Interested in learning more about the Green movement and how it’s coming along here in America? Look no further than the Green Festival, which will be making it’s way to the Los Angeles Metro area here very soon. Slated for later this month, this huge expo boasts dozens upon dozens of interesting events that will teach you all about the latest in environmentally friendly industries, jobs, activities and more.

This major event will be taking place on Saturday, October 29th and Sunday, October 30th and anyone can attend. What’s so great is there’s things to do for every kind of interest at the Green Festival, so many that it’s pretty much impossible to see it all. There will be authors and speakers, events for kids, live music, vegetarian cuisine, organic beer & wine, and plenty of other cool things to do and see. There’s so much to learn, and you’ll get lots of great insight into making our world a greener, more environmentally-friendly place.

Besides being a lot of fun, tickets for the Green Festival are actually quite affordable at just $10 a person. With such a low cost, you really don’t have much of a reason not to go, so get a ticket and enjoy the Green Festival in Los Angeles.

Photo Courtesy: stock.xchng

The Crossing Anaheim is an eco-friendly apartment community–something you most likely know if you live here. We’re smoke-free, we use dimmer lights and so much more. We could talk about it all day, but we’re happy to report that we’ve received some surprising recognition for being a green community.

Our apartments are now LEED certified and we received a gold level certificate from the United States Green Building Council. Why is this so great? Because we only expected to be recognized at the silver level.

The Crossing Anaheim is healthier for our residents and better for the environment.

The following items were highlighted in our application:

• commuter-friendly location
• the urban infill / reuse site selection
• the use of green building materials
• the 94-percent diversion rate by which 7,952 tons of demolition and construction waste was recycled
• the donation of excavated sandy soils to the city for improvements made to the nearby Santa Ana River bed
• policies aimed at promoting better health

We’re very excited about this news, and hope continue with our sustainable efforts.

If every home replaced just one light bulb with a fluorescent bulb, there would be enough energy to power 3 million homes for a year!

Easy Tricks to Stay Green
A few things to be energy efficient, Eco friendly and easy on the bills!

Let there be light!
Use Fluorescent light bulbs to curb your electricity bill. Here at The Crossing, we already use dimmers and automatic lights in some of our rooms to help with this as well.

Unplug…
About 75% of your electricity bill comes from electronics that are turned off but still plugged in. So next time you charge your phone or blow dry your hair…remember to unplug.

(Dry) Clean Your Clothes!
Choose environmentally friendly dry cleaners. They don’t use harsh chemicals which in turn has lower emissions that can harm the environment. Try California Green Cleaners located near our community for all of your dry cleaning needs. California Green Cleaners 2046 E. Lincoln Ave. Anaheim, CA 92806 714-535-1775

Green linens…literally.
Try bamboo linens or sheets. Bamboo requires less water to grow than cotton does and the material feels nice and wicks away moisture as well. Locations selling these products include Brookstone, Overstock.com & Greenearthbamboo.com

Eat Local!
Go check out a local Farmer’s market for local organic foods. By buying local it reduces emissions of exhaust in the air that would normally come from shipping in produce and foods. Also it’s fresh from the grower when you buy local. Nearby at The Village shopping center they hold a Farmer’s Market every Thursday.

Recycle!
By using recycled paper such as toilet paper or paper towels it saves up to 40% of energy when it’ s made from pre-existing materials. You can find these products at stores like Trader Joe’s or Sprouts.

Written by: Krystal Lampignano

Crisp table dressings provide an elegant backdrop to any meal. Yet conventionally grown cotton pesticide applications include some of the most toxic organophosphate pesticides in use. Paper alternatives contribute to deforestation, and vinyl, made from polyvinyl chloride, releases carcinogenic dioxins during manufacturing and incineration.

Instead, look for Rawganique’s newly expanded line of organic French linen and organic hemp tablecloths ($54 and up; www.rawganique.com, 877-729-4367). Or try hand-woven, organic cotton tablecloths from Native Organic in rustic stripes or plaids (tablecloths, $40, napkins, $35/set of 4; www.nativeorganic.com, 800-766-7454).

By Joanna Howard