Earth Day Celebration and Events: April 22








Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It is held annually during both spring in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern hemisphere. Here are some events taking place in Los Angeles on Earth Day, April 22, to celebrate our planet.

The Movie: Earth
In theaters on Wednesday April 22
The Walt Disney Studios will celebrate Earth Day 2009 with the debut of "Earth," the first feature-length nature documentary from its new production banner, Disneynature.

Events: Earth Day in LA

Urban Homesteading Presentation
Monday, 4/20, 7 – 9pm
Location: Santa Monica Public Library
601 Santa Monica Library
Free

Jules Dervaes, founder of the Path to Freedom urban homestead in Pasadena, will speak about his and his family's revolutionary journey toward a sustainable, self-sufficient life in the city. The Dervaes family is living a protest against the corporate powers that control the food supply by growing 6,000 pounds of organic produce a year on 1/5 of an acre. Through their adventures in growing and preserving their own food, installing a solar power system, home-brewing biodiesel for fuel, raising backyard farm animals, and learning back-to-basics skills, these modern-day pioneers have revived the old-fashioned spirit of self-reliance and resourcefulness. Presentation includes screening of Homegrown Revolution and Q&A.

Arcadia Association of Realtors Tech & Green Expo 2009
Tuesday, 4/21, 9am – 3pm
Location: SMASH/John Muir
Santa Monica CA

Get the latest eco-info! Save Money and Resources! Lower your Ecological Footprint! Classes meet 1.5 hours per week for 6 weeks. Workshop addresses Planetary Problems then shares Sustainable Solutions. Progress is tracked through a comprehensive Life Style Survey encouraging real sustainable change, making this a true interactive workshop. Suggested Donations:
$25 Santa Monica residents/$50 Los Angeles residents. www.sustainableworks.eventbrite.com


Los Angeles National Conversation on Climate Action
Wednesday, April 22, 2009, 7:30am – 7pm
Metro Headquarters Building
One Gateway Plaza
Los Angeles
Free

Hundreds of Los Angeles County residents will gather together on Earth Day for Awareness. Action. Change. Uniting to Go Green part of the National Conversation on Climate Action. The event is open to the public and will feature several keynote addresses, roundtable discussions and breakout sessions designed to truly engage members of Los Angeles County communities in the County climate and energy plans.Keynote remarks will be delivered by three climate change experts: Michael Crooke, PhD, a strategic consultant and former CEO of Patagonia; Commissioner Michael Peevey, President, California Public Utilities Commission; and Albert Mendoza, CEO and President of Coalition for Clean Air. website: planning.lacounty.gov…


Silverlake Earthday Ball
Wednesday, 4/22, 10am – 4pm
Location:triangle Square at Sunset Junction
3700 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles,CA 90026

Join the Silver Lake Chamber of Commerce Green
Committee as we create the Earth Day Ball. On Wednesday, April 22, from 10am - 4pm, as part of our ongoing campaign to make Silver Lake a Bring Your Own Bag neighborhood, we will join together plastic shopping bags collected in Silver Lake creating a giant plastic ball to demonstrate the amount of trash we create and celebrate the businesses who have pledged to eliminate plastic bags from their stores. Inspired by the book "Theo and the Giant Plastic Ball," this event will be an inspiring, empowering opportunity for the community to make an impact on our local environment, the City of Los Angeles and the world. Contact: Cheryl.Revkin@silverlakechamber.com or Leslie.VanKeuren@silverlakechamber.com website: www.silverlakechamber.co


2nd Annual Wilshire Center Earth Day
Car Free
Wednesday, 4/22, 11am – 2pm
Location: 3700 Wilshire Blvd., on the grass lawn between Oxford and Serrano.
Los Angeles
There will be NO street closures. Wilshire Blvd and all adjacent streets will remain open. The entire event will take place at 3700 Wilshie Blvd. on the grass lawn between Oxford and Serrano. FREE Electronic Waste Recycling
Bring your old TV, computer, monitors and other electronics to be recycled for FREE! The event will feature musical performances by Suzanne Teng & Mystic Journey, Naked Rhythm, Ballet Folklorico de El Salvador ASOSAL (El Salvadorian dance troupe), Korean Fan Dancing, Drumming, and a face painting artist among others. We will host a farmers market featuring organic and locally grown produce. The Mayor's Million Trees Initiative along with KYCC will be giving out over 200 fruit trees. We are encouraging attendees to purchase lunch from one of the many great local restaurants and then come by and enjoy the free entertainment. www.wilshirecenter.com…

Mother Earth Day Lunch + Learn: What does it mean to our children?
Wednesday, 4/22, 2 – 4pm

Location: O!burger
8593 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069

O!burger, the first 100% organic burger joint in LA is hosting “Mother Earth Day Lunch + Learn: What does it mean to our children?” All are welcome to come + enjoy 15% off your organic meal (drinks too!) and be inspired about the importance of healthy and organic eating. The event is open to the public, so please spread the word to your community and bring your friends! Questions? Call 310-425-6070

"I Heart Earth" LA Green Drinks celebrates Earth Day”- Downtown
Wednesday, 4/22, 7 – 10pm
Location: Pharmaka Gallery
101 West 5th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
$5 suggested donation

Come learn about all the different Green Social Orgs in LA, Eat Vegan Ice Cream, Drink Organic Alcohol, Bossanova juice and Carpool there with RideAmigos rideamigos.com…. LA Green Drinks is celebrating Earth Day 2009 with “I Heart Earth” at Pharmaka Gallery, Los Angeles’ first eco-friendly gallery. The event brings environmentally-minded people together over an organic beverage through an informal atmosphere, in a space focused on socially relevant art and topics. Plus, come participate in the special “I Heart Earth” group canvas. Suggested donation $5. Street parking is available after 6pm. More parking at Joe's parking lot on Main Street between 4th and 6th streets for $5 charge. LA Green Drinks site: www.lagreendrinks.org. Find us on Facebook as L A Green Drinks.

Book Signing - The Urban Homestead:
Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City
Wednesday, 4/22, 7 – 8pm
Location: Locali Conscious Convenience
5825 Franklin Avenue
Los Angeles 90028

Celebrate Earth Day with Locali. Join us in hosting Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen, Silverlake residents and authors of The Urban Homestead, for a book signing event on April 22nd. Publisher Comments: The Urban Homesteadis the essential handbook for a fast-growing new movement: urbanites are becoming gardeners and farmers. Rejecting both end-times hand wringing and dewy-eyed faith that technology will save us from ourselves, urban homesteaders choose instead to act.

First Annual Green Dot Awards
Wednesday, 4/22, 7 – 9pm
Locatin: Santa Monica Main Library
Santa Monica, CA

Get the latest eco-info! Save Money and Resources! Lower your Ecological Footprint! Classes meet 1.5 hours per week for 6 weeks. Workshop addresses Planetary Problems then shares Sustainable Solutions. Progress is tracked through a comprehensive Life Style Survey encouraging real sustainable change, making this a true interactive workshop. Suggested Donations:
$25 Santa Monica residents/$50 Los Angeles residents. www.sustainableworks.eventbrite.com

Remember Earth Day is Everyday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPfEHj4j4P0

Switching to safer cleaning products

Many household cleaners can be harmful, full of chemicals and contribute to the plastic overload in the environment.
According to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory most of the household cleaners and air fresheners emit toxic pollutants at levels that may lead to health risks.

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Phillip Nzuwah, creator of Kis Clean, a cleaning service offering services and products that are non-toxic and environmentally friendly said that cleaning products are closely related to some health issues and inhaling chemicals that are released into the air are bad for the environment and can cause serious health problems.
“Exposure levels to some of the pollutants can be harmful to your health,” Nzuwah said.
According to the study researchers found that turpentine and formaldehyde in many cleaning solvents can be very dangerous. These chemicals can irritate mucous membranes, eyes, skin and if it is inhaled it can cause headaches.

According to the International Agency for Cancer Research, there is sufficient evidence to conclude that these chemicals cause cancer in humans.
Nzuwah who has been in the cleaning business for six years has spent most of his life learning and educating others about health and the environment. He felt it was important to create a product that was not harmful to others and cleaned even better then chemically charged products.

“ It is just important to have safe products in your house as well as healthy food, a healthy fitness regiment and healthy personal care products,” Nzuwah said.

“Some of my employees were opposed to using some of the products because they did not feel that they would work without the blue coloring and harsh chemical smell that most toxic cleaning products have in them. They were wrong,” Nzuwah said. “They realized that products did not have to have chemicals in them to work and felt healthier and safer using them.”

Kis Clean Products are completely natural and biodegradable. All of the products are formulated in a base of purified water mixed with minerals and enzymes derived from edible and seed bearing plants.

Nzuwah said that Kis Clean products contain no hazardous ingredients such as ammonia, phosphates, or sulphates making them non-flammable, non-caustic and anti-corrosive and that his secret recipe is plant based and environmentally safe.

“ All products are child safe, pet safe, and never tested on animals.” Nzuwah said.

Nzuwah said that more companies should start to improve the quality of their products and make them safer and environmentally friendly to help support the ecosystem and preserve the environment.

“We opened our business with the intention of using nothing but the safest, environmentally sound products we could find,” Nzuwah said.

Nzuwah has have used his products in homes and offices for the past 4 years and has had nothing but positive feedback from employees and clients in helping them understand that products do not need to have chemicals in them to do the toughest jobs.

Trenton Horinek, who is the creator of his own product RE 2, which is electrolyzed alkaline water, said that his products are one of the greenest cleaners on the market.

Horinek said that the electrolyzed alkaline water is produced by applying an electrical current to dilute saltwater solution. It is used as a strong detergent to clean and dissolve grease and destroy bacteria. Alkaline water can also be used to eliminate pesticides from fruits and vegetables.

Horinek discovered electrolyzed alkaline water during a project for his economics class and ran with his plan.

“I came up with a product and marketing plan which later seemed logical and would benefit others," Horinek said.” “It was the perfect solution to greener and safer cleaning products without being toxic.”

Electrolyzed acid water rival chlorine and heat killing E.coli, salmonella and listeria. Electrolyzed water could also be used as a bacteria reducer for combs, salon chairs and other equipment.

“With more demand for green cleaning products and personal care products that are less toxic and are good for the environment, I am hopeful that my business will grow for the better for everyone,” Horinek said. “

Nzuwah is sure that everyone will catch on sooner or later and will soon start to realize that the harmful chemicals that they have been accustomed too have only been killing them over the years.

“ Sometimes it just takes one person to try out product and over time everyone is switching to a non-toxic, less harmful solution,’ Nzuwah said. “They also feel better about the environment.”

Alternative printng

Many schools and businesses across the U.S have become inspired to go paperless to help the environment. Some are also switching to other alternatives such as more eco-friendly ways to print.

Special education teacher Marie Daily who teaches at Manhattan Beach Middle School said that her students are cutting down on the paper they use to do homework.



“ I am always looking for new ways to help save the environment and educating my students on other products that are more green, organic, recycled and reused,” Daily said.

A new company called Printing Responsibly is an eco-friendly printing company that educates its clients on how important it is to print using green and recycled papers.

Christopher Gravagna, co-owner of Printing Responsibly said that the goal of the company is to push customers in the right direction and give them an education on how the technology works.

“Printing responsibly is not only to promote a different way of thinking, but also a way of printing,” Gravagna said.

The company prints on only recycled paper, which is Forest Stewardship Council certified and chlorine free papers that contain varying levels of post-consumer waste that are manufactured by popular paper mills.

The company prints using a waterless printing press and other Heidelberg presses that eliminates any dependency on chemicals that could be harmful to the health of their employees or the environment.

“We use Soy based ink as opposed to traditional petroleum-based ink,” Gravagna said.

Soy based ink is environmentally and non-toxic; it is also improves the life span of presses and makes it easier to recycle paper. Additionally jobs require less ink to print the same amount of paper compared to petroleum inks. Soy ink has been found to spread approximately 15% farther, reducing ink use and printer cleanup costs.

Studies show that most petroleum-based inks can cause cancer and birth defects. Many printed papers end up in landfills and toxins are released into the air as fresh inks dry.


According to the Printing Responsibly website the cultivation of the soybeans uses only 5 percent of the total energy necessary to produce the ink. Much of that crop requires no irrigation, limited fixed nutrients, and leaves fewer agricultural residues than other crops.
This cost for soy inks is significantly lower than the initial market price, and it is at this point that they become competitive with their petroleum counterparts.

The process of forestry is also important,” Gravagna said.

Recycled Products Cooperative, a non-profit coperatve dedicated to the conservation of natural resources and promoting the use of recycled paper and products, estimates that more than 100 million trees are cut each year to supply fiber for writing and printing papers in the United States.
Consumers can also help the environment by checking their products to see if they have the recycling symbols on the packaging and can check to see what percentage of recycled fiber was used during the manufacturing process.

Important stamps of approval include the emblems of the Forest Stewardship Council and Chlorine Free Product Association For these symbols to appear on products, they must meet specific standards determined by the International Standards Organization.
Some environmentally friendly products may be a bit more expensive than your normal bottle of bleach. It’s important, however, not to view pricing issues as constraints. Instead, think creatively to help balance benefits with costs.

Also combining projects whenever possible is wise. One idea is to print business cards and postcards from the same recycled paper. In the long run your clients may save money and they will also be honoring the environment.

The Environmental Protection Agency mandates that federal agencies use uncoated printing and writing papers containing at least 30-percent post-consumer content. Consider using these guidelines when selecting paper for your projects.

Printing Responsibly gives you many alternatives to help you save money and the environment with their products and services. If a client does not want to switch to paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content, they will find a way to reduce the number of pages used instead. The company has many suggestions on what different types of paper you can use for various different projects. For example, some publications use high-quality coated paper for advertisements, but Printing Responsibly can help you choose an uncoated paper with higher post consumer content that is just as effective.


Even though we are moving into a paperless society, we still need to meet the challenges of what ends up in our landfill and sustaining our forests. If more businesses become more knowledgeable about their products and the chemicals they may contain the environment will be a much better place.

Hydrogen On Demand System

If you were just thinking of getting the next hybrid on the market, you may want to consider something a little less expensive.

“I just purchased the Toyota Prius,” new hybrid owner Chelsea Lambert said. “It was expensive but I wish I knew about the Hydrogen on Demand otherwise I may have waited to get my car.”

Creator of Hydrogen on Demand Systems, Alex Rivera said that some of the newer energy saving cars is very expensive and the way hydrogen is stored may still not be safe.

“The Hydrogen on Demand system enhances performance and will help you save fuel costs while reducing and eliminating environmental pollution,” Rivera said.

“It will also boost horse power, help save you up to 30 percent increase in engine power which is an average of 20 to 50 percent and will increase in fuel economy,” Rivera said.
“You can also save up to $1000 per year on gas while getting rid of harmful carbon deposits which is 
helping contribute to cleaner air.”

The Hydrogen on Demand is a custom made technology, which splits water molecules into a gaseous form to provide additional and more efficient combustion of existing fuel.

“The result is greater power, torque and fewer dollars wasted at the pump but most of all helping save the environment,” Rivera said.

Vehicles that use the resulting gases do not just burn in the combustion chamber by themselves, but also it boosts the efficiency of the fuel combustion, by combining with the fuel vapor, and burning the fuel that we have been wasting out of the tailpipe all of these years, polluting the planet.


Rivera said that business owners in transportation, especially in diesel fuel know exactly how important it is to increase their gas efficiency.

According to the Hydrogen on Demand website you would drastically cut down on greenhouse gases and help reduce global warming by efficiently burning all of the fuel, lessen wear and tear on your car, reduce engine clatter, avoid high engine temperatures and carbon deposits into the air by investing in this system.

The Hydrogen on Demand is a newer system and people are still unaware of how it works.

A vehicle normally burns two gallons of water (found in the atmosphere) per one gallon of gas. That water is in vapor form and is pulled into you engine with the air and is also used in the combustion process. The carburetors or fuel injectors force the fuel also into vapor form, and all this is burned together in the cylinder chambers.

The Hydrogen On Demand System uses an electrolysis process to separate water into Hydrogen and Oxygen (then a gas). It then adds these gasses to the vapors described above and the Hydrogen atoms adhere to the fuel vapors and completely burn all the fuel and the Hydrogen.

This system will do the same and maintain a clean running engine, extending the life of the oil and the engine. This also increases mileage. It's a simple process. You don't change your engine or its computer. A quart-size (95O cc) container is mounted under the hood. You fill it with distilled water and a little bit of baking soda.

Shannon Franklin, who is the public relations manager of Hydrogen on Demand, said that the design is simple, effective and affordable. “The hydrogen on demand starts out at one-thousand dollars which includes installation,” Franklin said.” It works with regular fuel, bio-fuel, hybrids and diesel fuel.

Clients who have had the system installation on their car said they immediately noticed that
 the gas saving device was much quieter and smoother.
Rivera said one client who had installed the hydrogen on demand system said after coming too a stop sign she had thought her car had died because she no longer heard the clatter and rumble of the car. She then got out of the car, called the automobile club and they told her the car was still running.
“The hydrogen on demand system not only save you on your cars life span but remove excess carbon deposits from your engine as you drive so it will run better and more efficiently,” Rivera said.
During a test drive, the most noticeable difference that a client may notice is the quietness of the engine and how the car picks up much more power.

Garko, Hydrogen on Demand customer said that Rivera installs a system that is more integrated into your engine, which results in better performance and mileage.

Considering that you qualify for a refund from the IRS under their green car rebate, that you will get better gas mileage and up to 50% or more, and that the financing makes it even more affordable. it is a tremendously strong offer that Rivera provides from how2savefuel.com.

“Personally my 1989 Toyota Corolla has much more giddy-up and has doubled it’s gas mileage and runs really smooth especially by comparison,” Garko said.

After installing this system it will continue to improve and save on gas, give even older models a longer life span and reduce the hazardous emissions into mother earth.

“If we do not think of ways to save mother earth, in the next 20 years, it is only obvious it will get worse,” Rivera said.

Rivera’s vision is to also distribute the hydrogen on demand system internationally.

“Our products are made in the USA and talking with individuals internationally and all over Europe regarding distribution and investing in this technology,” Franklin said.

Rivera’s Hydrogen on Demand is very successful but he is also working on a more advanced system so that even more people can help save on pollution and won’t have to spend a fortune to do it.

“Pure drinking water from the air”

Have you checked you water lately? It looks clean when you turn on your tap, but it might be what you can't see that has millions worried. Our everyday routine revolves around pure drinking water but it is easy to forget that fresh water is a life-or-death issue in many parts of the world.

Many strategies and new technologies have been created to help boost water supplies but many are wasteful and very expensive.

Recently the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other environmental groups commented on the dangerous state of public water supplies. They have said that the water quality in many of our public water supplies is being degraded by chemical, biological, and physical contaminants.

Fortunately, there is a new technology that offers a remarkable solution to the global water crisis. EcoloBlue Life and Energy has introduced a product line of atmospheric water generators, which utilize a revolutionary patented technology to convert atmospheric water vapor into potable water. The atmospheric water generator produces pure, environmentally safe drinking water out of thin air affordably.


EcoloBlue regional sales director, Manny Lizaso said that the generators capture the moisture from outside air and turns it into the purest, healthiest and highly oxygenated drinking water available to us.

“In the process it removes moisture from outside air, the air is dehumidified and cooled making it ideal air to add into indoor environments,” Lizaso said.

The EcoloBlue atmospheric water generator provides users with ultimate drinking water by producing up to 7 gallons, (28 liters) of pure drinking water per day.

The generator begins making fresh water within 24 hours of plugging it in with no set up.

It requires no water source other than the humidity in the air. Each gallon of water uses, on average, $0.20 cents of electricity to produce.

“That's about $1.00 for every five gallons of water,” Lizaso said.

The generator is powered by electricity and is an extremely versatile product because it produces water from the humidity in the air and it can be used anywhere.

“The generators can be used anywhere such as laboratories, sports clubs, hotels, airport lounges, or commercial stores, to name a few possible implementations,” Lizaso says.

EcoloBlue customer, Richard E. Thomas who is Chief Executive Officer at a surgery center in Hilton Head, South Carolina said that the main benefit of this system is that his employees and customers no longer use water bottles with the polycarbonate plastic that has been known to have potential carcinogenic properties.

“This is a signal to our clients and employees that we care about their well being,’ Thomas says.

Kirk Hyan creator of the website on global water stress “If the Earth Could Speak,” says that the advantage to this approach is that the water taken from the air has already been naturally cleaned, so less energy is consumed to remove any impurities.

Bottled water is much more expensive, per gallon, than tap water. Good filters can remove most chemical contaminants and microbes. Water that originates from a protected ground water source is less likely to contain certain contaminants such as disease-causing microbes, but not all ground water is protected, and no water is guaranteed to be completely free of contaminants.

“This revolutionary technology is helping to meet the growing demand economically and demand for good tasting, quality drinking water even for countries across the world,” Lizaso said.

According to the World Bank, worldwide demand for water is doubling every 21 years and even more in some regions. Water supplies cannot keep pace with demand, as population’s soar and cities grow. The U.N predicts that a worldwide water shortage and supply of fresh ground water will run out by the year 2025.

Also, many of the water shortage problems have been solved in sharing this new technology with other countries especially near more equatorial countries where populations are rising, water is more polluted and have severe water shortages.

Even though it may take longer for the system to generate water in dryer climates, it is very successful in climates that have more moisture in the air and is a start in the right direction in helping the environment.