Originally written on Sept. 2, 2005, this post is constantly updated and occasionally reposted at Siel’s whim.
Put down The Secret. Here’s the green Angeleno’s guide to the good life:
Eat & Drink
1. Get caffeinated. Drink coffee and tea that tastes better and does good. Find your local organic fair trade coffee shop — or if you must go to Starbucks, take the Starbucks Challenge.
2. Dare to eat a peach — a fresh juicy one from a local farm. Enjoy the tastiest, most eco-friendly fruits and veggies possible — without going out of your way.
3. Get your protein. Opt for grass-fed, free range, organic, and local meat, milk, and eggs, stick to sustainable seafood, and go easy on the highly processed veg meats.
4. Do happy hour. Find out how to green your drink — from beer to wine to shots to cocktails and beyond.
5. Indulge in dessert. Eat ice cream, sorbet, and chocolate. Fair trade and organic options are easy to find now –
6. Learn to cook. Take a local, organic cooking class. There’s bound to be one suited to your diet and lifestyle.
7. Treat yourself. Dine out at an eco-friendly restaurant — or get organic meals delivered to your doorstep.
8. Lose the junk. Try an eco-friendly diet — or just scare yourself into eating better.
Get Around
1. Take a walk — It’s sunny out! Easiest way to get walking more often: Live in a walkable spot. But wherever you are, discover one-mile-radius living.
2. Bike it. My pink townie saves me lots of money and parking hassles — and the Los Angeles biking community’s helpful and friendly.
3. Ride easy — whether on bus or rail. Some bus routes will actually get you to your destination faster and cheaper than in a car, especially if you account for the driving time spent looking for parking — and the money spent paying for it.
4. Cab it — or rent it — green. Find out about local green taxis, car sharing programs, rental cars, and even green limos.
5. Fly free. Avoid parking hassles — or begging friends for rides — by taking advantage of green and easy airport travel options.
6. Go with friends. Carpooling will give you driving company — and also make you a safer driver!
7. Find a Better World. Still car-dependent? Dump AAA for Better World Club, which gives money to environmental causes and doesn’t lobby against public transportation.
Look good
1. Find fashion bargains. Shop pre-loved and get great deals on everything from couture to casual wear.
2. Shop green boutiques. Majestical Roof, All Shades of Green, Natural High Lifestyle, Patagonia, and Whole Foods Lifestyle are just 5 of the many stores where you can try on eco-friendly fashions before opening your wallet.
3. Indulge a shoe fetish. From flip flops to casual everyday shoes to sky high stilettos, dress your feet in eco-style.
4. Start from the bottom. Comfy green panties and sexy organic bras come in many cute styles. Got a bra that doesn’t fit? Recycle it!
5. Trade up. Trade designer brands with other eco-fashionistas, locally or nationally.
6. Get pretty. Opt for healthier, eco-friendly skin care, hair care, nail care — and oral hygiene while you’re at it. Then pretty up with paraben-free makeup, lead-free lipstick, and phthalate-free perfume.
7. Pamper yourself. Get organic facials, greener hair color, and safer manicures from green-minded salons.
Cut clutter
1. Junk the junk mail. Stop unwanted letters, catalogs, and coupons once and for all.
2. Bring your own. Soon, BYOing will be the status quo — so get a stylish reusable bag, eco-friendly lunchbox and utensils, and to-go mug and bottle — and maybe other new reusables hitting the green market. Wish your neighbors would do likewise? Help ban disposable eco-blights in L.A. and beyond.
3. Recycle everything from your old running shoes to your broken DVD player — because you might even be able to make money at it.
4. Feed the compost. City-subsidized composters will let you turn veggie scraps into garden fertilizer — and reduce your landfill waste.
5. Clean up. Make your own green cleaning products on the cheap or buy better-for-you cleaners — and spiff up your place using eco-friendly tools. Read a book on green cleaning and clean the carpet too if you’ve got the energy — or if not, hire a green cleaning service or eco-friendly organizer.
6. Get radical. Unfetter yourself from all your possessions and seek out an eco-adventure — or just get inspired to shop less and figure out how to get rid of crap you don’t want without sending it to the landfill.
Have fun
1. Make friends. Stay motivated through your green social network. Green Drinks, Green Business Networking, Women of the Green Generation, and EcoTuesday all want you at their events — and lots of other eco-themed events happen in L.A. every week!
2. Watch movies. Find out about the latest green films to buy, rent, or watch at a screening near you.
3. Read books. Pick up all my green reading tips — then page through one of the eco-themed books I’ve reviewed.
4. Play games. See if you can score better than I did at eco-socio-political games that are actually fun to play.
5. Do good. Lend a hand with a local green nonprofit like Treepeople, Heal the Bay, and Sustainable Works — or organize your own local green group or unique volunteer event!
6. Get crafty. Make what you want, how you want it while checking out of mass produced consumer culture by sewing, knitting, upcycling, and trying other handy hobbies.
Save green
1. Win freebies. Twice a week, I give away an eco-friendly freebie. Enter for your chance to win it!
2. Use your city. Get a free rain barrel, a green landscaping grant, and rebates for energy and water-efficient appliances — all from the government.
3. Swap and share. Neighborgoods and other green-minded websites let you borrow and share stuff you don’t want to buy.
4. Find your Eden. Grow your own food — on a balcony, yard, or even someone else’s yard. Then share the bounty with your hungry neighbors.
5. Slay vampires. Stop the slow energy drain in your home and learn how to make electronics last — and opt for greener gadgets and phones while you’re at it.
6. Shop green. Buy green goods that will last and save you money over the long term at eco-friendly local stores like Co-opportunity, The Green Life, and Locali.
Photos by Siel
Siel,
You are coming to “the game” strong… do you find that the more you post the fewer comments you get? I notice you’ve added a few strong posts in the last few days, but I’m wondreing if everyone visiting looks beyond the “lead.” I ask because sometimes the posts I’d most like feedback on move down the “page” as I add more posts and ulimately are lost…
Thanks for supplying with me with more to copy… er… inspire me.
Comment by Castaway — September 2, 2005 @ 5:10 pm
Siel,
I’ve been meaning to look at Progressive, given that I’ve probably viewed their commercial a billion times. I didn’t know about their political affiliation. Given the name, probably should have. I’ll look into Better World as well.
Comment by Fletch — September 2, 2005 @ 7:23 pm
Fletch — I hope you save money with both Better World and Progressive — It’s nice bonus when good changes also give you cash back :)
Castaway — I’d say the # of comments seem to depend mostly on the topic. Posting about American Apparel, for example, drew comments from passionate anti-sweatshop people who don’t usually comment on my blog.
That said, I’ve noticed that the most popular pages — the ones that get the most hits — don’t necessarily incite commentary. A lot of people find my coffee crisis series via technorati or del.icio.us and spend some time reading it, but few comment — I think because for many, it’s a new issue they’re just learning about.
Do you track your stats? Maybe it would help your blogger morale to know that people are reading your posts, even if they don’t comment? :)
Comment by Siel — September 2, 2005 @ 8:57 pm
Don’t worry about the comments and how they reflect on your blog. The first blog I really got into was detroitblog by “John” (I think I mentioned this already). First, if you read his early, early archives, he didn’t take his site seriously. He oftens goes on and on about drinking binges and so on. Second, his subject is unique (most people don’t care at all that Detroit is rotting away). Third, he tells stories in the way reporters do. Nobody seems to know what his day job is, but I suspect it’s just that.
I disagree with castaway in that this new media isn’t “a game.” What game, really? I don’t intend to earn a cent from my site. If people want to read my thoughts, great. If they don’t, merely okay. Even professional bloggers like John, have earned nothing for their work. Incidentally, I’d love to party with this guy.
Comment by Fletch — September 3, 2005 @ 2:29 am
I truly hate to say this, because I wanted more than anything to get away from AAA, but Better World is a terrible auto club. In the six months my wife and I had it, we used it three times, and each time (in the middle of L.A., not in the middle of nowhere) the wait for a truck was over an hour.
An auto club, to be effective, must first be a good auto club. Sadly, Better World can’t meet that standard.
Someone should try to take over AAA and turn it green.
Comment by Anonymous — September 26, 2005 @ 2:30 pm
I love what you are doing with this blog. I work for a non-profit in Santa Monica that does the same thing for residents in a 6-week workshop filled with information about the environmental issues we face in LA. Each week we tackle one of the following topics; Water, Energy, Waste, Chemicals, Transportation, and Food & Shopping. The workshop is designed to move people to action by giving them the 20 or so recommendations in each area along with the tools to execute their intentions. We give out, shower heads, faucet aerators, leak detector tablets, compact fluorescent bulbs, canvas shopping bags, bus tokens, and many other coupons and samples so people can start saving resources immediately. The workshop is available to anyone in LA but Santa Monica residents get a reduced price, thanks to the City of SM. $25 for SM residents or $35 for anyone else. This includes the invaluable worksbook. To find out about locations and dates of the next workshop call Sustainable Works at (310) 458-8716 x1 or email kawar_ferris@smc.edu. Our website is http://www.sustainable-works.org
Comment by Sustainable Works — September 26, 2005 @ 3:12 pm
Truly sorry to hear about your experiences with Better World — I’ll be honest and say Better World has taken 45 -55 mins a few times that I called them — But I haven’t had much better experiences with AAA. Maybe I’m jaded, but I’ve gotten used to rather slow service from any AAA-esque service. Ideally, I’d have an efficient, enviro-friendly car service, but then I’m not sure such a service exists — I’m just going for the enviro-friendly at this point –
Comment by Siel — September 26, 2005 @ 9:13 pm
I teach the Sustainable Living Workshop that was mentioned earlier. If anyone is interested in getting all the information you need to live a green life in one place check out one of the 4 upcoming workshops. We will cover the following topics: WATER, ENERGY, WASTE, CHEMICALS, TRANSPORTATION, AND FOOD & SHOPPING.
Workshop schedule (all start at 7:00 pm):
If you miss the first meeting you can join the second week
Start Date Location Monday April 17th 1744 Pearl St. Tuesday April 18th 2811 Pico Blvd Wednesday April 19th 1744 Pearl St. Thursday April 27th 725 California St. (St. Monica’s Parish)
RSVP to Ferris at Sustainable Works (310) 458-8716 x1 or by email Requested donation for Works book is $25 Santa Monica Residents and $35 for LA Residents
In addition, we give you the tools you need to start you on the right path.
Each participant receives free:
Energy saving light bulbs
Canvas shopping bags
Low flow shower heads & faucet aerators
Leak detectors & garden hose nozzles
Non toxic cleaning samples
Chlorine free paper products
Comment by Ferris — April 17, 2006 @ 3:36 pm
I might get ripped for being a neophyte to the site, as well as someone with a vested business interest…but here goes…
I work for Mountain Valley Spring Water, which bottles in glass (mostly) and plastic (some) a naturally sodium-free and healthy single-source water from a protected forest near Hot Springs, Arkansas. (It’s available for delivery in the L.A. area.) Our small company has been around for 135 years and is not part of Coke, Pepsi, Nestle, Cadbury, or anyone else for that matter. I urge those who care about the purity of their water, and especially those with chemical sensitivities, not to lump all bottled waters together! Mountain Valley is the result of a 3,500-year cycle of natural filtration and mineral imbuement. The director of the Environmental Health Center in Dallas reports that ours is the purest water in the world (when packaged in glass) and it’s the only water used to treat the thousands of chemically sensitive patients who go there. We post full third-party lab analyses of Mountain Valley on the website and invite comparisons.
Thanks for the soapbox. It just pains me to occasionally read articles, posts, and other commentaries that paint all waters with the same brush. There are differences, and even high-quality filtration systems aren’t a good option for everyone.
Comment by Jim — May 12, 2006 @ 8:33 pm
I found your site through treehugger…l like it alot..been living in China for the last year..we are turning a former military base into a bamboo design village..but I have to come back to states soon to find people to populate the village..everyone here wants to live in the cities..smoke cigarettes and buy rolex’s…finding your site gives me hope for Los Angeles..and a reason to come back for a bit…
name of village site…http://mosovillage.com
keep up the good work.
Comment by Timothy Ivory — June 15, 2006 @ 3:11 am
Ferris, Jim, and Timothy — Sorry I didn’t respond earlier! For some reason, I’m not getting an email alert to comments on this post :(
Ferris — I’ll get right on the Sustainable Works program.
Jim — I’m more for consumers spending time and energy working with local govt. to improve tap water — rather than on buying bottled water, regardless of brand…
Timothy — Thanks for the props — and Moso Village sounds like a brill idea!! Will explore the site further — Lemme know if you’re ever in the LA area, and I’ll treat you to a cup of fair trade coffee –
Comment by Siel — June 17, 2006 @ 10:47 pm
where can i obtain a copy of black gold in dvd or video to show at my church?
Comment by gwen — September 7, 2006 @ 12:05 pm
Hi Siel,
Random question for you…I seem to recall that you steam cleaned your carpets at some point last summer/fall. (Or did I dream that?) Can you tell me if you rented the equipment, if so from whom? Or did someone come out and do it?
Thank you much!
Comment by Callie — January 31, 2007 @ 11:04 am
I just found this site and it’s the best Green resource I have ever come across! Keep up the good work!
Comment by Melissa — February 9, 2009 @ 8:28 pm
gwen — You can get the Black Gold DVD here.
Callie — I rented it from Home Depot. It worked great — I just need to do it on a more frequent basis :P
Thanks Melissa :)
Comment by Siel — March 5, 2010 @ 3:47 pm
Just wanted to pass on that the free rain barrell program is now on waitlist. They’ve had MANY more requests than spots (~3300 requests according to the webpage), but they are looking to expand the program. Still worth doing (especially this year!), even if you have to pay for it, I’d say.
Comment by Sophia — March 8, 2010 @ 10:16 pm
I just found this site and want to say I like what you’re doing by making all of this info available in one place. Really makes it easy to find what you need.
I just want to ask you to please update #7 under Transportation. I work for AAA and I think you’ll find a lot of good info at http://www.AAAMakingAmericaStronger.com. Some people don’t realize that urging our government to create a better transportation system does not equate to “build more roads.” You’ll see at this site that a workable transportation solution for America includes trains, buses, and bikes as well as safety solutions for pedestrians.
AAA also favors decreasing the country’s dependence on foreign oil through transportation investments that reduce congestion which can help reduce fuel consumption and vehicle emissions. Continued improvements in vehicle fuel economy, development of alternative fuels/vehicles, and ensuring viable transportation options are available will help this cause.
Comment by jgraziani — March 26, 2010 @ 10:40 am
I actually just read AAA’s Long-Term Recommendations thanks to the link you sent — and am now more anti-AAA than ever. I don’t see anything that promotes public transportation and bicycles — just the usual stuff about not increasing fees for drivers.
Comment by Siel — April 14, 2010 @ 2:56 pm
I used to work for AAA of Southern California. Without saying too much, they are not really green on the inside . . . . no one telecommutes.
Deepak Gupta´s last blog ..Enlightening Chat with Peter Winick
Comment by Deepak Gupta — August 16, 2010 @ 12:36 am
More great shares…even green games =). Thanks. You are an asset to the green community in LA.
Comment by Green LA Fan — November 14, 2010 @ 9:37 am
So I wanted to share with all you eco-friendly, stylish-savvy ladies out there this new site I found that I think fits in with all our ideals of sustainable living and fashion. Its this site called winwinliving.com and it offers daily deals on restaurants, spas and services in LA all who operate with an eco-conscious mindset at 50-90% off. I also love how they give to charities like the Glendon Association and Heal the Bay.
Comment by Willamina Wentworth — January 3, 2011 @ 1:24 pm