Valley Star Newspaper: Breathe California Talks Green at Valley

Breathe California of Los Angeles County, a non-profit, public benefit organization promoting clean air and healthy lungs, returned to Valley College for one of its five Green Salon Series to facilitate a panel of neighborhood organizations and discuss their approaches to "green" and improve communities.

Panelists spoke about their efforts and challenges in bringing green to the inner city, such as a partnership between L.A. Neighborhood Initiative and the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles in bringing in landscaping to the area of Magnolia and Lankershim Boulevards.

Soon after, businesses like Starbucks invested in the area that was once was overlooked and had no community gathering spot. That effort is similar to LANI's proposed project in making 6th Street in Boyle Heights "Green Street" by providing a canopy of trees.

"The people of the community have been very excited, very welcoming of this green effort," said Veronica Hahni of LANI.

The Silverlake Neighborhood Council is seeking similar success. According to board member, Leonardo Chalupowicz, they are hoping for the community between Hollywood and downtown LA to become a drive-to destination instead of a drive-through community. He said the Silverlake governing board is leading by example, promoting green space and alternative transportation so that "pedestrians, bicycle riders, and transit riders have the same status as cars."

"This is not about taking away from living," said Peter McCarty, San Fernando Green Team Member and second vice president of Northridge East Neighborhood Council. "It's about doing it efficiently."

He said efficiency means "more with less." He invited Valley to meet with CSUN's power plant personnel to possibly adopt the methods of reducing their energy consumption to the levels they had in the 1990s, which the university has done.

The event was co-sponsored by Valley and Union Bank. Other panelists included City of Calabasas Mayor pro Tem Dennis Washburn, Northridge East Neighborhood councilmember and San Fernando Valley Green Team member Peter McCarty, Veronica Hahni from LA Neighborhood Initiative, and UCLA Urban Planning professor and Breathe LA program director Neil Richman. Jason Schaff, editor of the San Fernando Valley Business Journal, moderated the event. The next Green Salon is "Greening the Ports 3" at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro July 22.