Making a green resolution for 2009? If you’re a newbie and don’t know where to start — or have become too overwhelmed by all the info you’ve researched to actually take any action — these eco-lifestyle classes and workshops could help you out. Here are three to look into, in my order of preference:

Sustainable Works’ Green Living Workshop. Each weekly session of this 6-week program tackles a new area of your life, from water to food to energy. You’ll get an informative workbook, a resource guide, and some useful eco swag to get you started on your green lifestyle.

When and where:
* Mondays from 7 pm – 8:30 pm, starting Jan. 12 at The Green Life, 2409 Main St. Santa Monica.
* Tuesdays from 6 pm – 7:30 pm, starting Jan. 13 at Heal the Bay, 1444 9th St., 2nd Fl., Santa Monica.
* Wednesdays from 7 pm – 8:30 pm, starting Jan. 14 at Santa Monica Public Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica.

Cost: $25 for Santa Monica residents, $50 for L.A. residents — waived for those who can’t afford it. Register here.

Contact: Email barba_nancy@smc.edu with questions.

All Shades of Green’s Sustainability from the Inside Out Workshop Series. Meet seven times over five months with sustainability coach Deborah Eden Tull for a workshop series that’ll reportedly “deepen your environmental awareness at a time when this is KEY, while helping you cultivate more peace, well-being, and balance in your own life.”

This workshop’s a lot pricier than Sustainable Works. In fact, the pricing’s really odd! Signing up for individual classes costs just $25 in advance ($30 day of the event) — which adds up to $175 – $210 for all 7 events. Yet signing up for the whole series costs $250 -$300. I guess the extra cost’s for the privilege of getting e-mail and in-person support — as well as make-up sessions and 5 – 10% discounts on All Shades of Green products. Still, I think the workshop organizers need a lesson in simple economics.

Update: Deborah emailed to let me know that the cost of the individual classes was incorrectly listed on her website. Each class costs $40, not $25/$30 — so the package pricing now makes more sense.

When and Where: Between Jan. 25 – May 23 at All Shades of Green, 3038 Rowena Ave., Los Angeles, and at a private residence for one workshop. Each workshop’s offered a number of times throughout the 5-month period.

Cost: $25 a class ($30 if not pre-registered); $300 for the series ($250 if you register by Jan. 1)

Contact: Call 323-665-7454 or email creativegreen@hotmail.com to register or to ask questions.

UCLA Extension’s Principles of Environmental Sustainability This new class is described as a course that “explores what green really means — and how to evaluate environmentally sustainable business practices.”

In comparison to the Sustainable Works or All Shades of Green classes, this UCLA Extension class sounds more science and business-oriented, since it includes “an overview of environmental science and interrelationships between humans and the environment — from atmospheric science and global warming to human health and health risk assessment” as well as a look at “the elements of environmental sustainability programs and the analysis and evaluation of environmentally friendly business practices.”

The class’ll be taught by Eugene Tseng, J.D., who teaches enviro law at the University of West Los Angeles School of Law and is a member of the EPA’s National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology.

When and where: Thursdays, 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm from Jan. 8 – March 26, in Boelter Hall Room 5273 on the UCLA campus.

Cost: $550. Enroll at uclaextension.edu

Contact: Call 310-206-7259 or email crector@uclaextension.edu.

Happy learning in the new year!

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