We Never Met a Box Turtle
We Didn't Like

Yes, we do the work we do as much for box turtles as anything else. These small, unassuming, exquisite creatures play an important role in the ecosystem and deserve our greatest effort.

What is the Coalition's effort - working toward a sustainable and resilient Ojai Valley. If you like box turtles too, and feel we've moved the community forward, we would appreciate your financial support to keep going. Check out our 2011 annual report to review some of our past successes and efforts.

Also, consider that your membership or gift donation will be doubled. We've been given the gift of a match to your donation up to $10,000 and have until January 31, 2013 to get it done. We've got a ways to go, but like the box turtle, if we stay the course we trust we will get to our destination because the citizens of the Ojai Valley and beyond have our back. PLEASE act now online or mail-in your support.

Still have folks on your gift list? Think Coalition gift membership. We'll send a lovely Happy Holiday 'seed' card that can be planted. Place your order here.

5th Annual E-Waste
Collection and Recycling Day

In collaboration with the Ojai Valley Directory, Ojai Community Bank, PC Pros, Gold Coast Recycling & Transfer, and E-Recycling of California, the Coalition will hold its 5th annual e-waste recycling event next month on Saturday, January 12, in the bank's parking lot, located at 402 W. Ojai Avenue, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is open to all Ojai Valley residents and businesses and will occur rain or shine. For more information about the event call Deborah at (805) 669-8445.

E-Recycling of California will be accepting most types of electronics, including computers, monitors, and all accessories; TVs, radios, and stereos; and small appliances such as toasters, microwaves, and vacuum cleaners. Rule of thumb: if it has a cord and fits on the counter, we'll take it.

The Coalition will also be recycling household batteries (five pound limit), ink and toner cartridges, CDs and DVDs with cases, cassette tapes with cases, iPods, cell phones, cameras, and incandescent holiday lights.

If you receive new electronics or small appliances as holiday gifts, remember that it's illegal to dispose of your old items in the trash or in regular recycle bins. These universal wastes, as they're called, contain toxic heavy metals that can leach into the ground, so they can't go to landfills.

The Coalition also collects year-round at its Resource Center (327 E. Ojai Avenue): all types of media storage, ink and toner cartridges, iPods, cell phones, wine corks, holiday lights, and household batteries. Some of these items raise funds to help pay for the shipping of others to processing plants.

Come Out January 22 to Help Pass
an Updated Lighting Ordinance

But First Come to a Strategizing

Workgroup on January 8

Turning down the lights! Everybody's doing it. In Paris, France the "city of light," all shops, offices and public buildings will extinguish their nightlights between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m., effective July 2013. Whether motivated by energy savings or the desire to reduce their need for nuclear and fossil fuel plants, Paris' action will be dramatic.

Dramatic and simple - turning off night-time lights, reducing night wattage and shielding exterior lights are all easy ways to conserve energy and help the environment. With considerable studies showing the unintended adverse consequences of night-time lighting, the time to act is now. That's why we are so excited about the updated Exterior Lighting Standards Ordinance coming up for vote at the Tuesday, January 22, 2013 Ojai City Council meeting, thanks to Coalition member, Gail Topping.

Gail has been addressing this issue since attending a valley-wide meeting on the environment in 2007, and has been working with the OVGC and the Ojai City Planning Department since October 2008 to redraft the existing lighting ordinance itself. Gail distilled ideas from the ordinances of several towns that have similar size, topography, rural character, and are tourist dependent. The California cities used were Santa Ynez, San Jose, Santa Cruz, and Santa Monica along with Tucson, Arizona; Ketchum, Idaho; and Boulder, Colorado.

Gail has also worked tirelessly to educate the public, meeting with business owners, distributing literature, and writing articles. You may also remember the 2011 presentation, "Dark Skies & Starry Nights," an event produced by then eighth grader Erin Rush, with Gail's guidance.

to read more click here.

Business Member Profile:
Ojai PC Pros and
CA Internet Solutions

It's time for another shout out to Jon Reason founder of Ojai PC Pros and co-founder of California Internet Solutions.

Jon has provided the Coalition with internet service and support for over a year now. We are very grateful for his wonderful in-kind contribution of services. Our internet works like a charm and is absolutely critical to our operations. If we had to pay for internet service, it would be a significant sum of money for us, taking away from our project and community service efforts.

Jon founded Ojai PC Pros in 2001, which is located at 423 E. Ojai Ave., Suite 102. The company offers local computer and home theatre sales and support to clients across our valley. In 2011 Jon helped start California Internet Solutions, a local internet and telephone provider with staff dedicated specifically to Ojai. This is where most of Jon's personal focus is these days. It's worthy to note here that the network provider, Clear Fiber Network, is 90% solar powered and that California Internet Solutions only provides paperless billing to cut down on paper waste.

We also want to point out that if you can't make it to the January 12 E-waste Collection event, PC Pros takes e-waste all year-round during business hours.