Nearly 10% of L.A. County residents need food assistance — yet perfectly good food gets thrown in dumpsters around our city every day — which has environmentalists and freebie seekers alike dumpster diving for free food.

Freeganism’s not new news anymore — but a film about freeganism is! It’s called Dive!. Watch the preview’s below (via MNN):

Dive! is screening in L.A.-area venues this month:

>> Thurs., March 11 at 7 pm Conscientious Projector screening at Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. FREE.

>> Sat., March 13, 6:15 pm at the 15th Annual International Family Film Festival, Raleigh Studios, 5300 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. Tickets cost $10 each.

>> Mon., March 15 at 7:30 pm as part of 7 Dudley Cinema at The Talking Stick, 1411 Lincoln Blvd., Venice. FREE.

More screenings will happen in April and May, if you can’t make these. I like the idea of freeganing, but I tend to be very afraid of food-borne illnesses, since recalls even on food still on supermarket shelves seem to happen every month. The L.A. Times recently reported that food-borne illnesses really cost you:

A new consumer research report released Wednesday has found that the health-related costs of food-borne illnesses total $152 billion a year, including the costs of medical bills, lost wages and lost productivity.

Get ill and you could end up spending a lot more than you saved on your freegan food. So to freegan more safely, read Leah Koenig’s dos and don’ts of dumpster diving.

Freeganing not adventurous enough for you? Try being a frugan — a frugal vegan, according to one Katherine Fairfax Wright, who dumpster dives for her animal-product-free eats and resells salvaged trashed goods at a profit. She blogs at Frugal Living.

Earlier:
>> Dumpsters get popular: Freegans and junk yard tours
>> Book Review: The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved

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>> Take a FREE Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Garden Class on Wed., March 10 from 6 pm – 9 pm at Hostelling International Santa Monica, 1436 Second St., Santa Monica. RSVP required; contact oceanfriendlygardens@surfriderwlam.org or 310.694.8351 with first and last name, phone number and email address.

>> Co-opportunity’s also having a Free Gardening Event featuring Darren Butler and Margaret Oakley on Thurs., March 11 from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at the Santa Monica Main Public Library’s Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica.

>> Just in time for World Water Day, catch a free screening of Tapped — a film that “examines the role of the bottled water industry and its’ effects on our health, climate change, and our reliance on oil” — on Thurs., March 11 from 7 pm – 11 pm at Santa Monica College’s AET campus, Room 235, 1660 Steward St., Santa Monica. Here’s L.A. Creek Freak Joe Linton’s review. (via The Daily Ocean)

>> Join me at The Organic Center’s 7th Annual VIP Benefit Dinner — themed “Dirt + Water + Sun” — featuring Andrew Weil and other eco-foodie luminaries. The Organic Center’s a fantastic nonprofit that does scientific research and education about organic food and farming — and this party will feature a cocktail reception with organic hors d’oeuvres, live jazz from Mattson Two, and an organic family-style dinner from Pace Restaurant. The party begins Fri., March 12 at 7 pm at the Platinum Ballroom of the Anaheim Mariott Hotel in Anaheim. Cost: $175 per person.

>> Celebrate World Water Day a few days early at World Water Day Los Angeles, a FREE all-day event happening Sun., March 14 from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm at the Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles.

>> Tour the L.A. River with Friends of the Los Angeles River! See the waterway up close, find out about its revitalization plans, and get a lesson on L.A. eco-history. Meet up Sun. March 14, at 9:30 am at the River Center, 570 W Ave. 26, Los Angeles to form carpools and caravan around until 4 pm. Cost: $25, or $20 for FoLAR members. RSVP required to Shelly at mail@folar.org or 323-223-0585.

>> Come hear me speak on BREATHE LA Green Salon panel — “AB 32.0 and the Rise of Green Digital Media” — on Tues., March 16, 9 am – 10:30 am at the California Endowment Center, 1000 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles. Free with RSVP.

>> Did you win tickets to see a free screening of LIFE? Then I’ll see on on Tues., March 16 at The Landmark!

>> Catch a free sneak preview of Dirt! The Movie on Tues., March 16 in the Silver Screen Room of the Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. The event will kick off with an organic reception at 7 pm, followed by a screening at 7:30 pm and a Q&A with the filmmakers. RSVP’s required at KCET.

>> Happy St. Patrick’s Day on March 17! Here are 11 green ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Los Angeles.

>> Weigh in on Metro Westside Subway Extension’s Optional Crenshaw Station. Should the purple line have a stop at Crenshaw or not? Weigh in while the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report’s underway. The meeting happens on St. Patrick’s Day, Wed., March 17 from 6 pm – 8 pm at Wilshire United Methodist Church, 4350 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.

>> Fight the threat of offshore oil drilling with Surfrider Foundation and Environment California. Get to an educational meeting where staff from Surfrider Foundation and Environment California, as well as environmental activists and local community members, will come together to discuss what the threats associated with drilling are, and how communities can fight them. The meeting happens on St. Patrick’s Day, Wed., March 17 from 7 pm – 8 pm at Santa Monica Library – Fairview Branch, 2101 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica.

Image via tappedthemovie.com and kcet.org

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If you read green LA girl by email only, you opened up your inbox this morning to discover that, alas, you missed your chance to attend the advance screening for Discovery Channel’s LIFE on Mach 16!

Despair not: Another green documentary’s screening that day — and it’s free and open to the public, as long as you RSVP quickly for this opportunity. Get to a Community Cinema Screening of DIRT! The Movie.

What’s DIRT! about? According to KCET, ITVS, Bioneers and Youth Service America, the organizers of the screening:

It’s under our feet and under our fingernails, but what is it? And how did it get there? Inspired by William Bryant Logan’s acclaimed book Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth, find out how industrial farming, mining and urban development have led us toward cataclysmic droughts, starvation, floods and climate change. Dirt is a part of everything we eat, drink and breathe. Which is why we should stop treating it like, well…dirt.

Watch the trailer below:

The screening happens Tues., March 16 in the Silver Screen Room of the Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. The event will kick off with an organic reception at 7 pm, followed by a screening at 7:30 pm and a Q&A with the filmmakers. RSVP’s required at KCET.

Image via kcet.org

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Playboy Playmates and pre-teen hip hop artists aren’t the first people that come to my mind when thinking green celebs — but both Norwegian Playboy Playmate Lillian Müller and pre-teen hip hop star Lil Maxso will be part of the next eco-themed film festival happening in Los Angeles.

The fourth annual Green Lifestyle Film Festival promises a weekend of inspiring eco-themed films, healthy food, and creative entertainment. Happening March 19 – 21 at the James Bridges Theater at the University of California, Los Angeles, GLFF will kick off with an opening event on Friday evening, with Australian model and actress Joanne Rose and Mad TV comedienne and actress Debra Wilson Skelton hosting while Lillian Müller, Lil Maxso, and other celebs walk the green carpet.

Throughout the weekend, an outdoor arena will feature live food demos, eco-themed booths, and entertainment — all free and open to the public. Attendees will be able to contribute to a vegetarian food drive benefiting the Westside Food Bank.

And of course, there will be films. The lineup features full-length documentaries, animated cartoons, and short films a variety of eco-topics, ranging from the popular green documentary FUEL to a short film on diaper-free child rearing!

A full weekend pass to the festival — including the closing Gala Awards Dinner and Dance — costs $195, but day, half day, and individual event passes are also available for $25 – $65.

Image via greenlifestylefilmfestival.com

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>> Take a snack break and enjoy L.A.’s greenest sorbet from Truly Raw Gourmet. Made by a local couple working behind Groundwork Coffee in Venice, the tasty low calorie dessert’s made of raw honey, coconut water, and locally-sourced fruit — and sold at Co-opportunity and local Whole Foods. I got to try a couple flavors, and recommend the Apple Pie. One downside: Each 9-ounce glass jar costs $10.

>> Win an eco-vacation to see sea turtles in the wild by taking Oceana’s Ocean IQ quiz. Answer 10 questions and you could win Nautica watches and goodies or a Nintendo Wii system with the Endless Ocean game! If you take the quiz and challenge four friends to test their knowledge too, you’ll also be entered to win the grand prize: A sea turtle conservation trip — plus airfaire.

>> Screen No Impact Man in your community during Earth Week in April! For $100 — or less, if you appeal for a reduced fee — you can get a license to host a small screening between April 18 and 25 — along with a DVD, access to an RSVP registration system for your audience members, and an electronic screening toolkit with everything you need to market your event.

Earlier:
>> Film Review: No Impact Man — The sustainable joys of sustainable living
>> Book Review: No Impact Man — Freedom’s just another word …
>> An Interview with No Impact Man, Colin Beavan — Finding eco-happiness

Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist

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How do you save people from crappy gifts and eternal debt? By caroling with the Church of No Shopping Gospel Choir, of course, joyfully belting out lyrics like these: “Squeeze our fat in gap apparel / Fa la la la la la la la la!”

That’s just one way performance activist Rev. Billy, a.k.a. Billy Talen, draws attention to holiday overconsumption in What Would Jesus Buy? — with the help of his dancing, singing fellow-activists and choir members who warn people of the pending “shopocalypse.” This funny film, produced by Morgan Spurlock of Super Size Me fame, came out back in 2007 — but is a great movie to watch on Black Friday, when people “traditionally” get trampled to death while seeking bargains at Wal-Mart and other big box stores.

What Would Jesus Buy? is one eco-minded documentary that’ll entertain and make you laugh — while educating you about the social, financial, and environmental problems caused by our rampant consumption — and inspiring you to shop less and enjoy more! Here’s serious socio-political activism, done in creative, entertaining ways. Whether a credit card “exorcism” or a procession with Mickey and Minnie Mouse nailed to crosses, What Would Jesus Buy? is never short of hilarity or surprise.

The film gives a quick history of Billy Talen’s life, from his childhood in a musical family to his performance street acts later on. Why’d he decide to “become” a reverend? Says Billy, “I was catering tables at the time so I had a tuxedo.” Then a few years ago, Rev. Billy and the choir decided to pile into biodiesel buses to take spread their stop shopping gospel across the country!

The trip has Rev. Billy preaching and the choir singing in churches, Starbucks stores (Rev. Billy’s now banned from entering California Starbucks stores), TV shows, The Mall of America — and even Disneyland! The activists even construct a makeshift confessional to let people confess their shopping sins. And Rev. Billy gets arrested. A lot.

Through it all, we see the effects of overconsumption in America, from too-eager shoppers getting carried out in stretchers after a trampling, to a Christmas shopper who declares “I don’t care if I go broke — It’s for my kids” (but then how will they eat after Christmas?!), to children who learn to see material goods as symbols of love.

Of course, Rev. Billy and the choir members aren’t against all shopping. Says one member: “You can certainly have a conscience about shopping…. Just explore the options. That’s all we ask.” In fact, the message of the Church of Stop Shopping’s more to stop and think before shopping — about the effects of Disneyland’s Main Street that sells only goods made in China, the Wal-Mart-ification of small towns that closes down mom and pop shops, the abundance of malls contrasted with the lack of sidewalks and public spaces in many places (says one activist: “You’re either trespassing or you’re buying”).

What Would Jesus Buy? is a perfect film to watch today, Buy Nothing Day — especially if you have a Netflix account, in which case you can watch the film instantly online for free. No Netflix? You can buy the DVD for $24.95 — and maybe even arrange a screening in your town in preparation for the holidays. Below’s the trailer:

Rev. Billy’s been keeping busy since the film — most recently running for Mayor of New York. And according to his Twitter account, Rev. Billy’s been busy not shopping today: “Just home from Macy’s 5 AM crush, Life After Shopping choir sang, swept back through Rockettes inside door, preaching against Consumerism.”

Earlier:
>> Inspirations to spend less this season without feeling deprived
>> Survival post-Thanksgiving

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>> The tiny screen:  GoodGuide’s got a new iPhone app — that scans barcodes! Basically, you can just  point your iPhone camera at the barcode to get an instant rating on how “good” your product is, socio-environmentally. Earlier: GoodGuide: Products get green scores sans greenwash.

>> The small screen: MSNBC will air Future Earth: 100 Heartbeats, which follows naturalist Jeff Corwin as he explores 7 countries on 4 continents and talks about the “Sixth Extinction” — the extinction of many animal species happening right now due to human actions. The preview seems very doom and gloom — though with great footage of endangered animals. Watch it Sun., Nov. 22 at 5 pm or 8 pm.

>> The big screen: Movie popcorn’s a very efficient artery clogger. Watched 2012 at L.A. Live’s Regal movie theater last night? If you gobbled down a medium popcorn while taking in scenes of global disaster, then you made a disastrous decision for your health — because you ingested 1,200 calories and 3 days worth of saturated fat while sitting still.

I know what you’re thinking: But I ate a large! If so, click through because there’s good news for you –

Image via GoodGuide

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So you didn’t see that well-reviewed green film in the theaters because you didn’t want to fork over $12 for a ticket — and didn’t rent it either because you decided to spend the $4 on snacks and watch TV instead. Well, thanks to Hulu still being free and Netflix’s “Play on computer” options, you can watch the great green documentaries you missed RIGHT NOW — without spending a cent (assuming you’re a Netflix member)!

I know, I know — A lot of eco-docus can be depressing. That’s why I’ve picked out the 3 funniest, most entertaining ones for you! These are films that’ll make you laugh while learning — and maybe even get you motivated to take some eco-action after watching the movie too. So block out an evening this week for a funny green triple-header:

The Yes Men on Hulu. Watch the original The Yes Men film, which follows two socially-progressive pranksters that impersonate high level business executives and government officials — and usually get away with it! — to make serious yet hilarious points. Click through for everything from business suits with inflatable phalluses to a scheme for feeding poop to the hungry!

No, this isn’t the Yes Men film you’ve been hearing a lot about lately. That’s The Yes Men Fix the World and is still in theaters though no longer in L.A. — which means you can’t see it free on Hulu yet. But watching this free original will make you want to save your money to see this new film — or wait with bated breath until it shows up for free viewing on Hulu or Netflix.

King Corn on Netflix. This boys-meet-corn documentary begins cornily — when two best friends “decide to move to Iowa to grow an acre of corn – after finding out (through laboratory hair analysis) that their bodies were made primarily out of….corn,” as Sustainable Table describes it.

From that funny beginning, King Corn goes on to show just how much corn Americans are eating — and how that corniness is affecting our agriculture, our tax dollars, our health, and our environment. The two friends perform a lot of funny antics — including making and tasting their own corn syrup! Don’t try this at home –

Super Size Me on Hulu. An oldie but a goodie, Super Size Me follows Morgan Spurlock on his self-enforced McDonald’s-food-only diet — a diet that makes him pack on the pounds, develop a sugar addiction of sorts, and get pretty depressed to boot.

The film ties in nicely with King Corn — which shows exactly why super sized fast food meals are so cheap and ubiquitous! Morgan’s also made a more recent entertaining documentary — Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? — though that one isn’t on Hulu. Yet.

Already watched all 3 films? Hulu and Netflix do have a few other free films you can watch instantly, but I must warn you that they’re not going to be as funny. Still, all are informative!

>> The Future of Food is “an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade.” On Hulu.

>> A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash examines “the world’s dependency on oil and the impending chaos that’s sure to follow when the resource is dry.” On Netflix.

>> Blue Gold “posits that we’re moving closer to a world in which water — a seemingly plentiful natural resource — could actually incite war.” On Netflix.

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Haven’t seen No Impact Man yet? Then catch a free screening of the film — about No Impact Man Colin Beavan and his family’s efforts to bring their carbon footprint down to zero — right before the holidays and get motivated to buy less and enjoy life more this season.

The free screenings are organized thanks to No Impact Man’s No Impact Project, which has joined forces with the nonprofit Center for a New American Dream to show the films to people across the U.S. during the two weeks of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, from Dec. 7 – 18. Why watch the film in December? Writes Colin:

Every year, growing numbers of us are unhappy with the shopping frenzy that surrounds the holidays but most of us don’t know how to get off the treadmill. What if we worked together to find another way to celebrate?

After the screenings, you’ll get to talk holiday spending, environmentalism, and personal happiness with your neighbors. The L.A. screening happens Dec. 7, so RSVP for the screening now — or sign up to host your own event by emailing stephanie@noimpactproject.org.

Earlier:
Film Review: No Impact Man — The sustainable joys of sustainable living
An Interview with No Impact Man, Colin Beavan — Finding eco-happiness
Book Review: No Impact Man — Freedom’s just another word …

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Angelenos apparently can’t get enough of green films, because we have about a green film festival a month in this town. Following closely on the heels of Blue Planet Film Fest, Bicycle Film Festival, and the green Downtown Film Festival comes The Green Screen Environmental Film Festival & Salon, promising 4 days of films and fun.

When: Thurs., Nov. 19 – Sun., Nov. 22
Where: Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice in Los Angeles
Cost: Some events and screenings are free (keep reading below), but in general, pay $5 per screening, $10 for 3 screenings, or $15 for a festival pass excluding special events. Get tickets through Brown Paper Tickets.

Produced by the Electric Lodge — a performance, visual, and educational center in Venice with an environmental mission — the goal of Green Screen is to use “the power of film to bridge distances and reveal our common deep connection to our planet and each other.” Festival films — grouped into 6 programs with themes like “blue water” and “green earth”– will screen all afternoon on Saturday and Sunday — but lots of other fun and free events are happening outside the screening rooms.

In fact, Green Screen will kick off off with a free Sustainable Drive-In on Thursday, when everyone’s invited to a free outdoor solar-powered screening of Flipper , preceded by a concert by Tom Freund. The kid-friendly event will offer face-painting and a “giant jumper” — which I assume to be something like a bouncy house.

Then on Friday, the film fest will celebrate Amazon Night with live Brazilian music and dance — followed by a screening of Crude. Cost: $12 ($10 for the screening only, $5  for the performance only).

A free Celebrate Earth environment and arts fair happens Saturday from 10 am – 6 pm, featuring food, games, entertainment, local arts and crafts, shopping from eco-vendors, and a mini-electric car show.

On Sunday, festival goers will be able to burn off all the organic snacks they’ve eaten by joining the Watershed Bike Ride to cycle from the upper Santa Monica watershed to the Ballona Wetlands to the Electric Lodge — to fill up again with a brunch. Cost: $20 for the bike tour, brunch and reusable water bottle.

Go for the films, the fair — or the free reusable water bottles given out to the 100 first people at the Saturday fair!

Image via Electric Lodge

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