Jodi Summers = Green Real Estate ? BIG GREEN > NO MORE ...

September 7, 2012 on 12:34 am | In Act Locally, all, Green Cities, Reasons to Love L.A., Recycling, Solutions, Uncategorized | No Comments

by Jodi Summers

Los Angeles will soon become the largest city in the country to approve a ban on plastic bags. The decision came down in May, as a standing-room-only crowd packed City Hall as the Los Angeles City Council voted 13-1 to approve a ban on plastic bags and impose a 10-cent charge on paper bags at convenience stores and supermarkets in the nation?s second-largest city.

With the council?s action, Los Angeles and our 3.8 million residents become the largest group in the United States to formally endorse a sweeping ban on single-use plastic shopping bags.

?The Los Angeles City Council took a prudent step to protect our environment and bolster our economy,? said Kirsten James, director of water quality for the Santa Monica-based nonprofit group Heal the Bay. ?The vote further emphasizes the fact that the days are numbered for single-use bags in California.?

Nearly 50 other municipalities in California have adopted ordinances in the state banning single-use plastic bags and most also ban or impose fees for paper bags. Cal cities that have passed single-use plastic bag bans include San Francisco, Santa Monica, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Calabasas, Long Beach and Carpinteria. Environmentalists hope the move by the Los Angeles City Council will provide momentum for a statewide ban.

?I?m deliriously excited about the passage of this measure. Ever since I first heard about the floating plastic island in the Pacific, while I was still in the state legislature, I have been trying to move the ball forward on banning plastic bags in this state,? said Councilman Paul Koretz, a chief sponsor of the measure, in a statement.

It is estimated that 1.2 to 2.3 billion single-use plastic carryout bags and 400 million single-use paper bags are used annually in Los Angeles. A report by the Board of Public Works cited studies showing that single-use paper bags have greater greenhouse gas emissions through their production and use tan a single-use plastic bag, prompting paper bags to also be targeted.

This concept became too much too soon, and then the bill stalled until City Councilman Eric Garcetti co-introduced a motion that imposed a 10-cent fee on paper bags instead of an outright ban. The proposal is very similar to what has been working effectively in Santa Monica for the past year. Impressed by the model, Los Angeles City Council voted nearly unanimously to endorse the substitute motion.

The new ordinance will likely be approved before the end of the year. Large retailers can anticipate a six-month phase-out of single-use plastic bags. There will be a one-year grace period for smaller retailers. All retailers would be required to charge 10 cents for a paper bag as an incentive for shoppers to bring reusable bags to the market beginning one year after the program?s enactment.

?City Council approved a motion that will move us one step closer to making Los Angeles a greener, cleaner, more sustainable city,? noted Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. ?The little things matter?removing plastic bags that clutter our streets and damage our waterways will go a long way towards protecting Angelenos and Los Angeles wildlife for generations.?

Cathy Browne, general manager of plastic bag maker Crown Poly in Huntington Park, said the council shouldn?t be mandating consumer behavior and should let the market dictate consumer choice.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in November 2010 approved a plastic bag ban in unincorporated areas that went into effect July 1, 2011, at large stores and on Jan. 1, 2012, at smaller retailers. A lawsuit claimed the 10-cent fee on paper bags imposed by the county was an illegal tax under Proposition 26, but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Chalfant in March rejected the argument in a tentative ruling.

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http://venice.patch.com/articles/l-a-city-council-approves-ban-on-plastic-bags-and-10-cent-fee-for-paper-bags

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Source: http://www.socalgreenrealestateblog.com/?p=2179

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Exercise and stress: Get moving to manage stress. | someone ...

Exercise in almost any form can act as a stress reliever. Being active can boost your feel-good endorphins and distract you from daily worries.

You know that exercise does your body good, but you?re too busy and stressed to fit it into your routine. Hold on a second ? there?s good news when it comes to exercise and stress.

Virtually any form of exercise, from aerobics to yoga, can act as a stress reliever. If you?re not an athlete or even if you?re downright out of shape, you can still make a little exercise go a long way toward stress management. Discover the connection between exercise and stress relief ? and why exercise should be part of your stress management plan.

Exercise and stress relief

Exercise increases your overall health and your sense of well-being, which puts more pep in your step every day. But exercise also has some direct stress-busting benefits.

• It pumps up your endorphins. Physical activity helps to bump up the production of your brain?s feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins. Although this function is often referred to as a runner?s high, a rousing game of tennis or a nature hike also can contribute to this same feeling.
• It?s meditation in motion. After a fast-paced game of racquetball or several laps in the pool, you?ll often find that you?ve forgotten the day?s irritations and concentrated only on your body?s movements. As you begin to regularly shed your daily tensions through movement and physical activity, you may find that this focus on a single task, and the resulting energy and optimism, can help you remain calm and clear in everything that you do.
• It improves your mood. Regular exercise can increase self-confidence and lower the symptoms associated with mild depression and anxiety. Exercise also can improve your sleep, which is often disrupted by stress, depression and anxiety. All this can ease your stress levels and give you a sense of command over your body and your life.

Put exercise and stress relief to work for you

A successful exercise program begins with a few simple steps.

• Consult with your doctor. If you haven?t exercised for some time and you have health concerns, you may want to talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise routine.
• Walk before you run. Build up your fitness level gradually. Excitement about a new program can lead to overdoing it and possibly even injury. For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends getting at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity (think brisk walking or swimming) or 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity (such as running). If you?re new to exercise, start at the moderate level and then add vigorous activity as your fitness improves.
• Do what you love. Virtually any form of exercise or movement can increase your fitness level while decreasing your stress. The most important thing is to pick an activity that you enjoy. Examples include walking, stair climbing, jogging, bicycling, yoga, tai chi, gardening, weightlifting and swimming.
• Pencil it in. Although your schedule may necessitate a morning workout one day and an evening activity the next, carving out some time to move every day helps you make your exercise program an ongoing priority.

Stick with it

Starting an exercise program is just the first step. Here are some tips for sticking with a new routine or reinvigorating a tired workout:

• Set SMART goals. Write down specific, measureable, attainable, relevant and time-limited goals. If your primary goal is to reduce stress in your life and recharge your batteries, your specific goals might include committing to walking during your lunch hour three times a week or, if needed, finding a baby sitter to watch your children so that you can slip away to attend a cycling class.
• Find a friend. Knowing that someone is waiting for you to show up at the gym or the park can be a powerful incentive. Working out with a friend, co-worker or family member often brings a new level of motivation and commitment to your workouts.
• Change up your routine. If you?ve always been a competitive runner, take a look at other less competitive options that may help with stress reduction, such as Pilates or yoga classes. As an added bonus, these kinder, gentler workouts may enhance your running while also decreasing your stress.
• Exercise in increments. Even brief bouts of activity offer benefits. For instance, if you can?t fit in one 30-minute walk, try three 10-minute walks instead. What?s most important is making regular physical activity part of your lifestyle.

Whatever you do, don?t think of exercise as just one more thing on your to-do list. Find an activity you enjoy ? whether it?s an active tennis match or a meditative meander down to a local park and back ? and make it part of your regular routine. Any form of physical activity can help you unwind and become an important part of your approach to easing stress.

Source: Mayo clinic

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Source: http://zedie.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/exercise-and-stress-get-moving-to-manage-stress/

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Colombia's FARC rebels to ask government for ceasefire

HAVANA (Reuters) - Colombia's leftist FARC rebels said on Thursday they would seek a bilateral ceasefire next month at the start of peace talks with the government aimed at ending half a century of war, and expressed hope that this latest attempt to end the conflict would succeed.

But the proposal could complicate the process from the start because Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said this week there would be no ceasefire during the negotiations.

"We are going to propose a ceasefire immediately when we sit at the table," senior commander Mauricio Jaramillo told a news conference in Havana.

"Better said, we are going to fight for it. We are going to discuss it there in the table, but it is one of the first points," he said.

A decade ago, in the last attempt at ending Latin America's longest-running insurgency, the rebels used a ceasefire to beef up their military operations and establish a multibillion-dollar drug-trafficking network.

"There is no way the government will accept this since it has always sought a unilateral ceasefire on the side of the rebels," said security analyst Alfredo Rangel in Bogota.

"The government will reject this immediately and that will play into the hands of the FARC which wants to continue in combat. The FARC will use violence to pressure the government at the negotiating table," he said.

The rebels said the talks were expected to begin October 8 in Norway. They will then move to Havana, where the Cuban government said on Wednesday it had been brokering the negotiations for more than a year.

Jaramillo said the FARC, which formed in 1964 and operates out of remote locations in Colombia, would send Ivan Marquez and Jose Santrich, both high-ranking leaders, to the talks and would reveal more participants soon.

The rebels said they were pursuing peace because the country needs it and sensed that the government felt the same.

"We think it is very important to develop and preserve this process because it responds to a need, a strong desire of the Colombian people," said FARC member Marco Leon. "We are in a war, we are conscious of the importance of ending the social and armed conflict."

Although the Marxist-led FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, have lost ground in recent years, their attacks affect the country's fast-expanding mining and oil sectors.

"We have always wanted to move forward the processes (of peace. We have always wanted peace," said Jaramillo.

Santos unveiled his negotiating team on Wednesday, saying it would be led by former Vice President Humberto de la Calle.

Despite the conciliatory words, experts say the peace process will be difficult, with many disagreements to overcome.

Even as they prepare for the meetings, on Tuesday the FARC blew up two trucks at a coal mine and Danilo Garcia, a top rebel commander and right hand man to FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, better known as "Timochenko," was killed in a bombing attack by government troops.

The two sides have set up a framework for negotiations that includes discussing the rights of victims, land ownership in rural areas and cocaine trafficking and smuggling.

They will also have to settle on how to integrate some 8,000 fighters into civil society, many of whom have been hiding in the Amazon jungle for decades.

Timochenko said in a video shown at the start of the press conference that there were enemies who opposed the talks, but that the process "must culminate with a new Colombia, just and democratic."

(Editing By Tom Brown and Vicki Allen)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/colombias-farc-rebels-ask-government-ceasefire-145600236.html

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Bebo Vega ha compartido el grupo de Enrique Pab?n en Facebook

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Two Months to Go: Why I Haven't yet Made a Choice for Obama

With two months to go before the election, Yahoo! News asked a handful of undecided voters how they're leaning in the presidential race. Here's a perspective from one voter.

FIRST PERSON | When I left rural western Colorado this summer -- the place where I spent more than half of my 40 years of life -- the town in my rearview mirror wasn't doing well. When people talk about the abundance of America's energy sources, Colorado was surely what they had in mind. My friends and neighbors there were waiting for the environmental lawsuits to end so that a uranium mill could be built and mining there could begin again. Most of the nearby oil rigs left a few years ago in the face of new state regulations. In the meantime, coal was the only thing keeping that little town alive.

Understand this: Survival was always a precarious thing in my hometown, as it is in any place that relies perhaps too much on the boom and bust of the energy industry. But when the EPA declares war on an industry that, through a mine and a power plant, provides nearly every new dollar flowing into a place, "precarious" doesn't even begin to cover it.

Now, two months from the election, I am in Northern California, writing about energy and still trying to decide who to vote for. As an independent voter, I find myself to the right on some issues and to the left on others. I am tired of the Republican Party's stance on most social issues to the point that I'm repulsed by it. I am leaning toward Obama.

Social issues aside, though, I have looked at both candidate's energy policies. And I've been watching Obama's demonstration of an "all-of-the-above" policy, which The Atlantic refers to as the Democrats' least credible idea. To be sure, each week, the Obama Administration, via the Department of Energy, announces government investment in new, innovative energy resources. Methane hydrates. Concentrating solar power systems. Everything, it would seem, except coal.

But, according to the National Mining Association, in 2011, an average of 86,195 people were working at American coal mines each day. Further, the NMA reports, coal generates nearly half the electricity in the United States. Ninety percent of the coal mined each year is used for domestic electricity. It is available in 38 states and makes up 94 percent of the U.S. fossil energy reserve.

It seems like, rather than declaring war on it, the administration should be investing -- as it is in other forms of energy -- into making it cleaner-burning. It would be in the nation's interest to hang onto coal and improve it. I've seen a town dying slowly from overregulation. For that reason, I am not ready to simply declare my support for Obama.

Susan Graybeal, 40, is a former newspaper reporter who writes about energy issues from Northern California.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/two-months-why-havent-yet-made-choice-obama-153500989.html

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On a Backpack, Does a Vest Beat Straps? [Backpacks]

A sturdy set of padded comfortable straps can make a world of difference when toting a heavy backpack. But o-range, an Italian bag maker, thinks it has come up with an even better solution—a wraparound vest that hugs your entire torso, instead of straps that just cling to your shoulders. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/wHUFTKByUbM/on-a-backpack-does-a-vest-beat-straps

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