Harlem Place Project - Community Meeting

Harlem Place is one of many interstitial spaces in our Downtown community that could potentially be transformed into active open space for our neighborhood to use. How might you use this alley? Would you walk your dog here? Does your business access it for deliveries? Is this a potential park space for our community?

Harlem Place Project Community Meeting
Thursday, November 19 6:30pm-8:30pm
LATC - 514 S. Spring Street

There is a team of students from Bren School for the Environment (UC Santa Barbara) working to develop a tool to allow us to understand the environmental impact through transformation of this space. As part of their final project, they will present three scenarios - and your input at this meeting will help them understand what the community wants. For more information on the project, check out the project website. Join us!

If you can't make the meeting, please complete this survey and let us know your thoughts.

November meeting - Tuesday at the Central Public Library

When: Tuesday, November 4, 2009 6:30pm-7:45pm
Where: Central Public Library, Meeting Room A

MEETING AGENDA SC-16-110309

1. Welcome.
2. Public Comment on Non-agenda items including community announcements (3 minutes).
Review meeting minutes from the September meeting. Action Item: Approve minutes SC-14-090901 (all meeting attendees - 3 minutes).

3. Review meeting minutes from the October meeting. Action Item: Approve minutes SC-15-091006 (all meeting attendees - 3 minutes).

4. Harlem Place Project community meeting planned. Survey feedback from committee.
Sustainable Community Projects Internship update. Marc Ross is working on an ordinance study for Project 1: Rooftop Container Gardens & Composting.

5. 2009 Project 1 Update: Rooftop Edible & Composting Containers (Dawna Nolan)
6. 2009 Project 2 Update: Tree Planting - Skid Row Pilot (Gunnar Hand) Tree Planting Day was on Saturday, October 24. Thank you to the 65+ volunteers who came out to help. Motion: Sustainability Committee to approve using $500 allocated to Tree Planting Project for tree maintenance.
7. 2009 Projects 3-4 Update: Increase Participation in Cost-Saving Efficiency Programs: Energy, Water and Waste (Corey Prost)
8. 2009 Project 5 Update: Online Toolkit of Existing Resources (Ryan Saucerman). Additional update on progress of Sustainability Committee website. Motion: Sustainability Committee to approve fund allocations for website.
9. 2009 Project 6 Update: Community Greening Strategy & The Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) Grant (Veronica Siranosian). SDAT visit scheduled for December 2-4.
10. 2009 Project 7 Update: Event and Education Programming & Calendar.
11. 2009 Project 8 Update: Green Living Program (Pamela Tuttle).

12. Agenda items for next meeting?
13. Adjournment

The public is requested to fill out a "Speaker Card" to address the DLANC SUSTAINABILITY Committee on any item of the agenda prior to the Committee taking action on an item. Comments from the public on agenda items will be heard only when the respective item is being considered. Comments from the public on other matters not appearing on the agenda that is within the Committee's subject matter jurisdiction will be heard during the public comment period. Public comment is limited to 2 minutes per speaker, unless waived by the presiding officer of the Committee. As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices, or other auxiliary aids and/or services may be provided upon request. To ensure availability of services, please make your request at least 3 business days (72 hours) prior to the meeting you wish to attend by contacting Committee Board Chair Ashley Zarella at ashley.zarella@DLANC.com.

SI REQUIERE SERVICIOS DE TRADUCCION, FAVOR DE NOTIFICAR A LA OFICINA 3 dias de trabajo (72 horas) ANTES DEL EVENTO. SI NECESITA ASISTENCIA CON ESTA NOTIFICACION, POR FAVOR LLAME A NUESTRA OFICINA AL 323-224-2316.

SDAT Project Team Planning Meeting - Summary

SDAT Project Team Meeting
October 26, 2009 at the DLANC Office
(open to the public)

Sustainability Committee members met on the evening of October 26, 2009 to debrief on the SDAT preliminary visit and begin planning the full team visit in early December.

Committee members who participated in the SDAT preliminary visit gave a brief summary of the visit. The preliminary SDAT visit was a huge success. The AIA staff were given a whirlwind tour of Downtown Los Angeles, met with community members, and got tours of key Downtown buildings and locations. Overall they found the trip highly engaging, comprehensive, and well-planned and were happy to get an on-the-ground perspective of Downtown, even if they were a bit surprised by the amount of walking involved.

Next, committee members discussed the upcoming full SDAT visit scheduled for December 2-4. Based on the positive feedback received during the preliminary visit, committee members felt that keeping the interactive, touring component of the visit would be important. However, the walking component would need to be less intense to accommodate more meetings and time for the team to work on their report and recommendations. There would also be an opportunity to divide the group into smaller teams to view specific aspects of Downtown tailored on their interests and specialties. To fully utilize the input of the Steering Committee, the group also decided to have at least two meetings with the SDAT and Steering Committee and whenever possible to include Steering Committee members in the SDAT’s activities and tours. With these goals in mind, committee members created a list of components to be included in the SDAT visit agenda. These were:

• Neighborhood tours organized by topic or geography and led by Steering Committee members;
• At least two meetings with the entire Steering Committee;
• 101 Freeway Cap Park meeting;
• Rest breaks;
• Visit to the rooftop of the Ritz Carlton Hotel;
• Reception, networking event, or mixer(s) held in collaboration with the American Institute of Architects, American Planning Association, and/or Downtown News.
• Time for SDAT to work on report and recommendations (charrette time, possible public);
• Stakeholder group meetings and roundtable discussions (public); and
• Closing presentation.

With these components in mind, committee members next sketched out a draft agenda for the SDAT visit:
Wednesday, December 2
Roundtable discussions/tours
101 Cap Park meeting (depending on available time)
Meeting with Steering Committee
Mixer

Thursday, December 3
Workgroup meetings- by sector, topic, or geography
Public charrette

Friday, December 4
Meeting with Steering Committee
Time for SDAT to work on proposal and report
Public presentation of preliminary findings
Mixer/Closing reception

For next steps, the committee members agreed to: share the draft agenda and list of components with the SDAT staff and finalize the agenda based on their feedback; write an article or press release announcing the visit for the Downtown News and Blog Downtown; discuss how we track results and how long we have the SDAT on Friday with SDAT staff; prepare a list of resources on Downtown to brief the SDAT before their visit.

THANK YOU DOWNTOWN! Tree Planting Day was a success with more than 30 trees & 65 volunteers

The Sustainability Committee in partnership with the Los Angeles Conservation Corps and Million Trees LA planted 31 trees on Saturday, October 24 along South Alameda. This is Phase I of our Skid Row Tree Planting Project and thank you to the many community volunteers and partners who made this great event happen! Check out some of our pictures from the event.

Thank you to Daryl Rolen, Evelyn Martinez, David Estrada, Rocio Diaz, Jonathan Diaz, James W. Stewart, Chavez Gregory, Rocky Brooks, Lynn J. Bell, Sparkle Woodson, Humphrey Jones, Brian Beasley, Nathan Russell, Michael Jackson, Travis Seaward, Melody Man, Robert Phillips, Felicia Marie Perry, Josh Rohmer, Marcela Jacome, Erika Logie, Samuel Steven Randle V, Tyronza Smith, Jemal Power, Kristy Angel, Paul Zawacki, India Brookover, Karl "Doc" Maryland, Ernest Melendrez, Daveed Kapoor, General Jeff, Tanner Blackman, May Iev, Janet McGregor, Jocelyn Movido, Nancy K. Martin, Rey Martin, Brian Mitchell, Ryan McGregor, Kenny Daigre, Patty Hernandez, Arlonda Grant, Anthony Ortega, Emily Hernandez, Kaleigh Bancroft, Eldetra Grant, Stephanie Hernandez, Charles Huang, Brooke Daniels, Armando Hernandez, Ken Lesley, Vincent P. Meyer III, Charlie Lofthouse, Christopher Silva Cruz, Julio Dunn, Eddie Danie, Robert Anderson, Jeremy Parks, Chas A. San Nicolas, Femila Ervin, Nathalynn Ervin, Jasmine Brown, George Selman, Wendell Blessingame and Sustainability Committee Project Lead Gunnar Hand, AICP for all of their hard work and community spirit!

Thank you to the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, especially Meghan Shearer, for their great work and support throughout this entire process - we're thrilled to have new trees for Downtown! Thank you to India Brookover, community volunteer and photographer, who also gave her time on Saturday morning to help us document the day!

LA Bioneers Beaming Conference - check out the Sustainability Committee presentation

The first-ever LA Bioneers Beaming Conference was a success - and we have found several interested stakeholders who would like to get involved with the Sustainability Committee. Although the event cost money to participate, volunteers got in for free for the day and we benefited from this first-ever partnership with Project Butterfly.

Check out the presentation made by Sustainability Committee Chair Ashley Zarella Hand, LEED AP, Assoc. AIA on Saturday, October 17 during the Sustainable Communities Panel. Check out the event website for the full line-up.

Sustainable Communities Presentation - LA Bioneers Beaming Conference October 17, 2009

View more presentations from Ashley Zarella.

Sustainability Committee celebrates one year! Click here to see the full report.

Check out our Year in Review Report for 2009. We have had an amazing first year as a committee with great projects, interesting discussions, and even more incredible community volunteers dedicated to making Downtown Los Angeles a more livable, affordable and efficient urban center. Thank you to everyone who has made this first year a success.

If you are not already involved, please come join us at our next meeting, event, or volunteer opportunity. We need your help to meet our goals!

Sustainability Committee partners with Project Butterfly for exciting new Downtown conference

The Sustainability Committee of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council has partnered with Project Butterfly, Electric Lodge, Evolution Jewels and Downtown Independent to present: THE FIRST BIONEERS CONFERENCE SIMULCAST IN LA!

This event will take place October 16-18 at the Downtown Independent Theater: 251 S. Main Street, Los Angeles Ca 90012

Tickets are $15-$100 [Early bird discounts through Oct 13]
Official EVENT WEBSITE: www.labeaming.org

Come check out the Sustainability Committee throughout the event and hear Chair Ashley Zarella Hand present on Saturday! If you want to volunteer, you can get a free day pass to the event. Email us at sustainability@dlanc.com to get involved with this exciting educational conference!

Headlining this year's event are nationally prominent luminaries, some of whom include:

Andrew Weil M.D.: international bestselling author and considered the nation's foremost authority on holistic medicine.

Michael Pollan: award-winning author and one of the most influential thinkers on food and agriculture.

Joanna Macy: author, celebrated Buddhist teacher, eco-philosopher and activist in the peace, justice, and ecology movements.

Jerome Ringo: president of the Apollo Alliance, and the first African-American to head a major conservation organization, the National Wildlife Federation

LIVE LA PRESENTATIONS and PANELS on: SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES, LA TRANSPORTATION and LA COMMUNITIES IN ACTION featuring:

Woodrow Clark, MA3, Ph.D.: Founder of Clark Strategic Partners. Nobel Peace Prize recipient and Senior Advisor on Renewable Energy to California Governor Gray Davis from 2000-2003.

Denny Zane: Executive Director of of Move LA, former Mayor and for 12 years a city councilmember in Santa Monica, former Executive Director of Coalition for Clean Air.

Larry Santoyo: Director of EarthFlow Designs. Land use planner and green business consultant. Larry is among the most experienced Permacutlure Designers and Educators in the US.

Charles Eisenstein: Healer, traveler, teacher, writer, integrated holistic visionary and evolutionary proactivist.

Russel Vare: Renewable Energy Analyst for Los Angeles Community College District. Vare has worked in both policy development and implementation of sustainable technologies, including solar PV and hydrogen fuel cells.

Hillary Norton: Executive Director for FastLA, a non-profit, public-private partnership dedicated to designing and supporting the implementation of fast-term strategies to reduce LA County’s traffic congestion.

PLUS: FILMS, LIVE ENTERTAINMENT, COCKTAIL RECEPTION, COMMUNITY + MORE

For more information and to purchase tickets visit: www.labeaming.org

Small business sustainability recognition and project kick-off meeting

Projects 3 & 4 Kick-Off Meeting
Monday, October 12 from 7:00-8:30pm
Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Office (453 S. Spring Street)

If you plan on attending, please RSVP to sustainability@dlanc.com.

Join us to discuss how we will work towards increasing participation in cost-saving City of Los Angeles programs to improve energy and water efficiency and cut our waste.

We are planning to develop a small business-focused Green Primer program to recognize best practices. Come get involved in this exciting program!

Online Survey of Services: Have you used a City program for energy, water or waste? We want to know more about it! Please complete the survey online.