Saturday Fun in the Valley

Two fun, green events for the whole family on Saturday: WorldFest in Encino and the Bureau of Sanitation Open House at the West Valley yard.

Let's talk about that second one first. My friend Jen's son is super excited about getting to see the garbage (and recycling) trucks up close and personal. So that's the big draw for a 5-year-old boy. For the grown-ups, get there early and pick up a free citrus tree and/or some free mulch and green your yard. The City will also be providing free food and beverages and there will be games (with prizes) for all. The Valley Yard is at 8840 Vanalden Street in Northridge and the event is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WorldFest is being billed as "LA's Largest Earth Day Event." So it's just about a month after Earth Day ... we'll forgive the organizers since it's A) in the Valley and B) going to be chock full of great stuff from 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Try Speed Dating -- appropriately held at the Oasis Wine & Beer Garden. Music, seminars, exhibitors, vegan food offerings and lots of tips on how to be more eco-friendly every minute of every day. There's an Orange Line stop (Woodley Station) just across the street from the venue and it's right on one of the best bike paths in the city. Read all about it at the WorldFest website.

Free Bicycle Fixes This Weekend

To celebrate the culmination of L.A. Bike Week (yep, that's this week!) Valley Bikery will be hosting a free clinic Sunday, May 17. Pedal on down to the corner of Balboa and Burbank boulevards between noon and 4 p.m.

The helpful volunteers will help analyze any problems you might be having, show you how to fix it (if it's something simple) or tell you what you need to do next. Stop by even if you don't need any help -- they'll be spinning some tunes, and serving up BBQ and lemonade.

Eco-Musical for Preschoolers

A new Sesame Street Live show wants to help the youngest of the young to become environmentally conscious. Elmo's Green Thumb will debut at the Fred Kavli Theater at the Thousand Oaks Civic Center the weekend of May 21-24, followed by stops at the Nokia Theatre downtown and the Terrace Theater in Long Beach.

Some reviews:

Directed by Sylvia Hase, the new show has more songs and dances than a Broadway revue, more audience participation than a game show. ~The Sioux City Journal

Elmo's Green Thumb is 90-minutes long with a 15-minute intermission. I was initially worried that my two year old son wouldn't be able to sit through such a long show, but Sesame Street Live is so action-packed that the time flies and it easily holds the interest of young children. ~Shannon Cotton, Associated Content

Very Green Daily News Today

Today's Daily News had not one but two articles about sustainability smack dab on the front page. Above the fold, with a nice big photograph, was coverage by staff reporter Dana Bartholomew about the Cal State Northridge hydrogen fuel cell/rainforest project. Were you aware that CSUN was given one of six "Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming" awards last month by the National Wildlife Federation?

Just under that story, was an article from The New York Times about how teachers acros the country are using The Story of Stuff, a video on consumption that has been featured in this blog, to educate students about sustainability.