Earth Day

GLENDALE — City officials announced Wednesday that the second annual Eco Expo, which was to be Saturday, has been canceled. Citing lack of staff resources brought on by a citywide hiring freeze as part of this summer's budget cuts, Neighborhood Services Program Coordinator Sandra Rodriguez said the decision was made to cancel the expo and instead focus on planning a public event for Earth Day 2010. The decision to cancel the Eco Expo was made in July, but only announced publicly Wednesday, three days before it was scheduled to take place at Cerritos Park.

Buck Wargo CITY HALL -- Glendale will be celebrating Earth Day 2000 at Lower Scholl Canyon Park on Saturday. The festivities will begin at 11 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. There will be tours of the Scholl Canyon Landfill and how Glendale Water & Power uses methane gas from the landfill to produce electricity. Nature hikes will be guided by Glendale Park Rangers. Kids can participate in arts and crafts with an environmental theme and plant trees on slopes above the landfill.

Alecia Foster NORTHWEST GLENDALE -- Rascal, The Recycling Raccoon, will be among those celebrating Earth Day Saturday at the Los Angeles Zoo. Rascal will kick off a new recycling program at the zoo. As part of that program, 75 new recycling bins will be placed throughout the zoo for bottle collection. There also will be crafts, recycling information and face painting on Saturday. Various environmental groups will hand out information as well. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the zoo. The zoo is at 5333 Zoo Drive.

Karen S. Kim GRIFFITH PARK -- The Los Angeles Zoo will host an Earth Day celebration Saturday and Sunday, offering visitors a chance to learn about conservation efforts and environmental crusades nationwide. In conjunction with KRTH-FM (101.1) and The Gas Co., the zoo will set up booths for crafts, interactive games, face painting, exhibits, live entertainment and recycling information. Representatives from various environmental organizations will distribute information and answer questions.

The community is invited to walk, bicycle or take public transportation to celebrate Earth and arts at an all-day, free family festival on Saturday, April 21. Pasadena's Greening the Earth Day and Armory Family Arts Festival are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Memorial Park and Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N. Raymond Ave. Co-sponsored by the city of Pasadena and Armory Center for the Arts, more than 65 environmental displays will...

Darleene Barrientos What's green, wormy and electricity efficient? The city's Earth Day celebration, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, at Verdugo Park, 1621 Canada Blvd. Unlike the city's inaugural celebration in 2000, all of its departments will be out in full force, demonstrating their commitment to the environment by showing off how they save electricity, keep dust out of the air and keep storm drains clean. The 2000 event, at lower Scholl Canyon Park, offered tours of the landfill.

Equipped with fluorescent light bulbs and only Energy Star appliances, the North Glendale home of Ted Flanigan and Terry Chan is already "greener" than most. But on the eve of the 37th annual Earth Day, the couple invited friends and neighbors on Saturday afternoon to celebrate the home's latest planet-friendly upgrade — a solar-paneled roof. With burgers and hot dogs sizzling on the grill, guests of all ages hopped aboard a mechanical lift to see the solar-energy system, which workers installed piece by piece throughout the day. "In the pioneer days they used to have barn raisings," said Susan Munves, a friend of Flanigan's.

This Saturday it is time for Crescenta Valley closet hippies to join with fellow soul mates across the country in a spiritual connection with Mother Earth. Activists will brush off the tie dye clothing, bring out the flowers and hold a quiet, peaceful demonstration in honor of the world we live on as we celebrate Earth Day at a time when global warming is becoming a grave concern to many. Glendale Unified School District's Mountain Avenue Elementary had everyone sign an Earth Day banner promising to respect the Earth and Rosemont Middle School is traveling to another school district to help clean up a school campus.

With the release of former Vice President Al Gore's 2006 Academy Award-winning documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," environmental activism reached a tipping point in the country, as millions of Americans were exposed to the negative effects green house gas emissions had on the planet. But for Glendale resident Gary Gero, a longtime environmentalist and current president of the Downtown Los Angeles-based Climate Action Reserve, the Gore documentary served as more of a validation to his life's work.

Glendale residents near the Golden State (5) Freeway at Western Avenue were dismayed this week to see dozens of 30-foot-tall trees ripped out to make room for carpool lanes. Jocelyn Perez, who lives 50 feet from the southbound ramp on Justin Avenue, said she and her neighbors had no idea the trees were scheduled for removal. "It is really bad on my side," Perez said. "My son has asthma. I barely take him outside. " California Department of Transportation officials said that the project has been in the works for years, and that it went through all the appropriate environmental review requirements.

On a recent hike in the trails of Deukmejian Wilderness Park, La Crescenta resident Mareta Kreher and her 8-year-old son Lucas noticed a variety of colorful flowers blooming along the hillsides. So when Kreher learned that restoration ecologist Melanie Keeley would be leading an educational wildflower walk on Saturday morning, her interest was piqued. “Not being native to California,” Kreher, who was born in Germany, said, while waiting for the hike to begin, “I'm kind of curious to learn all the names.” The wildflower walk was one of a variety of activities hosted throughout the day at the wilderness park for the city's Earth Day events, sponsored by the Glendale Community Services & Parks department.

With the release of former Vice President Al Gore's 2006 Academy Award-winning documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," environmental activism reached a tipping point in the country, as millions of Americans were exposed to the negative effects green house gas emissions had on the planet. But for Glendale resident Gary Gero, a longtime environmentalist and current president of the Downtown Los Angeles-based Climate Action Reserve, the Gore documentary served as more of a validation to his life's work.

GLENDALE — City officials announced Wednesday that the second annual Eco Expo, which was to be Saturday, has been canceled. Citing lack of staff resources brought on by a citywide hiring freeze as part of this summer's budget cuts, Neighborhood Services Program Coordinator Sandra Rodriguez said the decision was made to cancel the expo and instead focus on planning a public event for Earth Day 2010. The decision to cancel the Eco Expo was made in July, but only announced publicly Wednesday, three days before it was scheduled to take place at Cerritos Park.

GLENDALE — City officials Wednesday announced that the second annual Eco Expo that was to be held on Saturday has been canceled. Citing lack of staff resources brought on by a citywide hiring freeze as part of this summer’s budget cuts, Neighborhood Services Program Coordinator Sandra Rodriguez said the decision was made to cancel the expo and instead focus on planning a public event for Earth Day 2010. The decision to cancel the Eco Expo was made in July, but only announced publicly on Wednesday, three days before it was scheduled to take place at Cerritos Park.

Metrolink officials Tuesday celebrated Earth Day with the unveiling of a new eco-friendly locomotive, the first of 15 trains that will begin circulating in Glendale and elsewhere on Southern California rail lines during the next 15 months. “They’ll be coming in one per month,” Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell said. “It’s only a matter of time before you see these trains coming in Glendale.” Called the MotivePower MPXpress, the commuter locomotive emits far fewer emissions than a typical locomotive — 42% less nitrogen oxide gas, 70% less carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons and 60% fewer hydrocarbons, she said.

NORTHWEST GLENDALE — Earth Day is not until Tuesday, but thousands of Glendale residents got a jump start on the eco-minded festivities on Saturday by hauling loads of household hazardous materials to a free waste collection service. Once a year, the Glendale Fire Department invites the Los Angeles County Sanitation District to organize a hazardous waste pickup outside the city’s Flower Street environmental management center and fire prevention office, said Jovan Diaz, a senior fire and environmental safety specialist with the department.

Earth Day discount at local dry cleaners In celebration of Earth Day, Foster’s Carpet Dry Cleaning in Glendale will offer 30% off on all service appointments for residential and commercial customers reserved before April 22. The store uses only organic cleaning products for its carpets and rugs. For a free estimate, call Jackie or Michael at (866) 99-FOSTERS. For more information, visit www.callfosters.com . Local investment firm names director American Realty Advisors announced last week that Jeff Gilder has joined the firm as a senior director.