>> Internet dating service DateforTrees will plant a tree for each month you pay for its services. A small green incentive to keep looking without ever settling? (via grist)
>> Save some money and find your dates in trains. There are more fellow commuters to meet and mingle with, now that commuter rail ridership's way up in the L.A. area. Earlier: Subway Crush: Like Craigslist's Missed Connections, except for subways.
>> The light-rail-accessible Aquarium of the Pacific is 10 years old and more popular than ever. "At a time when the world's seas are in deep blue trouble, the aquarium assists in local coastal cleanups and fish population surveys." Earlier: TransitPeople and a trip to the aquarium via Metro.
>> Bikes too are getting so popular we now have instructions for ugging them up -- so as to deter thieves. Get instructions for everything from faux rust to mismatched pedals. (via lifehacker)
>> With more people opting for less travel or more eco-travel, airlines are suffering -- but also getting greener, sort of. Wired's Dave Demerjian has the scoop from the Eco-Aviation Conference this week.
>> Would-be Al Gore imitators can pick up PowerPoint tips from Nancy Duarte of Duarte Design, the company behind the slide show featured in "An Inconvenient Truth."
Photo by Liz O. Baylen, L.A. Times
>> A Q&A about the subway to the sea, written by Steve Hymon of Bottleneck Blog. Summary of his post: The route for the subway hasn't been picked yet, the money isn't there, and assuming those obstacles are overcome, it'll still be 2 years until the line starts getting built.
>> Summer excursions, car-free! That's the next live Web chat topic with Metro Board Chair Pam O'Connor, happening noon to 1 p.m. on June 18 at metro.net/chat. According to Metro's press release, "Chair O'Connor will also be available to discuss the potential half cent sales tax dedicated to Los Angeles County transit projects and other transportation issues."
>> The L.A. River Ride happens tomorrow! Tune up your bikes now, and register on-site early tomorrow morning; online registration's now closed.
>> L.A.'s Bike Advisory Committee comments on the City’s Bike Master Plan. Top item on the BAC's comments: "Identify why many policies and recommendations in the previous bicycle master plan have not been implemented." The BAC's action comes after much critique from the bicycling community about BAC's inaction and ineffectiveness -- perhaps a contributing factor as to why not much has been done with the previous master plan.
>> Yet another reason why nuclear energy's unpopular: "Under current plans, the casks of nuclear waste material awaiting burial at Yucca Mountain could be sent into a "chaotic melee of bouncing and rolling juggernauts" in an earthquake, according to Holtec International, one of the nation's largest manufacturers of nuclear waste storage systems.
Photo by Liz O. Baylen, L.A. Times
 >> 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
>> Rising fuel prices have Angelenos de-car-ing. "Interest in cycling is growing, gasoline consumption is down and bus and light-rail ridership is up."
>> Check out the four latest options for the subway to the sea. Which is your favorite? One last meeting for this round happens on Monday.
>> Plan to bike to Dodger Stadium? The sole bike rack's in Lot P -- though not even the parking attendants seem to know of its existence. Damien Newton offers photographic guidance -- and a lot of constructive criticism for the stadium -- in Streetsblog LA.
>> No, the 2007 farm bill still hasn't passed. But for those who tuned out, Tom Philpott of Grist as a primer on the current version -- and possible fates -- of the current bill. As the L.A. Times reports, the bill's still high on crop subsidies.
>> Organic farming mitigates climate change, says Timothy LaSalle of the Rodale Institute, a leading organic-farming research and advocacy organization. "Synthetic fertilizer and oil-based pesticides release carbon dioxide into the air. But the organic approach, which is truly regenerative agriculture, sequesters carbon: It takes carbon out of the air and puts it back in the soil."
>> The U.S. EPA needs to regulate carbon monoxide, rules a judge. The EPA was told it needs to regulate carbon dioxide too -- but the agency appears set on shirking that responsibility until the end of the Bush administration.
Photo by Liz O. Baylen, L.A. Times
 If you live or work in downtown L.A., you've probably heard of Bringing Back Broadway, an initiative to revitalize the historic Broadway district. The backbone of Bringing Back Broadway is a plan to revive the L.A. streetcar -- a plan that's under study by the city, with the help of consultants from IBI Group.
Now Angelenos can learn all about the streetcar, because a streetcar workshop is coming to L.A. Based on the book "Street Smart: Streetcars and Cities in the 21st Century," the workshop is actually the last in a series of four national streetcar workshops. The previous one happened in the Pacific Northwest last month and was attended by a couple dozen streetcar-curious Angelenos -- including Eric Richardson of blogdowntown.
When: Thursday, May 22, 8 am - 4 pm, followed by a reception. (draft PDF schedule here)
Where: Orpheum Theatre, 842 S. Broadway, Los Angeles.
Cost: $25 for L.A. residents and business and property owners; $75 for everyone else. The price includes a continental breakfast, lunch and reception; those paying $75 also get a free copy of the "Street Smart" book.
What do streetcars do for business? For Mike Powell of Portland bookstore Powell's Books, who spoke at the Portland workshop, getting a streetcar on his block meant just one week of disrupted business due to construction -- followed by a 300% rise in property values. So sign up for the workshop to learn how streetcars can stimulate the local economy and create walkable, vibrant, de-car'd neighborhoods around the U.S. -- because we may be seeing new ones in downtown L.A., as well as in Pasadena, Culver City, Beverly Hills and other SoCal cities.
According to the organizers, this workshop will allow everyone, whatever their interest, to talk with national streetcar experts about topics ranging from environmental benefits to urban density. Speakers include L.A. City Council members Jose Huizar and Jan Perry, who'll make a case for the streetcar as a catalyst for turning Broadway into "one of L.A.’s most important neighborhoods." Michael Dilijani of the L.A. Theatre will talk about "the vision of downtown property owners for the reinvention of Broadway, L.A.’s historic streetcar corridor." In addition, Powell and other speakers will discuss Portland's and Seattle's experiences with streetcars.
Register for the streetcar workshop here and join the discussion.
 Amtrak has reason to celebrate. Thanks to gas prices -- and perhaps also due to environmentalists seeking to lower their carbon footprints -- Amtrak's ridership for 2008 is already up 12%. So perhaps it's no surprise that Amtrak has declared Saturday, May 10, the first National Train Day -- and is throwing a party at L.A.'s Union Station to commemorate it.
The highlight of the event is a free concert by Drake Bell, but train activities will happen all day. The train-curious can take train tours on Amtrak equipment, check out train driving simulators and train model displays, take in a train photography exhibit, and peruse the many Amtrak and vendor display booths.
Amtrak will even have a train cutout, behind which you can get a free commemorative picture taken. For kids, there'll be face painting, arts and crafts, toy trains and performances by the Fun Train Strolling Minstrels.
When: Saturday, May 10, 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Here's the full schedule of events.
Where: At the Old Ticket Concourse, Main Station, and Arcade of Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles
Cost: Free!
Why May 10? The date's the anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in Utah on May 10, 1869. Amtrak's reportedly spending $2.2 million on its day of celebration -- with major events also happening in New York City, Washington D.C., and Chicago, and other, smaller events taking place all over the U.S., including at the L.A. Zoo and train stations in Anaheim and Irvine.
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