We all can be ‘environmental activists’ and take action to help the environment. Local organizations and residents are taking action. Please join them. 1. Heal the Bay Proclaims December 20 ‘A Day Without a Bag!’ Thousands of reusable bags will be given away citywide. Palisades Cares is coordinating our community participation in this event. Community volunteers, including students and members of Palisades Cares and Palisades Green Initiative, will be distributing reusable bags and literature in front of Starbucks from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and encouraging the use of reusable bags. Starbucks will provide complimentary coffee to volunteers and bag ‘shoppers.’ Local businesses are asked to encourage their shoppers to use reusable bags. Volunteers will distribute reusable bags to businesses that wish to use them that day. So far, Bentons, Village Books, Oasis Palisades and Collar and Leash have signed up. To request some bags or to volunteer to distribute bags to local businesses, contact info@palisadescares.org or call (310) 459-8318. See www.healthebay.org or www.palisadescares.org for more details. 2. Palisades High Students Promote an Environmentally Friendly Christmas Student Lauren Gustafson, who is working on the EAST project with Talia Hovanesian and Xavier Keyser, writes: ‘Do you know that we create an extra five million tons of garbage every holiday season, from 8,000 tons of wrapping paper, 4,200 tons of aluminum foil, and 125,000 tons of plastic packaging?’ She urges everybody to visit greenholiday07.googlepages.com/environmentallyfriendlychristmas for good idea, including Web sites for ‘green’ clothes, toys, and cosmetics. EAST is the Environmental and Spatial Technology club. 3. ‘Pali Lights’ Fundraiser at Palisades Charter High School Liane Dallalzadeh, an EAST student, is working on replacing 100 of the 400 incandescent bulbs at PaliHi with CFLs by mid-February. The fundraising to purchase these bulbs has been organized in cooperation with One Planet Fundraising. The students in Dallalzadeh’s EAST group are selling the bulbs at $6 for one or $10 for two. Families of students who attend PaliHi or people who are affiliated with the school are encouraged to participate. Call Dallalzadeh at (310) 487-6800 or e-mail palilights@aol.com with questions. 4. Girl Scouts to Sponsor Plastic Bag-Free Weekend Cadette Girl Scout Troop 128 will host this event February 9 and 10 in the Palisades. The girls will give away free canvas bags and literature among other activities. They will discuss their plan at the January meeting of the Palisades Cares Environmental Network. 5. Update on Business Recycling in the Palisades Ask the businesses you patronize if they recycle. Chrysalis Recycling provides free weekly recycling to the Palisades Chamber of Commerce, the Palisadian-Post, the Palisades-Malibu YMCA, Senior Funding Advisors, Calvary Christian School, Sara Jo, Bel-Air Bay Club, Wells Fargo Bank, Palisades Presbyterian Church and Preschool, Palisades Lutheran Church, Roy Robbins, Teale-Edwards Productions, and Oasis Spa. Contact: Elizabeth Shavelson at LizS@changelives.org. 6. Shop for Environmentally Friendly Gifts Whole Foods Market and the L.A. Times are co-sponsoring an Eco Gift Expo on December 15 and 16 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. For further information, visit www.ecogift.com. 7. Eight for ’08 Update Make your individual pledge and give suggestions for our community. Since these are ‘New Year Resolutions,’ the deadline has been extended to January 2. Some early submissions have included using reusable bags in every store, encouraging businesses to stop using Styrofoam, and starting a community garden. What do you want our community to work on? Will you help? What will you do at home? E-mail info@palisadescares.org with your goals and visit www.palisadescares.org to see frequent updates.
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