 >> On high-priced fuel fights:
>> Avoid the fights and take a "bicycle journey of landmark rail and trolley lines throughout Downtown Los Angeles" with C.I.C.L.E. this Saturday, June 21, at 9:45 a.m. Meet at the fish aquarium inside of Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St. Los Angeles.
>> Thanks to NYC Mayor Bloomberg, cyclists in the Big Apple will get a temporary 6.9-mile car-free route from the Brooklyn Bridge to 72nd St. The "Summer Streets" program will "give New Yorkers unprecedented access to the streets for exercise and exploration from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on three consecutive Saturdays in August, the 9th, 16th and 23rd." Will Villaraigosa give Angelenos something similar?
Photo by Alan Penner via Flickr
>> How to live a $4-a-gallon lifestyle in the coming $5-a-gallon world. "The answer to living the $4 a gallon life when gas hits $5 a gallon is to get--one way or another--the equivalent of five days of commuting for the price of only four. That's like paying only $4 per gallon when it's $5 at the pump," says Colin Beavin of No Impact Man, before giving you 6 ways to achieve this lifestyle.
>> How to avoid 1,9-dioxane in your dish soap. Make your own, which is what Karina of Tiny Choices tried. Learn from her mistakes: "I think I’m going to have to try again, but next time, I’ll use a different kind of soap, a larger pot, and maybe mix in more water right at the beginning to thin it out."
>> How to save energy by saving water. Jessica Jensen of Low Impact Living wants you to consider the energy-water link, and offers seven ideas for water and energy savings.
>> How to live with just 100 things. TIME reports on a decluttering trend, with this quote from an organizer consultant: "People are finding that their homes are full of stuff, but their lives are littered with unfulfilled promises." (via kottke)
>> How to heat up solar. Forbes tries to answer the questions: "What would it take for the U.S. to move to a 50% renewable energy economy by 2020? What would it take for India to become a 100% solar economy by 2050?"
Photo by Alan Penner via Flickr
>> The problem with compostable flatware: Unless they make it into an industrial composting facility, these forks and spoons don't biodegrade easily.
>> Six green-ish dishwashing liquids reviewed at Grist. Unfortunately, it appears that all of them contain carcinogen 1,4-dioxane, over which California's attorney general recently sued Whole Foods, Avalon Natural Products.
>> The greenest way to dry your hands in a public bathroom. Wiping them on your pants is one option, but Slate.com's The Lantern also notes that "The bottom line is that hand dryers will be the greener choice in about 95 percent of circumstances."
>> Tap water gets popular, due to both economic and environmental concerns. "Although it is difficult to track rates of tap water use, sales of faucet accessories are booming." Earlier: A prize-winning, almost-free drink: L.A. tap water.
>> Get ready for the Bicycle Film Festival, which rolls into town July 17-21. (via Westside Bikeside)
>> Of the 100 most congested metropolitan areas, L.A. tops the list according to INRIX, a traffic information provider. Check out the list of top 10 worst bottlenecks in Southern California.
>> L.A. parking fines are going up by $5 starting late July. The extra money won't go toward improving roads or public transit, but will be used to help fill the city's budget shortfall. (via LAist)
Photo by Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times
>> Venice boardwalk got 12 new recycling bins! Purchased with proceeds from a tax on private trash haulers, the bins will be emptied and maintained by homeless people working for a local non-profit agency called Chrysalis Enterprises. The recycling program will pay for itself by selling the collected materials to recycling companies. Above is L.A. Council member Bill Rosendahl at the bins' "unveiling" on Thursday.
>> Buy, sell and trade children's clothes at eco-store Eden’s Green Closet, 1423 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice. (via Ideal Bite)
>> Chat about "staycations" -- and the potential half-cent sales tax for L.A. County transit projects and other transportation -- with Metro Board Chair Pam O'Connor tomorrow at noon.
>> Respected eco-blog WorldChanging bans "skeptical" comments on climate change. "We will delete comments which deny the absolutely overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change, just as we would delete comments which questioned the reality of the Holocaust or the equal mental capacities and worth of human beings of different ethnic groups."
>> State Republicans are trying to roll back policies that address climate change, such as curbs on greenhouse gas emissions and regulations banning some diesel engines. "None of those laws has any direct connection to the state budget; changing them will do nothing to close California's $15.2-billion deficit."
>> Read an interview with Jane Goodall, best known for her work with chimps. Now, Goodall's working on saving the environment -- and encourages you to do the same.
>> Solar power project faces opposition from environmentalists because power company San Diego Gas & Electric's pushing for a 150-mile high-voltage transmission line that'll run through the middle of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. (via Grist)
>> The technology for five solar thermal power fields planned for the Mojave Desert is being tested in Israel. A company called BrightSource is behind the project, described as the world's "highest-performing, lowest-cost" sun-energy system.
>> Starting this winter, L.A. plans to seed clouds to boost rainfall. Critics call the measure desperate, pointing out that public funds may be better used for water conservation measures, as the results of seeding are unpredictable and could cause landslides.
>> Heal the Bay's L.A. River cleanup project attracted more than 2,500 volunteers, who fished out "plastic bags, foam cups, beer bottles, spray paint cans and smashed shopping carts" from the Glendale Narrows.
>> New eco-channel Planet Green gets a thumbs down from Troy Patterson at Slate.com: "Planet Green turns the entire Earth into a lifestyle accessory, often to uniquely awful effect." Troy does concede that "Some of the home-improvement shows are engaging and impressive, and a forthcoming show called Greensburg, about the reconstruction of a tornado-ravaged town in Kansas, has promise."
 >> Speed date environmentalists. A Green Speed Dating event happens on Sunday, 6:15 p.m. - 9 p.m., at The Hideout, 112 W. Channel Rd., Santa Monica.
>> Take a staycation in downtown L.A. Eric Richardson of blogdowntown wonders, however, whether downtown L.A.'s public transportation system is up to the task, especially for those evening hours and the weekends.
>> Get rid of those vinyl shower curtains -- and vinyl in general. "Vinyl shower curtains sold at major retailers across the country emit toxic chemicals that have been linked to serious health problems, according to a report released today by a national environmental organization."
>> Start a no-dig garden and grow your own food using "a low-water, sustainable technique." Farmer Pat Marfisi practices what he preaches in the Hollywood Hills: "I haven't watered in 10 days," he says. "This is what I want people to know: You can have beauty and abundance without a lot of water."
>> Grow your own alfalfa sprouts using cheesecloth, clean pantyhose, or other alternatives.
>> Follow the trend and get on the bus.
"The MTA released its May ridership numbers for its buses and rail
lines and ridership on the rail side was up six percent over May 2007
from 7,192,173 in May 2007 to 7,625,541 this past May."
>> San Francisco's new Solar Energy Incentive Program is the largest municipal solar program in the U.S. Starting as soon as July 1, home and business owners will be able to get rebates up to $6,000 and $10,000, respectively. (via grist)
>> The ocean off San Clemente is getting an artificial reef made of about 125,000 tons of volcanic rock. The reef is intended to serve as the foundation for a kelp forest, which is hoped to serve as the basis for a complex marine ecosystem. The artificial reef is part of an effort to undo the damage from the nearby San Onofre nuclear plant.
>> Kleenex: Still Kleercutting. Greenpeace teams up with the Natural Resources Defense Council to step up the campaign against Kleenex-owner Kimberly-Clark, which still purchases pulp for its disposable products from destructive logging operations in North America’s Boreal Forest. The latest: A billboard displayed on the route traveled by Kimberly-Clark executives in Texas. Earlier: Kleercut campaign keeps spoofing Kleenex.
>> Wooden bicycles from around the world. "Made with whatever wood can be found, they use small wooden home-made wheels covered with discarded rubber rims. Forward movement depends on the rider pushing with their feet." (via kottke)
>> Africa's changing environment is in a slide show put together by the New Scientist: "The 'before and after' photos show glaciers receding and the effects of deforestation, but they also show how some of the damage is being reversed."
Photo courtesy of NRDC
High gas prices are bringing up a lot of ideas for curbing our oil addiction:
>> Go on strike. Spanish truck drivers have stopped deliveries; they want "government regulations guaranteeing a minimum price for their services, above fuel costs."
>> Develop nempimania, a new condition defined by hypermiling hybrid drivers.
>> Heckle Hummer drivers, i.e. L.A.'s own transportation deputy Jaime de la Vega, who still drives a Hummer, which gets 14 mpg in city driving.
>> Raise parking prices. Free parking at work and other places -- as well as too-cheap parking meter rates -- have people unnecessarily driving and and adding to the congestion.
>> In other news: California's attorney general sues Whole Foods, Avalon Natural Products, and two other companies for failing to warn of carcinogen 1,4-dioxane on their soap labels. "Eighteen other companies were also warned that some of their products contained the chemical."
Photo by Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times
 >> The battle over the Expo line continues, with the latest being a parade of anti-at-grade crossings people during Tuesday's community meeting about the light-rail line. Steve Hymon of the Bottleneck Blog also takes a closer look at the controversies.
>> "Bottlemania" author Elizabeth Royte shares her thoughts on America's bottled water culture. "An entire generation has grown up thinking that fountains equal filth, and the bottled water people are happy to exploit that. Some of the ads for water and even for water filters play on this, hyping this idea of public fountains being not quite pure." Earlier: A prize-winning, almost-free drink: L.A. tap water.
>> Bears: The reason for yet more lawsuits. Two enviro groups -- The Center for Biological Diversity and Pacific Environment -- plan to sue under the Endangered Species Act to protect the bears, alleging that "Bush administration officials have been so keen to grant offshore leases, they have not given proper consideration to the potential harm to polar bears." (via Grist) Earlier: Polar bears to plastic bags.
>> Burning garbage to create energy still means a lot of pollutants get produced in the process, but Britain's going to put into action a gasification plant that does just that because the country's running out of landfill space. "A big reason for Britain's landfill addiction is that it's relatively inexpensive to bury rubbish," but E.U. fines will take effect in 2010, changing that cost-benefit balance.
>> Bamboo flooring: Green or not? Bamboo floors can be eco, but not if the bamboo's grown by clearing old-wood forests, fed chemical fertilizers, and treated with formaldehyde. On the bright side, there is a bamboo flooring company that has obtained FSC certification. "The bottom line is that the onus is on you to ask questions before you fork over thousands of dollars for new flooring," writes the Lantern at Slate.com.
Image courtesy of metro.net
>> Get a green gift for dad on Father's Day, with some help from Grist's eco-friendly gift guide.
>> Order local, organic groceries online. Michelle Slatalla writes about a growing number of online retailers connecting consumers to local farms. Spud.com delivers to the L.A. area -- but "local" here's defined by a 500-mile radius. (via Lifehacker)
>> The problems with a car culture mentality -- as described in a 1947 article in Time magazine: "this peculiar state of mind had not only sucked thousands of American oil wells dry, stripped the rubber groves of Malaya, produced the world's most inhuman industry and its most recalcitrant labor union, but had filled U.S. streets with so many automobiles that it was almost impossible to drive one." (via kottke)
>> Minivans: Not doing well. These soccer mom vehicle sales are sinking, along with the sales of trucks, SUVs, and other huge gas guzzlers.
>> L.A. looks into recycling its wastewater,
what with the state drought and all. The success of Orange County's
"toilet-to-tap" project could also help propel L.A.'s water recycling
project -- though it sounds like it'll be a while before we approve,
build, and start running an L.A. plant.
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>> On high-priced fuel fights: 
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