Committee Members:
Chair: Jessica Sterling
Members: Terry Davis, Cathy Naugle, Lance King, Shirley Deunckel, Barbara Wiseman, Peggy Starr, and Cornelio Gutierrez-Lozano.
Mission Statement
To foster the experience of community and enhance the quality of life in the Greater Toluca Lake Area by working with the community on projects that will benefit the community. And to build on our relationships and continue our partnerships with Businesses and Stakeholders.
Scope
* Beautification * Cultural Affairs * Recreation/Parks/Zoo * Environmental Impacts * Conservation * Big Clean-Up (Monthly) * Elementary School Projects
Greetings from the Environmental Affairs Committee chair, Jessica Sterling:
Summer is here! C'mon out and don't forget your gloves. We've got clean-ups and plantings scheduled on certain Sundays, from 9am-11am, meeting at the Discovery Shop on Riverside Dr. Please check the GTLNC calendar and let us know you are coming by RSVPing to Jessica.Sterling @gtlnc.org.
News! Cleanups! Events!
Environmental Affairs has been quite busy helping our local schools get a little greener. On May 3rd, We helped Rio Vista Elementary get their garden ready for the next round of crops, by planting fruit trees, weeding and having a good time! And on May 30th, we helped Toluca Lake Elementary spruce up their grounds by raking, weeding, shoveling, building raised planting beds and planting native herbs. It was a blast! Our very own Terry Davis has finally seen all her hard work come to fruition with the brand new median at Moorpark and Strohm. This median serves as one of the gateways to one of our residential areas, and is a pretty one at that. Giant boulders and beautiful plants add beauty and safety to a well-worn intersection. Thanks to the Moorpark neighbors for all their help and support.
Current Committee News & Events
May 30th Clean-Up Pictures at Toluca Lake Elementary
Jessica Sterling, Susan Miya, with parents and kids planting the native plant garden.
Cornelio Lozano-Gutierrez raising beds for the herb and vegetable garden.
Future plans to clean up the Ledge freeway underpass.
LADWP's California Landscape Workshop
Multi-Family Residental Recycling Program offers free recycling provided by the City of LA. For more information check out www.larecycles.org
Greening the Ports 2: Measuring the Costs and Benefits of the Ports Environmental Initiatives in the Slowed Economy. The BREATHE LA Green Salon Series is back next month on June 17th. We'll be hosted at the Port of LA and looking at the costs and benefits of the Ports environmental initiatives in this slowed economy. Meeting will be at the Port of Los Angeles Board Room 425 S. Palos Verdes Street San Pedro, CA 90731, 8am-9:30am. Please RSVP for this free and public green forum at http://www.breathela.org/events/greening-ports-2-return-ports-la-long-beach
Kid's Art Contest
Earth Day 2009
This year's theme was: Plants and animals help me. How can I help plants and animals? Both Toluca Lake Elementary and Rio Vista Elementary submitted drawings. The grand prize winners are: Kevin Zuniga received a student acrylic painting kit, Emily DePaz won horseback riding lessons from Robele Farms, Sahara Rodriguez, she also won a horseback riding lesson from Robele Farms. The other prize winners ($20 cash each!) are: Nicole Nukpese, Serge Manachian, Eduardo Garcia, Estafani Delao and Giselle Muga. click here for 2009 photos.
Earth Day 2008 photos:Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3
Earth Day 2008 Educational Booklet written by former board member Susann Jarvistch.
Big Sunday Cleanup, volunteers of all ages came together to spruce up Rio Vista Elementary's Hidden Garden. For photo of the event please see picture links: photo1, photo2, photo3, photo4.
Cleanup of the freeway underpass at Ledge.
Call for Action:
LA/Glendale S.A.F.E. Collection Center accepts residential special waste materials and electronic waste.
"Bad News for Free Speech" Assembly Bill 2987 (DIVCA)...relieves the cable companies from the fiscal obligation to provide Public Access stations <click to for more info>.
Please get active and write your local state Assemblyperson and City Council representatives:
Recent update article on this issue dated May 3, 2009. Click here to see article.
COMMITTEE PROJECT UPDATES:
1. Moorpark Median: We've broken ground and are progressing nicely on this very important project. As the gateway to
Toluca
Lake 's quiet streets and whispering trees, this median will help keep through traffic on main streets, where it belongs. We'll be scheduling a planting shortly, send us an email at jessica.sterling@gtlnc.org to be invited.
2. 2nd Annual Earth Day Celebration (April 19th, 10am-1pm at the Farmers Market at
Riverside and Sancola): This year's event is shaping up to be even more fun and education than last year's bash. With live music, giveaways, tips for "going green," and of course lots of fresh fruits and veggies. This year's kid's art contest is "Plants and Animals Help Me. How Can I Help Plants and Animals?" and entries are due at Trader Joe's on Thursday, April 16th. Volunteers Needed!
3. Plantings and Cleanups: Need a dirt manicure? Please check the calendar for dates and times, and sign up for our plantings/clean-up at jessica.sterling@gtlnc.org.
Environmental Affairs Correspondence
Historic Cultural Monument status for Griffith Park GTLNC Support Griffith Park Cultural Heritage Designation 10/23/2008
On Tuesday, the LA City Council voted unanimously to declare that Griffith Park is Historic Cultural Monument #942 of the City of Los Angeles.
Councilmember LaBonge spoke in support of the Historic Cultural Monument status for Griffith Park and thanked Van Griffith, great grandson of park contributor Col. Griffith J. Griffith, for initiating the preservation process. The Councilmember has been leading monthly clean-ups and tree-plantings in Griffith Park since the devastating fire of May, 2007. To see a map of the burn area and information about restoration efforts, see the newsletter attached below. The City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources offers detailed information on exactly what the historic monument status for Griffith Park means: http://preservation.lacity.org/node/436.
Forman/Camarillo Median Clean-Up. Pictured left to right: front row, Peggy Starr and Terry Davis, back row, Nancy Nickerson, Jessica Sterling, Jack Thomas, Andrew Weyman, John Moskal and Gene Elerding help clean up.
