Nearly 10% of L.A. County residents need food assistance — yet perfectly good food gets thrown in dumpsters around our city every day — which has environmentalists and freebie seekers alike dumpster diving for free food.

Freeganism’s not new news anymore — but a film about freeganism is! It’s called Dive!. Watch the preview’s below (via MNN):

Dive! is screening in L.A.-area venues this month:

>> Thurs., March 11 at 7 pm Conscientious Projector screening at Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. FREE.

>> Sat., March 13, 6:15 pm at the 15th Annual International Family Film Festival, Raleigh Studios, 5300 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. Tickets cost $10 each.

>> Mon., March 15 at 7:30 pm as part of 7 Dudley Cinema at The Talking Stick, 1411 Lincoln Blvd., Venice. FREE.

More screenings will happen in April and May, if you can’t make these. I like the idea of freeganing, but I tend to be very afraid of food-borne illnesses, since recalls even on food still on supermarket shelves seem to happen every month. The L.A. Times recently reported that food-borne illnesses really cost you:

A new consumer research report released Wednesday has found that the health-related costs of food-borne illnesses total $152 billion a year, including the costs of medical bills, lost wages and lost productivity.

Get ill and you could end up spending a lot more than you saved on your freegan food. So to freegan more safely, read Leah Koenig’s dos and don’ts of dumpster diving.

Freeganing not adventurous enough for you? Try being a frugan — a frugal vegan, according to one Katherine Fairfax Wright, who dumpster dives for her animal-product-free eats and resells salvaged trashed goods at a profit. She blogs at Frugal Living.

Earlier:
>> Dumpsters get popular: Freegans and junk yard tours
>> Book Review: The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved

1 Comments

Bigger freeways beget bigger traffic jams and more air pollution, as bad urban planning’s shown us time and time again. Yet freeway expansion projects still somehow manage push forward, creating more sprawl and wreaking environmental havoc.

One of these projects is the I-710 expansion project, a Caltrans effort to create a tunnel that will extend the 710 from Alhambra to connect to the 210 freeway in Pasadena. Despite the fact that the project’s been dubbed a “road to ruin” by a 2004 Friends of the Earth report, the 710 expansion proposal is “the battle that won’t go away,” according to environmental and social justice activists.

These activists are now planning an action-oriented educational conference, dubbed The 710 on Trial: Uniting our Communities. The idea is to bring together the communities that would be affected by this expansion to increase awareness about the project and its environmental justice implications in the neighborhoods that will have to deal with all the social and health problems of having a huge, smog-spewing freeway nearby.

When: Sat., Jan. 23, 2010, 9 am – 2:30 pm
Where: Mosher 1, Norris Hall of Chemistry at Occidental College, 1600 Campus Road, Los Angeles (campus map)
Cost: FREE — with, somewhat ironically, free parking — and open to the public. No RSVP required.

The day-long event features a keynote from California Assemblymember Anthony Portantino, an overview of the project, a couple panels looking at the project’s implications for health, environment, housing, and economics, and hands-on workshops. Here’s the full agenda.

Get a quick primer on what the I-710 expansion project is and how it’s proceeding at Streetsblog L.A., then head over to Oxy on Saturday. If you live, work, or play in Eagle Rock, El Sereno, Glassell Park, Glendale, Hermon, Mount Washington, Pasadena, South Pasadena, and many other neighborhoods on that side of Los Angeles county, you’ll be especially want to attend and find out what could happen to your community — and what you can do to shape it.

Image via UEPI

6 Comments

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!

3 Comments

Walk around One Colorado in Old Town Pasadena tomorrow after sunset, and you’ll notice a glowing curiosity: Empty storefronts illuminated with eco-themed videos.

That public art show’s part of an eco-art installation dubbed “Don’t Blow It/A Rising Tide” by artist Alex Kritselis and filmmaker Joey Forsyte, husband-and-wife collaborators. The videos depict a climate-changed, flooded world, complete with submerged consumer goods floating whimsically through rising oceans.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of “Don’t Blow It/A Rising Tide” is its playful, somewhat anti-consumerist message — displayed on storefronts closed up by the recession — right alongside open stores inviting holiday shoppers to buy. In one video displayed on a storefront window, an upscale handbag “drowns” in a flooded world. Right next to that exhibit’s a bright store window — spotlighting new must-buy accessories of the season.

Kritselis says the irony was unintended, though interesting. Irony or not, the regular passerby’s likely to be flummoxed by the videos at first. After all, Kritselis and Forsyte made sure not to hit pedestrians over the head with an eco-didactic message. Some explanatory signs will be placed around One Colorado, but Forsyte says she simply hopes people will see, stop, look, and think — something holiday shoppers aren’t particularly encouraged to do very often.

Thousands are expected to see this exhibit, since it’ll be up during the Rose Bowl Parade. Frequent shoppers need not fear art-boredom, since new videos will be put up at least once a week, with new eco messages and ideas.

Stop by tomorrow, Thurs., Dec. 17, to see the artists ambling about One Colorado on the official opening day of the exhibit. “Don’t Blow It/A Rising Tide” will be projected every night from sunset to 1 am starting until Jan. 3. Don’t live anywhere near Pasadena? See the videos on the artists’ Facebook page.

0 Comments

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

3 Comments

It’s true — Pasadena does have something Santa Monica does not: Majestical Roof — pro-local, pro-handmade store that serves as a hub for artists, craftsters, and the neighborhood fans who support them.

Getting to The Majestical Roof is in itself a pleasant adventure. This eco-conscious boutique is tucked inside a cozy courtyard, decorated with colorful murals and shady trees.

Once inside the store, explore carefully – because each item is a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted gem. “No MPP (no mass manufactured products)” brags the poster for Majestical Roof’s recent Alternative Art Market event.

Recycled fashions make a big comeback in this boutique: vintage ties recrafted into cellphone holders, funky purses made from repurposed fabric, and even cute doggie clothes revamped from old sweaters. This shop prides itself in supporting local crafters and artisans who create everything from handmade jewelry to bamboo T-shirts.

A few more highly recognized eco-brands, like No Sweat sneakers and ecoist purses made of recycled gum wrappers, also share the boutique’s space. And if you want artwork for the apartment, the walls here double as a gallery of sorts for unique paintings by local artists.

When I stopped by about a year ago (why does it take me so long to write these posts?) I ended up buying a unique book by a local artist called Joey Chou. The title: Crazy by the Letters: Mental Problems From A to Z.

This Edward Gorey-esque book has whimsical drawings of little kids suffering from psychological maladies. U, for example, is for poor little Urian: “Urian’s dream is to be a quality inspector in the factory like his dad. He doesn’t know it comes with the side-effect of Underload Syndrome.”

Crazy by the Letters now sits on my coffee table for my crazy friends to leaf through and self-diagnose their ills. Find out more about Majestical Roof in this short video by Pasadena.com — then pay the little store a visit!

The Majestical Roof. 88 N. Fair Oaks Ave. Ste 102., Pasadena. 626.844.8886. Tues-Sat 11:30 am – 8 pm, Sun noon – 6 pm. Closed Mon.

9 Comments

May’s the month to combine business with pleasure — that is, the business of work and the pleasure of bike riding. May is National Bike Month, and May 15 is Bike to Work Day this year — so depending on how bike-friendly your town is, cycling celebrations will happen for a day, a week, or throughout May — with fun events, rides, and giveaways happening for green commuters.

In Los Angeles, Bart Simpson, my favorite alternative transit cartoon hero (since he’s always on his skateboard), will kick off Bike to Work Week at 8:30 am on May 11 by doing a bike-bus combo trip at Olvera Street in Downtown Los Angeles. Though primarily a press event, L.A. County Bicycle Coalition’s encouraging bicyclists to show up to “show the media that cyclists do ride to work” — which I find slightly puzzling since the cyclists won’t actually be riding to work unless they happen to work on Olvera St. Still, a crowd should make for a great photo op….

Pasadena will kick off its own bike week on Mon., May 11 too, with a community screening of the documentary “Contested Streets” at Fuller Theological Seminary – Travis Auditorium, 180 N. Oakland Ave., Pasadena.

Then find out how to “Lose up to 3,000lbs. in One Day: The Amazing Car-Lite Diet” at a C.I.C.L.E. presentation happening Tues., May 12, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at NATHA Community Center, 456 W. Montana Ave., Pasadena. There’ll be free food from One World Vegetarian Cuisine!

And on Wed., May 13 will be a Bike to Work Downtown L.A. Ride, a public, 25-minute group demo ride that shows how to get to all areas of downtown LA via bike. Just show up at the Civic Center Metro Red Line Station at 8 am.

That night from 5 pm – 9 pm will be Ladies Night at One Colorado, featuring a “The Ladies of Leisure: Pedal de Pasadena” ride plus “mini-clinics, fashion show, live music, free champagne and awesome raffle prizes.” Just show up with your bike at at One Colorado in Pasadena.

Then Angelenos will celebrate Bike to Work Day a day early on May 14, when bicyclists will get free rides on most public buses and trains, receive snacks and giveaways at more than 40 bike pit stops around the city, and be entered into contests for prizes ranging from a 2-night stay for two at the Red Mountain Resort & Spa in St. George, Utah, to a hybrid electric bike from Currie Technologies.

In the evening from 7 pm – 9 pm, bike over to C.I.C.L.E.’s Bike Salon to participate in “an intimate social forum that will explore issues related to cycling in our community” over wine and cheese. RSVP to info@cicle.org or 323.478.0060 for the exact address.

Students will get to join in the fun on Fri., May 15, Bike to School Day. For more info on that event, email bike_at_school@la-bike.org.

Friday night from 5:30 pm – 8 pm’s Bike Night at the Rose Bowl, “a family-friendly bike ride around the Rose Bowl loop” featuring “a kids bike rodeo, face painting, street art and a kids jumper.” There’ll be prizes too! Meet up at the Rose Bowl on Arroyo Blvd between Rosemont Ave. and Seco St.

On Sat., May 16, learn to grocery shop on bike. You’ll get to check out grocery-getting gear and get tips on everything from negotiating traffic to finding bike routes. The workshop begins at 10 am at Gwinn Park (Hermanos St. and Eaton Dr, Pasadena) and ends after a short ride to Whole Foods Market for snacks. Participants will get a goodie bag too; RSVP for details to info@cicle.org or 323.478.0060.

That afternoon, join The East-West Express Ride, which’ll meet at Memorial Park at 3:30 pm then pick up more riders along the route to One Colorado, where The Closing Pedal Party will take place from 5 pm – 10 pm. There’ll be beer, food, exhibits, and raffles.

Don’t know what’s happening in your ‘hood? The League of American Bicyclists has a long list of special events planned across the country. From New York City to Chicago — which oddly isn’t celebrating until June 13 – 19 — to many other towns big and small, cyclists are gearing up for bike-festivities. So if you’ve thought about biking to work but put off the four to two wheel swap, now’s the time to start getting some gym-free exercise and saving gas money to boot.

Image via Metro and C.I.C.L.E.

5 Comments

Make your last minute Earth Day plans now! A few more events happening today’re below, followed by fun stuff for the weekend.

>> Get 75% off everything at Vie Boutique, an eco-fashion boutique that’s on its way out but apparently hasn’t quite closed yet. There’ll be cocktails, snacks, and for people who spend over $200, free Rock Star perfume. Sale happens tonight from 6 pm – 9 pm at 8032 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles.

>> Eco-boutique Visionary’s new eco-fashion mobile will be rolling around town all day. Follow its Twitter feed at @VisionaryBoutiq to find out where it is.

>> Find out what an eco-office looks like at the Mural Dedication and Green Office Open House for Santa Monica’s Household Hazardous Waste Center. Take a tour of the office, which is made of 2 reused shipping containers and has a green roof. The event happens Thurs. April 23, from 5 – 7 pm at Household Hazardous Waste Center, 2500 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica. RSVP to James.Velez-Conway@smgov.net.

>> The public opening celebration for the new Annenberg Community Beach House at Santa Monica State Beach will feature a “First Splash” performance from “O” by Cirque du Soleil, hula dancers, storytellers, tours, a large sand castle, a flock of kites, and more. Festivities will begin on Sat., April 25, 11 am. There’ll be no onsite parking, so walk, bike, or take the free shuttle service from the Santa Monica Civic Center (4th St. and Olympic Dr.).

>> SEEing Green 2: Moving Beyond Green, a conference that’ll “explore how brands can move beyond green by widening the way we think about design,” happens Sat., April 25, 8 am – 4 pm at Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Cost $60 in advance, $75 at the door.

>> Pasadena’s Greening the Earth Day and Armory Family Free Festival will have Earth Day giveaways for attendees with proof they took the Metro. Events will happen Sat., April 25 from 10 am – 4 pm at Memorial Park and Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N. Raymond St.

>> The inaugural Earth Day Lunch Cruise Aboard Hornblower will feature an organic lunch, reusable totes, and raffle prizes — plus carbon offsets for each guest. An unspecified portion of the proceeds will go to Heal the Bay, which’ll have an educational speaker on board. The event happens Sat., April 25 from noon to 2 pm, leaving from Marina del Rey and Newport Beach. Reservations are required online or by calling 800.ON.THE.BAY. Cost: $65 per person.

>> The East Hollywood Earth Day Festival happens Sat. April 25 and Sun., April 26 on Santa Monica Blvd., between Vermont and Virgil Aves.

>> The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books will include a “Climate in Crisis” panel discussion. Take the 720 or another alt trans option to the huge event, happening April 25 – 26th at UCLA.

>> Greening the Earth Day, Pasadena. Be there on Sat., April 25 from 10 am – 4 pm at Memorial Park, 85 E Holly, Pasadena. Cost: FREE.

>> The Mar Vista Garden Showcase encourages Angelenos to take a free self-guided tour of water-saving gardens in the neighborhood. Preview the gardens on the website, then take a walking or biking tour on Sun., April 26 from 2 pm – 6 pm.

>> Plan ahead for Cities and Climate Change: A Solutions Oriented Conference, which will explore “three questions in relation to Southern California: How do we build better cities? How will our health be affected? How will the green economy relieve the pressure, especially as felt by the chronically disadvantaged?” The event happens on Thurs., April 30, 9 am – 5 pm at the Davidson Conference Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Cost: $15, or $12 for just the lunch time event. RSVP required by April 23; register with the code “climate.”

0 Comments

A select list of upcoming eco-events that look fun to me:

>> Eco-store Buy Green’s having an open house with organic food, drinks, and music on Thurs. April 9 from 4 pm – 9 pm at their new office, 14 Goodyear, Ste. 135, Irvine.

>> Green Drinks South Bay happens Thurs., April 9, starting at 7 pm at the Second Story Restaurant & Bar at The Belmar Hotel, 3501 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach. Earlier: Green Drinks FAQ.

>> A Locavore Launch party — including an organic cooking demonstration, roundtable discussion, free organic wine and food tasting, plus a screening of The Garden, happens Sat., April 11 from noon to 4 pm or so at Whole Foods Market Arroyo Parkway, 465 S. Arroyo Pkwy., Pasadena, and Cisco Pasadena’s showroom next door.

>> Sign up for the next series of Green Living Workshops with Sustainable Works. The 6-week workshops meet once a week to cover many aspects of green living. Pick from Monday (starting April 13), Tuesday (starting April 21), Wednesday (starting April 22), or Sunday (starting April 26) classes, all offered in Santa Monica locations. Cost: $25 for Santa Monica residents; $50 L.A. residents.

>> Green Business Networking’s Third Anniversary Mixer happens Tues., April, 14, 6 – 9 pm at The Ambrose Hotel, 1255 20th St., Santa Monica. There’ll be free organic snacks, wine, Guayaki yerba mate drinks, and Coconut Bliss samples — after you pay the $10 cover. Earlier: About GBN.

>> It’s Bike Night at the Hammer! Ride over, valet your bike free, get free museum admission, then eat vegetarian food and buy yourself a drink at the cash bar before watching a screening of Breaking Away and a performance by Telematique. It happens Thurs., April 16, starting at 6:30 pm at the Hammer Museum: 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.

Photo taken at last month’s Green Business Networking

0 Comments

We had the Tierra Miguel CSA, we got the South Central Farmers’ Cooperative CSA last year which is now selling its produce at Whole Foods in Pasadena, and this summer we’re getting the Heart Beet Gardening CSA.

First, Heart Beet: Starting mid-June, you can get local, organic produce grown by the people behind Heart Beet Gardening, a cute local company that helps Angelenos create and maintain edible gardens. Weekly boxes will contain “a couple of tomatoes, lettuce (a head, or leaf) , bell peppers, basil, other herbs, a recipe and occasionally cut flowers,” according to Heart Beet Gardening.

To sign up, send in a $100 deposit to 1101 Palms Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90291, by May 1. Then you’ll pay $100 a month for a weekly box of produce — to be picked up at an as-of-yet undecided location. Your original deposit will cover your last month’s subscription. Questions? Call 310.460.9365 or email info@heartbeetgardening.com.

Now for the South Central Farmers’ Cooperative: You’ll no longer have to be a CSA subscriber to enjoy local, organic produce from these local farmers, now that Whole Foods in Pasadena’s going to offer their veggies every day.

And this Saturday, that Whole Foods is having a Locavore Launch party of sorts with the South Central farmers — including an organic cooking demonstration and a roundtable discussion about local food initiatives featuring the farmers and people from Path to Freedom, Fallen Fruit, and Cisco Home.

When: Sat., April 11 from noon – 3 pm. (roundtable at 1 pm)
Where: Whole Foods Market Arroyo Parkway, 465 S. Arroyo Pkwy., Pasadena.
Cost: Free!

After that, head over to Cisco Pasadena’s showroom next door for a free organic wine and food tasting, plus a screening of The Garden, a film about the South Central farmers. That starts at 3 pm at Cisco Pasadena, 474 S. Arroyo Pkwy., Pasadena.

Photo of Tierra Miguel CSA box by Jill Doughtie / Eye Level Pasadena

Earlier:
>> Organic meals, delivered in Los Angeles
>> Spud: Organic food delivery with a food mile calculator

Update, 4/24/09: South Central Farm documentary “The Garden” at Nuart 4/24

2 Comments