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CicLAvia – Sunday, December 10, 2017 from 9am to 3pm on Wilshire Blvd.

Ciclavia Iconic Wilshire Boulevard
Sunday, December 10, 2017 from 9am to 3pm
From Western & Wilshire to Downtown LA Spring St.

CicLAvia heads back to Iconic Wilshire Boulevard on December 10 as Koreatown, Westlake, and Downtown Los Angeles will host the country’s largest open streets event! Streets will be closed to cars and open for cyclists, pedestrians, runners and skaters to use as a recreational space.

Planning a feeder ride or walk and want to add it to our site? Email info@ciclavia.org!

Download the Route Map

Download the Notification Flyer

New to CicLAvia? Here are some things you need to know for December 10th:

  • CicLAvia is FREE!
  • CicLAvia lasts from 9 AM until 3 PM
  • CicLAvia closes streets to car traffic and opens them for people to walk, skate, bike, play, and explore parts of Los Angeles.
  • CicLAvia is not a race! There’s no starting point or finish line – begin where you like and enjoy the day your way.
  • CicLAvia traffic flows in two directions, just like regular traffic. Check out some more safety tips.

Questions or Concerns

General event information: please contact CicLAvia at 213.355.8500 or info@ciclavia.org

For concerns regarding the Los Angeles street closure permit, contact LA Bureau of Street Services, Investigation and Enforcement Division, Special Events at 213.847.6000.

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Public Meeting Sat., Nov 11, 2017 from 10am to noon at 117 Bimini Pl, LA 90004

This Public Meeting is Regarding Contaminants and Proposed Remediation

Concerning the property at:

 3554 and 3560 West First Street – Los Angeles 90004

Previously known as Song’s Auto Shop
and the Teriyaki House

This meeting is a component of a proposal being prepared by the nonprofit property owner, CRSP, in the Los Angeles Eco-Village, for a US-Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) Brownfields Clean-Up grant.  A draft copy of the CRSP proposal will be available as noted below by November 10, 2017.  Your comments will be incorporated into the final grant proposal to the US-EPA and should be received by CRSP no later than November 14, 2017

A summary of the US-EPA’s “Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA)” and the alternatives for remediation of contaminants can be viewed on-line below.  The complete 43 page ABCA report can be viewed in hard copy at 117 Bimini Place, Lobby, Los Angeles 90004 or you can access it here.

Public comments can be mailed to:
CRSP
117 Bimini Pl, #221
Los Angeles CA 90004
Or sent via email to:     crsp@igc.org
Or submitted in person at the November 11th meeting.

A Plan for redeveloping the property includes car-free co-op oriented mixed uses, including an environmentally sensitive hostel, small green businesses  operated by neighbors within the Los Angeles Eco-Village on Bimini and White House Place or within easy walking distance. CRSP will also be continuing its co-op training and education programs on the site, including workshops on phytotechnologies for remediating brownfields.

See additional information or keep updated at http://laecovillage.org/home/news/
or contact: crsp@igc.org    213-738-1254

Executive Summary for Analysis of
Brownfield Remediation Alternatives  (ABCA) at
3554 and 3560 West First Street
Los Angeles 90004

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In 2017, Weston Solutions, Inc. (WESTON®), performed a Phase II Targeted Brownfields Assessment (Phase II TBA) at 3554 and 3560 West 1st Street, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California (the Site). The TBA was requested by the property owner (applicant), CRSP, and performed under contract with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The purpose of the TBA was to characterize conditions at the Site, because it is being considered for redevelopment.

Contaminants, including toxic heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons, were detected in surface soils and or soil gas
analyzed as part of the TBA work. This Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) report identifies and compares different cleanup scenarios for the Site based on results obtained from the Phase II TBA (WESTON 2017). These scenarios are ranked on effectiveness, implementability, and cost.

The proposed redevelopment of this site will include an ecologically sensitive hostel with environmentally and co-op oriented mixed retail uses or services. Based on that proposed use, cleanup of the Site to standards suitable for a commercial-industrial use exposure scenario is recommended before planned re-use/redevelopment can begin.

The Site is composed of an approximately 0.25 acre parcel located in a mixed commercial-residential-institutional neighborhood approximately 3 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The western portion of the Site contains a single-story approximately 600 square foot commercial building formerly used as a restaurant. The eastern portion contains a  one-story commercial structure, with a small second floor loft, approximately 2,600 square feet, formerly used as an automotive repair shop.

The following concerns were identified during the Phase II TBA:

Cadmium was present at concentrations that exceed the specified human health screening levels for a commercial use exposure scenario in two surface soil samples collected from the southern portion of the Site.

Four semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) were present at concentrations that exceed the human health screening levels in a surface soil sample collected from the southwest portion of the Site.

Total petroleum hydrocarbons as diesel (TPH-d) were present at concentrations that exceed the residential human health screening levels, but are below the commercial/industrial screening levels in southwestern portion of the Site, in the same surface soil sample as the SVOCs.

The building materials and some appurtenances (i.e., fluorescent lights and possibly other electrical equipment) in both buildings contain non-friable asbestos-containing material (ACM), lead based paint (LBP), and/or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Ethylbenzene and chloroform are present in sub-slab soil gas above the human health screening levels for a residential exposure scenario in the former auto repair shop.

To continue reading the US-EPA ABCA, go here.

NOTE FROM CRSP REGARDING PHYTOREMEDIATION:  Although the US-EPA did not include any alternatives on  phytoremediation or phytotechnology for rendering soil contaminants harmless to human health in the ABCA, there is additional information on the successful use of various plants, trees, and microorganisms for brownfield soil remediation.  Please learn about them on line at the Center for Creative Land Recycling: http://mailchi.mp/cclr/webinars-07-31-17
or at this website for the International Journal on Phytoremediation“.   It is CRSP’s intent to apply the current US-EPA grant application for the remediation of hazardous materials within the buildings, and to develop a future remediation plan for the soils beneath the currently paved surfaces outside the buildings.

 

 

 

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PERMACULTURE CERTIFICATION COMBINED TRAINING at Cal-Earth in Hesperia, October 16-28, 2017

For the past 6 years Cal-Earth Institute and Midwest Permaculture have combined our recognized and established certificate trainings for a rare and powerful learning opportunity. 
 
This program includes the full Core Curriculum as well as a full PDC curriculum delivered by Midwest Permaculture. 
 
This year the registration is unexpectedly low and we want to make our best effort to get more participants since our Permaculture instructors Bill and Becky Wilson are traveling from Illinois for the training. See below for some additional options we are providing this year, and please spread the word. We need to get at least 5-8 more participants to make this amazing workshop happen.
 

Cal-Earth Institute and Midwest Permaculture are combining their recognized and established certificate trainings for a rare and powerful learning opportunity. Having delivered over 60 PDC courses, Midwest Permaculture is an internationally recognized provider of quality permaculture trainings. Their full PDC curriculum will be delivered to students at this combined training so that all will earn their Permaculture Design Certificate. Check out a detailed picture summary of one of our previous combined trainings

TOPICS COVERED

  • The workshop will include the full Core Curriculum taught at Cal Earth Institute during the first five days followed by a full PDC taught by Midwest Permaculture

Topics Covered by Midwest Permaculture:

  • Observations and Patterns
  • Principles and Ethics of Permaculture
  • Designing for Different Climatic Zones
  • Soils, Plants, and Trees
  • Guilds and Polycultures
  • Water and Earthworks
  • Utilizing Micro-climates
  • Designing with Succession in Mind
  • Eco-Building
  • Zone and Sector Analysis
  • Aquaculture
  • Planning the Homestead
  • Bio-Fuels
  • Economics
  • Niche Marketing
  • Urban and Suburban Permaculture
  • Garden Management
  • Small-Farm Strategies
  • Large-Farm Possibilities
  • International Implications
  • Starting your own Permaculture Business
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The Nuts & Bolts of a Worker Co-op Start-up – Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017 in Culver City at 7pm

Long time L.A. Eco-Village resident, and founder of Pacific Electric Worker Co-op, Somerset Waters, will share his experiences as the founder of a start-up worker co-op.

Sponsored by:
LAWORCS: LA Worker Ownership Resources & Cooperative Services
More info:
The Nuts and Bolts of a Worker Cooperative Start-Up with Somerset Waters

 

Wednesday, October 25, 2017  at 7:00 PM
at

About Somerset:

somer photoSomerset Waters (“Somer”) wears multiple hats at Pacific Electric Co-op, including client relations, project manager, and lead electrician.  He has over two decades of experience as an electrician, one decade in the solar industry, and enjoys manipulating energy.  He is a licensed C-10, California Certified Electrician.  The trade runs in his blood: his maternal grandfather was an electrician at a factory in Poland.  His great-grandfather was a mason, a brilliant carpenter, and a master of quality in his projects.  Prior to cofounding Pacific Electric Co-op, Somer was a Journeyman Electrician out of IBEW Local 11 and worked for several large solar companies. Somer and his family live in Los Angeles Eco-Village. He plays the cello and performs with his wife, Aursiha. Watching his daughter grow up makes his heart sing.

Pacific Electric logoPacific Electric is a full service electrical and solar contracting firm based in Los Angeles committed to serving our clients, supporting our workers, creating jobs, and practicing environmental sustainability.  Contact: somerset@pacificelectric.coop
pacificelectric.coop

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CicLAvia: Sunday, October 8, 2017 from 9am to 4pm Heart of LA

CicLAvia returns to the Heart of LA with an exciting and fun 6-mile route featuring the neighborhoods of Echo Park, Chinatown, Historic Downtown, Civic Center, Little Tokyo, Arts District, and Boyle Heights.

Lots of family-friendly activities are planned along the route.

We will be kicking off CicLAvia Sunday with a press conference at 8:30am at the Broadway HUB (Broadway and 7th St.). Come by to start your day.

CicLAvia is a nonprofit organization, and we couldn’t do what we do without your support.  Let’s keep CicLAvia rolling by making a donation today.

See you this Sunday, Oct. 8th at CicLAvia: Heart of LA!

Romel Pascual, CicLAvia Executive Director
http://www.ciclavia.org/

hub_activities.png

 

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World Green Building Week is 9/25-10/1. Join us at BuroHappold DTLA on Mon 9/25 at 6pm

In Los Angeles, our friend BuroHappold Engineering, is co-sponsoring a special event with the U.S. Green Building Council Los Angeles Chapter featuring 20 plus Green Building thought leaders, including Lois Arkin from L.A. Eco-Village.

World Green Building Week is the flagship event of the global green building movement organized by WorldGBC and led by its network of over 70 Green Building Councils and their 32,000 member companies.

Buildings account for over a third of the world’s carbon emissions. But that can change. Join us for collaborative discussion in celebration of World Green Building Week. We’re tackling a wide range of subjects from net zero buildings, clean energy use, equity, economy and environment and much more. We’ve assembled thought leaders for a lively discussion on our collective impact on Los Angeles and beyond.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2017
6:00-8:00PM
at                                                                            

BuroHappold Engineering
800 Wilshire Blvd, 16th Floor
Los Angeles 90012
in collaboration with:
The U.S. Green Building Council L.A. Chapter
FREE EVENT BUT RSVP PLEASE:   REGISTER

These will be fast paced 3 minute slide presentations with discussion to follow:

JOEL CESARE
City of Santa Monica

ROBYN EASON
City of West Hollywood

HEATHER ROSENBERG
USGBC-LA

TODD LYNCH
UCLA

MIKE ECHOLS
NVision  Development

SARA NEFF
Kilroy Realty

DAVID ROSENSTEIN
Our Foods

LOIS ARKIN 
L.A. Eco-Village

JOE CORIATY
Frederick Fisher  and Partners

CLAIRE LATANE
Mia Lehrer +  Associates

SARA HICKMAN
RDC-S111

LEIGH CHRISTY
Perkins+WillJENNIFER SCHABRios Clementi Hale Studios

GREG KOCHANOWSKI
Rios  Clementi Hale StudiosERIC

COREY FREED
organicARCHITECT

CAROLINE KREISER
Miller Hull Partnership

BRETT MOSS
Electrical Training  Institute

NAT WILSON CSUNDAVID HERD
BuroHappold  Engineerring

BEN STAPLETON
LACI

XAVIER GAUCHER
ePHiciency

CECILIA ESTOLANO
Estolano  LeSar Perez Advisors

Additional panelists still to be confirmed

Visit the World Green Building Week homepage for more details.

 

 

 

 

 

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for a sustainable water future

Hands-On Greywater Workshops/Conference: Simi Valley, Oakland – 10/21/17; Yosemite – 11/1-3/17

Please share with interested people and organizations.

Hands-on greywater workshop in Simi Valley 10/21/17.  Learn more here.

AND:

What: Localizing California Waters Conference

When:  Nov. 1-3, 2017

Where:  Rush Creek/Evergreen Lodge in Yosemite, CA

Details here:  http://californiawaterreuse.org/

Summary:

Join us to convene on-site water organizations under one voice: California Onsite Water Association. At this intimate water reuse conference (focusing on rainwater, blackwater, greywater, and stormwater) professionals, designers, and policy advisers will work together to advance onsite water’s technical and policy future.

Audience:

Stakeholders working in or on the integration and collaboration of onsite, distributed, and centralized systems.  Policy advisors, designers, professionals looking to create innovative BMPs, code adoption, policy advisement and evaluation feedback through collaboration.  Funding organizations interested in looking for input or participants in scalable resiliency water management projects/collaborations for California and the Western United States.  Watershed based management groups looking to collaborate with Water Management advisers to create resilient ecosystem services.

Key Invites:

Pisces Foundation, Water Foundation, California Governor’s Office of Planning Research, Wildlife Conservation Board, State Water Resources Control Board, Department of Water Resources, Department of Public Health, SFPUC, EBMUD, LADWP, Alliance for Water Efficiency, Central Coast Salmon Enhancement, Trout Unlimited, Cal Trout, SRF, The Water Institute, Occidental Arts and Ecology, Sierra Nevada Alliance, Sierra Nevada Conservancy, Trust for Public Lands, Sustainable Silicon Valley, Imperial Water District, Pasadena Water and Power, Recode Oregon, Water Reuse, Utah Onsite Water Association, IAPMO, UC Irvine Pire Group, California Department of General Services (Architect), California Directors of Environmental Health, Imagine H20, ACWA, Water Reuse, The Walton Family Foundation, Dean Witter Foundation, California Resource Conservation District Association (Director), CASQA, ARCSA, QWELL, WERS, Santa Rosa Alternative Working Group

Diana Leafe Christian workshops in San Diego: Keynoter at West Coast Communities Conference 9/29-10/1; Starting an Ecovillage 10/7-9; Sociocracy 10/14-16

Dear friends and colleagues in Southern California,
 
This Save-the-Dates notice is about three events in the San Diego area. See below.
 
If you or people you know are interested in starting an intentional community, I’m doing a workshop on starting successful new communities on Oct. 7-9. 
 
(1)  “Starting a Successful Ecovillage or Intentional Community” 
 
        Sat-Sun-Mon, October 7-8-9 in the San Diego Area. 
        Early Bird Discount price is $250 until Oct 1st; it’s $350, the regular price, after that. 
 
        Held at Terra Corazon (11945 Mesa Verde Drive, Valley Center, CA). Sponsored by San Diego Sustainable Living Institute.       More information on the Starting an Ecovillage workshop.    Register here. 

—————————————-
 
     On Oct. 14-16 I’m also doing a workshop on Sociocracy, an especially effective governance and decision-making method I now highly recommend for intentional communities. 
 
(2) “Sociocracy for Intentional Communities and Member-Led Groups” 
 
      Sat-Sun-Mon, October 14-15-16 also at Terra Corazon in San Diego County. 
      Early Bird Discount price is  $250 until Oct 1st;  $350, the regular price, after that.          
 
      Held at Terra Corazon (11945 Mesa Verde Drive, Valley Center, CA). Sponsored by San Diego Sustainable Living Institute.     More information on the Sociocracy workshop.     Register here.
    
 ————————————–  
Saturday, Sept 30, I’m also doing the keynote talk at the West Coast Communities Conference. 9:00 am – 10:30 am, talk and Q&A with attendees.
 
(3) Keynote talk:  “Recipe for a Thriving Community: Establishing an Internal Economy with Social Enterprises, Community Labor Systems, and More”     
 
The West Coast Communities Conference, Friday, Sept 29 – Sunday, Oct. 1 Conference will be held at Terra Madre Gardens, an ecologically sustainable event center (9928 Protea Gardens Rd, Escondido, CA).
                           Register for West Coast Communities Conference.

Diana Leafe Christian

About Diana
Diana Leafe Christian is an author, former editor of Communities magazine, and an international  speaker and workshop presenter on starting new ecovillages, on building communities,  on sustainability and Sociocracy. She lives in an off-grid homestead at Earthaven Ecovillage in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, USA.  Her popular books include “Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools for Forming Ecovillages and Intentional Communities” and “Finding Community: How to Join and Ecovillage or Intentional Community.”


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Explorations in Nature for kids 3 – 8: Eight Week Program: 9/30 – 12/16/17 at L.A. Eco-Village

 

Lief and Joaquin in courtyard garden

This free unique 8 week art program for kids 3 through 8 and their parent or legal guardian uses the visual arts to develop deeper connections between children and their experience of the natural world.

Led by Artist-in-Residence Sylvette Frazier, classes emphasize creating art in an eco-conscious format.  The series will culminate with a public exhibition and collaborative nature weave.

 

 

 

SATURDAYS FROM 10AM TO 11AM ON:         
Week 1:  September 30
Week 2:  October 7
Week 3:  October 14
Week 4:  October 21
Week 5:  November 4
Week 6:  November 18
Week 7:  December 2
Week 8:  December 9

PLUS PUBLIC RECEPTION ON DECEMBER 16, 2017 FROM 10AM TO NOON

Please plan to attend all eight sessions plus the Reception

Courtyard garden

LOCATION FOR ALL CLASSES:
Los Angeles Eco-Village courtyard
117 Bimimi Place
Los Angeles 90004

FEE:  Free, but enrollment required.
Contact Leslie Ezeh at leslie@laev-crsp.org

Sylvette Frazier

ABOUT SYLVETTE FRAZIER
Sylvette Frazier is an Artist and the Owner and Creator of Connecting Children to Art in Nature (CCAN).  She created CCAN to foster a new cord of connectivity for young children to the elements of art and principles of design that is in nature. She holds a M.Ed. with a specialization in Early Childhood /Primary Education, and has been active in the field of Early Childhood Education for over 25 years. She has created programs for elementary schools, children’s centers, community gardens, arboretums and botanical gardens locally and aboard. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and alternative spaces in the USA as well as Western Europe. Sylvette holds Artist-in-Residence posts in a wide range of locations and believes strongly that we all need to work together to help protect our planet.

This program is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs and the Los Angeles Eco-Village Child Care Service/CRSP, the Urban Soil-Tierra Urbana Limited Equity Housing Cooperative, and the Beverly-Vermont Community Land Trust.

 

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Film: One Big Home – Saturday August 26, 2017 at 6pm – West Los Angeles

Gentrification comes in many forms. On the tiny island of Martha’s Vineyard, trophy homes threaten to destroy the island’s unique character.

Twelve years in the making, One Big Home follows one carpenter’s journey to understand the trend toward giant houses. When he feels complicit in wrecking the place he calls home, he takes off his tool belt and picks up a camera. Bumping up against angry homeowners and builders who look the other way, he works with his community and attempts to pass a new bylaw to limit house size.

Join us for an outdoor screening of One Big Home on one BIG digital bus! The 31 foot screen will really make an impression on you!

This event is a fundraiser, with all proceeds going to opening a tiny house building resource center in Los Angeles.

$10 online, $14 at the door, discounts for students and LATCH Collective members.

Find your online tickets here – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/screening-of-one-big-home-tickets-35704790991 

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