Dear Central Group member, In this newsletter, with the holiday season coming up, we focus on reuse and gifting—from mindful & sustainable gift giving, to a community's revitalization of South LA Wetlands Park, to how LA Compost can help you with your holiday food waste.
CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:
Saturday, November 22, Central Group In-Person Meeting, 10 - 12 am, South LA Wetlands Park
Tuesday, December 9, Central Group General Meeting, 7 - 8:30 pm, Zoom
Tuesday, January 13, Central Group General Meeting, 7 - 8:30 pm, Zoom
MINDFUL & SUSTAINABLE GIFT GIVING: HOW TO MAKE THE HOLIDAYS MORE FULFILLING
By Amanda Stemen
Gift giving during the holiday season can bring up a lot of stuff. Pressure to find the perfect gift, stress over finances, guilt over not wanting what you received, and of course, the actual physical objects. In addition to the mental clutter, environmental clutter significantly increases during the holiday season, with one-third of people who receive an unwanted gift tossing it into the garbage1. However, becoming a more mindful and sustainable gift giver creates a more fulfilling holiday season for all, including our planet.
To become a more mindful gift giver, start with the internal. Pay attention to how gift giving makes you feel in your body. Do you feel joy, peace, or excitement? If so, keep it up! However, if giving makes you feel anxious, angry, or sad, it’s time to reflect on why that is, and ask yourself a couple questions:
REVITALIZATION OF SOUTH LA WETLANDS PARK BY THE COMMUNITY
By Mathieu Bonin
Saturday morning – 10am - I’m sitting on a balustrade, savoring this wonderful café de olla. In front of me, at eye level, I look at a pink helmet and a Spider-Man helmet speeding through the pathway — two kids on their bikes, having fun, pedaling away. Behind them, there’s a massage table, and a group of people dancing to rhythms I could never follow — my French stiffness wouldn’t allow it. There are laughs, conversations, warmth. A gentle breeze makes the morning perfect — That clearly the kind of moment that invites you to pause and reflect. You feel well, your surrounding is alive and welcoming.
I notice the dumbbells scattered on the ground — a fitness session has just ended, I missed that, shame! Around me, stalls of different kind used by local creators and small businesses: beauty products, lemonade, sandwiches etc. A barber booth offers free haircuts — one of the two guys is just finishing up a stylish cut on a 10-year-old boy, he is smiling. I turn my head, and I look at the water at the center of South LA Wetlands Park. I am amused by the ducks and the turtles; I am never bored of them. I look behind and I look at the murals of Maya Angelou High School of which I can also never get bored.
Yes, it’s true — South LA Wetlands Park offers one of the best views in South Central. It’s a pause, a breath of fresh air in the middle of city life. And today, it’s hosting a special event organized by the Skid Row Running Club, Mid City Runners, and the South-Central Residents Association. It’s Saturday, October 4th — the event is called South LA Community Run & Wellness Celebration.
As the end of the year approaches, so do many holidays and festivals that center around gathering with our loved ones, families, and communities to feast. Many of those who have an environmentally conscious mindset start to worry about food waste and how we as a society can reduce the amount of food waste during this holiday season. Luckily, for those of us in Los Angeles, there are many solutions already in place to aid with food waste.
Halloween and Thanksgiving increase the consumerism for two specific products, pumpkins and turkeys. If we are paying attention, we start to feel the looming sense that our landfills are about to become much more full with these products.
In 2023 the United States alone produced 312 million pounds of food waste. Overall, municipal food waste contributed 24% of all waste, and is the third largest source of human-related methane emissions. When food is decomposing in landfills, rather than composted or disposed of properly, the methane gasses released rapidly increase the effects of climate change.
Luckily there is a solution for us to do our part in combating food waste. Founded in 2014, LA Compost, Southern California’s largest composting organization, provides Angelenos with accessible composting solutions and education fostering a sustainable future. The organization engages the community through their three pillars: Education and Empowerment, Community Compost Access, and Regional Compost Hubs. For many of us who are new to composting, they offer community classes, as well as guides on their website.
And, in answer to the question: What’s your best tip or trick for reducing waste this holiday season?
"Wrap your holiday presents in cloth instead of disposable paper or plastic products. For tips, check out furoshiki which is a traditional Japanese cloth folding technique."
- from Monica Embrey
For more information on getting involved with the Sierra Club Central Group, please emailsierracentralla@gmail.com
The Central Group is the heart of the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter, representing the areas from West Hollywood through East LA, and Griffith Park through South LA, and several Gateway Cities.
