Win a month of free electricity by cutting energy consumption

Saving energy could soon be even more profitable for households and businesses through MyEmissionsExchange.com, the website that pays consumers who cut down their energy consumption.

Anyone who can show that they used less electric, natural gas, propane or fuel oil than the same month a year ago will be entered into a sweepstakes that launches today. The utility bills submitted will be adjusted to account for weather variations.

Each week through Nov. 23 a winner will be reimbursed for one month of electricity.

The website, which launched earlier this year, verifies reductions in members’ energy usage with utilities and then certifies the drops as personal carbon credits. The credits are then sold to large companies trying to be eco-friendly, with the proceeds deposited into website members’ PayPal accounts.

Membership on the website is free.

-- Tiffany Hsu

Free ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery today

Make a donation and get a free 3-oz. sample of "Jack's Creation" ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery locations today.

The three-hour promotion, which Cold Stone calls the 8th Annual World's Largest Ice Cream Social, benefits Make-A-Wish Foundation and begins at 5 p.m. There is a one sample limit per customer.

"Jack's Creation" features sweet cream ice cream mixed with brownies and rainbow sprinkles and topped with caramel.

-- Andrea Chang

Nine West shoppers who donate old shoes can get a 15% discount

Footwear retailer Nine West is encouraging customers to bring in their gently worn shoes in exchange for a 15% discount on a purchase of $75 or more.

The shoe drive is taking place at 192 Nine West stores across the country and ends Sept. 24. Recycled shoes will be donated to nonprofit charity Soles4Shoes, which will give them to people in need.

To donate or for more information, visit www.giveshoes.org. Discounts can be used in stores or online.

-- Andrea Chang

Pink Slip Mixers hosts Labor Day events for job seekers

For the unemployed working around the clock to land a job, Labor Day has a bittersweet flavor.

But this holiday, job seekers can band together to share tips and resources -- and potentially meet with headhunters, direct-hire companies and recruiting firms -- at several events in California and around the country.

Organizer Pink Slip Mixers regularly hosts events for mid- to upper-level executives slammed by the recession. Angeleno Edwin Duterte, 40, founded the organization after losing his job as a commercial real estate lender in January 2008. He had to put his belongings in storage and move in with his parents in San Jose, but spends much of his time in Southern California, crashing on friends’ couches.

The Labor Day “Jobs Rally” will take place in seven locations, four in California. To RSVP, sign into the website for free at pinkslipmixers.com.

•    Bar Celona, 46 E. Colorado St., Pasadena
•    Atrium Hotel, 18700 MacArthur Blvd., Irvine
•    Jsix @ Hotel Solamar, 435 6th Ave., San Diego
•    South First Billiards, 420 S. 1st St., San Jose
•    Samba Room, 350 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
•    Samba Room, 7468 Sand Lake Road, Orlando, Fla.
•    Las Vegas location to be determined.

-- Tiffany Hsu

Free solar energy information sessions from Southern California Edison

Homeowners hoping to go the sunny route can learn about solar energy options for free.
Southern California Edison is offering free informational sessions about the basics and benefits of solar power, how to use tax credits and other tactics to reduce upfront costs and incentives provided by its California Solar Initiative program.

To register for the 90-minute lessons, call (866) 970-9221. Space is limited.

-- Sept. 9 in Yucaipa; 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Yucaipa Community Center at 34900 Oak Glen Road. Co-hosted by the city.

-- Sept. 12 in Lancaster; 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the assembly room of the the SCE’s Antelope Valley Service Center at 42060 10th St. West.

-- Sept. 15 in Santa Monica; 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the second-level multipurpose room at the Santa Monica Public Library at 601 Santa Monica Blvd. Co-hosted by the city.

-- Sept. 24 in Ridgecrest; 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Kerr McGee Community Center at 100 W. California Ave.

-- Sept. 25 in Bishop; 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Bishop Union High School at 301 N. Flower St.

-- Sept. 30 in Fullerton; 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the SCE’s Fullerton Service Center at 1851 W. Valencia Dr.

-- Tiffany Hsu

Free dry cleaning from Flair Cleaners

One less thing for job-seekers to worry about – staying presentable for interviews.

Flair Cleaners is extending its freebie offer to clean and press up to four pieces of business attire through Dec. 30.

Customers can present a photo ID and an unemployment stub from the Employment Development Department at any of the five locations -- in Valencia, Burbank, Studio City, Santa Monica and Redondo Beach -- to take advantage of the service.

Launched on June 3, the Back to Work Wednesdays program was initially scheduled to end Sept. 2. But when some customers approached owner Gary Futterman about an extension, he decided to continue the offer.

The cleaners will accept one jacket, one skirt or pair of pants, and up to two shirts or blouses.

-- Tiffany Hsu
                       

Photo credit: Flair Cleaners

Koreatown hosts first annual Korean BBQ Festival and Cook-Off on Saturday

Carnivores rejoice: Barbecue beef and pork will be the star attractions in Koreatown this Saturday during the first annual Korean BBQ Festival and Cook-Off.

Organizers of the event promise that "you'll smell us from a mile away ... and that's a good thing." The festival will be from noon to 8 p.m. at 3223 6th St., Los Angeles.

The festival will feature an eating contest with a mystery ingredient, cooking demonstrations and food booths. The cook-off begins at 5; judges include Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold, the Times' Food Editor Russ Parsons and Evan Kleiman, owner of Angeli Caffe on Melrose Avenue.

The event is free and is presented by the Korean American Coalition-Los Angeles in partnership with Yelp.

-- Andrea Chang

Frugal Festival comes to Van Nuys

Like-minded penny pinchers will come together Sunday in Van Nuys for the Frugal Fe$tival, which, not surprisingly, is free to the public.

The event, to be held from 1 to 4 p.m. in Woodley Park, will feature coupon exchanges, 15-minute appointments with a professional financial adviser and other activities for the thrifty-at-heart.

Guests can bring electronics to recycle while participating in a free raffle with prizes such as a Toshiba laptop, copies of “The Scavengers’ Manifesto” and the “99 Cent Only Stores Cookbook,” $20 Gelson's gift certificates and cash.

Frugal fair-goers can also see a demonstration of the new website BargainBabeLA.com.

-- Tiffany Hsu

Free sundae when you buy one at Ben & Jerry’s

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream scoop shops want you to turn Mondays into sundaes with its newest promotion.

Every Monday this summer until Aug. 31, the ice cream retailer is offering a free sundae if you buy one.

Limit one offer per customer per visit. And you must mention the offer at the time of order. To get a free treat, the sundae has to be of equal or lesser value than the one you buy.

Check with your local scoop shop to see if it is participating in the promotion.

--W.J. Hennigan

Free Starbucks Ice Cream -- via Facebook

Starbucks is giving out free ice cream – on Facebook.

Members of the social networking site can surprise fellow users with a coupon for a pint of free ice cream every day through July 19. Up to 20,000 free coupons are available each day, and will be given out in batches of roughly 800 each hour.

Facebook users will receive a message asking them to try again later if all the pints for a particular hour have already been allocated, according to Starbucks spokeswoman Melanie Muccio.

Coupons for the new flavors – caramel macchiato, mocha frappuccino, java chip frappuccino and coffee – can be redeemed at grocery stores.  Starbucks retail locations do not stock the ice cream, Muccio said.

-- Tiffany Hsu

Photo: Starbucks