Image via Seafood for the Future

>> Come learn the secrets of experienced gardeners to grow your best garden yet! David King, with about 50 years of experience, will take you through the things you need to do to get your home vegetable garden started this year. Dress warm – and bring a cup if you want hot coffee or hot tea! The class takes place this Sat., Jan. 7 from 10 am – noon at the Venice Learning Garden (at Venice High School), located on Walgrove Avenue and Venice Blvd., Los Angeles. Park and enter on Walgrove Ave. Cost: $25.

>> The US Green Building Council-LA Chapter (USGBC-LA) and A Sustainable Kitchen present Everything You Want to Know about Sustainable Seafood but Did Not Know Who to Ask. This class will provide cooking lessons, Q&A and sustainability issues, and expert panel on environmental impacts of land and sea seafood farming practices and more. Class takes place this Sat., Jan. 7 from 3-5 pm at Surfas Test Kitchen, 8777 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City. Cost: $25 for USGBC-LA members, $40 for the general public. Cost of the class goes to support USGBC-LA.

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Wish you could get your eco-facial — in nature’s outdoors? Venice’s Abbot Kinney district isn’t exactly a lush jungle or overgrown forest, but it now has a new green oasis where you can escape from the urban stress and get pretty while enjoying the ocean breeze.

Just stop by The Odacite Garden Spa, a new pop-up pamper spot at The Detox Market, Abbot Kinney’s pop-up-store turned permanent eco-friendly boutique shop. Located in a breezy curtained structure in a peaceful courtyard behind the store, the garden spa offers all-natural facials using the pure, potent beauty products from Odacite. “The idea was to integrate the spa experience with Nature in a natural and eco-friendly setting,” says Romain Gaillard, founder of The Detox Market.

Each treatment at this spa promised to include “healing energy work” — which piqued my curiosity, so I stopped by to try out a facial for review. Sure enough, the facial started with the friendly aesthetician asking me to to pick a flower from a card showing six blooms — then sprayed a corresponding Lotus Wei energy mist above me, letting the scent waft down — to start off the treatment on the right emotional note. As you know, I’m not convinced of the power of floral essences — but the spray certainly added a nice sweet scent to the treatment!

I needed a facial pretty badly, since four days spent in over-air conditioned spaces at the BlogHer conference hadn’t done my skin any favors. The aesthetician said she’d customize my facial to clear away the dullness, then started by giving my face a deep cleanse and soothing massage. This facial massage, I have to say, was my favorite part of the hour. In addition to energizing and rejuvenating my skin, it was decadently relaxing.

After this came the unique, customized part of the treatment — Each facial at this spa includes a fresh skin infusion, adapted to your skin’s needs and freshly whipped up by the aesthetician. For my AC-dulled skin, that meant a Pumpkin Peel Infusion — a fruit acid peel that smelled like delicious pumpkin pie! I could feel the powerful treatment work as soon as the aesthetician smoothed it on; my skin started getting warm and tingly!

Then came a second skin infusion — The Rose Calming Gel-Gommage, an astringent and regenerative treatment that soothed my post-peel skin. And while both these infusions did their work, the aesthetician treated my neck, hands, and feet to gentle massages. After all that healing relaxation, the facial ended with a nice final moisturizing treatment.

The result? My skin definitely got its glow back, with the dead skin cleansed and peeled away.

The one thing I missed at The Odacite Garden Spa was the pore-opening and relaxing steam treatment common to many facials. This outdoor spot doesn’t have a steam machine — or running water, from what I could tell by the aesthetician lugging around a giant bowl of water before my facial — so there was no steam treatment to open my pores for an extraction or a steamed towel for my face while the skin infusions did their work. [Update, 8/23/11: Romain tells me that the spa does indeed have a steam machine; why the aesthetician didn't use it remains a mystery.]

Still, the spot boasts a breezy outdoor setting, customized eco-friendly skin infusions, and a lot of fantastic hands-on massage treatment. Want to try a treatment? A facial will run you between $68 for a half-hour Quick Fresh and Clean Facial to $138 for an Ultimate Skin Rejuvenation and Lifting Facial. Book your appointment now, because The Odacite Garden Spa is a temporary pop-up spot that’s only open until Oct. 21.

The Odacite Garden Spa at The Detox Market. 1524 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice. 310.909.7277. 9 am to 7 pm daily.

Earlier:
>> Premium Skin Care by Diana: Eco-friendly facials meet hi-tech treatments
>> Purity Organic Spa: Eco-luxe facials with a personal green touch
>> Raksa: Unique organic facials meet reflexology and ayurveda

Photos courtesy of The Detox Market

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If you strolled by 50 kids in down dog on Venice Beach one Sunday, you’ve seen Natural Leaders Camp for Kids in action:

How would you like to start your Sunday morning with a gourmet organic breakfast, followed by yoga on the beach, a challenging team workout, and an inspiring lesson on nutrition and sustainability? No, this isn’t an expensive wellness retreat. It’s a free program called Natural Leaders Camp for Kids, which brings L.A.’s inner city kids out to Venice Beach for days filled with healthy fun, delicious food, and eco-education.

The event also feature art, music and live DJs — all the things Jon Nash, cofounder of Natural Leaders Camp for Kids, says he was interested in when he was growing up as one of three children in a low-income, single-parent household in Compton. While the nonprofit camp encourages a diverse mix of kids from all social and economic backgrounds, Nash says that for the most underpriviledged kids, the program can help instill a sense that they can take control of their futures.

Read the rest on p. 13 of Whole Life Times‘ October/November issue — free online (PDF version here). And for the PR people reading this — Note that while this article is about a kid-related event, I really wrote it for Whole Life Times, not green LA girl. Please don’t take this as an invitation to pitch me kids’ stuff — I’m still not interested. Thanks!

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If you live in the city, you could probably use a detox right now — from the traffic, the smog, the pollution, the overwork. Stop by The Detox Market, a temporary pop-up shop in Venice that’s showcasing the purest, hard-to-find green products to help you relax and detox this season.

Tea drinkers can relax with a cup of Detox from Kusmi Tea, while chocolate lovers can nibble on samples of Taza Chocolate — made with stone-ground, organic cacao and just a few other pure, organic ingredients. (more…)

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Junk food habits are tough to break — especially if you’ve got warm fuzzy childhood memories associated with them. If you call yourself a healthy locavore — but sneak the occasional corn syrup and hydrogenated oil tainted Snickers bar, I’ve got a solution for you: Rawsheed‘s new raw chocolate bar — Sneaky.

Devotees of SunPower Natural Cafe regularly dine on Rawsheed’s culinary creations — like the Raw Supreme Pizza I love. Though Rawsheed left SunPower Cafe about a year ago, he’s been keeping busy “cooking” up new raw creations — like raw versions of your favorite chocolate bars from childhood.

Instead of Snickers, there’s Sneaky — an raw chocolate-and-almond concoction with a hint of vanilla. Love Hershey’s kisses? Try Herosheys, a chocolate delicacy with a minty kick.

Almond Joy fans can enjoy Almond More, a two-layer bar with a rich, white bottom of raw coconut and cacao butter. And for peanut butter fans, there’s Reasons, a healthier version of Reeses made with a smooth blend of peanut butter and chocolate.

Compared to the originals, Rawsheed’s chocolates are richer, purer, healthier indulgences. All the chocolate treats are raw and vegan — except Reasons with its roasted peanut butter. All are also sweetened just with dates and date syrup — except the white portion of Almond More. Rawsheed used raw turbinado sugar there to keep the layer white.

I got to try these delicious choco snacks earlier this week — and marveled at how a combination of just a few pure vegan ingredients could combine to make such decadent treats. Rawsheed (below) is still working on tweaking the molds of his chocolates to make them look more like the originals; he also plans to create an all-raw version of Reasons as well as carob versions of each treat. In a few months, Rawsheed hopes his chocolates will be in Whole Foods stores.

But you don’t have to wait that long to try out the raw chocolate bars! Look for Rawsheed’s booth at the Veggie Pride Parade LA 2010, happening tomorrow, Sat., Oct. 30, from 11 am to 4 pm at The Victorian, 2640 Main St., Santa Monica and surrounding streets. Rawsheed himself unfortunately won’t be there — but his chocolates will, along with raw pizzas and vegan mac and cheese!

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>> Always dreamed of being batwoman? Upcycle an umbrella and be one at the Halloween Masked Ball at G2 Gallery in Venice tomorrow night, Oct. 30!

>> Are you a starving green grad student? Get an eco-fellowship to study pressing enviro issues in the L.A. area, thanks to the Los Angeles Sustainability Collaborative.

>> Still haven’t seen Ed Begley, Jr. in person? That’s a clear sign you need to get out to more green events. He’ll be at RETHINK:GREEN — a star-studded charity gala that includes an art exhibit, organic tasting, and a green awards ceremony — held to raise funds for the Green Ambassadors Institute on Nov. 6. Earlier: Environmental Charter High School: Green ed from upcycling to urbanite.

Photo by Lenore Edman/Flickr

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Want a garden of your own — but don’t have a backyard to convert? Long for a spot in your local community garden — but remain stuck on a long waiting list? On Sat., Sep. 25, you’ll have a chance to get your garden on — no plot of dirt required! That day, hundreds of Dig Ins will be happening around the country for would-be gardeners and locavores that want to get their hands dirty.

These events are organized by Slow Food USA, a nonprofit pushing for a more sustainable food system that gets people more connected to — and drawing more pleasure from — the food they eat. If you’re ready to Dig In, find an event near you on Slow Food USA’s website. You’ll get to do some good old fashioned work in a local garden — before indulging in a celebratory meal to cap the day.

So far, the only L.A.-area event listed is a Slow Food Pasadena Dig In (email mzboray@la.chefs.edu for more details). But more events are getting listed every day — and I know of at least one relevant westside event Dig In!-esque that’s not yet listed. That’s the Median Makeover Merriment, featuring architect Mark Lakeman of City Repair fame. This community building and beautification project will get you prettifying a median by planting, painting, and even cob structure building. Then, all participants will get to indulge in a free lunch. Be there on Sat., Sep. 25 from 9:30 am to 4 pm at the intersection of Dudley Ave. and Main St. in Venice. For more info, email Francis Delavecchia at francis@joyfulactivist.com.

Of course, if you’ve got a garden that could use some hands-on love, organizing your own Dig In can be a great way of getting free gardening help! Sign up to start a Dig In on Slow Food USA’s website, provide the details, and prepare for the arrival of volunteers on Sep. 25.

Image via Slow Food USA

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>> Find out about pilot projects in the works to transform L.A.’s streets into people friendly places at Living Streets LA’s Pilot Streets Meeting, where L.A. City Planning Commission President Bill Roschen and local green organizations will be presenting, brainstorming, and sharing. The meeting happens Tues., Aug. 24 from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at the RailLA Exhibit, The Jewel Box/City National Plaza, 525 S. Flower St., Los Angeles

>> The next Los Angeles EcoTuesday, a green business networking event, will feature Juan Matute, director of the UCLA Program on Local Government Climate Action Policies, as the speaker. Be there Tues., Aug. 24 from 7 pm at Casa Del Mar Hotel & Resort, 1910 Ocean Way, Santa Monica. Cost: $5.

>> Don’t miss the Streetsblog L.A. Re-Launch Party and Fundraiser! There’ll be food, drinks a great silent auction — and me! Be there Wed., Aug. 25 from 7 pm to 11:30 pm at 11555 National Blvd., Los Angeles. Cost: $20 suggested donation — but don’t let lack of funds keep you away if you plan to bid on the silent auction items!

>> de LaB and LA Commons have put together Vertical Veggies: Urban Gardening and Cooking at Homegirl Cafe — a delicious evening of urban farming, cooking, and eating. Take gardening and cooking workshops then enjoy an all-inclusive dinner from Homegirl Cafe made with produce from their on-site vertical garden while enjoying live music. The fun sprouts Thurs., Aug. 26 from 6 pm to 9 pm at Homegirl Cafe, 130 Bruno St., in Chinatown, Los Angeles. Cost: $15 for dinner plus gardening or cooking workshop. RSVP required to hello@designeastoflabrea.org.

>> Greenpeace wants to see you at a Hollywood DIE-IN for Chemical Security, a gruesome but green-sounding flash mob of sorts. “1 in 3 Americans live at risk from severe injury or death in the event of a leak or terrorist attack at a high risk chemical plant. Here in Los Angeles there are 16… high-risk chemical plants that threaten millions all over our city!” say the event organizers on their website. If you’d like to temporarily die with them, head over on Sat., Aug. 28 from 11 am to noon to the Hollywood and Highland Metro Stop in Los Angeles.

>> Local foodies won’t want to miss The Food Rendezvous, the first monthly gathering for local food lovers. There’ll be local artisan food, chefs’ demos, cooking contests, cookbook swaps, and more. Be there Sat., Aug. 28 from 4 pm to 10 pm at SPARC, 685 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles. Cost: $10 in advance or $15 at the door.

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>> Conquer your fear of sharks by seeing a new, unscary small shark at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. “At 2-feet long and with a habit of burying itself under the sand on the ocean floor, the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium’s latest addition — a Pacific angel shark — isn’t exactly the menacing type. The frouforu (sic) species name doesn’t help either.”

>> Make bicycling friends and meet local bike celebs at Bikeside Speaks, where you’ll hear a series of 7 minute talks from Santa Monica City Councilmember Terry O’Day, Felicia Williams of CICLE, and many other activist. The short talks will be followed by a “bike-in” screening by the Disposable Film Festival, followed by an after party at the Hotel Erwin on Venice Beach. The fun begins Sat., Aug. 21 at 6:30 pm at Cynergy Bike Shop, 2300 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica.

>> Didn’t include a bikini in your six items or less closet challenge? Fight for the right for women to go topless — minus the nipple covers you’ll be encouraged to wear to prevent the event from getting shut down — at the Go Topless Day march, happening Sun., Aug. 22 at 2 pm, starting at Ocean Front Walk and Navy St. (via LAist)

Don’t forget about all the other green events also happening this weekend –

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>> L.A.’s largest FREE outdoor green festival Venice Eco-Fest 2010 will feature live entertainment on a solar-powered stage, an art exhibit, a “One Planet Parade” down Ocean Front Walk, a vegetarian food court, and more than 150 exhibitors. Hope that the sun will come back out to play by then, and go with your reusable bottle to take advantage of the filtered water stations. The fest happens this Sat., July 10 from 10 am to 6 pm at the Venice Beach Recreation Area (Windward Ave. and Ocean Front Walk).

>> The next Green Business Networking happens Tues., July 13 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, or $10 in advance. Earlier: About GBN.

>> Take some time this weekend to check out the eco-conscious furniture group LA Box Collective’s “So Happy together” exhibit. The show highlights beautiful, green, handcrafted, and locally-made furniture. Stop by Fifth Floor Gallery, 502 Chung King Court in Chinatown, Los Angeles — before the exhibit closes August 29.

>> Sign up now to take the HiddenLA carpool tour the Los Angeles River, exploring the waterway from the valley to downtown L.A. — with stops for tacos and cream puffs. Meet up on Sun., July 18 at 8 am at the River Center (570 W Ave. 26. The tour will end around 3 pm. Cost: $25. Earlier: A Pictorial ode to the L.A. River.

Image via Venice Eco-Fest

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