Last year, the Los Angeles Film Festival had a "Green Day," showcasing 50 short eco-films and lining a block in Westwood with a few green booths (photo above). This year, the festival has declared its plans to incorporate environmentalism into more aspects of its festivities, happening June 19-29.

Most impressively, the festival is supporting local food: "catering will use organically-grown produce purchased from local farms within a 150-mile radius of Los Angeles," announces the press release -- though exactly how much of the food will be local isn't specified. The festival will also use biodiesel-fueled generators.

Aside from those, the steps are rather unremarkable things to be sending out a press release about, in the vein of "We'll use recycled paper -- then recycle it! Also, we'll buy carbon offsets!"

Still, the greening's a step forward for the film and television industry, which is known as the second largest contributor of criteria air pollutants in the L.A. metro area. SoCal film festivals' efforts to go green is something I noted last year, when all of them started sending out press releases about how they plan to include an eco-themed film or two. Hopefully these efforts will get darker green each year.

Photo by Siel

If you're not ready to make your own green cleaners -- but cringe every time you throw out another plastic spray bottle (into the recycling bin, but still), TerraCycle has a solution for you: Green cleaners packaged in reclaimed soda bottles!

Yep -- The anti-waste people who brought you the eco worm-poop fertilizer in used soda bottles are now packaging eco-cleaning products in the same reclaimed containers. TerraCycle's 5-product line includes all-purpose, window and bathroom cleaners, as well as a degreaser and drain maintainer. All products are non-toxic and biodegradable; they're also free of 1,4-Dioxane, fragrances, and dyes.

According to James Artis of TerraCycle, the 1-liter bottles are either used bottles collected from local recycling centers or end-run and off-spec bottles from larger bottling companies. The spray trigger heads, too, are end-run or off specs. "The shrink label is the only part of TerraCycle’s product that is not rescued from the waste stream," Artis notes.

I tried out both the all-purpose cleaner and window cleaner during a cleaning frenzy this weekend. Both work great -- I can finally see clearly out my balcony windows! Want TerraCycle cleaners of your own? Get them at Office Max and select Targets across California. Cost: $3.99 for all products except the drain cleaner, which costs $8.99. 

Earlier: TerraCycle turns juice pouches into pencil cases

Image courtesy of TerraCycle

>> Why we have horrific traffic snarls in SoCal. The fact that we haven't invested enough on public transit's obvious, but Jeffrey L. Rabin and Dan Weikel of the L.A. Times point to a second reason: "For years, elected county and city officials across Southern California have put economic development and jobs ahead of mobility, approving major commercial and residential developments without requiring builders to pay enough for improvements needed to handle extra traffic."

>> The psychological toll of long commutes. Symptoms range from road rage to "a feeling of being out of control."

>> The health toll of long commutes. "One stark study, published in 2004 in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that nearly one in 12 heart attacks was linked to traffic. Left unresolved was whether the culprit was stop-and-go car exhaust, which can starve the heart of oxygen, or stress, which spikes blood pressure, leading to strokes and heart attacks."

>> How to save $10+ on your next day on the beach: Take the bus! Tara tries out the Culver City bus for 75 cents, avoids $10 parking fee plus $4.38 per gallon on gas, enjoys sunny sands.

>> Earlier: De-car-ing. Fight traffic less, enjoy the city more and avoid being a designated driver -- all while having fun out and about.

>> Also earlier: Q&A: De-car-ing in the Valley, Q&A: Greening a cheap renter's long commute.

Photo: Richard Hartog / L.A. Times

For a primer on current environmental concerns -- alongside lessons in sociocultural, architectural, and political history around the world -- pick up Alan Weisman's book, "The World Without Us."

I read this book after watching "Your house without you," a short animation that shows just how long a typical U.S. home would last if humans suddenly disappeared. That times 100 is what "The World Without Us" looks at, examining what seemingly-indestructible edifices will quickly disintegrate without our presence -- and what material legacies will remain of human life long after we disappear as a species.

What will remain: A lot of plastic. "The World Without Us," in fact, features an interview with Capt. Charles Moore, whose discovery of the "Pacific Garbage Patch" -- a huge area in the ocean covered with plastic debris -- prompted the current Junk raft trip, which departed Long Beach for Hawaii on June 1.

Frighteningly, every bit of plastic we've ever created -- save the small amount that's been incinerated -- still remains, according to the chapter titled "Polymers are forever." Even more frightening is the fact that plastics, instead of biodegrading, are simply breaking into smaller and smaller bits -- and getting ingested by smaller and smaller organisms. And because plastics act as sponges for toxic substances such as DDT and PCBs, the potential for bio-accumulation of these poisons as they work their way up the food chain really gets scary.

Not all of "The World Without Us" is so doom and gloom. In fact, because the book covers so much ground -- from the history of the Hagia Sophia to today's virtual water trade in Kenyan flowers -- "The World Without Us" sometimes reads as a compendium of bits of sociocultural histories you've always wanted to learn more about but never got around to exploring on your own. Do you know why wild African animals have survived alongside humans while so many U.S. species went extinct when European settlers arrived? Are you familiar with VHEMT -- The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement? Reading "The World Without You" will educate you about the things you never even knew you were curious about -- and perhaps make you a better Jeopardy player in the process.

Even as it points out some man-made ecological disasters, "The World Without You" doesn't get preachy or push a strong environmental agenda. More than anything, "The World Without You" gives us a glimpse of both the fragility and resilience of life on Earth -- a nature that humans have proved quite adept at destroying, but also a nature that will long outlast the human species. In the end, the book paints a history and future of the Earth that's not so human-centric, and correspondingly, encourages a more humble perspective of our role on this planet. What you end up doing with that perspective is entirely up to you.

>> Get a green gift for dad on Father's Day, with some help from Grist's eco-friendly gift guide.

>> Order local, organic groceries online. Michelle Slatalla writes about a growing number of online retailers connecting consumers to local farms. Spud.com delivers to the L.A. area -- but "local" here's defined by a 500-mile radius. (via Lifehacker)

>> The problems with a car culture mentality -- as described in a 1947 article in Time magazine: "this peculiar state of mind had not only sucked thousands of American oil wells dry, stripped the rubber groves of Malaya, produced the world's most inhuman industry and its most recalcitrant labor union, but had filled U.S. streets with so many automobiles that it was almost impossible to drive one." (via kottke)

>> Minivans: Not doing well. These soccer mom vehicle sales are sinking, along with the sales of trucks, SUVs, and other huge gas guzzlers.

>> L.A. looks into recycling its wastewater, what with the state drought and all. The success of Orange County's "toilet-to-tap" project could also help propel L.A.'s water recycling project -- though it sounds like it'll be a while before we approve, build, and start running an L.A. plant.

I've covered some very unexpected recycling programs on this blog, ranging from "upcycling" juice pouches to "artcycling" produce stickers. Now here comes another recycling opportunity that'll be beloved by anyone who switched to a Brita filter to reduce plastic waste from all those one-use water bottles. The Take Back the Filter campaign wants your old Brita filters!

The filters won't actually be recycled into new filters or other new products. Instead, they will be used as a visual showcase of sorts in order to persuade Clorox, owner of the Brita Products Co. in the U.S., to provide a recycling option for consumers who use their products. After all, Europeans are able to recycle their filters. According to the Take Back the Filter campaign website, "the original European Brita GmbH company has created a take-back recycling program for its filter cartridges."

So far, the campaign's attracted many supporters -- including the Bay area chapter of Sierra Club, which wrote a letter to Clorox (PDF) urging a filter recycling program. Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish, who initiated the campaign, even dressed up as a Brita filter to participate in the popular Bay to Breakers event in San Francisco.

There is actually a way for you to reuse at least part of your Brita filter, as this Instructables article -- "How to refill a 'disposable' Brita brand water pitcher filter with activated carbon" -- points out. The process isn't exactly easy, however. "All that you will need is an old cartridge, some activated carbon, a polyethylene plug, a sharp utility knife or Xacto knife," reads the beginning of the article, as if most households have activated carbon laying around. Excepting the old cartridge, I have none of those things, much less the optional 1/2" drill motor and 1/2" drill bit.

So for now, I'll be sending my used Brita filters to the Take Back the Filter campaign. You can mail them to Take Back The Filter, 5245 College Avenue, Box #815, Oakland, CA 94618.

And if you feel so moved, sign the "Take Back the Filter" petition -- and maybe even write a letter to Clorox executives. Filter buyers are, after all, Clorox's repeat customers. Let your consumer demands be known.

Image and photo courtesy of Take Back the Filter

Don't be fooled by the "private street" signs; many Malibu beaches are publicly owned, as urban nature activist Jenny Price often points out. If you're afraid to venture alone into the notoriously public-unfriendly city -- which by the way is also trying to restrict people from camping in public parks -- The Los Angeles Urban Rangers can help.

The Rangers -- a collective of artists, writers, architects and urban designers who explore L.A. and work to help others do likewise -- are back with the Summer 2008 Malibu Public Beaches Safaris -- free educational tours that will show you exactly what beaches are there for your surfing, swimming and sunbathing pleasure -- and how to find, park, walk, picnic and play there.

When: Pick from one of five safaris in west and east Malibu:

• East Malibu: Sat., June 14, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Sun., July 27, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Sun., Aug 3, 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
• West Malibu: Sun., June 15, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Sat., Aug 2, 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

Cost: Free with RSVP by e-mailing info@laurbanrangers.org with tour date, name and number of people.

Can't make time for a Safari? You can still explore Malibu beaches on your own with this handy Malibu Public Beaches guide (PDF) provided by the Rangers. Enjoy the beaches that belong to you!

Photo and image courtesy of LAUR

>> A Q&A about the subway to the sea, written by Steve Hymon of Bottleneck Blog. Summary of his post: The route for the subway hasn't been picked yet, the money isn't there, and assuming those obstacles are overcome, it'll still be 2 years until the line starts getting built.

>> Summer excursions, car-free! That's the next live Web chat topic with Metro Board Chair Pam O'Connor, happening noon to 1 p.m. on June 18 at metro.net/chat. According to Metro's press release, "Chair O'Connor will also be available to discuss the potential half cent sales tax dedicated to Los Angeles County transit projects and other transportation issues."

>> The L.A. River Ride happens tomorrow! Tune up your bikes now, and register on-site early tomorrow morning; online registration's now closed.

>> L.A.'s Bike Advisory Committee comments on the City’s Bike Master Plan. Top item on the BAC's comments: "Identify why many policies and recommendations in the previous bicycle master plan have not been implemented." The BAC's action comes after much critique from the bicycling community about BAC's inaction and ineffectiveness -- perhaps a contributing factor as to why not much has been done with the previous master plan.

>> Yet another reason why nuclear energy's unpopular: "Under current plans, the casks of nuclear waste material awaiting burial at Yucca Mountain could be sent into a "chaotic melee of bouncing and rolling juggernauts" in an earthquake, according to Holtec International, one of the nation's largest manufacturers of nuclear waste storage systems.

Photo by Liz O. Baylen, L.A. Times

Check out the yummy catch from our own beaches! In a guerrilla education effort, Surfrider Foundation collected the detritus from our beaches and packaged them up as the "Catch of the Day," then displayed them at farmers markets (via Treehugger). Above are "Condom Strips" from Newport Beach, below are "Styrofoam Bites" from Long Beach.

Malibu, true to its efforts to keep the public from actually enjoying public beaches, gets a "Private Beach Mix":

Venice Beach gets "Butts-n-Bits." Stop smoking, beachgoers!

You can watch a little video clip of the Surfrider Booth at the Hermosa Beach farmers market here.

In other Surfrider news: Quicksilver's made some 100% organic board shorts dubbed "Slightly Choppy" to benefit the nonprofit. How much of the $59.50 per pair goes to Surfrider? The press release I received said "a portion," so I asked for more info -- to find out that each pair will net Surfrider just a buck. I get the feeling that amount won't be specified on the tags, but now you know. The shorts are available in Quicksilver stores now, and will be available on Quicksilver's website in about 2 weeks.

Earlier: L.A. beaches get cleaner -- due to drought

Photos courtesy of osocio.org

Smokey Bear's back with a new series of public service advertisements that encourage you to "Get Your Smokey On" by practicing fire safety habits. Odd feature of the main TV spot: Smokey gender morphs!

A girl metamorphoses into Smokey -- who warns some boys about forest fires in a girly voice -- before turning back into a girl. Then Smokey with a boy's voice comes on to say the usual "Only you can prevent wildfires" line.

I'm guessing the point of the ad is that everyone (women included!) can do like Smokey and educate others about forest fires. I don't remember this gender-morphing happening in the past though -- and Smokey really has a long past, having been around since 1944. Anyone remember a past campaign when Smokey was female?

We've certainly had a lot of fires in SoCal of late, so Smokey's advice, if not new, remains relevant. If you're bored at work, Smokey Bear's website features a vault with posters, as well as radio and TV spots since the '40s.