urban greening project

paved paradise

2007-10-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

everything gardens (me) recently designed and hosted a public park in honor of park(ing) day la to vocalize the need for more quality open space in los angeles.

In 2005, the Rebar group, a small group out of San Francisco, opened eyes worldwide by transforming a metered parking spot into a park-for-a-day in an effort to make a public comment on the lack of quality open space in American cities. Their goal was to reprogram the urban surface by reclaiming streets for people to rest, relax and play and to:

*Promote a critical dialogue among artists, designers, activists, citizens, corporations, and government regarding the need for urban open space and they way in which streets are currently used.

*Energize civic life by questioning basic assumptions about urban space while offering provocative and meaningful alternatives.

*Connect artists, designers, and activists with ways to permanently reclaim the street for people.

we had a great time and thank everyone who stopped by. we even made some press with a photo of our park on the cover of the la times, my roommates ashira and lauren making the park look so good!

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enjoy the photos!

lawn be gone!

2007-06-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

i have been neglecting you, urban greening project blog. but this is because i have been so delighted out in the world doing the work!

my landscape design and installation business, everything gardens, has been blessed with great clients and opportunities in the organic gardening and permaculture realms here in los angeles. we are working to rid los angeles of those water hungry lawns and replacing them with native, edible, and drought tolerant landscapes that are both beautiful and functional.

below you will see the transformation of my most recent project in el segundo. this is a garden in which we focused on lowering the water consumption in my clients' 60x70' back yard, which was previously all lawn (dead lawn mostly), to a smaller 500 s.f. lawn with the surrounding focus on edibles and drought tolerant plantings.

here are the befores:

the durings:

we used permaculture methods to kill out that huge lawn and used only organic ammendments to build her soil structure.

and the afters:

also, she now has the following edibles to choose from:

apricots
lemons
oranges
advocado
mexican lime
kumquat
figs
tomatoes
chilis
eggplant
and so many varieties of herbs

we also added a drip irrigation system which runs on a weather controller (it knows when it is going to rain and waters accordingly) and all of the pavers were reclaimed concrete so we kept lots of typical waste material from going to the landfill! now there are so many butterflies and hummingbirds coming by to check it out... did i mention that i love my job?

new work

2007-05-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

these photos are of a drought tolerant and succulent courtyard garden that i designed and installed in manhattan beach last week. plants include a variety of succulents including: jade, echievera, string of pearls, sedum, senecio, euphorbia "sticks on fire", and dwarf anigozanthos "kangaroo's paw."

this garden is beautiful and will only need watered every couple of weeks. a great resource for native and drought tolerant plants for southern california is be water wise.

green gardens

2007-05-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

this past saturday i attended the 3rd annual green gardens tour featuring sustainable gardens in santa monica. the tour benefitted the virginia avenue project, a free after-school program that uses the arts along with one-on-one mentoring to help kids discover their full potential.

the goal of the tour, themed "the value of trees" was to highlight environmentally harmonius landscaping practices, and it did a great job at that. here is an excerpt from the booklet that i received at the tour:

"in natural systems, rainfall is caught by trees or shrubs and released slowly into the ground. this natural cycle produces nutrient, fresh water and clean air. even in a semi-arid landscape like early los angeles, the eco-system was in balance, providing everything that native people, plants and animals needed for a sustainable and prosperous life.

in the los angeles of today, we have interfered with the natural cycles of energy and water with thousands of square miles of concrete, asphalt, skyscrapers and residential neighborhoods. in this system, rainfall is channeled to our roadways, where it picks up...a toxic soup of pollutants and washes into the over-taxed storm drain system and out to our beaches and bays. very little water remains to replenish the water table for later use.

two important and expensive problems result from this: we must import billions of gallons of water each year, turning other regions into deserts; and we spend half a billion dollars on massive flood control projects.

in order to turn things around, we need to begin understanding los angeles as a living ecosystemm and working with nature to rehabilitate its ability to protect and meet our needs. trees are central to this rehabilitation."

so what constitutes a "green" garden? aren't all gardens green? well, these gardens were chosen for their use of recycled materials, climate appropriate plants, urban runoff systems, organic practices, wildlife friendly-ness, edibles, water efficient irrigation, green building practices, mulch, and lawn reduction.

below are photos that i took of some of the gardens. i'll be following up with a series on green landscaping and my experiences in designing through a whole-systems approach.

mushrooms in my room - day 18

2007-05-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

i'm having babies!! wow!

mushrooms in my room - day 15

2007-04-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

it's day 15 on my oyster mushroom experiment in my room, can't wait for them to bloom!

another day at work

2007-04-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

please step into my office...ha ha.

one of tomas' neighbors has this grass couch outside of their house and we love it! learn how to sprout your own through readymade's tutorial.

green garden tours

2007-04-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

the garden tour season is upon us here in sunny socal. this weekend there are two tours that i will be attending and both are focused on sustainable design in the garden.

the third annual santa monica green garden tours will be held saturday, april 28 from 10am - 4pm. advanced tix are $30, $40 at the door.

then learn how to save water in your garden at the theodore payne foundation native plant garden tour will be held saturday and sunday, april 28-9 from 10am-4pm each day. this tour is a 2-day self-guided journey through 30 local gardens. the criteria is that each garden contains at least 50% california native plants. admission is $20.

how mushrooms can help save the world

2007-04-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was a typical evening in the downtown Los Angeles warehouse district housing the Farmlab crew. As I looked around, the orange hues of the setting sun reflected off the barren cement landscape in a strangely beautiful way and the sounds of cars in the distance were muffled by a train barreling by and helicopters whizzing overhead. Gathered under a bridge amongst these typical urban stimuli, a group of anxious Angelinos awaited a lecture curiously titled "How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World."

keep reading this article that i wrote about paul stamets for worldchanging here

and here's a picture of week 1 of my homegrown oyster mushroom experiment...thanks paul and dusty!! i can't wait until they start to fruit!

aglago sprouts

2007-04-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

spring is sprouting here at aglago (my home co-op) and the garden seedlings are starting to come up. the peppers are growing and the strawberries are ripe and yummy. i am blessed to have a little permaculture escape here in the concrete jungle.

we bought our seeds this year from j.l. hudson, a family-run seedbank out of la honda, ca. their catalog of ethnobotanical seeds is beautiful and informative. check them out for your planting needs.

spring

2007-04-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

again the violet bows to the lily.
again, the rose is tearing off her gown!

the green ones have come from the other world.
tipsy like the breeze up to some new foolishness.

again near the top of the mountain
the anemone's sweet features appear.

the hyacinth speaks formally to the jasmine,
peace be with you, and peace to you lad!
come walk with me in this meadow.
again there are sufis everywhere

the bud is shy, but the wind removes
her veil suddenly, my friend!

the friend is here like water in the stream,
like a lotus in the water

the narcissus winks at the wisteria,
whenever you say.

and the clove to the willow, you are the one i hope for.
the willow replies, consider these chambers of mine yours. welcome!

the apple, orange why the frown?
so that those who mean harm do not see my beauty.

the ringdove comes asking, where, where is the friend?

with one note the nightingale indicates the rose.

again the season of spring has come and a spring-source
rises under everything, a moon sliding from the shadows.

many things must be left unsaid, because it's late, but whatever
conversation we haven't had tonight, we'll have tomorrow.

~ rumi

image by kateluck

jill bliss at my house saturday!

2007-04-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

okay, so jill bliss will not be at my house on saturday, but she'll be right around the corner at reform school for a solo show titled "forest coral, new work by jill bliss" based on her recent visit to the great barrier reef.

miss bliss is one of my very favorite artistas. she grew up on a family farm in norcal where everything was hand built or cultivated. you can view her portfolio website here. we share the love of botanicals and she also often emphasizes native plants in her art.

"Not only is she a huge inspiration to other indie artists & crafters out there, for managing to make a living doing what she loves, but we especially admire her for her dedication to reusing, recycling & using sustainable materials in ALL of her work."

see you there!
saturday, april 14th 7-10pm

ReForm School
4014 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029

road trip santa barbara

2007-04-09T18:20:00.000-07:00

i just returned from a few days up north. tomas and i had a quite interesting socal camping experience in los padres national forest outside of ojai (who knew that easter weekend is the prime time for families to invade national forests with boom boxes and bbq's?!). anyways, our time was full of campfires, cooking, playing under big beautiful oaks, and sleeping under the stars (and families with boom boxes and bbq's-yikes!) even with the unexpected city influence, it was still a welcome escape from the concrete jungle that we call home.

sunday morning we drove into santa barbara which is approximately 80 miles north of el lay...think gorgeous beaches, lush vegetation, spanish mission architecture all tucked within a valley of majestic mountains wishing for you to climb them. we headed to the santa barbara botanical gardens which is dedicated to research, education and conservation, and display of california native plants. gorgeous meadows of native wildflowers greeted us every where that we went. i enjoyed exploring their exhibit of native basketry vegetation and techniques. on our way out i picked up a book by carol borstein titled "california native plants for the garden" and some sedum hispanicum 'purpureum' from their nursery for my succulent garden.

we made it back to el lay today in time for tomas to get to work and for me to run errands and take a long walk around silverlake while talking to lovely friends and family. now i'm heading offline to enjoy the rest of my birthday!!

ugp wants you! well, your garden actually...

2007-04-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

phew...i am still recovering from the boom that was ca boom design show. thanks to everyone i met and your efforts in the green design realm. i am in the process of writing a very detailed blog about it for worldchanging, so stay tuned.

now the big news...urban greening project is moving into our next phase of greening. we're taking the ugp outside of the blog-o-sphere and into the garden and we need your help. if you or someone you know has a house in the la area and are interested in a gorgeous green garden makeover, please contact me for details at urbangreeningproject (at) gmail (dot) com.

green design events this weekend

2007-03-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

ca boom 4: the west coast independent design show runs today, march 30th through sunday, april 1st. the event has a big focus around prefab architecture and green design. i'll be there on sunday so stay tuned for my review.

micro-organisms for dummies is a a free workshop in glendale this weekend that you not-dummies may find interesting. effective microorganism inventor and developer, dr. teruo higa will be presenting "micro-organisms for dummies" on sunday, april 1, 2007, from 2 - 5 pm at the glendale civic auditorium at 1401 n verdugo road (at mountain ave).

hollywood is burning!

2007-03-30T17:20:00.000-07:00

on my way home from work today i noticed a huge cloud of smoke around downtown los angeles! in this dry desert climate, brush fires are a common part of the natural ecosystem and with such little rain this year (and i mean bone-dry) it doesn't surprise me that there is a huge brush fire in the hollywood hills. read about it on worldchanging.

ugp growing up

2007-03-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

phew, march has been a whirlwind. the lovelies kristy and aaron spent the beginning of the month with me and it was lovely as ever. they left el lay to continue forward to the east coast where they will wwoof it for the spring and summer (wwoof= world-wide opportunities on organic farms). i'm so excited (and i'll admit a wee bit jealous) for their adventures ahead.

as far as the urban greening project goes, i have some big changes in store for you over the next months. i'm really excited to share them with you as they develop. so stay tuned for more info yo.

in the meantime, the blog will continue to focus on el lay's urban permaculture scene with other sustainable design and art topics sprinkled in for inspiration.

image is by nyc street artista 'swoon' who just had an amazing show at the new image art gallery.

urban permaculture in la

2007-01-31T21:35:00.000-08:00

Sure, with miles upon miles of sprawling single family homes, congested freeways, paved rivers and architecture meant to be viewed from the seat of a moving vehicle, I can attest that Los Angeles does a good job of living up to its reputation of a city filled with un-inspired design. However, if you take a deeper look into this complex urban fabric, you will discover some green gems that are making big impacts here and opening the eyes of city dwellers around the globe.

Pasadena-based Path to Freedom (PTF) was featured in the LA times twice this week (here and here) for what founder Jules Dervaes calls his "homegrown revolution," created by using "hands as weapons of mass creation."

PTF is an example of urban permaculture, a design philosophy rooted in careful observations of natural patterns and a harmonious integration of ourselves and our communities into the landscape. Using the principles of permaculture, Dervaes and his family have transformed their 1/5 acre city lot into an urban homestead to decrease their energy dependency and to exemplify self-reliant urban living.

Home to over 350 different edible and useful plants and a variety of insects and animals, PTF produces an impressive 3 tons of organic fruits and vegetables annually on their small lot. This produce is supplied to local restaurants and caterers through PTF's home business Dervaes Gardens.

In a permaculture model, all waste, if left an unused resource, becomes pollution. So all food waste at PTF is recycled to its next highest use, through composting to build healthy soil. The use of energy-efficient and human-powered appliances, solar and cob ovens, and solar panels has reduced their electricity dependence by two-thirds. The Dervaes also home-brew their own biodiesel, and are working on water harvesting and re-use projects. They do all of this while maintaining their highly informational website and blog...

continue on at worldchanging los angeles

[Photo by Al Seib for the Los Angeles Times]

[edited by greenlagirl, siel)

garden paradise in pasadena

2007-01-22T12:07:00.000-08:00

my favorite mustached magic maker, shrine, is at it again. you may remember him from an earlier post about his making love out of trash art show in which he and his daughter jesse transformed 19 truck-loads of trash into beautiful art.

shrine was recently featured on the front page of the house and garden section of the los angeles times for the inspiring garden world that he has created around his pasadena home.

shrine's gardens tell stories of found treasures, intricate mosaics, and fascinating succulants and cactus plants that are artwork in themselves. because of his focus on drought-tolerant species, shrine's garden is a xeriscape which does not require supplemental irrigation. shrine gets a big green thumbs up for his urban greening project. he's not only conserving resources of water but also reusing other people's trash to create beautiful green space.

read more about shrine and his funky gardens from the la times.

and i just couldn't resist adding a photo of zee artist and myself from burning man this past year :)

worms for the world

2007-01-19T14:11:00.001-08:00

tonight! friday, january 19th from 8pm to midnight, echo curio is hosting their first themed exhibition:

"Worms Save the Planet: From Vermiculture to the Culture of Worms"

vermiculture is a form of composting using earthworms. vermicompost is very different from compost produced in compost piles by bacterial decay, and is much richer in many nutrients making it perfect as a top layer of soil. you can find more information behind the concept for this exhibit as well as juicy vermiculture info here.

Now is your chance to learn how worms can save the planet!
That's right, the wiggly, dirt-dwellers will reduce green house
gas emissions, limit the amount of harmful chemicals used in
the world, lower the impact of trash on the environment and
even save you money! With LIVE WORMS you can actually FEED!

+ Opening Reception for our Wormy Art show featuring wormy works.

+ ECHO CURIO's first CDR release party. 21 Musicians creating Wormy
songs to satisfy those wormy cravings.

+ Squirm out to the narcotic sounds of Fantastic Sleep as they perform
their wormy music while wiggling around in sleeping bags.

+ Extraspecial artist designed wormy buttons and t-shirts

All of this is brought to you FREE. ECHO CURIO is here for YOU!
Please support us by buying art, buying our diy products, or donating
to our rent fund.

In addition to all our art and musical events, ECHO CURIO is open
Wednesday - Sunday, Noon - 6. Worms Save the Planet runs from January
19th - March 4th.

--
ECHO CURIO
The Echo Park Curiosity Shop and Art Gallery
1519 Sunset Blvd.
Echo Park, CA 90026

sustainable cinema

2007-01-17T10:47:00.000-08:00

mark your calendars, the santa monica public library is hosting a free showings of four films that examine the relationship between humans and planet earth. the films will be shown monthly in the martin luther king jr. auditorium of the main library from february through may, 2007.

the series begins with a screening of who killed the electric car? on wednesday, february 7 at 7:00 p.m.; a panel discussion with environmental experts will follow.

the film super size me is featured at 7:00 p.m. on tuesday, march 6.

al gore's film an inconvenient truth will be shown on wednesday, april 4 at 7:00 p.m.

and fast food nation, will screen on wednesday, may 16 at 7:00 p.m.

this program series is cosponsored by the environmental programs division of the city of santa monica.

the library is located at 601 santa monica boulevard.

green machines

2007-01-16T23:25:00.000-08:00

the machine project is a local non-profit dedicated to providing educational resources to artists working with technology. saturday the 20th they are hosting the fourth of eight monthly installments, in which ing reveals the origins the rainbow through an original creation myth. each of the performances explore a specific color and this saturday's color is G R E E N !!! it sounds like a fun event, and all viewers are asked to wear the specific color of the month. there is more information below and here on the machine project website.

Prescribed and improvised music, storytelling, movement, sculpture, and other media will be at hand as ing utilizes a different space within the gallery at a different time of day for each performance. Visitors wearing the color associated with the show they are attending will receive a free gift and are encouraged to attend multiple performances, as each show will reveal a new surprise in this epoch story of science, magic, and color.

machine project
1200 d north alvarado street
los angeles, ca 90026
213-483-8761

envisioning the future

2006-12-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

here we are, another new year on the horizon...i find myself working hard cleaning up the challenges of last year to create clearings for possibility to come and setting specific intentions and goals for my next revolution around the sun... here's a little of what i've been stirring in:

today, more than ever, humanity is facing the challenges of how to respond effectively to massive ecological problems…. problems that go deeper than physical ecology, that are bound in our social and spiritual existence as well. while we are hard at work contemplating how to save the world, i'm also dreaming about how the world to save would be…the world that i wish to live in every day…a place where we can meet our current societies needs without compromising a healthy future for the next generations…a place that values meaningful relationships of all types…a place where we we can celebrate the beauty and mystery of being alive every day…

if you were to create your ideal future, what would it look like? what values would your community hold? what are the conditions necessary for this community to exist in the way that you envision it?

global emergency

2006-12-21T15:04:00.000-08:00

In the year 2035, three quarters of the built environment in the U.S. will be either new or renovated. This transformation over the next 30 years represents a historic opportunity for the architecture and building community to reverse the most significant crisis of modern time, climate change.

in response to my last post about al gore speaking at the 2007 aia convention, i wanted to highlight a really great resource that talks about the effects of the building industry on global warming, showcases a wealth of green case studies, and invites you to join them in a campaign for global action.

architecture 2030 really breaks it down for us, stating that "unknowingly, the architecture and building community is responsible for almost half of all u.s. greenhouse gas emissions annually. globally the percentage is even greater.” also, in the u.s., seventy-six percent of all electricity generated by power plants goes to supply the 'building sector.' with so much of our resources going into this one sector, it is essential for architects, landscape architects, planners, designers, engineers, contractors, and builders to take immediate action in their current practice.

action...yes. but how?

architecture 2030 is producing a live webcast for global education and activation. the global emergency teach-in titled "global warming, climate change and the built environment" will air around the world on february 20, 2007. all design schools (architecture, planning, landscape architecture, interior design, environmental studies, industrial design, etc.) are being asked to substitute the teach-in for classes on this day, and professional design firms and governmental entities (planning departments, city officials, etc.) are highly encouraged to join in as well. it is recommended to host the event in a common space with a computer since it is an interactive discussion with opportunities for q&a. i have attached more information below about the teach-in. in the meantime, take time to browse the architecture 2030 website and their recommended resources for more information.

February 20, 2007
Noon-3:30p.m. EST

To register for the teach-in, click here.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE:
Noon - 12:15pm
WELCOMING REMARKS
Susan Szenasy, Editor, Metropolis Magazine

12:15 - 12:45pm
A THREAT TO THE PLANET
Dr. James Hansen, Director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies

12:45pm - 1:15pm
RESUSCITATING A DYING WORLD (2030 Challenge / 2010 Imperative)
Edward Mazria, AIA, Founder, Architecture 2030

1:15pm - 1:45pm
DOING IS BELIEVING
Chris Luebkeman, Director, Global Foresight and Innovation Initiative, ARUP

1:45pm - 3:30pm
DISCUSSION AND Q&A
Q&A for the Speakers will be moderated by Susan Szenasy: Questions will be taken via the internet and sent in through a web-based interactive system. The most common and provocative questions will be posted on a screen, read by the Moderator and then answered by the Moderator and Panel.

Live broadcast ends at 3:30pm. Web archive will be posted at 3:30pm.

growing beyond green

2006-12-21T14:42:00.000-08:00

the american institute of architects (aia) has announced that vice president al gore will be the closing keynote speaker to their 2007 convention and design expo. the event, titled "growing beyond green," will be held in antonio, texas may 3-5, 2007. the aia is excited to have gore speak at their 150 anniversary event:

We are honored to have Vice President Gore, a champion of solutions to combat global warming, speak at our 2007 national convention. We are fortunate to have someone of Mr. Gore’s stature help shine a spotlight to an often overlooked element – the impact that buildings have on the health of the overall environment.

~ christine mcentee, aia ceo and executive vice president

the interesting line up of keynote speakers also includes raymond j cole, chrisna du plessis, william g reed, and david suzuki.

(via inhabitat)

understanding nature

2006-12-19T11:29:00.000-08:00

i was first introduced to stacy levy's work while studying landscape architecture at penn state university (she is the wife of my landscape ecology professor neil p. korostoff). stacy was a huge source of inspiration to me in her integration of art, science, and landscape ecology and her apt for creating visual metaphors for otherwise invisible processes. so i was very excited to see her featured on the cover of this month's sculpture magazine with a nice spread titled "stacy levy, understanding nature".

as a scientist and artist, stacy brings a fresh approach to land art through her visually seductive forms while incorporating environmental education and awareness. working with natural elements of water, wind, tides, pollution, decay and microorganisms, stacy designs her projects so to allow the sites and elements themselves to tell their stories of place and progression of natural processes.

"I am interested in showing the invisible aspects microorganisms and their complicated relationships of eating and being eaten, the spiraling hydrological patterns of a stream, the mosaic of growth in a vacant lot, the prevailing winds and their effects on vegetation, the flow of water through a living system. Often people think that nature ends where the city begins. But natural processes are always occurring in the city. I like to explore the idea of nature in the city and make it visible to people. I look for sites which give me the opportunity to bring the patterns and processes of the natural world into the built environment."

the following are examples of her work:

tide flowers

the hudson river rises twice a day with the eternal motion of the tides, connecting us in the urban fabric to the ocean, the moon, and natures' own daily schedule. emphasizing nature's constant hand in the urban environment, tide flowers is an installation of colorful flowers which "bloom" at high tide and close at low tide on the hudson river.

acid mine drainage & art, projects for vintondale

acid mine drainage (amd) pollutes hundreds of miles of streams in the coal mining country of pennsylvania. this issue is close to my heart, as my fifth-year capstone project for psu was the transformation of an 80 acre site intensely polluted by amd into a healthy community park.

collaborating with a landscape architect, a geologist, and a historian on acid mine drainage in vintondale, pennsylvania, levy explained the effect of coalmines on the environment, while creating a park and a passive water treatment facility to restore nature to its pre-industrial state. "the design of the water treatment wetlands brings the massive scale of the mining operation back to the site, with raised plinths of soil demarcating the footprints of the original mine buildings. the final rinse of the water is through the series of wetlands allowing the water to slowly seep back into the blacklick creek."

river eyelash

installed for the three rivers arts festival in my hometown, pittsburgh pa, stacy used 3,000 painted buoys to create strands of an eyelash for the city from the tip of point state park. "the eyelash floats where the concrete of the city meets the fluid edge of the water, engaging the great open surface of the three rivers." the floating strands constantly change in response to wind direction, speed of the currents and types of waves.

7 un-shopping days left

2006-12-18T14:08:00.001-08:00

fact: americans throw away 25 percent more trash between thanksgiving and christmas than during any other time of year which is an additional million tons of garbage per week!

so you can call me ho ho humbug, but i am again going the anti-consumer route for the holidays. i am over the stresses of traveling at this time of year, of running around malls, of swimming in miles of to-do lists and sales hype not to mention debt. i prefer to slow down and sip my vegan egg-nog while grasping onto the bits of sanity that i have left.

last year i celebrated christmas in the beautiful redrocks of nevada which was far more nurturing than being in a congested airport or a spiritless mall. this year i will be staying warm in el lay. i am not planning to buy any presents except for a copy of an inconvenient truth for my parents. the presents that i am making for my closest loved ones are personalized and straight from the heart. they will arrive wrapped in used magazines and newspapers.

for those of you looking to put more meaning into your holidays, treehugger has put together an extensive green gift guide. i also recommend the holiday survival guide from the center for a new american dream. if you are traveling to loved ones, consider offsetting your flight through conservation international.

the dunn county news published these questions to ask yourself as a conscious consumer at the holidays, and year-round (via the worsted witch)

• Where was this product made? What alternatives might there be locally?

• Is this really something the receiver needs or is it just something to give and forget?

• What impact did the production of this product have on the environment? Look back at the sustainable principles. Were fossil fuels wasted in production or distribution? Were people taken advantage of to produce this product, as in third-world countries? Is this product a result of environmentally sustainable practices or is it something that will never decompose or be recycled or repaired?

• Who is reaping the benefit of the sale of this product … a multi-national corporation or a worker receiving fair compensation and the ability to earn a living?

• How far did this product have to travel to make it to your doorstep? What were the energy costs in getting it to you?

The article ends with something many of us can appreciate: “The most sustainable gift of all is to give of ourselves. Make time to be with those you care about, and make time for those who may be alone. Volunteer locally. Create coupons for time to spend together. These are the best, least expensive, and most sustainable items possible.”

word.

alternative car expo

2006-12-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

this past weekend was the first annual alt car expo presented by the city of santa monica. two jam-packed days of seminars, panels, and discussions on alternative fuel technologies, urban planning, mass transit, cycling, and more! tomas and i got there sunday afternoon and unfortunately missed the seminars, but we got to catch up with some of the exhibitors and familiar faces of the alternative transportation world.

flexcar, who i am familiar with from up north, was representing their car-sharing service that they have been expanding here in el lay. flexcar offers a very affordable and convenient solution for those who only need a car a few hours a week or so. you pay a yearly membership fee and are then charged by the hour for using a vehicle (around $9-12) and they cover gas, insurance, road-side assistance, and maintenance! car shares are a more sustainable alternative to having your own vehicle, and about 30% of their vehicles are hybrids (which usually cost a fortune to rent!). i know that one flexcar is parked on 5th ave. at rose in venice and others can be located around el lay.

new to me was the euro taxi of santa monica...a taxi service currently running 4 cars all sourced with biodiesel. the father and son running the booth were so sweet and excited about their business. i'll definitely give them a call next time i am going out on the town. you can reach euro taxi at 310.828.4200.

i also got to meet some of the guys behind carless in l.a. who are documenting katie rogers and her adventures in giving up her car for 80 days. i was carless in el lay for months when i got back from indonesia, and i really loved the freedom that it gave me. i made good use of the big blue bus system and my bicycle but i did not leave the west side often. i survived my experience...and it looks like katie will as well. hoorah.

with a wide selection of electric, hydrogen, natural gas, biodiesel, ethanol and other high mpg cars, the expo did a great job of showcasing many alternatives to the standard gas guzzler. in line with the permaculture principle of diversity, it is essential for many technologies to be explored because the only way to create a resilient system that will get us through difficulties is to utilize many elements. otherwise, like the current mono-fuel system, we are setting ourselves up for failure.

on my bookshelf

2006-12-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

i'm blogging from the santa monica public library today where there is free wireless, a coffee shop/cafe, and an amazing selection of resources for bibliophiles like me. the santa monica library is also acknowledged by the u.s. green building council as a silver-rated leed certified green building and hosts community workshops and lectures in sustainable living...rad. you can find out more about the library's initiative in sustainability here.

the following books are staples on my personal shelves. any of these books are worth a trip to your local library to check out and would make a great present for the environmentally inquisitive on your holiday list...be sure to support local independent bookstores when purchasing (you can find one near you through booksense) or buy used when possible.

gaviota's a village to reinvent the world, by alan weisman

weisman tells the story of how a diverse group of visionaries (engineers, biologists, botanists, agriculturists, sociologists, musicians, artists, doctors, teachers, and students) created a very real, socially viable, and self-sufficient community for the future in the los llanos region of colombia which is generally considered uninhabitable. today the people of gaviotas produce innovative technologies (solar collectors, irrigation systems, windmills, and hydroponic gardens) that use the environment without depleting or destroying it. the story he presents is a wonderful testament to human creativity, commitment, and effort toward building a socially viable and environmentally sustainable future.

cradle to cradle: remaking the way we make things, by william mcdonough & michael braungart

“the world will not evolve past its current state of crisis by using the same thinking that created the situation."

mcdonough & braungart have been my heroes ever since i saw "the next industrial revolution" which documents their cradle to cradle design projects pointing the future of design as being one of use, recycle, and used again without losing any material quality (cradle-to-cradle) rather than the all too familiar use once and then dispose (cradle-to-grave) mentality. i bought the dvd a few years back and then the book. as a 'treeless' publication printed on a synthetic plastic resin 'paper' made to be easily recycled, the book "cradle to cradle" is itself a symbol of the design philosophies inside.

natural capitalism: creating the next industrial revolution, by paul hawken, amory lovins, and l. hunter lovins

this book, written by three visionaries from the rocky mountain institute, explains how the world is on the verge of a new industrial revolution—one that promises to transform our fundamental notions about commerce and its role in shaping our future. natural capitalism describes a future in which business and environmental interests increasingly overlap, and in which businesses can better satisfy their customers' needs, increase profits, and help solve environmental problems all at the same time.

this is my all-time numero uno. you can even download the book from the natural capitalism website for free and start reading it right now!

partying with purpose

2006-12-13T13:33:00.000-08:00

i am quite behind in my posts, but i wanted to shout out to the inspiring group of people who came to the good magazine and world changing party a few weeks back in celebration of the launch of the world changing book.

i took phil (who still hasn't passed on the photos from that night...ahem) and he was so inspired that he bought 5 copies of the book for edsa offices around the world. alex steffen (executive editor) signed each copy with a few words for each office and our new friend, tomas, caught it on film. tomas is fabulous and so is his website think organic where you can view his video shorts on topics of sustainability.

i also got to catch up with the beautiful alanna, feris of greenopia, barent of greendrinks and grow-design, damien of treehuggertv and green la girl siel among others doing amazing, world changing things. except for carrying phil's 5 very heavy books back to santa monica (thank goodness for beer muscles) and my headache the next morning (the after-effects of beer muscles), i had a blast.

the book itself is beautifully designed and the message is powerful. you can find it at a local bookstore near you, or through the world changing site.

swap-o-rama-rama

2006-12-05T16:14:00.000-08:00

"There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness." Gandhi

i can not wait for december 16th, the swap-o-rama-rama is coming to el lay!! i discovered the sorr a few months ago when i was researching re-made clothing and came across their website which featured images of not one, but two of my very dearest girlfriends! so i knew that this was something that i needed to know about!

say hello to my dear friend maryann (aka orange) who worked with me in the environmental consulting world in sacramento when i first moved to california. she introduced me to the n street co-op that eventually became my home in davis. that's the fabulous amy in the background. this photo is from the san francisco sorr.

and my sweet kristy who went through landscape architecture school with me at penn state. she is crafty beyond comprehension and a very green lady indeed. this is her sewing up her masterpiece at the brooklyn sorr.

sorr is basically a huge clothing swap and series of do-it-yourself workshops that help participants unleash their creative genius. the following is from an email that i received recently:

It's easy to move from consumer to creator! At Swap-O-Rama-Rama you'll find talented indie designers and DIY stations where you can learn traditional crafts like embroidery, beading and appliqué. These include sewing stations with sewing machines run by knowledgeable clothing and costume designers; silk screening, and decoration stations for working with beads, buttons, and a variety of accouterments. This year we'll have a team of LA's best volunteers ready to help you find a new recycled look. But of course the core of the swap is the gigantic piles of free clothing sorted into categories: pants, shirts, skirts, sweaters etc. These piles are the collective total of each guest’s contribution of one bag of unwanted clothes. Take home as much clothing as you can carry. Remainders go to Out of The Closet Thrift Stores.

so start decluttering your closet now (i already have a bag of clothes ready) and join me at the swap-o-rama-rama el lay...

december 16th, 11am to 7pm
$5 plus any size bag of unwanted clothing
$10 without clothing
once inside all of the materials for creativity and all the clothes you can carry are free
all ages welcome!
join the list: swaporamarama-subscribe@gaiatreehouse.com

location: shrine auditorium expo center
700 w 32nd st, la 90007

holy weekend batman!

2006-11-30T18:41:00.000-08:00

ok kids, lots going on this weekend so here's the skinny:

tonight, friday, december 1st:

>>santa monica critical mass coming at ya at 6:30 pm.

"Come to a rolling celebration of bicycles, an organized coincidence that happens every 1st Friday at the Santa Monica Pier (Ocean Ave @ Colorado Ave.) Gather at 6 PM, depart at 6:30 PM."

tomorrow, saturday, december 2nd:

>>free intro to permaculture class from 10am-4pm at the audobon center at deb's park 4700 north griffin ave., 90031.

"We are living on a planet in crisis; often individuals feel powerless to effect change but Permaculture offers positive solutions to the problems facing the world; using ecology as the basis for designing integrated systems of food production, housing, technology and community development, you can learn to create a self-sustaining environment, on a farm or in your urban backyard or apartment. The Permaculture Design Course is for anyone interested in gaining skills and perspective for sustainable living and productivity. A Permaculture Design Course is a way to share accumulated information with others. This Introduction to Permaculture Class is an outline of the science and art of Permaculture. It will define the term and its history, its founders, the curriculum of the design course certificate, its ethics and foundations. It will describe the benefits and show some of the most important work undertaken by permaculture designers. For More Information contact: David Kahn 323 667 1330 or info@susltainablehabitats.org www.sustainablehabitats.org"

>>join c.i.c.l.e.'s car-free hauliday toys & mittens ride to benefit the hollywood sunset free clinic and the homeless family christmas day luncheon. bring toys and warm clothes to share with families in need and deck out your bike for this festive ride! 12:30 pm meet at the vermont/sunset red line station (1500 n. vermont ave, la)

>>saturday evening, head over to equator books in venice (1103 abbot kinney) for the world changing book release party...el lay style. this one is also hosted by good magazine and more info can be found on their website. i'll definitely be at this one, so come out to meet other world changers and grab your copy of the book.

>>tales of wonder, tales of woe, a solo exhibition of work by darrah danielle will be hosted at one of my favorites...the transport gallery. the opening reception is...you guessed it...saturday! from 6-11 pm. this is the transport gallery's final exhibition so come out and support local artists. darrah's work is fantastical...

"Reminescent of a colorful cabinet of curiosities, the mixed media pieces in this collection draw you into an enchanted realm where fragments are transformed into petit fables that sing the heart."

>>and don't forget the the hive gallery and studios presents "dolls, dolls, dolls show" saturday from 8pm-12:30am. the featured artist for the night is myna sonou and the featured installation artist is none other than the talented miss jesse spears...daughter of shrine, and co-creator of the making love out of trash exhibit that i posted a while back.

phew!! hope to see some of you at these events...remember to walk, bike, public transport, and carpool!

what can i do?

2006-11-27T12:04:00.000-08:00

"it's not that easy being green
having to spend each day the color of the leaves
when I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold
or something much more colorful like that

it's not easy being green
it seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
and people tend to pass you over 'cause you're
not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
or stars in the sky

but green's the color of Spring
and green can be cool and friendly-like
and green can be big like an ocean, or important
like a mountain, or tall like a tree

when green is all there is to be
it could make you wonder why, but why wonder why
wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful
and I think it's what I want to be"

last night, i found myself in a room full of people with one burning question on each of our minds...what can i do today for a greener el lay?

that was the theme of the speakeasy hosted by smartgals that i attended right down the street. the evening began with holly ramos' live set and her sweet rendition of the muppets' "it's not easy being green" (lyrics above). a quiz on sustainability was given to warm up conversation, as the guest speakers for the evening: colin bogart, president of the la bike coalition, anna cummins, founder of bring your own, jose angel orozco, creator of the coffee cellar, katura reynolds of treepeople, and james roja of the mta got settled in. each of the panelists introduced themselves and their visions for a greener los angeles, and then opened up for a short q&a from the room.

the topics that were discussed were broad yet very connected. we discussed the need to reduce our disposable mentality here in los angeles (and the usa in general) that anna is tackling through her reusables campaign. anna also talked about the documentary "our synthetic sea" which inspired her through discovering the incredible effects that plastics are having on our oceans. jose talked about the importance of fair trade, organics, and shade grown in the coffee business, and why it makes a better cup of joe. colin made the point that you don't have to throw your car over a cliff and become an avid cyclist to make a difference...bicycling for your local errands instead of driving or commuting to work by bike one day a week makes a big difference, especially when a lot of people start to do it. james expressed his desire to make los angeles more of an experiential city and our need to engage ourselves in the urban fabric through walking, biking, and utilizing the public transportation system. europe, he said, is shaped by people who live in smaller apartments, use public transport, and collect experiences whereas the united states is more shaped by consumption and the collection of things. this proved to be a hot topic, and the point was made that los angeles neighborhoods (culver city for example) are creating experience locally but that the public transportation and bikeway infrastructure are not there to support it... last but not least, ketura explained that treepeople is a community service and gave many reasons why neighborhoods should utilize their community treeplantings (um, like we all need to breathe right?).

all in all, it was an evening full of great conversation and intention. it inspired me to see so many people working hard for the cause in my new community. i also got to catch up with my permaculture buddy eric from los angeles post carbon, and finally got to meet anna!

buy nothing day today

2006-11-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

i was in san francisco last year for the annual buy nothing day (always held the day after thanksgiving on what is known as the biggest shopping day of the year). malou and i took part in my friend rene's performance piece downtown right in front of the gap. here are photos from that day and below is a letter from adbuster's bnd campaign. and if you are wondering what on earth else there is to do besides shopping today, treehugger has put together this handy bnd list.

*******************************************************************

Dear Jammers and Cultural Creatives,

This year's Buy Nothing Day has a special poignancy. Never before have
our emerging environmental crises been planted so firmly on the lips of
the policymakers and the general public. Rather than screaming from the
fringes, high-profile economists and scientists are sounding the
warnings in respected journals and the halls of parliament -- warnings
that our oceans are dying, that the ice shelves are melting, and that we
are setting ourselves up for the most massive and widest-ranging market
failure the world has ever seen.

All of this points to a profound need for a shift in the way we see
things. Recycling, protecting our waterways, driving hybrid cars -- all
the old environmental imperatives -- are great, but it's becoming
obvious that they don't address the core problem: we have to change our
lifestyles, we have to change our culture, and we have to consume
smarter and consume less.

This is the message of this year's Buy Nothing Day, and there are only a
few days left to get that message out onto the streets. From the quietly
sublime to the crazily anarchic, the ways in which you can mark BND are
only limited by the imperative not to spend. Strut your stuff as if the
fate of whole planet is resting in your hands, because even if each of
us only does one small things to contribute, 96, 847 small things sure
add up!

At the BND campaign headquarters - that's www.adbusters.org/bnd -
we've already featured upcoming actions in Japan, the UK, Canada, and
the USA, with more to come from all over the world, including Brazil,
Colombia, Denmark, Hungary, Spain and Sweden. You can also download
posters and other resources, as well as connect with activists in your
own little corner of the globe.

Remember: Make a scene. Make people laugh. Make them think. If you have
to, make them angry. Just get out there.

Cheers,
THE BUY NOTHING DAY TEAM

Shopping and consumption facts:
* Per capita consumption in the U.S. has risen 45 per cent in the last 20 years.
* Although people today are, on average, four-and-a-half times richer than our great-grandparents were at the turn of the century, Americans report feeling “significantly less well off” than in 1958.
* A recent article in New Scientist featured research suggesting that the more consumer goods you have the more you think you need to make you happy. Happiness through consumption is always out of reach (New Scientist, 4th October 2003, Vol.180, Issue 2415, p44. Available online after registering at www.newscientist.co.uk).

growing greener

2006-11-22T14:27:00.000-08:00

after reading siel's post about the ecological footprint quiz that she took recently...i was, of course, curious as to what my footprint was and wanted to compare notes to another green girl in el lay. well, funny enough, i got the same score as her! my enviro footprint, according to this test, is 9 acres. i felt good about being much lower than the 24 acres of an average american...but then i read that if everyone lived like me, we would need 2.1 planets!!! ugh...seeing as we only have one planet to work with here, i still have a lot of greening to do!

so i signed on for slate and treehugger's green challenge. when i signed up, i went through an initial quiz (found at the bottom of the slate site) about my current living that yielded these results:

"Your annual carbon emissions are 33,500 lbs.

That's equivalent to the emissions from 3.29 passenger cars.

Average carbon emissions per year, per person:
United States: 44,312
Qatar: 117,064
France: 13,668
India: 2,645
Kenya: 440"

wow... i can't say that this one made me feel better. but, the only option that i have for myself is to step up to this green challenge, and put my action where my mouth is. the green challenge has a topic for each week, including transportation, heating, food, clothing, electricity, holidays, water, and home/office. with each topic comes a related quiz that challenges you to take action against your polluting ways.

i have already pledged in the areas of transportation (probably the biggest for me, not that i fly or drive all that much, but this is definitely where i see my biggest changes possible), heating, food and clothing. i have set green intentions in each of these areas and will be updating you with the successes and challenges for each.

in the meantime, i invite you to take these quizzes with me. whether you're a green saint or not, you will likely discover some great opportunities for change in your life and hopefully be inspired enough to pass it on to others.

green competitions

2006-11-21T11:54:00.000-08:00

the university of bradford has launched a sustainable student village design competition for a unique environmentally sustainable community built on its campus. the aim instead is to provide students with a self-sufficient community of terrace housing where students will share and be responsible for a house. for more information, see the fx website.

hey budding filmmakers and green enthusiasts, grab a video camera and tell the world about the steps you and your peers are taking to stop global warming, in two minutes or less. in homage to al gore's the inconvenient truth (released on dvd today), treehugger and seventh generation have launched the convenient truths video contest. they are looking for a collection of inspiring and pragmatic short videos that provide actionable answers towards stemming climate change.
sustainable prizes valued at $25,000 should get your creative green juices flowing.
(via treehugger)

santa monica takes the leed in greening parks

2006-11-19T20:20:00.000-08:00

did you know that the first park in the united states to be awarded a LEED certification is right in our backyards? me neither, but virginia avenue park in santa monica was awarded a silver rating from the u.s. green building council for it's 9.5 acre addition in 2005.

one may think that it would be a cinch for a park to get a LEED award for environmental sustainability...it's green right? but many traditional parks are constructed and operated using wasteful systems such as grading and demolition, over-irrigation, and chemical fertilizers. even the plants that are chosen have a big impact on the "greenness" of a landscape plan.

koning eizenberg architecture of santa monica and spurlock poirier landscape architects of san diego obviously understood this in their design process for the urban park. the park at virginia avenue took advantage of sustainable techniques such as rainwater capture and use, construction waste recycling, efficient irrigation and electricity (all energy is supplied by renewable power), drought tolerant plantings, natural ventilation, and four recharching stations for alternative fuel vehicles. also, all paint, wood, and carpet materials were specified sans volatile compounds or formaldehyde.

LEED certified building is getting a lot of press (and rightfully so) but it's great to see parks joining in the mix.

(via garden design magazine nov 2006)

it is green thinks nature, even in the dark

2006-11-19T19:42:00.000-08:00

(via inhabitat)

"riding around in city buses for a hobby is sad"

2006-11-17T17:01:00.000-08:00

i had some errands to run today so i decided to make an adventure of it. i caught the metro bus 4 from the corner right outside my house and rode it to downtown where i took care of all of my business pretty efficiently. i picked up the red line subway back to vermont/sunset and wandered my way around the neighborhood until i reached home.

i'm always amazed how e m p t y the subways are here in el lay... they are clean, efficient, and fun to ride on compared to other cities that i have lived, but on a friday afternoon the amount of riders was very very light. after some research, i came across an article from city beat that says:

"Despite more than 73 miles of rail, the Metro system only serves about 217,000 people on an average weekday and much less on weekends. In a city notorious for its smog, car culture, and abundant highways, trains offer a much-needed alternative to driving. However, putting the “mass” in “mass transit” will depend on a massive extension of the current system – especially to both East L.A. and the Westside."

so pretty much the "the L.A. Metro Rail is clean and safe, in part, because it just doesn’t go anywhere."

there is, of course, a west side extension in the works (there was a groundbreaking ceremony in late september 2006) ... but don't count on riding on it any time soon. the expo line will is set for completion in 2010 and will only get us from downtown la to culver city, with the second phase of development eventually extending the line to santa monica. luckily we have the friends 4 expo who have played a big role in keeping this project going, and will continue to push for the full expo extension to the beach...i just hope to ride it in my lifetime.

the los angeles metropolitan transportation authority (mta) was voted america's best recently. even though they obviously have quite a ways to go, i do appreciate their efforts in bringing safe and cohesive public transportation to a city that desperately needs it. you can plan your own el lay adventures on the metro website.

p.s. the title is a quote from a belle & sebastian song :)

the end of suburbia

2006-11-16T13:56:00.000-08:00

barry silverthorn, the producer of the end of suburbia: oil depletion and the collapse of the american dream, uploaded a 52-minute version of the film to youtube. the end of suburbia documents how peak oil may affect our industrial society in the u.s. (and in the rest of the industrial world) as the globe faces the downslope of petroleum extraction. included in the cast are new urbanist and author of "the geography of nowhere", james howard kunstler, and urban designer peter calthorpe. if you feel the importance of this video, please forward the link on to friends & family. you can also help promote it by going to youtube and rating it and commenting on it. this will help it reach the top rated, and most commented lists.

i found the discussion of how these designers see the adaptive reuse of massive suburban homes into multi-family co-ops using their yards for food production very interesting...hmmm...sounds alot like the permablitzing of suburbs recently highlighted in australia.

a permablitz is basically a permaculture-inspired backyard makeover partay where the neighborhood comes together to share knowledge and skills about organic food gardening in urban settings while building community and having fun.

in her interview with breakdown press, asha bee says this about the permablitz movement:

"I've become excited about what permaculture and food localisation (producing and consuming food in the same area) have to offer. But then when adding peak oil and climate change to the mix, and the likely consequences of these on today's food and agriculture systems, it looks like food localisation using permaculture principles and design is going to offer more than an 'alternative' — it will become a necessity."

only in el lay

2006-11-14T23:27:00.000-08:00

greendrinks gets press from the el lay times...they even shouted out to "permaculture!"

a ucla study exposes hollywood vip's for what they really are: very impacting polluters (via defamer)

explore the lost streams of los angeles with the el lay weekly

guerrilla bbq's and other city repair projects

2006-11-14T12:24:00.000-08:00

saturday night, the los angeles permaculture guild and saje hosted a slide show by mark lakeman, founder of portland's city repair project. my partner in crime for the evening was geofrey collins (architect and founder of sco studio in venice). we had both seen mark's slideshow before, but we heard that there'd be booze and other local permies there...so we were of course sold.

city repair is a multi-disciplinary, non-profit organization which works with communities to recreate the infrastructure of the public commons where people live. some of the projects that mark highlights are the conversions of street intersections into public squares, or organizing other forms of permanent or ephemeral place interventions. city repair is effectively engaging citizens in the reinvention of the public landscape using natural building and permaculture techniques.

city repair also hosts the village building convergence, a 10-day event held every may in portland where citizens, natural builders and activists come together to help neighborhoods design and build their own community amenities.

after the lecture, everyone hung out on the sidewalk outside (realize that this is right downtown in the most industrial section of el lay...not a spec of green to be seen). ray brought his amazing rocket stove/oven (pictured to the right) which proved to be the hit of the afterparty as he whipped up pizza and other yummie bites and cooked it over the heat of pallets that he found in the street. now that was a real guerilla bbq if i ever saw one. people talked about city repairs and green dreams for el lay. all in all, it was quite an inspiring night.

building a global community

2006-11-12T19:54:00.000-08:00

think of no one as "them" • don’t confuse your comfort with your safety • talk to strangers • imagine other cultures through their poetry and novels • listen to music you don't understand • dance to it • act locally • notice the workings of power and privilege in your culture

• question consumption •

know how your lettuce and coffee are grown: wake up and smell the exploitation • look for fair trade and union labels • help build economies from the bottom up • acquire few needs • learn a second (or third) language • visit people, places and cultures -- not tourist attractions • learn people's history

• re-define progress •

know physical and political geography • play games from other cultures • watch films with subtitles • know your heritage • honor everyone's holidays • look at the moon and imagine someone else, somewhere else, looking at it too • read the un's universal declaration of human rights • understand the global economy in terms of people, land and water • know where your bank banks

• never believe you have a right to anyone else's resources •

refuse to wear corporate logos: defy corporate domination • question military/corporate connections • don't confuse money with wealth, or time with money • have a pen/email pal • honor indigenous cultures

• judge governance by how well it meets *all* people's needs •

be skeptical about what you read • eat adventurously • enjoy vegetables, beans and grains in your diet • choose curiosity over certainty • know where your water comes from and where your wastes go • pledge allegiance to the earth: question nationalism • think south, central and north -- there are many americans • assume that many others share your dreams

• know that no one is silent though many are not heard •

...work to change this...

:from the syracus cultural workers community:

something smells different in silverlake

2006-11-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

anyone exploring silverlake, will likely notice something different lurking 'round these parts....my streets are lined with mercedes benz's and there is a peculiar smell in the air! (it smells pretty damn good actually... like french fries) it only takes a step out of my door to sniff to the source: lovecraft biofuels, another one of my fabulous green neighbors. lovecraft specializes in mercedes benz, but can convert any diesel vehicle to run on 100% veggie oil (new or waste), biodiesel, or regular diesel in any combination. since dr. diesel himself designed the diesel engine to run on straight peanut oil for the 1900 world's fair (um, walk in: big oil), lovecraft is really taking the diesel engine back to it's roots here in the driver's paradise (or hell depending on how you look at it) el lay. now, there's an urban greening project which gets a big thumbs up. check out treehugger tv's awesome interview with lovecraft's owner, brian lovecraft.

there are a lot of environmental pluses for getting behind the biodiesel revolution with big-name environmentalists like willie nelson (who has his own brand of biodiesel) and darryl hannah. biodiesel is a much cleaner fuel, it's non-toxic and biodegradable, and the source crops can be grown right here in the u.s. reducing our need for foreign oil. there are a lot of financial pluses to biodiesel as well. many biodiesel users match up with restaurants to collect their waste vegetable oil. the restaurants are stoked because they no longer have to pay a buck a gallon to have the oil hauled away; and the drivers are stoked because they get clean burning fuel for free. sounds like a win-win to me!

i am making the commitment to switch over within the next 6 months from my honda civic (which gets an above average gas mileage) to one of lovecraft's lean mean biofueled machines...i just can't decide which one to claim...they're all so pretty :)

this is a great article from city beat on the el lay biofuel scene as well as information on homebrewing.

get converted at lovecraft biofuels, 4000 sunset blvd. el lay, ca

vote tomorrow

2006-11-06T17:14:00.000-08:00

lucky for us, green LA girl has been busy researching the best green choices for the election. her breakdown is super handy and may answer some of the questions that you still have for tomorrow's election...

back! from outer space

2006-11-04T13:43:00.000-08:00

sorry for the gap in posts...i've been up to my ears in moving and working the past days. i have been clearing out the non-moving energies in the process and have found myself with a pile of stuff to hand over to the donation gods...

i have to say though that i'm loving the new digs...and for good reasons...it's a co-op!! yay, i love co-operative living! i haven't been in one since n-street up north, so i was stoked to come across such a sweet situation here in el lay. whereas n street was a grouping of 16 individual houses that broke down their fences to form a community, my new co-op is a 10 bedroom house and each roommate has their own room. there's a large communal living space and big front and back yards with a food garden :) we also have 1 chicken, 1 duck, and 1 piglet. the house gets together on tuesday evenings for meals and meetings and i have a weekly chore to keep up on. aside from that, i get a great room in a sweet house and an amazing support network of 9 other fabulous and conscious roommates...yay!

i took a walk around the new hood thursday night to check out my neighbors and get a bite to eat around the corner. on my way back home, low and behold, i ran into something that i have dreaded being sent to: reform school. i was relieved to discover that this reform school is a crafty little shop with a focus on indie artists who "reuse creatively." it's full of sustainable goodies. here you can find local art, recycled pencils and sketchbooks, re-used skateboard purses, and their children's section is a-dor-a-ble! the woman working told me that they had just opened the store about a month ago, so we welcomed each other into the neighborhood, and i assured her that i would be back to see them soon...and you should too!!

get edumacated at reform school:
4014 santa monica blvd. (@ sunset blvd. in silverLake)
los angeles, ca 90029
(323)906-8660

trick or trees

2006-10-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

my absolutely favorite holiday, halloween is upon us! i've been a total slacker this year and still don't have a costume for the parties that i'm going to tonight - eeks. so while i'm out scouring the thrift store racks for my perfect ensemble, check out these spooky tidbits:

send all of your favorite ghouls a halloween e-card from environmental defense because “nothing is scarier than old, inefficient light bulbs.” while you're there, check out their energy-saving light bulb guide. just type in the lighting criteria and they'll recommend a bulb that fits. and what to do with all of those used incandescents??? (they contain lead at levels that exceed hazardous-waste limits so throwing them in the trash contaminates landfills) the worsted witch has some cute and crafty suggestions.

here's a great list of green halloween ideas, including a bunch of eco-costume suggestions...i might have to steal one of these :)

remember to skip the nestles and hand out fair trade chocolate to help end child slavery on cocoa farms

ooh, and how fun... carve a virtual pumpkin!

urban greening

2006-10-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

out of 33 design firms recently submitting entries for a new 32-acre state historic park on the not a cornfield site in downtown el lay, the entries from new york-based field operations, hargreaves associates of san francisco and mia lehrer and associates of los angeles have come out on top...and each with quite different proposals reports the latimes.

i definitely see the benefit in field operation's radical proposal, which includes relocating dodger's stadium to the not a cornfield site, in getting people to think outside of the box. the city needs progressive vision, as the latimes says, "to keep us from falling back into the kind of default planning mode that focuses on the short term."

however, on a sustainability front, i see more benefit in a plan such as hargraves' which makes a green statement for the city with it's low-slung structures covered with photovoltaic panels and a series of wetland habitats reaching out to the los angeles river.

mia lehrer's design calls for a similar elegant transition from urban to natural and symbolically utilized the leaf-shape of the site. lehrer's firm also benefits from the knowledge of the area from working on a new master plan for the l.a. river.

eventhough funding for the project is still up in the air, (the outcome of proposition 84 will have a big impact on this), the chosen team will ultimately make a huge statement for the city of los angeles. it is really exciting how much this competition has raised awareness and discussion about urban planning in los angeles, and has people visualizing great green possibilities beyond the current concrete jungle.

check out worldchanging for a great article about "remaking l.a.".

spread the truth about global warming...and pass the local organic pumpkin pie!

2006-10-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

in an effort to form a global community that explores ways that design can make positive contributions to society and our environment,
design21, a social design network, has launched a design competition titled "heated issue" to design an educational awareness campaign about the issue of global warming. four cash prizes totaling $10,000 will be offered to the winners. deadline is sunday, december 10. (via treehugger)

win 2 tickets to see the outspoken ladies known as the dixie chicks at the staples center on november 24. just tell laist which one candidate, measure, or proposition you feel strongly about by 4:20 today. the dixie chicks have set a great example for other touring musicians by offsetting their carbon footprint for their 2006 world tour.

release your inner chef this thanksgiving. submit your creative and delicious 100-mile thanksgiving plans along with recipes and the farms/farmers that you get your food from by november 14th for a chance to be featured on treehugger!

hump day news

2006-10-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

"if everyone around the world lived as those in america, we would need five planets to support us" wwf warns that at this rate, earth's resources gone by 2050. (via bbc)

el lay beach water tested dirtiest in the state...still

el lay eco-warriors, pasadena-based path to freedom have a lot to teach the homesteaders of the world. check them out on treehugger tv as they describe their path to urban sustainability...a "homegrown revolution ... using their hands as weapons of mass creation."

the 8th international permaculture conference set for san paolo, brazil may 2007. any one else want to go and check out curitiba along the way?

this and thats

2006-10-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

make your own bus stop kit...laist demonstrates to dot how the city could add more el lay flair to the traditional (and uncomfortable) plastic benches.

last day to register to vote... click here if you haven't.

feeling overwhelmed over the looming environmental crisis? dr. chris johnstone offers advice on turning shock and fear into positive, psychologically balanced action through permaculture magazine.

do you love your toyota hybrid and want to tell the world why? you could be the face of their national campaign (via treehugger)

city of palms, ca changes name to palm-less

2006-10-23T00:22:00.000-07:00

one might say that palm trees are to el lay as, say, potatoes are to idaho...neil diamond even sang about los angeles as a place where “palm trees grow and rents are low” (remind me to ask neil who *his* landlord was!) however, the long-time symbol of classic southern california landscape is slowly being phased out as the trees are dying from fungal disease and old age. the city is replacing the sick palms with oaks, sycamores, and other native species with greater environmental benefits such as shade cover, air-pollution trapping, and wildlife habitat (although i know that owls nest in palms...and rats too!).

although we're not going to wake up tomorrow to a palm-less city, it is likely that our treescape will continue to be altered through the million trees initiative launched earlier this month 'cause palms didn't make that the cut for that either. (via msnbc)

i am quite happy with the push for natives as i don't consider palms more than ornamental picks (remind me to tell you about the thumb-numbing work i did at the american academy in rome carving model-bound trees from toothpicks!) and crave streets lined with real trees like the ones that they use up north...you know, ones with leaves and stuff!

image titled "transition 5 ( sunrise )", 2006,
by my incredibly talented friend and local venetian kenny littlejohn harris

this recycled house

2006-10-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

a bit of old news and a bit of new news, but the common vision of these artists, architects, and homeowners is a tremendous inspiration to me as the direction of green building moves into recycling waste into functional (and beautiful) living spaces.

simon starling, whose 2005 turner prize winning project shedboatshed was a wooden shed that he found on the banks of the rhine, disassembled, and rebuilt into a boat and paddled to switzerland. he then reassembled the shed in a swiss museum. this journey, not unlike his tabernas desert run 2004, in which sterling built a hydrogen powered motorized bicycle and rode it across the spanish desert painting a watercolor with his exhaust along the way, make an intriguing statement about the advances of modern day mass production and global capitalism.

scraphouse was a single family house constructed on the front lawn of san francisco city hall by non-profit public architecture in celebration of world environment day 2005. every piece of the house was salvaged out of bay area dumps and scrap yards to be constructed into the 700 sf home. according to founder of public architecture, john peterson, "scraphouse illustrates the possibilities -- as well as the challenges -- of green building, recycling, and reuse."

boston-based architects jinhee park and john hong of single speed design recently designed and built a house almost entirely of residual materials from boston's infamous big dig freeway revitalization project...over 600,000 pounds of residual materials were used actually! the interior of space is designed in sleek loft style with exposed concrete, salvaged highway panels and beams, and they even topped the structure off with a green roof. keep an eye out for ssd's upcoming project, a LEED-certified, 7-story multifamily building in jersey city, new jersey. (via architectural record)

only in el lay

2006-10-21T00:27:00.000-07:00

the los angeles design czar has a few words to say about beautiful el lay...

ecorazzi spills the beans on which celebreties did not make the green grade this week...

and join pierce brosnan this sunday for his sandcastle building contest! oh, and also to fight the installation of a gigantuan liquified natural gas facility off the coast of malibu.

cool stuff around town

2006-10-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

bubbles installation at m&a. i stopped by m & a last night while i was in silverlake for greendrinks and got a peak at the new bubbles installation in their courtyard. the interactive installation consists of large air-bag "bubbles" that inflate and deflate in response to visitors, expressing a continuously changing urban architectural experience. the installation is up through the end of january.

first leed platinum residence in u.s.. phil and i recently took a stroll by livinghomes' new project in santa monica which is the first u.s. residence to be awarded the highest rating possible from the u.s. green building council’s (usgbc) new pilot, leed® for homes rating system. designed by ray kappe, the livinghomes model home is a zero energy, zero water, zero waste, zero carbon, zero emissions residence. it's a beautiful architectural statement, although it does seem that they could use some landscape help - lh, call me :). livinghomes is the first company to make leed certified, prefab homes available to consumers nationwide.

sustainable works green living workshops in santa monica. sustainable works, a non-profit environmental education organization sponsored by the city of santa monica, would like to introduce a workshop designed to help families learn about important environmental issues, save valuable resources, lower utility bills, and protect their health. their next two workshop cycles begin monday, october 23rd, and wednesday, october 25th, 7:00 p.m. for more information call anna cummins at sustainable works 310.458-8716 x1

yes on 87

2006-10-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

prop 87, aka the clean alternative energy act, is a california ballot initiative that would tax oil drilling in the state, and use the money to reduce petroleum usage by funding initiatives promoting clean, alternative energy and increased efficiency. the measure, in the next 10 years, would put $4 billion toward reducing california’s dependence on oil by 25%. passage is by no means assured, as the opposition is incredibly well-funded, by guess who...

so, as we know, the negative ads alleging that prop 87 would raise gas prices are funded by the big oil companies, most notably chevron. so far, over $70 million has been put toward defeating prop 87! and the thing is, as our favorite green la girl, siel puts it:

"since when do oil companies care ’bout OUR pocketbooks?"

right on sister!

in their support of prop 87, grist has this to say about big oil and their efforts to defeat 87:

"How do you do justice to the century's worth of meddling that these folks have wrought on our planet? Let's just pick one issue -- say, the looming apocalypse of global warming. Most of the world would like to deal with the problem, so as to continue living. Big Oil, not so much, and so here we are.

Prop 87 represents the best opportunity you will likely ever see to get your licks in. Four billion bucks, right in the profit margin. If you let them keep it, they will just buy more Senators."

california has long been a leader in promoting a clean energy future. our most recent victories – the governor’s signing of our million solar roofs bill (sb 1) and the passage of the global warming solutions act of 2006 (ab 32) – are two excellent examples of california’s landmark initiatives pushing toward a true clean energy future.

so join the sierra club, the american lung association, bill clinton, al gore, richard branson, google founder larry page, and me :) to name a few, in voting yes on prop 87 to cement california's position as the most environmentally conscious us state and to send out a precedent for greater taxations on us energy giants.

current exhibitions

2006-10-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

not necessarily green in nature, these current exhibitions at the moca and lacma explore our perceptions of beauty, environment, and design...

parallel practices in fashion & architecture

This exhibition explores the common visual and intellectual principles that underlie both fashion and architecture. Both disciplines start with the human body and expand on ideas of space and movement, serving as outward expressions of personal, political, and cultural identity. Architects and fashion designers produce environments defined through spatial awareness—the structures they create are based on volume, function, proportion, and material. Presenting the work of international fashion designers and architects, the exhibition examines themes such as shelter, identity, tectonic strategies, creative process, and parallel stylistic tendencies including deconstruction and minimalism.
(via moca)

breaking the mode: contemporary fashion from the permanent collection

Creating clothing, for protection, profession, or spectacle, has undergone dramatic change over the past twenty-five years. A number of designers have introduced subversive elements into the fashion system, examining and deconstructing its entrenched conventions and changing the rules about what is aesthetically pleasing and fashionable. Breaking the Mode: Contemporary Fashion from the Permanent Collection will present designers who found traditional criteria and solutions obsolete – designers who challenged the canons of the body’s fashionable silhouette, revolutionized methods of garment construction, rejected the formulaic use of materials and techniques, and exploited new technology in textile production.
(via lacma)

making love outta trash

2006-10-16T16:05:00.000-07:00

OUR LOVE
installation by father daughter team
SHRINE and JESSE

10.14.06 - 11.18.06

Reception:
Saturday October 21, 2006
6:00pm to 10:00pm

my favorite moustached mischief maker...shrine, and his lovely daughter jesse have put so much heart into this show...don't miss it! our love is an installation of shrines and paintings by the duo...proving that you can make love out of trash. if you can't make the reception on saturday night, the show will be at the transport gallery through nov. 18th.

Los Angeles, CA - Transport Gallery in association with Forever's Ghost Riders present, OUR LOVE, an installation by father daughter team Shrine and Jesse Blue Spears. The exhibition will run from October 14, 2006 through November 18, 2006. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, October 21st from 6:00pm to 11:00pm.

Daughter father team, Jesse Blue Spears and Shrine combine forces to lift the veil to the other world. No mercy, full power, no holds barred paint off trash throw down. Come celebrate "our love" for you with this powerful installation.

Regarding the installation: 19 trucks full of forgotten debris collected and transformed into holy relic beauties for you to see and know the secrets of the future. Fingers with their own agenda are painting for pure joy. Transport Gallery has been dipped in special paint and on top of this special paint we hang the so-called art, we call it "Our Love". From the ceilings hang layer upon layer of exotic shrines - seeping down roots, cascading bones and wire. Crying birds will guide ye through secrets we do not understand. Now the journey has begun, constant flowing creation from; paint, trash, pom poms, wire, feathers, leaves, cardboard, glass and wood, everything falling in love over and over again.

Transport Gallery is located at 1308 Factory Place, Los Angeles CA 90013. The gallery is open by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, please call 310-956-5344. To learn more about the gallery and its past exhibitions, please visit the website.

Transport Gallery
1308 Factory Place
Los Angeles CA 90013

*photo by marsi of coachella shrine installation

party people!!

2006-10-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

decompressing from decompression here on a lovely sunday afternoon. it was great seeing everyone's glowing faces yesterday and catching up on your post burn happenins. i really felt the playa magic last night while playing amongst the el lay backdrop. unfortunately, i missed the after after party as i'm still in healing mode, but i'm sure you made me proud bringing the sunrise up together.

i want to send a shout out to the decom greening group. they worked hard to offer green workshops and make sure that decom was a leave no trace event. i am proud to be a part of such a consciousness raising community. with this coming years art theme being the green man, i feel positive that we can continue to express ourselves radically, while minimizing our party footprint on the world...here's an awesome example of just that:

last night, another party kicked off in rotterdam at a new club called the critical mass. hyped as the sustainable dance club, the critical mass features organic beer on tap and fair-trade clothing on sale, but that is just the beginning. enviu, an environmental ngo for youth, is working with the architectural firm döll to create a truly sustainable nightclub featuring energy-generating dance floors (excellent way to extract kilowatts from energetic clubbers), toilets that flush with rain water, walls that change colour as a reaction to temperature changes, a rooftop garden and other elements that combine to create a sustainable clubbing environment.

enviu and döll aim to build a club that will be fun and profitable, yet will have a low impact on the environment, while raising awareness for social and environmental issues among the young and hip.

i hope that this proves wildly successful environmentally and financially...and that the concept spreads around the globe! with the way that this community parties, we could probably power most of the west coast with our dancefloors :)

amoeba thinks green

2006-10-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

amoeba music has launched their green campaign which will work closely with non-profits such as rainforest action network, sierra club los angeles chapter and conservation international.

they plan to create awareness for the issues addressed by these groups and by raising funds through in-store donations, outside events and saturday auctions. you can also pick up compact flourescent lightbulbs at the hollywood store, fill out a ca voter registration form (deadline is oct. 23rd people!), along with that you-can't-live-without-treasure-ceedee that you discover in the used section.

amoeba auctions
"we are working closely to support and create awareness for the organizations mentioned above by raising funds through in-store donations, outside events and saturday auctions.

amoeba auctions happen at our Sunset store every Saturday afternoon at 4pm. Our host, brently heilbron, auctions everything from the wacky promotional item to rare collectables and autographed pieces. over the last year, amoeba auctions raised $150,000 that went directly to help those affected by hurricane katrina. as of september, we are focusing on bringing in funds for those organizations listed above. please come and join us- amoeba will match all accepted individual bids up to $1,000!"

here's amoeba's top 25 from this week:

1. Beck - Information
2. Killers - Sam's Town
3. Decemberists - Crane Wife
4.Chrome Children - Chrome Children
5. Visionaries - We Are the Ones
6. Hold Steady - Boys & Girls In America...
7. Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid of...
8. Scissor Sisters - Ta-Dah
9. TV On the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
10. Justin Timberlake - Futuresex/ Lovesounds
11. Robin Thicke - Evolution of Robin
12. Jet - Shine On
13. DJ Shadow - Outsider
14. Bonnie Prince Billy - Letting Go
15. Sean Lennon - Friendly Fire
16. Sparklehorse - Dreamt for Light ...
17. Dears - Gang of Losers
18. Rapture - Pieces of the People...
19. Bob Dylan - Modern Times
20. Evanescence - Open Door
21. Air - Late Night Tales
22. Subtle - For Hero for Fool
23. Teddybears - Soft Machine
24. Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor
25. DFA Remixes - Chapter Two

the ground truth

2006-10-13T14:27:00.000-07:00

(photo from the sorry everybody site, a picture gallery of americans offering apologies to the world for george bush's re-election.)

A part of me died in the Iraqi desert.
by Michael Blake

He looked at me and he realized that I had been to the other side; I had seen shit that he could never comprehend; and I had done shit that he would never, in a million years, have the courage to do. A part of me died in Iraq, it will forever be buried with the men we lost and the people we killed...

from the iraq veterans against the war

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

last night, at a screening of the ground truth, i heard many similar stories from veterans about their accounts of war in iraq and their difficult transitions back into the civilian world. the soldiers of the ground truth have been physically injured on duty in iraq or are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder upon their return. they shared horrifiying experiences of the killing of innocent men, women, and children, the lack of adequate mental and physical health support from the government upon their return, and the fact that these soldiers still do not know what their reason for being in iraq was...they had no said mission except to survive.

one of the stories, was from camilo mejia, a 28 year old sgt who was sentenced to one year in prison for refusing to return to fight in iraq. after spending 6 months in combat in iraq, and returning for 2 weeks to the us, he concluded that the war was illegal and immoral, and that he would not return. in an interview with 60 minutes while in hiding, mejia had this to say about why he was in iraq:

“That’s the problem. I don’t have an answer, I don’t have a good answer. I cannot say I did it to help the Iraqi people. I cannot say that it was to make America and the world safer. I cannot say that it was for democracy,” Mejia says. “I cannot say that it was to prevent terrorism. I cannot find a single good reason for having been there and having shot at people and having been shot at.”

it's essential to be informed and continue to spread the truth so that this can be brought to an end...find more information and how you can take action locally here:

host a screening of the ground truth

a.n.s.w.e.r. la act now to stop war and end racism. The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition has initiated a call for locally coordinated protests on Saturday, October 28th, just days before the pitiful charade known as the 2006 mid-term elections. The people will force the issue of the Iraq war onto the U.S. political stage by taking to streets in demonstrations in cities and towns throughout the United States. Tens of thousands of people will take to the streets in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, New York, Miami, Washington D.C. and in other large and small cities and towns throughout the United States.

code pink women for peace

one million reasons to end the war in iraq

and here are some facts about the war in iraq (as of june 2006):

- the war in iraq is now in its fourth year.

- over 2,500 u.s. deaths and over 18,000 u.s. wounded have been recorded since the war began.

- over 95% of the above-mentioned deaths and injuries happened after "major combat" was declared over by president bush in his "mission accomplished" speech of may 1, 2003.

- from the 2003 to the 2005 calendar years, 210 active/deployed u.w. army soldiers have committed suicide. the number has risen in each successive year, and the 2005 toll is the highest since 1993.

- 1 in 3 homeless americans are military veterans.

- the war in iraq is costing the us nearly $200 million a day and nearly $6 billion per month.

- according to the national priorities project, the $150 billion spent on iraq reconstruction could have paid for the following in the us:

sending 20,385,749 children to attend a year of head start
health care for 92,526,600 children for one year
hiring 2,667,325 additional public school teachers for one year
providing 7,461,354 students four-year scholarships at public universities
building 1,385,841 additional housing units
fully funding global anti-hunger efforts for 6 years
fully funding worldwide aids programs for 15 years
ensuring that every child in the world was given basic immunizations for 51 years

-from the ground truth

thanks to michelle bass and simone for hosting the event

in katrina's wake

2006-10-13T14:20:00.001-07:00

chris jordan's exhibition "in katrina's wake: portraits of loss from an unnatural disaster" is showing at the paul kopeikin gallery through tomorrow, october 14th. chris is a photographer whose previous show, intolerable beauty, was an eye-opening exhibit of american mass consumption. chris hits home again through his hauntingly sad yet beautiful images in katrinas wake:

"There is evidence to suggest that Katrina was not an entirely natural event like an earthquake or tsunami. The 2005 hurricane season's extraordinary severity can be linked to global warming, which America contributes to in disproportionate measure through our extravagant consumer and industrial practices. Never before have the cumulative effects of our consumerism become so powerfully focused into a visible form, like the sun's rays narrowed through a magnifying glass. Almost 300,000 Americans lost everything they owned in the Katrina disaster. The question in my mind is whether we are all responsible in some degree."

100% of chris' proceeds from print sales of his images will be donated to gulf coast hurricane relief charities.

downtown art walk tonight

2006-10-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

photo ©Linka A Odom

don't forget the art walk tonight... featuring "Burning Man-Awakening Inspiration," an exhibit of photographs, painting and sculpture and at continental building gallery at 4th and spring.

also! the downtown art ride meets at 5 pm at the downtown art gallery. visit all all the galleries that take part in the downtown art walk (except MOCA grand and the library) by bicycle. bring a lock.

i won't make it tonight as i plan to go to this:

There will be a special screening of The Ground Truth on Thursday October 12, 2006. If you found the movies "Loose Change" and "The Inconvenient Truth" informative and necessary, you will be thankful you attend this event.

Thursday October 12, 2006
7pm (please arrive early @ 6:30pm)
Please RSVP - seating is limited!
first seats will be given priority to seniors.
For your comfort-you may wish to bring a pillow to sit on

Directions:
Sweetspot Studios
2043 Colorado Ave Unit C

Between the intersections of 20th & Colorado and Cloverfield & Colorado in Santa Monica (near where 21st street would have been).

There’s metered parking on Colorado Street which is free after 6PM.
The warehouse is tucked behind the E-Z Storage building across the street from Universal and Sony/BMG. You’ll have to go inside the compound through the alley to the right of E-Z Storage and to the left of Climax Studios, a light blue warehouse. Go all the way down the alley, and we’ll be on your left through the chain link fence.

then the mor bar after for the glitch mobbiness!

urban greenings

2006-10-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

bioneers october 20-22, san rafael, ca. bioneers is a thriving network of visionary innovators who are working with nature to heal nature. this is definitely one not to miss!

sf green festival november 10-12, san francisco, ca. at the green festivals, we're celebrating what's working in our communities, for people, for businesses and for the environment. join us for these huge parties with a purpose. you'll enjoy more than 200 visionary speakers and 400 green businesses in each city, great how-to workshops, green films, yoga and movement classes, green careers sessions, organic beer and wine, delicious organic cuisine and live music.

greenbuild november 15-17, denver, co. learn about the leading edge of the building and construction industry, including the latest updates and expansions of the LEED green building rating system™

synergenesis III: a visionary culture colaboratory november 18, san francisco. this event is serving as a powerful catalyst for the (r)evolutionary creators of our time to converge and collaborate on manifesting the world our art is born from, creating a portal through which our collective vision is crystallized and potentiated: a synergenesis.

biking where no girl has biked before

2006-10-11T22:44:00.000-07:00

(taken from a previous blog, march 2005)

this morning’s 'getting to work adventure' was even more of one since, as i often do, I trekked the 8 miles from my apartment in venice to my office in culver city on my... bicycle (gasp!!).

a bicycle... in el lay? yes my friends, it is so.

don't get me wrong, there are some lovely bike-friendly areas of el lay, especially on the west side where i live. but understand that I am coming from the bicyclist’s dream town of davis…where there often are more bikes than automobiles in the streets, where people stop their cars (with a smile) to let bicyclists roll by, where the city’s logo is, in fact, a highwheeler bicycle!

biking down venice boulevard however, it seeems like esuvees and hummers come equipped with dashboard chalkboards to mark off how many bicyclists they can take out (that is if they disconnect themselves from their cell phones long enough to even notice). I mean, just riding in the bike lane is an obstacle-filled nightmare/adventure… car exhaust blowing in your face, garbage cans and shopping carts strewn about in the worst locations imaginable, cop cars parked across the entire lane, and pot-holes large enough that i could fall inside and build my own mini el lay!!

it is quite an adventure, but a worthy one since you notice things on a bike that you would never notice when driving, i'm exercising (and might i add saving natural resources!) and hey, i'm *always* up for an adventure. so this girl is going to keep on pedaling along...

events calendar

2006-10-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

here are some events of the coming week that i hope to attend (and see you at!)

***current classes***

permaculture design certificate

today i had lunch with larry santoyo of earthflow design works. i took his permaculture design certificate course last year and it changed my life... he has a new el lay class starting up this coming weekend in santa monica and i fully recomend it (i'll be there on saturday). you can register for the full course, or drop in at a daily rate to check it out. for more information and to register click here!

***saturday, october 14***

treepeople's million trees initiative

Join TreePeople on Oct. 14 at the L.A. harbor and help fulfill Mayor Villaraigosa's vision to plant one million trees in L.A. We're helping plant 300,000 trees on city park lands over the next few years. Volunteer or learn more here.

el lay decom

el lay decomWELCOME HOME! The thrill of the playa rises again, this time on the streets of Los Angeles.
This is an annual event to bring the spirit of Burning Man alive in our community.

With the 2007 Burning Man theme being “the Green Man”, We are leaning toward a more conscious event. Expect incredible art work, beautiful art cars, and delightful music - with as much diversity as burners can provide. We’d like to remind you to please CONSERVE and CONSUME LESS for this event! It’s not necessary to use or waste resources such as inefficient lighting just to have fun with us ☺

Workshops will be from 3pm-9pm.
These are the topics we will be exploring:
Organic Architecture and Green Technologies (Geofry Collins)
A Panel Discussion on Sustainable living techniques in an Urban Environment (Sustainable LA, Santa Monica Sustainable Works, Green Drinks, Geoff)
Conscious Consumerism (Cater Green)
Permaculture (Joan)
Solar energy (EE solar)
Bio-diesel and veggie oil (Clean Fuel Caravan and Kalib)
Cob and permaculture within Burning Man (Ray Cirino)
Greening Burning Man/ Recycle Camp (Blue)
Eco Villages

from noon till midnight by blue bongo in downtown la, 1st st. under the 1st st. bridge. and don't forget about the after parties!!!

art is trash

2006-10-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

this past weekend was the brewery's fall artwalk, and the original phil and i ventured downtown to check it out on saturday. if you aren't familiar, the brewery is housed in an old industrial pabst complex converted to the largest live-work artist collective in the world. the artist's open their studios twice a year to the public. the work was very inspiring...but even more so to me, is experiencing the living spaces of the artists. i came very close to moving into the brewery last year, but was working on the west side at the time and did not want to deal with the commute from downtown. it is definitely more tempting to move there now, although the poor air quality and lack of walkable things to do leaves me less inspired...

anyways, the brewery was alot of fun indeed, i even ran into some familiar faces such as steve samo and christian of tin foil man, blacksmith and sculptor extraordinaire...always a pleasure :) i was also fabulously inspired by artists such as annie terrazzo of art is trash. annie's work is raw and beautiful, and very green (as she creates her work from other people's trash). as she says on her site bio:

"I have no inspiration, I only have reaction and my work was born out of nothing but that and sheer poverty. Back in 2003, I didnt have the money to afford real materials so I was forced to improvise. Id find used canvases at thrift stores (that always had Cousin Emilys first oil paint lesson on it) and
rummage through clearance barrels for paint and glue at the cheap markets
to get the basics. After the first layer was done, Id take it apart, destroy
something, put it back together and then find some trash on the street
(perhaps yours?) and make art out of it. Now, its been a few years since I began working this trash and I can afford better materials, but I dont bother. There is something about the sad little abused canvases I find. They have a history, a prior life and a story to tell. Each one is a piece from someones past. Each had a use or was loved and lost or tossed aside."

i love the trash to treasure theme of annie's work. the brewery itself is a great example of adaptive reuse as well, as the complex could have surely been torn down to create brand new lofts like the ones going up all over downtown... but the brewery has history, it has character, and like annie's work, it is full of stories....

the brewery art walk is offered biannually, so add it to your spring calendar yo!

it's easy being green...in el lay

2006-10-11T01:07:00.000-07:00

this past weekend began on thursday with el lay green drinks at the culver city hotel. it was a great turnout of around 60 local greenies. i caught up with some familiar faces and met some new ones including special guest tim harvey, pictured here surrounded by lovely ladies of green (including siel from green la girl thanks for the photo, tim (duh), katrina, alayha, and me). tim is one cool canadian who has traveled around the world from vancouver to vancouver for the past two years on zero emissions! what an inspiration...

the culver city green drinks is held the first thursday of every month, and there is one in silverlake on the third thursday so mark your calendars!

photo by nicolas cadorette vigneau, aka montreal.

now, biking, walking, and sailing around the world is quite a feat, and tim is looking forward to his final stretch back to vancouver from el lay... but luckily before he headed out to complete his adventure, he played bicyclist of honor at friday night's critical mass in santa monica, a community bike ride to educate motorists that "we're not blocking traffic, we are traffic!" because bikes are transportation too! kachina katrina and i had quite the romantic sunset ride along venice beach to the santa monica pier start point (thanks kk!). there were around 200 cyclists of all ages at the pier when we arrived! so by the light of the full moon, and kk and i singing tim's new theme song "roll if you want to, roll on two wheels around the world!", critical mass found it's way through the streets of santa monica educating patient (and not so patient) motorists along the way, to the awesome after party where cold beers were poured and fun was had with our new biker friends.

i'll tell you, after the intensity of being hit by a car as a pedestrian in venice recently (an experience that i will go into in a later post) i have realized the need to educate motorists about sharing the road.. largely because the road is hard... and cold... and i don't want to find myself laying on it again!!

santa monica critical mass is held the first friday of every month at 6:30 at the entrance to the sm pier (ocean ave. @ colorado ave,) there are other critical mass rides all across los angeles as well as a wealth of bicycling information found at c.i.c.l.e. organization.

welcome to urban greening project

2006-10-11T01:04:00.000-07:00

welcome to the first posting of my shiny new blog - urban greening project!

based in el lay, specifically venice, california, i am a landscape designer, permaculturist, and artist with deep green roots.

through urban greening project, i look forward to exploring a wealth of local (and not so local) green resources with you, while educating and inspiring each other along the way. some of the topics that i'll cover include green design such as: architecture, landscape, and fashion, eco art, and urban permaculture. i'll also share the stories of artists and visionaries, like you, who are working to make a difference in greening our urban environments. i'll post upcoming green events that i hope to meet you at. mostly, i look forward to doing my part to help spread this green mission and grow this amazing community of consciousness and activation, because one can make a difference...but how powerful we are together!