Green Pockets - Survey Day #1 Saturday, March 20

Join us as we kick-off our first survey of the neighborhood for the Green Pockets Project. Our goal is to map all of the leftover spots around Downtown Los Angeles that could potentially be transformed in small gardens with native (and maybe even edible) plants.

Meet us at the DLANC Office (453 S. Spring Street, Suite 1020) on Saturday, March 20 at 10AM where we will divide into survey teams and begin this exciting new project! Please let us know if you can make it - RSVP here or go to our website www.downtownsustainability.com

Here's our schedule for the day:

• 10:00AM: Meet and sign-in
• 10:15AM: Brief introduction to program and survey (with donuts)
• 10:30AM: Teams depart to survey a few areas of the neighborhood
• 11:30AM (or whenever you are finished): Return to the DLANC Office with your survey data

If it's rainy, we'll try and meet on Sunday at the same time - check out our website for updates!

Multi-Family Recycling Downtown

As part of our effort to understand participation in the City of Los Angeles' free multi-family recycling program, we have found this map identifying locations currently using the program.

Does your residential building have recycling? Is it included on this map? Let us know! Email us with your address and recycling status at sustainability@dlanc.com.


View Multifamily Residential Recycling Program in a larger map

New DLANC Event for 2010? Ciclovia to be presented to Sustainability Committee

Jonathan Parfrey, the director of Green LA Institute, will be presenting Ciclavia ("seek-low-VEE-uh") to the Sustainability Committee at our next meeting January 5. They are seeking the support of DLANC for an event downtown this year.

Ciclovía started in Bogotá, Colombia over thirty years ago as a response to the congestion and pollution of city streets. Now it is happening all over Latin America and the United States, giving people a break from the stress of car traffic. The health benefits are immense, bringing families out to enjoy their streets in a new way, getting them to walk and bike together.

To read more about this event, go to their website: http://ciclavia.wordpress.com/

Check out the East Hollywood to Boyle Heights concept:
View cicLAvia East Hollywood to Boyle Heights in a larger map

Sustainable Community Projects Internship - Updates

January 1, 2010: Marc Ross is currently working on two projects. In his own words, he summarizes the goals:

The first project is a brochure describing how to start an urban
garden. There will be a series of seven questions one may ask during
the process, and instructions and ideas of how to answer them. It will
also offer contact information of city and private resources
available, as well as local groups associated with DLANC.

The second project is the garden. We are currently working with Paul
Zawacki at Skid Row Housing Trust to try and build a garden in the
space behind the Las Americas building on 6th and Alameda St., or
another spot. The idea is that the produce yielded from the garden
will be sold to chefs of local restaurants for use in their cuisine
and will grow specialty crops specifically for their needs. The
proceeds will be used to pay the low-income residents of the SROs
working the garden, as well as go towards supplies for maintaining it.
The micro-enterprising idea is designed to give economic stimulus to
ensure success of the garden. We are still trying to ascertain whether
the spot behind Las Americas is available for such a project.

October 19, 2009: Marc Ross, Sustainable Community Projects Intern will be focusing on a rooftop ordinance study for the remainder of the internship. He has already been very helpful in compiling information for two different tree planting grants and we hope to submit these to our partner LACC soon. Working exclusively on the ordinance study will focus Marc's efforts in support of Project 1: Rooftop Edible & Composting Containers (Project Lead: Dawna Nolan) to the benefit of the Sustainability Committee's understanding of the issue. We continue to post updates for the remaining weeks of the internship. Start Date: October 6, 2009 / Tentative End Date: December 31, 2009 (12 week min.)

October 6, 2009: We would like to welcome Marc J. Ross, 2009 Sustainable Community Project Intern for the Sustainability Committee of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council. This is the first time we have had an (unpaid) internship for the neighborhood council and Marc will be dedicated to supporting the advancement of our organization's goals.

In Marc's own words, here is why he wants to get involved:

"Currently, I am employed by the Downtown Women’s Center in Los Angeles as their Nutritional Specialist. My position gives me the opportunity to feed women of low means the healthiest foods that they might not necessarily find anywhere else downtown. Aside from cooking healthy fare, the participants and I engage in discussions on how to improve their health and well being through their diets. We provide them with fresh fruits and vegetables daily, many of them donated from relationships I have developed with farmers from the Pershing Square farmers market and Heath and Lejeune. However, because of budgetary restraints, I am unable to provide my participants with solely sustainable, organic produce and protein.

Food security and food sustainability are my passion and two topics I spend great amounts of time researching. I strongly believe that if we as a society do not take the necessary steps to become a sustainable nation, our lives and the lives of future generations are in grave risk of losing the planet to elements no longer within our control. The steps needed to change our current systems are daunting, but it is a challenge to which I want to devote my career. Locally, I want to help empower and educate Los Angeles to make more informed choices, incrementally helping us move towards a more sustainable and independent future. This internship opportunity will assist me in working toward and achieving that goal and introduce me to future possibilities."

We were very pleased with the excellent candidates we had for this opportunity and thank you for your enthusiasm and support of the Sustainability Committee. For more information on the original internship posting, including a job description, click here.

Welcome Marc!

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.

A letter from the Sustainability Committee Chair Ashley Zarella, LEED AP, Assoc. AIA & DLANC Director, Area-Wide Workforce, Private Sector

To the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Sustainability Committee, Community & Members of City Council:

I am writing to request your support for our neighborhood council and others across the city. The Sustainability Committee has a vested interest in preserving our 2010 budget request - which has already been reduced by proposed cuts. Now, even more drastic cuts are being discussed. We have worked very hard to create some exciting grassroots initiatives and would like the support of our City Council in accomplishing the goals we have established WITH the community we represent.

I am one of many new participants in this system of city-sponsored grassroots organizations but I appreciate the incredible capacity of neighborhood councils to create a more sustainable Los Angeles.

>>> The Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, which has just celebrated its seventh anniversary, has fostered events and community outreach such as ArtWalk, Skid Row 3-on-3, Meet your councilmember, job search and community mixers, Park[ing] Day LA and Placemaking in Downtown Los Angeles outreach events, and many other local projects from composting to historical surveys.

>>> In just seven months, the Sustainability Committee has developed a growing network of interested residents, entrepreneurs, artists and employees; we recently received a national grant that requires a community match; and just this week, a local section of the American Planning Association has recognized our grassroots initiative with an award.

>>> The Sustainability Committee has launched eight projects for 2009 - from rooftop container gardens and treeplanting; to increasing participation through outreach in cost-saving and efficiency-focused programs to reduce resource waste. We are working with the community to prioritize our long term sustainability goals for more effective advocacy on behalf of our neighborhood.

The Sustainability Committee has engaged city departments, the community, and even my professional association (AIA) to assist in developing community-based outreach, education and advocacy that will leverage networks of people, resources, and opportunity for sustainable urban development.

The Sustainability Committee represents a diverse mix of professionals and members who have volunteered their time in support of our projects and mission. At the last City Council Budget & Finance Committee, a budget cut of nearly 80% was proposed. While all city departments must adjust to our economic reality, cutting such a large share of Neighborhood Council funding will eliminate hundreds of valuable community-based initiatives across Los Angeles. Please do not allow the City to disproportionally cut our funding as we launch into an incredible time for activism at the local level.

Email your neighborhood council and city council members. Leave a comment here so we can give your feedback to the City. Help us continue to build a better neighborhood council system. $50K a year can do a lot of great things at the neighborhood level to improve the livability, affordability, efficiency of our city. Please help us by supporting your neighborhood council!

Thank you for your time and consideration.

AZ

Ashley Zarella, LEED AP, Assoc. AIA
Chair, Sustainability Committee
Director, Area-Wide Work-Force, Private Sector (AECOM Design)
Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, 2008-2010

2009 Project 8: Green Living Program

Research and identify green living education programs and determine the feasibility of getting the city to launch an initiative downtown. (A. Zarella)

EDUCATION: The community on the value of "green living workshops" that give residents the information and tools they need to make more sustainable choices at home.

OUTREACH: Partner with existing green living educational programs (e.g. Santa Monica's Sustainable Works program) to bring pilot program to downtown. Class should be aimed at all downtown stakeholders (including people who work downtown but do not necessarily live here).

ADVOCACY: Develop a strategy for advocating the city to launch the program.

Project Lead: Pamela Tuttle

Park[ing] Day LA 2008 Block Party

Friday, September 19, 2008 was Park[ing] Day LA and the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council and community partners hosted the first-ever downtown block party to celebrate. Winston Street became a temporary urban park with Skid Row 3-on-3 Basketball, g727 interactive cityscape, live art by Crewest, live music by Little Radio and their featured artists, a community table, and a dog park by the Pussy and Pooch and their partners. You can check out image from the event here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/parkingdayla2008/sets/72157607436752181/

We thought the event was a great first attempt at a block party and many of our neighbors involved and participants agree. Gunnar Hand (Director, Area-Wide Work-Force, Public Sector) and I (Director, Area-Wide Work-Force, Private Sector) will be issuing a final summary of the event and hope this will encourage the success of many future events to come. Thank you to all of our sponsors and participants. We look forward to more fun and community outreach over the next 22 months of our term!