Sustainability Committee meeting Tuesday, April 6 at the Central Public Library

Join us for our next regular meeting of the Sustainability Committee on Tuesday, April 6 at the Central Public Library (Meeting Room A) from 6:30PM-7:45PM.

Meeting Agenda:

1. Welcome and Introductions.
2. Review and approval of meeting minutes from February and March 2010 meetings.
3. Announcements:
4. Neighborhood Council elections registration for candidates has started! You are encouraged to sign-up as a candidate and run for a seat on the Board of Directors.
5. 2009-2010 Budget: all expenditures must be submitted by April 15, 2010 to the City of Los Angeles. To discuss and review budget allocations.
6. Green Space: Harlem Place Project will be presented in May 2010 – probably around the time of ArtWalk. Volunteers needed.
7. Green Space: Urban Garden Guide. Review cost proposals for printing and make a decision about next steps.
8. Green Space: Tree Planting Guide. Gunnar to present guide to tree planting.
9. Green Space: Green Pockets is underway and we need your help organizing Big Sunday (May 1-2). Motion to request support of DLANC Board of Directors.
10. Mobility: Car-Free Fridays. Propose that the Fourth Friday of every month is designated Car-Free Fridays. For more information, check out www.la-bike.org and http://la-bike.org/events/cff_supporting_orgs.html for more information about this initiative.
11. Mobility: Pedestrian Cross-Walks presentation of research into Downtown Urban Design Guidelines and proposal to request changing the timing of pedestrian crosswalks along corridors in the neighborhood.
12. Energy & Water: DWP and the proposed rate increase. The Sustainability Committee discussed this issue last Fall 2009 – do we want to take this on again? Next steps to be determined.
13. Resource Toolkit & the DLANC Website: could this become our “online resource toolkit” and should the Sustainability Committee take a more active role in helping with the online content?
14. Sustainability Committee Chair office hours are designated opportunities to work on projects for the community. Come visit!
15. Adjournment.

SDAT to be presented at LANCC Saturday, January 2

FYI: Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition
Info@lanccoalition.org
www.lanccoalition.org

The LANCC meets on the first Saturday of each month. See our web site for details and agendas.

REMINDER: LANCC MEETING JANUARY 2ND.

A reminder that our next LANCC meeting will be next Saturday, January 2nd, 10:00 a.m. at the Hollywood Constituent Center on Fountain, west of Vine St. DLANC has received a grant from the American Institute of Architects to study sustainability and the role of NC involved in such efforts. Ashley Zarella Hand from DLANC will give us an overview of the ongoing processes toward that goal. We will get an update on the BONCs efforts to “standardize” NC bylaws. I hope we can get a report from Chatsworth on their efforts to resolve the conflicts between their bylaws and the City Clerks election procedures for their NC. As we all know the city is in big trouble because of the budget shortfall. The results of the ERIP are finally hitting home with the city council. It’s time to explore the changing role of NCs and their relationship with the city. Come to the meeting with your thoughts and ideas on how NCs may have to reinvent themselves and how they might move forward as a major force in the political life of the city.

We’ll get the agenda out sometime tomorrow or Wednesday. Hope to see you all for a successful NC start of the New Year.

FROM: Leonard J. Shaffer, Chair, LANCCoalition
info@lanccoalition.org
www.lanccoalition.org

*This presentation will also be made at the January 2010 DLANC (Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council) Board meeting, January 12 at 6:30pm (Click here for more information: www.dlanc.com).

Neighborhood Council Elections have been scheduled - starting in 2010

The Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council has a Board of Directors with 28 positions for residents; business owners; public and private sector workforce; artists and educators; social service providers; homeless representing stakeholders throughout the neighborhood. Each Neighborhood Council is different - defined by each community it represents.

We have an annual budget of $45,000 sponsored by the City of Los Angeles to support a broad range of community initiatives and projects. This is your council too.
What is your vision for your neighborhood?

In 2010, run for your Neighborhood Council.
dlanc.com

For more information on neighborhood councils, how to become a candidate, and vote in the next election, please go to the City Clerk website and DONE (Department of Neighborhood Empowerment).

AIA SDAT Itinerary & Media Package

SDAT Goals & Itinerary

View more documents from Ashley Zarella Hand.

Sustainability Planning at the Grassroots Level - Hosted by the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council

Community members, steering committee, and other neighborhood councils are invited to the Public Presentation of the Preliminary SDAT Report. The SDAT will present their initial proposal and plan for the community and will provide a finalized report in early 2010. Your feedback is encouraged!

Friday, December 4, 2009
Starting at 6:00pm
Ronald F. Deaton Civic Auditorium
LAPD Police Administration Building
100 West First Street

Reception to follow.

SDAT Visit - Tour of Downtown Los Angeles

Wednesday, December 2

The SDAT will take a tour of the neighborhood with a few stops along the way. Due to limited capacity, the tour is not open to the public but we encourage media participation as this will be an opportunity to meet the national team of experts. Please contact us at sustainability@dlanc.com to participate.


View Sustainable Design Assessment Team Visit in a larger map

SDAT Steering Committee - Invited Members

As part of the SDAT process, a steering committee of community leaders and stakeholders has been invited to participate in a several key conversations with the SDAT. The following stakeholders have been invited to participate, as approved by the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council:

City Council District 1 (Ms. Lisa Flores)
City Council District 9 (Mr. Greg Fischer)
City Council District 14 (Ms. Kelli Bernard)
City of Los Angeles Community Development Department (Ms. Sharon Morris)
City of Los Angeles Planning Department (Mr. Simon Pastucha)
City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works (Mr. Ron Milo)
City of Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (Mr. Serge Haddad)
Clean Tech LA (Mr. Alex Fay)
CRA Los Angeles (Mr. Dave Neubecker)
Mayor's Business Team (Ms. Krista Kline)
Metro (Mr. James Rojas)

AEG (TBC)
Bicycle Coalition (Mr. Stephen Box)
Central City Association (Ms. Veronica Perez Becker)
Central City East Association (Ms. Qathryn Brehm)
Chrysalis (Ms. Neidy Portillo-Tseng)
Downtown Center Business Improvement District (Ms. Carol E. Schatz)
Downtown Economic Development (Mr. Brady Westwater)
Fashion District Business Improvement District (Mr. Kent Smith)
Gerding Edlen Development Co. (Mr. Dennis Wilde)
Gilmore Associates (Ms. Suzanne Ekerling)
Historic Downtown Business Improvement District (Mr. J. Russell Brown)
Los Angeles Conservation Corps (Mr. Bruce Saito)
Melendrez Partners (Ms. Valerie Melendrez)
MOCA (Mr. Lyn Winter)
Related Companies (Mr. Bill Witte)
Rotary Club of Los Angeles (Mr. Gus Oppermann)
SCI-Arc (Mr. Eric Owen Moss)
Skid Row Housing Trust (Ms. Theresa Hwang, Rose Fellow)
South Park Business Improvement District (Mr. Kent Smith)
US Green Building Council - LA Chapter (Dr. Lance Williams)

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!

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

Park[ing] Day LA 2009 - next planning meeting this week!

Park[ing] Day LA Planning Meeting
Thursday, August 27, 2009
6:30PM - 8:30PM
Lost Souls Cafe (124 W. 4th Street)

Parking Day LA is now less then a month away and we can use your help getting ready for the big day!

We have secured the permit and support of the Gilmore Associates for use of Harlem Place but we still need to do some additional outreach to local groups regarding activities and entertainment for the day - as well as recruiting volunteers to support the event. Please join us this Thursday from 6:30pm to 8:00pm to see how you can help!

Sustainable Community Projects Internship

The Sustainability Committee of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council is working to develop a community greening strategy and resource toolkit for Downtown stakeholders. We have created this unpaid internship to allow one qualified individual the opportunity to be involved with the administration, outreach and development of our 2009 projects and long-term planning for the Sustainability Committee. Qualified candidates should be interested in the different areas of sustainability that we have chosen to focus on in 2009 (water and energy efficiency, waste and recycling programs, best practices for residents and businesses, etc.). More information on our 2009 projects is available online at www.downtownsustainability.com.

The Sustainability Committee is dedicated to empowering the downtown community to create a culture of sustainability. We will work with the community to increase accessibility to existing programs and services through outreach and public education. We will identify and create opportunities for new programming and partnerships to meet our goals for a more livable, affordable, and efficient urban center. The Sustainability Committee is one of several Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council committees, representing stakeholders who live, work, own a business, or otherwise have a vested interested in our neighborhood.

SPECIFIC JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
Reporting to the Chair and Public Vice Chair of the Sustainability Committee, the intern will:
• Work closely with Project Leads to support project-based programming and events;
• Research and develop grant and award applications;
• Research and support the development of the community resources toolkit along the subject matter of the 2009 committee projects;
• Research and assist with the development of a community outreach plan, including a best practices recognition program for residents and businesses in the area.

REQUIREMENTS:
• Internship period is a minimum of 16 weeks. Hours are negotiable but the intern is expected to commit 15-20 hours/week to the internship under the supervision of the Sustainability Committee chairs. Three days of flexible hours is requested and attendance at regular monthly committee meetings is required.
• Candidates should have the ability to take initiative, work independently, and be a team player.
• Candidates should demonstrate good communication skills and an interest in any of the following areas: local politics, sustainable development, environmental studies, public planning, environmental education, or other relevant fields.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint are required. Other graphic skills a plus but not required.

Please submit your cover letter and resume to sustainability@dlanc.com by Friday, September 25, 2009.

DLANC considering a partnership with Village Green - public comment requested

Community Feedback Requested
Monday, August 17 6:30pm-8:30pm
NC Office (453 S. Spring Street, Suite 1020)

During the public comment at our monthly August Sustainability Committee meeting, Jude Hannah from Urban Glue invited the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council to consider a community partnership with the company Village Green as applicants for grant money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The proposed $250,000 project would go towards the development of a Small Business Environmental Management Program for Downtown. We are still trying to learn the details of this proposed partnership and welcome you to a community meeting next Monday.



This is the information Jude Hannah has provided to us thus far (see the image - a summary of the partnership roles). She has disclosed that she would be one of the people hired to run this initiative downtown by Village Green if the grant application is successful. We will continue to post more information as it is made available to us and we encourage public comment on this opportunity.

We plan to host a presentation by Jude Hannah of Urban Glue and community forum on this proposed community partnership. The Sustainability Committee will formally consider this at the September 2009 meeting and we have invited the Economic Development Committee to consider this prospect as well. Post your comments!

Park[ing] Day LA 2009 - Next meeting this Saturday

Park[ing] Day LA Planning Meeting
Saturday, August 1, 2009
11:00AM - 1:00PM
639 S. Spring Street, Unit 5C

There is an informal meeting this Saturday, August 1, 2009 at Spring Tower Lofts Unit 5C, starting at 11:00am, to discuss the third annual Park[ing] Day LA. We will recap our last meeting's discussion about what happened last year, lessons learned, and then focus on identifying tasks and partners associated with hosting Parking Day LA 2009 at Harlem Place. We will be closing with a brief conversation about other event and outreach programming for this year.

Spring Tower Lofts is located at 639 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles CA 90015. Someone will be posted by the door to let you in but if you arrive after 11:05AM please call 310-614-5756 to gain entry.

This is the second of several meetings so if you are interested but can't attend this weekend, please let us know by emailing us at sustainability@dlanc.com.

Sustainability Committee wins 2009 California American Planning Association (APA) Award of Merit for Grassroots Initiative!

Although we are still enjoying the honor of receiving the 2009 Los Angeles Section Award, the Sustainability Committee has been notified that we will be receiving a state-level APA Award of Merit for our efforts to create a community greening strategy and resource toolkit for Downtown Los Angeles.

Thank you for the support of our efforts by the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, Councilmember Jan Perry, University of Southern California, USGBC-Los Angeles Chapter, American Institute of Architects-Los Angeles, Los Angeles Police Department, and APA Los Angeles Section. Congratulations to the Sustainability Committee!

Our Role as Neighborhood Advocates: Energy Block Grants

Via an email request, the Los Angeles Convention Center asked the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council to support their application for the Energy Block Grant. This funding is available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. At our July 2009 meeting, the Sustainability Committee discussed and agreed to bring a letter of support to our upcoming Board of Director's meeting on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 (6:30pm at the Los Angeles Theater).

The Los Angeles Convention Center has made significant strides to improve their operations and overall efficiency. As a large stakeholder downtown, we agreed that it was important to support the Convention Center as they hope to "enhance the LACC's environmental stewardship, environmental education, energy conservation, and other environmental programs." We believe these goals are in line with the mission of the Sustainability Committee - and look forward to engaging as they implement these initiatives downtown.

Here is the proposed letter of support - to be voted on at the next Board of Directors meeting.

UPDATE: Letter approved by the Board of Directors (July 2009) and to be forwarded to City of Los Angeles.

Products we use - and the consequences

For our July meeting, Stanley Michaels (Director, Resident - Civic Center) presented the second installation of his research into more sustainable packaging options. In particular, Mr. Michaels investigated the impact of EPS expanded polystyrene and PS polystyrene packaging. As a committee, we discussed the impact of packaging on waste, recycling, economics, and community. For Mr. Michaels full report to the committee, please click here.

The Sustainability Committee of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council will be requesting a letter of support from the Board of Directors on Tuesday, July 14 (6:30pm at the Los Angeles Theater) for a city-wide ordinance banning styrofoam take-out containers and packaging in Los Angeles.

Mr. Michaels also recommended the following article - please let us know if you have any feedback! "Greening Your Take-out Packaging," GWM Admin, July 20, 2006.

UPDATE: Although controversial, the Board of Directors narrowly approved a letter of support requesting the City of Los Angeles begin investigating the impacts (environmental and economic) of a styrofoam take-out food container ban citywide (July 2009).

Recent local coverage - some words from our neighbors

There have been a couple of media moments recently for the Sustainability Committee - check out these articles and thanks for your help in getting the word out.

Downtown News (Thursday, July 2, 2009): "Tendril, Love and Care: Neighborhood Council Committee Aims for a Greener Downtown" by Ryan Vaillancourt

Garment & Citizen (Friday, June 26, 2009): "$15,000 Grant for Downtown Group's Sustainability Plans"

City Watch (Friday, June 26, 2009): "Date Set, Prep Starts for Popular Park(ing) Day LA" by Stephen Box

Park[ing] Day LA 2009 community partners

Project meetings are starting - time to get involved!

We're pleased to announce the launch of our 2009 project meetings. We encourage you to bring your neighbors and spread the word about what we're planning downtown. To learn more about all eight 2009 projects and engage a community greening strategy, please check out our blog.

If you can't make one of these first meetings, please let us know your availability by emailing us at sustainability@dlanc.com. If you would like to be involved with any of our projects - email us and we will make sure you get the information you need to participate.

Rooftop Container Garden & Composting Project Team Meeting
Meeting date of June 10 has been set - we will be meeting on the ground floor of the Spring Arts Tower (453 S. Spring Street) starting at 6:30pm. There is a lot of great momentum is building around this project. Our discussion will include an introduction to the project team leader (Dawna Nolan) and an overview of the currently proposed project which a review types of gardens and the community partners that have already come forward to lend their roofs or expertise. We will discuss the expansion of the existing composting pilot and next steps as we prepare for the first garden pilot projects.

Tree Community Tree Planting Project
Monday, June 22, 2009 / 6:00pm - 7:45pm (Central Public Library)
Come find out more about community tree planting projects - including the pilot project planned by the Sustainability Committee for Skid Row.

Our meetings will be fully covered on our blog - with a summary, discussions, and next steps outlined. We would like to hear from you. If you have any ideas but are unable to attend our first project meeting, there will be a forum for you to post your suggestions for our consideration. We are very excited to get the 2009 projects started and look forward to seeing you soon!

MEETING AGENDAS

12/01/09: December Meeting

11/04/09: November Meeting

10/06/09: October Meeting - One Year Anniversary Year in Review

09/01/09: September Meeting

08/04/09: August Meeting

07/07/09: July Meeting

06/02/09: June Meeting

05/05/09: May Meeting

04/20/09: April Meeting

03/30/09: Special Meeting: Neighborhood Council Committees & The SDAT Process

03/16/09: March Meeting

02/26/09: February Meeting (note special date and time)

01/19/09: January Meeting

12/08/08: Special Meeting: Greening the Neighborhood Council Office

11/17/08: November Meeting

11/03/08: Special Meeting: SDAT Grant Application Review and Discussion

10/20/08: October Meeting - Our first!