California Greenworks
California Greenworks has established itself as one of the premier environmental groups within South Los Angeles. California Greenworks directs its efforts to the at-risk communities in South Los Angeles. Our projects revolve around environmental education programs, revitalization of urban open spaces to reduce blight, promotion of water quality and advocacy for green jobs. The following are a few of California Greenworks programs and initiatives: - EarthFestLA — Annual Concert for the Environment & Expo — Beginning in 2006, California Greenworks produced its first environmental fair in the City of Watts, then called "South LA Earth Day Festival." Since then, EarthFestLA has become an annual, family-oriented event focusing on environmental education and community health awareness. Website for EarthFest LA 2012: www.EarthFestLA.org. - Community-based Energy Efficiency Water Outreach Program (through the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power) - California Greenworks received a 2013 $45,000 grant to do an extensive grassroots outreach effort to spread information about energy efficiency and water conservation to LADWP customers in South Los Angeles. - Compton Creek Watershed Pollution Prevention Partnership Program — This first-of-its-kind watershed pollution prevention partnership is a two-year project sponsored by the Regional Water Quality Control Board, geared to raise community awareness of watershed pollution prevention. Polluted water and trash flowing into storm drains is the greatest danger to the well-being of birds and animals that live in the coastal wetlands drained by Compton Creek Watershed. The partnership provides a low impact solution by installing storm drain catch basins and screens preventing trash from entering the waterways. - Water Links! Urban Youth Watershed Education Program — An environmental education program that links the urban watershed to the ocean, targeted to the 5th grade student. This 4-week pilot program raises awareness for environmental stewardship, pollution prevention, and water conservation within the urban communities.
californiagreenworks.org
The Million Reusable Bag Giveaway
California Greenworks, in partnership with Green Vets LA and Homeboy Industries, proposes the "Million Reusable Bag Giveaway" pilot program, to create and distribute 25,000 reusable shopping bags (with an overall goal of 4 million) in lower-income Los Angeles neighborhoods as the City's plastic bag ban goes into effect. Using informational inserts in the bags, we will spread the word about cost-saving and environmentally-urgent energy efficiency and water conservation programs. This program will positively impact at least four LA 2050 indicators by: 1) immediately increasing stable Income & Employment of two of LA's most at-risk populations: homeless, disabled and returning combat veterans, and formerly-gang involved and recently-incarcerated men and women; 2) Educating low-income and traditionally difficult-to-reach populations about new energy efficiency and water conservation measures introduced by the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP), thereby helping reduce their monthly utility and weekly shopping bills… 3) …while improving Environmental Quality by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in terms of electricity and water use, and reducing the use of single-use shopping bags which often become blight and part of the litter stream in our neighborhoods and waterways; 4) and building a bridge of Social Connectedness between two previously disparate communities who share similar challenges around assimilation and acceptance into the mainstream Los Angeles society. The Million Reusable Bag Giveaway pilot project will employ Green Vets LA veterans in making 25,000 reusable shopping bags, and Homeboy Industries in silk-screening them, and will engage City Councilmembers, Los Angeles neighborhood councils, faith-based and community groups and environmental organizations such as the Clean Seas Coalition, the Green LA Coalition and the LA Climate Action Coalition in distributing the bags. Once the pilot project is up and running, California Greenworks will continue the "Million Bags" fundraising process by involving local businesses (such as grocery stores, local utilities such as LADWP, sports teams such as the Dodgers, film studios, et al) to sponsor the project in exchange for their logos being imprinted upon durable shopping bags that will be used weekly by Los Angeles consumers for the five to ten year expected life of these durable shopping bags. The ultimate goals of the Million Bag project are to provide a free reusable shopping bag, with energy efficiency and water conservation tips within it, to every one of the nearly four million residents in the City of Los Angeles, to substantially reduce electricity and water use across the City, reduce greenhouse gas emissions as the threat of climate change looms, and, in the process, to create a sustainable sewing and silk screening industry staffed by at-risk populations who will benefit from a growing trend of plastic bag ban ordinances spreading across California, the United States and the world.
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