October 6th, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
Toyota’s Solar Flowers exhibit has left San Francisco (see photo), arriving at its final tour stop in Glendale, Calif.
The oversized flower sculptures, on display at The Americana at Brand, are partially powered by solar panels on the backs of their petals and bases of their stems. Some of the flowers are up to 18 feet tall.
Five flowers provide seating for up to 10 people, access to free Wi-Fi service, and power to charge cell phones and laptops. Hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, now through Oct. 18.
The flowers are part of the 2010 Toyota Prius marketing campaign, whose theme is “Harmony Between Man, Nature and Machine.”
Glendale bus riders will find solar-ventilation bus shelters spread throughout the area, which feature rooftop solar panels that help run fans and circulate air. This experience is designed to demonstrate the Prius’ Solar-Powered Ventilation System, which uses a fan to draw outside air into the cabin to reduce cabin temperature when the car is parked in direct sunlight.
“It’s exciting to see how the public has really embraced both the displays and the vehicle,” says Tim Morrison, corporate manager of marketing communications for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.
Photo courtesy of:
Tags: events, Glendale, Los Angeles, Prius, Solar Flowers, solar power, Toyota
Posted in The Environment | 4 Comments »
September 12th, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
The famed Solar Flowers exhibit, sponsored by Toyota’s Prius, has left New York City (see photo, above) and debuts in San Francisco today.
The floral sculptures, up to 18 feet tall, have been installed at the Yerba Buena Gardens, where visitors can harness the power of solar energy to charge computers and cell phones. Each flower seats up to 10 people, who may also access free Wi-Fi service.
The exhibit runs through Sept. 27. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The city’s bus riders will also receive a pleasant surprise: solar-powered ventilation in bus shelters throughout the downtown area.
The Solar Flowers will complete their tour next month in Los Angeles (Oct. 3–18).
Photo courtesy of Toyota
Tags: environment, events, Los Angeles, San Francisco, solar energy
Posted in The Environment | 1 Comment »
February 23rd, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Getting the seal of the approval from former President Bill Clinton, Los Angeles, California has announced plans retrofit 140,000 of its residential city street lights with eco-friendly LEDs.
President Clinton hailed the initiative, saying “This is the best place in the world, in the U.S. at least, to lead this.” He equated the retrofit to taking 6,000 cars off the road.
According to city hall the project will cut emissions by 40,500 tons and save $10 million annually.
And Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said making Los Angeles the greenest city in the United States would be building a bridge to a sustainable future. Projections claim the LED street lights drop energy usage from 197 million kilowatt-hours to 132 million kilowatt-hours during the next 10 years.
Clinton added money from new President Barrack Obama’s $787 billion federal stimulus package will be used to fund environmental efforts similar to the Los Angeles LED street light program; MSNBC reports.
Hey, pay me enough money and I’ll live by candlelight!
Via Earth First.
Tags: Clinton, LED, Los Angeles, Obama
Posted in Green Living, The Environment | 2 Comments »
June 15th, 2006 - Laura Klein
Last week we reported on the eviction of the nation’s largest urban farm in South Central LA. Unfortunately a full fledged eviction started Tuesday morning June 13th.The bulldozers moved in, trees are being cut down and the tree sitters are being removed. It’s sad to see resident farmers and families lose the fight for their beloved farm, but when you don’t own the land, unfortunately you can’t make the rules.
The community is holding nightly candle light vigils to show their strength and support for the preservation of their farm but I am not sure how long this can go on with the destruction of the farm. It’s sad that the land owner Developer Ralph Horowitz and the farmers could not come to a common ground and accept a last ditch offer $16 million from the Annenberg Foundation (which is probably well above what the property is worth).
Initially Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s office was able to raise $6 million in donations to purchase the property. Horowitz however wanted $16.3 million to sell the site.
The Annenberg Foundation announced last week that it would offer $10 million in cash with an agreement to finance the remainder of the $6 million. Horowitz rejected the offer. Upset at the way he’s been vilified by the farmers and their supporters, he demanded the farmers removal at 5am on Tuesday morning.
In a phone call by Mayor Villaraigosa to Horowitz, the Mayor stressed his support for the Annenberg Foundation’s offer. Horowitz said that the land was worth even more now and that he wouldn’t sell to the farmers because of their ungrateful attitude.
The Mayor said to reporters, “I told him that from my vantage point, this is a more than fair offer. This is an opportunity for us to have an urban garden in the city that wants to be the greenest big city in America,” Villaraigosa said. “And he said, well, that was nice but he wasn’t accepting.”
The Mayor went on to say, “I understand a businessman’s need to invest and make a profit. I also have a high respect for and will defend property rights, but I also believe that we are called upon by a sense of community and civic duty to do the just and right thing. I had hoped that the landowner would have heeded that call.”
It’s sad to say but I think the farmers are going to lose this fight.
Tags: Local Farming, Los Angeles, Urban Farm, Urban Farming
Posted in Political Action | No Comments »
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