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| Sustainable Santa Monica Newsletter | November 2011 |
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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 November offers some amazing ways to participate in our sustainable community!! Let us all resolve to be a greener, healthier and more engaged community in Santa Monica this and every day as you take advantage of the many programs, policies and opportunities the City of Santa Monica's Office of Sustainability and the Environment has to offer! |
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Green Living Workshops
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Sign up for a Green Living Workshop to learn about environmental problems and sustainable solutions which can have a positive impact on your life and the health of the planet!
What You'll Learn
The Green Living Workshop covers the following topics, one per week:
Water | Energy | Waste | Chemicals | Transportation | 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.
Santa Monica Workshop Exclusive
Receive Eco-Toolkits for Workshop Completion!
Participants now earn a special Eco-Toolkit filled with goodies when all workshop requirements are met. This is in addition to the items given to participants each week of the workshop series.
$25 Suggested donation for Santa Monica residents.
$50 Suggested donation for Non-Santa Monica residents.
Choose a series from the list below that best fits your schedule. SANTA MONICA- Wednesday October 5, 2011, 7pm-8.30pm 6 Wednesday Meetings: 10/5, 10/12, 10/19, 10/26, 11/2, and 11/9
WHERE: SM Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401, Map
SANTA MONICA- Thursday October 13, 2011, 7-8:30pm
6 Thursday Meetings: 10/13, 10/20, 10/27, 11/3, 11/10, 11/17
WHERE: YWCA Santa Monica / Westside, 2019 14th Street Santa Monica, CA 90405, Map
Click here to reserve your spot in a Green Living Workshop today!
Contact Gina Garcia with any questions
Sustainable Works supports the City of Santa Monica Sustainable City Plan
Sustainable Works is a project of Community Partners
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Can We Talk?- Community Conversation with City Manager Rod Gould | 
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An Exchange For Durable Reusable Bags In the Community | 
As of September 1, 2011, new restrictions on the distribution of single-use plastic and paper carryout shopping bags in Santa Monica are in effect. To provide a service for the community and to meet the increased demand for reusable bags, Santa Monica is proud to inaugurate the Share A Bag Program.
The idea is simple:
If you have extra reusable bags, leave them at one of the 20 Share A Bag Program locations. These include all four Santa Monica Farmers Markets, participating local resale merchants (secondhand stores, vintage stores, resale boutiques, thrift shops, charity shops and consignment shops), Santa Monica Place, plus Sustainable Works, the Downtown Ambassador's Desk, the Chamber of Commerce, and City Hall. If you need a bag, you can pick one up free of charge at any of the same locations.
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Santa Monica Green Business Certification Program | |
The Green Business Certification Program is a voluntary program that encourages businesses to implement proactive actions that are good for their bottom line and the environment. The Santa Monica Green Business Certification Program is a collaboration between the City of Santa Monica, Sustainable Works, the Chamber of Commerce, the Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Santa Monica College, Small Business Development Center, to recognize businesses that meet the City of the Santa Monica's resource efficiency standards in the areas of Waste Reduction, Energy and Water Efficiency, Pollution Prevention, Sustainable Procurement, and Transportation Management. For details of the required and optional measures businesses must achieve, visit www.smgbc.org.
Featured Green Businesses for the Month of November--
Bru's Wiffle and Gorman & Miller 
Bru's Wiffle is a cozy, bright yellow Waffle Joint where everything (including the waffles!) is made from scratch, using only the freshest and finest ingredients. Also featuring, gluten-free waffles, this family-friendly establishment makes kid-sized waffles at kid-sized prices. Owner, Ebru Fidan, successfully practices zero waste measures at her restaurant. Before implementing Food Waste composting, she was recycling 40% of waste stream (cans, plastic, glass, paper, cardboard). With the addition of composting via Santa Monica's Food Waste Composting program, the waffle joint is now recycling 85-90% of their waste stream. They barely use the trash bin! Bru's Wiffle also excels in reduce and reusing practices and greening her supplier chain. Instead of recycling empty jugs of dishwashing sanitizer, rinse and detergent cleaners, she goes above and beyond by arranging with her chemical supplier, Auto-Chlor, to take back the containers for refilling! Her bread delivery company also agrees to reuse the paper bags and her baked goods are delivered in for her orders. By installing 0.5 gallon per minute aerators and an ultra-efficient pre-rinse spray nozzle by Fisher, Bru's Wiffle also excels in water efficiency. In line with their Zero Waste efforts and in preparation for Santa Monica's upcoming plastic bag ban on September 1st 2011, you can soon find Bru's Wiffle reusable canvas bags up for grabs too. For a small waffle joint, Bru's Wiffle makes a big difference in terms of reducing their ecological footprint!
Bru's Wiffle (A Waffle Joint), 2408 Wilshire Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90403, Map
www.bruswiffle.com
Gorman & Miller is a sophisticated, Santa Monica-based law firm, with an emphasis on commercial real estate transactions, business and real estate litigation, venture capital transactions, and probate and estate planning. They integrate Environmental policies into employee manuals, making sure each employee is knowledgeable about the maintenance of an environmentally-friendly space. Their Santa Monica office was recently retrofitted with LED lights; and all cleaning chemicals procured in-house are non-toxic. Additionally, the printing paper stocked at Gorman & Miller is sustainably sourced - Forest Stewardship Council certified and contains minimum 30% post-consumer content. Other supplies such as notepads and paper towels also contain 30-60% post-consumer content. To further reduce their ecological footprint, they eliminate individual bottles of water by refilling glassware and stocking reusable mugs. Gorman & Miller excels at using modern technology to reduce the extensive use of paper in both transactional and litigated matters. They use a paperless online document management system called the Closing Table® (www.iclosings.com) which enables clients and their counterparties to securely access, approve and digitally sign documents via any Internet connected device.
Gorman and Miller, 201 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 300 Santa Monica, CA, Map
www.gormanmiller.com
For more information on the Green Business Certification Program and a full list of certified businesses visit www.smgbc.org.
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Green Garden Academy
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 November's Class: Overview of Sustainable Landscape Design WHAT: Apply the principles of sustainable landscaping to your next garden design, learn to draw a map for a beautiful garden, and discover the secrets to a simple, effective irrigation plan.
WHEN: Saturday November 12 2011, 10:30am-1:30pm WHERE: Multipurpose Room at the Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Map WHAT ELSE: Click here to register |
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One-Day Recycling Event
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SLOLA
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WHAT: Seed Library of Los Angeles presents "Making the Most of Winter" with Kathryn Brown of SLOLA's Best Practices Committee. Discover what you can do in the "off season" to prepare for a successful growing year ahead, including seed storage, germination tests, understanding dormancy, creating a seed starting timetable and more. Seed distribution to members following presentation.
WHEN: Saturday, November 19, 2011, at 2:30pm
WHERE: The Learning Garden, on Walgrove, just south of Venice Blvd, on the grounds of Venice High School, Map. Park outside, enter the first gate immediately SOUTH of Venice on Walgrove.
WHAT ELSE: A $10 lifetime membership lets you borrow seeds FREE, grow them out, enjoy the bounty, then return a like quantity of seeds at season's end. Join here and email us with any questions.
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Green Rebates
|  Sustainable Landscape Grant - up to $5,000 - currently accepting applications for 50 more projects.
Rain Harvest Rebate - up to $2,000 - currently accepting applications for downspout redirects, rain barrels, and cisterns.
Parkway Cash for Grass Rebate - up to $2,000 per parkway
Front Yard Cash for Grass Rebate - up to $2,000
Greywater Rebate - up to $250 for qualified parts
Drip Irrigation Rebate - up to $1,000 for qualified parts |
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Energy Upgrade California
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Santa Monica College- Recycling & Resource Management Certificate Program | |
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Santa Monica College | |
Environmental and Urban Issues Speaker Series
WHEN: Tuesday nights at 6:30pm. They usually last about an hour, then go to questions and answers.
WHERE: All presentations will be in HSS 263 on the Main Campus on Tuesday nights and will start at 6:30pm, Map
November 1: Solving our Transportation Crisis
Denny Zane shows how Move LA is lifting us up toward a more sustainable transportation future. How can we use our tax dollars more efficiently to offer a wider range of transportation choices that will make our communities better places to live?
November 22: Climate Change Facts and Our Future
We again welcome Matt Petersen from Global Green to share the latest research on and consequences of climate change. What is really happening to global climates, what causes these changes, and what can we do about it.
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| The Household Hazardous Waste Home Collection Pilot Program Launched |
WHAT: The City of Santa Monica launched the HouseholdHazardousWaste Home CollectionPilot
Program, a pick-up service where the "Haz Mat" technician comes
to you. The goal is to expand levels of service for residents while reducing costs. The service will be provided on a free and unlimited basis to homeowners and renters alike.
The new service is provided in a few easy steps:
- Reserve collection service: call 1 (800) 449-7587, Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM; or email hotline@curbsideinc.com
- Receive collection kit in the mail (includes detailed instructions with collection day reminder);
- Prepare collection kit at your doorstep or at a predetermined location on collection day;
- Leave prepared materials and we'll do the rest.
WHERE: At your house!
WHAT ELSE: Beginning September 17, 2011, the Household Hazardous Waste Center will be available for drop-off service on SATURDAYS ONLY (9 AM - 2 PM). If the pilot is successful, the center will close January 1, 2012.For additional information please visit sustainablesm.org/hhw or call (310) 458-2213. This service is provided by the Office of Sustainability and the Environment and WM Curbside Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Waste Management.
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Business @ Sunset Mixer
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WHAT: Santa Monica Chamber's monthly mixer! Hosted by a different Chamber member each month. With over 100 members at each event, it is a perfect way to network and make important business contacts. For SM Chambers and prospective members. Co-hosted by the Chamber's young professionals committee (Professionals Emerging as Business Leaders) and in promotional partnership with the Santa Monica Daily Press, this event is a perfect way to network and make important business contacts.
All attendees will receive 2 drink tickets plus tray-passed appetizers.
WHEN: Wednesday, November 16, 2011, at 5:30pm-7:30pm
WHERE: Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, 1700 Ocean Ave. Santa Monica, CA 90401, Map
ADMISSION: $15 for members in advance, $20 for members and $25 for prospective members at the door.
WHAT ELSE: To purchase tickets in advance, click here. If you are NOT a member of the Chamber, you will need to create a login/password. If you ARE a member of the Chamber, and do not remember you username/password, email membership@smchamber.com
NOTE: Prospective members may attend 2 events before joining the Chamber.
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Garden Sharing - A Winning Partnership
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 With the popularity of community gardens continually on the rise in Santa Monica, the waiting list continues to grow and outpace available plots. With no new community garden site planned in the City in the near future, staff has been looking for other opportunities to get gardeners growing and one such opportunity is the Garden Sharing Registry. The concept is simple: gardeners looking for room to grow opt-in to the registry; property owners in need of help to make the most of their available land choose a gardener from the list. Together they establish the terms of their partnership from length of time, frequency of gardening, plants to grow, and cost sharing. As an innovative way to meet community demand, this program is a win-win for the City because it encourages social interaction between the community members, addresses recreational needs, and meets sustainability goals.
To date, nine partnerships have been formed. Interested gardeners and property owners can contact the Community Recreation Division at (310) 458-8573, or go online for more information.
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Green Business Networking | |
WHAT: On the second Tuesday of every month, you're invited to the only pure networking event for owners and decision-makers of LA's green businesses. Delicious organic snacks, wine and non-alcoholic beverages will be available.
WHEN: Tuesday, November 8 2011 at 6pm-9pm
WHERE: Working Village, 212 Marine Street, Suite 100, Santa Monica, CA 90405, Map
COST: $15 at door, $10 pre-pay online no later than 3pm on the day of the event.
WHAT ELSE: For further event information, please contacts us at greenbusinessnetworking@gmail.com
AND: Did you know BGN events are also recycling collection points? Bring your old batteries, cell phones, clean, dry and empty plastic shopping bags, dry cleaning bags and newspaper wrappers, and we will properly dispose of them for you! |
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Beach Cleanups in November | |
WHAT: Heal the Bay's monthly Nothin' But Sand cleanups are open to all. Volunteers must be 12 or older or accompanied by a parent. Bags and gloves will be provided. To help cut down on the number of bags we use for our cleanups, please bring a bucket or bag.
WHEN: Saturday November 19, 2011 at 10am-12pm
WHERE: Venice Beach Ocean front walk, at the end of Rose Ave, Venice, CA 90291, Map
WHAT ELSE: Please let us know If you are bringing a group of 10 or more.
Note: All cleanup volunteers must bring a signed waiver form. 
WHAT: Surfrider Beach Cleanup at County Line. Beach Cleanups are the most immediate action you can take to make our coasts and ocean cleaner and healthier. They are a great way to publicly declare your concern for our local beaches to the various visitors and tourists that frequent them. By picking up trash before it enters the ocean, you prevent the cigarette butts and plastic, which often get mistaken for food, from being eaten by sea animals.
WHEN: Saturday November 5, 2011 10am-12pm
WHERE: Topanga, Map
WHAT ELSE: For more information, please contact bcu@surfriderwlam.org |
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Rain Harvesting Classes in November
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LA Green Drinks | 
WHAT: Green Drinks allows for anyone concerned about environmental issues to get together over
adrink. Green Drinks events are simple, informal, unstructured and allow for moments of serendipity. We connect the LA environmental community and have fun doing it! This event is sponsored by Siptea Living by Lynne Leventen, and Unatti Foundation. Siptea will be a sampling a variety of hot teas and mixing special-tea cocktails: - Pina "Chai"lada (made with organic Masala Chai black tea) - Smokey Sour (made with organic Lapsang Souchong) - Mo"tea"to (made with organic Gunpowder green tea). Two gift baskets will be raffled off with proceeds going to the Unatti Foundation. One gift basket will be filled with products from Nepal from Unatti One with organic tea from Siptea.
WHEN: Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 7pm-10pm WHERE: Living by Lynne Leventen & Unatti Foundation, 1627 Montana Ave Santa Monica, CA 90403, Map
WHAT ELSE: We will hold a clothing drive to benefit local Planet Aid. Please bring any clothing you would like to donate.
ALSO: Plenty of street parking available. Parking meters on Montana and 17th stop at 8pm, and free parking on residential streets 1 block away parallel to Montana |
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Santa Monica Farmers Market: Special Pre-Thanksgiving Market Hours
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The Wednesday November 23rd market will allow farmers to sell as soon as they are ready with no opening "bell" to signal the official start of the market. NOTE: THE STREET WILL CLOSE AT 7:00 AM AS ALWAYS - NO SHOPPING BEFORE THE STREET CLOSES. Also, some farmers may not be ready to sell until after 8:00. The Saturday downtown will be CLOSED on November 26th as always. Pico and Main Street markets will be open with regular hours of operation.
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Have A DIY Holiday This Year!
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Win:Win - Call For Submissions | 
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Inaugural Issue: Spring 2012
Featuring Guest Editor Eric Corey Freed
TOPIC: "The Future, a Sustainable Los Angeles": How does Los Angeles - its people, buildings and infrastructure - establish a restorative, long-term relationship with the environment that hosts it and the financial systems that support it?
Join the discussion or create a debate by publishing your vision for a habitable Los Angeles in
the win:win journal. Submit your original work, including features, case studies, photo essays and videos. Proposals will be reviewed by our Guest Editor and Editorial Board for consideration.
Chosen entries will be viewed by Angelenos and beyond!
Brought to you by the Westside Branch of the Los Angeles Chapter of the USGBC
Submission deadline: December 5, 2011
For details, including guidelines and submission page:
www.WinWinJournal.com
Questions: WinWin@usgbc-la.org
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Santa Monica CVB Launches Mobile "Green" Visitor Center | 
Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau (SMCVB) has launched an all new "I Love Santa Monica" mobile - a new Mobile Visitors Center designed to bring the vital services provided by SMCVB to special events in key locations. Visitors who seek the service and recommendations from Travel Counselors at one of SMCVB's Visitor Center locations will find Travel Counselors outfitted by O'Neill, the popular surf brand that opened a store in Downtown Santa Monica this summer.
As a strong proponent of sustainability initiatives, SMCVB worked with Santa Monica Ford owner and Chair of Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce Ron Davis and selected a Ford Escape Hybrid. "Santa Monica Ford is thrilled to be the official vehicle for Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau. As a business who has been in Santa Monica for over 60 years, we believe in the community's commitment to sustainability and are proud to offer a number of Hybrid and electric vehicles." SMCVB's Ford Escape Hybrid has been wrapped creatively and branded to make it stand out while on the road locally and outside of the region. Click here for more information.
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SEA Pulse Films- Green Screen Festival | |
Click Here to See an Online Version of the Flyer!
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Pacific Park Introduces the World's
First Wind-Powered Amusement Park Game |
 | | Photo by Brandon Wise |
How hard does a guest have to swing a mallet to ring the bell? The answer is literally blowing in the wind with the world's first wind-powered amusement park game, the High Striker at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier.
The 25-feet-tall High Striker features a silver-plated bell that sounds each time a guest is strong enough to strike the pallet with a mallet that sends the puck racing to the top.
The win is signified by the wind that's generated from the 600-watt wind turbine that's affixed to the top of the adjacent building and rises 45 feet in the air. The three fiberglass wind turbine blades have a cut-in speed of approximately 4.5 miles per hour, which matches the minimum average wind velocity year-round on the Santa Monica Pier.
The power generated from the wind turbine is captured, converted into usable power and stored in a specially designed, self-contained power storage unit adjacent to the High Striker.
All components of the High Striker are now completely wind-powered including the chaser lights with more than 100 bulbs, multiple spotlights and sound system.
Xantrex Technology Inc. manufactures the PowerHub. Sunforce Products Inc. manufactures the wind turbine.
"The adaptation of the High Striker to wind power is another step forward in meeting our goal to lead the industry and the City of Santa Monica in green initiatives," says Jeff Klocke, director of marketing and sales at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier. "We have long showcased the world's only solar-powered Ferris wheel as an innovative environmental effort. The High Striker is a further testament to the Park's commitment to sustainability."
In 2010 Pacific Park was awarded Excellence in Stewardship of the Natural Environment at the 15th annual Sustainable Quality Awards presented by the City of Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce and the nonprofit Sustainable Works.
The Pacific Wheel is the world's only solar-powered Ferris wheel featuring 160,000 energy-efficient LED lights that present dynamic, custom, computer-generated lighting entertainment each evening. The eco-friendly, enhanced LED lighting provides 75 percent greater energy savings than most Ferris wheel's traditional incandescent bulbs.
In addition to the world's only solar-powered Ferris wheel and energy-efficient LED lights, Pacific Park continues to identify additional greening initiatives including the replacement of all light fixtures in the Park, discontinued use of bottled water and providing employees with reusable bottles and mugs, and upgrading cleaning supplies to environmentally friendly products.
Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier, LA's only admission free amusement park, offers 12 amusement rides, 18 midway games and an oceanfront food plaza. Signature rides include the Pacific Wheel, the world's first solar-powered Ferris wheel; The West Coaster, a steel roller coaster that races 55 feet above the Santa Monica Bay; and Inkie's Air Lift Balloon Ride, the high-flying, family-share kids ride. For additional information and hours of operation, call 310-260-8744, visit www.pacpark.com, follow on Twitter: @pacpark and Facebook: facebook.com/pacificpark. |
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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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