The DLANC Sustainability Committee meets on the First Tuesday of every month at the Central Public Library.
Our committee chairs host office hours and neighborhood stakeholders gather for project workshops
to help advance several community-driven initiatives - for Downtown Los Angeles.


What is your vision for a more livable, affordable and efficient neighborhood?

Community Events Calendar

Send an event posting to sustainability@dlanc.com

Community Feedback on Energy Efficiency Block Grant

The City of Los Angeles is seeking public input on how to spend the Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant from the federal stimulus package – approximately $37 million which can be used in various ways to reduce energy use, reduce fossil fuel emissions, improve energy efficiency, and maximize benefits for local communities – public health, good jobs and equitable business opportunities.

It is critical that energy efficiency programs are built with the expertise, creativity and innovation of the green business community, with integrity, and with the understanding that programs and initiatives will be held to high standards.

The public meetings are nearly over but there is an opportunity to complete an online survey where you can give feedback about our City priorities. Go to this link to complete the survey as soon as possible: http://www.environmentla.org/EECBG/EECBG.htm

Here is a link to a recent letter of support by the Sustainability Committee of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council for the Los Angeles Convention Center application.

LA Bike Plan now available for public review

From the City of Los Angeles:

We are pleased to announce the availability of the complete Bicycle Plan draft for public review and comments. The Bicycle Plan draft includes the bikeway maps released to the public in May, as well the plan text and appendices. They are posted on the LA Bike Plan website (www.labikeplan.org). Due to budget constraints, we are unable to produce as many hard copies as needed. There will be sufficient hard copies however, for regional libraries and Department of City Planning offices.

As the attached letter indicates, four public workshops will be held in October throughout the City. We will accept comments through November 6, which will be addressed in a final draft that will be the subject of public hearings at a later date.

All comments or questions should be directed to Jordann Turner via email: jordann.turner@lacity.org or via phone: (213) 978-1379.

October Regular Sustainability Committee Meeting Agenda

When: Tuesday, October 6, 2009, 6:30-7:50pm
Where: Central Public Library, Meeting Room A (630 W. 5th Street)

Celebrating One Year

MEETING AGENDA SC-15-100601

1. Welcome.

2. Public Comment on Non-agenda items including community announcements (3 minutes).

3. Review meeting minutes from the September meeting. Action Item: Approve minutes SC-14-090901 (all meeting attendees - 3 minutes).

4. Sustainable Community Projects Internship update. Intern to be introduced to Sustainability Committee.

5. 2009 Projects – Year in review

a. Project 1: Rooftop Edible & Composting Containers (Dawna Nolan)
b. Project 2: Tree Planting – Skid Row Pilot (Gunnar Hand) Motion: Sustainability Committee to approve letter of support for Signature Project designation by Million Trees LA.
c. Projects 3: Increase Participation in Cost-Saving Efficiency Programs: Energy & Water Focus (Corey Prost)
d. Project 4: Increase Participation in City & Private Recycling and Food Waste Programs (Corey Prost)
e. Project 5: Online Toolkit of Existing Resources (Ryan Saucerman). Additional update on progress of Sustainability Committee website.
f. Project 6: Community Greening Strategy & The Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) Grant (Veronica Siranosian).
g. Project 7: Event and Education Programming & Calendar.
h. Project 8: Green Living Program (Pamela Tuttle).

6. Agenda items for next meeting?

7. Adjournment

The public is requested to fill out a “Speaker Card” to address the DLANC SUSTAINABILITY Committee on any item of the agenda prior to the Committee taking action on an item. Comments from the public on agenda items will be heard only when the respective item is being considered. Comments from the public on other matters not appearing on the agenda that is within the Committee’s subject matter jurisdiction will be heard during the public comment period. Public comment is limited to 2 minutes per speaker, unless waived by the presiding officer of the Committee. As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices, or other auxiliary aids and/or services may be provided upon request. To ensure availability of services, please make your request at least 3 business days (72 hours) prior to the meeting you wish to attend by contacting Committee Board Chair Ashley Zarella at ashley.zarella@DLANC.com.

SI REQUIERE SERVICIOS DE TRADUCCION, FAVOR DE NOTIFICAR A LA OFICINA 3 dias de trabajo (72 horas) ANTES DEL EVENTO. SI NECESITA ASISTENCIA CON ESTA NOTIFICACION, POR FAVOR LLAME A NUESTRA OFICINA AL 323-224-2316.

Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council hosts its second Park[ing] Day LA block party Friday, September 18


Park[ing] Day is a national grassroots effort to highlight the need for more open space in our cities by transforming parking spots into small parks. This year the Sustainability Committee is supporting Reclaim[ing] Harlem Place.

There will be temporary park installations across Downtown and throughout Los Angeles. Bring your lunch, grab the pooch and check out the temporary parks around the neighborhood for a day! For a full listing of events, go to www.parkingdayla.com

If you would like to get involved, please contact Sustainability Committee Public Vice-Chair, Jennifer Regan. Thank you to Pamela Tuttle who has volunteered to organize this event. Thank you to all of our community partners this year!

AIA SDAT Preliminary Visit - A whirlwind success

On September 10 and 11, 2009, the AIA National team had a preliminary visit to Downtown Los Angeles. Guided by local residents and sustainability committee members, they visited historic city hall and the civic center, the industrial and fashion districts, the LA River, skid row, and took tours of LA Live and new green buildings.

On the first day of their visit the AIA staffers and Project Lead Walter Sedovic, AIA got a whirlwind tour on foot of South Park, Bunker Hill, theaters on Broadway, the new LAPD building, and Skid Row - including the Skid Row Housing Trust Rainbow Apartments. Board member Michael Delijani generously hosted a lunch for the team at the historic Los Angeles Theater. Later, the team was treated to a home-cooked dinner by a Sustainability Committee member and Downtown resident Dawna Nolan and then enjoyed Downtown’s nightlife at Art Walk.

On the second day of the visit the AIA staff met with the Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment to discuss the project. They next took a drive to the Los Angeles River, explored the riverbed, and toured the Arts District. A lunch was provided courtesy of Gilmore Associates. For an interactive map depicting the locations visited, please click here.

Based on their preliminary observations, the SDAT project team leader will now put together a full team of experts to visit Los Angeles on December 2-4.

It's starting! AIA SDAT this Thursday & Friday

The Sustainability Committee of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council is pleased to announce that the first stage of the SDAT (Sustainable Design Assessment Team) grant starts this Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 9am.

This $15,000 national grant is from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and will fund a team of professionals to help with the development of a community greening strategy and resource toolkit. We have only had a short amount of time to get ready for this visit but the Sustainability Committee would like to invite you to participate in this exciting planning process.

Please NOTE: I am updating the itinerary frequently - please check out our website for a link to the latest version of the schedule.

You are welcome to join us for any of our community walks - as indicated on the schedule. Thank you to our community partners who are participating in the preliminary visit. We are hoping to visit all parts of the neighborhood represented by the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council. Introduce yourself to the team, hear their first impressions, and discuss your thoughts about walkability, livability, affordability, efficiency, and sustainability in your neighborhood.

We hope to see you this Thursday, September 10 - Friday, September 11 as we introduce the SDAT to Downtown Los Angeles. Thank you!

www.downtownsustainability.com

SDAT (Sustainable Design Assessment Team) is coming to town!

We are pleased to announce the preliminary visit for the AIA (American Institute of Architects) national grant is this Thursday, September 10 - Friday, September 11. We are hoping to find community partners to join us for tours of our neighborhood and perhaps even host a meal for the three visitors!

Although there are many parts of Downtown that are not specifically listed for this visit, we are going to do our best to visit as many of the great spots around town. If you have suggestions or recommendations, please let us know! We have enabled "comments" on this entry.

We also are looking for meal hosts - we are hoping to introduce the SDAT to the great restaurants and food options around the neighborhood. Suggestions thus far have included: The Pantry, Grand Central Market, and Dawna Nolan's home. We've got two more meals - breakfast and lunch (possibly) - what would you recommend?

The green indicates sites we hope to see on Thursday. The blue indicates sites we hope to see on Friday. Let us know if you want to meet us at a site by emailing sustainability@dlanc.com

View SDAT Preliminary Visit Locations in a larger map


Here's our proposed itinerary - details are still being worked out!

Who's coming and what do they want?

We have requested resumes for all visitors this week, including Joel Mills, Walter Sedovic, and Erin Simmons.

Walter Sedovic, AIA, LEED AP and SDAT Project Team Leader
Mr. Sedovic is principal and chief executive officer of Walter Sedovic Architects, founded in 1986 and dedicated to historic preservation and sustainable design. His work and firm are recognized as representing the vanguard of infusing preservation projects with green building approaches. Sedovic has lectured and published widely on preservation and sustainability. He received training in historic preservation from the University of Kansas and the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property in Rome, Italy.

Joel Mills, AIA Center for Communities by Design
Mr. Mills serves as director of the AIA Center for Communities by Design, the primary resource for architects and citizens interested in building healthy, sustainable, safe, and livable communities. His experience includes community-based technical assistance, process design, facilitation and training across a number of fields including juvenile justice reform, local government, education, family strengthening, civic media and emergency management. During the 1990s, Joel spent several years supporting international democratization initiatives by providing technical assistance to parliaments, political parties, local governments, and civic and international organizations. His scope of work included constitutional design and governing systems, voter and civic education, election monitoring and administration, human rights, and civil society capacity building.

Erin Simmons, AIA Center for Communities by Design
Ms. Simmons leads selected initiatives involving community outreach and facilitation to foster leadership opportunities for AIA members, AIA local components, and the public. She focuses on the relationship-building aspects of creating healthy, sustainable, safe, and livable communities. Erin manages the design assistance programs offered through the Center including the Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) and Regional and Urban Design Assistance Team (R/UDAT) programs. Erin holds a Master’s degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Georgia, College of Environment and Design. She earned her BA degree in history from Florida State University.

September Regular Sustainability Committee Meeting

When: Tuesday, September 1, 2009, 6:30-7:50pm
Where: Central Public Library, Meeting Room A (630 W. 5th Street)

MEETING MINUTES SC-14-090901 (for approval at November 2009 meeting)

1. Welcome.
2. Public Comment on Non-agenda items including community announcements (3 minutes).

3. August meeting minutes SC-13-090804 approved.

4. Sustainable Community Projects Internship has been posted. Goal is to have an intern to start at the end of September 2009. Committee recommends posting on Planetizen and planning.org. Committee invited to participate in intern review process.

5. Sustainability Committee hosted an open meeting with Urban Glue to discuss the proposed partnership with Village Green for an American Recovery Act Grant. The consensus was that there was not enough information or Neighborhood Council resources to fully manage this opportunity as proposed. However, we will continue to investigate this opportunity and implementation logistics in the coming months.

6. Project 6 (Veronica Siranosian): The SDAT preliminary visit is scheduled (tentatively) for September 10-11, 2009. This will include an introduction of the SDAT Project Leader to the neighborhood and informal meetings with community stakeholders. A project team meeting will be scheduled (TBA).

7. Park[ing] Day LA 2009 is Friday, September 18 and will be hosted by the Sustainability Committee in Harlem Place (between W.4th and W.5th Street). Event volunteers, please contact Jennifer Regan and Pamela Tuttle at sustainability@dlanc.com.

8. Project Butterfly (http://www.projectbutterfly.org/) has proposed a community partnership for a Downtown broadcast of the annual Bioneers Conference on October 14-16 (http://www.bioneers.org/conference). The partnership would involve our help with local outreach and communications, event volunteers, and potentially a brief presentation of the work being done Downtown. Committee approved proposed partnership for the October event (S. Michaels abstains). Ron Crockett volunteers to help with event.

9. The Tree Planting Project would like to apply for the Board of Public Works Community Beautification Grant (http://bpw.lacity.org/OCB/CBGrant/cbgidx07.html) for $15,000 towards tree maintenance for the Skid Row pilot project. Project may not be eligible because it needs funding for maintenance (not within scope). Committee approved motion to proceed with grant application, pending verification of terms.

10. Discussion on the recent DWP MOU. Sustainability Committee voted to continue investigating this issue – particularly as it applied to tiered rates applicable to peak usage.

11. 2009 Project Updates:
a. Project 1: Rooftop Edible & Composting Containers (Dawna Nolan) – no report at this time.
b. Project 2: Tree Planting – Skid Row Pilot (Gunnar Hand): Tree planting day is tentatively scheduled for October 24. Ongoing solicitation of community partnerships and funds for tree maintenance. Committed to three years of maintenance for trees.
c. Projects 3: Increase Participation in Cost-Saving Efficiency Programs: Energy & Water Focus/Project 4: Increase Participation in City & Private Recycling and Food Waste Programs (Corey Prost) Meeting with city departments to continue to understand resources available. New commercial services postcard has been printed for distribution.
d. Project 5: Online Toolkit of Existing Resources (Ryan Saucerman). Ryan was absent – no update on website to date.
e. Project 7: Event and Education Programming & Calendar. Calendar continues to be updated. Check website for latest information.
f. Project 8: Green Living Program (Pamela Tuttle). Investigating partnership with Los Angeles Community College District to bring green living courses to larger community.

12. Adjournment