Did you know that residents of Los Angeles County use 6 billion plastic bags a year, and only 5% of bags in the US are recycled? In the state of California the average person uses 552 bags, according to the environmental organization Heal the Bay. These bags are then left to choke up our waterways, landfills, streets, and urban landscapes, causing harm to animal life and our ecosystem. This is why Heal the Bay, along......

Long weekends are relaxing, but they can also be daunting. To assuage the malaise, LAist has assembled a list of musical diversions that are kind to your wallet, while also providing a nice alternative to the crowded beaches. Unless otherwise noted, all performances are free. SATURDAY, 9/3 Joy Burnworth, plays a free concert at The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center. The performance starts at 6pm. Call (310) 641-8073. DJs Michael Stock and Benjamin White......

What goes well with a leisurely stroll after dinner, a post-breakup consolation session, or a hot LA afternoon? Ice cream, of course! And to facilitate these, and many other, person-to-frozen dairy treat relationships, most local Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops are hosting a Free Cone Day tomorrow, between 12:00 and 8:00 p.m. Wrap your mouth around a mound of Cherry Garcia, or get yourself a Chubby Hubby. There might be no such thing as a......

We have a sort of legendary aversion to chain restaurants, and our friends do the best they can to accomodate our (alleged) snobbery. But recently we were craving sushi, and the suggested lunch spot was a sushi place that happened to be one of a chain. (No, not Todai. Don't get us started.) LAist enjoyed a relatively inexpensive and remarkably fresh and well-prepared sushi lunch at the Hastings Ranch (Pasadena) location of the sushi......