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 >> 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.
>> The fight over the Expo line, continued. Steve Hymon writes about his chat with Rick Thorpe, chief executive of the Expo Line Construction Authority, who provides a counterpoint to Damien Goodmon's concerns that some at-grade crossings are unsafe. "If the project must build over- or under-crossings, [Thorpe] said the line would likely be delayed at least two years, presuming money could be found to build those structures."
>> The fight over the L.A.-to-S.F. bullet train. Union Pacific railroad says it doesn't want to share its rail lines with the proposed 200-mph bullet train rail line -- about which voters will vote in November. "Critics question why the California High Speed Rail Authority didn't negotiate a deal long ago with Union Pacific."
>> Schwarzenegger proclaimed California is in a drought and "issued an executive order intended to speed transfers of water to areas experiencing the most severe shortages, help local water districts boost conservation efforts, identify risks to the state's water supply and assist farmers." Earlier: LADWP's "Drought Busters" plan.
>> How to plant a green roof. Re-Nest has an illustrated explanation, thanks to a Park Slope resident who showed New Yorkers the process.
>> Organic wines, explained and reviewed by Roz Cummins of Grist -- who ends her article with a yummy recipe for Syllabub, a rich, wine-flavored dessert.
>> Seven endangered California condors got lead poisoning in the last month, which has U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials in "crisis mode." A state ban on hunting with lead bullets in condor habitat goes into effect July 1.
Image courtesy of metro.net
>> 21 (Eco)Visualizations for Energy Consumption Awareness. Check out these visuals, applications, and devices that can motivate you to conserve by making you see more clearly the environmental impacts of your (or our collective) actions. Above is one of the 21: the USA National GAS Temperature Map (h/t groby)
>> Re-visualizing trees. Artist Rob Kesseler's created strange but pretty electron microscope images of tree bits for his exhibition "Canopy" at Kew Gardens, London. According to New Scientist, "Kesseler's images are intended to show trees on a scale you have never seen before, through artistic manipulation of high-powered microscope technology."
>> Local enviro-group TreePeople will launch a comprehensive California Wildfire Restoration Initiative that will help restore forests that won’t recover on their own. The initiative will include a volunteer mobilization campaign; about 7,500 volunteers are needed to help cover about 10,000 acres over a period of 3-5 years. The effort will be funded by a $1 million grant from the Boeing Co.
>> Girl drives under speed limit, sees 14% gain in fuel efficiency. Writes Karina at Tiny Choices: "I will add ... I did my best to drive the speed limit but I was generally driving within 5 miles of the speed limit, and that there were at least 1 or 2 trips that were a little faster than originally planned because I was in a big hurry."
>> A biodiesel boat trying to circle the globe in record time bumped into an unknown object and is now "limping across the Pacific," reports Wired's Autopia. "Earthrace was on pace to beat the record, set in 1998 by Cable & Wireless Adventurer, by 15 days before the collision. With that kind of cushion, Earthrace might still pull it off, but only if nothing else goes wrong."
>> A new report, Stop Trashing the Climate shows that aiming for zero waste by reducing waste and encouraging the reduce, reuse, recycle mantra "is one of the fastest, cheapest, and most effective strategies available for combating climate change." Get involved with L.A.'s Zero Waste Plan!
>> Dwell on Design begins today! The exhibition portion doesn't start until Saturday, so you still have time to use the coupon code for free admission and see what the event's all about.
Image courtesy of gasbuddy.com
 >> L.A. city offices aren't installing CFLs fast enough, says city controller Laura Chick, who found only 102 out of 958 buildings managed by the city's General Services Department have installed energy-efficient fluorescent lighting. Installing just those bulbs costs about $5 million -- and saved the city $1.5 million off the city's annual electricity bill. Earlier: Energy Week: Roundup of savings
>> Why're people still fighting over the Expo line? Steve Hymon writes about his chat with Damien Goodmon, who's leading a group trying to force a chunk of the Expo to be built underground instead of at grade. "I asked Goodmon why he thinks high school students –- many presumably pretty smart kids –- will get hit by the train at Farmdale when there will be crossing gates.... He rejected the comparison to Blair [High School, located 2 blocks from the Gold Line light rail] -– saying many more students will cross tracks at Dorsey. He also rejected my assertion that his own argument over environmental justice and racism has a sour tinge -- that perhaps he's suggesting that Dorsey students, many of whom are minorities, aren’t smart enough to stay off active railroad tracks."
>> More solar for SoCal. Southern California Edison plans to buy 245 megawatts of power -- enough electricity for about 160,000 homes -- from solar plants to be built in the Antelope Valley by ESolar Inc. The plants are expected to begin operating in 2011.
>> No, nuclear isn't cheap, clean energy, writes Joseph Romm in Salon. "Nuclear power still has so many problems that unless the federal government shovels tens of billions of dollars more in subsidies to the industry, and then shoves it down the throat of U.S. utilities and the public with mandates, it is unlikely to see a significant renaissance in this country. Nor is nuclear power likely to make up even 10 percent of the solution to the climate problem globally."
>> Discovery's new green channel Planet Green debuts at 6 tonight. Check out the lineup, including Alter Eco, "an eco lifestyle and makeover series" presented by a very grizzly-looking Adrian Grenier.
>> Going on a carbon emissions diet? Umbra of Grist recommends a few carbon footprint calculators to get you started.
Photo by Adam via Flickr
>> "Skyrocketing gasoline prices force changes," notes the L.A. Times. One change: "GM closing 4 truck and SUV plants in North America." That move will cut the production of SUVs by about 35%.
>> The Hollywood Bowl needs bigger sidewalks leading up to it and more frequent trains running post-shows, Steve Hymon notes in a post titled "How to prevent people from taking mass transit, Part 1" on the Bottleneck Blog. Interestingly, drivers seem to have an even worse deal, with 2-hour commutes that force them to leave shows early before the best songs.
>> Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's commission will vote on the "Drought Busters" plan today, putting in tougher regulations and imposing fines for new and existing rules. The proposed rules:
- No hosing down sidewalks or driveways
- Automated sprinkler use limited to 15 minutes per day
- No lawn watering (except drip irrigation) between 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. or when it rains
- Double water-usage fines for residential customers; quadruple for businesses and apartment building owners
The DWP wants the L.A. City Council to ratify this plan within weeks; until then, about a dozen DWP inspectors would issue warnings, but not fines. If the above rules don't reduce water consumption, DWP could move to Phase II of the plan, banning irrigation four days a week.
>> The U.S. Senate's started debating the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act. Many don't expect the legislation to pass, including Alexis Madrigal at Wired who calls the debate "largely symbolic."
>> Six green baby books, reviewed by Katharine Wroth at Grist. "Healthy Child Healthy World," which I reviewed here, gets top marks along with "Raising Baby Green."
Photo by David McNew / Getty Images
>> You already know we've got a big garbage patch in the ocean -- but apparently, we've got a whole bunch of "illegal dump sites across about 800 square miles of the Antelope Valley" too, created by people who don't want to pay to send junk to the landfill -- or who are too lazy to investigate some of the free trash disposal options out there.
>> A bill to reduce greenhouse gases to 66% below 2005 levels will hit the Senate floor this week. Richard Simon of the L.A. Times reports that the argument surrounding the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act has become largely about money, rather than climate change.
>> Kate Sheppard of Grist has the nitty-gritty details of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act. "It's not as strong as most activists and climate scientists would like, but strong enough that many of them are cheering it as a big step forward," Sheppard writes.
>> Watch the “kelp cutting” ceremony for Año Nuevo State Reserve's new Marine Education Center via live webcast here from noon – 12:30 p.m. today tomorrow. The center was created through a public/private partnership; the Reserve's also launching a new 24-hour high-tech Web cam that'll let anyone get an "intimate view of elephant seal breeding colony" whenever, wherever.
>> Bicycles are eco, even if you buy them new. Writes Umbra at Grist: "your bike is already far less of a carbon source than your car when it comes off the assembly line -- and that's not even touching tailpipe emissions, the impacts of gas exploration, and so forth."
Photo by Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times
 >> Water: The new dwindling resource. Writes Mark Clayton in the Christian Science Monitor: "Global water markets, including drinking water distribution, management, waste treatment, and agriculture are a nearly $500 billion market and growing fast, says a 2007 global investment report. But governments pushing to privatize costly-to-maintain public water systems are colliding with a global “water is a human right” movement." Earlier: Water Week.
>> L.A. River: May lose federal protections. "The city's river can't even float enough boats to qualify as a full-fledged navigable waterway, according to the Army Corps of Engineers." Earlier: June 8: A popular day for touring the L.A. River.
>> Nuclear: Not attracting investors. "Capitalists instead favor climate-protecting competitors with less cost, construction time, and financial risk. The nuclear industry claims it has no serious rivals, let alone those competitors — which, however, already outproduce nuclear power worldwide and are growing enormously faster." (via grist)
>> BioBlitz: Biodiversity, measured in the Santa Monica mountains. "More than just a species count, it aims to connect scientists who might not typically work together and to give non-scientists a firsthand look at what biodiversity -- the wealth of different life forms that exist on the planet -- is all about."
>> Coral reefs: Biodiversity, disappearing. "The culprit here is carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas that is responsible for global warming and that also is turning our oceans into an acid bath," writes Margaret Wertheim, co-creator of the Crochet Coral Reef Project, in an op-ed.
>> Debunked: Some gas saving myths. Neither filling up in the morning nor changing your air filter will improve your gas mileage.
Photo by Third Eye via Flickr
>> Fuel: Still getting stolen -- except this time, it's old fryer grease from restaurants. "Processed fryer oil, which is called yellow grease, is actually not trash... Its value has increased in recent months to historic highs, driven by the even higher prices of gas and ethanol, making it an ever more popular form of biodiesel to fuel cars and trucks." Earlier: Thieves drilling into fuel tanks to get vehicles' gas.
>> "An Inconvenient Truth": Still inspiring -- so much so that the film's becoming an Italian opera. Italian composer Giorgio Battistelli has been commissioned to produce an opera based on the film for the 2011 season at the Milan opera house La Scala. (via Treehugger)
>> Man-made global warming: Still not good for Earth -- which is news to no one except the Bush administration, which finally admitted global warming is "very likely" due to man-made activity in a court-ordered climate report that was finally released -- four years late. (via grist)
>> Lead: Still not good for kids. A new study shows "even relatively low levels of lead permanently damage the brain and are linked to higher numbers of arrests, particularly for violent crime."
>> Dow Chemical: Still not cleaning up its dioxin pollution. After firing an EPA official for allegedly being too tough on Dow Chemical, federal officials have finally told Dow Chemical to clean up the dioxin contamination in the Saginaw, Mich., neighborhood. The company says it'll comply but is still dragging its feet, this time by disagreeing with government officials about how the cleanup should be carried out. (via grist)
 >> L.A.'s greener than San Francisco and New York City, according to a study by think tank Brookings Institution. But Margot Roosevelt delves through the fuzzy math: "The calculations did not account for the fact that half the city's electricity comes from coal-fired power plants. Instead, Brookings used a state-wide average that included the hydroelectric and nuclear plants in Northern California. Omitted from the data are emissions from industries and commercial buildings, and from local roads apart from federal highways." Also omitted were CO2 emissions from long-distance commuters.
>> The L.A. River's getting revitalized -- and also getting tagged a lot. L.A. Times describes the graffiti as "tagging on steroids, with monikers big and bold, containing letters that often are as big as garage doors." Earlier: L.A. River, now with its own controversial mural.
>> Your own private L.A. traffic island. Guerrilla gardeners are taking over unkempt public spaces, bringing greenery to urban blights. "One of a slew of DIY gardening currents, such as permaculture (design of highly sustainable ecosystems), urban homesteading, composting and free fruit movement, guerrilla gardening is a response to dwindling green space, limited land and suspicions about food sources, say experts."
>> Go species scoping in the Santa Monica Mountains. BioBlitz 2008 starts at noon to end 24 hours later! Join scientists, naturalists, and fellow Angelenos to observe and record as many species as possible in a 4-hour-shift. Register on-site at one of the stations (PDF).
>> An organic burger-n-hot dog joint called O!Burger opens in WeHo this Saturday (via LAist).
Photo by Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times
>> Above is the USA National GAS Temperature Map as of 10 this morning. The redder an area, the more expensive gas is -- and California's quite reddish.
>> Why gas is more expensive in Cali than in other places, and how the federal government could fix the problem with the stroke of a pen. "California's strict air quality regulations require a special blend of gasoline that only a few refineries outside of California are capable of producing. So when demand spikes in California, or a disaster (or simple maintenance overhaul) takes out even just one refinery complex for any extended period of time, prices rise quickly across the state because supply can't easily be found to replace the lost production." At the end of the article is the answer to how YOU can handle this problem.
>> Idling: Bad for your wallet and the planet. "If you're going to be stopped for more than 10 seconds, it's best to shut off your engine. The one exception is when you're stopped in street traffic — it's illegal to kill the engine in many states."
>> Driving fans are the ungreenest component at concerts. Radiohead commissioned an enviro-study of their last two North American tours. "The report revealed that 97 percent of the environmental damage done by the group's 2003 tour — nearly 10,000 tons of CO2, the equivalent of 4,000 trans-Atlantic flights — was fan-related." Stop driving to the Hollywood Bowl, people.
>> The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's getting sued all over the place:
- California joined 10 other states to sue the EPA in an effort to overturn weak ozone standards, which are said to be too weak even according to the EPA's own science advisory board. Health and environmental organizations led by Earthjustice filed a parallel lawsuit.
- A coalition of environmental groups plans to sue the EPA today to "force it to overturn motor vehicle emissions limits for Southern California, charging that the targets fail to address hazardous pollution faced by 1.5 million people who live next to freeways."
Image courtesy of gasbuddy.com
 >> Oil companies are hardly going green, writes Edward Silver in Money & Co. "In February, BP said it would regard its impressive solar and wind operations strictly for their equity value and might spin them off. So much for Beyond Petroleum. More recently, Royal Dutch Shell withdrew from a landmark wind project in Britain and in 2006 sold the lion’s share of its solar interests to a German firm."
>> Exxon didn't pass any green proposals considered at the shareholder meeting yesterday. "All were opposed by Exxon's board of directors," and the directors prevailed. Earlier: Exxon good at making money, not good at embracing change.
>> Chevron paid to have me shot in Nigeria, writes Larry Bowoto in an op-ed about his federal lawsuit against Chevron Corp.
>> Signs of green energy growth: Junk mail goes eco, moving beyond oil schemes to “Renewable Energy Technology System” schemes. (via Grist)
>> Real new green energy coming down the pipeline: "green crude" made from algae that could be used for fuel.
>> Coal: Still dirty. And now we've got a new website -- Clean Coal Body Slam -- that has "pulled together some of the best and most outspoken leaders on the environmental, public health and economic effects of America's addiction to coal." There I found the best clean coal ad ever, below.
>> Umbra of Grist has a few tips on wearing skirts with bikes, but none seem particularly easy to implement. Anyone have better suggestions?
>> If your skirt-wearing habit keeps you off a bike, check out these other ways to green your commute. I use the "Stay home" method.
>> Continue to fill up your tank and you may have to deal with a new form of theft: thieves drilling into fuel tanks to get vehicles' gas.
>> In case you were having a good day, here's a debbie downer: Thanks to climate change, we're at increased risk of crop failures, outbreaks of invasive species and insects, and depleting the nation's water resources -- and those problems "will persist for at least the next 25 to 50 years," according to the Department of Agriculture.
 >> Priuses: Still popular. Toyota's announced a third plant in Japan to make batteries for hybrids.
>> The "Give your car the summer off" campaign. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels wants Seattleites to cut back on driving by 10%. "Local businesses and museums are dangling incentives to try to get people to take the bus, ride a bike or car pool to cut down on the number of miles they travel." (via Treehugger)
>> Redefining transportation. At Brayj Against the Machine, Josef El-Brayjerino lays out some bicycle transportation policy goals for L.A. -- which includes suggestions for tweaking the L.A. municipal code to include bicycling and walking in the legal definition of transportation. (via Streetsblog LA)
>> Cleaning up the Port. The Middle Harbor facility project for the Port of Long Beach just released its environmental impact review for public comment. "The 10-year, $750-million project would combine two terminals that are too old, inefficient and dirty to meet the port's goals for pollution reduction and greater productivity."
>> The "Future of Wine." Richard Selley of Imperial College London wrote a book about the future of British wines in the face of climate change. "Given reports that climate change is already raising the alcohol content of wines (warmer temperatures mean more sugar which is converted into alcohol) it looks like the taste of climate change is a boozy one."
>> Tuna calculator. Use Environmental Working Group's handy calculator to figure out how much Albacore or light tuna you can safely enjoy in a week. (via Green Daily)
>> Honey, I shrunk the frogs. "Human disruption to habitats not only causes populations to get smaller, it also seems to cause the individuals of some species to literally shrink."
Photo by Siel
>> L.A. lifeguards get into hybrids. Ford presented 10 Beach Patrol Escape Hybrids to the L.A. County Lifeguard Headquarters in Venice last week. "With four-wheel drive, it'll return 29 mpg in town (or on the beach), and 27 mpg on the highway." The fleet will grow to 45 vehicles. (via Treehugger)
 >> BBC correspondent discovers that -- gasp! -- L.A.'s subway "system" is still incomplete. But kudos for him for taking the train to the Kodak Theatre.
>> Suits made of recycled PET bottles are coming to Sears, which plans to sell them for about $200 a suit starting on Father's Day.
>> Sex toys sans phthalates. Get more eco- and health-friendly beads and rings from natch snatch. (thanks to Susannah for the tip.)
>> The rise -- and hopefully fall -- of high fructose corn syrup. Hansen’s Natural Soda is replacing HFCS with cane sugar, and to mark the occasion, Mark R. gives us a little HFCS history.
Photo by Cathy Cole via Flickr
>> Exxon's really, really good at squeezing money out of its gas stations. "Major integrated U.S. oil companies, which produce crude oil, own refineries and sell gasoline, have been reaping billions of dollars in profit over the last two years, but they are still working to extract every penny they can from the marketing end of the business."
>> ExxonMobil really, really doesn't want to take action on climate change. According to Co-op America, ExxonMobil "sent its investment relations people to major investors nationwide to convince them to vote against resolutions urging Exxon to take action on climate change." ExxonMobil's annual shareholders' meeting happens May 28.
>> You're probably familiar with the EnergyStar logo, but what about the WaterSense label? This partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency makes it easier to identify water-efficient products. "The EPA has claimed that if every home in the US switched to WaterSense labeled fixtures, we would save 60 billion gallons of water a year," says Joel Bittle in Low Impact Living.
>> Eco-kitchen remodeling must be the in thing right now. In addition to the recent Wall Street Journal how-to guide of sorts, here's Chow's guide to building the ultimate green kitchen.
>> Today's the last day of World Vegetarian Week! Eat a PB&J sandwich in celebration -- or get some veggie burgers for the BBQs tomorrow.
Photo by Jeremy Stanley via Flickr
 >> Green kitchen remodeling, explained and dissected by Gwendolyn Bounds in the Wall Street Journal. "When the sawdust finally settled -- just this week, in fact -- the $83,119 renovation cost for my 300-square-foot kitchen was about $26,000 less than the average upscale, 200-square-foot kitchen remodel last year, according to Remodeling Magazine." (via Jetson Green)
>> Easy-Off Oven Cleaner's really, really toxic, so here's how to clean your oven greenly. Get your step-by-step instructions on Lime.com.
>> Dump a computer in a landfill, pay $400 in fines. The state Department of Toxic Substances Control is cracking down on people illegally dumping e-waste and other hazardous materials in the landfill. Take the junk to your nearest e-waste or hazardous household waste facilities instead.
>> Two different eco-designers have come up with umbrella stands that water plants with residue rainwater. Which do you think is cuter?
>> The high cost of the virtual water trade. Virtual water = "the water supplies that make possible the world trade in commodities, especially food." "The world's biggest supplier of virtual water is, or was until a couple of years ago, Australia. It exported 70 cubic kilometres of virtual water, in the form of fruit and crops, a year. That's 70 billion tonnes, if you can imagine that better. Then came drought." Earlier: Roses are red and water-intensive.
Photo by Betsy via Flickr
 >> California's average gas price tops $4 a gallon; the national average is above $3.83 a gallon.
>> Relatedly, hybrid sales are zooming and Ford's given up hopes of becoming profitable by 2009.
>> Metro riders can rock out for free at the Viper Room on Mondays. A $5 Metro Day Pass, or weekly and monthly Metro passes will grant you free admission to the weekly 103.1 Check One... Two.
>> Metro adopts a $3.4 billion budget for the coming fiscal year. Good news: No fare increases! "Up 7.3% from current budget, the increase is largely due to increased transportation subsidies for municipal bus operators, paratransit service, Metrolink, the County of Los Angeles and cities, preparation to start new Metro Gold Line service to East Los Angeles later in 2009, and rehabilitation of older Metro Rail cars."
>> Alaska plans to sue against polar bears' new status as a threatened species. "Alaska elected officials fear a listing will cripple oil and gas development in prime polar bear habitat off the state's northern and northwestern coasts." (via grist) Earlier: Politics and polar bears.
>> Why more companies are siding with environmentalists to push for government regulation. Writes Gregory Dicum in the Economist: "Alliances between companies and activists are not as strange as they might seem. For bosses planning long-term capital investments, says Michael Lenox, an expert on corporate sustainability at Duke University, 'uncertainty is more damaging than regulation.' This puts bosses in the same boat as activists: both want regulators to hurry up and set the rules."
>> The problem with nuclear power: Debates about costs and benefits aside, nuclear power requires bullying people into accepting radioactive wastes. The latest: Washington State got sued by the Bush admin for refusing radioactive waste, and the courts ruled against the state. Meanwhile, Italy plans to build nuclear power plants again, after a 20-year break.
Photo by Gregg Moscoe
 >> The 3-day environmental business conference Green West is in its second day now. Andrea Chang of the L.A. Times reports on the first day.
>> U.S. carbon dioxide emissions went up 1.6% in 2007, according to government agency Energy Information Administration, which was quick to point out that the rise in emissions was slower than our economic growth. "U.S. officials argue that despite the high level of emissions of the country, it is not as high as some countries when measured against GDP." (via Grist)
>> The coal industry's death spiral comes in the form of a huge "clean coal" ad campaign. "Coal's message has been carried by an ever-morphing conglomeration of nonprofit organizations that all work out of the same Alexandria, Va., office and use the same staff. All three groups have been funded by the biggest names in coal and related industries." This despite the fact that "even the most enthusiastic coal boosters admit that widespread use of carbon capture and storage technology is at least a decade away."
>> Want to reduce CO2 emissions in the future? Read about the difference between cap-and-auction (Clinton and Obama) and cap-and-giveaway (McCain's proposal), concisely explained by Kevin Drum in the Washington Monthly's Political Animal (via Grist).
>> Greener, healthier shaving creams reviewed. "Jason 6-in-1 takes top honors. In cash-per-ounce terms, Jason's product also ranks as the best buy."
 >> Upset about the felling of ficus trees, Santa Monica's Treesavers group plans an all night "Save Our Trees" protest tonight at City Hall. Among the things the group's asking for: A Tree Commission. (via LAist) Earlier: 23 ficus trees are chopped down in Santa Monica.
>> The Santa Monica Community Permaculture Gathering happens tonight at 7 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room at the Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica.
>> Missed the Great L.A. River Cleanup? Volunteer vicariously via Mark Mauer's photo essay in LA Daily. "First pick out dozens of plastic bags, then when that gets too frustrating, switch to digging out some huge piece of trash." Now that Mark's cleaned it up for you, take a tour of the spiffed-up river!
>> The White House interfered with the Environmental Protection Agency's decision over California's bid to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in vehicles, says Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Frank O'Donnell provides links to documents in question in his Grist post.
>> The U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) raised its tree planting goal to 7 billion trees by late 2009, up from the previous goal of 1 billion trees in 2007. Like our city's own Million Trees L.A. program, UNEP lets people register their newly planted trees online. Also like L.A.'s program, UNEP "does not check that all seedlings or saplings are actually planted or survive." Earlier: I never wanted to be a tree killer.
>> Our noise may be causing ecological tragedies. Man-made noise -- a.k.a. anthrophony -- intrudes on "the information flow in the jungle," affecting the population of some species by changing the soundscape. "Cities have long had noise ordinances," writes Clive Thompson in Wired." "Wilderness areas could benefit from tighter protections as well." Earlier: Those loud leaf blowers.
>> Beware the Easy-Off Oven Cleaner. Wired explains the ingredients in the scary stuff: "One of the most commonly abused inhalants, butane poses severe health risks. But that's not a worry here: Huffing fumes from the other ingredients would almost certainly kill you first."
Image from Santa Monica Treesavers
>> Santa Monica's Green Business Certification is getting popular, with beauty shops, hotels and consulting firms all going after the green sticker. Earlier: Office eco-audits and certifications.
 >> Want a Green Business Certification for the city of L.A.? City Councilman Richard Alarcon's expected to introduce a motion to fund a $200,000 pilot certification program with city money. Call your council member to show your support for it.
>> What to expect from a home energy audit. Anh-Minh Le gets her home audited, then details the process and offers tips in the San Francisco Chronicle. (via Re-Nest)
>> D.J. Waldie on why you should take the bus and support public transit funding, even if it sucks sometimes. "All of us should know that we are actually making a new citizenry for a different city." I've actually rarely found the 720 or 704 to be as crowded as Waldie describes, but I guess I generally ride during off-hours. Earlier: D.J. Waldie and going green at Antioch College.
>> Some compromises between environmentalists and big business are beneficial, say Audubon California and Natural Resources Defense Council people as they tout the deals they helped broker between conservationists / environmentalists and oil / development companies.
 >> Very cute bicycle helmets! Unfortunately, they're made and sold by a company all the way in the UK. They're also rather expensive. (via Treehugger)
>> Inexpensive eco-fashions are on sale at Barneys right now, but here's another option for cheap environmentalists: Crow Clothing offers clothes made from eco-friendly fabrics on a sliding scale. (via Lazy Environmentalist)
>> How to bring smart growth to your city. Experts name a variety of ways you can take action as an individual to encourage less sprawled, more vibrant cities.
>> Smart Faucet: A small gadget for your sink to help save water. Potential shortcomings I see: The gadget won't prevent the waste that happens when one runs the water waiting for it to warm up, and the gadget might get in the way if you wash your face in the sink. I haven't tested it out myself though. Anyone tried it?
>> A photo gallery of endangered and threatened species at the Chicago Tribune. I had no idea so many bear species were doing so badly.
>> High gas prices are here to stay. Get used to 'em.
>> $4 a gallon really isn't that high of a price for gasoline. "American gasoline is also dirt-cheap compared with gas in other countries. British motorists are currently paying about $8.38 per gallon for gasoline. In Norway, a major oil exporter, drivers are paying $8.73. "
>> Hydrogen cars won't make a difference for 40 years, despite Schwarzenegger's efforts to create a "hydrogen highway."
>> Wind power's potential. "A stunning new report just issued by the Bush administration finds that for under 2 cents a day per household, Americans could get 300 gigawatts of wind by 2030."
>> Harrison Ford waxes his chest hair as a metaphor for the clear-cutting of rain forests. Yes, it's true. ViroPop has it on video.
>> After a long battle between the city and treehugging activists, 23 ficus trees are chopped down in Santa Monica. "Efforts [by members of Santa Monica Treesavers] to have 153 ficus trees declared landmarks failed in February and two courts ruled that the group's lawsuit did not comply with the statute of limitations." Earlier: Will starve for ficus trees: Santa Monica tree fight rages on and in L.A., ficus trees get felled with no big outcry.
Photo by Gregg Moscoe
Today's the last day of Bike to Work Week!
 >> If your bicycle needs a post-week tuneup, check out "The Chainbreaker Bike Book," a new "seat-of-the-pants, low-budget ... do-it-yourself bike maintenance guide that keeps things simple, straightforward, and, most importantly, real," according to Keith Goetzman in Utne.
>> A bold water conservation plan's coming to L.A. The plan includes mandatory water-use restrictions on residents, changes in building codes, and waste water recycling programs. "Administration officials say the point is to act now so the city can meet increased demand through a combination of conservation and recycling. They note that Los Angeles is an arid metropolis that has grown by dipping long straws in far-flung water supplies."
>> Tokio Lounge in Hollywood's going to be reincarnated in green fashion as Ecco. The new lounge will be revamped using eco-friendly building materials and is set to reopen in July with an organic menu, LED lights, and waterless urinals.
>> Today's also Endangered Species Day. Celebrate the polar bears' newfound status as a threatened species -- though I suppose the fact that they're in danger is not actually an uplifting thought... A town called Churchill in Canada expects to see tourists flock to the town to see the polar bears while they still can. *(An earlier version of this item listed polar bears as an endangered species. In fact, the recent ruling gives the animal "threatened" status under the Endangered Species Act.)
>> Can't afford organic lingerie? Get crafty and make your own eco-lingerie set for just a few bucks.
>> It's Bike to Work Day! Pedal to work and get free bus rides, plus snacks and other goodies at the many pit stops around the city.
>> Downtown art exhibit space Pharmaka's gone green with LED lights, eco-friendly furniture and an energy | |
>> On high-priced fuel fights: 
