>> Los Angeles Bioneers is hosting Shannon Biggs who will talk about her work on passing a “Sustainability Bill of Rights” ordinance in Santa Monica, which would strip personhood rights from corporations and give rights to ecosystems instead. Takes place Tue., Jan 31 at 7 pm at G2 Gallery, 1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice. Cost: free with RSVP to srnichols@mac.com.

>> The LA Bicycle Coalition needs volunteers to help count cars parked in the new Spring St. bike lane to provide LAPD with accurate data during the morning and afternoon commutes this Tue., Jan. 31 to Thu., Feb 2 along Spring St. in downtown Los Angeles. Exact times are flexible. Cost: free. Email martin@la-bike.org to volunteer.

>> Do you home-make, home-grow, and/or forage your own food creations? If so, come trade them at the LA Food Swap, next Thu., Feb 9 from 7-9 pm at ReForm School, 3902 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. Cost: free with pre-registration. Register now as space is limited.

>> Arcona is hosting a free facial experience with their new mandarin orange brightening peel. Free champagne and brownies from Sweets for the Soul will be served. Enjoy the fun this Sat., Feb. 4 from 12-4 pm at Evolue, 357 1/2 S. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills. Cost: free with rsvp to info@evoluebeauty.com.

>> The LA County Bicycle Coalition is organizing 3 three different rides for various cycling abilities to the Watts Towers! All rides will reach the Watts Towers, where you’ll get the chance to take a tour if you choose. All rides take place this Sun., Feb. 5. The 49 and 37-mile rides meet at 8 am and ride at 8:30 am, leaving from Dock 52, 13555 Fiji Way, Marina del Rey. The 10-mile ride meets at 10 am and rides at 10:30 am and meets at Jesse Owens Park, 9651 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles. Cost: free.

If you’re like me, you refer to Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep cosmetic safety database before you buy any beauty or personal care product. The easy-to-search database provides quick safety scores for thousands of products, warning you if the mascara you’re considering’s full of toxic chemicals — and pointing you to safer, greener options.

And if you’re like me, you get emails from Environmental Working Group all the time — asking for money. Each time I delete one of these I feel a small pang of guilt — because I use the Skin Deep database a lot more often than I give money to support the nonprofit that makes it.

Well — Tonight’s a good night to both assuage guilt and get pretty if you live in the Los Angeles area. The Skin Deep database recently relaunched after a cosmetic makeover, making searching for and self-education about beauty products a lot easier. And to celebrate the new do, Environmental Working Group’s teamed up with green beauty boutique Evolue in Beverly Hills to throw a celebratory relaunch party.

When: Wed., June 29, 7 pm to 9 pm

Where: Evolue, 357 1/2 S. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills

Cost: $20 donation at the door to Environmental Working Group

For your generosity in supporting Environmental Working Group, you’ll be rewarded with organic cocktails, snacks, and music from a live DJ. Plus, Alexandra Spunt, author of “No More Dirty Looks,” will introduce Skin Deep and stick around to sign books and answer your pressing green beauty questions.

Hope to see you there!

That’s why the news that building L.A.’s Subway to the Sea would only relieve traffic congestion by 1 percent doesn’t disappoint me at all. Once that subway gets built, it’s bye-bye to fighting traffic — and hello to hopping on a subway train that’ll get me from Union Station to UCLA — in just 25 minutes.

The 1 percent statistic was announced as part of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report for the Westside Subway Extension — or to put it in layperson’s terms, a draft study of how extending the Purple Line down Wilshire (and perhaps the Red Line through West Hollywood and Beverly Hills too) all the way to the beach would affect the city.

Even if you’re a diehard driver, there are good selfish reasons to support the Westside Subway Extension. Think a 1 percent improvement’s too measly an improvement to be worth pursuing? Zach Behrens at LAist points out that without the subway, traffic will get a whole lot worse instead of very slightly better: “Population growth means more vehicles on the road. Metro estimates about a 26% increase in daily vehicle miles traveled within the westside subway extension area.”

Ready to start riding the subway? Well, it’ll be a little while. Steve Hymon at Metro’s The Source blog spells out just how long you may have to wait:

Under the long-range plan adopted by the Board of Directors of Metro last year, the subway would reach Fairfax by 2019, Century City by 2026 and Westwood by 2036 using a combination of Measure R sales tax money and federal funds. Why so long? Because the subway to Westwood is expected to cost about $4 billion and sales tax money flows into local coffers over time — not all at once. Measure R funds also have to fund a plethora of other projects promised to county voters.

However, there is a plan to speed up construction of the subway. The 30/10 Initiative being pursued by Metro — and backed by many other politicians, environmental, business and labor groups — would use federal loans and other financing to try to build 12 Measure R transit projects in the next 10 years. So there’s hope.

Want to help get the subway built sooner rather than later? Then you’ve got to get involved with making the Westside Subway Extension a reality. Read the executive summary of the draft EIR (PDF) — or if that 64-page PDF is just too painful, read Steve’s quick bullet points about the report at The Source.

Then get thee to one of the public meetings about the draft EIR! Those will happen from 6 pm – 8 pm on:

>> Mon., Sep. 20, LACMA West – Terrace Room, 5th Fl., 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.

>> Tue., Sep. 21, Westwood United Methodist Church – Fellowship Hall, 3rd Fl., 10497 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles

>> Wed., Sep. 22, Plummer Park – Community Center, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood.

>> Mon., Sep. 27, Roxbury Park – Auditorium, 471 S Roxbury Dr., Beverly Hills.

>> Wed., Sep. 29, Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica.

After Metro collects feedback until Oct. 18, Metro officials will select a route for construction on Oct. 28 — after which will come a final environmental impact report, followed by actual action to start building the subway (the process is more complicated than I’ve made it sound; see page 2 of the executive summary for the wonky details).

Earlier: Find out what the Subway to the Sea stations near you will look like

Images via Metro

Eco-beauty seekers had to start shopping online again when Abbot Kinney’s green beauty boutique Vie closed its doors. Now, they can just head over to Beverly Hills, where Vie’s former manager Jean Seo’s opened a brand new eco beauty boutique, Évolué.

At Évolué, Angelenos can find out about eco-chic organic, natural, and non-toxic beauty products — and sample them to make sure the goods are right for them before handing over credit card numbers. Évolué carries skin care products from some of my favorites like Arcona, greener hair care lines, and natural makeup. Plus, “Ecobrow” artist Marco Ochoa’s available by appointment.

Évolué is about “the evolution of green,” according to Jean. “I want to educate people further about what green means.” After all, everyone has different standards for what they consider green. Jean seeks to help people find the shade of green they’re looking for by offering a range of products at Évolué. For example, makeup lines range from the raw, food-grade organic RMS Beauty to the high organic content W3ll People to the natural Jane Iredale.

Évolué celebrated its grand opening on Saturday with an organic tequila-and-brownies party. The small boutique was packed with women getting brow threading from Marco, mini-facials from Arcona, and hair styling from Hamadi.

Jean (above, with Marco) says Évolué will launch its own skin care line in the fall. Like Palmetto, Évolué is a higher-end beauty boutique. Expect top-of-the-line eco-beauty products, with prices to match. Store hours are Tuesday through Sunday, from 11 am to 7:30 pm.

Évolué. 357 1/2 Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills. 310.289.1560.

This week, $5 will get you either a falafel wrap and an M Chopped salad (above; to-go only). Next week, it’s a 2 Salad Combo (below’s one pair of options — the Scarlet Quinoa Salad and the Sesame Soba Noodle Salad) or a Tofu Bento (to-go only).

Then the week of June 21, pick between the Breakfast Enchilada (breakfast hours only) or Double Chocolate Fudge Cake (below). My verdict on the cake: The refined-sugar-free dessert isn’t exactly rich, fudgy decadence — but a nibble-worthy delight if your health aspirations are somewhat stronger than your sweet tooth’s true desires.

Plus, all month, Green Tea Roll Cake will also be available for $5. Unfortunately, those cakes ran out before I got there during M Cafe’s anniversary fest on June 5, when all items on the menu were available for $5 and healthy foodies created a line longer than at Pink’s around the corner.

M Cafe does offer seafood dishes — some of which are sustainable — but it looks like all the $5 specials are vegan. So if you thought a Big Mac combo was your only option because you only have $5 in your wallet, head to M Cafe for delicious food that’s actually good for you and better for the environment too.

M Cafe de Chaya. 7119 Melrose Ave. Hollywood. 323.525.0588. Additional locations in Culver City (9343 Culver Blvd.) and Beverly Hills (9433 Brighton Way).