>> 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.
Check out the yummy catch from our own beaches! In a guerrilla education effort, Surfrider Foundation collected the detritus from our beaches and packaged them up as the "Catch of the Day," then displayed them at farmers markets (via Treehugger). Above are "Condom Strips" from Newport Beach, below are "Styrofoam Bites" from Long Beach.
Malibu, true to its efforts to keep the public from actually enjoying public beaches, gets a "Private Beach Mix":
Venice Beach gets "Butts-n-Bits." Stop smoking, beachgoers!
You can watch a little video clip of the Surfrider Booth at the Hermosa Beach farmers market here.
In other Surfrider news: Quicksilver's made some 100% organic board shorts dubbed "Slightly Choppy" to benefit the nonprofit. How much of the $59.50 per pair goes to Surfrider? The press release I received said "a portion," so I asked for more info -- to find out that each pair will net Surfrider just a buck. I get the feeling that amount won't be specified on the tags, but now you know. The shorts are available in Quicksilver stores now, and will be available on Quicksilver's website in about 2 weeks.
Earlier: L.A. beaches get cleaner -- due to drought
Photos courtesy of osocio.org
Somehow I thought the Greenopia Holiday Showcase would be much bigger. I'm not sure why because I'd been to the smart house, where the event was held, for Green Drinks. The space isn't tiny, but it's not that big.
Still, I thought there'd be more than a half-dozen stores. I did, however, enjoy checking out the showcased businesses. There was the Venice-based eco-skate shop Arbor, eco-soap shop Soaptopia, hemp fashion store Natural High Lifestyles, and the traveling enviro-oriented mobile spa, Green Bliss EcoSpa.
Most interesting biz: The Venice-based Urbanic Paper Boutique. We're talking paper products -- from journals to cards -- made of 100% post-consumer materials. All from a local store too! I'll stop by the next time I'm in Venice.
But on Saturday, Hannah and I walked through the showcase under half an hour, then walked over to The Other Room for drinks. They actually have an organic red wine, offered by the glass and the bottle!
Unfortunately, the bar's too dark to read the wine menu on the wall -- so dark that even the cocktail waitress couldn't tell us much about the wine we ordered aside from the fact that it was organic. Odd. No, the tables didn't have any wine menus -- a bit unusual for a wine bar. Any other winos have this problem at The Other Room?
Photos by Siel
Green Drinks -- a recurring social evening of environmentalists having drinks -- has always been a very chill, everyone's invited, come whenever and leave whenever sort of affair. That is, it was until last night, when Green Drinks got its first sponsor: smart® house.
Suddenly, you had to RSVP to get on the list. And if you RSVP'd too late, you were shut out!
No, guest lists aren't anything new, especially in LA. But they're new for Green Drinks, which is ostensibly about grassroots enviro-socializing and, less directly, enviro-movement-building. In fact, Barent Roth, the main organizer for Green Drinks, had no idea that people were being turned away -- until he got a very angry email from my friend Jeff, who'd been told the event was full.
And Jeff was one of the first people I ran into when I walked in -- which is how I first found out about the whole "sorry, no Green Drinks for you" dealio. Apparently, after his angry email about how Green Drinks had gone "all Hollywood," Barent contacted the smart people and got him on the list.
Me: That kinda sounds like a harsh email, dude.
Jeff: But Green Drinks has never had a capacity issue!
True that. Of course, Jeff's anger about the guest list issue seemed to dim a bit as we hung out in the swank smart® house, chatting over free drinks and free yummy appetizers. That's certainly the benefit of having a sponsor. Suddenly, you no longer have to pay for your drinks, and you have nice people in uniforms offering up platters of mini burritos and apple tarts.
Last night was a big sudden change from LA Green Drinks as we knew it. Basically, a couple years ago, Barent thought LA should have a green drinks chapter and started inviting people to come out on the first Thursday of each month. He sent out the emails, he updated the blog, he fielded the questions.
Then, more and more people started coming, and green drinks slowly started expanding to 4 different locations -- all started by enviro-volunteers who decided they wanted a green drinks happening in their hood. And Zach Behrens, soon-to-be new editor of LAist because the current editor Tony Pierce has signed up to be my boss, offered to help out sending the weekly Green Drinks emails.
But the bulk of the work -- including handling all the various emails that come in about event announcements to employment listings that get included in the Green Drinks emails -- still fell on Barent's shoulders. Which is why, whenever I talked to Barent, he'd float ideas about getting interns or sponsors to help out. Beyond being a major time sucker, Green Drinks does have some expenses -- like the cost of the email program that formats the newsletters and organizes the mailing list.
Which is why I'm sure smart® house's offer to pay for and handle everything sounded pretty damn good. Who doesn't like free booze and appetizers? Barent even managed to get smart® house to get organic beer and some vegan eats.
The downside of that: Free booze has this amazing effect of bringing people out to an event. Usually Green Drinks attracts fewer than 80 people. Last night, the RSVPs topped the showroom's capacity of about 300 people. According to Jaymie, who took the RSVPs for smart® house, about 25 people were told the list was full. Unfortunately, some of these 25 were long-time, regular Green Drinks attendees. Outspoken ones.
I talked to Barent about this last night; he cited growing pains, and said that at future Green Drinks, access for all will be a primary focus. The deal with smart® house was a one-time thing -- No one, including Barent, knows yet where the next West Side Green Drinks will be held.
Sponsorship's such a strange thing, don't you think? We complain about it, but we remain comfortably complicit in the system. Jeff gets upset about the fact of the guest list, but has no problem showing up and drinking up when he gets on it. Drew gets upset that an enviro-event's being held in a car showroom, but still RSVPs and gets pissed when he's told it's full.
The question is, do we really want a no-RSVP, no-sponsorship, no-car event? Or do we just get pissed when we don't make it on the list for free booze?
After the Greenopia Holiday Showcase, get ready to party at eco-store epOxybOx, which is hosting a Holiday Extravaganza (PDF) -- an evening of music, snacks from Market Gourmet, wine, and other beverages.
Basically, you could spend all day Friday on Abbot Kinney in Venice, nibbling and sipping organic yummies while ogling -- and later maybe buying -- green gifts or products you need. Greenopia's event ends at 6:30, giving you just a half hour break until the start of epOxybOx and epOxyGreen's party.
epOxybOx and epOxyGreen are sister companies specializing in green art (my review of one exhibit here), and environmentally friendly home and personal products. Much like Livingreen, epOxybOx carries everything from home decorations to organic rugs to electric scooters.
When: Friday, Dec. 7, 2007, 7 pm - 11 pm
Where: epOxybOx Gallery, 602 Venice Blvd., Venice
Cost: Free!
The epOxy-party coincides with Abbot Kinney’s Holiday Extravaganza, a late night of shopping and holiday spirits happening from 5 pm – 10 pm.
So I know I've been posting a lot of green shopping-related stuff, and I feel I should insert a reminder that reduce and reuse comes before even green shopping. Don't go crazy, and stick to only quality, long-lasting stuff you need. I'm planning to stop by epOxybOx to hopefully pick up a green frame for my new painting, if I can't a decent used one at Goodwill --
Image courtesy of epOxybOx
If you're the kind of person that shops online because you hate being hassled by salespeople -- but really, really would like to check goods out first-hand before buying them -- the Greenopia Holiday Showcase is for you.
Local green vendors will exhibit -- but not sell -- their goods at this 2-day showcase, put together by the local eco-directory Greenopia (previously covered here). And everyone's invited to come look and touch and sample while nibbling on raw food treats from Leaf Cuisine (raw "cooking" demos at 2 pm and 4 pm).
When: Fri., Dec. 7 and Sat., Dec. 8, from 11 am to 6:30 pm both days.
Where: smart®house, 1319 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice
Cost: Free!
Among the vendors: Soaptopia, EpoxyGreen, Arbor, Natural High Lifestyles, Cliff Spencer Furniture, GreenBliss EcoSpa, Topo Ranch, ReForm School, Eco Timber, and Urbanic Paper. If you decide you like their stuff during this no-pressure showcase, you can seek out their local store post-event --
While you're there, get a holiday baking recipe from Khatija Dadabhoy of Ghalia Organic Desserts (11:30 am), check out the fuel-efficient smart® fortwo, and pre-order the second edition of Greenopia for 50% off.
As a sidenote -- This smart®house is really opening with a vengeance! The brand new showroom for the smart car's also hosting Green Drinks tonight, so if you go to that, you could conceivably spend all weekend at this place --
Image courtesy of Greenopia
Suddenly, the West Side LA Green Drinks is moving around each month. Last month, the eco-social event moved to Beechwood Restaurant in Venice because the usual spot at the Culver Hotel was getting renovated.
This month, West Side LA Green Drinks is happening at the new smart® house, the brand new gallery for the fuel-efficient smart® fortwo. Apparently, tomorrow's event's cohosted by Eco Gift Expo, the holiday shopping fair happening later this month.
Unlike other Green Drinks events, you have to RSVP. However, also unlike other Green Drinks events, you'll get free food, receive your drinks in a real glass instead of disposable plastic cups, have dj braden spinning in the background, and see a preview of the smart® fortwo. Barent Roth, Green Drinks organizer, says "we are trying to get the drinks/food green too, but I don't know if that will happen." Fingers crossed.
When: Thursday, December 6, 7 pm – 10 pm
Where: smart® house, 1319 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice
RSVP: Email smartLAGreenDrinks@laforce-stevens.com
Find out more about Green Drinks and what it is here. I still haven't decided whether I'm going here or to the Santa Monica community transportation workshop. The latter I can bike to, but the former has drinks --
Photo by Siel
 Venice is full of tourists on 100-lb Segways, but last week I biked down there to try out a different sort of electric transportation: The Motorboard.
Linda of Roth Motor Co. met me with the electric Motorboard 2000XR, which I rode (left), trying not to take anyone down. I caught on after a few minutes, aside from the braking part -- I always use foot brakes on my bike, and remembering to squeeze the hand brake part's just hard for me. Luckily, I went slow enough that I could just jump off.
 The main benefit of the Motorboard 2000XR over my bike: The Motorboard doesn't need to be locked up. It runs on a light lithium-ion battery and weighs just 16.3 lbs, making it really portable. Post-ride, Linda folded it up and neatly tucked it under a table while she ordered coffee at a sidewalk restaurant. I sat down vaguely worried about bike theft.
If you have a short commute, or need to run small errands around town, the Motorboard could be a nice, car-free option. It can get up to 15 mph, going 5 to 7 miles on a two-hour charge (extended-range models can go 20 miles on a single charge). Cost, $799.
 The people trying out the Motorboard at AltCarExpo seemed to have fun (left). But the laws are a bit confusing, since every city seems to have its own guidelines for motorized two-wheelers. Are electric scooters allowed to go 15 mph on a sidewalk in Santa Monica? What about a bike lane? I'm not sure, although Linda says she's never gotten into trouble for riding her Motorboard all over the place.
Still, I'm sticking to my bike for now, since it actually gets me a little exercise. I'm wondering though, are there any big electric scooter and Motorboard advocates out there? Do you use them mainly as a mode of transportation, or ride them just for sport and fun?
Photos by Siel
Get a bite to eat at the Abbot Kinney Festival on Sunday? Then you may've noticed your plates and utensils looked different -- They were biodegradable!
 This annual Venice festival went green this year, featuring a Green Living Tent with speakers and seminars -- though I had a tough time finding it as it was tucked away on a side street. Plus, after the Just Lives Festival and WeHo Book Fair, I got there too late to catch any of the events. Anyone else drop by?
At the southern tip of the festival, eco-store and gallery epOxybOx put a little Green Design Block Party together with a few different booths that were -- vaguely interesting. Meaning more than one booth sold primarily reusable bags, but totes were on sale at what seemed like every other booth at the festival too....
Maybe that's a sign that the general crowd itself was semi enviro-conscious, with a special penchant for hemp clothing -- touted by many at a recent eco-fashion panel as the greenest fabric material today. I saw a hemp clothing booth on about every block --
Plus, the Venice crowd includes a lot of bike enthusiasts, as evidenced by all the bikes parked along Abbot Kinney. I took the bus though, since I was coming from WeHo. You?
De-car-ing: From the West Hollywood Book Fair, took the Metro 704 west to Broadway and 4th, transferred to the Big Blue Bus 2 which dropped me off on the north end of Abbot Kinney. I took the BBB 2 back home, too --
Photos by Siel
Most plastic bags rot in landfills, but a few lucky ones met LA-based multi-media artist Dianna Cohen, got chopped up, then framed into works of art.
So I went to see these on display at the opening reception for Dianna's solo show -- titled "Cycle" -- at the epOxybOx last Friday.
 I milled about nibbling on a juicy local nectarine -- all the reception food came courtesy of the Venice Farmers' Market -- and sipping wine while contemplating the aesthetics of plastic --
The art? A couple pieces imaginatively used the print on re-loved plastic bags, creating both a visual and textual collage -- but most of the exhibit left me wondering if the pieces would be interesting without the eco, re-use element that captivates environmentalists....
In fact I instead found myself mesmerized by the gorgeous, amorphous floaty lamps in the epOxybOx Gallery. I guess I like things that glow softly, kind of like a computer screen?
Luckily for me, the exhibit also showcased a few of Dianne's non-plastic works -- including a few lamps, crafted from reclaimed materials into a sort of mechanical beauty --
De-car-ing: Walked a couple blocks, got on a surprisingly crowded but on-time Big Blue Bus 2, got off in Venice at Abbot Kinney / California and walked 5 or so blocks to the show. Reverse on the way back, with a slightly less crowded bus.
Photos by Siel
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