Food Watch - Eating Green

Green Eating: By the Numbers
Planet Green – How to Go Green: Eating

30 %: Increase in both fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions caused from shipping a pound of apples from a farm in Iowa to a market in Washington, compared to shipping those apples to a local market in Iowa.

5: Number of countries the average U.S. meal comes from.

1500 to 2500: Number of miles food travels between farm and market. That’s 25 % farther than it traveled two decades ago.

958: Liters of water it takes to make one liter of orange juice; 958 liters of water for irrigation, 2 liters of fuel for tractors, water-pumping, pesticide spraying, and the occasional electric heater to ward off frost.

8000: Kilometers worth of travel required to gather all the ingredients to make strawberry yogurt in Germany.

Other Green Eating websites:

Eating Green Calculator

Local Harvest: find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies.

Food Routes: a national non-profit dedicated to reintroducing Americans to their food - the seeds it grows from, the farmers who produce it, and the routes that carry it from the fields to our tables. Search for: Buy Fresh Buy Local Chapters

Local Eating for Global Change: the 100 mile diet.

Business Watch - Empire Center Office

LEED-ing the Way: Valley and L.A Buildings Going Green - Burbank, Other Locations Seeing Increase in Activity. SFV Business Journal: May 25, 2009 by Eric Billingsley

There’s been quite a bit of activity around LEED-certified buildings in the past couple of weeks. A sign of more green building and rehabbing to come in the Valley?

First is a large-scale building project in Burbank. For some reason city officials and businesses in that city really seem to be forward-thinking when it comes to environmental sustainability.

The 2300 Empire Center Office building, located at 2300 Empire Ave., received LEED Silver Pre-Certification in July 2008. It’s currently under final review for the Core and Shell LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Once the latter is achieved the building will be the first to obtain such certification in the city of Burbank. Higgins Development Partners of Chicago developed the Empire Center project, Ware Malcomb provided architecture and interior design services, and McCormick Construction Company was the general contractor.

The project consists of a speculative seven-story, steel-framed, 363,000 square foot office building, an adjacent 1,260 stall parking structure, and additional surface parking on the 6.5 acre site.

READ MORE

BWP Sevice Center

Utility Closer to ‘greener’ Site
Burbank Water and Power is slated to have new, more efficient facilities with more space by January. Burbank Leader: May 19, 2009 by Christopher Cadelago

BURBANK — Construction crews are set to break ground on a $14.9-million Burbank Water and Power project as part of what officials called an aggressive plan to serve as a model of sustainability.

The yearlong project, slated to begin next month, consists of a 16,729-square-foot warehouse and a two-story service center measuring 8,768 square feet per floor. The site will also include improved landscaping using recycled water and a system that prevents storm water from draining into the sewer.

Once the buildings are completed in January, roughly 70 employees are scheduled to move in. The utility would also begin work on a labor-saving wash facility for large vehicles, covered parking areas and an upgraded entrance along Lake Street.

“When the dust settles, the workplace will be more efficient, it will be greener, and it will represent a much more efficient use of water,” said Greg Simay, assistant general manager of electric services at the utility.

After the buildings are finished, landscaping will be done along Lake Street to match the quality of greenery along Magnolia Boulevard, the Western Flood Channel and Olive Avenue, officials said. The utility also has plans to remove all of the overhead lines along Lake Street, said John Cassidy, manager of telecommunications and facilities.

Located in the heart of Burbank, the 22-acre campus stretches between Magnolia Boulevard, Olive Avenue, Lake Street and the Western Flood Control Channel. It includes facilities for electrical generation and distribution, water production and treatment, as well as engineering offices and customer service centers.

READ MORE

Green Day Planner: Earth Day

NAVIGATING TODAY ~ INNOVATING TOMORROW
Re-Shaping the Future of Burbank’s Economy
Woodbury University Auditorium

Thursday, May 28, 2009
7:30 am - 11:30 am

Keynote speaker Dr. James Canton, renowned global futurist, social scientist, and visionary business advisor and author of The Extreme Future: Top Trends That Will Reshape the World for the Next 5, 10 and 20 Years and Technofutures: How Leading Edge Innovations Will Transform Business in the 21st Century.

Organizers are committed to bring every available resource to the aid of Burbank businesses in order to develop new markets, promote sustainability, embark on new and innovative collaborations, increase economic efficiency and achieve success during this challenging period. “Navigating Today, Innovating Tomorrow” is a new phase in the rebuilding process, one that is intended to lead the business community a step closer to achieving rewards in the changed economy. Register Now @ Burbank Chamber of Commerce. Information: 818 . 238 . 5180

Opening Remarks: Michael S. Flad, City Manager

Woodbury University Auditorium
7500 North Glenoaks Boulevard
Burbank

~ Check Out Extreme Future 303.49 CANTO @ Burbank Public Library

Neighborhood Watch

A Friendly Source of power
Burbank Leader: May 15, 2009 by Christopher Cadelago

BURBANK — Robert Beher hasn’t had a power bill that topped $5 for the past five years.

Every month, while most meters charge forward, his meter ticks in the opposite direction thanks to a 2.09-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system atop his 1,300-square-foot home.

“I was satisfied with the decision I made,” said Beher, whose home includes a personal computer and plasma television. “And I am still very happy with it.”

As part of a program that began 10 years ago, Beher was the fifth Burbank Water and Power customer to add solar panels to his property, a number that grew to 15 by 2007.

“Since, the program has exploded from my perspective,” said John Joyce, the utility’s solar support program manager.

Spurred by increased rebates, the utility has funded 36 projects with a total capacity of 1,428 kilowatts, he said. The solar panels are situated throughout the city, including atop car ports, homes and small businesses, an airport hanger and movie studio stages.

All of the activity has led to the city surpassing three gigawatt hours of local solar energy, enough to power nearly 6,000 homes for one month.

“It’s only going to grow, especially as it becomes even more cost effective,” said Councilman Dave Golonski. “Solar is particularly efficient in our region because peak demand corresponds with the daylight and the sun.”

Ten years ago the council established the city’s first solar photovoltaic incentive program called Solar Support.

The program offered residents an up-front incentive of $3 per watt installed up to $10,000. Commercial customers were funded based on kilowatt hours generated. READ MORE

Book Watch

New ' Green ' books @ Burbank Public Library

Ecological Intelligence:
How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything
Daniel Goleman - Broadway Books, 2009
333.7 GOLEM

The bestselling author of "Emotional Intelligence" and "Primal Leadership" reveals the hidden environmental consequences of what societies make and buy, and how that knowledge can drive the changes necessary to save the planet. Examines the inconsistencies and delusions at the core of the "going green effort," the author argues that consumers are "collective victims of a sleight of hand," helplessly unaware of the true provenance and impact of the products they purchase.

The Eco-Travel Guide
Alastair Fuad-Luke - Thames & Hudson, 2008

910.202 2008 ECOTR

One-page overviews of the destinations focus on how the lodge or resort uses eco-architecture and environmental management systems and benefits the local culture and environment. Destinations are not reviewed or rated here.

The Gorgeously Green Diet: How to Live Lean and Green
Sophie Uliano - Dutton, 2009

613.26 2009 ULIAN

Green guru and ecolicious consultant Sophie Uliano has appeared on Oprah, Good Morning America, The View, and other national television shows. Sophie shows how to love food, live healthily, lose weight, and save money and the planet.