Help Wanted! Zero Pay Lots of Good Karma No Experience Required
WEBSITE MAINTENANCE Update website as needed. 15-30 minutes weekly. MARKETING Recruit area businesses to offer benefits to OVGC paying members. 1-2 hours per week, for a couple of months. RECYCLING ENTHUSIAST This at-home project is developing a reuse/recycling resource page for our website. Lots of good material already gathered. No time restraint (but this year would be nice!).
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Our Wish List
If you can donate any of the following items, please email. Thanks! Desks
(particle board free)
Office chair
Laptops
(less than 2 years old)
Portable radio
Poster easel
10'x10' pop-up canopy
Folding tables 4', 6', or 8' Folding chairs
2 drawer file cabinet
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Valley of the Moon Community Garden
(recently joined the OVGC as a pilot project)
To find out how to lease a plot at the Help of Ojai West campus, contact project leader Robin Graham at 640-0569
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Click below to follow the Coalition on Facebook and Twitter!
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Board of Directors
Caryn Bosson
Noel Douglas
Dale Hanson
Kerry Miller
Kathy Nolan
Deborah Pendrey
Tyler Suchman
Sabrina Venskus
David White
Ojai Valley Green Coalition
327 East Ojai Avenue
Ojai, CA 93023
(805) 669-8445
ojaivalleygreencoalition.org
This e-newsletter is produced by the Communications & Publicity Committee
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Advancing a green, sustainable, and resilient Ojai Valley
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Organic Wine
Yes, YOU ARE INVITED
to our New Resource Center
Wine and cheese anyone? Please come over, we'd love to have you see the new resource center, learn a little about our past, and do some brainstorming with us (if you feel like it). We are now conveniently located in the heart of town, at 327 E. Ojai Avenue, down the alley between Ojai Pizza and Ojai Clothing. We offer two upcoming open houses - Monday, August 8 or Monday, August 15 -- 5:30-6:30p.m.
Please join us and RSVP via email or by calling (805) 669-8445 by August 6 or August 13. Bring a friend too!
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What Is a Smart Meter? For our purposes, smart meters measure attributes of electricity as delivered to consumers and transmit that information (i.e., usage) digitally to the utility company. The meters also are designed to transmit real-time information to the consumer. As further explained by the California Council of Science and Technology, smart meters replace traditional analog meters and meter readers with an automated process that is expected to reduce operating costs for utilities, and potentially costs for customers through the ability to personally manage your home's energy consumption. That said, individuals and organizations have raised concerns about the accuracy, privacy, cybersecurity, and health issues of the meters.
Smart meters are scheduled to be installed in the Ojai Valley in 2012. The Coalition encourages our members to educate themselves on the technology and spread the word. Southern California Edison representatives will be presenting on smart meters at the September 13 Ojai City Council meeting and we expect members of the community to be on hand to also bring to light the many concerns about the smart meters. If, after the council meeting, it is apparent a public forum would be of value, the Coalition is prepared to organize and host one in early 2012.
Please mark your calendar for the September 13 meeting. The Coalition continues to research the technology and concerns while supporting awareness and education to make up your own mind.
http://www.sce.com http://www.stopsmartmetersnow.com http://www.cpuc.ca.gov http://www.smartmeters.com http://www.stopsmartmeters.org |
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Green Home
& Building Tour and Home Show - with a Reception to Boot
It's time for the Ojai Valley Green Coalition Green Home & Building Tour. This popular event offers five green-built residential and commercial sites where you can examine eco-friendly interior, exterior, and landscaping features. Designers, contractors and "Green Guides" will be on site to answer your questions about the many green features.
Be sure to start with the Friday, September 30th reception, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., being held at Besant Hill School's Beato Atelier building. The reception will feature local organic hors d'oeuvres, Casa Barranca wine, a preview of homes, speakers and music. The Tour itself happens Saturday, October 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also on Saturday you can stop in at the Green Home Show located on the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa lot next to the Ojai Community Rotary Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for information and demonstrations of products for sustainable living.
Tickets are $25 ($20 for OVGC supporting members) for the reception and $10 for the tour. The Green Home Show is free and open to the public. For full details and ticket purchases go to www.ojaivalleygreentour.com or call (805) 669-8445.
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Thank You PC Pros
(And another Reason to Buy Local)
We've all heard that the Ojai Valley has one of the highest number of nonprofits per capita in the U.S., to which we say - good for us. Our nonprofits conserve, preserve, support, protect, save, educate, and nurture to the benefit of all. The one teeny tiny downside to us nonprofits is we're all hitting up the same relatively small pool of business sponsors for our programs, events and operations. Then it occurred to us, this is all the more reason to buy local, so our community businesses thrive and can say "Yes" just that much more often when asked to support a good cause. Do you see our logic?
One such business is PC Pros. Owner, Jon Reason, has been pretty good to us since we moved into our Resource Center. He set us up with complimentary equipment and internet service. No small thing for this small nonprofit adjusting to considerably more overhead than the spare bedroom we were previously working from.
And if you didn't know, PC Pros is also now accepting electronic waste during normal business hours, which is Monday-Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Note, they do not take small appliances. You'll need to hold on to those until our community e-waste collection event in January. So stop in with your old gear, give Jon another thank you, and buy local.
It's a small investment with a huge return on many levels.
Oh, and come visit the Green Coalition at our new place -
327 E. Ojai Avenue, Wednesday thru Friday, 12 to 5 p.m.
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Cleaning Up Our Personal Care Products
Ignorance is bliss. The article 9 Toxins to Avoid in Personal Care Products, caught our eye, but we wish we had never looked. Yuck. Are we absorbing this stuff through our largest organ - daily!? Particularly disturbing was #8 - lead on the lips.
But just like household cleaners, there are many personal care products that are free of these toxins (and they don't test on animals). We have several local brands at the Farmers Market or try your hand at making your own. Here are a couple of good sites for DIY:
Planet Green Care 2 Send your own favorite recipe via email and we'll share it on our website and Facebook page.
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