EnvironmentLA - The City's official site for information about projects and programs that are making Los Angeles more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power - LADWP offers environmental Green LA programs, including Trees for a Green LA, Energy Efficiency for a Green LA, Solar Energy for a Green LA, Electric Vehicles for a Green LA, Green Power for a Green LA, Recycling for a Green LA and Educational Services for a Green LA.
Green LA Action Plan - The City's official plan to improve energy conservation, transition to renewable power sources, and change the ways citizens commute to work and school.
US Green Building Council-LA - A resource for agencies, municipalities, professionals and companies interested in sustainable, green buildings.
If we can just remain standing long enough, Trees for the Future is on track to plant a lot of carbon-eating foliage this fall.
The non-profit is linking up with alcoholic beverage companies faster than you can say bottoms up.
First it was Trinity Oaks wine, now Finlandia Vodka has teamed with TFTF to plant one tree for each specially tagged bottle sold starting in September and continuing through November in the US.
Once, long ago, a winemaker promised to sell no wine before its time. Now, a different company is promising to sell no wine (at least one label of wine anyway) without helping humans atone for past crimes.
The rhyme may not be as good, but the thought is more altruistic.
There’s a nice symmetry to this green trend that’s taken root among financial institutions. Aware that their paper-spewing tendencies carry a high carbon price (not to mention their actual price), many banks and credit companies are planting trees for customers who agree to forgo paper statements.
The latest to announce such a tree-planting project is the Kinecta Federal Credit Union in Manhattan Beach, Calif. Kinecta will make a donation to plant a tree in the Brazilian Rain Forest for every customer who converts to electronic statements between now and Sept. 30.
“Our intention is not only to show our commitment to being a green organization, but also to motivate our members to consider the positive global impact even the smallest decision can have,” said Shannon Doiron, Director of Marketing & eCommerce in a news release. “Collectively, credit union members can make a tremendous difference simply by opting out of paper statements.”
Earth Day isn’t just a date on the calendar or an annual do-good commitment; it’s a way of life, a state of mind, a mission even – and certainly an intention. The date itself, April 22, merely reminds us that, January through December, all days should be “earth days” in our respective, collective communities.
You know this is true when mainstream news giants like Time magazine feature cover stories declaring the eminent demise of millions of species. Climate change is real, and potentially catastrophic. Still, there are loads of things we can do to stem climate change, or even help reverse it. Which is why each year Earth Day gathers more meaning and momentum, urging us to expand our green consciousness to 365 days a year.
Eva Radke, founder of Film Biz Recycling in New York City – a nonprofit committed to greening the film industry – grasps that idea.
Used books — what a great and cheap way to cultivate green practices. My eldest son and I visited the flagship Half Price books in Dallas over the weekend, prowling for music, plays and health books. (We didn’t have time to roam for literature.) I shed about two dozen used paperbacks, garnering a $4 credit, and we found, well, a bit of this and that to take back home.
The Half Price in near North Dallas is an awesome place the size of at least two gymnasiums. On a Saturday, the parking lot is packed, the indoor coffee shop overflows, the massage chair is occupied and there’s a continual line at the intake desk where workers decide what they’ll pay for your trade-ins. There’s an abundance of good cheer and you can always strike up a chat with someone in “History” or “Drama” or especially in the children’s section, where recommendations fly. And you’ll always fit in, somewhere in there, whether you’ve got a beard, a cane, a dozen tattoos, a half dozen kids, a passion for Henry James or Lemony Snicket.
First it was Trinity Oaks wine, now Finlandia Vodka has teamed with TFTF to plant one tree for each specially tagged bottle sold starting in September and continuing through November in the US.
