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| Sustainable Santa Monica Newsletter |
April 2010 | |
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| Greetings! |
Thank you for receiving this Newsletter-- Keeping you informed of everything Sustainable in Santa Monica, from community events, news, and resources, to business and educational opportunities!
The purpose of this Newsletter is to provide Santa Monica residents, businesses and organizations with the information and resources needed to help meet the goals of the Santa Monica Sustainable City Plan in eight target areas: Resource Conservation, Environmental and Public Health, Transportation, Economic Development, Open Space & Land Use, Housing, Community Education & Civic Participation, and Human Dignity.
You are sure to find inspiration this month as April offers some amazing ways to participate in our sustainable community!! |
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Sustainable Santa Monica Earth Day Student Poster Contest |
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The City of Santa Monica's Office of Sustainability & the Environment, Big Blue Bus and Sustainable Works
Announce the 2010 Earth Day Student Poster Contest
Go Green. Ride Blue.
What Does Sustainable Transit Mean to You?
The purpose of the second annual Earth Day Poster Contest is to raise awareness of Santa Monica's Sustainable City Plan and this year's theme highlights one of the goal areas- sustainable transportation.
This year was a huge success!! 442 K-12 students participated from 9 Santa Monica Schools!! Stay tuned for the announcements of Grand Prize and Runner Up winners in each of the four age group categories.
Please contact Samantha Sommer with any questions, or call 310.458.8716 x 1.
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GLOW 2010 - Put your VOTE in NOW!! |
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 Glow is an all-night cultural experience featuring original commissions by artists that re-imagine Santa Monica Beach as a playground for thoughtful and participatory temporary artworks.
Glow is returning to the splendor of Santa Monica beach on Saturday, September 25, 2010. Building on the extraordinary success of Glow 2008, the free dusk-to-dawn biannual event features the work of international, national and local artists. Glow is the only all-night art event in the United States that emphasizes the commissioning of original artwork. Glow projects invite active audience engagement and exploration and constantly surprise in their unexpected placement in spaces and times not normally reserved for fine art. Santa Monica joins such cities as Paris, Toronto, Montreal, Rome, Brussels, Madrid and Riga as part of a global movement producing "white night" or "nuit blanche" events.
Glow is a production of the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Foundation.
Glow just got the chance for a $250,000 grant as part of the Pepsi Refresh Project, now it's up to us to prove to Pepsi that we can gather more votes than anyone else.
Support this Amazing Event by Voting HERE!!
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2010 Sustainable Quality Awards- Finalists Announced!! |
 The Chamber of Commerce, Sustainable Works and the City of Santa Monica are proud to announce this year's finalists for the Sustainable Quality Awards (SQA). For fifteen years the Sustainable Quality Awards have honored local organizations and businesses that make extraordinary contributions to our community. The SQA celebrate business' achievements in economic development, social responsibility, and stewardship of the natural environment. This year's 2010 SQA finalists have made a commitment to leadership in sustainable business practices and are part the driving force for a sustainable Santa Monica:
Coopportunity
Gensler
Flair Cleaners
Living Homes
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Pacific Park
Sheraton Delfina
TCBY/ Starbucks
The Coffee Spot
The Doves Hair Art Team
Unitarian Universalist Community Church
West LA Print
SQA judging will take place on April 5, 2010, and SQA 2010 Winners will be announced on Monday, April 12, 2010, so be sure to check the website www.smsqa.com.
**SAVE THE DATE!! FOR THE 2010 SUSTAINABLE QUALITY AWARD LUNCHEON**
Winners will be honored at the Chamber of Commerce Luncheon on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 from 11:30am - 2pm at the Sheraton Delfina Hotel in Santa Monica, CA. Tickets for the SQA luncheon can be purchased through the Chamber at www.smchamber.com. *special price before April 27th
Includes lunch, eco-friendly gift bag, groovy raffles, and special prizes!
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Santa Monica College - Green Continuing Education Courses |
 Lots of upcoming Environmental Living Courses starting in April through Santa Monica College Continuing Education!!
Drip Irrigation
Plant, Soil, Water Relationships
Energy Effeciency Auditing
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Draft Land Use & Circulation Element (LUCE) Meeting |
 To celebrate the completion of the Draft Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE), please join the Planning Commission on April 7th at 6:30PM at Lincoln Middle School located at 1501 California Avenue to see how your ideas have shaped the vision for the City's future. This workshop is a key as we prepare for a series of upcoming Planning Commission and City Council public hearings this spring and summer to adopt the final LUCE.
When: Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Lincoln Middle School
1501 California Ave. Santa Monica 90403
At this event you will see:
· How your neighborhood will be protected and respected
· How the new transportation strategy will improve your ability to move around the City
· How Santa Monica will provide the jobs and opportunities necessary to continue to thrive as a creative city
Thousands of Santa Monicans have worked together to frame these long-term land use, urban design, and transportation visions through many meetings, workshops and group discussions. The DRAFT LUCE reflects these visions as the community's blueprint for a sustainable and creative future.
Please join us on April 7th to celebrate reaching this important milestone. Please RSVP to ensure accurate refreshments at www.shapethefuture2025.net |
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An Evening with Anna Lappe |
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Byu-ti For the Planet: Global Green Benefit |
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Sustainable Works-- Green Living Workshop |
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We have three Green Living Workshops starting in April. Including an evening time collaboration with Mother's Green House especially designed for Santa Monica parents and the long awaited day time workshop!
Participants can now earn a special Completion Bag filled with eco-goodies if all workshop requirements are met. The workshop is free for Santa Monica residents and we suggest a $50 donation for non-Santa Monica residents.
Learn about environmental problems and sustainable solutions!
The Green Living Workshop covers the following topics, one per week:
Water, Energy, Waste, Chemicals, Transportation, and Shopping & Food.
Workshop meets for six sessions at the same location and time. Learn about the problems related to each of the above topics on a global, national and local scale. Then with the help of the WorksBook take action on ten related solutions.
Starts Monday, April 12, 2010 with Mother's Green House
This workshop will be 9 weeks in length and will cover children/infant/mother solutions for each of the topics covered.
7-8:30pm
The Greenlife 2409 Main Street Santa Monica, CA 90405.
9 Monday meetings: 4/12, 4/19, 4/26, 5/3, 5/10, 5/17, 5/24 5/31 and 6/7.
Starts Tuesday April 20, 2010
12:00-1:30pm
Allsteel The Water Garden 1620 26th Street, Suite 100S Santa Monica, CA 90404.
6 Tuesday Meetings Starting April 20, 2010 4/20, 4/27, 5/4, 5/11, 5/18, and 5/25.
Starts Wednesday, April 21, 2010
7-8:30pm
Santa Monica Public Library 601 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401.
6 Wednesday Meetings Starting April 21, 2010 4/21, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12, 5/19, and 5/26
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Green Business Networking |
 When: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 Time: 6 - 9pm
Location: The Ambrose Hotel
1255 20th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404
You're invited to the only pure networking event for owners and decision-makers of LA's green businesses. We meet at Santa Monica's award-winning, sustainable Ambrose Hotel - where upscale tranquility meets affordable luxury www.ambrosehotel.com. Delicious organic snacks provided by Whole Foods Market. Wine and non-alcoholic beverages will also be available. |
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Earth Day on the Promenade!! |
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Nothin' But Sand Monthly Beach Cleanup |
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 When: Saturday, April 17, 2010
Note: If it is raining steadily at the start time, the cleanup will be cancelled. However, if the rain has stopped or it is just raining lightly, the cleanup will continue as scheduled.
Time: 10:00am - 12:00 noon
Location: Santa Monica Beach @ Tower 1550
1600 Ocean Front Walk
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Open to all. This is a great opportunity for you and your friends to get involved! Volunteers must be 12 years old or accompanied by a parent. No RSVP is needed...just show up!
If you are bringing a group of 10 or more, please let us know:
· Send An Email
· Call 800 HEAL BAY
More Info Important! All cleanup volunteers must have a signed waiver form.
Nothin' But Sand Monthly Beach Cleanups Schedule |
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Santa Monica College- EARTH WEEK 2010 Events |
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 Children of the Amazon Movie Screenings
When: Monday, April 19, 2010 & Friday, April 23, 2010
Time: 12:45-2:05pm (Screening 1)
3-4:30pm (Screening 2)
Location: Santa Monica College, HSS 252 (Both Screenings)
Children of the Amazon follows Brazilian filmmaker Denise Zmekhol as she travels a modern highway deep into the Amazon in search of the Indigenous Surui and Negarote children she photographed fifteen years ago. Part road movie, part time travel, her journey tells the story of what happened to life in the largest forest on Earth when a road was built straight through its heart.
 Running Dry Movie Screening with Director & Producer Q & A
When: Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Time: 4-7pm
Location: Santa Monica College, HSS 165
The looming world water crisis is huge but not insurmountable. A few simple changes can make a great deal of difference. The purpose of the "Running Dry" project is to build popular sentiment and create the political will to solve the water crisis through public policy. This is a movement composed of people like you who know that we all are affected by this crisis, and there are practical steps we all can take to solve it.
Center for Environmental and Urban Studies & Sustainable Works Open House
When: Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Time: 3-6pm
Location: 1744 Pearl St. Santa Monica 90405
Earth Day Festival
When: Thursday, April 22, 2010 (Earth Day)
Time: 11-1pm
Location: Santa Monica College Main Quad
The Earth Day Festival at SMC will combine art, education, and the environment in celebration of 40 years of Earth Day. Come join us for free local, organic, vegetarian food, poetry, art, music, prizes and fun! |
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Sustainable by Design- Annenberg Community Beach House |
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When: Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Time: 10am
Location: 415 Pacific Coast Highway
Santa Monica, CA 90402
What makes the Annenberg Community Beach House LEED gold?
- Announcement
- Sustainability Site Tour
- Light Refreshments |
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Cash for Appliances Program April 22-May 23 |
 Cash for Appliance Program available April 22-May 23 (similar to cash for clunkers and rebates expected to go just as fast). Rebates for washers, refrigerators and A/C units will be available through the State. The State program allows rebates for clothes washer with a water factor* of 6.0 or less and the Socalwatersmart rebate program is for washers with a water factor of 4.0 or less. To get both rebates, you must purchase the 4.0 or less model and recycle the old one.
Visit www.cash4appliances.org or www.socalwatersmart.com to apply for additional
$200 clothes washer rebate!
*Water factor = water per load per cubic foot of the machine. The lower the water factor the more water-efficient. |
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Gardens of Gratitude 100 Garden Challenge!! |
 Is it possible to transform a town into an edible oasis in one weekend?This April, we're attempting to plant 100 Edible Gardens in 1 Weekend on the Westside of Los Angeles. Join a Garden Crew to help plant a garden in your neighborhood, or Register to Grow a Garden to have your garden added to our map and planted with the help of our volunteers and gardening experts! In one weekend, hundreds of Angelenos will join together to grow food and community in one giant garden party!
Join us in making our town an abundant, edible paradise of fruits, berries, nuts, veggies and flowers!
April 24th & 25th, 2010
Growing Food & Community 1 Garden at a Time.
How it works is simple:
Everyone can have a garden. Grow herbs in your kitchen, a potted garden on your balcony, a fruit tree in the front yard, or replace your whole lawn with an edible food forest. We can even help supply volunteer labor and the know how. Help us meet our challenge by SIGNING UP your site today!
After you sign up we will contact you with more details!!
2) Join a Garden Crew
There are a few ways to participate and get involved with this year's event. Please click here to SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER.
For More info about the 100 Garden Challenge, go to www.gardensofgratitude.org. |
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Sustainable Works Featured Non-Profit for April at the Library Alehouse |
When: Tuesday, April 27, 2010
There will be a party and a drawing for prizes. 15% of the day's sales will be donated to Sustainable Works. Mark your calendar and come out to celebrate - eat, drink and be merry while supporting Sustainable Works!
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Sustainable Cinema: The Cove |
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When: Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Time: 7:00pm
Where: Santa Monica Main Library, MLK Jr. Auditorium
601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401
In this Oscar-winning documentary feature, a group of activists and filmmakers, led by former Flipper trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove in Japan to expose the shocking slaughter of dolphins and the havoc that abuse wreaks on the world's oceanic ecosystem.
**Seating is limited and on a first arival basis only...make sure to arrive early! |
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Bioneers Meeting |
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Speaker: Atossa Soltani, Executive Director, Amazon Watch
When: Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Where: Santa Monica College, HSS 105
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Car Free Friday! |
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 THE LAST FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH IS "CAR-FREE FRIDAY!" More bikes on LA streets for a healthier and cleaner Los Angeles! Car-Free Friday encourages more people to ride a bike at least one day a month. Experience the greater Los Angeles area by bike and stay healthy, save money, reduce green house gas emissions and have fun! Get a friend who does not ride yet, to join you on the last Friday of the month to ride to work, to party, to shop, to eat, to hang, TO BIKE IT!!
When: Friday, April 30, 2010
Where: Everywhere, Los Angeles County |
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Last Fridays on Main Street -- TGILF!! |
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The Friday Before First Fridays Is Here At Last! On April 30th and the last Friday of every month, participating Main Street businesses will stay open late with specials and special events!!
Santa Monica Bike Valet is on Main Street every Friday evening! Bicyclists who valet on Last Fridays will receive discounts from participating merchants. The Bike Valet is on the east side of Main Street between Ashland and Pier Avenue from 5 p.m. to midnight every Friday until further notice. Note: Some merchants will be offering discounts to those who valet their bikes! Look for the *.
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SAVE THE DATE!! "Menu Minuet" Library Panel - May 6th |
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 "Menu Minuet" - How chefs and farmers communicate throughout the changing seasons to keep restaurant menus lively and customers satisfied.
Chefs like to have consistency on their menus and customers expect to find their favorite dishes, but the changing seasons offer new tastes that chefs love to explore. Join farmers and chefs in discussion about how to balance the need for creativity and flexibility with consistency and customer preference.
Thursday
May 6
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
MLK Auditorium
Santa Monica Public Library
601 Santa Monica Blvd. 90401 |
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SAVE THE DATE!! 7th Annual AltBuild |
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SAVE THE DATE!! Santa Monica Community Festival |
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 SATURDAY, MAY 8
11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Clover Park, 2600 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica
The City of Santa Monica presents the Santa Monica Festival each spring in Clover Park, located at 2600 Ocean Park Boulevard. Through the performing and visual arts, the Festival honors the unwritten ethnic history of Santa Monica as well as the rich environmental resources that sustain it. Each year the celebration features an eclectic array of traditional and contemporary music and dance on several stages, demonstrations of traditional crafts by local artists, and hands-on art and environmental workshops to engage people of all ages. The Festival is presented by the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division and is produced by Community Arts Resources.
Presented by The City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division &
The City of Santa Monica Office of Sustainability and the Environment
Free admission, free bike valet and free parking!!
Click here for Festival Website |
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SAVE THE DATE!! Solar Thermal Rebates Workshop |
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May 1 - Solar Thermal Rebates begin. After a 2-year-long pilot, the California Solar Initiative has added a rebate for the installation of solar water heater systems. Depending on the size of the system, the rebate may be as much as $1,875 ($500,000 for commercial). Get more information about solar thermal and the program and plan to attend the Solar Santa Monica Solar Rebates Workshop on May 12 at the Santa Monica Library for an all-hands-on-deck meeting on rebates, with speakers on the new solar hot water rebate program. Get updates of solar photovoltaic rebates, too, plus info on potential new financing available through the City of Santa Monica.
When: Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Santa Monica Library
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New Hybrid & Articulated Big Blue Buses |
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 Some of Big Blue Bus' plans are beginning to unfold. We have begun taking delivery of 15 Hybrid buses made just for us. Purchased from El Dorado in Riverside, they are 30' long, and seat up to 28 passengers. These buses will be used for Mini Blue lines of service and will likely go into service in June of this year.
These hybrid buses run on a combination of gas and electricity. They will be one of the most environmentally friendly buses in our fleet, which is saying a good deal as all our buses currently run on alternative fuels! These are the quietest buses in service in the US right now.
Then, in late 2010, the new Articulated buses will begin arriving. Purchased from North American Bus Industries, these buses sometimes referred to as accordion buses, are 60' long and hold up to 58 seated passengers each. After the requisite period of staff training on the care, maintenance and driving of the buses, 15 of the new articulated buses will likely go into service in early 2011.
The new articulated buses include interior features providing maximum comfort and convenience for all passengers including seniors and those with disabilities. We ordered slightly wider seats and added just over 1" of legroom for each seat from the standard configuration. A provision in the contract allows for the option to purchase an additional 10 buses as funding becomes available.
Each bus runs on clean compressed natural gas, which burns 77 percent cleaner than diesel fuel. The new cleaner burning compressed natural gas buses will replace some of the older diesel buses in the fleet, in keeping with the city's commitment to sustainability. |
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Train to Become a Volunteer Solar Panel Installer |
 GRID Alternatives is a non-profit organization that installs solar electric systems for low-income homeowners in partnership with local families, volunteers, and job trainees.
To volunteer, please visit their WEBSITE and follow the simple instructions. |
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Use the IPhone to Green Your Neighborhood |
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 Want to report someone hosing off, using a leaf blower, or dumping in the storm drain? Now it's as easy as pushing a button! Use the new iphone app to report eco-violations to the City of Santa Monica. Going green has never been so easy!
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Thank you for your commitment to a Sustainable Santa Monica!
Sincerely,
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Samantha Sommer
Sustainable Santa Monica
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