Mass Transit

Greetings! I'm glad to be back from hiatus. I've really no reason for taking a mini-break from writing here, other than, well, life gets in the way sometimes. You understand.

Meanwhile...work has been progressing at breakneck speed (if you can call construction work speedy, the concept is rather oxymoronic) on the Expo Line. This is a light rail that will connect my hood in Culver City with downtown Los Angeles. The stop will be a mere 1/2 mile from my house. Can't wait to be able to hop on the train to downtown.

I brought my camera with me the other day as I walked to where the stop will be, and thought I'd share some photos here. Because we're so close, we can hear the construction (sometimes very early in the morning - distant yet audible), but since I'm looking forward to the outcome, I don't mind quite so much.

This city, like most in the U.S., needs to do a better job with mass transit -- it's the best way to lessen our dependence on oil. And, clearly people want more mass transit, as yesterday's opening of the Goldline extension to the Eastside of Los Angeles proves -- 50,000 people participated in the celebration.

In a city that spans more than 490 square miles, with daily gridlock on the freeways, it's pretty ridiculous that it's taken this long to bring trains/light rail back to LA. Yes, back...there was an extensive trolley system, called the Red Line, that Angelenos used to use to traverse the city. The last Red Line operated in 1961, and it took until 1990 for the first modern metro rail line to open - the Blue Line, connecting downtown to Long Beach. That's a lot of needless air pollution.

Despite California's budget crises, money was already allocated and is being spent on the Gold and Expo lines -- two projects that will provide relief for Los Angeles drivers, much needed local jobs, and in the end, will make our city a greener and better place to live. And, there are more rail lines in the works. I just hope the momentum continues...

Solar Cooking

Interestingly enough, I have had several conversations with various friends over the past year about solar ovens. Seems this is a hot topic for developing nations - a great way to cook food without having to hunt for firewood or use dung.

According to CharityGuide.org: "In developing countries, greenhouse gas emissions from cooking originate from sources other than fossil fuel, especially fuel wood. In recent years, several organizations have been setting up solar ovens for families in Africa, Asia, Mexico, and Central and South America, where people have long depended on the now rapidly vanishing firewood supply. Solar power cooking has significantly improved the lives of tens of thousands of people, allowing them to not only prepare nutritious food for their families but to purify drinking water, treat infectious medical waste, and preserve (dry) food."

I was recently talking with a guy from the Philippines about the smoky air caused by the Station Fire out here in California, and he remarked that it reminded him of what it was like every day back home.

The most recent one I learned of is the Solar Cooker Project, which was developed to help prevent rape and violence against the female survivors of the genocide in Darfur who live in Sudanese refugee camps. Apparently, women are tasked with finding the firewood to cook with and must venture outside of the safety of the camp in order to collect said wood.

Details of the Solar Cooker Project:

• Solar cooking reduces the need for frequent firewood collection.
• Two solar cookers can save one ton of wood each year.
• There is no need to tend to a fire so women are free to do other tasks.
• Manufacturing solar cookers at the camps provides income opportunities for female refugees.
• The CooKit (the name for the solar cooker) is easy to manufacture because it is made out of cardboard and aluminum foil and can be easily assembled by hand.
• It is light, small, and fairly inexpensive.

Pretty cool. $30 donation to Jewish World Watch buys two and provides funds to help train women to make them.

At the Solar Oven Society, they sell solar ovens for about $165, which includes, pots, thermometer, water pasteurization indicator, and shipping.

"To use, simply place the food in the pots provided, place the Sport facing the sun and forget it. The sun does the rest. You don’t have to worry about burned food because the cooking temperatures are mild – it’s sort of a solar crock-pot.

The Sport roasts meats; bakes fish and chicken; steams vegetables; bakes breads, cakes, and cookies. It even cooks rice, beans, lentils and pastas, with only solar energy. Using the natural moisture in meats, fish, and vegetables, the Sport cooks without additional water so all the natural vitamins and minerals are retained, giving food a wonderful rich flavor."

This is something that adventurous environmentalists could try for themselves...

Want to build your own? Of course you do. Visit this website.

Even better, at Solar Now, you can learn how to make a solar oven out of a pizza box. Yep, a pizza box.

Nika: Eco-Friendly Bottled Water

Happened to be getting a cuppa joe from a coffee shop near my Wednesday class, when a couple of young men walked in asking to talk to the owner. The owner wasn't there, but they proceeded with a proposal: that the shop sell Nika - an eco-friendly bottled water that donates "100% of its profits to alleviate global poverty."

The barrista wasn't the owner, so didn't want to take their info, but I did. Couldn't resist -- my rants against bottled water aside, it is convenient. We are a forgetful species, after all.

Some info from their website: "Through the sale of our premium bottled water, NIKA hopes to bring a voice to the world’s poor who suffer without the basic right to clean water and simple sanitation. And by donating 100% of our profits to support clean water projects in impoverished countries, NIKA will provide the basic tools and critical assistance to help thousands of families improve their lives in a meaningful way and end the cycle of poverty.

Mindful of our duties as stewards of the Earth, NIKA has been certified as the only carbon neutral bottled water in the U.S. by Carbonfund.org through our investment in carbon offsetting programs such as a reforestation project in Nicaragua. In addition, NIKA has developed a very unique recycling program where we pay high schools around the country a small fee for each plastic bottle that the school collects and recycles. Through this "One-for-One Recycling Program," our aim is not only to be plastic bottle neutral but an advocate of the importance and simplicity of basic recycling as well."

If I had a business that sold bottled water, I'd certainly start selling Nika water (Whole Foods should jump at the chance...it would certainly be better PR than they've been getting lately). Kudos to the insightful and mindful people who put this company together. I hope it works.