2013-2014
Membership Drive Underway!

Help Us Help Your Family
and the Community

You know what we like even more than solar energy, creek restoration work, workshops and recycling? Supporting Members! They help keep the lights on so we can continue working on and thinking about what we can do within our capacity in the Ojai Valley.

Thank you so much, if you have or are supporting the Coalition's work.

Haven't joined, yet? Please read our 2012 annual report to get to know us and what we do.

And one gift deserves another: the first twenty $100 or more membership contributors will receive a gift bag with LED holiday string lights, water conservation kit, organic OVGC t-shirt, and Tyvek reusable bag 3- pack.

We raised a critical $10,000 during last year's November 1 - January 31 drive. We hope you agree the Coalition is an asset to the community and we can do it again. Know that we're here to support your efforts to increase your green living practices and your desire for our Valley to reduce its carbon footprint - through educational events, community service, and roll-up our sleeves projects.

Please join us in our efforts to advance that green, sustainable, resilient, and thriving Ojai Valley we all envision. Go on online today or print and mail your membership. Thank you!

Resounding success for screening of
"HARMONY - A Different Way of Looking at Our World"

The Coalition's FOCUS EARTH collaborative screening with the Ojai Film Festival was a sell out at the Ojai Theater last Sunday. The beautiful documentary feature film, inspired and narrated by Prince Charles, was followed by a conversation with the filmmakers Stuart Sender and Julie Bergman Sender and a panel of distinguished individuals from our community: activist Michael Shapiro, eco-psychologist Lori Pye Ph.D., architect Nicholas Deitch, R.A., and Pixie tangerine farmer Jim Churchill.

Deborah Pendrey, Executive Director of the OVGC, Anca Colbert, Events Chair for the OVGC, and Jamie Fleming, Executive Director of the Ojai Film Festival at screening of HARMONY on Sunday Nov.10th at FOCUS EARTH.

Visitors are welcome to our Resource Center Library, where you can now view or check out the film. You may want to read an interview conducted by Demitri Corbin with Deborah Pendrey and Anca Colbert.

Stay tuned for more news about HARMONY in our next e-News.

November 15 is
America Recycles Day

America Recycles Day is a national all-volunteer organization begun in 1997. Its mission is to hold an annual national awareness event to promote the social, environmental, and economic benefits of buying recycled and recycling.

Though not holding an 'event' on the 15th, the Coalition definitely supports recycling (after reducing and reusing, of course). Here are resources to help you recycle just about everything.

E.J. Harrison & Sons, our Valley recycling hauler, takes a lot of different items: Check out the list here.

Print this resource guide for local universal waste (electronics and hazardous) recycling.

At the Coalition Resource Center you can recycle all year round:

- Ink and toner cartridges
- Household batteries
- Handheld electronics
- Media (cassettes, VHS, DVDs, CDs)
- Incandescent holiday lights
- Wine corks (or take straight to BevMo)

For everything else, check out Ventura County Guide or Earth911.com.

And mark your calendar for our annual E-waste collection event, to be held on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at the Ojai Community Bank. Stay tuned for details.

Giving Expandable Polystyrene

the Boot

At their October meeting, the Coalition Board agreed to support Ojai city council efforts to reduce polystyrene (commonly known as Styrofoam) usage and purchases within city limits. This will help reduce polystyrene pollution for our whole Ojai Valley community.

At last Tuesday's city council meeting, council members reviewed and discussed the ordinance of the city of Santa Cruz as a model. All agreed that the first Ojai ordinance draft should include polystyrene containers used by food vendors, the sale of polystyrene food containers in retail stores, and those noxious puffs of polystyrene called 'peanuts' as used and sold by retailers with packing and shipping services.

Here's a chance for an extra good deed as we go into the holiday and giving season: write to the city and let the council know why you support a ban on polystyrene products. You can copy and paste your comments here to email, or mail your letter to P.O. Box 1570, Ojai 93024. The Coalition hopes that Ventura County will also eventually address this issue (already doing some banning) and we can become a near polystyrene-free community.

For further information read the City staff report, and listen to our executive director's plea to the community to support the city council's efforts (39 minutes into video).

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration!