Earth Day/Earth Month: Good Days to Celebrate Love & Life!

I am writing from Room 16 of the historic Cliff House Inn located on the water in Mussels Shoals, just a few miles south of the famous Rincon surf site where the Big Monkey and I celebrated Earth Day in our own special way: with champagne, dinner and wine on the ocean’s edge, an evening to ourselves while the small boy stayed with his best friend from school on their boat, breakfast with dolphins and the LA Times in the morning sun…celebrating not just the earth and all its glory, but love too: April 18 marks our wedding date and this is our sixth anniversary. Pictures to come!

The weekend’s before and after Earth Day April 22 are full of fun, family activities: concerts, festivals, fairs, expos, garden tours, fundraisers…and this weekend locally is no exception (see the previous post!) As soon as I finish this, we’ll be off on our bicycles for the Midtown Garden and Home tour!

During this week, there’s a number of events (see previous post and below). Next weekend the fun continues, especially at Oak Grove School near the Ojai Valley where they have a conscious living fair and concert next Sunday.

Here’s a rundown of some more eco-events:

National Global Warming Bill – Petition
Please Sign by April 22!!

California Rep. Henry Waxman has done it again – along with Massachusetts Rep. Markey. They’ve crafted a bill called the “American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. ” This bill has the support of an incredible list of Heavy Hitters in the environmental movement (see this partial list)!! A petition is being circulated to let Congress know that we want them to pass this bill.

Sign the Petition

Weaver Wines: Green Tips Benefit VCCool!

Thursday, April 23
6pm to 8pm
Weaver Wines
14 S. California St., Ventura

Join us for a glass of wine at Weaver Wines and heckled the Celeb Wine-Tender Rachel Morris. All the tips collected by Rachel will be donated to VCCool for our huge annual Kids Bicycle Safety Rodeo. Join us Thursday April 23rd from 6-8pm and we can drink wines together and discuss “Green Tips for Changing the World.”

Seana Weaver IS the Hostess with the Mostest! There will be door prizes including baskets of goodies, and great organic and local wines. Family style seating and standing at the bar and two tables of fun! So bring your checkbooks and enjoy a meet-and-greet. Your tips will help fund our annual kid’s bicycle safety rodeo!

Food, Water and Energy
A panel discussion on what is being done to preserve our planet for future generations

Friday, April 24th
7:30pm – 9:00pm
Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
3327 Old Conejo Rd., Newbury Park
$5 – suggested donation

Four Ventura County activists working on the cutting edge of environmental issues will discuss positive steps many conscientious people are taking to live more responsibly.

Panelists:
Rachel Morris, Director of VCCool
Kristofer Young, co- founded “Eat Local One Year”
Wally Geer, a founding director of the Central Coast Chapter U.S. Green Building Council
Steve Forman, Open Space and water issues.

Santa Paula League of Women Voters Presents:
Global Climate Change

Saturday, April 25
9:30 a.m. to noon
Santa Paula Community Center
530 W. Main Street, Santa Paula

The Santa Paula Unit of the League of Women Voters and the Ventura County League of Women Voters will present a community forum on Global Climate Change. A discussion will follow speakers’ presentations.

Speakers:
Dr. Catherine Gautier – Geography, Earth System Science and Global Warming at UCSB.
Donald R. Price – An engineer with the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District.
Architect Kara Davis – member of the C4 Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Monthly Meetings:

Bike Pod meeting (a.k.a. Ventura Bicyclists’ Union)
Tuesday May 12th
Second Tuesdays of the month
6:30pm to 8:30pm
345 West Center St, Ventura

The purpose of the Bike Pod is to create a bike culture in our community.

Green Urbanism Pod meeting
Thursday, April 30th
6:30pm to 8:30 pm
Mainstreet Architects
422 East Main Street, Ventura

The New Urbanism Pod is reviewing issues of city planning, zoning, parking, and more, all with an eye on greener communities.

Events to Watch for:
Advocacy 101: Ojai Green Valley Coalition – Wednesday, April 22

Please Help Out with VCCool’s Annual Kids’ Bike Safety Rodeo

The first year 200 people attended, last year 500 people came, this year – we expect 1,000! What is it? It’s a great event where kids get free helmets, get their bike worked on, and learn the rules of the rode on our fun “skill course.”

The 2009 bike rodeo is May 30th, and we need volunteers to help at the event! We also need to raise $4,000 to cover expenses! So PLEASE – Donate Generously! $50 would repair 10 kids’ bicycles. $100 would buy quality helmets for 11 youthful heads! Help our kids to help the planet!

To Donate

To Volunteer