Green Long Beach! shines a spotlight on creating a sustainable community
Story by Matt Cohn – Photo by John Gilhooley
At a time in our history when the word “green” means so many different things, Green Long Beach! wants to make it simple for you.
This East Village-based “collaborative community” offers a participant-ready assortment of pro-environment projects, events and efforts to residents of the city and surrounding areas.
Green Long Beach! draws upon the resources of an ever-growing network of individuals, community groups, non-profit organizations, businesses and city agencies—including the city’s Office of Sustainability, where Tiffany Chen, one of the group’s core members, works as a sustainability assistant for the city’s Office of Sustainability.
“We’re young, but we’re standing on the shoulders of giants,” says Chen.
For Chen, the “giants” are the environmental activists from the era of the original Earth Day, which celebrates its 41st anniversary on April 22. Long Beach is celebrating Earth Day by showcasing its many environmental initiatives at City Hall from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The public is invited. And GLB! will be there, handing out free tomato plants.
“Really inspiring,” is the way another GLB! core member, Elliot Gonzales, describes the city government’s cooperation with various green programs. Gonzales sees Portland and San Francisco as “ahead of the curve” green-wise, but says Long Beach is “on the cusp.” He, Chen and other like-minded folks began working together in May 2009, after the first Green Long Beach! Festival.
“The Green Long Beach! community was formed as a way for the participants to stay connected,” says Gonzales.
Gonzales, who was born in Long Beach, moved to Florida, when he was 3 years old and returned at age 19 after having cultivated a strong interest in politics. He brings great energy to GLB! endeavors.
“There’s a little revolution in this city,” he says about the green movement here. Gonzales handles greens daily: He works at the Kress Market at 443 Pine Ave., which features locally-grown organic produce.
Chen was a distinguished student in molecular cell biology at Cal State Long Beach. Her focus in the lab was studying alternatives to chemical pesticides. She finds more fulfillment through her involvement with GLB! than her research days.
“I realized the community was where I wanted to be, not in a laboratory,” says Chen.
Chen also cites the Office of Sustainability’s impressive list of goals, including increasing the number of local community gardens to 60 (there are currently 10), developing at least 2,000 “green collar” jobs in the city and reducing electricity and natural-gas use in city operations.
The centerpiece of the GLB! year is the Green Long Beach! Festival, which is scheduled for June 11 on the Downtown Promenade. This year’s Festival theme is “Ignite Change!”
“It’s a good showcase,” says Chen. “It shines a spotlight on what we are. But mainly it’s a festival by the community for the community.”
“Everybody gets the opportunity to see our vision, and feel the strength of our local green economy,” adds Gonzales.
The event features crafts, fashion, food, representatives from eco-minded companies and local musicians and DJs. There will also be a terrific assortment of green workshops in settings like the Zephyr Vegetarian Cafe on East 4th Street and the Urban Garden at 1st and Elm. Topics include “Native Landscaping Ideas,” “What is a Green Job?” and “Restoring the San Gabriel River.”
One artist contributing to the Festival is Amy Tanaka, a graduate of CSULB’s Fine Arts program. She’s part of the core group at GLB!, and she designs logos and artwork for the group. Her work will be featured alongside that of other environmental artists at an Earth Day show on April 9 at Catalyst on East 1st Street. CSULB has a big presence at the Festival, as does Long Beach City College—one of GLB!’s sponsors.
Gonzales describes the Green Long Beach! Festival as an event reflecting two cultures: the American culture of the present day and an indigenous culture; “[our] forefathers of the earth,” Gonzales says.
“We depend on nature; somehow our culture has forgotten that,” he adds.
Statistics bear this out: The United States makes up 5 percent of the world’s population, yet produces over 40 percent of the world’s garbage—more than any other country. Even more sobering, we use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour, and more than 1 million plastic bags per minute.
One idea that GLB! is pushing is the concept that doing something small— recycling just one aluminum can save enough energy to light up a room for 20 hours with a 100-watt light bulb—can have a big impact.
“We can better our lives, our children’s lives and our grandchildren’s lives,” says Chen. “The green movement is happening. Why fight it?”
If you would like to learn new ways to “go green,” Green Long Beach! is waiting for you.
www.greenlb.org.
RAYS OF HOPE
Who says giving Mother Nature respect can’t involve channeling your inner child. On April 9, the second Annual Solar Grand Prix competition will have students, grades 6-12, designing and building a solar-powered model car they will race against other competitors along a 65-foot course. File under “Renewable Fun.”
www.longbeach.gov/district5/solargrandprix/.
