>> Happy St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow! Here are 11 green ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Los Angeles.

>> The fourth annual Green Lifestyle Film Festival promises a weekend of inspiring eco-themed films, healthy food, and creative entertainment. Experience it all from March 19 – 21 at the James Bridges Theater at the University of California, Los Angeles.

>> Come learn and talk about pedestrian-friendly streets, healthy livable communities, economic development, and more at the 2010 LA Street Summit: Biking, Walking and Beyond. The summit’s free, and happens Sat., March 20, 10:30 am – 5 pm at  L.A. Trade Tech College, 400 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles

>> Take a FREE tour of LEED Platinum certified homes in Santa Monica. Santa Monica has 6 of about 150 LEED Platinum homes in California. During this tour, the architect or owner of the homes will answer questions about sustainable features and the green building process. The tour happens Sat., March 20 from 10 am – 3 pm. RSVP required on Eventbrite to get a map of the homes.

>> See green fashions on the runway at the The Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show, which will benefit Green Youth Movement, a student-run organization with the goal of eco-educating teens. The show happens Sat., March 20 starting at 1 pm at Sunset Gower Studios, 1438 N. Gower, Los Angeles. Cost: $25.

>> TreeHugging Day II — with a public group tree hug and tree hugging march — happens Sat., March 20 from noon to 1 pm at Palisades Park at Ocean Ave. and Colorado Ave., Santa Monica.

>> Take a class called “The Native Plant Garden: An Artist’s View” with Andreas Hessing, artist and landscape designer, who’ll help you “explore a personal approach to landscape design that incorporates artistic expression and practicality with green construction strategies.” The class happens Sat., March 20 from 1 pm – 3 pm at The G2 Gallery, 1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice.. Cost: $30 ($25 for Theodore Payne Foundation members). Call 818.768.1802 to register.

>> Learn from a free seminar, Secrets of Growing Delicious Heirloom Tomatoes, in time for the tomato season. The free class happens Sun., March 21 from 9 am – 10 am at the Ocean View Farms Community Garden’s’ 6th Annual Tomato-bration in West L.A. on S. Centinela at Rose Ave.

>> See a free screening of Tapped, an eco-documentary about bottled water, preceded by a new film from Surfrider Foundation and followed by a presentation from Marcus Erikson of 5 Gyres. Part of the Venice Green Film Series, this event begins Sun., March 21 at 7:15 pm at Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice.

>> Volunteer for the Orange Line bike study, happening March 24 and 27. According to Metro’s blog The Source, “Volunteers will survey bike riders, walkers and car drivers who utilize Orange Line park-and-ride lots. Volunteers also will count bike and pedestrian trips on the Orange Line’s bikeway.”

Photo by swanksalot

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>> Santa Monica’s celeb-studded sushi spot The Hump could be shut down for serving endangered Sei whale meat, after Heal the Bay president Mark Gold called them out. The restaurant’s on city property, which means the city can terminate its lease if restaurant owners commit a crime. More in two weeks, after the city investigates the issue.

>> Love Tender Greens‘ local, organic produce paired with organic wines? A new Tender Greens location opens at Sunset and Vine in Hollywood today.

>> Grace restaurant will move to downtown L.A. later this year — and plans to get up to a quarter of its produce from its own garden. to the rectory of St. Vibiana’s later this year, Owner Neal Fraser “has an idea for taking diners into the garden to pick, say, five ingredients for a tasting menu.” This feature article from the L.A. Times also highlights the green efforts of many other local restaurants, including Tender Greens, York, Comme Ca, Napa Valley Grille, and Mixt Greens.

>> The City of L.A.’s growing gardeners with a green gardener training course intended to give eco-friendly and marketable skills to lower-income residents:

Thirty-one gardeners participated in the pilot training program that began late last year, and 89 are expected to be trained soon through the program, which was funded with $250,000 in federal stimulus money, through the city’s Community Development Department, and conducted in partnership with the Institute of Popular Education of Southern California, an immigrant education group.

Earlier: A Green landscape design contest — and 6 free green garden events

Photo by Jory .

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>> Take a FREE Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Garden Class on Wed., March 10 from 6 pm – 9 pm at Hostelling International Santa Monica, 1436 Second St., Santa Monica. RSVP required; contact oceanfriendlygardens@surfriderwlam.org or 310.694.8351 with first and last name, phone number and email address.

>> Co-opportunity’s also having a Free Gardening Event featuring Darren Butler and Margaret Oakley on Thurs., March 11 from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at the Santa Monica Main Public Library’s Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica.

>> Just in time for World Water Day, catch a free screening of Tapped — a film that “examines the role of the bottled water industry and its’ effects on our health, climate change, and our reliance on oil” — on Thurs., March 11 from 7 pm – 11 pm at Santa Monica College’s AET campus, Room 235, 1660 Steward St., Santa Monica. Here’s L.A. Creek Freak Joe Linton’s review. (via The Daily Ocean)

>> Join me at The Organic Center’s 7th Annual VIP Benefit Dinner — themed “Dirt + Water + Sun” — featuring Andrew Weil and other eco-foodie luminaries. The Organic Center’s a fantastic nonprofit that does scientific research and education about organic food and farming — and this party will feature a cocktail reception with organic hors d’oeuvres, live jazz from Mattson Two, and an organic family-style dinner from Pace Restaurant. The party begins Fri., March 12 at 7 pm at the Platinum Ballroom of the Anaheim Mariott Hotel in Anaheim. Cost: $175 per person.

>> Celebrate World Water Day a few days early at World Water Day Los Angeles, a FREE all-day event happening Sun., March 14 from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm at the Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles.

>> 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. March 14, at 9:30 am at the River Center, 570 W Ave. 26, Los Angeles to form carpools and caravan around until 4 pm. Cost: $25, or $20 for FoLAR members. RSVP required to Shelly at mail@folar.org or 323-223-0585.

>> Come hear me speak on BREATHE LA Green Salon panel — “AB 32.0 and the Rise of Green Digital Media” — on Tues., March 16, 9 am – 10:30 am at the California Endowment Center, 1000 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles. Free with RSVP.

>> Did you win tickets to see a free screening of LIFE? Then I’ll see on on Tues., March 16 at The Landmark!

>> Catch a free sneak preview of Dirt! The Movie on Tues., March 16 in the Silver Screen Room of the Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. The event will kick off with an organic reception at 7 pm, followed by a screening at 7:30 pm and a Q&A with the filmmakers. RSVP’s required at KCET.

>> Happy St. Patrick’s Day on March 17! Here are 11 green ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Los Angeles.

>> Weigh in on Metro Westside Subway Extension’s Optional Crenshaw Station. Should the purple line have a stop at Crenshaw or not? Weigh in while the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report’s underway. The meeting happens on St. Patrick’s Day, Wed., March 17 from 6 pm – 8 pm at Wilshire United Methodist Church, 4350 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.

>> Fight the threat of offshore oil drilling with Surfrider Foundation and Environment California. Get to an educational meeting where staff from Surfrider Foundation and Environment California, as well as environmental activists and local community members, will come together to discuss what the threats associated with drilling are, and how communities can fight them. The meeting happens on St. Patrick’s Day, Wed., March 17 from 7 pm – 8 pm at Santa Monica Library – Fairview Branch, 2101 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica.

Image via tappedthemovie.com and kcet.org

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Do you dream of sustainable urban landscapes when you sleep? Then I hope you don’t live in Orange County, which is just waking up to the fact that maybe mandating gas-guzzling lawns isn’t the best idea when we’ve got water shortages. Other SoCal cities are more water-wise, however, and want your help to get wiser yet. So enter the City of Santa Monica Landscape Design Contest and turn your dream into reality!

The city wants to install 3 new demonstration gardens at 3200 Airport Ave., across from Airport Park — and is crowdsourcing the design. According to the city press release:

These landscape designs must be simple to recreate, yet sustainable water-efficient garden design templates. Participating designers are encouraged to base their layouts on local neighborhood communities in Santa Monica, i.e., Ocean Park, Sunset, North of Montana, and incorporate outdoor living room features, elements from Mediterranean and shade gardens, climate appropriate plants, as well as permeable paving options. Recommendations for scaling up or down the garden design template to match appropriate neighborhood lot sizes should also be included.

Get your design in by Mon., March 15 for a chance to see your dream grow — literally.

Don’t feel confident enough to tackle a landscape design challenge? Maybe you will, after a couple free gardening classes — both happening next week before the contest deadline:

>> Take a FREE Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Garden Class and learn about sustainable landscaping practices that will curb urban runoff and ocean pollution. The class — featuring light snacks — happens Wed., March 10 from 6 pm – 9 pm at Hostelling International Santa Monica, 1436 Second St., Santa Monica. RSVP required; contact oceanfriendlygardens@surfriderwlam.org or 310.694.8351 with first and last name, phone number and email address.

>> Co-opportunity’s also having a Free Gardening Event featuring Darren Butler and Margaret Oakley that will teach you about techniques for sustainable and edible gardening. Be there on Thurs., March 11 from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at the Santa Monica Main Public Library’s Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica.

Gardening goodness doesn’t end there. Put these yummy events into your calendar for the Spring:

>> Learn from a free seminar, Secrets of Growing Delicious Heirloom Tomatoes, in time for the tomato season. The free class happens Sun., March 21 from 9 am – 10 am at the Ocean View Farms Community Garden’s’ 6th Annual Tomato-bration in West L.A. on S. Centinela at Rose Ave.

>> Take the 100 Gardens Challenge and pledge to plant your own edible garden during the weekend of April 24 and 25! I took this challenge last year — and I’m proud to say that my year-old chard plants are still going strong (though the basil died really fast and the lettuce barely grew). Help transform L.A. into an edible oasis over just one weekend by planting that garden — or get involved now with the Westside Permaculture Group, the organization behind this challenge, and help organize the big event.

>> Then head over to the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase and take a self-guided tour on foot or by bike to see pretty, eco-friendly gardens that save water — and money on utility bills. The free event happens on Sun., April 25 and is open to all; a map will be posted closer to date.

Earlier:
>> Book Review: Fresh Food From Small Spaces – Balcony gardens, simplified
>> Urban lawn garden in Santa Monica

Photo by Anika Malone

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1. Get out and drink. Take advantage of St. Patty’s deals at your local green watering hole. A few to try:

>> Pizza Fusion Hollywood will offer $1 off all drafts and bottles off their organic and sustainable beers — alongside the restaurant’s usual yummy organic eats. Plus, get $4 Fat Tire and Paulaner Hefe from 4 pm-7 pm.

>> Eco-wine bar Pourtal will have $5 glasses of Vinho Verde (Portuguese “green wine”) all night.That wine’s not organic, but many others at Pourtal are.

>> Library Alehouse will serve Guinness and corned beef alongside farmers market cabbage with potatoes and carrots from Weiser Family Farms.

Know of other green beer deals? Share them in the comments.

2. Or drink at home. Stephanie Rogers at Earth First has a list of organic brews to pick from. Or throw a party and get some local keg beer, which Slate’s Green Lantern is the greenest beer container — as long as you drink from reusable glasses.

3. If you want to drink home all year on the cheap, brew your own organic beer. Sierra Club’s Climate Crossroads shows you how to get started.

4. Become a beer activist. Drink to change the world! Chris O’Brien’s book Fermenting Revolution: How to Drink Beer and Save the World will turn you into a purposeful beer drinker. Follow up that read by watching Beer Wars, to find out why you shouldn’t be drinking Bud Light.

5. Reeling and ready to take eco-action? Ride, don’t drive, to the Community Meeting about the Metro Westside Subway Extension’s Optional Crenshaw Station. Should the purple line have a stop at Crenshaw or not? Weigh in while the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report’s underway. The meeting happens on St. Patrick’s Day, Wed., March 17 from 6 pm – 8 pm at Wilshire United Methodist Church, 4350 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.

6. Or fight the threat of offshore oil drilling with Surfrider Foundation and Environment California. Get to an educational meeting where staff from Surfrider Foundation and Environment California, as well as environmental activists and local community members, will come together to discuss what the threats associated with drilling are, and how communities can fight them. The meeting happens on St. Patrick’s Day, Wed., March 17 from 7 pm – 8 pm at Santa Monica Library – Fairview Branch, 2101 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica.

7. Or stick strictly to St. Patrick’s Day-themed events, and use Google Transit to ride safely to the St. Patrick’s Day festival at L.A. Live.

8. Dine green. Robin Shreeves at MNN has a recipe for Irish brown bread, and Blogher’s own Alanna Kellogg put together a roundup of green food recipes.

9. Eat green cookies. Bake your own — or get organic shamrock sugar cookies from Organic Bouquet. Two dozen cost $59.95.

10. Get crafty. Can’t drink or go out because you’re stuck at home with the kids? Jenn Savadge at MNN has some ideas for eco-friendly St. Patty’s craft projects, like making a coffee filter shamrock, handprint rainbow, or paper mache pot of gold.

11. Appreciate green beauty. Check out these gorgeous photos of Irish landscapes — limestone bluffs, swamp woodlands, pastures for peaceful grass-fed cows — from National Geographic. Enjoy them now, because according to Della Watson at The Sierra Club’s blog, The Green Life, “a report from the Irish American Climate Project predicts that global warming will endanger the Emerald Isle’s verdant fields, cause a drought-induced reduction in the the country’s famous potato crop, and lead to more “bog bursts” (think mudslides).” Even worse, climate change is worsening the quality of Saaz hops used to make pilsner lager!

Earlier: Happy hour with green-tinted glasses

[crossposted on Blogher]

Photo by swanksalot

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This week’s green weekender went up yesterday — but a lot more’s happening this week!

>> Catch a free screening of Rock the Boat, a documentary about Angeleno activists who kayaked 51-miles of the L.A. River in 2008 to show that the river is a navigable waterway — and thus falls within the Clean Water Act. According to LAist, the screening happens tonight at 9 pm at the Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice.

>> The next West Side Green Drinks happens at The Green Life, where you can get a really great deal on recycled envelopes. The party begins this Thurs., March 4 at 7 pm at The Green Life, 2409 Main St., Santa Monica.

>> Help save pelicans at G2 Gallery’s “Fill The Bill” reception to support International Bird Rescue and Research Center’s pelican rescue efforts. According to Will Campbell at Metblogs — who says he’s too often “been up-close and personal with a dead brown pelican along Ballona Creek” — that event happens this Fri. at G2 Gallery, 1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice.

>> Get your cat neutered with a free voucher from Actors and Others for Animals. Los Angeles County residents who want one of the 400 vouchers must register at online by March 9, and complete the surgery by April 20.

>> Work out at Lemon Grove Park in East Hollywood, which now has a new fitness trail and exercise zone that includes a 10-piece set of exercise equipment.

Photo of Joe Linton kayaking the L.A. River via L.A. Creek Freak

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>> Get to Hollywood for The Toxies, a red carpet event giving awards to “bad chemical actors.” Organized by CHANGE (Californians for a Healthy and Green Economy), the Toxies begin on Wed., March 3 at 11 am at the Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles.

>> The next Green Business Networking happens Tues., March 9 from 6 pm – 9 pm at The Ambrose Hotel, 1255 20th St., Santa Monica. Meet greet and shmooze over organic food and drinks. Cost: $15. Earlier: About GBN.

>> Sign up to take a Green Living Workshop with Santa Monica nonprofit Sustainable Works. Workshop participants meet once a week for 6 weeks to learn all about shrinking your carbon footprint. The next round of classes begin early March; pick from Mon., Tues., or Wed. night meetings. Cost: $25 for Santa Monica residents, $50 for L.A. residents.

>> The next Permaculture Design Course taught by Larry Santoyo of EarthFlow Design Works begins next month! I took the course last year; sign up now.

>> Sign up now to take your own reusable net-bag by taking a Net-making Workshop with Mike Metzger, happening Sat., April 17 from 11 am – 5 pm at the Machine Project. The $35 class is capped at 10 students, so seriously, sign up now.

Image via The Toxies

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This post was originally written 7/19/09. Since then, L.A.’s lost one CSA program but added two new ones. Eat local in 2010!

Thanks to the growing interest in local, organic food, Angelenos can suddenly pick from a wealth of community supported agriculture programs with locations all over the metropolis. CSA programs basically let you invest in a local farm — for which you’re rewarded with weekly boxes of fresh local produce grown from that farm.

Some of the programs below have stretched that definition of the CSA a bit, to pool produce from more than one organic local farm, for example. Still, the general goal — to connect you to local, seasonal produce and the farms and farmers around you — remains the same. Your options:

(more…)

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If you’ve ever tried to opt for sustainable seafood dishes at a restaurant using Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch guide, you know that the seemingly-simple guide can be tough to follow. Why? Often, the restaurant staff isn’t knowledgeable enough to tell you what you need to know — like whether the grilled salmon’s the sustainable kind that’s wild-caught in Alaska, or the farmed kind known to wreak havoc on the environment.

That’s why eco-pescatarians love dining at Santa Monica Seafood Cafe, with its sleek oyster bar and always-busy dining area. While not all seafood here’s sustainable as at Border Grill, the staff at Santa Monica Seafood’s knowledgeable about their food and where it comes from — which makes it easy for diners to make greener choices.

I went for the Grilled Mahi Mahi Flat Bread when I stopped by a couple months ago. According to the oyster bartender, the mahi mahi was caught in Hawaii — making my fish dish a “good alternative,” according to Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch. Plus, the tasty dish came with organic greens –

Of course, I’d love Santa Monica Seafood even more if all its seafood was sustainable. The family-owned and operated company is, on the bright side, taking some steps in a green direction. Last October, Santa Monica Seafood announced a 5-year partnership (PDF) with Monterey Bay Aquarium. The goal: To shift Santa Monica Seafood’s purchases toward sustainable sources — a pretty big feat, considering the fact that the company’s the largest seafood distributor in the southwest.

It’s unclear, however, how green Santa Monica Seafood will go. The agreement simply states that Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program will “support” and “help” Santa Monica Seafood find greener seafood suppliers, and make “a stepped-up outreach effort to its 1,500 client chefs and restaurants.” And the quote from Michael Cigliano, executive vice president of Santa Monica Seafood — “Ultimately, our goal is to reach a point where a majority of all our seafood purchases come from sustainable sources” — implies that 100% sustainable seafood isn’t the goal, and that currently, not even 50% of what the company sells can be considered sustainable.

All that’s to say that Santa Monica Seafood’s making green strides — but discerning eco-pescatarians should take advantage of the knowledgeable staff and still ask questions when making their seafood choices.

As for the dining experience itself: The mahi mahi flat bread was deliciously warm with a tasty pesto aioli. And though the popular cafe was full, my friend Bryan and I found seats at the oyster bar where service was friendly and efficient. Next time I want to try the grilled salmon — after verifying it’s wild-caught.

Santa Monica Seafood. 1000 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. 310.393.5244. Also a retail store and cafe in Costa Mesa.

Earlier: A Sustainable seafood guide for the digital age

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>> Liz Phair drives her Prius through the desert – to get to Phoenix to cover NASCAR and Greenbuild for The Atlantic. Environmentalists — and eco-angst — can be found at both events:

Sick of the brainiacs at NASCAR haranguing me about responsible waste management and alternative-energy sources, I head back to Greenbuild…. Even longtime enviro-types are still struggling to come to terms with the loss of their old lifestyles. In his speech at Greenbuild, Al Gore admits that he misses his vice-presidential motorcade like a phantom limb. Sheryl Crow, who follows Gore’s keynote address with a rocking performance, tells me that when she went to Capitol Hill to lobby for environmental legislation, she met with Senator Carl Levin, who hails from Detroit. “I told him, ‘I am a person who grew up in Missouri, and I have always had a muscle car,’” Crow recalls. “‘I would love to continue driving a great, American-made 12-cylinder. I’m not gonna do that, but …’”

To the right’s Liz Phair performing at the Global Green USA Oscar Party in 2006.

>> Check out the proposed plans for a new visitors center for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area! The new center would be at King Gilette Ranch along Mulholland Highway. Got something to say about the plans? Get your comment in by March 15.

>> Less fog could harm California’s redwood trees. According to Wired, “Over the last century, new research suggests the average daily fog has decreased more than three hours, causing the coast redwoods to lose more water in the dry summer season, leaving them more susceptible to drought.”

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