>> The second Westside Permaculture Gathering will be an "Intro to Permaculture" primer, put together by community permaculturists, as well as a local potluck. All are invited to the free event: Monday, June 23, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica. Contact Sean Jennings at swjennings@gmail.com with questions.
>> At the "ReGreen: Green Home Improvement" event, everyone from homeowners to design professionals can find out about the ReGreen program -- "best practice guidelines and targeted educational resources for sustainable residential improvement projects" developed by the American Society of Interior Designers' Foundation and the U.S. Green Building Council. The free event happens Tuesday, June 24., from 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at the Multi-Purpose Room of the Santa Monica Public Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica. RSVP to gbrc@globalgreen.org are appreciated but not required.
>> Hear the authors of the Homegrown Evolution blog, Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen (interviewed here), at an L.A. Eco-Village event titled "The Urban Homestead: A Talk, Slide Show and Book-Signing." The event happens Thursday, June 26, at 7:30 p.m., at the L.A. Eco-Village, 117 Bimini Place, Los Angeles. Suggested donation's $5; RSVP to crsp@igc.org.
>> Join artist Jane Tsong and curator Donna Conwell for a conversation at the Farmlab Public Salon, " 'Everything is Alive' and Other Street Projects." "Everything is Still Alive" is an art project in which native California poppies were planted on patches of exposed earth in the L.A. area: "where the poppies survive, orange blossoms reveal the disparate patterns of land management." The free event takes place Friday, June 27 at noon at Farmlab, 1745 N. Spring Street #4, Los Angeles.
For more eco-themed events happening in the L.A. area, check out the Emerald City green calendar.
Photos courtesy Jane Tsong via Farmlab
 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.
 Enviro-fans of Dwell magazine: You'll be glad to know that the focus for the 3rd Annual Dwell on Design will be sustainability in the L.A. area. The conference and exhibition will showcase and discuss modern design, architecture while examining ways to encourage sustainable living in an increasingly dense city.
And you can check out the exhibition -- with more than 200 exhibitors -- for free! Just use the codes below.
When: Conference on June 5 and 6; Exhibition on June 7 and 8 (exhibition preview for conference attendees on June 6).
Where: Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles.
Cost: Exhibition tickets cost $25 online (free with code BDODEC) or $50 at the door; conference registration costs $349 ($50 off with code GRP22SP). Register here.
The exhibition include lots of green panels that examine everything from what L.A.'s new green building codes will mean to new resource and energy efficiency innovations to sustainable interiors. Lots of panel members are also LEED-accredited professionals!
If the conference and tour aren't enough, you can sign up to take a tour of green homes in L.A. And on June 6, you can watch 16 L.A. designers produce 2D sustainable and modular dwellings, rooms and furniture in a tournament-party at MOCA. $50 gets you into the evening event, featuring an open bar and a live DJ.
 Santa Monica's gotten greener and greener of late -- too crunchy, perhaps -- to the point that now, we have about a biggish eco-event a day happening within the small city.
Take next week, for example. On Tuesday, we have "Smart Growth," a city-funded FREE Sustainable Santa Monica Event that centers around a presentation by Dimitris Klapsis, LEED Accredited Professional and a senior project manager with HMC Architects in Pasadena. Green building enthusiasts can stop by the Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, at 6 p.m. to hear Klapsis speak.
Then on Wednesday, we have "Green is the new Black," an environmental panel and reception organized by the Yale Club of Southern California, who despite their Ivy League education, couldn't manage to find a more creative title than this tired, now-hackneyed one. They're smart enough to charge $15-$25 to cover costs for the event, however. It goes down in The Haworth Showroom at the Water Garden, 1601 Cloverfield Blvd., Santa Monica, from 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
Thursday will take eco-activists back to the Santa Monica Public Library for a panel on "Running a Green Household." The FREE workshop will teach you how to make the best decisions while evaluating and purchasing products and services for your home. That happens in the Multipurpose Room of the SMPL at 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, starting at 7 p.m.
I know there's green stuff happening in other parts of the city; I keep track of them here. It just seems that most of them seem to be happening in Santa Monica. Of course, I live in Santa Monica, so perhaps I get a disproportionate amount of notices about events happening here while I never hear about others. Know 'bout an eco-event that's not on my calendar? Let me know, and I'll add it on.
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.
>> Echo Park Lake hasn't been looking pretty (above), what with dead stalks and lotus plants that didn't bloom. A $60-million cleanup project's planned to begin in 2010 to "remove sediment buildup, add screens to reduce urban runoff and rebuild the lake edges"
>> Funding public transit creates many more jobs than funding war. "Number of jobs created by spending $1 billion on defense: 8,555; Number of jobs created by spending $1 billion on mass transit: 19,795."
>> Going green gets popular among publishers. "About 60% have a formal environmental policy or are in the process of completing one."
Lots of green building events happening this week:
>> Get a free sneak preview of the upcoming AltBuild Expo's Green Home Tour! Hear from a Green Building Panel featuring architects and builders of the Tour's green homes tomorrow, Tues. March 25, 6:30 pm at the Santa Monica Main Public Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica.
>> Catch the green building panel at Westweek 2008, happening Wednesday, March 26, noon at the Pacific Design Center B210, West Hollywood
>> Get your two cents in at one of the LA County Green Building Ordinance public meetings, continuing this week.
Photo by Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times
Last month, green building advocates got a boost when two L.A. city council committees voted to require that large developments meet eco-friendly standards. Now, L.A. County's considering its own Green Building Program, and holding seven public meetings (six remaining) this month to discuss draft Green Building Ordinances.
These ordinances cover new construction, expansions and remodels in L.A. County unincorporated areas. Among the requirements are high energy efficiency, drought-tolerant landscaping and low impact development standards.
If you're an L.A. county resident in an unincorporated area, read the draft ordinances here (PDF), then attend one of the meetings (PDF) to support green building and to get your comments in:
- 1st District - Gloria Molina: Tues., March 25, 6 pm - 8 pm, East Los Angeles County Library, 4837 3rd St., Los Angeles
- 2nd S District - Yvonne B. Burke: Thurs., March 27, 6 pm - 8 pm, A.C. Bilbrew County Library, 150 E. El Segundo, Los Angeles
- 4th District - Don Knabe: Mon., March 31, 6 pm - 8 pm, Adventure County Park, 10130 S. Gunn Ave., Whittier
- 5th District - Michael Antonovich (3 meetings): Wed., March 19, 6 pm - 8 pm, Altadena Senior Center, 560 E. Mariposa Rd., Altadena; Mon., March 24, 6 pm - 8 pm, Santa Clarita Sports Complex, 20880 Centre Point Pkwy., Santa Clarita; Sat., March 29, 3 pm - 5 pm, Larry Chimbole Community Center, 38350 Sierra Highway, Palmdale
Unfortunately, The 3rd District meeting already happened last week. However, you can attend any of the other meetings, or get your comments in by calling (213) 974-6432, emailing zoup@planning.lacounty.gov, or writing Department of Regional Planning, Ordinance Studies Section, 320 W. Temple St., 13th Fl. Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Your eco questions answered.
Question: I'm contemplating a grad-school move to Los Angeles later this year (I currently live in Chicago) and was searching for tips on how to live sustainably in LA.
So my specific question for you revolves around the extreme lack of information online about green apartments in L.A.
It's a tall order, I know, but I feel like there have to be a few blogs or classified listings out there related to eco-friendly apartment living. More specifically-- I'll be in grad school, so money will be scarce and I certainly won't be in a position to buy a place. Have you heard of any sort of classified list like this that I might check out? Laura
Answer: No, I haven't found any green apartments classified list. Why? There aren't a whole lot of green apartments in L.A. While L.A.'s embraced green building of late, that embrace has so far been reserved mostly for bigger office buildings and homes -- and lately, condos and lofts (for sale, not rent). Sadly, we have more eco-mansions in L.A. than we do eco-apartments.
My guess is that there are a few eco-minded landlords out there who've made some efforts to green their units -- perhaps by adding solar panels or opting for drought-resistant lawns. My landlord, for example, painted my apartment with low-VOC paints and installed CFL bulbs in some of the lighting fixtures before I moved in. However, these are small-scale changes that often aren't even touted on an apartment listing. As far as I know, there are no apartment complexes that are LEED-certified in L.A.
That said: It seems to me that what you really seek to do is lead a green life in L.A. And while a LEED-certified apartment could help with that, I suggest first focusing your green attentions on the big L.A. issue many people moving from cities with great transit systems don't consider: Transportation.
L.A. is not a cute compact city; it's a huge, sprawling, relatively low-density metropolis. If you don't choose wisely, you could end up spewing tons of CO2 every day you drive over to classes at Sci-Arc. In fact, the Wall Street Journal, recently published an article titled Eco-Paradox: Green Homes, Gas-Guzzling Commutes. My point is that you might do better -- environmentally, financially, and personally -- by picking a conventional apartment near campus than commuting from a random green apartment you happen to locate in Brentwood or Manhattan Beach.
Treehugger's guide to greening your rental agrees with me; the first tip is "Choose well": "The location of your home can have a huge impact on your ability to live sustainably, so think hard about your lifestyle when you are looking for your next rental property."
Your best green option might be living downtown, within walking distance from the campus. That photo up top's taken from the roof of one downtown L.A. apartment -- All the cool kids are renting down there, I hear. If other Sci-Arc kids know of other neighborhoods that allow for easy eco-friendly travel to campus, please do share in the comments.
Once you're settled in, you can try slowly working down Treehugger's list of tips for greening your rental. Lastly, you might want to get involved with Ride-Arc, a monthly social bike ride with an architectural theme, started by some Sci-Arc grads.
Photo by Topheroo via Flickr
 >> The WSJ reports on an Eco-Paradox: Green Homes, Gas-Guzzling Commutes. This is closely related to the eco-paradox of eco-mansions in general. (via Jetson Green)
>> Bigger homes: More comfort, or more trouble? A Bethesda, Md., couple moved from a near-6,000 square foot home into a 370 square feet RV -- and found they liked the smaller space. Now, they're considering a new home half the size of the original one. (via Unclutterer)
>> Eco-realtors: Helpfully green, or just using "a cursory knowledge of green building
as a marketing ploy in a tough market."? Research the eco-realtor
before hiring -- or just research the house: "some consumers say that
when it comes to environmentally friendly homes, it's easy enough to do
research on their own." (via Jetson Green)
Photo of Wired LivingHome courtesy of Wired
Los Angeles looks ready to adopt a green building ordinance! Yesterday, two city council committees voted to require that large developments meet basic LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.
This ordinance would apply to privately-built projects over 50,000 square feet, and would "slash projected energy and water use and reduce the overall environmental footprint, placing the city on the cutting edge of an international movement to address the global warming effects of buildings," according to the L.A. Times. If buildings go beyond the basic requirement to achieve the higher LEED silver standards, their permits would be expedited.
On his own blog, Councilmember Eric Garcetti called the ordinance "a huge step forward," and raved that "This standard will take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, cut down on energy and water bills, and put Los Angeles at the forefront of the green building movement."
The City Council now needs to adopt these standards -- which Garcetti says is expected to happen within a month. Then, after a six month period, the ordinance would take effect. If all goes according to plan, starting September 2008, every large development built in Los Angeles will meet basic LEED standards!
Want to learn more about green building? The U.S. Green Building Council -- which sets the LEED standards -- has a Los Angeles Chapter. Next month, the chapter's having a presentation and tour of a LEED gold certified building in Pasadena. See first-hand what a LEED building looks like; register to attend the event here.
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