SolarWorld raised a canopy of 200 solar panels this week to help provide power and shade for the 2011 Emmys’ Red Carpet. The 50 kilowatt display is the largest temporary instillation of its kind at an event, with four separate canopies surrounding nearly 400 feet of red carpet. Following its evening in the limelight, the panels will be donated on …
This Wednesday kicks off the City of Santa Monica Farmer’s Market 30 year Celebration, and Inhabitat got an exclusive interview with, Laura Avery, overseer of the Farmer’s Market for 29 of the 30 years it’s been running. We asked Laura to give us a history of the market, and tell us about its ultimate mission and future.
Can you tell us a little bit about the History of the Santa Monica Farmers Market?
I started in September of 1982, when the market was just on Wednesdays on Arizona Ave in a very depressed outdoor retail error. (There are currently four different markets held weekly in the city of Santa Monica.) Then current mayor Ruth Yannatta Goldway decided to start a farmers’ market because they had just started in California and she wanted to bring people downtown. She wanted to increase foot traffic. She wanted to bring healthful food into the city. She also had a very large senior citizen contingency and wanted them to have access to healthy foods.
Los Angeles has been trying to attract a football team to their city for some time now, and the anticipated Farmers Field carbon neutral stadium may just be the icing on the cake. Designed by AEG, the new stadium is focusing specifically on five specific sustainable initiatives to make it one of the most sustainable stadiums in the country: energy & climate; recycling & waste; water conservation; sustainable purchasing; and education. The plan also includes the implementation of a transportation program that will give Farmers Field the lowest “cars per football game ticket holder” ratio of any other NFL stadium.
Trying to get to the airport and don’t have a car? It might be a lot more trouble then you’d think. While there are a few options for getting to LAX, from taxis to buses to the Flyaway shuttle, you’re almost definitely guaranteed traffic, a hassle, and a headache by the end of your journey. In an attempt to alleviate the troubles of getting to the airport, the Metro is currently investigating its options for extending public transportation to LAX, including extending the current Green Line to run to Los Angeles International Airport.
Hybrid car owners in California have long enjoyed the benefits of HOV-lane access, even when they are driving solo. This perk has recently been lost, and hybrid owners might find themselves subject to the same traffic woes as drivers of classic gasoline vehicles – and also subject to the same wear & tear that may result from longer commutes. While it may be easy to believe that hybrid vehicles need more specialized maintenance only available at the dealership, the experts at AutoMD.com have published five basic car repairs for hybrids that can be handled by your neighborhood auto-shop, or even by DIY (do -it-yourself)-savvy owners.
No animals were poached, bred, killed or otherwise harmed in the making of Kromatorium, a blinding collection of bones and beasts. The new series of eco-friendly art was created by Swiss-born Los Angeles-based artist and designer Andrea Kitts. To create these striking sculptures, Kitts takes antlers and other osteological materials and by-products, all foraged or found, and casts them in metal made from recycled SUV rims to create one-of-a-kind art objets for the urban collector. If you are interested in seeing her pieces in person, make your way up to Torrance this weekend and check out the Flag Stop Art event. More info on the show and the series after the jump…
Denizens of the green City of Santa Monica no longer have to wonder how to dispose of certain hazardous material. A new initiative by the Office of Sustainability and the Environment will now bring disposal and containment trucks to you, rather than residents having to haul potentially toxic wastes to a disposal center. Accepting all the same materials as the physical disposal center, these new trucks collect everything from auto products to prescription medications.
Image © Julie Daniels
It’s officially our favorite bittersweet holiday, Labor Day Weekend, the last weekend of summer. We recommend finding anyway you can to enjoy this blissfully pleasant weather we are having, while passing the time with family and friends. If however you are looking for a little more structure, there’s a blinding variety of events to partake in LA but here are our top picks for eco-friendly activities to partake in over the long weekend. More after the jump.
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