Now that Thanksgiving is over and Christmas Tree shopping is in order, it's a good time keep in mind that when it comes time to get rid of that tree, you can recycle it. If you have a green yard trimmings container, then you can the tree up and place it in there. If not, it's a good thing the Department of Public Works is already pushing their Christmas Tree Recycling Program that will be......

... but there's not much Los Angeles in the latest issue of Plenty, a bi-monthly magazine on environmental news and commentary. There's a feature story on the negative environmental impact of surfing and good tips for going to the farmer's market (use it with the new Farmer's Market Google Map), but our dear home is not but a mere mention in a small, but fun brief. With the fact that "urban areas are responsible for......

The 10th Annual Los Angeles Arbor Day Festival is the latest casualty of the Griffith Park Fire. In a tragic irony, California Wildfire Awareness week will not be ending with a celebration of LA's 4,000-acre urban forest as originally planned. The fest was scheduled as part of the Million Trees LA initiative. Saturday IS Fire Service Recognition Day. Tons of options for family fun on what's forecast to be a beautiful spring weekend after......

It looks like neighborhood councils are back in style with two new hires for General Manager and Assistant General Manager at the city's Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE). Their first "whirlwind" week on the job has come on the heels of two new neighborhood councils: Panorama City and Rampart (making a total of 89 councils in LA). In their first letters to the public and neighborhood council members, General Manager Carol Baker Tharp shares......

Maps are way too much fun, way geeky and way effective in community projects and analyzing your neighborhood. Above you see a map we created on an easy Web 2.0 tool called Wayfaring. When communicating with city officials and neighborhood councils, visuals are key. And if you really want to make your neighborhood the best it can be, why not drive/bike/walk grid and take note of all the improvements that can be done. Maybe......