'New Starts and Small Starts,' Streetcars May Get Another Breath of Life
January 15, 2010
Light-rail? Streetcars? Rapid-transit? Oh my.
From the Wall Street Journal:
The Obama administration said it was revamping rules on federal transit funding to funnel more of the money to streetcars, bus routes and other projects that promote "livability."
"Obama Jacket" Made from Sweatshop Labor
January 8, 2010
A jacket LAgb will not be buying this winter.
From the National Labor Committee:
The Weatherproof Garment Company has mounted a huge billboard on 7th Avenue in New York City's Times Square advertising the so-called "Obama Jacket." A Weatherproof jacket exactly like the one advertised retails for $250 in Macy's and is currently on sale for half price. The Weatherproof jacket was sewn in Vietnam by workers afforded few human and worker rights protections and paid just 27 cents an hour.
Looking for Money to Save the Planet? You've Come to the Right Place
January 8, 2010
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced it is making up to $5 million in grants available to U.S. and international organizations to fund innovative, international methane reduction and use projects that cut global climate pollution. The grants will be issued through the Methane to Markets Partnership, a public-private partnership that reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution by promoting the cost-effective, near-term recovery and use of methane, a GHG that is more than 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
The EPA Adopts Stricter Standards for Smog, Protects Americans
January 7, 2010
The United States Environmental Protection Agency today proposed the strictest health standards to date for smog. Smog, also known as ground-level ozone, is linked to a number of serious health problems, ranging from aggravation of asthma to increased risk of premature death in people with heart or lung disease. Ozone can even harm healthy people who work and play outdoors. The agency is proposing to replace the standards set by the previous administration, which many believe were not protective enough of human health.
Looking Back at 2009: Where Filet O' Fish Comes From-but for How Long?
January 7, 2010
From The New York Times:
The answer to the eternal mystery of what makes up a Filet-O-Fish sandwich turns out to involve an ugly creature from the sunless depths of the Pacific, whose bounty, it seems, is not limitless.
Happy New Year! LAgb is back!
January 7, 2010
Welcome Back! Or shall we say, welcome us back! Thanks for the LAgb fans out there that stuck it out with us. It was a crazy 2009, and we can't wait to update you on the exciting stories we left behind.
LAgb promised many things, and we are still working on them. Stay tuned for new updates, long-overdue stories, and much more!
Got feedback? Contact us. We would love to hear from you.
Until next time, peace out,
LAgb
Photo Source: www.8asians.com
Multimillionaire Steven Dahlberg is a Polluter...
December 18, 2009
...and dare we say it?--a jerk.
From L.A. Weekly:
For Steven Dahlberg, owner of the Paradise Cove Mobile Home Park, decades of allowing polluted runoff and leaking sewage into the Pacific Ocean paid off with an early Christmas present. In a season of shopping for discounts, Dahlberg just got a sweet markdown from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s appointees on the Southern California Regional Water Quality Control Board: about 97 percent.
Fiji Water's Dirty Story - A Mother Jones's Crack at the Most Popular Water Bottle
November 16, 2009
An oldie but goodie. Here's another reason to give up your water bottle habit. Or at least to stay away from Fiji Water, and maybe Fiji, the location.
From Mother Jones:
Obama sips it. Paris Hilton loves it. Mary J. Blige won't sing without it. How did a plastic water bottle, imported from a military dictatorship thousands of miles away, become the epitome of cool?
One More Reason to Love Gucci: The Mission to Save the Rainforests
November 4, 2009
Can't say enough how much LAgb digs it when high fashion finally makes a turn for a greener future. One improvement Gucci can make is committing to ending the use of cheap labor and raw materials. A pair of sweet looking Gucci boots made of recycled material and certified fair trade would become a staple in any LAgb closet, that is for sure. Besides, the world has enough of new stuff as it is.
From Grist:
Environmental Defense Fund Finds $54 Million in Savings at Fortune 500 Companies
October 23, 2009
This past summer, 26 MBA students from across the country joined Environmental Defense Fund's (EDF) Climate Corps program to help Fortune 500 and other leading companies uncover energy efficiencies that represent net operating savings of more than $54 million over the lifetime of the projects. These projects could also reduce energy use by more than 160 million kilowatt hours (khW) a year – enough to power 14,000 homes – and avoid more than 100,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year.
