Starting tomorrow, June 22, all my green L.A. lifestyle blogging will happen on my own website, green LA girl.
Though Emerald City will no longer be updated, LATimes.com will always have fresh, green, Pulitzer Prize-winning news reporting from L.A. and beyond on its Environment page . And a new blog called Greenspace, written by the LA Times' environmental reporters, will launch Thursday.
Thanks to Cassandra Davis, Damien Newton, Kathryn Pope, Katie Ricketts and Alex Thompson for contributing guest posts to Emerald City! You can continue following their and my eco-adventures on our respective blogs -- or meet us in person at a future Green Drinks.
Picked up some home jamming skills, thanks to the Fallen Fruit collective? Then sign up now for Slow Food L.A.'s "Jams, Jellies, Preserves & Chutneys, oh my!" event:
When: Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 2 p.m.
Where: Private home in Simi Valley; RSVP to judibikel@aol.com for address
Cost: Free -- with RSVP and swappables (read on).
Twenty-five jammers and canners will gather over coffee and tea, each bringing to the table at least four 1-pint containers of canned or frozen jam, jelly, preserves or chutney -- along with a small tasting sample and a copy of the recipe to swap with other members. Serious jammers can take eight pints to the party, to leave with eight pints.
Of course, your jam and its recipe must have some connection to slow food -- whether it's made of local, organic ingredients or created from a family recipe. For eco-preserve-making inspiration, check out Jill Davis Doughtie of Eye Level Pasadena's photo-illustrated preserve-making process, starting out with Pasadena farmers market strawberries and apricots.
Both Slow Food L.A. members and nonmembers are invited -- but again, don't forget to RSVP to judibikel@aol.com or you might be wandering around Simi Valley for a very long time.
Photo by Jill Davis Doughtie
 If you're inspired to bike after reading Kathryn Pope's post debunking the idea of cars as safety devices -- but are still kind of scared about biking the traffic-clogged streets of L.A. -- take an urban biking class with C.I.C.L.E. to ease yourself into the cycling culture.
C.I.C.L.E.'s "Bikes in the City" Education Program helps everyone -- from those who haven't yet learned to ride a bike to already-comfortable cyclists interested in safer riding techniques. Upcoming classes include:
- Learn to Ride (for adults), happening Saturday, June 28 at 9 a.m. (already full!)
- Can You Handle It?: Beginning Bike Handling Skills Workshop, happening Saturday, July 26, 9 a.m.
- Handle it Better!: Intermediate Bike Handling Skills Workshop, happening Saturday, Aug. 2, 9 a.m.
All classes cost $15 and will be held in Northeast L.A.; pre-register for specific details by contacting info@CICLE.org or (323) 478-0060.
Although individual cyclists can pick up and practice lots of bike safety skills, our cities, too, can do much to make make bicycling safer and more fun for urbanites. And this weekend, city mayors at the 76th U.S. Conference of Mayors in Miami will be considering a few de-car-ing resolutions, including "ensuring bicycling is integrated into national transportation, climate, energy and health policy initiatives" and "support for public transportation in light of increasing fuel costs" (PDF of proposed resolutions here).
L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Beverly Hills' Mayor Barry Brucker are among the attendees, along with other SoCal mayors. Check to see if your mayor's on the roster, then contact him/her and urge them to sign these resolutions.
Image courtesy of C.I.C.L.E.
 Work in Hollywood? Take a break right now and head over to the new Hollywood Lemon Grove Farmers' Market, which opened 9 a.m. today at 4959 Lemon Grove Ave.
Get there before noon and enter a free raffle to win a basket of market-fresh produce. If you have kids, take them along; Network for a Healthy California is hosting a "Power Play" event for children at 11 a.m. The market will be open until 1 p.m.
Earlier: What $6 gets you at the farmers' market
 If you're in the building biz, this is a good time to get involved with the U.S. Green Building Council, since L.A., Pasadena, Santa Monica and many other SoCal cities have all passed green building ordinances. Whether or not you've passed your LEED AP exam, you can stop by the free "Kick Off Summer & Get Involved" event, organized by the L.A. Chapter of USGBC:
When: Wednesday, June 18, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Where: Knoll Showroom, 214 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 200, Santa Monica
Cost: Free! RSVP before June 16 to krobinson@usgbc-la.org with "RSVP Knoll" in the subject line.
Go network over food and drinks, and find out more about USGBC's L.A. chapter while you're at it. For more generalized green biz networking, check out this list of eco-shmoozing events.
Inspired by the green building event? Then put that energy to use by putting together a green project, design or idea and submitting it to the Lifecycle Building Challenge (via Inhabitat). Just come up with an innovative way "for reducing to conserve construction and demolition materials and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by designing buildings for adaptability and disassembly."
The contest's open and free to all! If you're one of the six winners, you'll get free passes to eco events like West Coast Green and EPA Lifecycle Construction Conference, as well as opportunities to present and promote your work. Get your submission in by the July 31 deadline.
Love Korean BBQ? Missed the Great L.A. River Cleanup? Here's your second chance -- a big clean up of the Glendale narrows section of the L.A. River's happening this Saturday morning. You're invited to join in the cleaning fun -- then nosh on Korean BBQ afterwards.
When: Saturday, June 14, 8:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Where: Griffith Park Recreation Center, 3401 Riverside Dr., Los Angeles
Cost: Free. Just show up with a hat, sunscreen and drinking water.
In addition to cleaning up the river, the event's intended to bring together an ethnically and culturally diverse group of volunteers "for a day of hands-on environmental stewardship and cross-cultural connection," according to Heal the Bay's press release. The Glendale Narrows is a community hub, Heal the Bay says: "Only if all communities work together will we be able to restore and revitalize California’s natural settings."
The NAACP, Pacific American Volunteer Assn., and Anahuak Soccer Assn. have all signed on! More than 2,000 people are expected to participate -- including L.A. City Council president Eric Garcetti and leaders from the involved organizations.
Everyone -- of any experience level -- is invited. Rub elbows with your neighbors and maybe pick up a few words in another language (clean-up instructions will be provided in English, Spanish, and Korean) during the BBQ.
Photo of Glendale Narrows by Siel
 Gov. Schwarzenegger has declared a drought, and L.A.'s about to get mandatory water use restrictions. On the upside, lots of eco-themed water-related events are happening around town to help you adjust by finding smart ways to curb your water habit.
Avoid higher water utility prices and get a bit more self sufficient by taking the "Introduction to Landscape Rainwater Harvesting" with Joe Linton this weekend. The workshop'll give you an overview of L.A. water issues, take you on a tour of the eco-village's own storm water harvesting landscape features, and get you directly involved in building a terraced swale to detain and infiltrate storm water.
The workshop will take place at L.A. Eco-Village, 117 Bimini Place, Los Angeles this Saturday, June 14, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Make a reservation by contacting (213) 738-1254 or crsp@igc.org, then show up with the $35 workshop fee and your own brown bag lunch.
For a less hands-on experience, attend Sustainable Business Council's panel discussion, titled "Water Wise: Get into the Flow." This event will connect water conservation to money -- not just saving money on your water bill, but on making money as an entrepreneur. The 5-person panel (plus moderator) is made up of business people working in the water conservation sector.
The panel takes place at Livingreen, 10000 Culver Blvd., Culver City, on Tuesday, June 17, 7 p.m.-10 p.m. [Update: This event's been postponed. Check the SBC website for new details.] Cover's $20 -- a tax-deductible donation that includes food and drinks. RSVP online.
Photo by Third Eye via Flickr
 Summer's almost here, so get some sun! Besides enjoying the beach, maybe this is the summer you'll start harnessing some of the solar energy for your home -- especially since Californians have lots of rebates and financing options available for home solar systems.
If you're fuzzy on the short- and long-term costs and benefits of installing solar panels, a sun-powered event happening on Monday can help. Titled "Solar by the Numbers: 2008 Financing Options for Home Solar Systems," this informative panel will illuminate "new ways to finance the installation of solar electric and solar thermal systems ... -- options that weren’t available even a year ago."
When: Monday, June 16 at 7 p.m.
Where: Santa Monica Main Library, Multi-Purpose Room (2nd floor), 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica
Cost: Free; reserve a space by calling (310) 458-4992
The event's put together by Solar Santa Monica, part of Santa Monica’s Office of Energy and Green Building Programs, so the panel discussion will be most relevant to Santa Monica residents, as well as solar manufacturers and installers, financiers, and real estate investors who do work in Santa Monica.
Speakers include Gary Groff of New Resource Bank, one of Solar Santa Monica’s financial partners; Nat Kreamer of Sun Run, a company that provides solar electricity through a guaranteed power purchase agreement; and Maurice “Mo” Rousso of Helio Micro Utility Inc., which offers renewable energy financial products.
If you do sign up to get state rebates for installing solar power, make sure you really do take action within 12 months. The San Francisco Business Times reported earlier this month that "More than one in eight homeowners and businesses that signed up for lucrative state solar power rebates have dropped out without installing a system, leaving $9 million in "stranded" incentives trapped in the California Solar Initiative program." This means new people who sign up -- and actually install a solar system -- will qualify only for smaller rebates. Be a good neighbor; keep the solar promises you make.
Photo by Mike Spasoff via Flickr
>> Too many Californians are not actually installing solar systems after signing up to get rebates. "More than one in eight homeowners and businesses that signed up for lucrative state solar power rebates have dropped out without installing a system, leaving $9 million in "stranded" incentives trapped in the California Solar Initiative program." This means new people who sign up -- and actually install a solar system -- will qualify only for smaller rebates. (via Treehugger)
>> The top 5 coolest green building products, as voted on by 679 home-building professionals. A tankless water heater tops the list. (via Jetson Green)
>> The California Energy Commission gave $1 million to San Francisco to build a grease-to-biodiesel facility, expected to be completed this December. Some private biodiesel producers aren't happy about it.
>> The next Green Business Networking event happens from 6-9 p.m. tonight at the Ambrose Hotel, 1255 20th St., Santa Monica. Cover's $10; free wine and organic appetizers once you're in.
>> Missed the L.A. River Ride on Sunday? Damien Newton at Streetsblog LA has a pictorial recap. Ride vicariously.
Photo by Mike Spasoff via Flickr
 Don't be fooled by the "private street" signs; many Malibu beaches are publicly owned, as urban nature activist Jenny Price often points out. If you're afraid to venture alone into the notoriously public-unfriendly city -- which by the way is also trying to restrict people from camping in public parks -- The Los Angeles Urban Rangers can help.
The Rangers -- a collective of artists, writers, architects and urban designers who explore L.A. and work to help others do likewise -- are back with the Summer 2008 Malibu Public Beaches Safaris -- free educational tours that will show you exactly what beaches are there for your surfing, swimming and sunbathing pleasure -- and how to find, park, walk, picnic and play there.
 When: Pick from one of five safaris in west and east Malibu:
- East Malibu: Sat., June 14, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Sun., July 27, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Sun., Aug 3, 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
- West Malibu: Sun., June 15, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Sat., Aug 2, 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Cost: Free with RSVP by e-mailing info@laurbanrangers.org with tour date, name and number of people.
Can't make time for a Safari? You can still explore Malibu beaches on your own with this handy Malibu Public Beaches guide (PDF) provided by the Rangers. Enjoy the beaches that belong to you!
Photo and image courtesy of LAUR
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