Usually, building codes are not at the forefront of state politics, but recently, as Los Angeles and other cities are setting their own building standards, a statewide standard was passed. It's a good step, but Schwarzenegger and environmentalists have differing views on if it is strong enough or not, even though it is the strictest in the U.S. "Nationwide, buildings consume 39% of energy, 12% of potable water, and 40% of raw materials, according to......

The long awaited Vista Hermosa Park near Downtown in City West is opening this Saturday. Apparently, it's the first new park in Downtown since 1895, according to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy who bought the land and has been working with the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority on the 14-acre park that seeks to recreate the natural environment through trails, wetlands, chaparral and fishing ponds. There's also a FIFA-regulation soccer field, picnic areas, and an......

Yesterday, Iowa Senator Charles Grassley wrote a letter to President George Bush asking him to consider taking a stand against car idling in Washington D.C. "While people across the country are looking for ways to reduce their fuel burden by using less, the federal government doesn’t appear to be taking the same steps to reduce wasteful energy consumption and save taxpayer money," he wrote. "Each and every day, there are likely dozens, if not hundreds......

Time to hunker down and flex your power, so says state officials. "The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), charged with managing the electricity grid in California, has issued a Flex Alert for Tuesday, July 8th through Thursday, July 10th," an e-mail alert states. "Due to the current hot weather, electricity conservation is necessary."......

If there is anywhere you would expect a Tree Commission to exist, it would be Santa Monica. After the uprooting of 23 trees on 2nd and 4th streets (see photos here), the activist group Treesavers is urging City Hall to form a Tree Commission. The Santa Monica City Council was scheduled to take it up last month, but it was postponed until later this month. "Positive, passionate and polite phone calls supporting the establishment of......

Last night, the Manhattan Beach City Council voted and passed a ban on plastic bags, according to the City Clerk's Office. A month ago, the city tried to pass the ordinance, but opposition claimed the city did not go through the correct environmental review processes. Nevertheless, one group said prior to last night's meeting they would probably still sue the city over the new law. The oceanside city joins Malibu and San Francisco in plastic......

After both San Francisco and Malibu successfully passed plastic bag bans in their respective cities, Manhattan Beach is taking up the issue tonight at their City Council meeting. The measure is similar in nature to Malibu's ordinance, but opponents, Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, say the city did not go through the correct process to initiate such a ban and threatens to sue. Another issue to them is that paper bags are not addressed, which......

The Old Spaghetti Factory on Sunset Boulevard is gone, leaving a trail of b'day party memories, indigestion and chain link fencing in its wake. The Sunset & Gordon neighborhood has a big wide sidewalk but not much street life. The sound of the helicopter hovering overhead competes with the police sirens, the music pumping from the adjacent apartment building, the traffic on Sunset. This neighborhood needs a park! All it takes is the Los Angeles......

Over in Valley Village, a new store has opened on Laurel Canyon Blvd. Green & Greener has been an online only website for two years now, but two weeks ago, a husband and wife duo made the leap from the web to the street. Green & Greener is one of the most exciting green stores in Los Angeles. From a selection of clothing and bathroom products to hardware, this store is holds some of your......

Today at the California Air Resources Board meeting, a historic plan is being presented that may radically cut greenhouse gas emissions in the state by about 30% by 2020. "The state is proposing a slate of changes including a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gases, requiring renewable sources to power a third of the state's grid and taxing gas guzzling cars. Their approach will become a model for the nation if climate change legislation of some......

For six weeks, ex-LA City Beat writer Alan Mittelstaedt has been trying to get a hold of DWP's CEO and General Manager's personal water bills, something that must be released by law within 10 days of request. The reporter was ready to bring the DWP to court, but before that, the Daily News printed a story about Nahai's bills but left out the backstory on why Nahai was all of the sudden releasing this info.......

Ex-LA City Beat writer Alan Mittelstaedt (known as the LA Sniper) might sue the LA Dept. of Water & Power General Manager and CEO David Nahai over a California Public Records Request violation -- Nahai won't give up his personal water bills for his 6,012-square foot Benedict Canyon mansion. Mittelstaedt thinks the bills will show Nahai's lifestyle is opposite the one his department preaches: sustainability and green. "We’re in ongoing discussions with DWP’s attorneys and......

What the LA Department of Water & Power is saying today during the heatwave: "Yesterday's energy peak reached 5856 megawatts, and was the second highest load in June. Today's peak demand is expected to reach or exceed the record of 6165 megawatts, set on July 24, 2006. While the LADWP has enough power to meet the city's needs, extraordinary demand during prolonged hot temperatures puts a tremendous strain on the city's electrical distribution equipment. Customers......

With temperatures soaring past 100 degrees in the Valley and with other parts of Los Angeles feeling sticky, it's no surprise that energy use spiked yesterday. "The energy peak topped out at 5509 megawatts, making it the second highest June load on record," stated an LA Department of Water & Power press release from today that "urges" residents to conserve energy. "The record load for June is 5531 megawatts, set on June 28, 2006. The......

Sometimes, what happens around San Francisco applies to Los Angeles. Editor Brock Keeling catches this sign of the times with some humor: Freeway Blogger brought these sings to our attention, placed on the overpass above (the) eastbound I-80. A great message about global warming. Good job. Also: how mean! Christmas is canceled!......

Yesterday, a City Council committee passed a food recycling pilot project that would give 8,700 homes in South LA 2-gallon composting bins (however, still no locally based farm being provided). The Daily News says that 27% of black-bin waste is food equalling out to 230,000 tons of it a year. Food would be picked up and taken to a downtown transfer station and hauled up to a nearby Bakersfield composting facility. Officials will be evaluating......

Here's a sign of the times. This bike rack at the Variety/E Channel Meridian Club building on Wilshire normally has three or four bikes on it. This day, bikes (including mine) had to be locked to parking meters because the rack was full. Related: Gas is currently averaging at $4.60 a gallon for regular in Los Angeles......

On the heels of the annual Great LA River CleanUp comes another large do-gooding river activity tomorrow morning. 2,000 people from Heal the Bay, the NAACP, PAVA and ANAHUAK will be cleaning the Glendale Narrows section of the LA River along with Councilman Eric Garcetti and other neighborhood and organization leaders. "The L.A. River is something we all have in common. Only if all communities work together will we be able to restore and revitalize......

One week after Gov. Schwarzenegger declared a statewide water drought, the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California has issued a water supply alert to the 18 million people in the six counties it serves, which includes Los Angeles County. The alert is the second of three steps to impose water rationing. “A ‘water supply alert’ does not mean less water being supplied; it means that the water being supplied is severely depleting reserves, and......

Photos via FUH2.com Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office has always said that transportation deputy Jaime De La Vega's choice of personal car, Hummer's H3, is a private matter. Steve Lopez, who put De La Vega in the limelight on this issue a year and a half ago says it's a public one. Lopez was in the right. And he still is. Yesterday, he "happened to be wandering around the City Hall basement and came upon......

Photo by S.C. Asher via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr FAIR If you haven’t heard enough about it already, the 17th Los Feliz Village Street Fair takes place all day today, taking over Vermont Avenue. Enjoy live music, lots of food, a “green” exhibit, and even a few rides! 11 a.m. // Vermont Ave. between Franklin and Hollywood Blvd. // Free FILM The W hotel in Westwood begins their Summer Screening series......

Photo by Lush.i.ous via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr PARTY Pop shop Japan L.A. celebrates their 2 year anniversary at Rise at the Highlands. Come decked out in your best Lolita and Japanese street fashion and get your picture taken with Hello Kitty. 10 p.m. // Rise at The Highlands // 6801 Hollywood Blvd. Suite 433 Hollywood // (323) 461-9800 // Free ART For one night only, Billy Shire Fine Arts will......

Exhibitors set up for Dwell on Design | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist The newest and hottest trends in new modern design and eco-friendly building are hitting the Los Angeles Convention Center this weekend at Dwell on Design. Over 200 exhibitors will display their outdoor, indoor and prefab wares including new products being launched this weekend. Additionally, there will be displays (ex., the Nomad yurt), sixteen private home tours and after hours parties. Thursday and......

Today, Governor Schwarzenegger declared a statewide water drought and ordered immediate action to address the issue. Via the Sacramento Bee: The Republican governor will sign an executive order that seeks to accelerate water transfers to shortage areas, pursue federal assistance and improve coordination between government agencies. The order does not impose statewide water rationing but attempts to reduce water use by bolstering state and local conservation programs Locally, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California......

Photo by AZAdam via Flickr Only 102 of the 958 city buildings expected to get CFLs have installed the energy-efficient lightbulbs and City Controller Laura Chick is saying that the program is not going fast enough. So far, the city has replaced enough to save $1.5 million on the annual $27-million power bill. However, replacing the bulbs came at the price of $5 million, but costs are expected to be recovered over time with......

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., left, gestures toward Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., right, as he shakes hands with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. upon his arrival for a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington today on the environment and global warming. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Today over at the Huffington Post, California Senator Barbara Boxer contributes her third post to the locally based blog and news site -- this time in an effort of advocacy: Today,......

The Los Angeles area's growing stock of eco-friendly businesses increased Saturday with the grand opening of O!burger in West Hollywood. The organic burger joint uses only certified organic ingredients in their grass fed beef burgers, free range turkey burgers, hot dogs, salads, French fries and shakes. Previously -- Preview: Fast Food Organic Burger Joint Opens in WeHo......

Slowly we've seen man replaced by the machine, but at 3 parking lots in Long Beach they're powering the machines with a force even more powerful: the sun! According to the Long Beach Press-Telegram, the LBC's "Redevelopment Agency has replaced the honor boxes at three downtown lots with solar-powered pay stations." These units run on the energy generated by "a solar panel that's placed on top of the pay station." Even better yet, these machines......

A possible water supply alert is being considered by Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California, who serve 18 million people in the region. Their board will discuss the option next month because places where water is taken is found to be "unusually" dry and for environmental reasons (delta smelt). “A ‘water supply alert’ does not mean less water being supplied; it means that the water being supplied is severely depleting reserves, and that if......

A report released from the Brookings Institution says Honolulu has the lowest carbon footprint of any city in the United States. Then at number two is Los Angeles, which is a surprise considering the city's sprawling car culture and industry. Who is not surprised is Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office. His deputy for energy and environment told the LA times that "sprawl is a lot worse in other parts of the U.S." and that the city......