A new year is underway. Let’s each of us do our bit to help the environment and to fight climate change. Individually, and by working together, we can all make a difference. REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS: * Plant new parkway trees. You can get them from Palisades Beautiful (459-7145). You can also get up to seven shade trees from LADWP (www.ladwp.com). * Sign up for Green Power and help bring more renewable power to L.A. as a cost of just 6 percent more per month. You also get two complimentary compact fluorescent light bulbs (www.ladwp.com). * Change your driving habits. Drive less, consolidate your trips, walk or bike more, carpool, and make your next car a hybrid. * Take an energy audit to see how you use energy and get recommendations for conserving energy (www.ladwp.com). * Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs and save money. * Offset the CO2 emitted when you fly or drive. You can buy a certain amount of carbon “offset units” equivalent to the carbon the activity creates, and hence become “carbon neutral” (www.nativeenergy.com, www.carbonfund.org and www.terrapass.com). * Buy local products. * Send e-cards and invitations instead of paper ones (www.bluemountain.com, www.americangreetings.com and www.evite.com). REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE: * Reduce the amount of garbage you put in the landfill by recycling more and composting. * Recycle your Christmas tree in your green bin. * Use a reusable bag when you shop. You can use a cloth bag or a polypropylene bag from a grocery store, Pharmaca (on Sunset at La Cruz) or 1bagatatime.com, or reuse a plastic or paper bag from the grocery store. * Wrap gifts in reusable packaging, e.g., scarves, boxes, bags and baskets. * Buy your food, cleaning supplies and paper goods in large quantities in order to reduce packaging. * Use reusable mugs, glasses, utensils and plates at work and home instead of paper, Styrofoam cups, plastic glasses and paper plates. * Use cloth napkins and hand towels. * Use reusable razors, pens and rechargeable batteries. * Have your child carry a zero-waste lunch to school. Use wrap-n-mat (www.wrap-n-mat.com), reusable plastic containers, and a refillable LDPE (#2) plastic bottle. * Use a reusable container for water. Polycarbonate containers leach, so avoid them; instead use stainless steel containers, available at the Santa Monica Co-op or aluminum containers available at Pharmaca. * Ask your favorite restaurant to use plastic ‘to-go’ containers or corn-based containers instead of Styrofoam containers. * Buy recycled and post-consumer paper. * Start composting. There are L.A. Dept. of Sanitation workshops on January 12 and 27 (www.lacity.org/SAN). * Recycle paper, cardboard, glass, and plastic in Dept. of Sanitation bins (www.lacity.org/SAN). * Reduce junk mail (www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing). OTHER IDEAS: * Use eco-friendly cleaning products available at Gelson’s, Pharmaca, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Smart and Final, and the Santa Monica Co-op. * If you garden, use nontoxic fertilizers and pest control, mulch to conserve water usage, plant drought-tolerant and native plants, use smart controllers for sprinklers, and compost. * Educate yourself. Some environmental Web sites include www.idealbite.com, www.greenopia.com, www.stopglobalwarming.org, and www.stopgloablwarming.com. * Take a Sustainable Works class and learn about your environmental impact and how to live more sustainably (www.sustainableworks.org). * Read! Some books for children include ‘The Lorax’ by Dr. Seuss, ‘All the Way to the Ocean’ by Joel Harper, ‘A River Ran Wild’ by Lynne Cherry, and ’50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth’ by Earth Works Group. Some adult books include ‘Silent Spring’ by Rachel Carson, ‘The Ecology of Commerce’ by Paul Hawken, and ‘Stop Global Warming: The Solution Is You–An Activist’s Guide’ by Laurie David. Become an advocate for change. Join an environmental group. Educate your friends. Help green the Palisades. We can help save our earth! More information is available at www.palisadescares.org.
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