>> The City of Los Angeles wants yet more studies on the effects of bag bans before taking any action — nevermind that many, many studies have already been done and many L.A. County cities AND L.A. County have already banned the plastic bag.

>> According to LAist, “Several City Council members have pledged to get the measure passed before March 31, 2012 – before the state Legislature’s spring break.” Let’s hope that really happens.

>> Heal the Bay, the local nonprofit spearheading the bag ban effort, sounds optimistic. Mark Gold, head honcho at Heal the Bay, seems to believe that the city’s call for more studies “sends a loud message to Sacramento to move forward with a statewide ban.” That statewide effort failed back in August 2011. Think it’ll happen in 2012?

>> Last but not least — Santa Monica banned the plastic bag in September, and I’ve noticed many people are either bringing their own bags or doing without at stores since that time. What’s your experience been so far?

Earlier: Styrofoam and the City: The fate of plastic bags and polystyrene in LA

Photo by Kate Ter Harr

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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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>> Santa Monica Bike Center opens this Friday! Pedal over to Colorado Ave. and 2nd St. to check out the full service spot with bike valet, bike rentals and repairs, and even showers and lockers for members.

>> The Downtown Burbank Metrolink Station got a Bike Stop. According to Metro’s The Source, “the new unattended facility features 40 bike parking stalls, a bike repair stand and small classroom area.”

>> Metrolink’s added bike cars! These are “passenger railcars outfitted with space for at least 18 bicycles.”

>> L.A.’s got a new bike sharing program — as part of Occupy LA. Local biketivist Roadblock, who set up the program, says “If Occupy LA is to achieve some of the most important goals of the movement, people are going to have to learn to reduce their oil dependency – the very addiction that keeps our country involved in endless foreign wars.”

>> Two new studies link bikes and money. One study published in Environmental Health Perspectives says bicycling in cities can save billions, while another study by an urban planning student shows better bike infrastructure can mean increased sales for local businesses.

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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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When we think of children being over worked in fields, we often imagine it happening far away from here, in less developed countries. But today in America 400,000 children are migrant workers. The film, The Harvest/La Cosecha brings to light the conditions these children work in. From executive producer Eva Longoria and the producers of the Academy Award Nominated film WAR/DANCE, The Harvest follows the lives of three children working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The film will be screening on Wednesday, November 16th at 7pm at the California Endowment Center for Healthy Communities. Additionally, author and activist Eric Schlosser, migrant farm worker advocate Jose Padilla, and The Harvest’s executive producer Eva Longoria will be in attendance discussing migrant worker issues.  This event is free and open to the public, but you must RSVP.

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