>> Plastic bag update: The plastic industry group — self-dubbed the “Save the Plastic Bag Coalition” — has now sued Manhattan Beach for its plans to ban both plastic and bioplastic bags starting next year. Earlier: The fate of plastic bags and polystyrene in LA.

>> LA River update. The EPA’s now stepping in to try to protect the LA River, in response to the Army Corps of Engineers’ contention that the river shouldn’t get higher enviro protections because only about 4 miles of the river could be considered “traditionally navigable water.” Earlier: Creek Freaks.

>> BPA Update. Environmental Working Group’s Enviroblog has the details on how the FDA got it wrong on declaring BPA safe.

Photo of Joe Linton kayaking the L.A. River via L.A. Creek Freak

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Bird lovers in Santa Monica — Your coffee’s arrived. Co-opportunity’s now offering 6 different coffees (above) from Caffe Ibis, a company known for its triple-certified beans (fair trade, organic, Smithsonian certified bird-friendly)!

I bought a couple pounds — and was also gonna get some organic and fair trade Equal Exchange coffee (right) — but it was all sold out, being on sale for $7.99.

But it’s nice to live in a place where fair trade coffee’s so popular!

And of course there are other conveniences. On the way out I dropped off some batteries for recycling in the convenient tubes –

Then when I got home my neighbor gave me a perfect lil chili from his garden!

I chopped it up and put it in my “medium” Whole Foods salsa, which was tasting a lot like plain tomato sauce.

Since then, life’s been spicier.

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>> 14 ways to use Twitter politely. Number 2: Think twice before twittering in an altered state. “If you think texting your ex is embarrassing the next morning, try texting all of them.” Read on for details on Twitter sex. (via Fimoculous)

>> Electric cars could be given out free, like cell phones, if Shai Agassi has his way. We’re talking a network of charge spots, where drivers can sign up for plug-in plans much like a celly plan . “They’d buy their car from the operator, who would offer steep discounts, perhaps even give the cars away. The profit would come from selling electricity—the minutes.”

>> Solar power electrifies the Exposition Park-Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Regional Branch Library in South LA, which reopened after greenovations that gave the building LEED Gold status.

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Back in April, the Big Blue Bus announced plans to design spiffy buses for the future, thanks to a partnership with the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Since then, Bus of the Future got a website and a blog, updated intermittently by 3 students working on the bus designs and by Big Blue Bus staff.

All of that comes to a head at the Alt Car Expo on Sept. 26 — when I’ll be one of the judges for the Bus of the Future competition!

Last week, as prep, I checked out what the students were up to. More about the designs later, but what I found fascinating was the fieldwork these students had done about the Big Blue Bus by, you know, riding it.

The photo-illustrated stories were hilar, i.e. “It seems there was a resident homeless person hanging out in the stop with a shroud over his entire body.” I guess you gotta live and ride in LA to relate and laugh at this….

Other funny stuff: Photographic proof of Big Blue Bus’ morphing, confusing, and uninformative signs. Keep in mind that BBB does a much better job than most. In contrast, the Metro will at times changes stops by like 7 blocks sans warning — or updates on the website.

Sad thing re: the Art Center visit: That place was so far away and so difficult to get to without making a full-day public transit commitment that I ended up driving. Oddly, there’s a strange sense of belonging in seeing one’s name on a stantion.

In other Big Blue Bus news: Line 7, which runs down Pico, has — as of yesterday — changed its name from Super 7 to Rapid 7. Apparently the Rapid 7 will “enhance” the services of the Super 7 — but I’ve no clue as to what exactly the changes are, since the info isn’t even on the website and my call hasn’t yet been returned. Anyone got an idea?

Other changes: Line 1’s getting a new branch dubbed “campus connector” to link up UCLA and SMC. Also, Line 14 and the Sunset Ride are getting additional trips. Happy riding –

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>> Rock out but travel light. Radiohead’s seriously trying to reduce the carbon footprint of its concerts. Part of the solution: Reducing equipment by deciding “to build two sets of light, video, and staging gear – one for each side of the Atlantic – and rent the sound system in each country. The band only had to move 12 antique guitars and a few “bits and pieces” across “the pond”. All told only about a ton of gear instead of the usual 20 tons.”

>> Speed less, say the people at Drive 55, who want to reinstate the national 55-miles-per-hour limit as a means of reducing our dependence on foreign oil. (via USA Today via Grist)

>> Shut off your shower intermittently. “A small addition to your shower head can save you time, money, and water: a simple shutoff valve can toggle the water flow off and on without undoing your carefully-calibrated mix of hot and cold on the faucet itself.”

Image via drive55.org

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Get clean, save the rainforest. That’s the message eco personal-care company Save Your World’s sending out. Buy any shampoo, lotion, soap, or other pampering product — all paraben-free, vegan, and made with fair trade ingredients — and you’ll save at least one acre of the Guyana rainforest in South America.

Yep — unlike the vague promises of companies that say they’ll send “a percentage of the profits” to an eco-org, Save Your World’s promise is concrete and transparent. Basically, each product Save Your World sells sends between 15 cents to $4.50 (depending on the price of the product) to enviro nonprofit Conservation International, which uses the money to pay annual lease fees to keep the rainforest from logging companies. Incredibly, it only costs 15 cents to preserve an acre for a year!

And also incredibly, the eco-friendly products do their job! I especially liked the shampoos, which worked refreshingly well, especially compared to some of the disastrous results I got from other eco hair products. The shampoos cleansed, the conditioners detangled and moisturized, and the body wash lathered up nicely.

Even better, Save the World products all get a “low hazard” score of 1 or 2 — except the lotions, which get a “moderate risk” 3 — from Environmental Working Group’s cosmetic safety database, Skin Deep.

My one qualm had to do with some of the natural fragrances, which some might find too strong — or too funky. The “oasis fruit” scented stuff smells very much like Tang, for one! And the “rainforest” scented conditioner and shower gel had a strangely sweet, medicinal scent (though oddly, the shampoo did not). I also found that the lotions seemed thinnish and took a while to absorb — though once absorbed, my skin felt v. well moisturized.

What I really, really liked are the exfoliating bars — soap with a little scrubby grain to them — and am planning to make a permanent switch to them (sorry Dr. Bronner’s!). Save Your World products are conveniently available at Whole Foods and The Vitamin Shoppe — as well as online.

[crossposted on BlogHer]

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>> We definitely didn’t have this when I was a student at Fairfax High, but apparently LAUSD has a gardening program — and it’s about to get cut.

>> A Forever 21 development’s planned at the site of the former South Central Farm. “The development proposal for the farm site could force Villaraigosa to choose between environmental activists willing to stage protests outside his home and office, and a business that has a huge effect on the region’s economy.”

>> Water shortages are forcing some to turn to raw sewage to feed their gardens. “The good news – for farmers at least – is that the irrigation water from sewers comes with free fertiliser in the form of the nitrates and phosphates bound up in human faeces. The bad news is that this coprological cornucopia is filling vegetables sold in city markets with heavy metals, pathogenic bacteria and worms.”

>> Last but not least — at least to me: I planted some lettuce seeds, and most of them sprouted — then some disappeared! I saw an earthworm in one pot and I’m wondering if that’s the culprit. Anyone had worms commit seedling theft?

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Eco-closet tip: Take care of your clothes, so they last longer. An easy way to make that happen: Use good hangers for your green fashions! Here are four options to keep your organic and eco-friendly ‘fits pretty, ordered according to my preference:

EcoHangers are made of 100% recycled paper — which also make them 100% recyclable to boot. For dry cleaners or other businesses eager to promote their business, the hangers are customizable with your logo. Get them online: $8.99 for 12.

Paper Ditto Hangers are unfortunately for businesses — like retail fashion companies and drycleaners — only. I discovered these through Maggie’s Functional Organics — and if I had a clothing biz, I’d totally order ‘em. The only reason I’m not keeping the ones I got is because the hook part’s too big — and won’t fit in the small space between the roof and rod in my closet.

Wheatware Clothes Hangers are made of U.S.-grown wheat! While these are technically biodegradable, the degrading only happens under high temperatures in commercial composting facilities — and because we don’t have a composting system set up in SoCal, the products are less than ideal. If you get ‘em, use them at least until LA gets its own composting facility set up. Cost: $4.95 per 5.

Earthsaver hangers are also biodegradable — and also pose the same composting issues as Wheatware hangers. These’re made in the US by Merrick, and while I haven’t been to Wal-Mart in about a decade, I hear Earthsaver hangers are available there. Cost: $3.50 for 5.

Plastic Ditto Hangers aren’t recycled but are recycled, since they’re made of 100% PET. Ditto only services businesses, however; individuals are outta luck. Upside: Many styles other than the one pictured are available.

Please don’t throw your hangers out! Reuse is better than anything else. Keep hanging your clothes on the hangers you’ve got, and keep encouraging your drycleaner to reuse the wire hangers you get. Only pick from the above options if you’re in dire need of new hangers –

Photos from respective hangers’ websites, except paper Ditto Hangers, by Siel

Tags: hangers

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>> Swimming pool owners reduced to cleaning their own swimming pools!

>> The high price of arugula at Whole Foods isn’t the biggest food problem in the world, according to Paul Roberts and Raj Patel. “Both authors lament that, in today’s world, superabundance paradoxically exists alongside persistent global hunger.” (via 3qd)

>> Bloggers encouraged to blog ’bout poverty for Blog Action Day 2008, happening Oct. 18.

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Question: I am looking for a place that would accept a large amount of Styrofoam. We have recently purchased about 700 computers and are looking for a company that would take this styrofoam off our hands. Any information or guidance you could provide is sincerely appreciated. David

Answer: Your best bet is to use the Recycler Locator at the LA County’s SmartBusiness Recycling web site. Created specifically to help businesses recycle more, the Recycler Locator will let you do simple searches for companies that’ll take various recyclables off your hands.

While handy, the Recycler Locator isn’t perfect. Case in point: A search for styrofoam will turn up 0 results. The word you have to use is “polystyrene,” the generic name for styrofoam. That search gave me a list of 4 recyclers to choose from — Yay!

Be sure to first call the recycler before heading over to verify location, hours, and any restrictions they may have. Some charge fees; you may actually want to call all 4 recyclers to get the best deal.

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