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Sustainable Santa Monica Newsletter |
June 2012 |
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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! Sponsored by Santa Monica's Office of Sustainability and the Environment.
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CURRENT EVENTS | |
A clean beach is within reach - a message for the summer beach-goers!
The City of Santa Monica and regional nonprofit Heal the Bay have teamed-up again to create 400 new trash cans for Santa Monica State Beach that encourage environmental stewardship. The trash cans are wrapped in eye-catching artwork, developed pro bono by DDB LA, that reflects the playful nature of a day at the beach, while reminding the community about the need to keep trash in its proper place.
The colorful artwork includes a QR code linking smart phone users to the Santa Monica Beachcast, a mobile website featuring a variety of local content, including tips on how to keep the beach clean, the latest weather and water quality conditions, Santa Monica Pier updates, emergency contacts, and an Instagram photo sharing feature.
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Household Hazardous Waste Program Updates
Home Collection Goes Permanent & the Permanent Collection Center Goes Monthly for Coming Year
Santa Monica's Household Hazardous Waste Home Collection Program is now a permanent service, one that promises safe, convenient, and cost effective service for the community. Due to feedback from residents, the Household Hazardous Waste Center will remain open for drop-off service on the FIRST SATURDAY (9 AM - 2 PM) of each month through June 2013:
First Saturday Dates for 2012: July 7, Aug. 4, Sept. 1, Oct. 6, Nov. 3, Dec. 1
First Saturday Dates for 2013: Jan. 5, Feb. 2, Mar. 2, Apr. 6, May 4, Jun. 1
The Home Collection service is provided in a few easy steps:
1. Reserve collection service: call (800) 449-7587, Mon-Fri, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
or e-mail atyourdoor@wm.com;
2. Receive collection kit in the mail (includes detailed instructions with collection day reminder);
3. Prepare collection kit at your doorstep or at a predetermined location on collection day;
4. Leave prepared materials and we'll do the rest, you don't even have to be home at the time of collection.
**Please allow for approximately two weeks from the point the service is initiated until your materials are conveniently collected from your home.
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 Waste Management. |
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Green Garden Academy
"No Sweat" Garden Maintenance Tips
Saturday, June 23, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Multipurpose Room
Main Library
601 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401 MAP
Santa Monica Public Library and the Office of Sustainability and the Environment present Green Garden Academy, a monthly workshop on sustainable gardening and landscaping. This month: A "green" garden requires 60% less maintenance. Find out the secrets to reducing your garden chores and increasing your garden enjoyment. Learn how and when to prune your plants, how to select a mulch, how to handle pests, and when to add compost.
Class is free and open to all; registration is NOT required.
Green Garden Academy meets monthly at the Library; there is a different topic each month. For more information, visit www.sustainablesm.org/landscape, or call 310-458-8972.
Visit the Website for more information and a complete class schedule! |
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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 6 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.
For the very first time, you can complete the entire Green Living Workshop in one week!!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Energy & Transportation
6:30 - 8:30pm
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Water & Shopping/Food
6:30 - 8:30pm
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Waste & Chemicals
2:00 - 4:00pm
FREE
Santa Monica Main Library
601 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica 90401
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Living Economy Salon: Green Local Procurement Policy as a Sustainable Economic Driver
LOCATION: The Wellness Living Store 1412 14th Street Santa Monica, CA 90404 MAP
Telephone: 310-260-0013
DATE: June 6th, 2012
TIME: 7pm-10pm
Special Guest: Laurie Kaye Nijaki
This talk will focus on research examining the green economy as an economic development tool at the local scale. In addition to exploring a range of potential policy tools for developing green jobs, this talk will focus on how local entities, such as cities and counties, can use environmentally preferable purchasing plans as a central tool in developing the local green economy.
The full paper can be accessed through USC here. |
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Summer Science Fun with Heal the Bay
Heal the Bay has a variety of learning opportunities for kids of all ages this summer that are fun and inspirational as well as educational. The environmental organization's weeklong science adventures get youth out of the house to discover the wonders of the ocean and the local watersheds.
Creek Education Program
Connects high school students' classrooms and after-school programs to the environment within their own community. Using hands-on scientific assessment and field exploration, the program helps students examine the interactions between the watershed and human influence, exploring the river and local creeks under a scientific or social lens.
Field Trips to the Aquarium
The Aquarium also offers hour-long field trips for year round schools and other summer youth programs looking for an educational excursion.
Learn more about how to get students involved in summer science adventures at: http://www.healthebay.org/get-involved/educator-resources. |
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Tour of Santa Monica Place, Farmers Market & Cooking Demo
June 9, 2012 from 9am-11:30am
Meet at the corner of 3rd St & Arizona
Registration is FREE but space is limited to 45 rsvps
RSVP here
Join A Sustainable Kitchen's Annette Eason for a morning at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Immediately following the demo, there will be a tour of some of the sustainable features of Santa Monica Place. Santa Monica Place is one of the very few shopping centers to ever receive LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Menu: Warm Roasted Weiser Potato with Arugula/Walnut Pesto, Beans and Pancetta, Fresh Ricotta with Mixed Herb Salad, Lemon and Olive Oil
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2011 Santa Monica Tourism Economic Impact Study Released
At the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau's (SMCVB) 3rd Annual Travel & Tourism Summit, the results of the 2011 Santa Monica Tourism Economic Impact Study, conducted on a regular basis since 1983, were presented. Notable figures showed that 11,400 Santa Monica jobs are supported by tourism, a 12.9% increase from 2010. International visitor volume increased by 4% in the last year, an important increase in supporting a sustainable economy because international visitors stay longer, spend more money and are more likely to use public transportation. Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) by Santa Monica hotels increased by 16%, generating $35 million into the City of Santa Monica's general fund in 2011 and retail taxes generated by visitor spending increased by 27.8%. These revenues fund street improvements, police and fire departments, parks and schools. For more information, visit
www.santamonica.com/tourismworks
Thelma Parks Tourism Spirit Award
Did someone make your visit to Santa Monica unforgettable? Honor exceptional service in the Santa Monica hospitality and tourism industry. Whether it is a waiter, sales clerk, taxi driver, front desk agent or hundreds of others who delivered excellent customer service to you, now is your chance to say "thank you"! Winners will be selected and honored quarterly and announced each May. To learn more about the Thelma Parks Tourism Spirit Award and to submit nominations, visit www.santamonica.com/spiritaward
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ONGOING OPPORTUNITIES | |
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
Check out and "LIKE" Santa Monica Community Gardens new Facebook page!
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.
Energy Upgrade California
Solar Santa Monica is now an information hub for the Energy Upgrade California program. EUC is offering up to $8,000 for Santa Monica homeowners who make qualified energy efficiency upgrades through a Participating Contractor.
Want to know what a typical experience through the EUC program is like? Watch testimonial videos and read through example home assessments at our website!
Bike Center Santa Monica is now open!
The Bike Center has two locations. The primary, staffed location is at 2nd Street and Colorado Avenue, and the secondary location is at 4th Street and Broadway.
To promote the use of non-auto transportation, and bicycling in particular, the City built a Bike Center in its downtown core near the future terminus of the Exposition Light Rail Line. The facilities are located in two Agency-owned parking structures (Parking Structure 7 at 320 Broadway and Parking Structure 8 at 215 Colorado). The Center is intended to provide secure bike parking and a variety of mobility services, including retail, bike repair, bike rental, attended bike parking, public information on alternative transportation, and additional related services. The Center is operated by an independent contractor.
Check out all of the information on their website!
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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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