front door was locked, despite the fact that the store was officially open. "The owner just went out and took the key," said the woman who let me in the back door.
One benefit to coming in the back: I got to see how Lindquist's fashions get made! Three women were working at their sewing machines in a big, cool back room. I wound around them to get into the store.
While many eco-fashion designers use virgin fabrics (albeit organic or eco-friendly in some manner), Lindquist made her name by reusing pre-loved fabrics, turning outdated clothes into fashionable new ones. She's dressed everyone from Gwen Stefani to Paris Hilton, according to her website.
Such detailed attention to metamorphosing dated duds into today's IT items doesn't come cheap. Get ready to fork over about $400 if you're dying to own that recycled cashmere sweater. The sticker price is the downside, though you'll walk away with your purchase knowing your new fashion item is truly eco-friendly AND locally made.
Well-heeled mamas can get their kids matching mini baby sweaters, modeled here by a ruddy, slightly petulant doll. Dog lovers with money to burn can get designer re-fashions for their pooch too. Cooler, summer-friendly fashions, from vintage fabric skirts to intricate corsets, also adorn the racks. Too bad the boutique isn't where the Rodeo Drive or Robertson Boulevard crowd can find it.
Deborah Lindquist. 10500 Magnolia Blvd. North Hollywood. (818) 762-7199
 Love loquats? Then join this year's Nocturnal Fruit Forage -- put together by the Fallen Fruit collective in honor of the Loquat.
Fruit growing on branches overhanging public property -- like sidewalks -- is free for the taking in Los Angeles. The Fallen Fruit collective -- a collaborative project by David Burns, Matias Viegener & Austin Young -- encourages and helps more Angelenos to take advantage of the city's fruitful bounty by providing free fruit maps of city neighborhoods, advocating for more fruit tree plantings, and putting together fruit jam-making or fruit foraging events, such as this loquat-specific one.
When: Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Where: The triangle park at Edgecliffe and Sunset in Silver Lake, Los Angeles
Cost: Free
RSVP: info@fallenfruit.org
Why a nocturnal walk? According to Fallen Fruit's website, "We like to do these walks at night because it heightens people's senses; most of us associate fruit with sunshine in the country, not urban darkness."
All loquat eaters are invited to forage! Bring just a a flashlight and a bag, and go home fruitified.
>> Ousted from the South Central farm 2 years ago, some South L.A. farmers are commuting via an old bus to farm at Buttonwillow, Calif., west of Bakersfield. "The group sells weekly at farmers markets in Watts, Leimert Park, Atwater and Hollywood, as well as at a monthly tianguis, or marketplace, set up outside the 14 acres they once farmed at 41st and Alameda streets."
>> How to haul things on a bicycle -- coffee mugs, flasks, boxes, etc. "Once you find the right gear for your particular bike needs, biking becomes a whole lot easier and more enjoyable."
>> How to whiten your teeth naturally -- and cheaply! Organic strawberry plus baking powder will do the trick, according to health.com (via lifehacker).
>> How to be healthy: Save other species. "That's the message from Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein from Harvard Medical School in Boston, who say that human health depends crucially on biodiversity."
>> Congress is looking into why the FDA relied on two studies funded by American Plastics Council to decide that the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) is safe -- in the face of more than 100 published studies by government scientists and university laboratories that have raised health concerns about the chemical. BPA is often present in plastics marked #7, such as some Nalgene and Camelbak bottles. (via grist)
Photo by Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times
 Earth Day festivities continue on! All cyclists are invited to pedal over to Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition's Earth Day Celebration, which'll feature raffles and prizes, bike films, art, as well as both live music and dance music sets from DJs. The event is sponsored by New Belgium Brewing, so I'm guessing there'll be beer too.
When: Wednesday, April 30, 6:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Where: NOHO Gallery in Lankershim Art Center, 5108 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood
Cost: $8 for LACBC members. Non-members can get in for $10 -- or free, by joining LACBC at the door.
Brave hard-core bikers can get there by following this bike route, while the somewhat less intrepid can take the Metro Red Line. I'm gonna have to sit this one out because it'll just take too long for me to get to NoHo from Santa Monica -- but I'd like to take this opportunity to remind LACBC that the Republic of Santa Monica is still officially part of L.A. County. Cyclists here eagerly await future LACBC activities on the Westside.
>> Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke said the band didn't fly to perform at NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien because the trip would have created "a carbon footprint equivalent to driving a car for a solid year." Radiohead recorded a live version in London to air on the show instead.
>> Jason Hill, son of a General Motors designer, is designing greener, sleeker cars
after founding Long Beach-based firm Eleven. "With its low,
three-wheeled stance and a shape akin to a raindrop, the Aptera
prototype is five times more slippery in the wind than a Toyota Prius
and 25 times more than a Hummer."
>> Wangari Muta Maathai, the founder of Kenya's Green Belt
Movement and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize,
spoke in L.A. about "simple things that can be done, such as recycling, planting trees, changing light bulbs and using public transportation."
>> USC professor Martin Kaplan praises Grand Avenue civic park plans for its potential to encourage civic engagement. "This place will be a stage, a setting, a platform for spectacle, an arena intended for every kind of public play and political performance that the city can muster."
>> With no shade, drinking water, or bathrooms at the Santa Ana station, Metrolink riders are tired of sweating it out. "Metrolink officials say the responsibility for making improvements ... rests with the city. But city officials say they share the concerns of Potter and others. The city has applied for funds from OCTA for the upgrades but won't know until sometime this summer whether it will get the money, officials said."
>> Peak water's coming fast, and cities have to learn to cope. Read about how Phoenix, London, and pretty much every major city in Australia are dealing with water shortages.
Photo by Gordon via Flickr
Eco-advice columnists are all over the web now. There's Grist's Umbra, Salon's Pablo, Slate's Green Lantern - and even me with my Q&As. But Sierra magazine's Mr. Green -- a.k.a. Bob Schildgen -- is the first of all of these to have his own book out.
Published earlier this year, "Hey Mr. Green" is a compilation of the advice Mr. Green's doled out since Feb. 2005, when his column launched. The Q&As, loosely organized into sections like "At Home" and "Food for Thought," are humorously informational -- not the least because Mr. Green takes on even the oddest and rudest of questions.
Seriously, Sierra magazine appears to attract some strangely angry readers (vegans?) -- many who are unnaturally attached to their air conditioning. (David: "You really ticked me off with your condescending attitude about air-conditioning." Mary: "I'm supposed to sit at home sweating it out? ... Don't make us don sackcloth while our corporate friends wear silk!") Who knew people could get so passionate about AC?
The random questions mean that the columns go anywhere from the big picture -- i.e. changing one's quality of life by spending time to cook healthy meals, instead of spending time "working to pay for processed, instant, plasticized food" -- to the almost inconsequential -- i.e. paper or plastic? Mixed in there is a passionate argument pro eating meat -- in condiment-style moderation, of course -- as well as recipes for yummy chili and salsa, and a number of money-and-energy saving tips.
Mr. Green even gets poetic sometimes -- especially when talking about lawns, which he seems to have a mild obsession with. "Lawns make the landscape look bleak, like a cemetery without tombstones," he says, then adds in another column:
Lawns are a type of death denial, in that they're replicas of cemeteries where the owner glides on the mower, godlike and immortal, over the pristine green, enjoying the illusion of immunity from burial and decay below.
I'll never look at a grassy lawn the same way again.
Of course, there were times in the book when I laughed at, not with, Mr. Green. One avid knitter wrote complaining that her daughter refuses to wear the handknit acrylic sweaters, the girl's argument being that acrylic's bad for the environment. Mr. Green dutifully points out that acrylic yarn may not be any worse than conventional cotton or wool (he neglects to mention there are organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, and eco-wool yarns) -- never considering that the reason this poor girl doesn't wanna wear her mama's handiwork probably has nothing to do with the environment at all....
Photo by Adam Drewes via Flickr
A guest post from Cassandra Davis, trainer, freelance writer, and car-free L.A. blogger.
 I’m a Valley Girl1, born and raised. I learned to drive2 at 15, had my first car at 16, and I can name all of the exits on the 101 from Calabasas to the 110.
Growing up, we were dependent on cars. While most of us lived on identical streets with identical houses, most of us also lived too far away to ride bikes to each other’s houses or to school. Cars meant freedom; the freeway meant escape.
I should love the freeway. Instead, I came to hate L.A., as did many of my friends. And, like3 many of my friends, I moved away.
So what went wrong?
A quick history: The first suburbs that we recognize as The Valley4 started with Santa Fe’s train lines, and were able to expand because of the Pacific Electric red cars5, William Mulholland’s L.A. Aqueduct, and WWII.
The Ventura Freeway was completed by 1960, and by 1965 there were already novels written about The Valley’s car culture. City planning, including transportation, was dictated primarily by housing developers6.
While housing developments spread, businesses were shaped by the needs of drivers, starting with Valley Plaza in 1951, the first shopping center nationwide designed for the freeway commuter. Shopping shifted to center around busy intersections and thoroughfares so workers could pick up what they needed on their way home.
It is no surprise that high school for my generation revolved around driving a car.
We didn’t carpool7 because our parents didn’t. The majority of us didn’t take the bus either (again, neither did our parents). The bus was unreliable, dirty, unsafe, and for people who couldn’t afford a car. In fact, very few of us knew how to take a bus8.
We didn’t ride our bikes, at least not as a form of transportation. Parents' fears aside, there just wasn’t anywhere to go. The house I grew up in has a walk score of 23, with the majority of nearby businesses existing over two miles away.
The 2003 long-range plan for the San Fernando Valley provides a good overview of the sprawling development which resulted from a reliance on freeways and lack of strong urban planning: concentrated areas of interest are islands in large stretches of residential development. Freeways may have provided the freedom to live in one place and commute to another, but they also made us rely on cars to move around. This quickly led to a one person, one car mindset, which led to more traffic.
In the four years between when "Clueless" was released (1995) and when I left The Valley (1999), “everything in The Valley” went from 20 minutes away to 40 minutes away.
In 2000, traffic was identified as the second most important community issue in The Valley. The traffic, lack of entertainment options, and urban sprawl are leading to a lower quality of life for all residents, and to generations of valley girls and boys (gasp!) leaving The Valley.
So what can be done to help the case of transportation in The Valley?
- Parents: teach your kids how to ride the bus. Believe it or not, it will make them safer, especially if they find themselves stuck somewhere without a car and needing to go home.
- Take the bus yourself. Try the Orange Line or a trip on the subway if you haven’t already. You don’t have to become a regular bus commuter, but if you take MTA once a month, that’s one less trip where you have to sit behind the wheel in traffic. Or, if the bus just isn’t possible, try to carpool (call 1-800-COMMUTE if you need help getting started).
- When you’re driving, give buses, pedestrians, and bikes the right-of-way. It’s the law. It’s polite. And it’s one less car that you’re stuck behind.
- If you feel inspired, write a quick note to your district representatives or MTA leadership. Is there a bike lane that can be improved in your area? A bus schedule that could be better?
There are a lot of large-scale and long-range plans, and of course you can assist in leadership or activism, but the first step is to start being aware of the transportation structures around you. Yes, this includes the freeway you’re stuck on every day. But it also includes the buses, trains, sidewalks and bike paths you pass on your way to the 1019.
______
1 Naturally blonde.
2 Stick shift
3 “Like” is only used once in this entry. “Totally” cannot be found.
4 The Valley is capitalized intentionally throughout this entry, because the San Fernando Valley is, indeed, The Valley.
5 Yes, we had trains in The Valley. The Orange line is built on an old Red Car line.
6 A phenomenon not unique to The Valley. See also: Hollywoodland.
7 Younger siblings are obligations, not carpools.
8 But the ones who did were the cool kids, delinquents and rebels … at least, until we all had cars.
9 The 118 is also a freeway in The Valley, along with the 170 and 134. However, the 101 (and, occasionally, the 405 or the 5) is the only freeway which matters.
Image courtesy of csun.edu. The large parking lot full of cars later became the home of the Sherman Oaks Galleria.
>> Woman moves to Santa Monica, de-cars, loves life. She's like me, except a half-century older. "Instead of jumping into your car to do 11 boring errands in four hours, you do one errand, or two, and it takes as long as it takes, and you only buy what you can carry, or push, in a cute little cart.... I'm here on the ground, walking past flowers, and I don't miss those cars at all."
 >> The half-cent sales tax for better transit in L.A. is a step closer to making it on the November ballot. The Metro board "asked Metro staff to report back in June with a comprehensive package of specific street and highway improvements and public transit projects that could be funded by a new transportation sales tax in Los Angeles County." Earlier: Subway to the sea: Worth a half cent sales tax hike?
>> With the promise of $213 million in federal funds, the Metro board voted to turn carpool lanes into high occupancy toll lanes. "If all goes as planned, tolls for those lanes would take effect on the 10 and 210 freeways in the San Gabriel Valley by the end of 2010." Carpoolers may still get to use the toll lanes for free; many details still have to be ironed out.
>> Massive bus service cuts averted! The Metro board decided that the proposed cuts were too severe and voted to limit cuts to 6 lines.
>> Why food prices are suddenly going up. In Grist, Tom Philpott breaks down the many reasons behind the sudden rise in food prices around the world. Item 4, which details Haiti's transformation from a food secure nation to a country of displaced farmers and hungry urban poor, is especially saddening. Support local agriculture!
>> Nalgene gets sued over Bisphenol A (BPA) in its sports bottles. The company has already said it will pull bottles containing BPA out of stores in the next few months. However, as of now, Nalgene continues to sell bottles containing BPA.
>> Penguin swims in a custom-made wetsuit. Pierre, an African penguin that was going bald, got dive gear company Oceanic Worldwide to make him a suit. "With his plumage restored, Pierre is being weaned off the suit, taking more and more dips in the buff. There are no plans to make him a matching surf board." Earlier: Fake flipper for a turtle named Allison.
Photo by Cathy Cole via Flickr
Fred Segal Green celebrated its grand opening today in Santa Monica. Located in a 1200-square-foot space at the back of Fred Segal's east building , this eco-friendly home and lifestyle store showcases the cutting edge of green design.
Collected here are all the gorgeous eco home decorations you've only seen in pictures on Inhabitat. You'll be able to touch and feel the sleek Monacca
laptop bags and calculators, made -- according to the little explanatory sign -- "from ecological wood such as trees that have been pulled down during the programmed maintenance plan of Japanese reforestation."
 Customers have their pick of recycled glassware to pick from -- as well as a whole big set of recycled stainless steel knives with funky designs on the blade, made to last a lifetime.
There's furniture too -- mostly a variety of stylish side tables and stools made from sustainably-harvested wood or scrap and recycled materials.
Eco-conscious pet owners can buy gourmet pet food (below) free of all the weird stuff that apparently goes into the "conventional" pet food. Sustainable pet toys are available too -- though I suspect that the less expensive stuff at My Pet Naturally would be just as beloved by kitties and puppies.
High-end eco products get dissed a lot, because they can make environmentalism seem like an elitist movement for the rich Gelson's crowd. But examining these unique, fairly-traded, hand-crafted, carefully-designed products, I felt vaguely hopeful about a different sort of consumer culture. There's an anti-disposability to these items that serves as a refreshing contrast to today's one-use, throwaway world.
Of course, I can't afford to actually buy the stuff. (above: bamboo bowls)
What I would love to own are these Ronel Jordaan pillowy, river-stone-like cushion-seats. I want a big one that I can curl up on top of, catlike, for daytime naps. But I can't put a grand or so toward fulfilling that desire.
Or to be more accurate, I can only afford a few things at Fred Segal Green. A couple items are actually doable for the regular middle-class person. For example, there are the Daff Feel Filz coasters, placemats, and silverware holders (above), made of eco-friendly merino wool felt. Coasters cost $25 for a set of four.
And perhaps even more practical are these Brelli umbrellas (right), made of biodegradable plastic and bamboo. Cost: just $28 for a small one! Metaefficient raves about them.
Expensive certainly doesn't mean necessary or useful. I have a hard time seeing the practicality of the chair below, for example.
And as much as I heart eco-friendly soap, I'm not sure if it's even possible to make soap that looks crunchier than this soap-on-a-rope stuff.
And is it just me, or is this kinda fugly? (below)
But it's good to see Fred Segal going green. This anti-plastic-bag slogan (below) is all over the store right now:
And all weekend, each department at Fred Segal Santa Monica will hold drawings to benefit local anti-plastic-bag org Heal the Bay.
Go green now, before we all burn up. The store carries a surprising number of memento moris -- made of recycled silver or glass, of course.
Fred Segal Green. 420 Broadway. Santa Monica.
Photos by Siel
Earth Day came and went, but the green calendar's packed for the rest of the month! Alt Build Expo's already started; but many more festivals and expos are happening all over the L.A. area all weekend:
Earth Weekend at the Aquarium. Sat., April 26 - Sun., April 27, 11 am - 6 pm both days at Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, 1600 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica.
The Aquarium's observing Earth Day a few days late with a weekend-long celebration. There'll be educational activities are planned for the whole family, including ocean pollution workshops, arts and crafts, and face painting. Children under 12 get in free with a paying adult ($2 admission; $5 suggested donation), but if you join the beach cleanup and leave Santa Monica a little cleaner than you found it, you can get in free! Just pick up some cleaning supplies from the beach cleanup table outside the Aquarium, clean a bit, then enjoy the Aquarium activities for free.
Greening the Earth Day Event in Pasadena (PDF). Sat. April 26, 10 am - 4 pm at Memorial Park and the Armory Center, 150 N Raymond Ave., Pasadena.
This free family festival will feature 70 or so exhibitors showcasing all things green, including organic food, hybrid and electric vehicles, alternative energy and green building design.
In conjunction with the event, C.I.C.L.E. will lead a bike ride called Birds, Blossoms, and You. Meet at 1:30 pm at the Levitt Pavilion in Memorial Park to take an Earth Day-inspired bicycle tour of Pasadena's favorite trees. Cyclists of all levels and ages can participate in this relaxed bicycle ride, during which they'll learn the history of Southern California's famous trees and streetscapes as well as receive expert info about tree maintenance and protection. The ride departs at 2 pm Sharp.
Green Gardens Tour. Sat., April 26 from 10 am - 4 pm, starting at 1027 Princeton, Santa Monica.
This year’s tour theme's "Gardening With Intent: Water Management" -- and the tour itself will highlight home gardens in West Los Angeles and Santa Monica that demonstrate sustainable designs, practices, and technologies. All tourists will get a copy of the Green Sourcebook, a free compendium of garden information, ideas and suggestions. Tour prices range from $25-$50; proceeds benefit Virginia Avenue Project, a Santa Monica based nonprofit that uses the arts to help kids discover their full potential. Call (310) 264-4224 to reserve tickets, or buy them in person at 1027 Princeton, Santa Monica on Saturday morning.
Universal Studios Hollywood “Eco-Fair." Sat., April 26, 10 am - 4 pm at the Universal Globe Fountain at main entrance of Universal Studios Hollywood, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City.
"Days of Our Lives" stars will autograph reusable bags and give out CFL bulbs at this free eco-fair, featuring over 30 interactive exhibits. Attendees are also invited to bring their household hazardous waste or e-waste to the event for free drop-off -- and free parking! Hybrid drivers can also park free.
STAR Eco Station's Children's Earth Day. Sun., April 27 from 10 am - 4 pm at STAR Eco Station, 10101 W. Jefferson Blvd. Culver City. Children will love this free outdoor extravaganza loaded with free stuff, celebrity guests, food, games, shopping, crafts, entertainment, giveaways, and more.
Photo by Pretty Kate Machine via Flickr
Locavoring and freeganism tends to get all the attention these days, but when it comes down to reducing carbon emissions, eating less meat will produce more dramatic results than picking local lettuce over greens shipped from China.
That's what the recently-debuted Low Carbon Diet calculator tries to illustrate. Put together by eco-conscious food company Bon Appétit Management, the Low Carbon Diet calculator aims to show consumers the environmental impact of their food choices.
Would-be eco-conscious eaters can calculate roughly how much carbon dioxide emissions are created by their meals by dragging and dropping food items onto a pan. The LCD calculator assigns a number of points to each food item, with roughly 450 points equaling a pound of CO2 emissions.
Planning to eat a 4 oz. steak? That'll cost you 6977 points. Swap that out for 4 oz. of grilled tofu, and you can bring your score down to just 367 points.
Of course, BAM isn't suggesting that choosing to eat local doesn't matter at all. In fact, BAM plans to phase out out-of-season produce flown in from faraway places from the menus of the 400 or so cafes it serves, including The Getty Center. But BAM's first move for its low carbon menus is cutting back on beef and cheese, not obsessing over which tomato farm is closer to the locations it serves.
In a way, the Low Carbon Diet calculator encourages consumers to first focus on the food items that'll create big changes instead of sweating the small stuff. Die-hard locavorians might be peeved by the calculator though, because it doesn't distinguish between beef from locally-raised grass-fed cows and factory farm cows pumped full of antibiotics, even if the resulting CO2 emissions are bound to be quite different.
My breakfast (above), I found out, wasn't quite as green as I'd hoped -- though I'd like to think that the actual carbon footprint of my meal is smaller than calculated here, partly because the food was all organic, but mainly because the milk in my cereal was made from soybeans, not by cows.
Still, I found using the calculator an informative exercise. We can often lose sight of the big stuff because of the details in the little things. Meaning that yes, everyone should bring their own bags to the grocery store -- but there is a certain irony in watching a Whole Foods customer rant about how plastic bags are made of oil and create pollution -- before loading up her SUV and gas-guzzling her way home.
>> Top 10 ways to go green in the ghetto. "stop driving that SUV? i don't even know how to drive.... everything that's green -- from the houses to the organic food and everything inbetween -- is so expensive. the question persists: how do you go green in the ghetto?"
>> 20 free ways to save energy, from Consumer Reports. For those with a few bucks to spend, check out four more energy-saving tips that require a little investment at the end of the article.
>> Companies: Save money and the environment by ditching the annual report. In Slate, Daniel Gross writes about why those glossy annual reports sadden him.
>> Bridging the "green gap" between black and white Americans. "While whites express more concern about climate change, wilderness preservation and endangered species, African Americans express more concern about pollution, locally undesirable land uses and human health outcomes. Asthmatic children are far more likely to turn African Americans into environmental activists than disappearing polar bears."
>> Ed Norton on plastic's many dangers.
"Obviously plastics have served very important purposes and been
incredibly convenient but as we begin to witness the long-term
consequences of the chemical components leaching into our water and our
bodies, we're going to be forced to look for alternatives to how we
package goods and food."
>> Bottled water's many dangers, both big and small. "This rampant commodification of water, while in one sense a terrible thing, does make it impossible to ignore a future reality: The fact that we probably are going to end up paying for water." Earlier: Bring Your Own week: Bottle up.
>> GreenYour.com: A searchable green wiki with a good compliation of facts and tips to help you live green.
Photo by Mike Innocenzi via Flickr
Eco-fashion-conscious angelenos have already been shopping at Nau's online store, but now Nau fans can try on their organic cotton or sustainably-harvested merino wool clothes before buying them. The newest Nau boutique opened at the Beverly Center last weekend in all its sleek, techy glory.
Nau's like a more stylish Patagonia. Both companies have great outdoorsy clothes made with eco-friendly materials, but Nau's designs tend to be more edgy. On Saturday, I tried on a soft, merino cap sleeve shirt (right), asymmetrically designed with a creative, double-layered bottom edge.
I also liked the Chrysalis (left) -- a puff-collared jacket-dress-vest combo made of 100% recycled polyester, which has the feel of a thinner, more pliable windbreaker but can be modified endlessly. The hem and fit can be changed by little cinchers, and the sleeves can be removed entirely.
Unfortunately, I discovered that it took forever to piece the 'fit back together once I took it apart, and decided I didn't have the patience to deal with it.
 The sleek Nau boutique doesn't scream its eco-conscious mission, but shoppers will nonetheless be surprised by the unique retail practice. For one, you can get 10% off any purchase -- if you elect to have the item shipped to you for free instead of carrying it out of the store. This policy allows Nau to stock and ship (and ship back) fewer items, allowing for more energy-efficient stores.
Each item has a number of little bar-coded cards next to it. To buy my merino cap sleeve shirt, I took one of these cards to a self-service kiosk, which read the card, asked me to select the size and color I wanted, and had me put in my shipping info.
In addition, because Nau donates 5% of all sales to progressive nonprofits, I got to pick from a list of four local groups -- Heal the Bay, Homeboy Industries, California Wilderness Coalition, Chrysalis -- to give the money to. I went with Heal the Bay.
When I got home I had an email from Nau confirming my order and letting me know my purchase sent $3.24 to Heal the Bay. And earlier today, my shirt arrived in a recycled padded envelope! I'm wearing it now as I type --
Nau. Beverly Center. 8500 Beverly Blvd., Space 724. Los Angeles. 310.358.0600.
Alt Build Expo starts in Santa Monica tomorrow -- and it's FREE!
Check out more than 150 exhibits that'll address all aspects of green building, from eco-friendly materials to water conservation techniques to sustainable interior design. Free seminars and classes happen throughout the weekend too, in case you're planning to green your own home and could use some advice.
When: Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26. 10 am - 5 pm both days
Where: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St., Santa Monica
Cost: FREE!
Presented by the City of Santa Monica, the Alternative Building Materials & Design Expo will likely be packed this year, what with the city of L.A. just passing its green building ordinance and L.A. county working on its own eco-building standards.
In addition to the exhibits and the seminars, the expo will host book signings, hold screenings of eco-films such as "The Story of Stuff," and feature musical performances by the Martini Kings from 4 pm - 5 pm on both days of the event.
The expo will also serve as a debut of sorts for Green Cities California, a coalition of sustainable California cities and counties that brings together environmental executives of these jurisdictions to cooperatively and collectively undertake enviro-friendly initiatives. GCC will give its first official presentation on Friday at 1 pm.
Bike over and take advantage of the free bicycle valet service, or take the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus for just 75 cents. You can, of course, also drive; enjoy fighting traffic and get ready to fork over $8 for parking.
And bring your reusable water bottle with you! In keeping with its green mission, the expo will have filtered water available to refill your to-go bottle.
If you haven't had your fill of green building at the end of the expo, take one of the free, self-guided Green Building Tours on Sunday, April 27. You'll get to take a closer look at the green homes, offices and gardens in the L.A. area.
>> East Los Angeles College turned on its new solar project (above) on Earth Day. Part of the Los Angeles Community College District’s Renewable Energy Plan, the $9 million 1.2 megawatt project will provide almost half of the college’s daytime power needs.
>> The federal government offered L.A. County $213 million to convert carpool lanes into toll lanes on the 10, 110, and the 210. We only get the money if local and state officials agree to the changes. If an agreement's reached, the money would be used to buy 60 buses that would use the new toll lanes, and Metro would use its own money to create the lanes themselves. Earlier: Why HOT (high occupancy toll) Lanes? Because HOV Lanes Don’t Work.
>> Santa Monica will likely see a November ballot measure to limit commercial development
in the city for the next 15 years, in an effort to control traffic. I
was asked to sign this a couple times by people holding clipboards in
front of Co-opportunity, and declined. The comments on the L.A. Now post on this issue are pretty interesting.
>> An old Metro maintenance yard's going to become an urban wetland park. The City Council approved the South Los Angeles Wetlands Park project, which will include "a small lake, marshes with native plants, footpaths, a community center and a winding waterway."
>> According to a Union of Concerned Scientists report, the EPA is "an agency under siege from political pressures."
"More than half of the scientists at the Environmental Protection
Agency who responded to a survey said they had experienced political
interference in their work."
A guest post from Katie Ricketts, community / market organizer at Southland Farmers' Market Association.
I first met Nina when someone yelled out at the farmers' market,
"Hey marshmallow lady!" Marshmallow lady? My curiosity was sparked and I quickly weaved
through the crowd to track her down and find out what the story was.
A
week later, I and a few others encircled
Nina, three chocolate bars, and two packs of specialty flavored
marshmallows. Each bar and every marshmallow was handmade, and as I held the
box in which she brought them, I considered taking a run for it,
ditching the rest of the group, and hoarding them all for myself. Heaven.
Nina is a young chocolatier who is the brains and the talent
behind Bon Bon Homemade Candy Bars, a candy bar company that lends itself not
only to making great tasting sweets, but is eco-friendly in practice and
product. Nina gleans as much of the
product (generally the fruit and nuts) from the Santa Monica Wednesday Farmers' Market, making her item truly and uniquely local to the area. Made on the weekends in an L.A. kitchen, Nina's chocolates and marshmallows
are found in trendy places like Joan's on Third and Market Gourmet on Abbot
Kinney.
Starting off with the single malt scotch bar (I mean, who
wouldn't?) I knew I was in for a serious treat. My favorite was the Malt
Bar, which is, simply put, a classic candy bar done perfectly.
We're certainly featuring her in the upcoming Santa Monica Farmers' Market Chef and Farmer Gala Dinner on May 18 at the
Fairmont,
which will showcase some of L.A's most innovative chefs and celebrated
farmers who support the Santa Monica Farmers' Market. Nina will be donating a basket of chocolates and marshmallows
for our silent auction… that is, if they make it from my office to the
event....
>> Want an all-electric car that can reach 65 mph and go 100 miles per charge -- that costs $25K or less? These Think City cars are supposed to hit the market late next year.
>> L.A.'s officially going to build greener. The L.A. City Council passed an ordinance that requires big new commercial buildings and high-rise residential structures to meet LEED standards. L.A.'s green building standards are weaker than San Francisco's standards, but will have a larger impact, since L.A.'s so much bigger than S.F.
>> The Getty Center, along with 400 or so other cafes also run by Bon Appétit Management, will be getting a Low Carbon Diet menu in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint. The menu will cut back on beef and cheese, and phase out out-of-season produce flown in from faraway places.
>> We have our first California Natural Landmark! Nearly 40,000 acres of Orange County parkland was deemed "ecologically valuable" enough for this designation.
>> Oakland needs to do an environmental analysis of paper bags before banning plastic bags, says an Alameda judge. Oakland may either contest the ruling or do yet another pointless and time consuming analysis.
>> Human lives are worth about $7 million a head,
according to calculations the EPA uses. And a national panel of experts
wants the EPA "to consider the economic value of lost lives when
comparing the costs and benefits of setting new air pollution rules."
Photo via Business Wire
West Third Street is officially the one-stop shopping strip for eco-fashions. On Earth Day yesterday, boutiques Romp and Vie threw their opening parties, joining the now 1-year-old Avita Co-op, which also threw a party to celebrate its anniversary.
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