About this time tomorrow, I’ll be in Detroit — getting off the plane before heading to Dearborn, Michigan, where I’ll learn about Ford’s new green initiatives at the “Forward with Ford” conference put together by the company. So it seemed only fitting that today I found about other green initiatives happening in Michigan — showcased in a new film called “Urban Roots.”

Produced by Leila Conners and Mathew Schmid, “Urban Roots” shows the growing urban farming movement in Detroit — where people are finding ways to feed themselves locally and sustainably during economically turbulent times. Watch the trailer for an inspiring preview.

A few screenings are in the works, but none are in L.A. You can, however, buy the 90-minute DVD for $19.95. Or if you think watching the film will inspire you to finally plant your own urban garden, spring for the $30 “Root Level” package that’ll get you the DVD, three packs of heirloom seeds, plus the happy knowledge your money went to fund farms in schools.

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Should you ever find yourself in Sedona, Arizona, treat yourself to ChocolaTree. This all-organic vegan oasis of a restaurant makes delicious and fresh dishes that’ll please cleansers and carnivores alike.

After accidentally discovering ChocolaTree during a visit to Sedona about a week ago, my boyfriend and I became temporary regulars, eating all our meals there during the rest of our stay! My favorite entree was the Falafel Plate — flavorful sprouted falafel balls and a fresh salad with veggie hummus, a creamy garlic dip, and raw flatbread.

That was a pretty filling dish. For a lighter meal that gives you a taste of the tasty veggie hummus, try the Hummus Sandwich — raw onion flatbread filled with onion sprouts, greens, and cucumber.

For a spicier entree, go for the raw Viva Burrito — a sundried tomato wrap filled with fresh veggies and dressed with all manner of decadent vegan deliciousness — from some of the best guacamole I’ve ever tasted to creamy “cheese.” (more…)

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Regular blogging will resume Wednesday.

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I’ve raved about New York City’s newish pedestrian plazas a few times this year, but the idea for these people-friendly urban features isn’t new at all. In fact, 40 years ago, social critic Paul Goodman and his brother Percival proposed doing away with cars in the Big Apple altogether — so that New Yorkers could enjoy cleaner air, safer streets, and “a more integrated community life.”

“Banning Cars from Manhattan” (PDF) was the title of Paul’s essay, published in 1961 in Dissent magazine. Paul and Percival proposed banning all cars “except buses, small taxis, vehicles, for essential services (doctor, police, sanitation, vans, etc.), and the trucking used in light industry” — leaving room for a possible lift on the ban on weekends “when the truck and bus traffic is much diminished.”

Though written long ago, Paul’s proposal’s still very much relevant — and applicable. I read it with great interest, nodding along in agreement until Paul stabbed me in the heart on the last page with this parenthetical: “In sprawling cities like Los Angeles or Cleveland, of course, one cannot get rid of the cars.”

We’ll see about that. I’d actually read this essay a long time ago, but had forgotten about it, coming across it this time around thanks to “Paul Goodman Changed My Life,” a documentary in the making about Paul. Think you’ve got some great, car-free ideas, a la Paul Goodman? JSL Films, the company behind the documentary, is actually running a contest for those who think outside the car — and are willing to write their local government about their innovative ideas.

Simply write your local government “with five ideas that could be implemented in your area to promote forms of transportation that reduce global warming” and enter the contest by Nov. 30. Two winners — one from North America and one from Europe — will each win a new bicycle from Breezer Bikes and Biomega, respectively. Feel free to share your ideas in the comments here too!

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Whenever I visit New York I’m a little tempted to move there permanently. In years past, the fantastic subway system beckoned. When I visited in March, the pedestrian walkways called my name. And last week when I was in the Big Apple for the BlogHer ’10 conference, the wide inviting bike lanes urged me to stay.

In recent years, New York’s beefed up its bicycle network, making it safer, more robust, and much more noticeable as a fun and free way to get about town. And the bike-friendly amenities don’t end there! I got a serious case of bike envy when I passed by the Museum of Arts and Design at Columbus Circle. There on the glass wall, I spotted an inviting sign: “take my bike portrait.”

All visitors have to do is press a circle on the wall, then step back to the marker on the sidewalk for a personal portrait. Later — or perhaps right then, if they’ve got a good smart phone — visitors can see their photo on the museum’s mybike website — to see, download, and Facebook their portraits!

I was very tempted to take a photo of my bikeless self anyway — but managed to resist the urge. Once I got home I found out I actually have more impulse control than many other people! (more…)

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Tired of trying to motivate others to live greener lives? Four contests rely on good old-fashioned self-interest to get you proselytizing eco-behavior.

>> Make bike safety look cool — and win €2,000. Fiat and Italian Vogue wants to put your graphic design on bike helmets. Come up with a design that represents sustainable style to win the cash and to see your handiwork on a series of limited-edition bike helmets, the sales of which will benefit Milan’s Adopt-a-Tree initiative. For bikerly inspiration, check out other new eco-travel gadgets, like a fancy and expensive bike bottle opener and the geek-friendly solar-powered bike bag. Then submit your design by Aug. 23.

>> Assuage the eco-guilt of peripatetic environmentalists — and win a free 8-day trip to Machu Picchu. Love to travel — but hate the carbon emissions involved in wandering around the world? Just create a 1-minute video or 100-word blog post with your thoughts on why traveling makes the world a better place. Submit that eco-rationalization — AND subscribe to both Your Daily Thread and Intrepid Travel’s emails — by Sep. 10 for a chance to win.

>> Promote fair trade — win $2,000 worth of eco-goodies. The I Love Fair Trade! contest wants you to use words, images, video, music — or really, any kind of media — to explore and express why you love fair trade. The winner gets eco-fashion and accessories, chocolate, and other fair trade goods and yummies. Share your love by Sep. 26!

>> Design a green downtown Los Angeles — and win more than $11,000. Here’s your chance to dream up an innovatively green Los Angeles’ CleanTech Corridor — a development zone on the eastern edge of downtown L.A. established by the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles and the Office of the Mayor. Launched by the Southern California Institute of Architecture and The Architect’s Newspaper, the Los Angeles Clean Tech Corridor and Green District Competition wants to see “an integrated economic, residential, clean energy, and cultural engine for the city through architectural and urban strategies.” Get designing; the first deadline for the FAQ is on Aug. 20. (via GOOD)

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If the warmer weather has you thinking of vacations — and your wallet thinking of staycations, consider becoming an ecotourist — to travel on a budget while doing good for the environment too. That’s the idea behind Ecotourists Save the World, a book by Pamela K. Brodowsky with a very long subtitle: The Environmental Volunteer’s Guide to More Than 300 International Adventures to Conserve, Preserve, and Rehabilitate Wildlife and Habitats.

Think puffins are the cutest and want to see them in the Alaskan wild, free? Then sign up for a stint at the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. “Volunteers help park staff survey the local fish and other wildlife, conduct tours, educate school groups and visitors, and maintain the refuge’s hiking trails.” For giving 32 hours a week for 12 to 24 weeks to this work, you’ll get a free stay in a RV pad — plus a small stipend.

Or perhaps where you really want to go is New Zealand. Freeloaders can sign up for the Boundary Stream Mainland Island project, where they’ll “help researchers monitor the North Island brown kiwi, kaka, kokano, New Zealand falcon, and kereru.”

Most international volunteer opportunities will cost you some money — but not a lot. Spend 4-weeks in Guatamala for just $1,123 and help breed crocodiles. Spend a month in South Africa for $1,530 — and rehabilitate orphaned, sick, and injured baboons. Or get to know elephants in Sri lanka; a 3-week stint costs $963.

Find out about those and other eco-adventures by picking up a copy of Ecotourists Save the World, which includes a profile, contact information, costs, dates, and application how-tos for each opportunity. The book’s in stores now for $18.95. Safe green travels –

Earlier:A Green Spring reading list

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I have pedestrian plaza envy. Last week, I visited New York and saw the now 8-months-old pedestrian plazas on Broadway for the first time — and was very tempted to move east.

While the new and improved Broadway isn’t news to New Yorkers anymore, it is to the occasional visitor like myself — and will be new to many Blogher ’10 conference attendees who’ll be in Manhattan this August. Far from the oppressively-crowded sidewalks I remembered from previous years, New York’s Broadway’s gotten much more bike and pedestrian friendly — and a lot more pleasant to hang out in, now that people actually have room to mill about, goof off, and even sit down on the conveniently provided chairs and benches. When I lived in New York, I’d be peeved at the tourists who’d come to a total standstill on the sidewalks and gawk at the sights (I had places to go!). Now, I actually had room to walk around them!

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I live about 20 blocks in from Santa Monica beach — which makes me fear I’ll be among the first displaced when sea levels rise due to global warming. Last week, I visited the east coast to find that New Yorkers have similar fears — enough so that the Museum of Modern Art’s currently got an exhibit to help address the issue.

Titled “Rising Currents: Projects for New York’s Waterfront,” this sci-fi cool but apocalyptic-scary exhibit showcases five visions of New York’s more watery future — scenarios created by interdisciplinary teams in an architects-in-residence program at P.S.1.

MoMA visitors milled about the crowded exhibit (I visited the museum during the extra busy Free Fridays) studying small, model-scale future cities, reading about new and unexpected potential zoning ordinances, and measuring themselves against projected future tide lines like my friend Alison to the right. In future years, Alison will need to wear very high heels to breathe!

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What would happen if a plastic bag tax went into effect in L.A.? Maybe something similar to what’s been happening since New Year’s Day in Washington D.C., where a 5-cent bag tax went into effect.

While 5 cents isn’t exactly a lot of money, it appears to be enough to change people’s behavior — quickly. I got to see this change in person when I was visiting D.C. over the weekend. Many stores had prominent signs about the new tax posted on doors and near the register — like the one above I saw at a Subway — and customers were quick to react.

“It’s a nickel now, right?” said a guy, who walked in with two friends. “Okay, put them all in one bag.”

The quick adaptations people are making to the new rule makes obvious how wasteful previous habits were. Last month, each month of the trio would have probably each gotten his or her own bag, only to take the sandwich out just minutes later, discarding the bag to sit pretty much forever in a landfill!

According to The Washington Post, the new bag conserving behavior I saw at that Subway’s not the exception, but the rule now:

Managers at stores that sell food or beverages say the switchover has cut the use of plastic bags by half or more. One Safeway in Northwest reports a falloff of more than 6,000 bags a week, about half of its former volume.

Of course, a new tax can’t avoid protesters — though most of the protesting against the tax seems to come in the form of avoiding taking a bag to avoid the tax, which is a win both for the environment and the business. Many people are finally starting to make using reusable bags a part of their routine simply to avoid paying the nickel — while others are just precariously juggling items out of the store sans bag.

What I find interesting is the fact that people didn’t make such drastic efforts to save 5 cents when the nickel was deemed an incentive than a punishment. For a number of years, many big supermarkets like Ralph’s and Vons have been taking 5 cents off the shopping bills of customers who bring their own bags — yet few were taking advantage of this opportunity to save. Now that the exact same amount of money is called a tax and showing up as a line item on receipts, people are going to extraordinary lengths to save that nickel….

Earlier:
>> Bring your own bag: How to BYOB in easy eco-style
>> Plastic industry uses enviro-laws to “save” disposable bags
>> Styrofoam and the City: The fate of plastic bags and polystyrene in LA

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