Green Day Planner: October 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.