>> Learn about sustainable design and architecture at Sustainable 20|10 – 20 people, 10 slides, “an inspiring evening of twenty people presenting ten images of innovative sustainable design and architecture.” The event begins Thurs., Feb. 25 at 7 pm at SPF:a Gallery, 8609 Washington Blvd., Culver City. RSVP to will@aialosangeles.org.

>> Join the last Malibu Public Beaches Safaris by The Los Angeles Urban Rangers! On Sat. Feb. 27, the rangers will offer three FREE 1.5-hour mini-safaris, taking off at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm. You don’t even need to sign up — Just show up at the public beach accessway between 22140-22126 Pacific Coast Highway (~.5 mis west of Carbon Canyon Rd. and ~1 mi. east of Malibu pier). Rain cancels the safaris. Earlier: Malibu Public Beach Safaris: Why activists should chill on the beach this summer.

>> L.A. Council President Eric Garcetti wants you to join him for a Day of Beautification in Echo Park. Meet on Sat., Feb. 27 at the Walgreen’s parking lot in Echo Park (northwest corner of Sunset Boulevard and Echo Park Avenue) at 8:45 am, nibble on refreshments and get instructions, then clean up the hood for 2 hours.

>> Take a crash course on Small-Space Food Gardening with gardening expert Darren Butler, who’ll teach you how to grow food even if you don’t have a garden plot. The day-long class happens Sat., Feb. 27 from 8:45 am – 4:30 pm. Cost: $100, or $85 if you pay before Feb. 19. Earlier: Fresh Food From Small Spaces – Balcony gardens, simplified.

>> Cut back on your water bill by taking Greywater 101 with Leigh Jerrard, founder of California Greywater Corps, who’ll show you how to reuse waste water from bathtubs, showers, bathroom sinks and laundry for landscape irrigation. The lesson begins Sat., Feb. 27 from 2 pm – 4 pm on the east side; RSVP to Julie at contactgbf@gmail.com for the exact address. Cost: $25.

>> Planning a green wedding? The FREE Champagne & Cupcakes Eco-Bridal Trunk Show presented by Copper Willow Paper Studio will feature eco-friendly wedding vendors and resources, green wedding and event experts, creative tutorials and demos, dessert and hors d’oeuvres tasting, and hourly prizes and giveaways. Be there Mon., March 1 from 4 pm – 8 pm at Copper Willow Paper Studio & Collection, 8530 Washington Blvd., Culver City. RSVP required to info@copperwillow.com or 310.836.6004. Earlier: Copper Willow – Gorgeous green letterpress holiday cards from Culver City. Earlier: Soi-Meme: Eco-weddings made economical.

>> See eco-celebs at Global Green USA’s 7th Annual Pre-Oscar Party. Famous actors attend, and famous musicians perform, at this annual eco-event and fundraiser — but would-be attendees should be warned that last year, the party got so full ticket holders had to stand in line for hours to get in. Perhaps they’ll be better organized this year. The party begins Wed., March 3 at 8 pm at Avalon Hollywood, 1735 Vine St., Los Angeles. Cost: $75.

>> The Green LA Coalition’s put together a workshop on Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programs: Community Benefits, Workforce Opportunities & Challenges (PDF). Learn about everything from broader environmental implications of retrofits to direct benefits for building owners and apartment renters on Thurs., March 4, 9 am to noon at The California Endowment, 1000 N. Alameda, Los Angeles. RSVP to szabanal@greenlacoalition.org by Feb. 26.

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>> Kick off the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk project by attending the Community workshop. The project is hoped to “enliven the Los Angeles River in the City of Glendale and explore non-motorized connectivity with Los Angeles – both south to North Atwater and across the river to Griffith Park.” Be there with your best ideas on Thurs., Feb. 18 from 7 pm – 8:30 pm at the Pacific Community Center, 501 S. Pacific Ave., Glendale.

>> Don’t miss Metro’s first Bicycle Roundtable, happening Fri., Feb. 19 from 2 pm – 4 pm in the Windsor Conference Room on the 15th floor of Metro, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles.

>> Newport Beach is having a FREE EcoCelebration, complete with free wine and beer, food, green products for sale, and electric car test drives. Be there on Feb. 20 from 11 am – 6 pm at the Newport Fun Tours building, 2122 Newport Blvd, Newport Beach.

>> Westside bicycle co-op Bikerowave’s throwing a BikeRoParty 3.0, in celebration of its third birthday. Stop by on Feb. 20 after 1 pm to work on your bike for free, then get ready to party after 7 pm with free food and drinks, taco truck tacos, and a disco dance party. Bikerowave’s at 12255 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles.

>> Get on your bike for the Creek Freak River Bike Tour, and see the L.A. River up close! Organized as part of C.I.C.L.E.’s Urban Expedition, the ride “will be a leisurely-paced ~2-hour ride, a little riding on streets, but mostly on the Los Angeles River bike path” according to C.I.C.L.E. The free event happens on Sat., Feb. 20 from noon to 3:30 pm. Meet up at the L.A. River Center, 570 W. Avenue 26, Los Angeles.

>> California Assemblywoman Karen Bass wants you to join her for the Greening Project & Clean-Up of Ballona Creek. Meet Karen — who, BTW, is the first African American woman elected speaker of the California State Assembly — and your neighbors on Sun., Feb. 21 from 10 am – 12:30 pm. Meet up at the Overland Avenue Ballona Creek Bike Path Entrance, across from the Culver City Julian Dixon Library, 4975 Overland Ave., Culver City. RSVP requested at 323.937.4747 or roxane.ojeda@asm.ca.gov.

>> Sign up to take a Green Living Workshop with Santa Monica nonprofit Sustainable Works. Workshop participants meet once a week for 6 weeks to learn all about shrinking your carbon footprint. The next round of classes begin early March; pick from Mon., Tues., or Wed. night meetings. Cost: $25 for Santa Monica residents, $50 for L.A. residents.

Images via Bikerowave on Facebook and asmdc.org

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In case you haven’t heard: The Expo Line’s got the go ahead to prepare to roll out to Santa Monica — unless the project gets derailed into court.

Plans for the long-awaited light rail line got a boost yesterday, when the Expo construction authority cleared the second phase of the project, allowing design and construction plans to progress. Streetsblog LA’s Damien Newton has a detailed account and analysis of the meeting.

The first phase of the Expo line, which broke ground in 2006, goes from downtown Los Angeles south to USC then west to Culver City. It’s also $220 million over its original budget and more than a year behind schedule, according to the L.A. Times. The line’s expected to open partially this summer, with the Culver City station hoped to be running by the end of 2011 or the beginning of 2012.

The second phase would connect Culver City to Santa Monica, with construction hopefully beginning at the end of this year and the Santa Monica stations opening — some day in the future.

While many westsiders eagerly seek this car-free alternative to travel, the Expo line’s been besieged with various groups arguing against at-grade crossings in their neighborhoods. An organization called Neighbors for Smart Rail wants the Expo line to go underground at Overland and Sepulveda, for example, citing noise, safety, and other issues. More Expo-friendly groups like Friends 4 Expo, however, have pointed out that the Environmental Impact Report done on the project didn’t show safety concerns at-grade, and argue that an underground tunnel would make construction a lot more expensive, potentially jeopardizing the rail project. According to Steve Hymon at Metro’s blog The Source:

Expo Line officials say that the cost of putting the tracks under Overland and Westwood would be an additional $224 million. Bridging over the two streets — which would likely create aesthetic concerns for neighbors — would cost $66 million. No source of money has yet been found for those upgrades; the line is currently going to be paid for with $925 million from the Measure R sales tax increase voters approved in 2008 and about $600 million in state and local funds.

Streetsblog LA wonders if Neighbors for Smart Rail will sue now that the project’s going forward — but perhaps a motion to study whether or not to elevate the crossing at Sepulveda that passed at the meeting will have appeased the group enough to keep the project out of court. Another motion pushed back the decision on whether to have a parking lot or a park space at Westwood Station. Both those battles will come up at a future Expo meeting.

Image via Metro’s The Source

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>> L.A. City Council voted to develop a cyclist anti-harassment ordinance. Councilman Bill Rosendahl introduced the ordinance and says he wants to see “an ordinance that has teeth in it” by the end of March. Read Damien Newton’s post at Streetsblog L.A. for more details on the timeline for this ordinance.

>> Comment on the draft pedestrian and bicycle facilities network for the Culver City Bike and Pedestrian Initiative! (via Be a Green Commuter)

The downloadable PDF documents are rather confusing: A “network memo” provides definitions the new and proposed bike and ped”facilities” — ranging from bike lanes to “pedestrian improvement corridors” — while the Bicycle Network Map and Pedestrian Network Map show via colorful maps where these facilities are, or hopefully will be in the future.

Weigh in on the draft at a public workshop on Sat., Jan. 30 from 10 am – 1 pm at or submit your comments online.

>> Biking in Long Beach is about to get a lot more pleasant. L.A. Times reports:

At a time when cities are cutting expenses across the board, Long Beach has raised $17 million in state and federal grants to improve its bike system through traffic improvements, education and bike share programs. In the next six months, the city will be resurfacing 20 miles of streets to include new bike lanes, part of a plan that includes painting and paving more than 100 miles of bike infrastructure.

>> Locked out by bike gates after the rains? Joe Linton at L.A. Creek Freak shares how to get the bike gates open so you can ride free through the clean, post-rain air.

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>> The Culver CityBus added a new line yesterday: The Rapid 6 (PDF). Like the regular 6, the Rapid 6 line runs from UCLA to the Metro Green Line mainly on Sepulveda Blvd., but makes fewer stops and offers an extended route to the Metro Green Line station. Expect it to arrive every 15 minutes on weekdays during rush hour. (via Be a Green Commuter)

>> Streetsblog LA looks back at the good times in 2009, from the happy death of L.A.’s bicycle licensing program to proposed LOS requirements. Don’t know what LOS is? Click over to find out — and revisit Streetsblog LA again soon to hear about the worst of times.

>> In the latest issue of NRDC’s magazine On Earth, one Lauren Gravitz waxes lyrical about the valley’s Orange Line. The article seems to unintentionally bash rail a bit in its heady support of bus rapid transit, but is still a pretty uplifting read.

Photo by ax2groin

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Heard about Concord., Calif.’s money-saving — and sad and brown — Christmas tree? I took a little walk today to find a similar friend in my own ‘hood — Santa Monica’s slightly sad Christmas tree! A treehugging neighbor must have planted the scraggly yet still living tree recently.

For the rest of you — unless you went the rental or eco-reusable route — it’s time for treecycling. Don’t just set it in your alleyway at random as that’s illegal, as per L.A. Municipal Code 57.21.06! Dry trees can create a fire hazard.

Ready to part with your holiday tree? Every city in the L.A. area has its own set of rules — so follow the guidelines for your ‘hood. Remember to take off all decorations from your tree to reuse next year — That’ll also help make the chipping and mulching process go more smoothly.

Beverly Hills: Put your tree next to your trash bin on trash collection day.

Culver City: Put your tree next to your trash bin on any trash collection day before Jan 31.

Los Angeles: You’ve got 3 options:

1) Place the tree next to your green bin or the street’s curbside for collection on trash collection day,
2) Chop up the tree and put it in your green bin, or
3) Haul the tree to one of many drop off sites on Sat., Jan. 2 – Sun., Jan. 3 between 9 am – 4 pm.

Pasadena: You’ve got two options (PDF):

1) Place your tree at the curb before 7 am on your trash collection day between Jan. 4 – Jan. 15, or
2) Drop off your tree at one of two sites: Eaton Blanche Park (3100 E. Del Mar Blvd.) or Robinson Park (1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave.) between Dec. 28, 2009 – Jan. 2, 2010 from 7 am – 2 pm.

Santa Monica: You’ve got three options:

1) Drag your tree to Clover Park (25th and Ocean Park), Douglas Park (Chelsea and Wilshire), Christine Emerson Reed Park (Lincoln and California), or Los Amigos Park (5th and Hollister) any time during the month of January.
2) Drop off the tree at the City of Santa Monica Transfer Station at 2401 Delaware Ave. during 6 am – 2 pm, Mon. – Sat., or
3) Chop up your tree and put it in your green bin, if you have one.

West Hollywood: Put your tree next to your trash bin on any trash collection day on or before Jan 16.

My neighbors are apparently really happy to declare Christmas done, because the Santa Monica park near me’s already a tree graveyard!

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Were you at the The Great L.A. Walk Saturday? I joined the annual many-mile trek down major thoroughfare (or two)  of the sprawling metropolis on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. This year, the Walk was a 14-or-so-mile trek starting at the Shrine Auditorium.

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Evites or simple recycled paper cards printed with veggie-based inks will do for most environmentalists, but if you’re looking for uber-green, uber-personal cards, browse the gorgeous cards and stationery at Copper Willow Paper Studio, an eco-luxe letterpress company in Culver City.

We’re talking personally-designed cards printed on tree-free paper made from recycled cotton clothing without chlorine — printed with 100% soy ink by a local green company that uses old letterpress machines greased up with earth-friendly solvents. Copper Willow’s pushing the envelope when it comes to eco-friendly stationery — and the recycled cotton paper’s the company’s latest addition to its green product line, which also offers cards made with 100% post-consumer recycled paper or cotton linter paper.

“Cotton paper is always made out of the refuse from the clothing industry,” says Leora West Mauck, Copper Willow’s business director, “so we’re keeping that cotton out of the landfill. And because [cotton paper] becomes paper-like — it goes from fiber to actual paper pulp — it can then be recycled. So you’re taking refuse from the clothing industry, using it once, then when you recycle it, it goes back into recycled paper.”

The cotton paper cards have a soft but durable texture — and look gorgeous printed with designs by Jill Ondercin Velez, Copper Willow’s creative director. For added flourish, cards can be decorated or tied with hand-dyed recycled silks, colorful hemp twines, or recycled paper ribbons. Plus Copper Willow also offers liners, trim, crystals, and even calligraphy.  And of course the envelopes are eco-friendly too, whether they’re made from recycled paper bags or 30 – 100% post-consumer recycled paper.

As you may have expected, extremely green, highly-crafted, individualized cards don’t exactly come cheap, since the amount of creativity and labor that goes into each card’s not inconsiderable. Custom orders, with a 7-day turnaround, start at $376 for 100 cards. Can’t afford that price? Copper Willow also offers still-gorgeous but more affordable, pre-boxed cards that you can buy online and in stores across the U.S. — or at Livingreen stores during the holiday season — for $16 per box of 8.

Stop by Livingreen at 10000 Culver Blvd. in Culver City  on Sat., Nov. 21, where Copper Willow’s pop up shop will offer custom holiday cards and consultations from noon to 6 pm. You’ll be able to browse through the design albums then design a card on the spot — and even get professional family portraits taken in store for personalized photo cards. Call Livingreen at 310.838.8442 to make an appointment for this or any Saturday through Dec. 23.

Can’t make it to the store on Saturday? Make a personal appointment with Copper Willow.

Copper Willow Paper Studio. 4236 Overland Ave., Culver City. 310.237.5809. info@copperwillow.com. By appointment Tues – Sat.

Top and bottom images via Copper Willow

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The Los Angeles Bicycle Master Plan’s getting all the buzz, but Burbank, Pasadena, and Culver City are all working on their bike master plans too! If you live in or bike through that ‘hood, don’t miss the meetings:

>> City of Burbank Bicycle Master Plan Update Community Meeting happens Thurs., Oct. 1 from 6 pm – 8 pm at the Community Services Building, First Floor Community Room 150 N. Third St., Burbank.

>> An open meeting about the City of Pasadena Bicycle Master Plan happens Thurs., Oct. 1 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 mp at Jackie Robinson Center, 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena.

>> Culver City Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Workshop happens Sat., Oct. 3 from 10 am – 1 pm at Garden Room, Veterans Memorial Auditorium, 4117 Overland Ave, Culver City.

And don’t forget: the L.A. Bicycle Master Plan meetings happen:

>> Harbor Area: Thurs., Oct. 22, 5 pm – 7 pm at Peck Park, 560 N. Western Ave., San Pedro.

>> Central/South Los Angeles: Sat., Oct. 24, 10 am – noon at Exposition Park – Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Regional Library, 3900 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles.

>> San Fernando Valley: Mon., Oct. 26, 5 pm – 7 pm at Marvin Braude-San Fernando Valley Constituent Services Center, Conference Room 1B, 6262 Van Nuys Blvd, Van Nuys.

>> West Los Angeles: Wed., Oct. 28 from 5 pm – 7 pm at Felicia Mahood Multi Purpose Center, 11338 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles.

Hopefully, more community meetings will be scheduled in addition to those with the help of local transit groups and neighborhood councils.

Photo of cyclists touring the future Expo Line on Bike to Work Day by Damien Newton

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>> Support Trash for Teaching, an eco-nonprofit that upcycles discarded stuff into educational materials and projects. Trash for Teaching’s benefit event Let’s Talk Trash, which’ll feature appetizers and half-priced drinks, happens Thurs., June 25 from 6 pm – 9 pm at Rush Street, 9546 Washington Blvd., Culver City. Cover: $20, all of which goes to Trash for Teaching programs. RSVP to kathy@trashforteaching.org.

>> This month’s Car Free Fridays event will “spotlight roads we want prioritized in the Bike Plan, painted with Sharrows in and around Silverlake and Echo Park,” according to the L.A. County Bicycle Coalition. Meet at 8 am at Sunset Junction at the corner of Sandborn and Sunset on Friday, June 26, 8 am.

>> NorthEast Trees will have a Tree Planting & Community Day of Service — plus a citrus tree adoption for L.A. residents — on Sat., June 27, from 8 am – 1 pm at 850 N. Mission St., Los Angeles. Contact Simran at simran@northeasttrees.org for more info. Update: Mayor Villaraigosa will be a-planting here.

>> Diverted Destruction 2, a second annual recycled art show, will have its opening reception on Sat., June 27 from 7 pm – 11 pm at The Loft at Liz’s, 453 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles.

>> A second green exhibit’s happening Saturday: Conservation photographer Robert McGinley’s exhibit “Topography, Light and Magic” will feature photographs of threatened wetlands, woodlands, farmland and prairies — with sales from the exhibit benefiting Heal the Bay and Santa Monica Baykeeper. The opening reception happens Sat., June 27 from 6 pm – 9 pm at Blue Seven Gallery, 3129 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica.

>> Get ready for the Los Angeles Business Council 3rd Annual Sustainability Summit (PDF). Dubbed “Building a Green Economy, Transportation & Innovation,” speakers this year include U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa, and leaders from LA DWP, Metro, and green companies. It all happens on Mon., June 29, from 7:30 am – 3 pm in the Harold M. Williams Auditorium at The Getty. Register online. Cost: $135 – $300 per ticket.

Image via theloftatlizs.com

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