Burbank Public Library Green Pages

California Watch: Wind Power

2012-02-03T10:28:00.000-08:00

Wind energy milestone: California now gets about 5 percent of its electricity from wind power
Mercury News: 1.31.201 by Dana Hull

California now gets about 5 percent of its electricity from wind power, according to data released Tuesday by the California Wind Energy Association.

The majority of California's electricity -- 42 percent -- comes from natural gas, followed by nuclear power and hydropower. According to 2010 figures from the California Energy Commission, wind made up 4.7 percent of the state's electricity mix and solar was 0.3 percent.

But in 2011, wind projects that generate 921 megawatts -- enough electricity for more than 400,000 homes -- were installed across the state, which the wind association says should put it above the long-sought-after 5 percent threshold. California has set an ambitious goal of getting 33 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020, and utilities are increasingly signing contracts for renewable projects.

"2011 was a banner year for wind generation in California," said Nancy Rader, executive director of CalWEA, based in Berkeley. "Wind has come a long way and is helping to drive California closer to reaching its goal of 33 percent renewable energy."

In California, the vast majority of wind turbines are clustered in three regions: the Altamont Pass between Livermore and Tracy, Tehachapi near Bakersfield and the San Gorgonio Pass near Palm Springs. While solar panels are visible on homes across the state, massive wind farms tucked away in windy mountain passes that many Californians never see produce much more energy. READ MORE !

Green Day Planner: February 2012

2012-02-01T12:03:00.000-08:00

Burbank Library Green Pages
February 2012 Calendar

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Burbank and Local
BUR: Feb 20 - Sustainable Task Force 4:30pm
Feb 7: Critical Mass Bike Ride 7pm - SFV @ Victory & Woodley

Greater Los Angeles
Feb 1+: Green Living Workshops 7pm - Santa Monica & Venice
Feb 6+: Green Living Workshops 7pm - LA
Feb 12+: Watershed Moment in Making - LA
Feb 14+: Renewable Energy World Conf - Long Beach
Feb 17: LAVA Green - Century City
Feb 24: Green Leadership Award DEADLINE - LA County
Feb 24: Green Jobs Fair 11am - UCLA

Southern California
Feb 1+: Clean-Tech Investor Summit - Palm Springs
Feb 2+: New Partners Smart Growth - San Diego

National
Feb 14+: Renewable Energy World Conf - Long Beach
Feb 23: Good Jobs Green Jobs Conf - Atlanta
Feb 27+: ARPA-E Innovation Summit - Wash DC

BWP - Eco Campus

2012-01-30T13:41:00.000-08:00

Burbank unveils a $40M-overhaul of a 'greener' utility campus
Burbank Leader: 1.30.2012 by Maria Hsin

Burbank Water and Power unveiled its $40-million “eco campus” to the public this past weekend, showing off the culmination of a 13-year transformation of an aging utility site into a showcase of sustainability.

At the open house event on Saturday, visitors toured energy-frugal water fountains and drought-tolerant landscaping. Rooftop gardens that help filter storm water and help cool the building, reducing the use of air conditioning, were also on display.

Three buildings on the campus in the 100 block of West Magnolia Boulevard are certified platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council — a top designation that takes construction materials, energy use, landscaping and other factors in determining just how “green” a building is.

Centennial Park, a new green area in the center of the Burbank Water and Power campus where one old electric substation still stands, also acts as a water filtration system, and is among the many energy-efficient aspects of the site, General Manager Ron Davis said. READ MORE !

BurbankH2OPower
Did you miss #Burbank's #EcoCampus Event?
Experience #EcoCampus with this short video http://t.co/aafdCPWJ

BWP - EcoCampus Dedication: January 28

2012-01-25T15:44:00.000-08:00

Burbank Water & Power
EcoCampus Dedication
January 28
164 W Magnolia
10:00 am – 1:00 pm

EcoCampus: Powered by Innovation

A Community Fair and Dedication Ceremony to Celebrate California’s First Sustainable Utility Campus

Special Guests Senator Carol Liu, Burbank Mayor Jess Talamantes and representatives of the US Department of Energy. The day’s program will be hosted by Discovery Planet Green’s Planet 100 Host, and green media maven, Sarah Backhouse.

Join us for exhibits, tours, music, food trucks, children’s activities and much more! Burbank residents attending the event will receive a highest-efficiency LED bulb, so bring your Drivers License showing your Burbank address.

Free Parking at Metro Parking Lot on Olive Street. Shuttles will be provided. For more info, please call BWP at 818-238-3730.

E-Waste Collection: Jan 21

2012-01-18T15:46:00.000-08:00

Boys & Girls Club - Burbank
E-Waste Collection
January 21st
8:00 am - 2:00pm

NEW LOCATION
141 N. Glenoaks Blvd. Burbank, CA (map)
Glenoaks Blvd. and Olive Ave.

Bring your old electronics to recycle with GreenMouse!

Some acceptable items include:monitors, TVs, computers, laptops, cell phones, scrap metal, DVD/CD/MP3 players, VCRs, and more!

View a list of acceptable items

Recycled items will also benefit our Boys & Girls Club!

COOL — Compostable Organics Out of Landfills — 2012

2012-01-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

COOL 2012

Get COOL — Compostable Organics Out of Landfills — by 2012

Every day, communities across the U.S. send tens of thousands of trucks to bury biodegradable materials:
- paper products
- food scraps
- yard trimmings

These materials amount to 1/2 of our discarded resources. When buried in a landfill, those lettuce heads, grass clippings and paper boxes don’t just break down as they would in nature or in a compost pile. They decompose anaerobically, without oxygen, and in the process become the number one source of human-caused methane and a major player in climate change.

The easiest, first step that can produce significant climate results right now is to STOP landfill-produced methane.

Seize the Paper: Commit to recycling a minimum of 75% of all paper and composting the rest by 2012. Paper is the largest share of biodegradable materials in a landfill, so recycling and composting paper products will take the largest bite out of a community’s methane emissions. The infrastructure to recycle and market the paper already exists; the key is to make it happen.

Source Separate: Require source separation of residential and business waste into 3 streams: compostables, recyclables and residuals. Source separation is pivotal to maximizing the environmental and economic potential of these resources.

Feed Local Soils: Support local farmers and sustainable food production with community composting infrastructure. The benefits of amending soils with composted organics are well-proven to increase long-term soil productivity, reduce irrigation needs and use of petroleum-based synthetic fertilizers, and increase water infiltration from today’s frequent and intense storm events.

Stop Creating Methane Now: No matter how the waste industry “greenwashes” its “new and improved landfills,” there is only one proven method to truly prevent methane emissions — keep compostable organics out of landfills. READ MORE !

Green Day Planner: January 2012

2011-12-29T12:51:00.000-08:00

Burbank Library Green Pages
January 2012 Calendar

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA.
Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Burbank and Local
Jan 3: SFV – Critical Mass Bike Ride (Victory & Woodley) 7pm - 10pm
Jan 16: BUR – Sustainable Task Force 4:30pm
Jan 21: BUR – eWaste Collection Boys & Girls Club Fundraiser 8am - 2pm

Southern California and California
Jan 18: S Monica – Green Living Workshops 7pm – 8:30pm
Jan 25: Venice – Green Living Workshops 7pm – 8:30pm
Jan 27: LA – Future of Water in So. California 8am – 7pm

National and International
2012: COOL: Commit to recycling a minimum of 75% of all paper and composting the rest by 2012
Jan 31+: Las Vegas – Solar Power Generation USA

Burbank: Christmas Tree Recycling

2011-12-27T12:36:00.001-08:00

Christmas Tree Recycling
Burbank Recycle Center

Remove all tinsel, ornaments, metal stands, and plastic buckets
Flocked Trees are NOT RECYCLED

Recycle Trees 3 Ways !

1: Dec 26, 2011 – Jan 20, 2012
Drop off @ 2 parks
Brace Canyon Park, 2901 Haven Way [in parking lot off Haven Way]
Verdugo Park, 3201 W Verdugo Ave [near corner of California St & Verdugo Ave]

2: Jan 2 – Jan 20, 2012
At the curb or alley
~ place with waste containers on scheduled waste collection day

3: Cut up your tree
~ place it in the green waste containers with other yard trimmings

For more information: 818 . 238 . 3800

Burbank Recycle Center Reduces Bottle & Can Payments

2011-12-26T08:48:00.000-08:00

Burbank Recycle Center Reduces Bottle and Can Payments

Burbank Recycle Center Press Release: 12.22.2011

Kreigh Hample, Recycling Coordinator (818) 238-3900

Beginning December 27, 2011 the Burbank Recycle Center will no longer pay the California Redemption Value (CRV) for bottles and Cans. Instead, the Center will pay scrap value only for beverage containers.

Visitors will receive substantially smaller payments. It is unknown when the California Redemption Value (CRV) will be reinstated at the Recycle Center.

Bottles and cans may be redeemed for full CRV value at the following centers:

~ rePlanet, 1100 North San Fernando Blvd., Burbank 91504 (951) 520-1700

~ West Side Metal Recycling, 6449 San Fernando Road, Glendale 91201 (818) 243-6955
~ South Coast Fibers, 5487 San Fernando Road, Los Angeles 90039 (818) 552-4068

Additional redemption centers for bottles and cans are listed at bottlesandcans or earth911.

The Recycle Center will continue to accept all other drop off materials as before. A detailed list of accepted materials may be found at Burbank Recycle.

The Burbank Recycle Center is located at 500 South Flower Street Burbank, CA 91502 and can be reached at (818) 238-3900.

. . . . . more information at

Residents to get less back from Burbank Recycle Center
Burbank Leader: 12.22.2011 by Mark Kellam

Christmas Trees: Real or Artificial

2011-12-09T09:22:00.001-08:00

Buying Real vs. Artificial Christmas Trees
earth911.com: 12.01.2011 by Lori Brown

The real versus artificial Christmas tree debate replays itself year after year. But the truth is, each option has its own place on the naughty-and-nice list.

Just a few short decades ago, displaying a Christmas tree in your living room really only yielded one option: a real pine or fir tree. That all changed when a U.S.-based toilet bowl brush manufacturer, the Addis Brush Company, created an artificial tree from brush bristles in the 1930s, acting as the prototype for modern artificial trees.

The Pros and Cons of Artificial Trees
Guilt. Many have made it the sole reason to invest in an artificial tree. The thought of cutting down a new tree each year can put a damper on the holidays for some.

Also, cost, convenience and environmental impact are other reasons consumers opt for an artificial tree.

Given the current economic climate, artificial trees may be especially appealing for their investment value when compared with the recurrent, annual expense of a real Christmas tree. Their convenience is also appealing to consumers as they don’t need watering, don’t leave pine needles all over the floor and transportation from tree farm to home isn’t an issue.

But many experts believe artificial trees actually have a greater negative environmental impact when all aspects of an their life cycle are considered.

Today’s artificial trees are typically manufactured with metal and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a non-biodegradable, petroleum-derived plastic. In addition, many older varieties may contain lead, used as a stabilizer in the manufacturing process.

Despite their PVC contents, artificial trees are non-recyclable and non-biodegradable, meaning they will sit in a landfill for centuries after disposal.

Furthermore, approximately 85 percent of artificial trees sold in the U.S. are imported from China, according to the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA), adding to their overall environmental footprint.

The Pros and Cons of Real Trees
Approximately 33 million real Christmas trees are sold in North America each year, according to the U.S. EPA. Luckily, about 93 percent of those trees are recycled through more than 4,000 available recycling programs.

Also known as “treecycling,” the act of *recycling a Christmas tree is a leading reason many experts agree they are more environmentally friendly than their plastic counterparts. READ MORE !

*Burbank Recycle Center – Christmas Tree Recycling
~ All tinsel, ornaments, metal stands, and plastic buckets must be removed
~ Flocked trees are NOT recycled

Recycle Trees 3 Ways !

1: Jan 2 – Jan 20, 2012 – At the curb or alley
~ place with waste containers on scheduled waste collection day

2: Dec 26, 2011 – Jan 20, 2012 – Drop off @ 2 parks
Brace Canyon Park, 2901 Haven Way [in parking lot off Haven Way]
Verdugo Park, 3201 W Verdugo Ave [near corner of California St & Verdugo Ave]

3: Cut up your tree
~ place it in the green waste containers with other yard trimmings

For more information: 818 . 238 . 3800

Green Day Planner: December 2011

2011-11-30T13:57:00.000-08:00

Burbank Library Green Pages
December 2011 Calendar

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA.
Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Burbank and Local
Dec 1 BUR: Plug In Ribbon Cutting 10 am – Town Center Mall (near Sport Chalet)
Dec 19 BUR: Sustainable Task Force 4:30 pm
Dec 6 TIPPING POINT: The End of Oil 7 pm – Pasadena
Dec 6 Critical Mass Bike Ride 7 pm-10 pm – SFV (Victory & Woodley)

Southern California and California
Dec 7 CA Hybrid Truck, Bus Voucher Incentive – OnLine
Dec 9 Energy Clean Tech Innovation – San Francisco

National and International
Dec 8 Electric Vehicles Virtual Summit – OnLine

2012 COOL: Commit to recycling at least 75% of paper & composting

BUR: Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

2011-11-28T13:19:00.000-08:00

December 1: Plug-In Ribbon Cutting
Town Center Mall (near Sport Chalet)
10 am

Electric vehicles can charge for no charge

Stations opening this week will be free to EV drivers until July 1, when the rate will become $2 an hour.
Burbank Leader: 11.26.2011 by Maria Hsin

Eleven new electric vehicle charging stations will debut in Burbank this week, and until July 1, motorists will get to plug in for free.

After the “holiday rate” — approved by the Burbank City Council this week — the price to charge a vehicle will be $2 per hour. But any other charging stations that come online after January will also feature a six-month grace period, according to the city.

The purpose of the grant is to promote and facilitate the use of electric vehicles by encouraging the development of EV charging infrastructure across the country, Xavier Baldwin, assistant general manager at Burbank Water and Power, said in an email.

The three-year demonstration project will also help set pricing. READ MORE !

BWP - Burbank Charging Stations:
Bob Hope Airport Economy Lot A
Bob Hope Airport Lot D
Burbank Town Center Mall (near Sport Chalet)
Burbank Public Works/CDD – 333 E Olive
Costco – 1051 Burbank Blvd
Fry’s – 2311 N Hollywood Way

All Charging Locations in Los Angeles County

America Recycles Day: November 15

2011-11-15T13:03:00.000-08:00

America Recycles Day: November 15

Since 1997, communities across the country have come together on November 15 to celebrate America Recycles Day. More than a celebration, America Recycles Day is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to the promotion of recycling in the United States. One day to educate and motivate. One day to get our neighbors, friends and community leaders excited about what can be accomplished when we all work together. One day to make recycling bigger and better 365 days a year. Get involved!

Burbank Recycle Center
500 South Flower Street
Burbank CA 91502
818-238-3900 M-F 8am-5pm
818-841-9700 Saturday 8am-4pm

Why Buy Recycled Products?
What Can Be Recycled?
Events
Bulky Item Pick Up
Christmas Tree Recycling
Composting Program
Graffiti Removal
Household Hazardous Waste
Learning Center
RV Dump Station
Waste Haulers
Waste Oil & Filter Recycling
Zero Waste Events

California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery
Where to Recycle, Schools & State Agencies, Resources

INDUSTRY
Batteries: Call2Recycle
Glass: Glass Packaging Institute
Paper: American Forest & Paper Association
Plastic:
American Chemistry Council
National Association for PET Container Resources
Steel:Steel Recycling Institute

Green Day Planner: November 2011

2011-11-01T16:19:00.001-07:00

Burbank Library Green Pages
November 2011 Events

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Burbank – SFV
Nov 1 Critical Mass Bike Ride – SFV Victory & Woodley @ 7pm
Nov 21 BUR: Sustainable Task Force @ 4:30pm

Los Angeles
Nov 3 Sustainability & the Global Shift to Clean-Tech @ 6:45pm
Nov 9+ Opportunity Green Business Conference
Nov 10 Forum of Climate Change USC @ 3pm
Nov 29 The Next Gen – Near Zero Emission Natural Gas Vehicles
Nov 30+ Groundwater Cong – UC Irvine

California
Nov 12+ Green Festival – SF
Nov 16+ Solar Market Insight Conf - SF

National
Nov 7-10 American Water Resources Conf - Albuquerque NM
Nov 15 America Recycles Day

Weatherization Day: October 30

2011-10-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

October 30
Weatherization Day

Burbank Water & Power
Green Home House Call

FREE
Now offering A/C Tune-up and Duct Sealing
Weatherization services for qualified homes*, including attic insulation
Water efficient showerheads & faucet aerators installed
Indoor & outdoor energy-saving light bulbs installed
Landscape sprinkler system check & irrigation controller programming
Personalized report to help you manage electricity, water and natural gas consumption in the future

*Single family homes with central air conditioning and heating will be assessed for possible insulation services.

Energy Awareness Month - October

2011-10-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

Energy Awareness Month 2011
Federal Energy Management Program

Each year for Energy Awareness Month (October), FEMP provides materials and ideas to promote energy-saving practices:

Office Energy Checklist
~ energy conservation/efficiency measures to use at the office

Facility Energy Checklist
~ actions that conserve energy within facilities

Home Energy Checklist
~ energy conservation measures to use at home

Energy Savers Consumers Guide:
provides homeowners with tips for saving energy and money at home and on the road. By following just a few of the simple tips found on this Energy Savers Web site, you can make your home more comfortable and easier to heat and cool—while you save money. We bring you the latest information on energy-saving, efficient technologies. We even give tips for using clean, renewable energy to power your home.

Green Day Planner: October 2011

2011-09-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

Burbank Library Green Pages
October 2011 Events

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out future State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Burbank – SFV – LA
Oct 4: Critical Mass Bike Ride – Victory & Woodley @ 7pm
Oct 7+ New World FEST – Santa Monica
Oct 9: CicLAvia – LA @ 10 am
Oct 13: Forecasting California 2020 – LA @ 6pm
Oct 17: BUR Sustainable Taskforce @ 4:30pm
Oct 20: Transportation, Pollution & Communities – LA @ 9am
Oct 29+ Green Festival – LA Convention Center

California
Oct 2+ Climate Ride – Eureka to San Francisco
Oct 14+ Bioneers Conf – San Rafael
Oct 24+ LEDs 2011 – S Diego

National
Oct 1+ Green Festival – NY
Oct 3+ Water & Health – NC
Oct 5+ WaterSmart Innovations – NV
Oct 17+ Solar Power Intl – TX
Oct 17+ Global Cleantech – DC
Oct 18: Clean Water Act – 40th Anniversary

Moving Planet - September 24

2011-09-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Moving Planet
September 24

A worldwide rally to demand solutions to the climate crisis.

The goal is to get moving beyond fossil fuels—both symbolically by pouring into the streets in the thousands on foot, bicycle and other means of sustainable movement, and politically by bringing powerful demands to our leaders that day to move beyond fossil fuels to a 350ppm world. Mobilizing for individual and community solutions will continue to be important—but one of the main goals for Moving Planet is to demand government action, especially in places where governments are stalling on climate action despite the overwhelming urgency of the science.

To get below 350ppm, we know we need to get off fossil fuels right away, and move to a sustainable, democratically controlled, and renewably-powered future as soon as possible. All mobilizations for Moving Planet are encouraged to pick a clear and strategic demand to deliver to their local governments that day.

350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide—measured in "Parts Per Million" in our atmosphere. 350 PPM—it's the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.

COB: Composting Workshop - September 22

2011-09-21T18:17:00.001-07:00

Composting Workshop
September 22
6:30pm – 8pm

Free Composting Bins for Residents

Join the long, proud tradition of Burbank households that enjoy the satisfaction of quietly turning their leaves, grass, and food scraps into rich soil for their yards, instead of sending it to the curb. Over the past 20 years, more than 10,500 residents have taken the composting workshop and are now helping to divert untold amounts of materials from the landfill and distant mulch sites.

@ Burbank Adult School - 3811 Allan Avenue

Please call 818.238.3900 to RSVP.

Coastal Cleanup Day - September 17

2011-09-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

Coastal Cleanup Day
September 17
9:00 am – Noon

Annual beach and inland waterway cleanup. California’s largest volunteer event.

In 2010, over 82,500 volunteers removed more than 1.2 million pounds of trash and recyclables from CA beaches, lakes, and waterways. Combined with the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by Ocean Conservancy and taking place on the same day, California Coastal Cleanup Day becomes part of one of the largest volunteer events in the world.

Find a cleanup site near you.
With over 800 sites throughout California, there is sure to be one in your neighborhood.

Composting Workshop - September 17

2011-09-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

Composting Workshop
September 17
10:00 am – 11:30 am

Free Composting Bins for Residents

Join the long, proud tradition of Burbank households that enjoy the satisfaction of quietly turning their leaves, grass, and food scraps into rich soil for their yards, instead of sending it to the curb. Over the past 20 years, more than 10,500 residents have taken the composting workshop and are now helping to divert untold amounts of materials from the landfill and distant mulch sites.

@ Jordan Middle School - 420 S Mariposa

Please call 818.238.3900 to RSVP.

Hazardous Waste Roundup - September 17

2011-09-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

Annual Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Roundup
Fire Training Center
September 17
9:00 am – 3:00 pm

In conjunction with Los Angeles County, Burbank will host its annual HHW roundup.

City of Burbank Fire Training Center
1845 North Ontario Street

Please see flyer for details on materials you may bring.

Climate Reality Project: September 14

2011-09-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

Climate Reality Project
September 14

What is 24 Hours of Reality?
24 Presenters. 24 Time Zones. 13 Languages. 1 Message.

24 Hours of Reality is a worldwide event to broadcast the reality of the climate crisis. It will consist of a new multimedia presentation created by Al Gore and delivered once per hour for 24 hours, representing every time zone around the globe. Each hour people living with the reality of climate change will connect the dots between recent extreme weather events — including floods, droughts and storms — and the manmade pollution that is changing our climate. We will offer a round-the-clock, round-the-globe snapshot of the climate crisis in real time. The deniers may have millions of dollars to spend, but we have a powerful advantage. We have reality.

When is 24 Hours of Reality?
24 Hours of Reality will be broadcast live online from September 14 to 15, over 24 hours, representing 24 time zones and 13 languages.

Where is 24 Hours of Reality?
From Tonga to Cape Verde, Mexico City to Alaska, Jakarta to London, people living with the impacts of climate change every day will tell their story. You can experience as much as you like without even leaving your home. Click here to find the location — or locations — where you would like to watch a presentation. Due to logistical considerations, three of the presentations will be broadcast remotely from New York — Tonga, the Solomon Islands and French Polynesia — but will include local footage and information. All other presentations will be filmed on location around the world.

Green Infographics

2011-09-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

The Web’s Best Green Infographics
Earth911.com: 9.08.2011 by Amanda Wills

Infographics for:
Natural Resources
Recycling
E-Waste
Weirdest Place For Waste
Saving Water

Green Day Planner: September 2011

2011-08-31T08:57:00.000-07:00

Burbank Library Green Pages
September 2011 Calendar

Calendar of Green Events for Burbank, Greater LA, California and the US. Check upcoming events on Green Calendar.

Burbank & SFV
Sep 6: Critical Mass Bike Ride 7pm @ Victory & Woodley – SFV
Sep 10: Generation Earth’s Waste Reduction Recycling on Campus 9am @ Burbank Recycling Center for public-private school educators-students
Sep 17: BUR – Household Hazardous Waste Roundup 9am @ Fire Dept Training Ctr
Sep 17: BUR – Compost Workshop 10am @ Jordan Middle School
Sep 19: BUR – Sustainable Task Force 4:30pm
Sep 20: BUR – Landscaping: California Natives Lili Singer 6:30pm @ Buena Vista Library
Sep 22: BUR – Compost Workshop 6:30pm @ Burbank Adult School

Southern California and California
Sep 3+: Mother Earth News Fair – Marin Co
Sep 10: Green Feast Fundraiser 4pm @ Ecology Center – S Juan Capistrano
Sep 15: LA as Capital of Low/No Emission Vehicles 9am – LA
Sep 17: Coastal Cleanup Day – California
Sep 23+: Art of Community – SF
Sep 24: Tree People-Evening Under Harvest Moon Fundraiser – Beverly Hills
Sep 25+: Waste To Fuels Conf – SD
Sep 25: Fight For Air Walk 8am – Santa Monica
Sep 26+: OLEDs World Summit – SF
Sep 27+: Clean Pacific – Long Beach
Sep28+: CA Clean Energy Roundtable – Laguna Beach
Sep 30: Creating a Bike Friendly Los Angeles County Summit –UCLA

National
Sep 13+: Modern Energy Forum – Denver CO
Sep 13+: Sustaining the Blue Planet – Bozeman MT
Sep 14+: Climate Reality Project – Global
Sep 18: World Water Monitoring Day – Global
Sep 23+: Solar Decathlon – Wash DC
Sep 24: Moving Planet Beyond Fossil Fuels – Global

Greenwashing

2011-08-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Is It Really Green?

Contract Services Group, Inc. (CSG) created this infographic to help the average consumer avoid cleaning products that are guilty of “greenwashing.” The information graphic, gives an accurate display of how products greenwash, and how to choose cleaning products are truly green and environmentally friendly.

World Water Week 2011

2011-08-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

World Water Week 2011
“Water in an Urbanizing World”
Aug 21 – 27

Hosted and organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and takes place each year in Stockholm. World Water Week has been the annual focal point for the globe's water issues since 1991.

Some Water Websites:

Circle of Blue
Of all the Earth’s water, 97.5 percent is salt and 2.5 is fresh. Of that water, about 70 percent is locked in glacial ice and 30 percent in soil, leaving under 1 percent (.007 percent of the total water) readily accessible for human use.

An international network of leading journalists, scientists and communications design experts that reports and presents the information necessary to respond to the global freshwater crisis. It is a nonprofit affiliate of the internationally recognized water, climate and policy think tank, the Pacific Institute.

Poster Art to Spread the Clean-Water Word
Sierra: 8.19.2011
To raise awareness about the global water crisis, students from around the world submitted designs for the Water is Life poster-art contest. The winning designs are so inspiring that they're going to be part of a globe-trotting museum exhibit.

The posters are meant to spread the word about Stockholm’s annual World Water Week, a global summit that aims to focus the world's attention on the challenge of water management (as things are now, only one in eight people has access to clean water).This year, the summit happens next week: Aug. 21 to 27.

While the summit itself is primarily for environmental leaders, we all can get involved. How? Read a book, watch a movie, or learn more on the web. Or buy a “Water is Life” poster to spread inspiration. You can also watch live broadcasts from the Stockholm summit.

Water.Org: a U.S. nonprofit committed to providing safe drinking water and sanitation to people in developing countries. Has Lesson Plans and many links.

World Water Council: established in 1996, on the initiative of renowned water specialists and international organizations, in response to an increasing concern about world water issues from the global community.

Sierra Magazine: Greenest Colleges 2011

2011-08-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

AMERICA'S COOLEST SCHOOLS
Sierra Magazine

Sierra's 5th annual ranking of the greenest colleges in the United States is open to all four-year undergraduate colleges and universities in the United States.

In March 2011, Sierra sent a 12-page questionnaire to 940 schools, a list based on the widest collection of university contacts that the magazine's researchers could amass; schools that requested a survey were provided one and encouraged to participate.

Sierra received 118 complete responses from schools, which the magazine's researchers scored and ranked. READ MORE !

Top 10
1 University of Washington
2 Green Mountain College
3 University of California, San Diego
4 Warren Wilson College
5 Stanford University
6 University of California, Irvine
7 University of California, Santa Cruz
8 University of California, Davis
9 Evergreen State College
10 Middlebury College

Book Watch: New Green Books @ BPL

2011-08-10T08:25:00.001-07:00

New Green Books @ Burbank Public Library

Bottled lightning: superbatteries, electric cars, and the new lithium economy
The rise of lithium batteries and the implications of the new energy economy.
Seth Fletcher
Hill & Wang, 2011
621.31242 FLETC

Force of nature: the unlikely story of Wal-Mart's green revolution
A green business revolution @ Wal-Mart.
Edward Humes
Harper Business, 2011
338.927 HUMES

Let them eat shrimp: the tragic disappearance of the rainforests of the sea
Profound importance of mangrove forests to the ecological balance of the areas near the ocean where they are located.
K P Warne
Island Press, 2011
578.7698 WARNE

Mindfully green: a personal and spiritual guide to whole earth thinking
Finding a personal connection with green living.
Stephanie Kaza
Shambhala, 2008
333.72 KAZA

Green Day Planner: August 2011

2011-07-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

Burbank Library Green Pages
August 2011 Calendar

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Burbank and Local
Aug 15: BUR Sustainable Task Force @ 4:30pm
Aug 20: BUR Compost Workshop @ Muir Middle School @ 10am
Aug 31: BUR Compost Workshop @ Monterey HS 6:30pm
Aug 2: SFV Critical Mass Bike Ride – Victory & Woodley @ 7pm
Aug 28+: Taste of the World Festival – LA Coliseum
Aug 30+: Women in Green Forum – S Monica

Southern California and California
Jul 31 - Aug 3: CRRA Conf Zero Waste – S Diego
Aug 12: Clean Business Investment Summit – S Barbara @ 7am

National and International
Aug 18+: American Renewable Energy Day Summit – Aspen CO
Aug 22+: EcoCity – Montreal Canada

Electric Cars: Roadside Assistance

2011-07-28T11:10:00.001-07:00

If your electric car poops out on the road,
AAA can save the day
examiner.com Long Beach: 7.21.2011 by Jon LeSage

Plug-in electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt, Mini E, Tesla Roadster, and do-it-yourself conversions, are slowly starting to become mainstream. There may not be any more infamous GM EV1s on the roads, but don’t be surprised to see an electric car getting charged at your workplace, shopping mall, or neighbor’s garage.

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But what happens if your electric car poops out on the highway, and you’re two hours from home? Call a tow truck? That’s where AAA has stepped in, announcing that its roadside assistance trucks are capable of fast charging stranded electric vehicles.

During the Plug-in 2011 conference in Raleigh, NC, AAA said electric vehicle drivers can get a 15-minute jolt of either Level 2 (240-volt), or Level 3 (480-volt) fast charging to get them to the nearest charge point. And there’s good news for Californians – AAA says it will roll the trucks out initially in Los Angeles and San Francisco; beyond that, Portland, Ore.; Tampa Bay, Fla.; and Knoxville, Tenn. Other areas will follow later.

For the fast chargers, the standards haven’t yet been finalized, like they have with Level 1 and 2 stations. So far, only the Nissan Leaf and the upcoming Mitsubishi i are the only electric cars that can use the fast chargers. READ MORE !

COB: Plastic Bags

2011-07-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

Group pushes for plastic bag ban in Burbank
Task force recommends the city ban their use by retail stores.
Burbank Leader: 7.26.2011 by Maria Hsin

A ban on plastic bags from store checkouts has been recommended by the Sustainable Burbank Task Force.

Councilman Gary Bric, a non-voting council representative to the task force, said the task force recommended the city move forward with a ban.

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The county ban went into effect July 1 for stores with gross annual sales of $2 million, or that have at least 10,000 square feet of floor space. Smaller stores in the county must comply by Jan. 1, 2012.

In addition to the plastic bag ban, the county ordinance imposes a 10-cent charge on recyclable paper bags.

Jessica Aldridge, executive director of the Burbank Green Alliance, who attended the task force meeting, said she is supportive of a plastic bag ban. READ MORE !

Plastic Bag Poll @ Burbank Leader

California Watch: Governor's Conference Renewable Energy

2011-07-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Governor’s Conference on Local Renewable Energy Resources
California's Path towards the Future
July 25 - 26

Governor Brown has called for 12,000 MW of renewable power generated within the local power distribution grid. Implementing this effort will provide important advantages in California’s drive for clean power – development of local resources, avoided costs of new intercity transmission or remote generation, and additional consumer autonomy.

Achieving this goal calls for new approaches and coalitions between consumers, community leaders, utilities and power providers. Promising innovations:
-Financing tools that help build new power sources, but also keep costs as low as possible.
-Improvements to existing wires and transformers, and new policies to speed connections.
-Policies and techniques to measure and manage power demand and variable power sources
-New efforts in local land use, building and fire codes to speed up deployment.

This two-day conference will explore these challenges in detail by catalyzing discussions between experts, regulators and other stakeholder groups. The invitation-only conference will be highly participatory and requires extensive facilitation and advance work. Some participants will take roles as participants or facilitators. All participants will review, in advance, conference materials including discussion papers set for each panel.

Complete Agenda with links to Overviews of Issues and Recommended Reading.

Burbank Green Events: July 23

2011-07-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

Green Events - Burbank
July 23

eWaste Collection
9:00 am - 3:00pm
Unity Church
637 S Victory

Compost Workshop
10:00 am - 11:30 am
Burroughs HS
(818) 238-3900
FREE Compost Bin for Burbank residents

Green Jobs

2011-07-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

Sizing the Clean Economy: A National and Regional Green Jobs Assessment Growth through Innovation, Environment, Cities, Competitiveness, Jobs and the Economy
Brookings: July 2011

The clean economy, which employs some 2.7 million workers, encompasses a significant number of jobs in establishments spread across a diverse group of industries. Though modest in size, the clean economy employs more workers than the fossil fuel industry and bulks larger than bioscience but remains smaller than the IT-producing sectors. Most clean economy jobs reside in mature segments that cover a wide swath of activities including manufacturing and the provision of public services such as wastewater and mass transit. A smaller portion of the clean economy encompasses newer segments that respond to energy-related challenges. These include the solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, fuel cell, smart grid, biofuel, and battery industries.

The clean economy grew more slowly in aggregate than the national economy between 2003 and 2010, but newer “cleantech” segments produced explosive job gains and the clean economy outperformed the nation during the recession. Overall, today’s clean economy establishments added half a million jobs between 2003 and 2010, expanding at an annual rate of 3.4 percent.

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Among regions, the South has the largest number of clean economy jobs though the West has the largest share relative to its population. Seven of the 21 states with at least 50,000 clean economy jobs are in the South. Among states, California has the highest number of clean jobs but Alaska and Oregon have the most per worker. READ MORE !

Some Highlights:
California had 318,156 jobs followed by NY @ 185,038 and TX @ 144,081;
LA Metro area had 89,592 jobs.
Average annual wage:
California: $46,400
LA Metro: $40,910
US average: $43,773.

2010 Tables & Charts:
Table 1. Segments of the Clean Economy
Table 2. Job Growth Median Year of Establishment Birth by Clean Economy Segment
Table 3. Share of Clean Economy Jobs
Table 4. Metro Areas with the Most Clean Economy Jobs, 100 Largest Metros
Appendix A. The U.S. Clean Economy by Category and Segment
Appendix B. The Aggregate Clean Economy by State (Map)
Appendix C. The Aggregate Clean Economy 100 Largest Metropolitan Areas
Appendix D. The Clean Economy by Industry (NAICS-Based
Appendix E. Occupations of the Clean Economy

BWP: Sierra Club Water Conservation Scorecard

2011-07-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

Water Conservation Measures Scorecard
Sierra Club Angeles Chapter: July 2011

The Water Conservation Measures Scorecard rated 122 cities in Los Angeles and Orange counties by the number of mandatory water conservation measures enacted. Cities are ranked for measures in their ordinances that address appropriate water use, avoid water waste, improve building standards, and prescribe water-efficient business practices. Five cities were rated “Best” and five cities were rated “Worst.” The scorecard provides cities with a roadmap to update and expand existing water conservation measures in order to meet federal and state water efficiency standards and to work together to better manage use of the region’s limited water resources.

The 5 cities that scored “Best” with water-efficient building standards and best practices for commercial and outdoor water use:
Burbank, La Palma, La Verne, Los Angeles and Mission Viejo

The Report Includes a City Summary and City Scorecards. READ MORE !

water water everywhere - not a drop to drink*

2011-07-11T12:01:00.001-07:00

Direct and indirect water use
Water Foot Print Network

People use lots of water for drinking, cooking and washing, but even more for producing things such as food, paper, cotton clothes, etc. The water footprint is an indicator of water use that looks at both direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer. The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business. Includes:

Product Water Footprint
-Food & Animal Products: Apples to Wine
(excellent graphic @ National Geographic)
Your Water Footprint
-quick calculator
-extended calculator
National Water Footprint
Corporate Water Footprint
Global Water Footprint

WFPN: promote the transition towards sustainable, fair and efficient use of fresh water resources worldwide.

*The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Industry Watch: Hybrid Cars

2011-07-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hybrid Scorecard 2011

Hybrid Scorecard for 2011 Shows Automakers Not Delivering Enough 'High Value' Models
Stronger Vehicle Efficiency Standards Needed to Make the Most of Hybrid Technology

WASHINGTON (July 6, 2011) – The current crop of hybrid vehicles demonstrate automakers know how to provide dramatic fuel savings and pollution reductions, but have yet to fully deliver those benefits, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) announced today.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (USC) released its 2011 Hybrid Scorecard that rates 34 Non-Luxury and Luxury cars for their fuel efficiency, environmental improvement, consumer value, and the “forced features” automakers install that artificially inflate the cost of some models.

Green Day Planner: July 4

2011-06-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

Green Your Fourth: Cleaner Coal
Sierra Club-Green Life: 6.27.2011
Tip #1: Skip the Coal

Independence Day is, from sea to shining sea, a glorious holiday. This year, your festivities can help protect those purple mountain majesties. This week’s tips tell you how.

To help lessen the 225,000 tons of carbon emitted from Independence Day grilling alone, opt for an electric or propane-powered grill, or a solar oven, over one that burns through charcoal. If you’ve only got a coal-fired cooker and can’t replace it yet, choose briquettes* made of invasive trees, or biomass pellets from sustainably managed forests.

Not sure how to find those? Look for products marked with this seal or this one.

*Eco-Friendly Charcoal

Green Day Planner: July 2011

2011-06-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

Burbank Library Green Pages
July 2011 Calendar

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Burbank
Jul 18 Sustainable Task Force @ 4:30 pm
Jul 23 Compost Workshop @ Burroughs HS 10am
Jul 28 Compost Workshop @ Emerson Elem, 6:30 pm

Southern California and California
Jul 9: Eco – Fest, Venice
Jul 16+: Eat Real Festival, Venice
Jul 21: Greening the Ports, LA
Jul 30: Green Fair, LATTC
Jul 31: CRRA Conf – Zero Waste, San Diego

June 21: Three Degrees of Preparation

2011-06-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

Three Degrees of Preparation:
Turn Up the Thermostat on June 21
Mother Earth News: 6.16.2011 by Robyn Griggs Lawrence

June 21 is the longest day of the year, the first official day of summer—and an opportunity to start a new summer tradition. American Home Shield is spearheading an effort to get Americans to raise their home thermostats three degrees on this day, for Three Degrees of Preparation.

“Three degrees can make a significant impact; some utility companies report that every degree below 78 can add more than 6 percent to your home’s cooling costs,” says American Home Shield president Dave Crawford. “We’re asking homeowners to give the adjustment a test on the first day of summer, June 21, and participate in Three Degrees of Preparation. Your family will probably not notice the difference in temperature, but make the adjustment a daily routine and you should notice it on your next energy bill.”

Valley Green Building Education Conf & Expo

2011-06-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

1st Annual Valley Green Building
Education Conference & Expo
June 23, 2011
California State University Northridge
Northridge Conference Center Complex

San Fernando Valley Green Team
Energy efficiency and water conservation practices for commercial and residential buildings. The focus of the event will include financial and practical considerations and real world examples and success stories in the San Fernando Valley.

The conference will have four tracks: Commercial, Residential, Financial and LEED/CalGreen.

Event Schedule

California Watch: E-Waste

2011-06-14T13:47:00.001-07:00

E-waste law reaches a milestone: 1 billion pounds of computer junk recycled in California
L A Times: 6.11.2011 by Paul Rogers

Mountains of broken TVs, obsolete computer monitors and outdated laptops that once piled up in California's garages, attics and basements have achieved a milestone.

The state's electronic-waste recycling program has reached its 1 billionth pound of unwanted electronics. That's more than any other state has recycled — and amounts to roughly 20 million TVs and computers kept out of landfills.

"In the six short years this program has been operating, California has really gotten on board with e-waste recycling," said Jeff Hunts, e-waste program manager for the state Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery. "People are understanding it's hazardous and needs to be managed responsibly."

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California was the 1st state to pass an E-Waste Law
--24 states have passed similar laws
--California is only state that charges consumers to fund program by paying recycling fees when they buy a TV, laptop or monitor
--California’s law only funds recycling of TVs, laptops or computer monitors
--it requires they be recycled in state
--old VCRs, printers, hard drives, etc. are not covered
--California law requires consumers to pay fee of $6 - $10 depending on size of screen
--the fee funds a state-run program that pays $0.39 a pound to recycling companies and collection organizations
--California’s program has paid out $436 million since 2005

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After California's law passed, however, retail giants fought similar consumer-pay laws in other states. Now environmental groups and the electronics industry both want a national law but can't agree on how strict it should be — or who should pay.

New devices come on the market every year. So even though the state collects roughly 5 million used TVs and computers a year, Californians replace those by buying about 9 million a year. READ MORE !

World Oceans Day: June 8

2011-06-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

June 8th is World Oceans Day

Welcome to the international community’s online resource for World Oceans Day—our planet’s biggest celebration of the ocean held every June 8th.

Why Should I Celebrate World Oceans Day?
• Generates most of the oxygen we breathe
• Helps feed us
• Regulates our climate
• Cleans the water we drink
• Offers us a pharmacopoeia of potential medicines
• Provides limitless inspiration!

A few tweets about WOD on Twitter.
More @ #worldoceansday

NOAA Ocean Today
Celebrate World Ocean Day !
Check out these amazing photos from the National Ocean Service photo contest.

WiserEarth
Happy World Ocean Day - See 10 things you didn't know came from the ocean.

PBSNature
Happy World Oceans Day! Eat ocean-friendly seafood by following seafood.

Burbank - Smart Grid System

2011-06-07T15:16:00.001-07:00

Some Glendale and Burbank residents resist new smart-grid system
L A Times: 5.17.11 by Melanie Hicken

Glendale and Burbank officials are touting their new "smart meters" project as an exciting technological advancement that will help the utilities and customers track real-time water and electrical use.

But a small group of residents is resisting, saying they're worried about the health effects of the radio waves emitted by the meters. They also say the utilities' ability to view electricity and water usage as it occurs is intrusive and could change the rate structure.

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Utility officials say residents have no reason to be concerned, citing studies that say the wireless smart meters fall within federal guidelines for radiofrequency emissions and expose residents to far less electromagnetic radiation than other common appliances.

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Officials at both utilities say they will postpone installing the meters for concerned residents while they await a ruling from the California Public Utilities Commission, which has ordered Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to create ways for customers to opt out of the new wireless meters.

Although the state commission does not regulate municipal utilities, Glendale and Burbank officials said they would probably follow the agency's direction for a potential opt-out provision.

Glendale has installed 76,000 smart meters so far, and only a dozen residents have asked to have their installation put on hold, said Ned Bassin, assistant general manager for Glendale Water & Power.

And in Burbank, where crews will begin installing the smart meters next month, even fewer concerns have been expressed, officials said. READ MORE !

Power up the 'smart meters'
The devices have sparked an irrational fear of electromagnetic radiation in the Bay Area.
L A Times: 6.05.11 - Editorial

You don't have to be a tinfoil-hat-wearing paranoiac to be worried that the electromagnetic radiation from modern wireless devices may be harmful to your health. But are the "smart meters" being installed by utilities throughout the state frying homeowners' brains, as many consumers and even municipal governments fear? The risks are vanishingly small, while the economic and environmental benefits of smart meters are wide and obvious. In fact, we wish L.A.'s municipal utility would get busy installing the devices, though that isn't likely to happen any time soon. READ MORE !

COB: Urban Water Management Plan

2011-06-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

Urban Water Management Plan
Public Hearing
June 7 - 6:00pm

The City of Burbank has prepared a Draft version of its Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP). California law requires the Burbank City Council to adopt an updated UWMP by June 30, 2011.

Public involvement and comment are encouraged.
A public hearing regarding updating Burbank's UWMP in the Council Chambers, Burbank City Hall, 275 East Olive Avenue, Burbank, California.

The Plan includes the following:
Assessment of past and future water supplies and demands
Evaluation of the future reliability of our water supplies
Information regarding water conservation and water management activities
Discussion of water recycling activities
Contingency planning for water shortages

Follow the link below to review the 2010 Draft version of the Plan.
Draft: Burbank Urban Water Management Plan 2010

For more information, contact Matt Elsner, Principal Civil Engineer at (818) 238-3500

Green Business Strategies: June 1 - 8 - 15

2011-05-31T12:08:00.000-07:00

Green Business Strategies
Lecture Series
June 1, 8, and 15
Community Services Bldg
150 N Third

This Burbank Green Alliance series is designed for ALL businesses seeking economic and environmental sustainability. Learn to design and apply a green business plan, as well as, save resources and money !

June 1st: 3-5pm
Greening Your Restaurant/Food Service Business
Speaker: Leslie VanKeuren Campbell, LEED GA
Founder and Zero Waste/Sustainability Consultant, Sustain LA

June 8th: 6:30-9pm
Energy and Water Savings for Businesses
Speaker: Natalie Freidberg, Sustainable Building Advisor
and Certified Green Building Professional

June 15th: 6:30-9pm
Sustainable Business Strategies
Speaker: Brad Cracchiola, Senior Sustainability Engineer
BMW Group Designworks USA

Must Register for each course separately @ or 818.238.5198
$10 Residents
$15 Non-Residents
FREE Chamber Members

Green Day Planner: June 2011

2011-05-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

Burbank Library Green Pages
June 2011 Calendar

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Burbank
Jun 1: Greening Your Restaurant – Burbank Green Alliance @ 3pm
Jun 7: Urban Water Management Plan – Public Meeting @ 6pm
Jun 8: Energy & Water Savings – Burbank Green Alliance @ 6:30pm
Jun 15: Sustainable Business Strategies – Burbank Green Alliance @ 6:30pm
Jun 20: Sustainable Task Force @ 4:30pm

Los Angeles – Southern California
Jun 4: TreePeople’s Green City Fair – Beverly Hills @ 10am
Jun 5: Green Jobs Fair – LA State Park @ 1pm
Jun 11: Green Long Beach @ 10am
Jun 15+: West Coast Energy Congress – Long Beach
Jun 23: Valley Green Building Educ Conf/Expo – CSUN

California
Jun 4+: Eco-Urban Festival - SF
Jun 7+: Sustainable Brands 2011 – Monterey

United States
Jun 12+: American Water Works Conf - DC

Recycling

2011-05-20T09:59:00.001-07:00

8 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Recycle
Care2.com: 5.19.11
posted by Mel, selected from Divine Caroline via EcoSalon

1. Wine Corks
Send them to Yemm & Hart Green Materials started an experimental wine cork-recycling program that processes the old bottle stoppers into environmentally friendly cork floor and wall tiles.

2. Books, DVDs, and CDs
Swaptree.com is a cool Web site that allows you to essentially keep a constantly fresh, rotating selection of reading material, movies, and music for zero dollars.

3. Shoes
Nike is happy to take your rubber-soled shoes—no matter who made them—and recycle them into new athletic surfaces like basketball courts and running tracks. Find your nearest dropoff location at the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe website.

4. Foam Packing Peanuts
EPS recyclers. Polystyrene packing peanuts and molded foam cushioning can either be dropped off at a local location if you have one or sent in the mail.

5. Carpet
Check out the map at CarpetRecovery—you could be able to give that shaggy rug new life as composite lumber, roofing shingles, railroad ties, or automotive parts.

6. Holiday Lights
Send them off to HolidayLEDs to be recycled and you’ll get more than just do-gooder satisfaction. They’ll gift you with a 15-percent-off coupon for anything on their site, so you can get the twinkly LED lights of your dreams.

7. Bras
Bosom Buddy Recycling will take your old bras and give them to deserving women around the country including women’s shelters, transitional housing, and breast cancer-survivor support groups.

8. Prescription Medication
L A County Sheriff's Dept. Drug Drop Off Program
Our water has a drug problem, and as a result, we’re all taking in way more medication than we bargained for. Drinking water in many major metropolitan areas is contaminated with all kinds of pharmaceuticals—from antibiotics to antidepressants—and it’s not just the result of them passing through our bodies. Instead of flushing your prescription meds down the toilet, donate drugs that are still usable. Not every state has a recycling/redistribution program or allows patients to donate directly.

Book Watch: Burbank Library

2011-05-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

New Green Books @ Burbank Public Library

Aerotropolis: the way we'll live next

John D Kasarda – Farrar, 2011

Eye-opening look at the new phenomenon called the aerotropolis gives us a glimpse of the way we will live in the near future and the way we will do business too.read

307.0112 KASAR

Earth, the operators' manual

Richard B. Alley – WW Norton - 2011

Explores the history of energy use by humans over the centuries, gives a doubt-destroying proof that already-high levels of carbon dioxide are causing damaging global warming, and surveys the alternative energy options that are available to exploit right now.

333.79 ALLEY

Mindfully green: a personal and spiritual guide to whole earth thinking

Stephanie Kaza – Shambhala, 2008

In three parts, she guides readers through the principles of Buddhism as they apply to taking responsible action toward the earth: reducing harm, understanding suffering, seeing the big picture, letting go of desire and being in the moment.

333.72 KAZA

Plastiki: across the Pacific on plastic-an adventure to save our oceans

David de Rothschild – Chronicle, 2011

Explorer, global green leader, and eco-TV host David de Rothschild recounts the extraordinary journey of the Plastiki, an innovative and mostly untested sixty-foot catamaran that floats on 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles.

910.9164 ROTHS

Girls gone green

Lynn Hirshfield – Participant Media, 2010

Filled with stories from real girls who made a difference, plus lots of celebrity green girls who are doing their part to help out, Girls Gone Greengives girls everywhere the inspiration to do something to help their world.

333.72 HIRSH

SB 2X: 33% Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard

2011-05-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

What Stands in the Way of California's 33 Percent Renewables Goal?
Renewable Energy World: 4.13.11 by Lindsay Morris

On April 12, California Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 2X into law, requiring that 33 percent of the state’s electric generation come from renewable sources by 2020.

Under S.B. 2X, all load-serving entities must meet a 20 percent renewables target by Dec. 31, 2013, a 25 percent target by the end of 2016, and achieve the 33 percent criterion by the end of 2020.

S.B. 2X applies to all electricity retailers in the state – investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities and independent sellers. The current 20 percent renewable energy requirement applies only to investor-owned utilities and independent power producers.

One municipal utility, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, has already reached the 2013 goal of generating 20 percent of its power from renewables. Smaller municipal utilities like Glendale, Anaheim, Pasadena and Burbank, are behind at this stage in terms of how much renewable power they have in their portfolios, said Dario Frommer, partner at Mayer Brown law firm.

Most investor-owned utilities in California are hovering just under 20 percent renewables now. While it may seem that investor-owned utilities are close to meeting the 2013 goal, many of these projects are in litigation over siting issues and may not be completed in time to meet the 2013 target, Frommer said.

“It’s incumbent on the political leaders to address the siting issues that are creating problems for financing,” Frommer said. “Those issues are an impediment to realizing the 33 percent goal.”

6 6 6 6 6 6 6

Since it was passed during a special legislative session, S.B. 2X is not expected to take effect until early July. READ MORE !

Green Day Planner: May 2011

2011-04-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

Burbank Library Green Pages
May 2011 Calendar

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Burbank – Valley
May 5: Heal the Bay Presentation-Stough Canyon Ctr @ 6:30pm
May 16: Sustainable Task Force @ 4:30pm
May 22: WorldFest Earth Day Festival – Woodley Park, Lake Balboa

Los Angeles – Southern California
May 1: Autry Museum Celebrates Earth Day @ 11am
May 4+ Alternative Clean Transportation Expo – Long Beach
May 4: Spring Green Expo – MWD HQ @ 8:30am
May 5+: California Clean Innovation – San Diego
May 14: Women of the Green Generation Conf – Culver City
May 22+: Windpower 2011 – Anaheim
May 22+: World Envir. & Water Congress – Palm Springs

California – National
May 21+: Greenlife Eco Fest – Grass Valley CA
May 30+ Aspen Environment Forum – Aspen CO

State of the Air 2011

2011-04-27T12:34:00.001-07:00

State of the Air 2011

For 12 years, the American Lung Association has analyzed data from state air quality monitors to compile the State of the Air report. The more you learn about the air you breathe, the more you can protect your health and take steps to make our air cleaner and healthier.

The State of the Air 2011 shows that the air quality in many places has improved during 2007-2009. Still, over 154 million people—just over one half the nation—suffer pollution levels that are too often dangerous to breathe. Despite great progress, air pollution lingers as a widespread and dangerous reality. It is important to note this progress, even as some seek to weaken the public health law that has improved the air we breathe since 1970, the Clean Air Act.

Overall findings:

Roughly half the people (50.3%) in the United States live in counties that have unhealthful levels of either ozone or particle pollution. Almost 154.5 million Americans live in the 366 counties where they are exposed to unhealthful levels of air pollution in the form of either ozone or short-term or year-round levels of particles.

Roughly one in 17 people–more than 18.5 million in the United States–live in 10 counties with unhealthful levels of all three measures covered in the report: ozone and short-term and year-round particle pollution.

Cleanest and Most Polluted Cities:
by Ozone
by Year Round Particle Pollution
by Short-term Particle Pollution

Cleanest: Honolulu, HI
Ranked 1 for cleanest metropolitan areas in the country for Ozone
Ranked 1 for cleanest metropolitan areas in the country for 24-hour particle pollution
Ranked 4 for cleanest metropolitan areas in the country for annual particle pollution

Most Polluted: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA
Ranked 1 for high ozone days out of 277 metropolitan areas
Ranked 2 for annual particle pollution out of 277 metropolitan areas
Ranked 4 for 24-hour particle pollution out of 277 metropolitan areas

Compare cities by:
Total Population
Pediatric Asthma
Adult Asthma
Chronic Bronchitis
Emphysema
Cardiovascular Disease
Diabetes
Children Under 18
Adults 65 & Over
Poverty Estimate

Google Blogger - Broken Unusable

2011-04-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

Google’s “Simple-to-use interface” on Blogger hasn’t worked since about March 28, 2011. Every New Post is automatically formatted as a paragraph –and there’s usually a space of 2-3 lines between more than 1 paragraph. The result: Blogger looks ugly Blogger is quite useless Blogger is currently a disservice to readers, followers and those of us who blog. I haven’t posted a single post about anything since March 28. Google has not explained or addressed this problem When is Google Blogger going to FIX THIS ? IS Google Blogger going to FIX THIS ? Suggestions that using Chrome, Firefox, etc. is a solution -NOT ! Suggestions that the ‘ Updated Editor ‘ is a solution – NOT ! -the Updated Editor has been and continues to be AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL . Explorer worked fine as of March 28th. The “ Old Editor “ worked fine as of March 28th. It is April 13 and still nothing works.

Environmental Film Series: March 31

2011-03-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

Burbank Green Alliance
Environmental Film Series
March 31 – 7pm

Economics of Happiness: a one-hour documentary film that explores local solutions to our pressing global problems

The Economics of Happiness demonstrates that millions of people are already engaged in building a better world. The film shows that countless small scale initiatives around the world are exploring potential solutions to the multiple crises we face—climate chaos, economic meltdown, and our own personal suffering such as stress, loneliness, and depression. These initiatives are united around a common cause: rebuilding more democratic, human scale, ecological and local economies – the foundation of an “economics of happiness”.

Woodbury University
Fletcher Jones Auditorium
7500 N. Glenoaks Blvd. Burbank, CA 91504

7:00pm Booth Exhibit
7:30pm Screening and Panel Discussion
$10 Suggested Donation (no-one turned away)
RSVP

Earth Hour: March 26

2011-03-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

Earth Hour 2011
March 26 @ 8:30 pm
It's time to go beyond the hour

Earth Hour 2011: Beyond the Hour from WWF on Vimeo.

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries/territories participating. Global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, CN Tower in Toronto, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.

World Water Day: March 22

2011-03-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

World Water Day: March 22

The Institute for Sustainability, CSUN is hosting Water Day on Tuesday, March 22 in the University Student Union, Northridge Center.

11:00am-12:15pm: screening of the documentary, “Tapped”
~ followed by a Q&A with Tony Machado, PhD, REHS, Dept. of Environmental and Occupational Health

12:15pm Refreshments

12:30-1:45pm: Speakers
~ Don Kendall, Ph.D., P.E., Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UCLA: “Water Supply, Distribution and Treatment in California”
~ Fred Barker, P.E., Waterworks Engineer, LADWP “Water Sanitation and Delivery in Developing Nations: A Peace Corps Experience
Please RSVP for this event.

This is the first time in human history that most of the world's population live in cities: 3.3 billion people ...and the urban landscape continues to grow.

38% of the growth is represented by expanding slums, while the city populations are increasing faster than city infrastructure can adapt.

The objective of World Water Day 2011 is to focus international attention on the impact of rapid urban population growth, industrialization and uncertainties caused by climate change, conflicts and natural disasters on urban water systems.

This year theme, Water for cities: responding to the urban challenge, aims to spotlight and encourage governments, organizations, communities, and individuals to actively engage in addressing the challenges of urban water management.

Water and Cities - Facts and Figures (162Kb PDF)

California Watch: Green Leadership Awards

2011-03-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

2011 Green California Leadership Awards
Deadline: March 25

In cooperation with the Advisory Board for the 2011 Green California Summit, the Green California Leadership Awards have been established as a forum to recognize outstanding environmental achievements in government. This is an opportunity to highlight and celebrate successful state and local government projects implemented in California during 2010. All nominated projects must be publicly financed and executed, and must have provided a measurable benefit to the natural or human environment.

Project Awards will be given in each of the following categories:
• Climate Change: Initiatives reducing human contribution to greenhouse gases
• Waste Management
• Energy Innovation
• Transportation
• Green Building
• Water Management: Significant savings in water conservation & efficiency
• Purchasing
• Green Culture: Systemic efforts promoting understanding & application of sustainability concepts

Smart Grid Meeting: March 23

2011-03-11T10:51:00.001-08:00

Burbank's Smart Grid Program Meeting
March 23
5:30 pm – 7 pm
Buena Vista Library

Planning and engineering for the Smart Grid has been underway for several years. BWP staff will be on hand to share information about the City's smart grid program, and answer questions.

To address questions and concerns about what this project means to Burbank, BWP has compiled a list of FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SMART GRID.

Green Day Planner: March 2011

2011-02-28T13:40:00.000-08:00

Burbank Library Green Pages
March 2011 Calendar

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Burbank
Mar 5: FREE Compost Workshop & Bins B. Adult School 10am
Mar 21: COB – Sustainable Task Force
Mar 22: World Water Day
Mar 23: FREE Compost Workshop & Bins Emerson Sch 6:30pm

Local
Mar 6: Topanga – Mountain Restoration w/ Tree People @ 8:45 AM
Mar 10-13: Anaheim – Natural Products Expo West
Mar 10: LA – Responsible Sourcing Summit @ 8 AM
Mar 11-13: Long Beach – Youth Summit: Plastics Are Forever
Mar 12: Long Beach – Sustainable Seafood Day. Aquarium @ 9 AM
Mar 12: Eagle Rock – Street Care w/ Tree People @ 9 AM
Mar 12: Pasadena – Rainwater Harvesting @ 9 AM
Mar 24: Irvine – Profit Plus Planet?
Mar 26: Torrance – Environmental Fair, Madrona Marsh @ 10 AM
Mar 31+: LA – SET 2011

California & National
Mar 3-6: SF – Green Film Festival
Mar 9: SF - CALGreen Seminar
Mar 19-20: SF – Transportation Camp
Mar 3-4: Miami – MiaGreen Expo & Conf
Mar 5-6: NY – Transportation Camp
Mar 8-10: DC – National Bike Summit
Mar 8-11: S Antonio – Water Opportunity show
Mar 22: World Water Day
Mar 30-31: Phil – Globalcon 2011

Green LA Coalition: What to Expect in 2011

2011-02-23T10:46:00.001-08:00

What to Expect in 2011
Environmental Initiatives & Events in Southern California

Green LA Coalition’s "What to Expect in 2011" is an overview of the major environmental initiatives and events for 2011 in Southern California.

In Los Angeles, 2011 will be a big year for transportation. In Sacramento, a renewable portfolio standard will take center stage. In Washington, US EPA will take major leaps forward in air quality. Last, we take a look at great new crosscutting programs, like CicLAvia, that are making a big difference.

Topics:
Climate action in Southern California, statewide and in the US.
Transportation
Clean air
Ports of LA and Long Beach
Renewable energy and energy efficiency
Electric vehicles
Rubbish
Green jobs
Water
Municipal elections
Los Angeles River projects are moving ahead
Open space and parks
Ocean protection
Global environmental meetings . . . or how to travel guilt-free
More important facts on climate trends

And a look at some local projects:
~ CicLAvia on April 10, and others in July and October.

~ The City-organized but independent Food Policy Council is doing some amazing work. Building a broad group, they're working to create new markets for regional farmers and opportunities for small food enterprises -- and that's for starters. See the LA City Task Force report.

~ Education and Environment Initiative (EEI) integrates environmental concepts into the standard academic curriculum. It is a joint-project of California Resources Agency, CalEPA, Department of Education and others.

~ Clean Up Green Up is a multi-prong campaign addressing LA's toxic hotspots. LA City Council will soon entertain a motion to create "Green Zones" in three of Los Angeles's most polluted neighborhoods.

Business Watch: Flair Cleaners

2011-02-11T09:27:00.000-08:00

Adding green to dry cleaning
Business is urging customers to use biodegradable plastic bags, or no bags at all.
Burbank Leader: February 8, 2011 by Gretchen Meier

Flair Cleaners in Burbank has over the past year successfully asked customers to get their clothes naked — that is without all the plastic wrapping and other packaging.

In an effort to reduce waste, more than 30% of the customers at Flair now ask for their clothes naked, said store manager Ron Roscoe.

Flair Cleaners at 337 N. Pass Ave. already uses biodegradable plastic bags to hang freshly cleaned garments, but it wants customers to ditch plastic completely. Last week the store gave away a free reusable dry-cleaning bag to everyone who came in with two or more items to be cleaned.

Now, the bag’s manufacturer, the Green Garmento, uses Flair Cleaners as a mentor program for other dry cleaners that want to begin replacing plastic bags.

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The family-owned business began eliminating solvent with carcinogens more than 10 years ago, Roscoe said.

“We already use biodegradable bags, recyclable hangers and paper, and we try to reuse everything we can,” Roscoe said. “We’re trying to do everything we can to keep it green.”

The California Recycling Program has honored Flair with nine consecutive Waste Reduction Awards. READ MORE !

Business Watch: State of Green Business 2011

2011-02-03T11:01:00.001-08:00

State of Green Business: 2011

The fourth annual edition of the State of Green Business report continues efforts to measure the environmental impacts of the emerging green economy. GreenBiz.com documents how well -- or poorly -- companies are improving their environmental performance despite the challenges posed by the Great Recession, and begin to note promising signs for a sea change in corporate sustainability efforts.

The free, downloadable report measures the progress of U.S. business and the economy from an environmental perspective, and highlights key trends in corporate culture in regard to the environment.

This year's report shows a dramatic shift is occurring in mainstream business: Companies are thinking bigger and longer-term about sustainability -- a an analysis of businesses in 2010 shows that even during economically challenging times, many companies invested more in their sustainability activities and made bold new sustainability commitments.

The 2011 report is the centerpiece of GreenBiz.com's State of Green Business Forums. The two-day events will take place:
San Francisco on February 2-3
Chicago on February 9-10
Washington, D.C., February 16-17

E-waste Recycling

2011-02-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

ECS Refining Launches Ecollective E-Waste Recycling.

Ecollective (ECS) is a network of drop-off locations throughout the state for consumers and small businesses to recycle old electronics for free. Visiting the website, consumers type in their ZIP Code and are directed to nearby e-waste dropoff points. Directions to the site are included, as well as hours of operation.

The website also includes a list of what can be recycled through the program and the company's recycling procedures, which ensures e-waste is processed domestically and that personal data are destroyed.

About 100 ecollective locations have been established so far, including 17 in Southern California.

Facts about e-waste
~ the fastest growing municipal waste stream in the US
~ 20-50 metric tons of e-waste is thrown away worldwide every year
~ leaves behind lead, cadmium, mercury and other hazardous waste
~ only 13.6% is recycled

To manufacture 1 computer and monitor, you need:
530 pounds of fossil fuels
48 pounds of chemicals
1.5 tons of water

ecollective sites near 91502:

Andy's Moving and Storage
3464 N. Verdugo Road
Glendale, CA 91208

Santa Clarita Valley Recycling
14658 Raymer St
Van Nuys, CA 91405

New Haven Moving Equipment
13571 Vaughn St, Unit E
San Fernando, CA 91340

Yes We Can E-Waste
521 East 4th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

A-1 Electronic Recycling Team
2646 South Hill Street
Los Angeles, CA 90007

Green Day Planner: February 2011

2011-01-28T09:47:00.000-08:00

Burbank Library Green Pages
February 2011 Calendar

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Burbank
Feb 5: FREE Compost Workshops & Bins - B Adult School 10am
Feb 5-6: Electronics Recycling BUSD Parking Lot 1900 W Olive
Feb 17: FREE Compost Workshops & Bins - Recycle Center Noon
Feb 21: COB Sustainable Task Force
Feb 24: FREE Compost Workshops & Bins - B Harte School 6:30pm

Southern California
Feb 5: TreePeople Park Tree Care – Glendale
Feb 7: Climatopolis Professor Matt Kahn, Institute of the Environment, UCLA
Feb 8+: Green Manufacturing Expo – Anaheim
Feb 12: Native Plants for the L.A. Garden Coldwater Canyon Park
Feb 12: EarthWorks - Community Sustainability Workshop Coldwater Cyn Park
Feb 13: Global Health Awareness Week Sustainable, Responsible Programs – LA
Feb 19: TreePeople Mountain Restoration – Calabasas
Feb 20: TreePeople Mountain Restoration – Agoura Hills
Feb 24: California Sustainability Indicators Symposium – USC
Feb 26: TreePeople Mountain Restoration – Topanga

California & National
Feb 24+: GeoPower Americas – SF

Product Watch: eBooks

2011-01-13T11:30:00.001-08:00

The Green Buyer's Guide for e-Readers

Are ebooks greener than paper books ?
Ecolibris looks at the Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader and Kobo Wireless. Compares each one by:

Weight (pounds)
Battery Life
Can the battery be replaced by the user? *
Display
Memory **
Capability to loan eBooks to friends
Book Lending from libraries
Recycling
Toxins
Carbon footprint
Environmental Note
Price

BWP: Smart Grid

2011-01-11T12:39:00.000-08:00

Burbank Water and Power Selects Trilliant for Smart Grid Advanced Metering Infrastructure
PRWeb: January 7, 2011

Trilliant Incorporated, a Smart Grid communications provider and leader in delivering solutions that enhance energy efficiency, utility operations, and renewable resource integration, today announced that it has successfully completed its pilot and has now been selected to implement the smart metering communications infrastructure at Burbank Water and Power in Burbank, CA. Burbank Water and Power (BWP) is a community-owned utility that has served the business and residents of Burbank with water and power since 1913.

BWP, a recipient of an American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) Grant, deployed approximately 1,000 commercial and residential meters during Phase I of its Smart Grid pilot program. As part of the initial deployment, all of BWP’s customers using 250 kW and above were converted to time-of-use rates. BWP relied on Trilliant’s SecureMesh™ communications infrastructure and UnitySuite™ head-end software to automate meter reading and deliver daily reports on late meters, outages, meter tampering, and more.

The next phase of BWP's Smart Grid program will deploy smart meters to all remaining business and residences in the utility area by year end 2011 amounting to more than 50,000 meters. BWP will utilize Trilliant’s solution to help manage service requests, customer inquiries, meter reading and service interruptions. READ MORE !

COB: Solar Energy

2011-01-03T10:21:00.001-08:00

Solar energy installations heat up
Rebates from Burbank Water and Power draw in customers, and the number of systems have increased in last two years.
Burbank Leader: January 1, 2011 by Gretchen Meier

Spurred on by consumer rebates, Burbank Water and Power has seen a doubling in the number of solar installations in the past two years.

There are now 93 solar energy systems in Burbank, compared to 36 in July of last year, and nearly all were funded with grant money from the utility. Twenty-two additional systems are in the pipeline, officials say.

Combined, the solar panels generate more than 2,000 kilowatts of clean energy — enough electricity to power nearly 1,000 homes for a full year.

Burbank Water and Power brought 19 residential and four commercial solar energy systems online in 2010, according to solar support program manager said John Joyce, a solar support program manager for the utility.

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Local businesses are hopping on the solar train: Costco on Burbank Boulevard flipped the switch on its solar energy installation in November and IKEA has plans for its own panel system in 2011.

Costco's solar energy project will cover about 20% its electricity requirements and generate about 850,000 kilowatt-hours of energy annually, making it the largest such project in the city, said Burbank Water and Power General Manager Ron Davis.

IKEA's project will be roughly half the size in terms of output, according to the utility.

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Burbank Water and Power has already started construction on a 240-kilowatt solar powered parking structure on North Lake Street between West Olive Avenue and West Magnolia Boulevard. READ MORE !

Green Day Planner: January 2011

2010-12-30T10:18:00.000-08:00

Burbank Library Green Pages
January 2011 Calendar

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Burbank
Ja 5: Greening Your Restaurant/Food Service Part 1 Burbank Green Alliance @ Burbank Central Library Aud. 6:30pm–9 pm
Ja 12: Concrete Strategies for a Green Business Part 2 Burbank Green Alliance @ Burbank Community Service Building. 6:30pm–9pm
Ja 17: Sustainable Task Force. 4:30pm
Ja 19: Embracing Cradle-to-Cradle Product Stewardship & Waste Free Part 3 Burbank Green Alliance @ Burbank Community Service Building. 6:30pm–9pm

Local
Ja 12: UCLA: Energy-Climate Policy-Obama Admin. What happened? And what’s next? 12pm–1pm
Ja 19: UCLA: Environ. Priorities-Time of Fiscal Limitations-LA City Controller W Greuel. 12pm–1:30pm
Ja 26: UCLA: CA Landscape Conservation Cooperative Workshop. 1:30 pm–4:30 pm
Ja 26: UCLA: Reflections of a Green Business Pioneer-Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia. 6pm–8:30pm

National
Ja 25+: Solar Power USA, Las Vegas
Ja 31+: EUEC–Energy & Environment Conference, Phoenix

COB: Recycle Your Holiday Tree

2010-12-24T09:54:00.000-08:00

Recycle Your Holiday Tree

The Burbank Recycle Center will help you to recycle your holiday tree.

REMOVE: All tinsel, ornaments, metal stands, and plastic buckets ~ Because trees are mulched or composted. Flocked trees are not recycled !

Recycle Trees 3 Ways !

1) Dec 27 – Jan 14: drop off your holiday tree @ 2 Parks
(a) Brace Canyon Park, at 2850 Haven Way, in the parking lot off Haven Way
(b) Verdugo Park, 3201 W. Verdugo, near corner of California St & Verdugo Ave

2) Jan 3 – Jan 14: at the curb or in an alley
~ Burbank Sanitation will collect trees placed at curb or in an alley

3) Cut Up/Put In green waste containers with other yard trimmings

For more information, call Burbank Recycle Center: 818-238-3800

Business Watch: Taxi Fleets

2010-12-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

Burbank taxi fleet full of hybrids
Compressed natural gas vehicles are also gaining strength in numbers.
Burbank Leader: December 1, 2010 by Bill Kisliuk

The taxi fleet in Burbank is getting greener, and soon those greener pastures will make their way to Glendale.

The City Cab lot near Bob Hope Airport sports roughly 110 taxi cabs and minivans. Forty-six of those vehicles, or 42%, are now either gas-electric hybrids or Ford Crown Victorias that run on compressed natural gas.

Martin Shatakhyan, general manager of the City Cab fleet, said the company plans to have 75% of the fleet converted within four years.

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Burbank does not mandate conversion of the taxi fleet, but the Burbank City Council and Traffic Commission have established a policy encouraging taxicab companies to be as green as possible, according to License and Code Services Administrator Terre Hirsch.

"The proposals that are being most favored include a substantial amount of green cabs," Hirsch said. "Currently, there are 130 taxis in the city, and approximately 50% of those are green." READ MORE !

BWP: eMeter - Meter Data Management System

2010-12-15T08:53:00.001-08:00

Burbank Water and Power Deploys Smart Grid Leveraging Siemens' Expertise and eMeter's Technology
PR Newswire: December 1, 2010

Siemens Energy, Inc. announces that Burbank Water and Power (BWP), the provider of water and electricity to Burbank, California, residents and businesses, has completed its installation of the eMeter EnergyIP meter data management system (MDMS).

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The first phase of this project was a true meter-to-cash project. The meter reads are validated, estimated and edited within the MDMS before being converted into billing determinants.

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"Siemens and eMeter's commitment toward working hand-in-hand with the BWP delivery team was instrumental to the success of this project," said Joanne Fletcher, BWP Assistant General Manager/Customer Service & Marketing. "The MDMS is a key piece in the foundation of our Smart Grid strategy and we look forward to realizing the benefits of this deployment as Smart Grid technologies evolve and we are able to offer our customers more choices and more control over how they use their resources."

"eMeter worked closely with Siemens to ensure a successful and timely deployment for BWP," said Gary Bloom, CEO at eMeter. "eMeter EnergyIP will ultimately empower Burbank residents to make smart energy consumption decisions."

Siemens is now working with BWP on the next phase of their MDM project, which will include the ability to respond to service requests, inquiries and interruptions more quickly than current technology allows. READ MORE !

Green Day Planner: December 2010

2010-12-02T08:09:00.000-08:00

Burbank Library Green Events: December 2010

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Burbank & Southern California
Dec 9+: LA: Pacific Green Conference & Expo
Dec 20: Burbank Sustainable Task Force

National
Dec 2+: Biomass Renewable Energy – Miami
Dec 7+: EcoBuild America – Wash DC
Dec 8+: World Energy Engineering Congress – Wash DC

Upcoming Events: January, 2010
Team Business Burbank Lecture Series:
Building a World-Class Green Business

Jan 5: Greening Your Restaurant/Food Service
Jan 12: Concrete Strategies for a Green Business
Jan 19: Embracing Cradle-to-Cradle Concepts

Time: Wednesdays, 6:30-9:00pm
Location: Community Services Building 150 N. Third Street
*January 5th class will be held at Burbank Central Library, 110 N. Glenoaks Blvd

REGISTRATION:
Register online at Team Business burbank
or call (818) 238-5198
**Participants must register for each course separately.

$10 Burbank Residents
$15 Non-Burbank Residents
Free to Burbank Chamber of Commerce Members

Business Watch: NBC Universal Evolution Plan

2010-11-16T09:53:00.000-08:00

Universal City Project EIR Available for Public Review - Comment Deadline Extended
Burbank City Newsroom: November 5, 2010

Update: The deadline to submit comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed "NBC Universal Evolution Plan" has been extended to February 4, 2011.

The City of Los Angeles has released the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed "NBC Universal Evolution Plan" for public review. The EIR analyzes the possible environmental impacts from the proposed project, which would be located in the Universal City area next to Burbank.

Although the project is not located within the City of Burbank, it will have effects on Burbank. As such, Burbank residents and businesses may wish to review the EIR and submit comments. The proposed project includes substantial new development at and around Universal Studios including about 2.01 million square feet of new commercial development, 500 hotel rooms, and 2,937 residential units.

The EIR and additional information about the project can be viewed online at the Los Angeles Planning Department's web site. Because of the size of the document, each section may be downloaded separately. CD-ROMs with electronic copies of the EIR may be purchased from the City of Los Angeles by contacting Mariana Salazar at (213) 978-1882.

Hard copies of the EIR are available for public review at the following locations in the City of Burbank:
~ Central Library - 110 North Glenoaks Boulevard
~ Buena Vista Branch Library - 300 North Buena Vista Street
~ City Clerk's Office - 275 East Olive Avenue
~ Community Services Building - 1st Floor Permit Center & 2nd Floor Public Counter - 150 N Third

Comments on the EIR must be submitted in writing to the City of Los Angeles no later than February 4, 2011. Comments must be submitted to:

Jon Foreman - Senior City Planner
City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning
200 North Spring Street, Room 601 - Los Angeles, California 90012

fax: (213) 978-6566
email: jon.foreman@lacity.org

Burbank Central Library and the Buena Vista Branch each have a complete set of the 27 volume report and circulating copies on CD. The Northwest Branch has a Reference copy.

View the NBC Universal Evolution Plan Environmental Impact Report online.

Copies of the full Draft EIR document or any of the documents referenced in the Draft EIR are also available @:

Francis Howard Goldwyn-Hollywood Regional Library
1623 Ivar Avenue - Hollywood, CA 90028

North Hollywood Regional Library
5211 Tujunga Avenue - North Hollywood, CA 91601

Studio City Branch Library
12511 Moorpark Street - Studio City, CA 9160

County Department of Regional Planning
320 West Temple Street, 13th Floor - Room 1362 - Los Angeles, CA 90012

Los Angeles Central Library
630 West 5th Street - Los Angeles, CA 90071

PURCHASE - On CD-ROM for $7.50 per copy
Contact: Mariana Salazar, of the City of Los Angeles
(213) 978-1882

Report on NBC's Universal Evolution Almost As Large As Project Itself
LA Curbed: November 5, 2010 by Dakota Smith

. . . . . And below, just some elements about this project, which will be built in phases. (And yup, this project, which will rise both on city and county land, is still expected to cost at least $3 billion.)

---A total of 2,937 residential dwelling units and 115,000 square feet of retail/commercial uses are planned. Additionally, a 500-space hotel would be built. Approximately 638,000 square feet of existing studio, office, and entertainment uses would be demolished.

---The project is so big that a new regional branch would need to be constructed to meet City’s library service standards.

---An extensive bike path network within the project is planed, one with bike rack and locks at various locations along the route.

--In the same way that LA Live has its own specific plan, NBC Universal is asking for two new specific plans (one for the city and one for the LA County). Under this new specific plan, they are requesting signage--which would range from supergraphics to electronic signs--on their buildings.

--The impact of the overall project on the surrounding neighborhoods is broken down in this report. It's too detailed to get into for each neighborhood, but if, for instance, you live in Hollywood Manor, you can read about the possible effects. All of that information is in the summary. Click on the report on the City Planning's web site, and then pull down Volume 1, "Introduction/Summary." You may also want to click on the other Volume tabs, as they deal with issues like noise, glare, etc.

--As far as traffic, the site is expected to generate a net increase of 28,108 daily trips on a typical weekday, including approximately 2,328 morning peak hour trips and 2,770 afternoon peak hour trips.

--New roadways would be built, while numerous roads will be widened: Among then, Buddy Holly Drive between Barham Boulevard and the US 101 northbound off-ramp shall be widened from its current state. READ MORE !

COB: Burbank Water & Power - Smart Grid

2010-11-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

More money for smart meters
Officials stress a newer solar technology design that produces more energy.
Burbank Leader: October 26, 2010 by Gretchen Meier

Burbank Water and Power now has an additional $1.5 million for its smart meter ambitions, adding to the already substantial $20-million pool for the project.

After being one of just a handful of cities nationwide to receive a $20-million federal stimulus grant for smart grid infrastructure last year, the utility was awarded a $1-million grant from the California Energy Commission and $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Burbank Water and Power was selected by the California Energy Commission for its planned solar panel project. The utility will be partnering with RayDyne Energy in Austin, Texas, to develop and operate concentrated solar photovoltaic systems to generate electrical power.

No air or water pollution is generated in the process, officials said.

"This is a newer solar technology with a totally different design," said Jeanette Meyer, marketing manager for Burbank Water and Power. "Using the same amount of space, we will be able to produce more energy."

Burbank Water and Power will partner with 700 city households with swimming pools to test a two-year energy efficiency program focused on shifting demand loads from peak to off-peak periods.

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The original $20-million grant will help for the installation of smart meters that track real-time water and electricity use by Burbank residents through a network of wireless communication systems, advanced meters and collection systems.

Smart-grid technology could also reduce electricity consumption by more than 4% by 2030, according to the Electric Power Research Institute. READ MORE !

Green Day Planner: November 2010

2010-10-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

Burbank Library Green Events: November 2010

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Burbank
Nov 11: CHEMERICAL: Redefining Clean - Woodbury Univ. @ 7pm
~ family's 3 month journey to live w/o chemicals
Nov 15: Sustainable Task Force @ 4:30pm

Local & California
Nov 3+: Water Quality Conference – Ontario
Nov 3: Wise Power Use Expo – Mar Vista (Westside) @ 6:30pm
Nov 5+: Green Festival – San Francisco
Nov 7+: Summit-Emerging Tech’s Energy Efficiency - Sacramento
Nov 14+: Behavior, Energy and Climate Change Conf – Sacramento
Nov 30+: Assoc California Water Agencies Conf – Indian Wells

National
Nov 1+: Water Resources Conference – Philadelphia
Nov 3+: American Water Summit – Washington DC
Nov 4+: Only Sustainable Conf. – Miami
Nov 4+: Smart Water Grid Technologies – Chicago
Nov 8+: Advanced Energy 2010 - NY

Business Watch: IKEA

2010-10-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Swedish furniture store equipping American locations with solar panels
Cleanenergyauthority: October 14, 2010 by Amanda H. Miller

Ikea announced yesterday that it would install photovoltaic panels on seven stores and its distribution center in California.

The 20,000 panels will produce 6.65 million kilowatt hours, according a press release from the Swedish furniture company. That’s enough energy to power 580 average American homes.

The PV array that will be installed on the Ikea distribution center will be the second largest in California and among the top 10 largest building installations in the country, said Joseph Roth, Ikea’s public relations manager for the United States.

The panels will be installed later this year on stores in East Palo Alto, Emeryville, West Sacramento, Burbank, Costa Mesa, Covina and San Diego, along with its distribution center in Tejon. READ MORE !

Burbank store – opened in 1990; store size: 242,000 SF on 6.4 acres
SOLAR PROGRAM:
35,000 SF at 290 kW
1,260 panels generating 421,300 kWh/year
Equivalent to reducing 334 tons of CO2
58 cars’ emissions or powering 37 homes

COB: Burbank Water & Power

2010-10-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

Cities defend coal practices
Glendale and Burbank are accused by environmental group of 'burning dirty coal.'
Burbank Leader: October 9, 2010 by Melanie Hicken

CITY HALL — Local utility officials this week fired back against an environmental advocacy group's mailer campaign targeting the use of electricity generated at coal-fired power plants.

The Renewable Energy Conservation Project produced and sent the mailers, which depict ominous dark clouds looming over Glendale and Burbank and rail against their utilities for having coal-fired generators make up 38% and 42%, respectively, of their power supplies.

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"Our message is simple," Jim Gonzalez, the group's chairman, said in a statement. "We are urging 100,000 voters to tell their local elected officials to stop using dirty coal and switch to clean renewable energy for their electricity needs."

Local utility officials countered that they are moving in that direction. Both cities have committed to buying roughly one-third of their power from renewable sources by 2020.

"We agree with the [Renewable Energy Conservation Project] kids," said Burbank Water & Power General Manager Ron Davis. "They are just out-of-date and misinformed."

In Burbank, modernized natural gas plants have already cut the utility's carbon emissions to below 1990 levels, he said.

The utility also continues to add to its renewable-energy portfolio, in turn ramping down its coal production, which Davis said is already below the 42% cited in the mailer. READ MORE !

10/10/10: Celebrate Climate Solutions

2010-10-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

A Day to Celebrate Climate Solutions

On 10/10/10, in every corner of the globe, 350.org will implement solutions to the climate crisis. From solar panels to community gardens, wind turbines to bike workshops, start to change your world from the bottom up. At all of these events, take a moment to shoot a group photo with a call to action for your political leaders. Tell them "We're getting to work--what about you?"

And what does this 350 number even mean?

350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide—measured in "Parts Per Million" in our atmosphere. 350 PPM—it's the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.

Current Measure: CO2 in the Atmosphere: 388.15ppm

Top Ideas For 10/10/10 Events
#1 Organize a Tree Planting
#2 Go Solar
#3 Work on a Community Garden or an Organic Farm
#4 Go For a Bike Ride
#5 Harness the Wind
#6 Get Efficient
#7 Do a trash cleanup

Find an event near you

October 16, 2pm - 4pm

JPL Climate Change Symposium
Jet Propulsion Laboratory climate scientists will discuss and explain climate change and global warming, and what the individual can do to slow it.
Open to the public, free admission.
Location: von Karman Auditorium, JPL, Pasadena.

Green Day Planner: October 2010

2010-09-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

Burbank Library Green Events: October 2010

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Burbank
Oct 2 Compost Workshop-Edison School, 2110 Chestnut St @ 10am
Oct 4-8: Rideshare Week
Oct 9: Recycle Center Tour - 500 S Flower - RSVP: 238.3900 @ 10am
Oct 13: Compost Workshop-Miller School, 720 E Providencia @ 6:30pm
Oct 18: Sustainable Task Force @ 4:30 pm

Local & California
Oct 1-2: AltCar Expo & Conference – Santa Monica
~ reduce your petroleum use, carbon footprint and transportation costs
Oct 10: Clean-Air Car Show & Green-Living Expo - So Pasadena @ 10am
~alternative fuel vehicles; next-generation-technology & exhibits
Oct 12-14: Solar Power Intl – Los Angeles Convention Center
Oct 15: Theodore Payne Fall Festival & Native Plant Sale – Sun Valley
~how easy it is to plant and care for California natives
Oct 15-17: S Rafael: Bioneers Conf – San Rafael
Oct 20: UCLA Sustainability Fair – Bruin Plaza
Oct 21: Prop 23 Debate @ UCLA, Korn Hall @ 7pm
Oct 24-27: Geothermal Energy Expo – Sacramento Convention Center
Oct 24-30: Business Strategies for Environmental Sustainability - Stanford
executive program on the environment for leaders: $9,200
Oct 30: Veggie Pride Parade – Santa Monica, starts @ 11am

National
Oct 5-7: GreenGov Symposium- White House Council on Environmental Quality
Oct 10-16: Earth Science Week-2010: “Exploring Energy”
~ Order an Earth Science Week Toolkit
Oct 14-15: Ecology & Education Summit – Wash DC
Oct 18-20: BioCycle Conference - Iowa
Oct 18-20: GridWeek 2010 – Wash DC - gathering of Smart Grid stakeholders
Oct 23-24: Green Festival – Wash DC

Green Day Planner: Carfree Day

2010-09-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

World Carfree Day
September 22

An annual celebration of cities and public life, free from the noise, stress and pollution of cars. Each year on September 22, people around the world organize events of all sizes to showcase alternatives to the automobile.

World Carfree Network invites organisations and individuals everywhere to join !

As the climate heats up, World Carfree Day is the perfect time to take the heat off the planet, and put it on city planners and politicians to give priority to cycling, walking and public transport, instead of to the automobile.

Burbank Sustainability Task Force

2010-09-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

Sustainability is group's task: City advisory organization focuses on finding more efficient ways to do business.
Burbank Leader: September 10, 2010 by Gretchen Meier

Burbank may be able to cross a few items off its checklist as it works to become a more sustainable city before the end of the month.

The Burbank Sustainability Task Force has the opportunity to weigh in on upcoming City Council agenda items that coincide with the priorities outlined by officials in July.

"The task force's role and impact is evolving," said Public Works Director Bonnie Teaford. "It's a voice that hadn't been organized before in Burbank."

The task force, organized into six priority groups — sustainable design, urban heat island effect, transportation, energy, zero waste, strategic communications — is a city advisory group on issues relating to sustainability, as well as promoting policies, improvements and early input for projects.

The organization comprises nine members appointed by the council, including six residents and three others who do not have to be residents, but who must be involved in the business community and engaged in environmental issues, real estate or the development industry. They can also represent the faith-based or nonprofit community.

The additional six members represent a number of boards and city organizations, as well as two City Council members.

Johnny Carson Park development, implementation of the county's own sustainability program, closing gaps in the city's Bicycle Master Plan and fostering public involvement are all priorities the task force hopes to focus on this fiscal year. READ MORE !

Green Day Planner: September 2010

2010-08-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

Burbank Library Green Events: September 2010

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Sep 1-2: Pasadena: Women in Green

Sep 7-10: SF: CA & World Ocean Conference

Sep 14-17: Irvine: Pacific Water Quality Conference

Sep 14-15: NC: Summit New Green Economy

Sep 15-17: DC: ARE Green 2010
Alternative Renewable Energy & Green Industries

Sep 16: LA: SET 2010

Sep 17-19: AZ: GreenStock Expo & Concert
share green products, green inventions, green ideas, and new green ways of green living.

Sep 18: World Water Monitoring Day
international education & outreach program to build awareness about protecting water resources

Sep 20 BUR: Sustainable Task Force

Sep 22-24: LA: Opportunity Green Business Conference

Sep 25: Annual Coastal Cleanup Day

Sep 28-29: Chicago: Carbon TradeEX

Sep 29-30: NY: Urban Green Expo

Sep 29-30: SF: Renewable Energy Finance Forum

Sep 29: BUR: Compost Workshop

Sep 30-Oct 2: SF: West Coast Green

The Majestic Plastic Bag

2010-08-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

Video from the EcoBurbank blog

The Majestic Plastic Bag - A Mockumentary
Heal The Bay

Help stop our 19 billion bag-a--year habit in California and put an end to plastic pollution.

Filmed in the style of a nature documentary and narrated by Academy Award-winner Jeremy Irons, this "mockumentary", though lighthearted in tone, hammers home the stark reality of California’s plastic bag pollution situation.

Blue World Map By: OCAL

Green - Back To School

2010-08-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

Gold Star For A Green Back To School
Your Daily Thread: August 10, 2010 by Danielle Davis

Reuse is always in style and the same goes this fall. First, dig out any BYO-equipment you may already have hiding in cupboards. For the rest, may we suggest:

*Food-grade stainless steel snack containers at Kids Konserve are non-toxic, free of baddies like lead and BPA and perfect for stashing in a backpack or even a purse. Hummus? Yogurt? Trail mix? Carrots? Yup, they’ll all fit snuggly inside.

*Reusable cloth snack and sandwich bags are all the rage. You can score a handmade number on etsy from crafters. Or you can create a version with your own sewing chops.

*Transform to go with our favorite stainless steel carriers from To-Go Ware. When you’re picking up food on the run, better not to carry out any waste with your warm lunch.

*When brown-bagging, earn an A with a Rebel Green organic cotton, made in the USA sack—it may not be brown, but it can be used over and over and over again.

*PeopleTowels are small organic cotton towels you carry with you. When you wash your hands, whip yours out instead of snagging the disposable paper ones to dry with. You’ll save about ¼ of a tree a year in addition to waste and water.

When choosing to buy a supply, go for used, recycled, upcycled, something from an independent retailer, something with a smaller footprint and longer life. Also, one ingredient to avoid when possible is PVC (aka vinyl), a kind of plastic ubiquitous in school supplies (think shiny binders and backpacks) that has toxic chemicals in its entire lifecycle, harming workers, air, water and wearers. The Center for Health, Environment and Justice has a fantastic (no-cost) guide to going PVC-free this year with recommendations on everything from lunch bags to laptops to umbrellas.

Then there’s:
*Alchemy Goods turns worn out inner tubes into sleek but strong accessories perfect for hauling your school or office accoutrements.

*For art supplies that do right by the inspiring natural world, look no further than Stubby Pencil Studio. It carries tools for a budding artist from safe, soy-based Crayon Rocks that encourage fine motor skills to eco-colored pencils crafted from FSC-certified wood.

*Need a new binder? Rebinder’s super plain offerings will do for any age, especially since they are a blank slate to add your own adornment. Even better, they are free of vinyl and constructed of recycled cardboard for a closed loop in more ways than one.

*If you’re attached to your sticky notes, Post-it will plant one tree for every recycled paper Post-it pack you buy—if you register it on its site here. Or, Russell and Hazel has some pretty ones that are also 100% recycled.

There are many more ways to green your back to school routine like carpooling, walking, biking, or taking public transportation. You can start a recycling program or advocate for healthy lunches. Whatever you do, know that we’re behind you! That’s right, you get a gold star from us.

Check out last year’s back to school guide for more! READ MORE !

California Watch: Climate and Water

2010-08-12T08:29:00.001-07:00

California 2025
Planning for a Better Future: June 2010

California’s current economic and fiscal realities make nonpartisan, objective information on the state’s future challenges all the more critical. Understandably, the search is on for immediate solutions to the unprecedented crises we face today. But if the present crises make policymakers shelve long-term planning, the result may be an even more uncertain future for our state.

It highlights the state’s most pressing long-term policy challenges in 8 key areas -budget, economy, education, population, transportation, workforce; and

• Climate Change: California is charting new territory with its plans to reduce emissions. But the state also needs to prepare for the effects of climate change that are already coming. Watch a “Briefing” Slide Show.

• Water: California faces growing water management challenges—including growth in demand, climate change, and instability in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Potential solutions will involve difficult and sometimes costly tradeoffs. The comprehensive package of water legislation enacted in late 2009 is a good beginning in policy reform but increased momentum—coupled with new investments—is essential to the state’s future.

2 other publications on water from the Public Policy Institute of California:

California Water Myths, December 2009

California faces enormous challenges in establishing a sustainable path for water resource management. This study highlights eight common water myths, focusing on water supply, ecosystems, and legal and governance issues. In combating these myths, the report sets the stage for a more informed approach to water policy and management.

Interactive Map: Per Capita Urban Water Use: 1960-2005
Interactive Feature: Virtual Tour (Center For Watershed Sciences, UC Davis)

Lawns and Water Demand in California, July 2006

Over the next 25 years, outdoor water use will be a major factor in escalating water demand in California. The demand will be aggravated by the dominant land-use pattern in inland areas: single-family homes with lush lawns. Without efforts aimed specifically at reducing outdoor urban water use, the demand will pose significant financial and environmental challenges for California. Also analyzes population growth and housing trends in the state’s major climactic regions, estimates residential lot and yard sizes, and examines the water needs of cool-season turf grass lawns. It also evaluates several outdoor water conservation programs.

Water Efficiency Measures

2010-08-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Business not going with the flow, yet
Burbank Leader: July 31, 2010 by Gretchen Meier

Less than half of all business owners in Burbank have installed water-saving fixtures in advance of the Nov. 1 deadline that will mark the beginning of a 25% surcharge on water bills for delinquent customers, officials said.

Enacted as part of the new rate plan established last year, the deadline has already been extended beyond June 30 until the end of October, yet only 45% of businesses have returned certificates of compliance, officials said.

Burbank Water and Power has been pushing those under deadline at least twice since the beginning of the calendar year, but only half of the remaining 55% have confirmed they are "working on it," customer programs assistant Karen Wilcox said.

Utility customers are being asked to replace older toilets with those that use 1.6 gallons per flush and replace aerators in kitchen and bathroom faucets with a lower flow rate.

Burbank Water and Power offers a rebate of $100 to replace older toilets for high-efficiency models that use 1.28 gallons per flush.

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In an ordinance passed by the Burbank City Council last week, all properties must now retrofit faucets and toilets upon resale as a condition of escrow. READ MORE !

* Important Notice Regarding Your Water Service *

The City of Burbank now requires that all multi-family residential, commercial and industrial water service customers certify that certain water efficiency measures have been installed on their property.

Compliance must be achieved by October 31, 2010. Failure to certify compliance will result in a surcharge of 25% on the customer’s water bill for 12 months commencing on November 1, 2010. If non-compliance continues beyond the 12 month period, the surcharge will increase to 50% per month, until compliance occurs. To view more information on the Required Water Efficiency Measures, CLICK HERE

National Water Quality Month

2010-08-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

National Water Quality Month: August

Basic Information about Drinking Water Contaminants
Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. EPA sets standards for approximately 90 contaminants in drinking water.

Also an alphabetic list of contaminants

List of Contaminants & their MCLs
Microorganisms
Disinfectants
Disinfection Byproducts
Inorganic Chemicals
Organic Chemicals
Radionuclides

Quality of Water in Burbank and California

Burbank Water Quality Report 2009

California
EPA: Consumer Confidence Reports
Local Drinking Water Information by state.

Aquafornia
California Water News Blog by the Water Education Foundation

Green Day Planner: August 2010

2010-07-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

Burbank Library Green Events: August 2010

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Aug 4-6
Techonomy Conference - Tahoe
identifying and promoting ideas, principles and enterprises

Aug 13
Jules Verne Festival @ 10am-6pm - LA
1st Annual Jules Verne NATURE DAY. FREE @ 7th & FIG Plaza
Featuring the vegetable-oil running vehicle from the award-winning film NATURE PROPELLED

Aug 14
BURBANK: Household Hazardous Waste Roundup
Burbank Fire Training Center 1845 N. Ontario

Aug 15
Power Mix - LA
Cutting Edge Alternative Energy Expo

Aug 16
BURBANK: Sustainable Task Force @ 4:30pm

Aug 18
BURBANK: Take Out Your Lawn Workshop @ 6:30pm
Swap that water-guzzling lawn @ the Buena Vista Branch

Aug 30-31
CAPCOA Climate Forum – SF

September
Sep 1-2
Women In Green Forum - Pasadena

California Watch: Rebates

2010-07-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

California Cash for Appliances expands to energy-efficient dishwashers, water heaters and HVAC systems
LA Times: July 29, 2010 by Tiffany Hsu

When rebates for refrigerators and money for washing machines won’t do the trick, try adding dollars for dishwashers to the mix.

That’s what state energy officials are offering Californians, starting Thursday, in an attempt to boost lagging interest in a 3-month-old rebate program for energy-efficient appliances.

The original rebates included up to $50 for room air conditioners, $100 for clothes washers and $200 for refrigerators. The offer now adds up to $50 for freezers, $100 for dishwashers, $750 for water heaters and $1,000 for heating, ventilation or air conditioning systems. Search for qualifying appliances here.

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Instead of requiring that the appliances be sold by May 23, the commission is giving customers rebates until funds run out. And buyers now get 120 days, not 30, to file their rebate applications.

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Hence the expanded offer, known as California Cash for Appliances PLUS. Consumers can now get rebates for 25 dishwasher models, 165 freezers, 258 boilers, more than 300 water heaters and 2,887 furnaces. READ MORE !

MyCall2Recycle

2010-07-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

Call2Recycle® Challenges
North Americans to Recycle 1 Million Pounds of Batteries
July – October 1, 2010

Cell phones, laptops, mp3 players, cordless power tools and digital cameras all use rechargeable batteries, which can and should be recycled.

Call2Recycle, North America’s only free rechargeable battery and cell phone collection program, launched MyCall2Recycle, an awareness campaign designed to educate consumers and businesses on the importance and ease of battery recycling.

During the campaign, consumers are asked to scour their homes and rid their attics, junk drawers and storage spaces of all used rechargeable batteries and cell phones and bring them to any of Call2Recycle’s 30,000 public drop-off locations to help the organization achieve its goal of collecting one million pounds of rechargeable batteries between now and Oct. 1.

Since 1994, Call2Recycle has recycled millions of pounds of rechargeable batteries through a network of 30,000 drop-off locations in the US and Canada.

Find a Drop-Off location by Zip Code
or Call: 877.2.RECYCLE - 877 . 273 . 2925

Some Burbank Locations

Best Buy - 1501 N Victory Pl – 818 845 5121
Do It Center - 3221 W Magnolia Blvd – 818 845 8301
Fry's Electronics - 2311 N Hollywood Way – 818 526 8159
Grainger - 7565 N Lockheed Dr – 818 253 7970
K-Mart - 1000 N San Fernando Blvd – 818 843 4221
Lowe's - 2000 W Empire Ave – 818 557 2300
MelroseMAC - 2400 W Olive Ave – 562 879 3865
Office Depot - 228 E Burbank Blvd – 818 848 2591
RadioShack - 2412 W Victory Blvd – 818 842 8579
Verizon Wireless - 1729 N Victory Pl – 818 842 2722

More @

News For You: UCLA Institute of the Environment

2010-07-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

UCLA Institute of the Environment
Everything We Do Now Matters

IoE generates knowledge and provides solutions for regional and global environmental problems and educates the next generation of professional leadership committed to the health of our planet.

Through its local, national, and international programs, the IoE employs innovative, cross-disciplinary approaches to address critical environmental challenges - including those related to climate change, water quality, air pollution, biodiversity, and sustainability - with the goal of achieving stable human coexistence with the natural systems on which society depends.

IoE Resources

Southern California Environmental Report Card
~ UCLA faculty analyzes current environmental issues
Spring 2010: Biodiesel Fuels
Winter 2010: Promoting Green Innovation

Clean Tech LA Video Series
CleanTech Los Angeles (CTLA) is a multi-institutional collaboration between the City of Los Angeles, the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles, UCLA, USC, Caltech, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Central City Association, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) and the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) to establish Los Angeles as the global leader in research, commercialization, and deployment of clean technologies.

Climate Change Portal
entry point to the vast array of experts, research, and activities that UCLA is engaged in.

IoE Newsletter: Spring 2010
The Hot Spot
Programming for the Planet
Natural Invention

Follow IoE on Twitter

Green Day Planner: July 2010

2010-06-30T07:31:00.001-07:00

Burbank Library Green Pages
Event List: July 2010

Calendar of Green Events in Burbank and Greater LA. Check out State and National events on the Green Day Planner.

Jul 4 4pm-7pm
LA: Independence from Oil and Coal
Independence Rally @ Hollywood Bowl
LA Beyond Coal.org

Jul 5-9
UCLA: Green Strategies
Institute of the Environment Sustainability and Corporate Leadership: Informed Green Strategies for Your Firm

Jul 10
Venice: Eco Fest
3rd Annual Green Festival

Jul 10 9:30am-11am
BUR: Compost Workshop
@ Zpizza 116 E Palm Ave
(818) 238–3900
receive a free compost bin to help you get started (for Burbank residents only). Workshops are free and fun for the whole family.

Jul 14 7pm-9pm
BUR: Film - End of the Line
Burbank Green Alliance
@ Woodbury University
"Learn how responsible choices will save our oceans and seafood industry!”

Jul 17 10am-11:30am
BUR: Compost Workshop
@ Burbank Recycle Center, 500 S Flower St.
(818) 238–3900
receive a free compost bin to help you get started (for Burbank residents only). Workshops are free and fun for the whole family.

Jul 19 4:30pm
BUR: Sustainable Task Force Committee

Jul 23 10am-6pm
Rose Bowl Green Expo

Jul 22-24 8am-5pm
Pas: National Children & Youth Garden Symposium
American Horticultural Society @ multiple venues

Jul 28 6:30pm-8:30pm
BUR: Take Out Your Lawn Workshop
Buena Vista Library
Swap that water-guzzling lawn