Pasadena weekend: January 9-11

Participate in gardening events and docent-led walks, attend a meeting on climate change. Plus: ongoing and recurring events, and this week's random read.

Gardening, lecture. On Saturday morning, Descanso Gardens (La Canada) will host a presentation titled Lush and Low-Water Garden Design with Cassy Aoyagi from the Theodore Payne Foundation.

Gardening, hands-on. The Eaton Canyon Nature Center's gardening group will meet on Sunday morning. Volunteers are invited to help maintain the Nature Center's gardens and native vegetation. Transition Pasadena's Throop Learning Garden (usually) meets on Sunday mornings.

Walks, docent-led. On Saturday morning, the Arboretum (Arcadia) will host its regular walking tour as well as a bird walk, led by Julia Ray from the Pasadena Audubon Society. Guests with any level of birding knowledge may join. The Eaton Canyon Nature Center will offer a guided walk for families, also on Saturday morning, and a native plant walk on Sunday morning. Descanso Gardens (La Canada) has docent-guided seasonal walks on its calendar for Saturday and Sunday morning.

Climate change. The Pasadena-Foothills chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby will hold its monthly meeting on Saturday morning. All are welcome.

The Arroyo Food Co-op is open on Saturdays and Sundays for shopping and pick-ups (in addition to Tuesdays.) Orders placed online by Sunday midnight will be available for pick-up starting next Tuesday. For Saturday afternoon, the co-op has added a discussion of Chinese medicine with Jad Dawson to the calendar. In other news, it is hiring staff members.

Two City surveys. Pasadena Public Works is asking members of the community to weigh in on the future of trees in the city. Pasadena Water and Power is conducting a survey on the city's energy future. (Note: PWP has not posted any information on when the survey period ends, but as of this printing the link was still up.)

Cycling. On Sunday morning Pasadena Cyclery will hold Gwen's Group Ride and the Sunday Morning Neighborhood Stroll. For details see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA.

Got kids? On Saturday morning, the Eaton Canyon Nature Center is hosting a family nature walk. Bring your small children, walking shoes, sunscreen, water and a hat. Also on Saturday morning at the Nature Center: the weekly Nature Tails Story Hour which includes stories, nature walks and puppet shows for children ages 3-5.

Exhibition. As part of the Pasadena Arts Council's AxS Festival, the Armory presents Karin Apollonia Müller's World’s Edge, a photographic exploration of the intersection between the natural landscape and complex urbanization. Ends next summer.

Random read. Like to feel righteous about what you eat? An article by Rowan Jacobsen in Outside profiles what might just become the future of food: the plant-protein-based concoctions of a start-up called Beyond Meat. The company's scientists promise to provide juicy tasting, perfectly textured burger patties with more protein than beef and more omegas than salmon but none of the environmental downsides. While The Top-Secret Food That Will Change the Way You Eat is an eery read for those in the no-processed-foods camp, it is also a fascinating story.

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Unless otherwise noted, all events take place in Pasadena. For times, addresses and other details please see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA or the event owner's webpage.

Pasadena weekend: December 19-21

Join others on walking tours, celebrate the season. Plus: ongoing and recurring events, and this week's random read.

Holiday Party Potluck. Transition Pasadena, Throop UU Church and Throop Learning Garden are hosting a Holiday Party Potluck. The event features a cookie swap and a plant swap, music, crafts and more.

Walking tours. The Arboretum will hold walking tours on Friday and Saturday morning.

The Arroyo Food Co-op is now open on Saturdays and Sundays for shopping and pick-ups. Orders placed online by Sunday midnight will be available for pick-up starting next Tuesday.

Gardening. Transition Pasadena's Throop Learning Garden (usually) meets on Sunday mornings.

Survey. Pasadena Water and Power is conducting a survey on the city's energy future. To participate go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PWP_Energy_Future2014. (Note: PWP has not posted any information on when the survey period ends, but as of this printing the link was still up.)

Cycling. On Sunday morning Pasadena Cyclery will hold Gwen's Group Ride and the Sunday Morning Neighborhood Stroll. For details see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA.

Got kids? On Saturday morning, the Eaton Canyon Nature Center is hosting a family nature walk. Bring your small children, walking shoes, sunscreen, water and a hat. Also on Saturday morning at the Nature Center: the weekly Nature Tails Story Hour which includes stories, nature walks and puppet shows for children ages 3-5.

Exhibition, continuing. As part of the Pasadena Arts Council's AxS Festival, the Armory presents Karin Apollonia Müller's World’s Edge, a photographic exploration of the intersection between the natural landscape and complex urbanization. Ends next summer.

Random read. When the residents of Shishmaref, Alaska, voted to collectively move to safer ground in July of 2002, their small town became an overnight sensation: More than five dozen news crews visited Sarichef, the island Shishmaref sits on, in 2003 and 2004 alone. But 12 years after the vote, the town of 563 people remains where it always has been, while the threat that the rising ocean might wash over it has only intensified. The Huffington Post's environment and energy editor, Kate Sheppard, has documented Shishmaref's journey from hopeful to hesitant and back in a story titled Climate Change Takes a Village. Considering that 16.4 million Americans live in coastal areas prone to flooding, her reportage leaves the reader with this question: "If we can't figure out how to save a village with fewer than 600 people from falling into the sea, what hope is there for everyone else?"

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Unless otherwise noted, all events take place in Pasadena. For times, addresses and other details please see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA or the event owner's webpage.

Pasadena weekend: November 21-23

Share your produce and homemade items, watch a movie, explore the Arboretum. Plus: ongoing and recurring events and this week's random read.

Share Faire in the Park. RIPE Altadena is hosting its monthly Share Faire on Sunday. Bring your fresh produce, homemade items and delights that might accompany a Thanksgiving meal to Farnsworth Park and share your abundance.

Occupy the Farm. Beginning this Friday, November 21, the Laemmle Playhouse 7 will show Occupy the Farm. The documentary tells the story of a community in California's urban East Bay taking action: 200 farmers occupy a piece of farmland, plant 15,000 seedlings to feed the community and disrupt plans to build a shopping mall.

Walking tour. The Los Angeles County Arboretum is holding a one hour long, docent-led walking tour that will provide visitors with an introduction to the Arboretum.

The Arroyo Food Co-op is now open on Saturdays and Sundays for shopping and pick-ups. Orders placed online by Sunday midnight will be available for pick-up starting next Tuesday.

Exhibition, ending. Only ten days left to see the an exhibition at Descanso Gardens in La Canada. Titled Signs of Life, it aims to look at water "in all its moods and states." Ends November 30.

Gardening. Transition Pasadena's Throop Learning Garden (usually) meets on Sunday morning.

Survey. Pasadena Water and Power is conducting a survey on the city's energy future. To participate go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PWP_Energy_Future2014. (Note: PWP has not posted any information on when the survey period ends, but as of this printing the link was still up.)

Cycling. On Sunday morning Pasadena Cyclery will hold Gwen's Group Ride and the Sunday Morning Neighborhood Stroll. For details see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA.

Got kids? On Saturday morning, the Eaton Canyon Nature Center is hosting a family nature walk. Bring your small children, walking shoes, sunscreen, water and a hat. Also on Saturday morning at the Nature Center: the weekly Nature Tails Story Hour which includes stories, nature walks and puppet shows for children ages 3-5.

Pasadena's watering schedule for the winter now applies. Pasadena Water and Power customers may water on one day a week only. It must be a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday.

Exhibition, continuing. As part of the Pasadena Arts Council's AxS Festival, the Armory presents Karin Apollonia Müller's World’s Edge, a photographic exploration of the intersection between the natural landscape and complex urbanization. Ends next summer.

Random read. In the Clear Fork Valley in East Tennessee a root digger named Carol Judy aka "The Forest Granny" tries to reconnect people in her community with the mountains they inhabit. Knowing precisely which plant will cure which ailment (jewelweed for nettle stings!) she roams the woods for sassafras, yellowroot and black cohosh, and shares her findings and expertise freely with the locals. Holly Haworth's profile of Judy, Place to Root, was published last month in The Southern Magazine of Good Writing. A warning to readers in California: A scene toward the end of this beautifully written story could cause rain envy.

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Unless otherwise noted, all events take place in Pasadena. For times, addresses and other details please see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA or the event owner's webpage.

Pasadena weekend: November 14-16

Visit a neighborhood festival, a reading fair at the Public Library and the Descanso Gardens. Get your broken stuff fixed at Repair Café. Learn about native plants and fish, and about rainwater collection. Plus: ongoing events and this week's random read.

Wonderful Water: A Neighborhood Festival. The Farmer’s Yard in NW Pasadena is hosting a water festival on Saturday. Expect lots of activities and sustainability presentations for young and old.

Repair Café returns. Tinkers and Tailors will be available on Saturday at All Saints Church to fix appliances, electronics, clothing, jewelry, dull knives, tools and toys. Free coffee.

130 Years of Reading is the title of a fair at the Pasadena Public Library. Family fun activities include a cake walk, a caricature artist, face painting.

Grand opening. On Saturday, Descanso Gardens is celebrating the opening of a new section called Oak Woodland. Expect lots of activities for children and adults including a viewing of a Mars Rover model, crafts and guided family walks.

Native Plants from Seeds. Advanced gardeners can learn how to propagate native plants from seeds in a class on Saturday at the Huntington.

A family nature walk in the Arroyo. On Sunday, native plant specialist Tim Martinez will lead families through a section of the Arroyo Seco where small, rare native fish, the Arroyo Chub, have been reintroduced into the watershed. He will teach participants to identify native plants that have been used by the indigenous population of California as food and medicine for thousands of years.

Rainwater collection. Will Gaskill will give a presentation on Sunday at the Neighborhood Church on rainwater collection systems.

Pasadena's watering schedule for the winter now applies. Pasadena Water and Power customers may water on one day a week only. It must be a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday.

The Arroyo Food Co-op is now open on Saturdays and Sundays for shopping and pick-ups. Orders placed online by Sunday midnight will be available for pick-up starting next Tuesday.

Gardening. Transition Pasadena's Throop Learning Garden (usually) meets on Sunday morning.

Survey. Pasadena Water and Power is conducting a survey on the city's energy future. To participate go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PWP_Energy_Future2014. (Note: PWP has not posted any information on when the survey period ends, but as of this printing the link was still up.)

Cycling. On Sunday morning Pasadena Cyclery will hold Gwen's Group Ride and the Sunday Morning Neighborhood Stroll. For details see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA.

Exhibition 1. As part of the Pasadena Arts Council's AxS Festival, the Armory presents Karin Apollonia Müller's World’s Edge, a photographic exploration of the intersection between the natural landscape and complex urbanization. Ends next summer.

Exhibition 2. An exhibition at Descanso Gardens in La Canada titled Signs of Life aims to look at water "in all its moods and states." Ends November 30.

Got kids? On Saturday morning, the Eaton Canyon Nature Center is hosting a family nature walk. Bring your small children, walking shoes, sunscreen, water and a hat. Also on Saturday morning at the Nature Center: the weekly Nature Tails Story Hour which includes stories, nature walks and puppet shows for children ages 3-5.

Random read. Every once in a while the artist Sarah Lazarovic goes on a year-long no-shopping diet to create a dam against "the endless stream of stuff that both dazzles and disgusts." In 2012, she decided to paint all the items she was longing for but didn't buy. She put the two-tone shoes, striped sweaters, and dresses in shades of Rothko on paper and added hand-written text. Beautiful, thought-provoking and timeless, her visual essay, A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did Not Buy, leaves readers with some useful advice: "A scarf can change so much." (Lazarovic' book with the same title as the essay was just published by Penguin Books.)

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Unless otherwise noted, all events take place in Pasadena. For times, addresses and other details please see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA or the event owner's webpage.

Pasadena weekend: November 7-9

Take your e-waste and obsolete documents to the Rose Bowl, indulge in all things native plants, help design the 710 freeway ditch. Plus: Pasadena's new watering schedule and this week's random read.

E-waste and document shredding. Got documents for shredding? Electronics for recycling? Bring your paper, televisions, computer monitors, computer peripherals, cell phones, telephones, DVD players, VCRs, radios, copiers, printers, laptops, scanners, cable TV equipment, microwave ovens, fax machines, printer cartridges to the Rose Bowl on Saturday (a City of Pasadena event.)

710 freeway stub. On Saturday morning, Maranatha High School will host a workshop titled Designing the Ditch. A grassroots planning effort, it invites the public to share ideas for transforming the 710 freeway stub into a viable space for.

Native plants. On Saturday the California Native Plant Society will hold a native plant sale at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center, and The Huntington will host a workshop for advanced gardeners, Propagating California Native and Drought-Tolerant Plants. On Sunday the California Native Plant Society is hosting a walk at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center, and volunteer gardeners meet there to help maintain the vegetation.

Pasadena's watering schedule for the winter applies since last weekend. Pasadena Water and Power customers may water on one day a week only. It must be a Tuesday, a Thursday or a Saturday.

The Arroyo Food Co-op is now open on Saturdays and Sundays for pick-ups and shopping. Orders placed online by Sunday midnight will be available for pick-up starting next Tuesday.

Gardening. Transition Pasadena's Throop Learning Garden meets on Sunday morning.

Survey. Pasadena Water and Power is conducting a survey on the city's energy future. To participate go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PWP_Energy_Future2014. (Note: PWP has not posted any information on when the survey period ends, but as of this printing the link was still up.)

Cycling. On Sunday morning Pasadena Cyclery will hold Gwen's Group Ride and the Sunday Morning Neighborhood Stroll. For details see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA.

Exhibition 1. As part of the Pasadena Arts Council's AxS Festival, the Armory presents Karin Apollonia Müller's World’s Edge, a photographic exploration of the intersection between the natural landscape and complex urbanization. Ends next summer.

Exhibition 2. An exhibition at Descanso Gardens in La Canada titled Signs of Life aims to look at water "in all its moods and states." Ends November 30.

Got kids? On Saturday morning, the Eaton Canyon Nature Center is hosting a family nature walk. Bring your small children, walking shoes, sunscreen, water and a hat. Also on Saturday morning at the Nature Center: the weekly Nature Tails Story Hour which includes stories, nature walks and puppet shows for children ages 3-5.

Random read. The Deepest Dig is a story about the next frontier in the exploitation of resources; we are about to mine the bottom of the ocean for gold, copper, nickel and other minerals used in electronics. Published in the November issue of The California Sunday Magazine, Brooke Jarvis' narrative looks into conundrums and contradictions surrounding the topic. Corey Arnold's photographs provide a stunning glimpse of what lies beneath the oceans.

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Unless otherwise noted, all events take place in Pasadena. For times, addresses and other details please see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA or the event owner's webpage.

Pasadena weekend: October 31-November 2

Do something about climate change and learn about plans to alter the Hahamongna Watershed Park. Plus: a seed swap, a new watering schedule, this week's random read and more.

Hahamongna Watershed Park. The LA County Flood Control District recently released the final Environmental Impact Report for the Devil's Gate Sediment Management Program in Hahamongna Watershed Park. It will present the plan to the City of Pasadena at a council meeting on Monday. In addition, a series of three public meetings will allow the public to comment on the Flood Control District's plan before it goes to the County Board of Supervisors for their review and possible approval. The first meeting is on Saturday afternoon. Local sustainability groups including the Arroyo Seco Foundation strongly oppose the plan.

Climate change. Interested in climate change? The Citizen’s Climate Lobby will meet on Saturday morning.

Pasadena's watering schedule for the winter begins on Saturday. Going forth, Pasadena Water and Power customers may water on one day a week only. It must be a Tuesday, a Thursday or a Saturday.

The Free Food Garden at the Arroyo Food Co-op is hosting a seed swap on Saturday with a work party in the garden to precede it. The co-op is now open on Saturdays and Sundays for pick-ups and shopping. Orders placed online by Sunday midnight will be available for pick-up starting next Tuesday.

Gardening. Transition Pasadena's Throop Learning Garden meets on Sunday morning.

Petition, vulnerable road users. The Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition has initiated a petition for the City to adopt an ordinance to protect vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, skateboarders and persons with disabilities.

Survey. Pasadena Water and Power is conducting a survey on the city's energy future. To participate go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PWP_Energy_Future2014. (Note: PWP has not posted any information on when the survey period ends, but as of this printing the link was still up.)

Cycling. On Sunday morning Pasadena Cyclery will hold Gwen's Group Ride and the Sunday Morning Neighborhood Stroll. For details see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA.

Exhibition 1. As part of the Pasadena Arts Council's AxS Festival, the Armory presents Karin Apollonia Müller's World’s Edge, a photographic exploration of the intersection between the natural landscape and complex urbanization. Ends next summer.

Exhibition 2. An exhibition at Descanso Gardens in La Canada titled Signs of Life aims to look at water "in all its moods and states." Ends November 30.

Got kids? On Saturday morning, the Eaton Canyon Nature Center is hosting a family nature walk. Bring your small children, walking shoes, sunscreen, water and a hat. Also on Saturday morning at the Nature Center: the weekly Nature Tails Story Hour which includes stories, nature walks and puppet shows for children ages 3-5.

Random read. An environmental disaster story with a happy ending: In the November/December issue of Orion Magazine Rowan Jacobsen explores the history of Yuma, Arizona, a "kiln-dry city of ninety thousand people and 3 billion heads of lettuce." His narrative, Down by the River, shows how upstream damming of the Colorado which was once "an unruly god of creation and destruction" wreaked havoc on the environment and in the local communities; the river's wetlands turned to desert, and the native Quechan and the residents of Yuma fought "a cold war". The turnaround came with the new millennium. Thanks to the persistence and vision of a community developer and a landscape architect the wetlands and a sense of identity have been restored — with water that runs off from the lettuce fields.

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Unless otherwise noted, all events take place in Pasadena. For times, addresses and other details please see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA or the event owner's webpage. This post was last updated on 10/31 at 7 p.m.  

Pasadena weekend: October 24-26

Celebrate National Food Day and the Arroyo Food Co-op, brainstorm solutions for the 710 freeway stub, check out local plant and gardening events. Plus: exhibitions, petitions, a survey and this week's random read.

Grand opening party at the Arroyo Food Co-op on Saturday afternoon. Expect local vendors with their products and free samples, a milk flight (milk tasting,) crafts and activities for kids, live music in the parking lot, a local organizations showcase plus the Mayor of Pasadena, Bill Bogaard. The store will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

710 freeway stub. On Saturday morning, Maranatha High School will host a workshop titled Designing the Ditch. A grassroots planning effort, it invites the public to share ideas for transforming the 710 freeway stub into a viable space for.

National Food Day. On Friday, the City of Pasadena will honor National Food Day with a family festival that includes live entertainment, cooking demonstrations, healthy food tastings, children’s activities. Also in the mix: information booths for visitors to learn about local healthy eating, food assistance and urban agriculture.

Gardening. The Huntington is hosting its annual fall plant sale on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Expect salvias, ceanothus, irises and lots more. On Saturday morning, you can self-tour The Huntington's Ranch, an urban agriculture site, and pick up some inspiration for growing your own fruits and vegetables sustainably. Transition Pasadena's Throop Learning Garden meets on Sunday morning.

Petition, vulnerable road users. The Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition has initiated a petition for the City to adopt an ordinance to protect vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, skateboarders and persons with disabilities.

Survey. Pasadena Water and Power is conducting a survey on the city's energy future. To participate go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PWP_Energy_Future2014. (Note: PWP has not posted any information on when the survey period ends, but as of this printing the link was still up.)

Cycling. On Sunday morning Pasadena Cyclery will hold Gwen's Group Ride and the Sunday Morning Neighborhood Stroll. For details see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA.

Exhibition 1. As part of the Pasadena Arts Council's AxS Festival, the Armory presents Karin Apollonia Müller's World’s Edge, a photographic exploration of the intersection between the natural landscape and complex urbanization. Ends next summer.

Exhibition 2. An exhibition at Descanso Gardens in La Canada titled Signs of Life aims to look at water "in all its moods and states." The event is part of this year's AxS Festival, a celebration of the arts and sciences that is held in Pasadena every two years.

Got kids? On Saturday morning, the Eaton Canyon Nature Center is hosting a family nature walk. Bring your small children, walking shoes, sunscreen, water and a hat. Also on Saturday morning at the Nature Center: the weekly Nature Tails Story Hour which includes stories, nature walks and puppet shows for children ages 3-5.

Random read. In the days after 9/11 the soundscape of the Atlantic Ocean changed; commercial shipping stood still, the noise from freighter engines and other manmade sources ebbed away, and for a brief time the water returned to a state of pre-industrialized quiet. A scientist from New England who was recording whale songs later said, "'It's like you could hear a pin drop.'" The anecdote is part of a feature, Sound off, that the science writer Peter Brannen recently published in the online magazine Aeon. Researching how human activity has affected life in the oceans, Brannen found that "modern North Atlantic right whales have shifted their calls up an entire octave over the past half century or so, in an attempt to be heard over the unending, and steadily growing, low-frequency drone of commercial shipping. Where right-whale song once carried 20 to 100 miles, today those calls travel only five miles before dissolving into the din."

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Unless otherwise noted, all events take place in Pasadena. For times, addresses and other details please see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA or the event owner's webpage.

Pasadena weekend: October 10-12

Enjoy a celebration or a festival. Garden or bicycle with others, read.

Celebration and cycling. On Friday, celebrate the designation of the San Gabriel Mountains as a National Monument in El Monte and join others on a bike ride that ends at the festivities.

More cycling. Women on Wheels is hosting its initiation group ride on Sunday morning. Almost simultaneously, Pasadena Cyclery will hold Gwen's Group Ride and the Sunday Morning Neighborhood Stroll. For details see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA.

Family festival. On Saturday morning Transition Pasadena, the Arroyo Food Co-op, Occupy Democracy Pasadena and the Pasadena Citizen’s Climate Lobby are hosting a Family Green Festival at the food co-op. The activities? Live music, a children’s interactive puppet show, arts and crafts, climate trivia, teen hangout etc. The goal? Help adults and children learn about climate change and environmental stewardship.

The Shed is hosting its Social Space Celebration on Saturday afternoon with workshops and presentations on native plants, woodworking, solar ovens and civilian activism.

Gardening on Sunday morning. Transition Pasadena's Throop Learning Garden meets; the Eaton Canyon Nature Center is inviting volunteer gardeners to come and help maintain their gardens and the native vegetation.

Survey. Pasadena Water and Power is conducting a survey on the city's energy future. To participate go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PWP_Energy_Future2014

Exhibition 1. As part of the Pasadena Arts Council's AxS Festival, the Armory presents Karin Apollonia Müller's World’s Edge, a photographic exploration of the intersection between the natural landscape and complex urbanization. Ends next summer.

Exhibition 2. An exhibition at Descanso Gardens in La Canada titled Signs of Life aims to look at water "in all its moods and states." The event is part of this year's AxS Festival, a celebration of the arts and sciences that is held in Pasadena every two years.

Ongoing petition. The Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition has initiated a petition for the City to adopt an ordinance to protect vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, skateboarders and persons with disabilities.

The Arroyo Food Co-op will be open on Saturday morning for pick-ups and shopping. Orders placed online by Sunday midnight will be available for pick-up next Tuesday and Saturday.

Got kids? On Saturday morning, the Eaton Canyon Nature Center is hosting a family nature walk. Bring your small children, walking shoes, sunscreen, water and a hat. Also on Saturday morning at the Nature Center: the weekly Nature Tails Story Hour which includes stories, nature walks and puppet shows for children ages 3-5.

Random reads. Audubon Magazine recently asked seven environmentalists about their personal strategies for staying optimistic even in the face of distressing news about everything from conservation to climate change. Their responses boiled down to one headline: Keep Calm and Conserve On. Andrew Revkin, the writer behind the New York Times’ Dot Earth blog, turns to music; 350.org-founder Bill McKibben rekindles the fire by looking at pictures of people who are fighting for the environment; others go running or simply spend time in nature. On a similar note, the environmental advocate Kathleen Dean Moore uses despair as the starting point for a short essay in the most recent issue of Orion Magazine titled The Rules of the River. Reflecting on the disruptions in the flow of the Toklat River in Alaska, she says that "our work and the work of every person who loves this world—this one—is to make one small deflection in complacency, a small obstruction to profits, a blockage to business-as-usual, then another, and another, to change the energy of the flood."

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Unless otherwise noted, all events take place in Pasadena. For times, addresses and other details please see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA or the event owner's webpage.

Pasadena weekend: September 26-28

See a new exhibition, participate in a number of ongoing or recurring events, get reeled into this week's suggestion for a random read.

Exhibition 1. As part of the Pasadena Arts Council's AxS Festival, the Armory presents Karin Apollonia Müller's World’s Edge, a photographic exploration of the intersection between the natural landscape and complex urbanization. Begins Saturday, ends next summer.

Exhibition 2. An exhibition at Descanso Gardens in La Canada titled Signs of Life aims to look at water "in all its moods and states." The event is part of this year's AxS Festival, a celebration of the arts and sciences that is held in Pasadena every two years.

Gardening 1. Self-tour The Huntington's Ranch, an urban agriculture site, on Saturday morning to pick up some inspiration for growing your own fruits and vegetables sustainably.

Gardening 2. Transition Pasadena's Throop Learning Garden meets on Sunday.

Bicycling. On Sunday morning, Pasadena Cyclery will hold two rides: Gwen's Group Ride and the Sunday Morning Neighborhood Stroll. For details see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA.

Ongoing petition. The Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition has initiated a petition for the City to adopt an ordinance to protect vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, skateboarders and persons with disabilities.

The Arroyo Food Co-op will be open on Saturday morning for pick-ups and shopping. Orders placed online by Sunday midnight will be available for pick-up next Tuesday and Saturday.

Got kids? On Saturday morning, the Eaton Canyon Nature Center is hosting a family nature walk. Bring your small children, walking shoes, sunscreen, water and a hat. Also on Saturday morning at the Nature Center: the weekly Nature Tails Story Hour which includes stories, nature walks and puppet shows for children ages 3-5.

Random read. Think an essay about fish and the origins of omega-3 supplements must be boring? Well, read the first paragraph of David Schleifer and Alison Fairbrother's "What fish oil pills are hiding," and you'll be hooked. The piece tells the story of one woman's fight for the menhaden, a type of fish in the Chesapeake Bay whose decimation through the supplement industry was unhinging the local ecosystem. Filled with all the elements of good fiction (interesting characters, conflict, suspense, well written dialogue and scenes) it shows the difference one person's actions can make.

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Unless otherwise noted, all events take place in Pasadena. For times, addresses and other details please see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA or the event owner's webpage.

Pasadena weekend: September 19-21

Two presentations on energy efficient living, bike rides and a Coastal Cleanup Day define the sustainable weekend.

Coastal Cleanup Day in the Arroyo on Saturday aims to help keep trash out of the ocean. This is one of two sites the Arroyo Seco Foundation is supporting in 2014. Last year over 648,000 volunteers worldwide participated in Coastal Cleanup Day events to clean up beaches and streams in 92 countries.

Energy efficient living 1. Energy Efficiency in Historic Homes is the title of a half-day seminar that Pasadena Heritage has organized for Saturday. Architects, contractors and energy consultants will discuss financial incentives and preservation challenges. Session topics include Traditional climate control features in historic homes, Insulation and landscaping for shade and Water conservation.

Energy efficient living 2. For Sunday morning, the 7th Principle Group at the Unitarian Church has announced a presentation by Peter Kalmus from Caltech titled Joyful low energy living. All are welcome to attend.

Bicycling. On Sunday morning, Pasadena Cyclery will hold two rides: Gwen's Group Ride and the Sunday Morning Neighborhood Stroll. For details see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA.

Gardening. Transition Pasadena's Throop Learning Garden meets on Sunday.

Ongoing petition. The Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition has initiated a petition for the City to adopt an ordinance to protect vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, skateboarders and persons with disabilities.

Ongoing exhibition. An exhibition at Descanso Gardens in La Canada titled Signs of Life aims to look at water "in all its moods and states." The event is part of this year's AxS Festival, a celebration of the arts and sciences that is held in Pasadena every two years.

The Arroyo Food Co-op will be open on Saturday morning for pick-ups and shopping. Orders placed online by Sunday midnight will be available for pick-up next Tuesday and Saturday. From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Patti Harrison will share her expertise on all things Chinese teas, from their history to brewing methods.

Got kids? On Saturday morning, the Eaton Canyon Nature Center is hosting a family nature walk. Bring your small children, walking shoes, sunscreen, water and a hat. Also on Saturday morning at the Nature Center: the weekly Nature Tails Story Hour which includes stories, nature walks and puppet shows for children ages 3-5.

Random read. Created and maintained by the Friends of Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve and Constance M. Vadheim, an adjunct Professor of Biology at CSU Dominguez Hills, Mother Nature's Backyard is a blog about water-wise and life-friendly gardening in Southern California. The latest entry reads like a love letter to the often unseen change of seasons in the region: how a drought-tolerant vegetation transforms as the months go by, how its colors move from silvers and purples to yellows and browns. Serving as a perfect introduction to the website, the post reminds us that the driest time of the year bears beauty. "Overall," it says about water-wise backyards during the months of August, September and October, "the garden is a symphony of browns; a restful blend of colors that is subtle and soothing."

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Unless otherwise noted, all events take place in Pasadena. For times, addresses and other details please see the calendar page of Pasastainable, CA or the event owner's webpage.