- Clyde Butcher photograph via Florida Arts

>> This year, learn how to save money, conserve our natural resources, make your home more energy efficient and save water with Sustainable Works  6-week Green Living Workshop. First day in the workshop series starts on Wed., Jan 18 from 7-8:30 pm at the Santa Monica Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica. Cost: free for Santa Monica residents, though there is a $25 suggested donation for the 6 weeks, and $50 for non-residents. Register online.

>> “Exploring Solutions for Sharps” explores sustainable solutions to waste management of household generated sharps (needles and syringes). The workshop brings academics, NGOs, governments, retailers, manufacturers, recyclers and waste management companies together to explore the problem and solutions. Takes place Wed., Jan 18 from 9am – 4pm at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, Bob and Delores Hope Conference Rooms A & B, 501 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank. Cost: free with online registration.

>> Celebrate the new year and set your eco-resolutions for 2012 at the 2012 Eco-Resolutions Party hosted by LA Green Drinks, Sustainable Works this Thu., Jan 19 from 7-10 pm at Essentia, 2430 Main St., Santa Monica. Cost: $5 suggested donation.

>> Tree People is hosting a community sustainability workshop on how to plant and prune trees, capture and save water, and attract beneficial pollinators like bees and birds this Sat., Jan 21 from 9 am – 1 pm at their headquarters in Coldwater Canyon. Cost: free. Register online by Wed., Jan 18 to attend.

>> Join the opening reception and artist talk for photographer Clyde Butcher, whose work showcases spectacular images of the Florida everglades and other American wilderness areas. Reception takes place this Sat., Jan 20 from 6:30 – 9 pm and the artist talk takes place this Sun., Jan 21 at 7:30 pm at G2 Gallery, 1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice. Cost: $5.

>> The City of South Gate is preparing a Bicycle Transportation Plan! As the first step, a public forum is being held to hear what the community needs are; for programs, for bike paths, for bike facilities and parking and problems currently faced by those who ride in South Gate and how to make the community safer and more bicycle friendly. Everyone is welcome, and childcare will be available. Takes place this Sat., Jan. 21 at 10 am at the South Gate Senior Center, 4855 Tweedy Blvd, South Gate.

>> Join local homeowners, community leaders and solar experts for complimentary refreshments and an exciting announcement about new funding to put solar panels on up to 3,000 residential rooftops in key markets including Los Angeles County this Sat., Jan 21 from 2-4 pm at the PermaCity Solar Showroom, 5570 West Washington Blvd., Los Angeles. Cost: free with online registration.

>> Please join the CicLAvia South LA Host Committee for an exploration ride for extending CicLAvia through South LA. Free bike maintenance will be available from the Bikerowave as will a training on how to use one’s phone during a bike ride to promote public cycling efforts. Roll out this Sun., Jan 22 from 10 am – 2 pm. Meet at Augustus Hawkins Natural Park, 5790 Compton Ave., Los Angeles. The ride ends at Watts Towers. Email Tafarai@trustsouthla.org for any questions. Cost: free.

Thanks to five friends’ birthdays, the completion of a PhD, and the end of Emerald City, I had lots and lots of occasions to give — So this final day of the second 29-Day Giving Challenge is actually a list of gifts given but not yet mentioned –

Me: Every guy should have a good flask.
Summer: Every guy over 30 should have a good flask.

Matt turned 30 on Tues — and got a flask from me (actually, I think it’s still en route).

Gina too had her birthday on Tues; we celebrated with drinks and food at Bodega –

Tony gets these Sol Tumblers — made of recycled beer bottles and smallishly perfect for orange juice — for all his support and help with the Emerald City blog since he became the editor of all the blogs at LATimes.com.

Happy summer everyone! Kick off the new season by taking the 29-Day Giving Challenge yourself!

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A pair of Acquarella nail polishes — pink and white — go to Katie, as a thanks for writing about yummy food and the farmers’ market in Emerald City.

Acquarella’s a water-based nail polish that avoids many of the toxic stuff in conventional nail polishes. I reviewed it here.

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Today’s giveaway is a pink pouch of “Fairy Dust” from Sprinkles of Magic. I think the idea’s to give it to kids to play with, though I suppose you could use the sprinkles to decorate home made cards and stuff.

I got the dust in shwag bag from eco-boutique Visionary‘s opening party. What’s eco about it? According to the tag, the fairy dust’s made of 80% scrap material — shredded cellophane, remnants of packaging and bags, and other miscellaneous bits. “The remainder 20% is confetti including the glow in the dark confetti, pink moons and stars,” says Kimberly Nelson of Sprinkles of Magic.

So I don’t recommend giving it to kids who might put it in their mouths. Comment or email by Friday to get into the drawing, which’ll happen Saturday. US addresses only.

A “sea glass” (aka greenish) Jimi — the recycled and recyclable compact wallet — goes to Kathryn Pope, as a thanks for writing about her de-car-ing adventures on Emerald City.

Kathryn got a motorboard, a bus pass, and a love for a car-free lifestyle after her old car broke down. She’s actually gotten rid of the motorboard — “Apparently, I’m just too hard on the thing to keep it working,” she says — but is now biking and loving it.

Want your own Jimi? I got this one via my friend Summer’s eco-boutique, BTC Elements.

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Update, 11/17/08: Kathryn’s now got her own blog — and has de-car’d entirely!

A red (different from pic) Jimi — the recycled and recyclable compact wallet — goes to Cassandra, as a thanks for writing about her Valley girl take on L.A. sprawl in Emerald City.

Want your own Jimi? I got this one via my friend Summer’s eco-boutique, BTC Elements.

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A blue “Ebb and Flow” organic cotton T-shirt goes to Alex Thompson, as a thank you for writing fun bicycle activist posts at Emerald City.

Alex actually covered pretty much all you need to know to become an uber-biker in L.A. Don’t see why you should bike? Alex has 8 billion reasons why. Don’t have a bike yet? Here’s a two-parter on how to find one that’ll work for you. Want to become a bike activist? Just follow steps one, two, and three.

Thanks to Alex for all the bicycling encouragement and advice. You can get ebb and flow and other eco-friendly T-shirts at Summer’s boutique, BTC Elements.

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Barent, Green Drinks organizer, also is a green design expert and teaches a sustainable packaging class at the Art Institute of California. Yesterday, the students had their final presentation — and Summer and I sat in as guest critics.

Each student presented 3 different eco-product packaging ideas for RadioShack products — some of which were really innovative and professional-looking! All was great except one aspect: It all kicked off at an hour I rarely experience: 7:30 am….

This is the first gift of time from me in this challenge! Thanks to Barent for inviting me — and for the Clif bars and for lunch at Mrs Winston’s Green Grocery post-critique.

Photos by Summer Bowen

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Today’s giveaway is a Hero Bag, made of 80% recycled cotton scraps (pre-consumer) and 20% recycled plastic bottles.

This Hero Bag’s a cute, sturdy woman-designed bag that’s fairly-made in the US using 100% reclaimed materials, from a woman-founded Cali (local for me) company. I reviewed the eco-friendly bags here.

Comment or email by Sunday to get into the drawing, which’ll happen Monday. US addresses only.

This challenge has become less about giving something away each day for 29 days and more about giving away 29 things at random intervals during a 29-day period….

Gift 18: A glass of white wine for Gina at Bodega wine bar — to welcome her back to L.A., at least for the summer while she’s taking a break from engineering classes at MIT.

Gift 20: A lemon drop plus dinner and a movie ticket for Sarah, who had a birthday last week! To celebrate a bit belatedly, a group of us went to see Sex & the City at The Bridge. We picked that theater because it has a bar — but the service was sadly really horrendous. Still, the movie was fun –

I got a gift too, from Kristen, for getting my PhD. She gave me a lil figurine — I think because I got a bit obsessed with hers the last time I went over to her place.

I’ve named her Miel (for mini Siel) — She now dutifully blogs beside me –

Gift 19, BTW, was the Wednesday freebie!

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