>> 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.

>> 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.

>>  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

>> Plastic bags are officially banned in Long Beach starting today — at least in the big stores. And paper bags will cost you 10 cents each — so remember to BYOB! In case you’ve forgotten, a plastic bag ban also went into effect for the unincorporated areas of L.A. County last month. Here’s how we’re doing on plastic bag bans in L.A County cities. Earlier: Got extra reusable bags? Drop them off at Santa Monica’s Share A Bag spots.

And soon you can expect:

>> Birth control sans copays. Insurers now have to cover birth control with no copays — which I think is big green news. Fewer unplanned pregnancies means fewer baby Americans means fewer resources needed. Earlier: Single and happy? Five single bloggers that make solo living fun.

>> Less trees and better views at Yosemite. Of course, hacking down trees for sightseeing purposes is a plan that’s proving controversial.

>> Less Chromium 6 — a.k.a. the Erin Brokovich chemical — in California tap water. California set the nation’s first public health goal for this carcinogen at 0.02 ppb — an unenforceable limit, but one that’s hoped to, you know, become enforceable. LA Times reports: “Environmentalists praised the new state goal, saying they hoped it would pressure state and federal officials to set enforceable standards for the metal and other drinking water contaminants.”

Photo by Fire Monkey Fish

I had set out in farming with a mission, to offer ethically and ecologically raised meat at the lowest price possible…. But, I quickly discovered that this was a pipe dream. I couldn’t sell pork chops for less than $7.00/lb. and keep the farm going, and even at that price, my wife would still need to continue subsidizing the farm…. I had set out to make meat broadly affordable, but instead, I was selling exclusive, high-priced meat to the well-off.

Though not quite as meaty, I wrote a post about how eating locally-grown food doesn’t have to be expensive for KCET’s The Public Kitchen. Read it to get a recipe for wallet-friendly, cheese veggie quesadillas!

>> Calif.’s environmental law suspends Calif.’s climate change law. Greenwire points out that “A California court ruling suspending the implementation of the state’s landmark climate change law came with a large dose of irony”:

That’s because San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Ernest Goldsmith found that the state had failed to comply with another landmark law, one that is beloved by some of the same environmental groups that are critical of the ruling, the California Environmental Quality Act.

Essentially, a major environmental initiative is under threat because the state failed to correctly carry out the appropriate environmental analysis.

While environmental lawyers work out that snafu, pro-business groups still pushing the “environmental laws kill jobs” argument are stepping up their attack on the California Environmental Quality Act.

>> Wind and wave energies are not renewable after all. “Build enough wind farms to replace fossil fuels and we could do as much damage to the climate as greenhouse global warming,” reports New Scientist. This conclusion comes from a physicist whose findings are too complicated to summarize here. A quick look at the problem:

Using a model of global circulation, Kleidon found that the amount of energy which we can expect to harness from the wind is reduced by a factor of 100 if you take into account the depletion of free energy by wind farms. It remains theoretically possible to extract up to 70 TW globally, but doing so would have serious consequences.

Although the winds will not die, sucking that much energy out of the atmosphere in Kleidon’s model changed precipitation, turbulence and the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface. The magnitude of the changes was comparable to the changes to the climate caused by doubling atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide

Confused and conflicted yet? Welcome to the wonderful world of environmentalism :)

Photo of a bison vendor at the Santa Monica Farmers Market

Do you think corporations have too much control over our government? Annie Leonard — the narrator of the popular eco-minded short video, The Story of Stuff — thinks so, and says 85 percent of Americans think the same in her latest video, “The Story of Citizens United v. FEC.”

This video tells “the story behind the story of stuff,” according to Annie. The gist: Corporations have been given too much power — and even some very generous first amendment rights — to influence government. Yet corporations also have to have profit as their single-minded top goal — meaning other goals important to people, ranging from a clean environment to safe neighborhoods, end up getting ignored.

That makes for “a democracy in crisis,” according to Annie, who calls on viewers to take democracy back from corporations. Watch the video to hear her argument. If you believe — or even suspect — that Annie could be right, you’ll likely also enjoy moving a riveting full-length documentary about this issue, “The Corporation.”

Earlier: Film review: The Yes Men Fix the World

That is just a slight exaggeration of the tone in “A Force For Nature: The Story of NRDC and The Fight to Save Our Planet.” In this memoir, John H. Adams recounts and retells the story thus far of National Resources Defense Council, the environmental nonprofit he helped found and lead. NRDC was created by lawyers who specifically wanted to sue to protect the environment — so as you can imagine, in the story “A Force of Nature” tells, lawyers are rockstars!

To be clear, I’m not discounting the huge role NRDC has played in protecting the planet. And I’m certainly not discouraging you from reading this book. In fact, if you feel a little lost when it comes to the history of environmentalism in the U.S., “A Force For Nature” will serve as an entertaining textbook. NRDC was founded in 1970, the same year that the Environmental Protection Agency was created (thereby allowing lawyers to start suing the EPA!). So the story of NRDC covers the modern environmental movement — and catches you up to the state of the planet today.

Yes, “A Force of Nature” covers a lot of environmental lawsuits. You’ll get a general sense of the long and tortuous legal process that’ll help you understand, if not appreciate, why good environmental changes often take so long to happen. Reading through the list of legal steps alone may try your patience!

Even more interesting are the stories in the book of tough negotiations that happen behind the scenes, when green nonprofits, government agencies, community interest groups, and giant businesses all come together to come to an agreement about environmental concerns. The “we’ll give you this area to pollute in if you leave alone this other area with lots of endangered species in it” type agreements described in “A Force For Nature” are often fascinating — and at times unnerving.

“A Force of Nature” also answered a big green question I’ve wondered about for a while: Why, if energy efficiency improvements [or insert some other economically beneficial green change here] save companies a lot of money as we hear about over and over in the media, don’t all companies make these green changes? Here’s how the book explains it, after NRDC learned the hard way through a partnership with none other than Dow Chemical:

If a company could make $5 million a year from a one-time investment of $3 million and reduce pollution, we assumed it would do so. But we learned that this wasn’t necessarily true. If other capital investments yielded a higher rate of return, those would be preferred. Not only did pollution prevention need to be profitable; it needed to be more profitable than any other investment being considered at the time.

Californians may especially enjoy “A Force For Nature,” since many of the environmental fights described happen in the Golden State — fighting smog in Los Angeles, decreasing sonar testing in the Pacific Ocean, hashing out a deal for the San Joaquin River Restoration Act — even creating the relatively new Marine Protected Areas.

“A Force For Nature” is co-written by John and his wife Patricia Adams with the help of George Black — but told from John’s first person point of view. At times the book can be rather overly rah-rah lawyers and too relentlessly positive — describing what seem like rather devastating losses as mere setbacks or partial successes. Then again, I suppose the history book of the modern environmental movement is still being written, pending the end result of global climate change. Catch up to what’s happened so far by reading “A Force For Nature,” out in hardcover for $24.95.

Secondly and serendipitously, yesterday was CicLAvia, when 7.5 miles of L.A. streets were closed off for cars to make room for cyclists, pedestrians, chalk artists, drummers, and basically everyone willing to step out of their four-wheeled vehicles! Above, you can see the two major events colliding — when a 10/10/10 related Rally to Kick Coal and Oil out of L.A. at L.A. City Hall came out to the streets, where CicLAvia cyclists were joyfully pedaling around!

But to start at the beginning: Newly a WeHo resident, I had to figure out new bus routes to get to CicLAvia — much easier now that Metro’s info’s now on Google Maps (we’re still waiting on Big Blue Bus to get rolling on this). I drew myself a little map of where I wanted to go in case I got turned around by the CicLAvia-related bus detours — and was the first one on my 10 bus!

The goal was to make it to City Hall by 12:30 when the Rally to Kick Coal and Oil out of L.A. began — but the detours made me a few minutes late. No matter — I arrived to catch the end of L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti’s speech — and then to hear Greenpeace organizer Jenny Binstock (above) rally the crowds.

After the speechifying, there was chanting (“I say No, you say Coal! No! Coal! No! Coal!”) — followed by a drumming that led the crowds off the City Hall lawn into the street, making for a very pretty photo-op especially with the cyclists circling the eco-activists.

It was a really hot day — I’m glad I remembered my reusable water bottle! This behatted blue boy made me want to get training wheels again.

Being bikeless (more on that later), I walked east on the CicLAvia route and saw a band performance, chalk art, and lot of friends biking by. Once I hit MacArthur Park it was 2:50 — and CicLAvia sadly ended at 3!

I turned up to Wilshire and took the 720 — all the way to Santa Monica. There I went to my old apartment and picked up my pink townie — which is just too big and heavy for my new apartment! I rode it down to Sara Bayles of The Daily Ocean, who’ll ride it around Santa Monica in my absence.

Then Sara and I went to the Santa Monica beach. Long-time readers may remember that Sara and I organized a 350.org event together — the Blogger Beach Cleanup a year ago! So for 10/10/10, Sara and I returned to the beach — along with a few other last-minute volunteers (we really planned this last minute) — to see how big a 350.org sign we could make with trash we picked up in just 20 minutes. And voila:

The sunset was really gorgeous. I will miss Santa Monica — and my bike —

What did you do for 10/10/10 and CicLAvia?

>> Get politically active at the No on Proposition 23 event, put together to make sure the oil industry-funded initiative goes down in defeat. You’ll get to enjoy local sustainable snacks, watch a mini-docu about Prop 23, hear from experts, and find out how to help fight against Prop 23. The FREE event requires an RSVP and happens Thu, Sep. 23 at 7 pm at TreePeople in Coldwater Canyon Park.

>> California Assembly Speaker Emeritus Karen Bass is holding a Green Living Workshop that’ll cover eco-friendly shopping and eating, greener cleaning, wise water use, and composting. Be there Thurs., Sep. 23 from 7 pm to 9 pm at Veterans Memorial Complex, 4117 Overland Ave., Culver City.

>> Get pretty at the Evolue beauty event, where green author Sophie Uliano will demo how to make your own Vitamin C serum. You’ll also get to enjoy complimentary hand treatments, mini manis, and makeup touch ups. The event happens Thur., Sep. 23 from 6 pm to 9 pm at Evolue, . RSVP to info@evoluebeauty.com if you’d like to take advantage of the complimentary services. Earlier: Évolué: A New green beauty boutique opens in Beverly Hills.

>> Watch Dirt! the Movie free on Fri., Sep. 24 starting at 7 pm on the Santa Monica Pier. Earlier: Review of Dirt! The Movie.

>> Architect Mark Lakeman brings City Repair — which “combines architecture, urban planning, anthropology, community development, public art, permaculture and ecological design in projects that transform public space” — to Los Angeles. Mark’s City Repair Slideshow and Potluck event happens on Fri., Sep. 24 from 7:30 to 10:30 pm at the Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice. Cost: $5 – $20, sliding scale.

>> Dig In! at Median Makeover Merryment — and get a free lunch while you’re at it! This hands-on workshop will get you into cob building, planting, painting, and more. Be there on Sat., Sep. 25 from 9:30 am to 4 pm at the intersection of Dudley Ave. and Main St. in Venice.

>> Tour the L.A. River with Friends of the Los Angeles River! See the waterway up close, find out about its revitalization plans, and get a lesson on L.A. eco-history. Meet up Sun. Sep. 26, at 8 am at the River Center, 570 W Ave. 26, Los Angeles to form carpools and caravan around until 4 pm. Cost: $25. RSVP required.

>> Hear permaculture teacher Larry Santoyo and City Repair architect Mark Lakeman discuss City Repair and Permaculture, Similarities & Differences between LA & Portland. The conversation begins Tue., Sep. 28 from 7 pm – 10 pm at Project Butterfly, 821 Traction Ave. Unit #108, Los Angeles. Cost: $35.

>> Don’t forget to sign up for the Permaculture Design class from EarthFlow, taught by renowned permaculture expert Larry Santoyo. The chance to win tickets has now passed, but it’s not too late to sign up! The first class of the six weekend course happens Sat., Oct. 2 to Sun., Oct. 3, from 10 am to 6 pm both days.

If so, you’re not alone — and you can rest assured that men too suffer from this you’re-single-so-you-can’t-be-happy phenomenon, as The Enduring Vision’s satire “Used-Car-Driving, Non-Property-Owning, Unmarried Man Somehow Happy; Experts Baffled” humorously points out.

The good news is that there are many other single women out there who do believe you — and blog about all aspects of single living to include, inspire, and educate you. Here are five of my favorites:

1. Bella DePaulo’s Living Single. Best known as the author of Singled Out: How Singles Are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever After, Bella DePaulo debunks myths, lies, and skewed stats about all things single on her Psychology Today blog.

I especially love Bella’s blog because she points out how rampant “singlism” — discrimination against singles — is. After all, singlism isn’t just limited insensitive remarks and backward assumptions — though those may be the most noticeable on a day to day basis (“A Lifetime of Singlism: Getting Crushed by a Ton of Feathers“). Singlist sentiments are still reported as scientific fact (“Avoid Stroke by Marrying? A Case Study in Misrepresentation of Marriage Findings“) — and singlism is even rampant in our institutions and written into our laws and tax codes (Can You Name the 1,138 Federal Hat-Tips to Marriage?“).

Read both Living Single and Bella’s personal blog, All Things Single (and more) for a much-needed corrective to our culture. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll learn a lot.

2. Onely: Single and Happy. Lisa and Christina, the two women behind this blog, delve into everything single from popular culture (“Jon Stewart Misses Chance to End All Singlism As We Know It“) to their personal experiences (“Please Don’t Ask Me Out“).

Onely’s smart without being shrill, sensitive without being mushy. I especially loved Lisa’s post on why she’ll decline future requests to serve as a bridesmaid. To be clear, Onely isn’t against couples. As the about page declares:

We are not against love, or relationships (even heterosexual ones), or marriage, or children….

Nope. We simply stand against the misapplication of the value of these experiences. In other words, when society values those who are in heterosexual, monogamous relationships at the expense of people who are not in heterosexual relationships (or relationships, period), we think it’s wrong. We’re definitely against that.

3. The GINK Chronicles. GINK stands for “green inclinations, no kids,” and is a descriptor coined by by Lisa Hymas, who proudly blogs about her child-free status and environmental passions for Grist. Lisa writes more about choosing to be child free than about being single per se — but for single women who are often pushed to couple up because “the clock’s ticking,” The Gink Chronicles serves as a nice, no-pressure antidote to that bad advice.

Start by reading the GINK Manifesto — “Say it loud: I’m childfree and I’m proud” — then delve into the many posts and videos that shows you can enjoy being childfree — and feel good about your lower carbon footprint too. I especially love Lisa’s focus on child-free living and happiness, pulling from formal studies to personal thoughts from popular authors like Eat, Pray, Love‘s Elizabeth Gilbert.

4. Single Women Rule! Through this blog, I found out that we’re in the middle of the National Unmarried and Single Americans Week right now! Single Women Rule’s celebrating the week with a blog crawl, “to showcase the most influential writers and blogs – established and prevailing – in the online singles community.”

The blog is a full lifestyle site, with everything from features of inspiring single women like The WordPress Chick, reviews of films like The Runaways, and giveaways to random events like martial arts competitions.

5. SingularCity. Although perhaps best known for its magazine Singular, SingularCity also features an active blog that celebrates singular singles. Far from a dating-oriented blog, SingularCity seeks to “celebrate the benefits and positive aspects of the single lifestyle.”

Based in L.A., SingularCity has a Hollywood bent, profiling successful celebs (“If being ‘singular’ means being sexy, savvy, independent, adventurous and single, no man does it better than George Clooney.”), the latest cool gadgets and objects for your fabulous single home, and a lot more. SingularCity’s CEO and Editorial Director Kim Calvert often blogs her personal thoughts on being singular, whether musing about being happy or being embarrassed while single.
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So add those five blogs to your Google Reader during this National USA Week — and share who your favorite single bloggers are in the comments!

[crossposted on BlogHer]

Photo by Neal Fowler