Photo via SLOLA website

>> Big City Forum presents Fast Forward: Los Angeles on the Verge, featuring a panel of speakers that will harness creative methods for a lively discussion around livability, sustainability, community, and the politics of place in Los Angeles. Takes places tonight, Wed., Mar. 7 at 7 pm at the Armory Center for the Arts, 145 North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena. Cost: free.

>> What exactly is a ‘genetically modified seed’? What is ‘heirloom’? How do seed saving and local food growing relate to local and global peace? Who owns the future of food? Join the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Friends Peace Dialogue, speakers Megan Bomba (SLOLA) and Deanna Marie Weakly (Master Gardener, founder of Skid Row Rooftop Garden), and green LA girl writer Nisha Namorando Vida to learn and dialogue on these questions this Thu., Mar. 8 from 7-8:30 pm at the AFSC headquarters, 634. S. Spring St., 3rd Floor, Los Angeles. Cost: free.

>> The G2 Gallery has begun a weekly screening of Ken Burns’s six-part documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. The screenings provide a deeper understanding from a historical perspective of the people and places that shaped America’s national parks. The screenings will be held every Thu., Feb. 9 – Mar. 15 at 2 pm. Check out this week’s screening “Great Nature (1933–1945)”, on Thu., Mar. 8 at 2 pm, G2 Gallery, 1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice. Cost: $5. All proceeds will be donated to the World Wildlife Fund and the Sierra Club.

>> Santa Monica College is conducting its 10th annual Environmental and Urban Issues Speakers Series. Join Genevieve Bertone and other Santa Monica College faculty, staff, and students to learn how we are working on transportation, energy, food and other projects that make SMC more efficient and a better neighbor on Tue., Mar. 13 at 6:30 pm in HSS 263 on Santa Monica’s Main Campus (Map). Cost: free.

Photo via Big City Forum

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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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>>  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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>> Celebrate an early green Halloween at Trasher’s Ball tonight. This Halloween-themed Green Drinks event includes eco-cocktails, a green fashion show, a DJ, and lots more. You can even take an old T-shirt or tank for Surfrider to transform into a reusable screenprinted Trick-or-Treat bag. The fun happens Thu., Oct. 13 from 7 pm to 10 pm at Fais-Do-Do, 5253 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles. Cost: $10 in advance, $20 at the door.

>> Get a free rain barrel simply by reserving it before the end of the day today and picking it up this Saturday — if you’re a Santa Monica resident. You actually have to pay for it first — but then can get a full rebate from the city.

>> Hate GMOs? “Hidden In Your Food: GMOs and Your Right to Know” is the topic of conversation at an eco-foodie event put together by Co-opportunity and the Non-GMO project. Best part: Free appetizers and treats, courtesy of Real Food Daily. That happens Thu., Oct. 13 from 6:30 to 9 pm tonight at Santa Monica Main Public Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica. Cost: Free.

>> Mix art and cycling at the ArtNight Ride. Organized by C.I.C.L.E., this ride will take you on a “bike tour of Pasadena’s vast collection of art galleries and museums which are open free to the public.” The 6-mile ride will have lots of breaks so participants can tour the exhibits. Meet Fri., Oct. 14 at 6 pm at Memorial Park Pasadena, on the corner of Raymond Ave. and Holly Street. Cost: Free.

>> Love EVs? Celebrate the first ever National Plug In Day in Santa Monica, where “some 200 Electric Vehicle drivers will silently stream down Main Street, two-by-two, for the country’s largest-ever plug-in parade to champion the environmental and other benefits of EVs, even as Congress is going after EV incentives.” Expected eco-celebs include actorvist Ed Begley, Jr., director of “Revenge of the Electric Car” Chris Paine and Rep. Janice Hahn — who’ll be riding her Nissan Leaf in the parade. It all begins Sun., Oct. 16 at 9:30 am with a press conference at Santa Monica City Hall, followed by the parade starting from Main Street and Pico Boulevard. Earlier: An Electric inaugural parade calls for 1 million plug-ins by 2012.

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World Fair Trade Day rolls around again on May 14 — and this international celebration makes for a great time to stock up on fair trade goodies! Yes, fair trade products can be pricier than their conventional counterparts — but the producers get a fairer deal for their work, while you get high quality products that don’t make you worry about major labor abuses.

This month, lots of fair trade companies are offering discounts in celebration of World Fair Trade Day — so take advantage of them to get fair trade products at less than the price of conventional ones. Here are five deals to try:

1. Win $50 worth of fair trade chocolate. Enter the Fair Trade Week Giveaway @purecitizen for a chance to win an assortment of 12+ bars of fair trade chocolate from Equal Exchange, Divine, and Theo. Get your entry in by May 14.

2. Shop fair trade at CAFAM Global Bazaar. L.A.’s Craft and Folk Arts Museum’s going to turn its courtyard into a marketplace featuring handmade fair trade goods from around the globe. You’ll get to shop, talk with local artists, and learn about Fair Trade Los Angeles. That happens Sat., May 14 from 10 am to 5 pm at CAFAM, 5814 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.

3. Get free fair trade tweeting help. Ben & Jerry’s has put together a cute little tweeting app called FairTweets — that’ll automatically fill in whatever of the 140 characters remain in your tweet with a fair trade message.

4. Nibble on free fair trade treats in Pasadena by joining C.I.C.L.E.’s A Taste of Fair Trade Ride. First, you’ll learn bicycle shopping tips — then take off on a tour of Pasadena businesses that sell fair trade food and products. During the event, you’ll be treated to bananas, sweets, coffee, raffle prizes, and more. Meet up at 345 S. Lake Ave., Pasadena on Sat., May 21 at 10 am.

5. Nab a coupon for Divine Chocolate. Like fair trade company Divine Chocolate’s Facebook page for a coupon that will give you 10 to 20 percent off its web store.

6. Get 30% off fair trade organic lip balm. Eco Lips ONE WORLD lip balms — made with fair trade certified cocoa butter and organic ingredients — even come packaged in tubes made with 40 percent recycled material. Use the code FAIRTRADE2011 for your discount.

7. Win fair trade goodies by putting a “Wake Up the World” fair trade friendly sign (downloadable here) on your mug or banana, taking a photo of yourself, and sending it to socialmedia@fairtradeusa.org with your name, city and state. You’ll then be entered into a drawing to win Fair Trade goodies from Fair Trade USA.

8. Enjoy free fair trade treats at a fair trade event near you. Don’t live in the L.A. area? Search Fair Trade Resource Network’s list of many events happening throughout this month to find out what’s happening near you. Many feature delicious treats, giveaways, and raffle prizes — all fair trade, of course.

Image via Fair Trade Resource Network

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