>> 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.

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>> Sustainable Works’ 2012 Los Angeles Green Living Workshops are back this year! Get solutions to some of today’s greatest environmental challenges and save money in the process. The first workshop is this Wed., Jan. 25 from 7 – 8:30 pm at G2 Gallery, 1503 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice. Cost: free for residents of Santa Monica and Los Angeles Districts 5 & 11. Register online.

>> Steve Glenn, founder and CEO of LivingHomes, gives the talk “High Design; Low Impact. Building LivingHomes” on modern, prefabricated homes that combine world-class architecture with an unparalleled commitment to healthy and sustainable construction this Wed., Jan 25 from 7-8 pm at CODA Experience Center, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., #133, Los Angeles. Cost free, though RSVP required: concierge@codaautomotive.com.

>> Find the freshest and most healthy ingredients, enjoy personally crafted foods from home cooks and local kitchens, and discover healing foods both old and new at Eat Well Market. They will feature hand-made and hand-grown foods from backyards and kitchens around LA. Join the fun Sat., Jan 29 from 12-3 pm at Camp Mariposa, 615 E. Mariposa St., Altadena. Cost: free.

>> Get a closer look at the precious resource right beneath our feet and learn about the science of soil with our experts at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles’ Sustainable Sundays this Sun., Jan. 29 from 9 am – 3:30 pm at 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles. Cost: free with museum admission. Tickets are $12 for adults, $5-8 for children.

>> 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 next Tue., Jan 31 at 7 pm at G2 Gallery, 1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice. Cost: free with RSVP to srnichols@mac.com.

>> Come learn about the money available to SoCal homeowners who make energy-saving improvements. There is currently up to $8000 available per household, with some of the rebates will expiring in March. $200 in rebates will be given away. Come for a presentation about the program with contractors available to answer questions next Tue., Jan. 31 from 6:30 – 8 pm. Cost: free.

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- 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.

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Image via Seafood for the Future

>> Come learn the secrets of experienced gardeners to grow your best garden yet! David King, with about 50 years of experience, will take you through the things you need to do to get your home vegetable garden started this year. Dress warm – and bring a cup if you want hot coffee or hot tea! The class takes place this Sat., Jan. 7 from 10 am – noon at the Venice Learning Garden (at Venice High School), located on Walgrove Avenue and Venice Blvd., Los Angeles. Park and enter on Walgrove Ave. Cost: $25.

>> The US Green Building Council-LA Chapter (USGBC-LA) and A Sustainable Kitchen present Everything You Want to Know about Sustainable Seafood but Did Not Know Who to Ask. This class will provide cooking lessons, Q&A and sustainability issues, and expert panel on environmental impacts of land and sea seafood farming practices and more. Class takes place this Sat., Jan. 7 from 3-5 pm at Surfas Test Kitchen, 8777 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City. Cost: $25 for USGBC-LA members, $40 for the general public. Cost of the class goes to support USGBC-LA.

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>> Come join Women of the Green Generation  for a special Women of the Green Generation Holiday Event. Large Marge Sustainables will provide organic foods and GQ Eco Bartending will serve up organic drinks. The event takes place this Thu. Dec. 15 from 7:00- 10:00 pm at a private home in Santa Monica. The address will be disclosed to registered guests. Cost: $10; visit their website to register.

>>  Heal the Bay is coordinating its fifth annual A Day Without a Bag, which urges consumers to forego environmentally harmful single-use plastic or paper grocery bags in favor of reusable totes. Visit one of the more than 60 Giveaway Locations this Thu., Dec. 15 for a free reusable bag. Cost: free.

>> The Los Angeles Bioneers will be screening the film The Big Fix, the newest documentary from the creators of Fuel. The Big Fix will be screened this Fri., Dec. 16 at 7 pm at the G2 Gallery at 1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice. Cost: free. If you want to attend, RSVP to srnichols@mac.com.

>> Cruise into the holiday spirit with C.I.C.L.E.’s 4th annual Holiday Toys and Mittens Ride, which will gather toys and warm articles of clothing for Burbank’s Salvation Army, to be given to local families and children through their Giving Tree. The relaxed-paced, 7.5 mile ride will stop at various sites in Burbank. Join the ride this Sat., Dec. 17 at 10 am at Burbank City Hall, 275 East Olive Ave., Burbank for a fun-filled and family friendly day. Cost: the ride is free, but please bring a toy or article of clothing to donate.

>> Freedom and Fashion, an organization dedicated to educating society about the global issues of modern day slavery, sex trafficking, child labor and human rights violation, is holding a fashion show featuring seven fair-trade lines. The event takes place this Sat., Dec. 17 from 6-10 pm at the Cooper Design Space Penthouse, 860 South Los Angeles Street, 11th Floor Penthouse, Los Angeles. Cost: Ticket prices range from $25-100 and are available online.

>> Join GOOD LA in creating a giant human infographic to attack L.A.’s traffic problem. Currently, 81 percent of Angelenos drive to work. On average, they spend 72 hours of that drive stuck in traffic every year. It’s time to take action. Come out this Sat, Dec. 17 at noon at the intersection of West 4th Street and South Figueroa Street in downtown LA. Cost: free. Be sure to RSVP if you would like to attend.

>> Genetically modified food is in the majority of our food items today. The FDA is allowing these foods to go untested and unlabeled. Culture Club 101 is hosting a GMO Labeling Signature Gathering Training to train people in how to gather signatures in order to put a proposition on next year’s ballot to label foods containing GMOs. The training takes place on Sun., Dec. 18 at 7 pm at Culture Club 101, 30 S. Wilson Avenue Pasadena. Cost: free. Reserve your space on their website.

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As mighty winds soared through Los Angeles earlier this month, a tall and elegant man stood in front of a transfixed crowd to talk about the magnificence of Yosemite National Park.

Photo courtesy of the event organizers

The man: Shelton Johnson, author of “Gloryland” and creator of the website Shadows in the Range of Light. The keynote speaker for an Environment California fundraiser, Shelton told the crowd about his background as a kid from inner-city Detroit, who one day visited Yosemite and was so enthralled by the divinity of the place that he stayed on to work as a park ranger.

Shelton’s now been a park ranger for 18 years — and opened his talk discussing how happy he is, since he gets to spend every day with the Divine –- in a place so ancient that its formation predates human existence. He spoke about Yosemite as a place where the Divine just is, where no one preaches but the wind, where giant sequoias stand like great cathedrals, in whose company he has heard the most moving sermons.

In his talk, Shelton said he rarely sees African American families visiting this magnificent place and reminisced about how he himself as a child had never talked about our nation’s great parks with his peers nor dreamed about visiting these places.

Shelton is now working on various initiatives to raise popular awareness about our great parks and about their history, which is intimately tied in with the history of peoples of color in America. Shelton’s book and advocacy work focus on illuminating the public about the history of Buffalo Soldiers, the first park rangers of Yosemite who built the first trails and the first museum. Buffalo Soldiers is the term given to members of the African American cavalry units of the US army.

Shelton shed light on the intrinsic value of national and state parks, since Jerry Brown, California’s governor has ordered the closing of  70 state parks due to budget restrictions, which would mean the loss of 25% of these raw nature spaces whose existence predate human evolution. According to Shelton, “park” is a very inadequate word for the mountain ranges, valleys, ancient forests and wild beaches contained in California’s state park system. If these parks lose their protected status, they will be lost forever to developers, miners, and other mavens of industry.

Shelton even painted a broad story of American history by playing a pre-Columbian Meso-American flute, most likely from a tribe of people that lived in the Yosemite area. He described his first notes — low and a little weighty on the air and in the ear — as the experience of African Americans living in the depths of concrete Detroit. Shelton then played a more upbeat and gentle tune — like walking a path to the beach on a nice summer Sunday — to depict the experience of a person first visiting Yosemite. Then he whispered, letting the audience know that they’ve now entered the depths of Yosemite — a place where “Sunday is a time of spirit and everyday is Sunday.” The tunes he played were low and deep, light and ecstatic, rhythmic and paced.

The fundraiser also raised funds for Environment California’s fight to enact a federally enforced 50 mile “no-mine” buffer zone around Yosemite to keep industrial gold mining removed from the immaterial wealth contained in this valley. Environment California’s legislative director Dan Jacobson spoke about how saving our wild spaces is an unending battle, since there will always be another developer, or miner, or agricultural company around the corner, exciting by the prospect of “Yosemite condos,” or more gold or corn to sell. Find out more about the fight to save California’s natural wonderlands — and take action on Environment California’s website.

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If you didn’t make it out to this year’s LA Auto Show, you missed an incredible lineup of innovative green cars. Over 70 beauties were on display, ranging from updated old favorites to futuristic designs reminiscent of Tron. Here are some standouts broken down by category.

Hybrids/Plug-in Hybrids. Porsche had two particularly beautiful cars on display including the Cayenne S Hybrid and the Panamara S Hybrid (right). Sure, they aren’t as green as the new 2012 Prius Plug-ins, but the Porsches are a good start and not bad to look at.

However, the fast and fuel efficient BMW i8 Concept car (above) was pretty much the belle of the ball, drawing crowds of car and sustainability lovers alike.

Alternative Fuel. Honda rocked this group with their fuel cell electric FCX Clarity and Honda Civic Natural Gas which won 2012 Green Car of the Year.

Clean Diesel. Another old favorite to get a green and clean update was the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, boasting 42 highway mpg. The Audi A3 TDI features an award winning engine.

Electric. The Nissan LEAF (above) is a fun 100% electric option. And Ford now makes a totally electric Focus. The Coda had an awesome display showing the interior battery (below) that allows it to travel up to 150 miles before recharging.

40+ mpg. Eco friendly doesn’t always have to be uber expensive as demonstrated by the Chevy Cruze Eco, or if small is your thing, the Smart ForTwo — starting at $16,720 and $13,240 respectively.

Bottom line, the LA Auto Show is a fun event and the best way to see and compare all the latest innovations in vehicular greenery. Looking forward to next year’s lineup!

Photos by April Gilbert

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>>  The Green Living Workshop 101 is a condensed version of the 6 week Green Living Workshop which covers the following topics: water, energy, waste, chemicals, transportation, and shopping & food. Sustainability tools will be raffled off to help participants carry out the solutions discussed during the workshop. Workshop takes place this Sat., Dec. 3 from 10 am – 1 pm at the Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica. Cost: free, though please register through Eventbrite.

>>  Your banana peels, sandwich crusts, lawn clippings, and coffee grounds are precious resources that can be cycled back into the garden. Come participate in a composting lesson at the Natural History Museum by getting your hands in the mix! Workshop takes place on Sat., Dec. 3 from 1-4 pm at the Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles. Cost: admission to the museum is $12 for adults, $5-8 for children.

>>  Come out to see the documentary “Tipping Point – The End of Oil”, which addresses the largest industrial project in human history – the Alberta Tar Sands.  Speakers and the q&a will address what we can do to help heal the destructive impact of this project and options for an alternative energy economy.  Takes places on Sat., Dec. 6 from 7-10:30 pm at All Saints Church, 132 North Euclid Ave., Pasadena.  Cost: $15 suggested donation.  RSVP to info@burbankgreenalliance.org.

Image retrieved from wilderutopia.com

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>> Bring a dessert, salad, non-meat dish, or other treat to share at The Venice Learning Garden’s annual Thanksgiving brunch. They will serve turkey and mashed potatoes but hope you will come out with something to share! Come brunch on Thanksgiving day, Thu., Nov. 24 at 11 am. The Garden is located at the intersection of Walgrove and Venice Blvd in Venice. Cost: free. This is in part a fundraiser for the Program for Torture Victims, so donate if you can.

>> Pipe Dreams, a documentary about the battle over the Keystone XL Pipeline ends its weeklong run of screenings in Los Angeles on Thu., Nov. 24. It is showing daily at 7:30 pm at the Laemmle Sunset 5, 8000 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. Cost: $11 per ticket.

>> Come experience the Los Angeles Bioneers with featured speaker Victoria Mudd, creator of documentary films Broken Rainbow and Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion. The event takes place on Tue., Nov. 29 at 7 pm at the G2 Gallery, 1502 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice. Cost: Free. RSVP to snicols@Mac.com if you can attend.

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Last week’s Opportunity Green conference was a mecca for inspiration, with top leaders in sustainability delivering memorable speeches and leading panel discussions — bridging disciplines and crossing sectors of politics, big corporation, start-ups, and social organizations. 

Couldn’t make it to the big event? Find out what you missed with this top 10 list. Inspiring themes that emerged at the conference included the use of collaborative consumption, transparency in business practices, and innovation over sacrifice. Here’s how the speakers brought those ideas to life:

1. BMW’s Manuel Satigg electrified the room with talk of the ActiveE, an all-electric car that will have a range of 100 miles and will be available next month.  Also in the works is BMW-i concept –- a concept of purpose-built vehicles including the functional all electric BMW i3-concept as well as the sexier, plug-in hybrid BMW i8-concept sports vehicle. 

2. “They’re so good at marketing what’s bad and we’re so bad at marketing what’s good.” That’s the memorable quote from Peter Shumlin, Governor of Vermont, on the need for better green marketing tools.

Shumlin, who nabbed the Green Governor of the year award, encouraged enthusiasm in the way we talk about sustainability — and advised political leaders to get the message of sustainability across to their constituents through “speaking a language they understand” — by talking about economic growth, jobs, and keeping dollars in state, in Vermont’s case. 

3. “Transparency has become the currency of trust,” said Starbucks‘ VP Ben Packard, who acknowledged that big business has lead consumers to be weary of multi-national corporations.

Packard discussed Starbucks’ goal to have 100% recyclable cups by 2015 — a goal the coffee giant tackled through a “cup summit” that got supply chain members, manufacturers, and recycling representatives to collaborate. Packard said he believes “the companies that figure out sustainability are the ones that will be around in 50 years.” On that note, I have no doubt that Starbucks will continue to increase their sustainability benchmark. 

4. Does sustainable design always come at a cost?  Designer Yves Behar of Fuse Project demonstrated otherwise with his team’s involvement in several social projects — including the One Laptop Per Child foundation’s $100 laptop, which will reach one million kids worldwide this year.  His take home message to designers is to use 360 degree thinking over linear thinking and aim to deliver the “best product to the most people for the least money.”

5. In an interview, co-founder of Getaround Jessica Scorpio (left), explained how Google’s Larry Paige challenged her and her peers at Singularity University to develop a product that would impact 1 billion people in ten years.  From this challenge, Getaround was born.  As a peer-to-peer, experience-based car sharing program, Getaround exemplifies collaborative consumption at its finest.  They’ve already launched in San Francisco and San Diego and will launch in LA next year.  Cruise around San Diego in a Tesla or rent a SUV for your next ski trip!

6. Ecovative Design‘s Gavin McIntyre — who won the Opportunity Green (OG25) Start-up Competition in 2009, revisited the conference with biodegradable packaging material made from mushroom roots and agricultural by-products such as seed husks.

7. Hannah Jones of Nike emphasized the need to to “fast track” sustainability by incorporating old and new tools, using open source coding, sharing intellectual property, and providing transparency in business practices.

8. In a panel discussion about the future of California’s Water, former California Governor, Gray Davis, David Nahai, President of David Nahai & Associates, and UC Presidential Chair & Director of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Glen MacDonald agreed that conservation measures, innovation in technology, and reclaimed potable water are where we need to focus our attention in addressing water shortages in southern California.  According to them, educating citizens on the safety of reclaimed potable water will be critical in passing measures on future ballots.

9. In addition to the plethora of inspiration received through the speakers, mingling over the course of the conference I met founders of several creative eco start-ups including Smart Green Websites‘ founder Jonathan Rockett, and Andy Jolls, SVP for Consumer Marketing at Zumbox.  These two sites are worth checking out!

10. If you missed this year’s Opportunity Green, mark your calendar for next year’s! This top-notch conference for sustainable business is not to be missed by you eco-entrepreneurs and sustainable leaders.

Photos by Sarah Fonseca

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