Last month, the city of Manhattan Beach banned the plastic bag as plastic advocates promised to sue. And sue they did yesterday. "The Save the Plastic Bag Coalition has asked a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge to toss out the prohibition on grounds that the city violated the California Environmental Quality Act by not fully analyzing the environmental effects of such a ban, according to papers filed recently," says the Daily Breeze. When plastic......

Photo by halighalie via Flickr A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place today at the newly greened Exposition Park Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Regional Branch Library on Western Avenue near USC. The green library is a first for the South Los Angeles region, also receiving the highest second highest rating from the U.S Green Building Council's LEED standards. Here's what made it certify at "gold," according to the city (.pdf): Landscape & Exterior Design......

Human waste is a part of life; we all generate it, we all need to dispose of it. Some of us abide by the clever rhyming adage "if it's yellow, mellow, if it's brown, flush it down" but with the state's increasingly perilous water levels on most minds, it's increasingly harder to even just take a seat on the old porcelain throne without worrying about the environment. Enter the EcoJohn line of toilets, all of......

Not only are there Props 7 and 10, which are environmentally intentioned with heavy opposition from businesses and eco-groups alike, there is also a possible prop being pushed around by Governor Schwarzenegger and Senator Dianne Feinstein. It would be a $9.3 billion water bond, mainly for water surface storage. And before we even know if the state legislature will approve its placement on November's ballot, nearly 40 environmental groups have already launched a large campaign......

Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster and City Councilmember Bonnie Lowenthal greeted members of the press and community for a beachfront demonstration of the City's biodiesel program on Tuesday morning. Biodiesel is a cleaner-burning alternative to petroleum diesel and will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and smoke particulates. Ten city vehicles, including skip loaders, tractors and dump trucks will be fueled up with a mixture of 80% diesel and 20% biodiesel over the next......

Photo by 416style via Flickr Green initiatives and measures are going to dot ballots across the state this November and while "it's the thing to do" these days, they may not be the best choices. At the very least, as LAist commenter jrb said, "this election season some the initiatives are not exactly a quick study. There will be some city initiatives like the San Francisco Clean Energy Act or the Residents’ Initiative to......

Pastor Robert Jones of a Sacramento-area church visited a state environmental hearing last Wednesday about California's plan to cut global warming emissions. He asked the politicians to keep poorer communities in mind when drafting laws. Two-minutes into it, State Senator Pat Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) interrupted Jones. "Excuse me, but I think your arguments are bullshit." It's nothing too dramatic, but a revealing moment in state politics. Wiggins later issues a stock statement saying that......

Southern California Edison (SCE) announced that they've now recycled 700,000 refrigerators in the last 15 years since the beginning of their Refrigerator and Freezer Recycling Program. The program has two parts: (1) you get $50 to recycle the fridge, and (2), you get another $50 if you buy a new Energy Star qualified fridge. According to SCE's director of energy efficiency per the Power Plug blog, people spend about an extra $300 a year with......

The city's Energy and the Environment Committee met this morning and passed a water waste crackdown plan, making way for a full city council approval, which will likely occur in September. "The 'drought busters' plan crafted by the Department of Water and Power seeks to punish residents who water their lawns between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., car owners who wash their cars without 'shut-off devices' on their hoses and restaurants that serve water without......

Following the lead of many other utilities, the Pasadena City Council on Friday took an official stance against Proposition 7, aka "Big Solar," which will appear on November's ballot asking voters to make utilities supply 20% of their power with renewable sources by 2010, 40% by 2020 and 50% by 2025. Pasadena Water and Power is a municipal owned utility and officials say that if passed, rates could jump 30 to 45%. While most people......

Photo by Señor Codo via Flickr After suing the Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year, California Attorney General Jerry Brown is at it once again over the agency's lack of regulation over greenhouse gas pollution from ships, aircraft, and construction and agricultural equipment. “Ships, aircraft and industrial equipment burn huge quantities of fossil fuel and cause massive greenhouse gas pollution yet President Bush stalls with one bureaucratic dodge after another,” Attorney General Brown said......

Starting tomorrow and throughout the baseball season, thanks to efforts by the LA City Council, a free "Dodgers Trolley" begins service between Union Station and Dodger stadium (behind Center Field). With two stops in between at Cesar Chavez Ave/Figueroa St. and Sunset Blvd./Marion Ave., the trip is estimated to take less than 20-minutes and a trolley can be caught every 8 or so minutes. A map of the route can be found here and more......

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......