Green Team

On Saturday, January 29 from 10am to 2pm, students from S.A.F.E. (Students Assembled for Earth, a Hamilton High School Club) and SORO Green Teamers will be collecting electronic waste at Hamilton (map) to ensure that our environment stays green and healthy.

Last year's electronic waste collection was extremely successful, packing a huge truck to the brim. Let's make this year's even better.

What is "electronic waste"? Any no-longer-usable piece of equipment with a cord (except bulky items like refrigerators, stoves and dishwashers). Bring your computers, monitors, mice, keyboards, hard drives, printers, scanners, fax machines, stereos, radios, hair dryers, VCRs, blenders, TVs, monitors, electronic games AND CELL PHONES. Please, no hazardous waste.

This Wednesday, November 10, the South Robertson Neighborhoods Council Green Team Committee will have an open discussion of a proposed citywide ordinance banning the use of single-use plastic bags in the County and City of Los Angeles. The Green Team has invited prominent spokespersons both for, and against, the ban. After the discussion, the public will consider a motion to recommend that the SORO NC Board either support or object to the motion pending before the Los Angeles City Council to ban single-use plastic bags. It is important to attend this meeting because this issue could impact the City for decades to come.

The agenda and meeting details are at right.

Contact Paula Waxman, Green Team Committee Co-chair at paulawaxman@soronc.org.

A stellar example of outstanding green citizenship, Vons Supermarket has won the first Outstanding Green Citizenship Award.

Through its workplace environment, environmental practices, educational philosophy, and environmental leadership, Vons has shown itself to be an outstanding steward of the earth. It recycles 85% of its waste.  It composts all of its vegetable matter.  It has reorganized its truck delivery systems cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by 11%, which is above the mandated 7% required by law. Vons has a line of organic products that are pesticide, hormone and antibiotic free and a line of biodegradable cleaners packaged in post consumer recycled material.  Vons sells only sustainable seafood and purchases 30% of its produce from local growers.

We hope that Vons' example will inspire other businesses and schools in the community to emulate their efforts to improve the environment of the community and the planet.

SORO NC's Green Team will be out in force at this year's SoRo Festival. They'll be giving away gift bags stuffed with things to help make your day a little more environmentally friendly—including the reusable grocery bags themselves.

There will also be a raffle for compost bins, a rain capture barrel and—yes—worm bins. And if you miss the raffle, we'll be taking orders for City of LA compost and worm bins, as well as for the worms themselves (CHECKS ONLY).

For more information, check out our full SoRo Festival 2010 page.

Do you regret that fruit on your fruit tree goes to waste? There are many who are hungry! The SORO NC Green Team, together with local school clubs, scout troops and other local organizations will be picking neighborhood fruit and avocado trees for the:

Mayor's Day of Service aka "Big Sunday"
Saturday (and Sunday, if you are Orthodox), May 1st and May 2nd, 2010
8:30am–12:30pm

We are looking for two things:

• Fruit trees with fruit ready to be picked
• Volunteers to help with harvesting

For appointments to have your fruit tree picked, or to volunteer for one of our crews (it's really fun!), call or email Paula Waxman at 310-559-2552 / paulawaxman@soronc.org

The Green Team drops off all fruit collected to our local food bank:
SOVA Food Bank
8846 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles

In February, we picked over 700 pounds of fruit in 2 days! So contact us today to schedule your tree...or yourself (to volunteer).

A give-away program sponsored by the SORO NC Green Team and S.A.F.E., "Students Assembled for Earth," a Hamilton High School Club.

The following trees are available for adoption:

BARE ROOT	POTTED
Apricot Nectarine Peach Plum	Blood Orange Sweet Orange Lemon Lime Tangerine

HOW TO ORDER: Email your order before Monday, January 18th to Paula Waxman. Very limited supply, so first come, first served. Schools get priority. WE WILL CONFIRM YOUR ORDER BY RETURN EMAIL.

HOW TO PICK UP TREES: Trees distributed on Saturday, January 23 between 10 am and 2 pm at Hamilton High School (map) .

Starting in September 2009, the General Board meeting will shift to the third Thursday of the month.

Along with that change, the Green Team will meet second Wednesday of the month, and the Executive Meeting will be on the second Thursday.