By Ruskin Hartley, President and CEO of Heal the Bay I’d been living in Los Angeles for about six months when a three-day storm hit back in February. I had begun to wonder what all the fuss was about stormwater. Could it really be that bad? Now I know the answer is yes—but not just…

Do you want to help improve LA rivers’ and coastal water quality? If the answer is yes then you ought to consider volunteering with Santa Monica Baykeeper‘s new DrainWatch program, which is in need of dedicated clean water supporters like yourself! DrainWatch will help to identify and address sources of pollution that impact the LA…

The City of Los Angeles, Board of Public Works, Office of Community Beautification (OCB) aims to “Keep Los Angeles Beautiful” and free of graffiti and litter.  To accomplish this, OCB provides graffiti removal services, clean up assistance and programs that empower the community to take action towards beautifying their neighborhood. OCB encourages residents and community…

By Ida Talalla Community is where my home is and my home is my community. I believe that community is an extension of ourselves and that the community’s environmental needs and public spaces are the collective responsibility of all who feel a connection to place. This civic responsibility drives Echo Park Trash Abatement Project (TAP),…

by Andy Lipkis, Founder and President, TreePeople If you live in L.A. you are responsible for the City’s water quality, water supply and flood safety. OK, maybe not all of it. But together, we are all urban watershed managers. Everything we drop on our driveways gets carried to our rivers, beaches and ocean. Every time…

by Sherri Akers The MVCC Green Committee wanted to host a community event to celebrate Earth Day 2009 that would inspire our neighbors to conserve water.  Ideas were tossed around –eco block parties? An event with speakers on sustainability issues? What about a garden tour that featured sustainable and edible gardens? Could we even get…

by Kristin Sherman As a preschool director I’m witness to change over time and certain shifts in social consciousness. The philosophy in our school, The New School-West Preschool, is influenced by schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy. There’s a great respect for the children’s ideas, and curriculum is based on their reactions and interests in the…

by Joe Linton People often ask me what they can do to get involved in helping out Los Angeles’ rivers and creeks. Many ways to get involved have been covered here at the L.A. Stormwater Blog – some easy, some more involved. These include: using reusable grocery bags, tending to your pet’s poop, participating in…

by Joyce Amaro I stood in the check-out line at my local market with my filled shopping cart silently reprimanding myself for once again forgetting my canvas bags. “Why is this so difficult for me?” I angrily thought to myself as I remembered how I had left my canvas bags sitting at my back door.…

by Joyce Amaro When I was student at Monterey Highlands Elementary School, my 5th grade class took a field trip to the Los Angeles Zoo. The experience I remember most about the day was driving up the Golden State Freeway on a slow-moving, yellow dinosaur-sized school bus and seeing, for the first time, all the…