A Consumer's Guide to
Reducing Energy Usage and Costs!

The Coalition is hosting an energy education seminar - Saturday, September 12, 2015 at the Ojai Valley Woman's Club - 441 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai. The seminar cost is $10.00 and runs 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with an organic lunch included.

The purpose of the seminar is to bring together expert speakers to help consumers sort through the myriad of information related to reducing energy usage and costs. Topics include available energy and water efficiency upgrade financial tools, our homes as an energy ecosystem, why renewable energy and rooftop solar is so important, how electric vehicles play into the equation and an exciting new model for community based clean, less expensive energy called Community Choice Energy.

"Working on how your home uses energy and water will go a long way to save on utility bills and conserve natural resources... there are other advantages homeowners don't take into account," said emPower Energy Coach Javier Saucedo, one of the seminar presenters. "These upgrades can also help improve indoor air quality, comfort, durability and the value of the home."

The seminar is sponsored by the Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance, City of Ojai and Rotary Club of Ojai. Registration and further details for the seminar are online.

Re-Conciliation

Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on September 21. The United Nations General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.

The theme of this year's commemoration is "Partnerships for Peace - Dignity for All", highlighting the importance of all segments of society working together to strive for peace.

The environment has long been a silent casualty of war and armed conflict. From the contamination of land and the destruction of forests to the plunder of natural resources and the collapse of management systems, the environmental consequences of war are usually widespread and devastating.

War changes our parameters. In the face of actual or perceived threat, acts that would normally be abhorrent become acceptable and even routine. 'One of the first of our sensibilities to be discarded is the protection of the environment', says Catherine Lutz, a professor on war and its impacts at the Watson Institute for International Studies.

For the next Coalition Salon we meet on '9/11', a date that can bring up a sense of loss and a search for resolution. In this salon we introduce the theme of 'Re-conciliation' with the story of a poet, a timber baron, and the fate of a forest. We invite you to bring your story, a favorite poem or passage, or thoughts to our conversation and our circle on Friday, September 11, 7 to 9 p.m. Click here for complete details.

And, our friends at Ojai International City of Peace are hosting 'Partnerships for Peace' at the Ojai Art Center, Monday, September 21.

Ojai Creek Annual Cleanup Day

On Saturday, September 19, from 9 a.m. to noon, the Coalition invites members to join in a creek clean-up effort. Participants will remove and record litter from Ojai Creek running through Libbey Park. Ojai volunteers are asked to sign in at 8:45 A.M. at the Libbey Park lower tennis court parking lot off S. Montgomery St. in Ojai. Please wear sturdy shoes and we request bringing your own gloves, to help ensure we don't run out.

Every year, on the third Saturday in September, people join together at sites all over California to take part in the State's largest volunteer event, California Coastal & Waterway Cleanup Day. The event is part of the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by the Ocean Conservancy, which is the largest volunteer event on the planet!

The California Coastal Commission estimates that 80 percent of the debris on California beaches originates from inland and then washes out to the ocean. In 2014, nearly 67,000 volunteers removed more than 1,190,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from California's beaches, lakes, and waterways. Families, friends, coworkers, scout troops, school groups, service clubs, and individuals come together to celebrate and share their appreciation of California's fabulous coast and waterways.

All participants must sign 2 waivers and those under 18 must have waivers signed by a parent or guardian. Please email us or call (805) 669-8445 with any questions.

Download CCC Waiver to Bring with You

Download City of Ojai Waiver to Bring with You

Update on the Ojai Food Co-op
with Co-founder Michelle Dohrn

OVGC member Michelle Dohrn helped found the Ojai Food Co-op in 2012. Michelle says the idea "sprouted" while she was picking potatoes on a local organic farm with her young daughter. Engaged in the physical act of harvesting those potatoes, she realized she had something incredibly valuable in her hands, a direct relationship with a farmer. She and her daughter were lucky enough to see where their food comes from and experience the work it takes to grow their food. "It so deeply touched me that I thought 'why don't more people have access to this type of local organic fresh food?'" According to Andy Warhol, 'the grocery cart is the most powerful tool for social change.'

It's now three years later, Michelle along with a group of like-minded individuals have just incorporated the Ojai Food Co-op. The Bylaws are almost complete and negotiations with a landowner are going well. Michelle is vocal about how important the early encouragement and fiscal sponsorship provided by the OVGC helped them get this far. Michelle says "Without the generous help from the OVGC we could not have organized or gained as much support in educating the community about the benefits of having a community-owned and operated food system in the Ojai Valley. Now that the Co-op is incorporated, the OVGC has ended its fiscal sponsorship and wishes the Ojai Food Co-op all the best.

to read more click here.