Sustainability in Los Angeles: Who, What, Where?

The following resource list provides links to Los Angeles based organizations that offer programs that can help to support local, environmentally sustainable economies, including web calendars and share sites.

Building Sustainable Communities – Los Angeles County Resource List

Compiled By Jessica Aldridge, Executive Director, Burbank Green Alliance

The following resource list provides links to Los Angeles based organizations that offer programs that can help to support local, sustainable economies. The Resource List is separated into three sections:

1. Community Resources
2. Green and Environmental Web Calendars
3. Community Share Sites

Los Angeles Area Sustainable Community Resources

Burbank Farmers’ Market – www.facebook.com/burbankfarmersmarket

One of the oldest Farmers’ Markets in Southern California (over 26 years), all of our produce is certified California grown. Most of our produce is grown on family-owned farms–some of which have been in business for 100 years. We are one of the only Non-Profit markets in the country. All proceeds go to the Providence St. Joseph Hospital Foundation, and are used to help more than 12,000 Burbank residents every year who need medical care and who cannot afford it.

Burbank (and Beyond) Green Alliance – http://www.burbankgreenalliance.org/

Dedicated to promoting effective, sustainable practices and building a network of resources to support Burbank and surrounding communities. Provides workshops, lecture series, film screenings, monthly e-newsletter, networking events, resource materials and more.

Burbank Recycle Center – www.burbankrecycle.org

Accepts: Paper, cardboard, bottles, cans, scrap metal, oil, antifreeze and oil filters. Buy back center for CRV bottles and cans. Provides tours, workshops, and free compost bins to Burbank residents.

Buy Local Santa Monica – www.buylocalsantamonica.com

Buy Local Santa Monica was created by representatives of the Santa Monica business community and the City of Santa Monica to support local businesses and raise awareness of the community, economic and environmental benefits of choosing local first.

California Coast Keeper Alliance www.cacoastkeeper.org/about

CCKA coordinates, supports, and enhances the work of the local California Waterkeeper programs to provide a statewide voice for safeguarding California’s waters, and its world-renowned coast and ocean, for the benefit of all Californians and for California’s future.

Center for Biological Diversity – http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/

The Center for Biological Diversity works through science, law and creative media to secure a future for all species, great or small, hovering on the brink of extinction.

CicLAvia – www.ciclavia.org/content/action-center

CicLAvia consists of the temporary opening of streets to residents so they may enjoy a safe and pleasant space for walking, jogging, skating or riding a bike. CicLAvia differs from permanent bike routes because it is a temporary space whose principal use is not transport, but recreation. In general, CicLAvia occurs on a fixed day of the week (usually Sundays and in some cases on holidays) and has an average duration of six hours.

Citizen’s Climate Lobby – https://pasadenaccl.wordpress.com/

We exist to create the political will for climate solutions by enabling individual breakthroughs in personal and political power, with particular emphasis on a Carbon Fee and Dividend. More Info: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/

Communities for a Better Environment – http://www.cbecal.org/organizing/southern-california/

The South Coast air basin (Los Angeles and non-desert parts of Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange counties) was ranked the smoggiest area in the nation in 2012 by the American Lung Association when it comes to ozone pollution. The Los Angeles area came in third when it comes to people at health risk from particle pollution.

But in some neighborhoods, the abundance of local sources of pollution make health impacts even worse. Those are the Southern California urban communities—comprised of mostly minorities and low-income people—where Communities for a Better Environment works. From decades of organizing in Southern California, there has emerged innovative strategies that battle pollution and build healthier neighborhoods:Brown to Green and Green Up, Clean Up.

CBE has scored many victories in Southern California. For instance, in Vernon, an industry town five miles south of downtown LA, CBE and community members blocked a potential power plant that would have added tons of pollution to the already smoggy air. CBE won a campaign in Wilmington, near the Port of Los Angeles, to reduce toxic gas flare-offs.

Create:Fixate – www.createfixate.com

Create:Fixate is an organization dedicated to elevating the importance and accessibility of art and music through education and to providing opportunities for emerging artists to create, perform, and sell their work through mixed medium exhibitions.

Endangered Habitats League – www.ehleague.org/

The Endangered Habitats League is dedicated to the protection of the diverse ecosystems of Southern California and to sensitive and sustainable land use for the benefit of all the region’s inhabitants.

Evolver – www.evolver.net/

Evolver is a new social network for conscious collaboration. It provides a platform for individuals, communities, and organizations to discover and share the new tools, initiatives, and ideas that will improve our lives and change the world.

Fallen Fruit – http://www.fallenfruit.org/

Using fruit as our lens, Fallen Fruit investigates urban space, ideas of neighborhood and new forms of located citizenship and community. From protests to proposals for new urban green spaces, we aim to reconfigure the relation between those who have resources and those who do not, to examine the nature of & in the city, and to investigate new, shared forms of land use and property. Fallen Fruit is an art collaboration that began with creating maps of public fruit: the fruit trees growing on or over public property in Los Angeles.

Friends of LA River – http://folar.org/

FOLAR is a non-profit organization founded in 1986 to protect and restore the natural and historic heritage of the Los Angeles River and its riparian habitat through inclusive planning, education and wise stewardship.

Food & Water Watch – California – https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/state/california

We work in California to protect the state’s precious water resources, to fight fracking, and to make our agriculture more environmentally and socially responsible.

Green Business Networking –www.greenbusinessnetworking.com/about-us

GBN is a non-profit providing the owners and decision-makers of socially and environmentally conscious businesses a time and place for connecting, sharing, deal-making and networking. Their mission is to connect those who understand the importance and opportunity of environmentally friendly commerce. GBN meets the second Tuesday of every month in Santa Monica. Visit their website to join their mailing list.

Heal the Bay – www.healthebay.org

Heal the Bay is making southern California coastal waters and watersheds, including Santa Monica Bay, safe, healthy and clean. We use science, education, community action and advocacy to fulfill our mission.

Idle No More Los Angeles – https://www.facebook.com/groups/idlenomoreLA/

As the Idle No More Movement grows, so does our involvement here in California, this page is to streamline and let all people in Los Angeles, CA know of every event taking place in this state, and to network and improve our endeavors.

Email: inmla2012[at]gmail.com

Also join:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Idle-No-More-California-Information-Page/410147219055343

The Joyful Activist – www.joyfulactivist.com

The Joyful Activist is the headquarters for actions that Transform Outrage into Outrageous Fun! To create a hub of user generated content to both instigate and inspire like-minded community activity, the world over. Please join their mailing list for information on events and community-building outings.

LA Alliance for a New Economy – www.laane.org

LAANE is a leading advocacy organization dedicated to building a new economy for all. Combining dynamic research, innovative public policy and the organizing of broad alliances, LAANE promotes a new economic approach based on good jobs, thriving communities and a healthy environment.

LA Bike Coalition – http://la-bike.org/

La Bike Coalition is a membership supported advocacy organization working to improve the bicycling environment and quality of life in Los Angeles County.

LA Community Garden Council – http://lagardencouncil.org/about/

The Garden Council grows community gardens by helping LA residents create and manage successful projects in their communities. They also encourage workplace and school volunteers to serve member gardens; offer educational programs and public events; facilitate collaboration and information sharing throughout the gardening community; strive to find solutions for community gardens in crisis; and represent gardeners’ interests to public officials and agencies.

LA Green Drinks – http://lagreendrinks.blogspot.com/

Los Angeles Green Drinks is part of an international networking organization that allows for anyone concerned about environmental issues to get together over a drink. Green Drinks events are simple, informal, unstructured and allow for moments of serendipity. We connect the LA environmental community and have fun doing it!

Martin Luther King Coalition for Greater Los Angeles – http://mlkcoalitionforjobsjusticeandpeace.org/

We are a Coalition of Community and Social Justice Groups that came together initially, to infuse the Los Angeles Martin Luther King Day Parade With the Spirit of Dr. King. We have continued to build a broad spectrum of progressive community and labor groups that have joined forces as a Coalition for Jobs, Justice, and Peace. The group re-asserts the presence and spirit of Dr. King’s life and words by bringing together community groups working to fulfill his dream of justice, peace and opportunity.

Occupy Venice – http://ovb.so/

Fighting Evil Since Sept 23rd, 2011″ – The Facebook page for the Occupy movement in Venice Beach. Serfs Up!

The Ojai Foundation – www.ojaifoundation.org/

THE MISSION of The Ojai Foundation is to strengthen individuals, families, schools and communities by teaching ways to listen and speak from the heart, to honor life’s passages and to appreciate our connection with nature—supporting the emergence of a compassionate, sustainable and peaceful world. The Ojai Foundation creates and supports programs all over the world, from public school classrooms in Los Angeles to culture-shifting council circles in Israel and Africa.

People for Parks LA – www.peopleforparks.org

People for Parks works in partnership with community organizations, public agencies, nonprofits and the private sector to expand public access to greenspace in the Los Angeles area. PFP serves as a land trust, promotes environmental education, and advocates for innovative legislation and greater funding for parks and recreation, especially in the neediest neighborhoods.

Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples – http://www.sacredplacesinstitute.org/

Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples (SPI) is an Indigenous-led, Los Angeles-based organization that works to build the capacity of Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples to protect sacred lands, waters, and cultures. Our board, staff and volunteers come from federally recognized and non- recognized Tribes throughout California and the United States and have collectively been working with California Indian Nations to protect cultural and natural resources for decades.

We work with California Tribes and Native American organizations throughout the state and around the country to make sure that the concerns of Indigenous peoples and Tribal Nations are voiced and addressed in issues about our environmental and cultural resources.

Sierra Club Angeles Chapter – http://angeles.sierraclub.org/

The Los Angeles Chapter conducts over 4,000 outings each year open to all Sierra Club members and the general public. The Sierra Club is working to protect communities, wild places, and the planet itself.

Silver Lake Farms – www.silverlakefarms.com

Organic, sustainable, local, market certified flower grower/farmer in Silver Lake, CA. They also offer workshops, see their site for information.

SoCal 350 Climate Action – https://www.facebook.com/SoCal350/

Through collaboration, SoCal 350 Climate Action aims to mobilize, support, and strengthen the efforts of different organizations and community members who are working toward solutions to dirty fuel dependence and who are battling the effects of global-warming-caused climate disruption. SoCal 350 is affiliated with the international climate change organization 350.org.

JOIN US: https://actionnetwork.org/groups/socal-350

Surfrider – www.surfrider.org

Surfrider is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of oceans, waves and beaches through a powerful activist network. Find a chapter near you

Sustainable Business Council – www.sustainablebc.org

The Sustainable Business Council serves Los Angeles regional businesses and individuals working with sustainable products, services and processes. We provide events and educational opportunities which encourage, support and expand sustainable practices.

Tar Sands Action SoCal – https://www.facebook.com/TarSandsActionSoCal/

Educating & organizing people of Southern California to take action against Tar Sands and other fossil fuel destruction. Join us on Twitter @SoCalTarSands

Time Bank Directory for Southern California –

Time banking is an experiment in local community building. It is simply about spending an hour doing something for somebody in your community. That hour goes into the Time Bank as a Time Dollar. Then you have a Time dollar to spend on having someone doing something for you. It’s a simple idea, but it has powerful ripple effects in building community connections. Use the following link to search for a California Time Bank near you… http://www.echoparktimebank.com/echoparktimebank/How_to_Apply.html (The SFV Time Bank address is listed incorrectly and can be found at http://sfvtimeexchange.webs.com/)

Transition Towns in LA Area – http://transitionla.org/calendar.htm

Transition Los Angeles is a group of local grassroots citizens who are preparing our communities for a positive outcome through the sweeping changes coming with global warming and peak oil. Transition in the greater LA area is taking place via a number of local “pods.” Local pods might offer awareness-raising films and community discussions, reskilling classes, physical projects, and working groups. Click on the link to find a group near you.

Transition To Green – www.Transitiontogreen.org

Transition To Green Community Clubs are about learning at the local level how to make a transition to greener living. The club meets every other month (on a Saturday from 2-4:00pm) to learn in an informal, interactive setting what Green means in relation to specific topics.

Tree People – www.treepeople.org

TreePeople is an environmental nonprofit that unites the power of trees, people and technology to grow a sustainable future for Los Angeles. Simply put, our work is about helping nature heal our cities.

Vision LA Climate Action Arts Festival – http://visionlafest.org/

VisionLA invites the Los Angeles arts community to join in the international cultural conversation on the climate.

Green and Environmental Web Calendars