Editor’s Note: This is the first post from Nevres Cefo, author of Two Cents Per Mile: Will President Obama Make it Happen with the Stroke of a Pen? For more information, please visit his website.

I am thrilled, not just about all of the current green action, activism, and blogging…but also the real life examples of people living clean and green.

I was in Santa Monica and L.A. while researching for my book and I was overjoyed at the innovation and enthusiasm of all the 100% Electric Vehicle owners and users I met. The city has solar powered carports for all-electric cars, charging garages for government fleets, photovoltaic charging stations, free charging stations in prime parking locations at shopping malls, and the cleanest garages I have ever seen…no oil stains, no smell, no sound while cars are pulling out!

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These hoteliers have given it some considerable thought and arrived at their  modern philosophy that, even though you’re a traveler, even though you’re away from home, you needn’t sacrifice your sense of well being nor suffer a disruption in your wellness regime.

“The owners of the hotel have me here as a liaison to help people remember how to take care of themselves,” Amber McMahon, Casa Del Mar’s Wellness Director, informs me.  She adds that the Sea Spa fully integrates the mind, body, spirit approach to wellness and services catering to all of these wellness needs are offered in their spa menu.

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On a trip to Santa Monica, California, a friend treated my family and I to an amazing – if not also disturbing and mind-opening – display of crocheted sculptures created from trash.  The exhibit, Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reefs by the Institute for Figuring, was displayed in several rooms of the Track 16 Gallery at Bergamot Station.  The Institute For Figuring (IFF) is an organization dedicated to the poetic and aesthetic dimensions of science, mathematics and the technical arts.

Created and curated by Christine and Margaret Wertheim, the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef exhibit was a stunning display of an ingenious use of waste materials, creativity and community, bringing together various reefs created by artists from around the world.  The exhibition also brought attention to the plight of our oceans and the depository for our trash that it’s become, accidental or otherwise. The Crochet Coral Reef Project of the Institute For Figuring is conceived as “a woolly celebration of the intersection of higher geometry and feminine handicraft, and a testimony to the disappearing wonders of the marine world.”

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During the eight environmentally dismal years of the Bush administration, environmental advocates learned how to effectively use the U.S. court system to aid their cause.  We saw this with a number of lawsuits including the Supreme Court’s ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are pollutants that can be regulated under the Clean Air Act.

Now Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and 4 cities, including my very own hometown of Santa Monica, California, have settled a suit of almost 7 years (Friends of the Earth, Inc., et al. v. Spinelli, et al.) that will force two U.S. government run financing agencies, Export-Import Bank of the United States and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, to take into account the effects of their overseas projects on climate change.

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• 9/18: Find out about the successes and challenges of building a sustainable city at the 2008 Sustainable City Report Card Update at the Santa Monica Main Library, 7pm
• 9/21: Take part in a community potluck, a natural cob building workshop, permaculture design class, seed planting, live art, and more at the Westside Permaculture Festival at Sustainable Works and Santa Monica College, 12pm

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Even within Santa Monica, the walk-ability factors vary greatly. In the Downtown area where I live, everything is within a mile. From shopping and restaurants to the Santa Monica Public Library (a LEED certified Gold building, by the way) and the beach, it’s all right here. Though the area’s real estate is outrageously expensive, the number of new green affordable housing complexes is on the rise. The schools are good. It rarely rains. Besides, traffic gets sticky during tourist season - all the more reason to walk! All in all, a very livable, walkable area (though I’d recommend carrying pepper spray at night…I guess you can’t have it all).

But this begs the question: is this local-only vision a good thing? Of course environmentally-speaking, it is. I’m not driving to the grocery store or dry cleaner. I get some easy exercise. I encounter my neighbors and say hi. It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

However, the Westside of LA is not generally known for its cultural diversity. In fact, the stereotypical Westsider rarely ventures east of the 405 and doesn’t know (or care) about anything going on in LA. The REAL LA. The LA where there aren’t just “two Americas” but probably more like 100 - only one of which is the plasticized Hollywood stereotype. In this new “global” village in which we all live, keeping a broad perspective is essential to learning, understanding, and communicating.

So, here’s my take: do your best to walk or bike, as you go about the every day. But at least once in awhile, get outside of your one square mile and take advantage of everything that LA has to offer. You might just learn something.

Related posts: ‘Walk This Way’ Week: How Pedestrian-Friendly is Your Town?

Photo credit: therealsparkplug under a Creative Commons license

Do you want the good news first, or the bad news? Good news it is! California achieved its best “dry-weather” beach water quality since recording began. During last year’s summer season, 93% of beaches received an A or B grade, based on daily and weekly bacteria measurements taken from April, 2007 to March, 2008. That figure is up 8% from the prior year.

That is good news, at least until you learn that last year’s drought in SoCal contributed to this improvement. With less rainfall, the amount of urban runoff traveling through our storm drains and out into the ocean was reduced. Urban runoff consists of everything that hits the ground, from cigarette butts to plastic bottles to dog doo. Because of this disgusting stew, “wet-weather” results are not good, with 26% of beaches receiving F grades.

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Designed to promote green building, alternative energy, and sustainable technologies and practices, the Expo brings together all members of the building and construction community. This includes architects, contractors, designers, government representatives, as well as the interested public. And really, aren’t we all interested these days?

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This week, I began the Living Green Workshop, a six-week class developed and taught by a non-profit based in Santa Monica, CA called Sustainable Works. Though I write for Green Options and am active in the green community here, I figured I would still learn something. Boy howdy, did I!

The first class: water. An astounding 70% of Southern California’s water is transported in from other areas, mostly Northern California. Even more mind-blowing is that according to the Santa Monica Environmental Programs Division, one-third of the total energy consumed in California is used to move water around the state. So saving water also saves energy…I love the compounding effect of conservation!

The class also answered a question that had been floating around in my mind for years: if we use water, which is then treated and released back into the ecosystem, how can we not have enough? Doesn’t water evaporate from the ocean, then fall again as rain and snow? The answer makes perfect sense: yes, but with global warming (or "global weirding" as Paul Hawken calls it) water no longer falls when and where we need it. Instead of snowing in the mountains during the winter, it might rain in areas that used to be more arid. Case in point: Texas had record rainfall this summer. We are used to water "on demand," assuming that it will be where we need it, when we need it. That’s no longer an assumption that we can make.

So, most importantly, what should we do to save water? The top three tips:

1. Find and fix leaks: If knowing that a leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water per day doesn’t move you to fix that "running" toilet, think of the savings on your water bill.
2. Install low flow devices: The new generation of low flow shower heads won’t leave you with flat hair, a la Jerry Seinfeld. From aerators to low flow toilets, the improved versions are so good that you won’t notice a difference.
3. Eat less beef and other water-consuming foods: The facts here were a surprise to me. Here’s how much water it takes to produce a pound of different foods:

• Potatoes: 24 gallons
• Apples: 49 gallons
• Chicken: 815 gallons
• Pork: 1,630 gallons
• Beef: 5,214 gallons

Yes, you read that right: it takes 5,214 gallons of water to produce just one pound of beef. That’s the same amount of water used in six months’ worth of showers! Of course, cows don’t drink an inordinate amount of water; it just takes a lot of water to grow the corn that they eat.

In learning this, if you jump to the conclusion that we all need to become vegans to conserve water, first, take a breath. You don’t have to go all or nothing – consider going meatless for one day a week. Heck, even one meal can make a difference.

And that’s the overriding message from Sustainable Works: consider making small changes, and see what works for you and your family. Now that’s something that we can all do.

Photo credit: Texas Tech University, CASNR Water Center

By partnering with the non-profit organization Sustainable Works, the city encourages businesses to use resources more efficiently – benefiting both the company and the environment. Sustainable Works’ Business Greening program helps participant companies “green their bottom line” by assessing current policies and practices, then recommending new, greener options. To help ensure the adoption of new practices, the organization also assists the business in implementing the options they choose, and then tracks the outcomes.

Free for Santa Monica businesses, the program focuses on:

• Reducing and diverting solid waste,
• Becoming water efficient,
• Eliminating toxic chemicals,
• Minimizing transportation impacts,
• Reducing energy use, and
• Improving purchasing choices

Did I mention that the program is free?

In addition to their certifications, several businesses were awarded Sustainable Quality Awards (SQA) at a luncheon held last week. With SQA Grand Prizes going to businesses including Wilshire Restaurant, ECOLIMO, and marketing firm The Phelps Group, the diversity of the winners shows that any business can benefit from the program.

For individuals, Sustainable Works offers a similar Residential program. Designed to help people reduce their environmental impact, participants are grouped into “crews” of 10-15 for a series of six weekly meetings. Beginning with a self-assessment, the crews learn the concepts of sustainable living, including specific ways to live a greener lifestyle.

If only every city had these programs, what a wonderful (green!) world it would be.