Year in Review 2024: Green Tips

The Palisadian-Post has partnered with locally founded environmental organization Resilient Palisades to deliver a “green tip” to our readers in each newspaper. Here are some examples of what appeared in this year’s series.

The first Green Tip of 2024 on January 11 was written by Tobi Coughlin—a Resilient Palisades Vegan Solutions team member and plant-based weight loss coach—who detailed how to start the new year off with plant-based living.

“In January, Veganuary is a global initiative challenging and supporting people to eat plant-based for the month,” Coughlin explained. “One of the primary reasons individuals choose to participate in Veganuary is its positive impact on personal health. Scientific studies consistently show that a well-balanced vegan diet can lead to lower cholesterol levels, better heart health and a reduced risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Additionally, plant-based diets are often rich in fiber, vitamins and antioxidants, promoting overall well-being and a strengthened immune system.”

For those who are interested in sampling vegan foods, Resilient Palisades will host it next Pali Veg Fest on January 26, 2025.

Lisa Kaas Boyle— co-founder of Plastic Pollution Coalition and member of the Resilient Palisades Zero Waste team—wrote about “Reuse and Food” for the February 22 Green Tip, noting that Palisadians are “fortunate to live in a walkable community with many excellent restaurants and a thriving farmers market.”

“But are we making the most of these resources in a waste-free fashion to protect our environment and our health from the impacts of waste?” she asked.

Some of the suggestions Boyle provided were to bring reusable containers for takeout, and also rejecting plastic cutlery and straws. Boyle also wrote to make sure food waste—like scraps, food-soiled paper products, and natural wood and corks—make it to the green bin for composting.

Resilient Palisades Zero Waste Team member Eric Appleman wrote about a tour of Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in Playa del Rey for the May 23 Green Tip.

“Hyperion, run by City of Los Angeles Sanitation & Environment, covers 144 acres and processes 260 to 275 million gallons of influent liquid wastewater and sewage, including one million pounds of solids, daily,” he wrote. “Hyperion can handle up to 450 million gallons daily and up to 800 million gallons in wet weather.”

Kerry Tani—a member of Third Act SoCal—wrote about “Researching Energy-Efficient Home Upgrades” for the August 8 Green Tip.

“Many of us are thinking of upgrading our homes to make them more energy efficient and reduce our carbon footprint,” Tani wrote. “Switching to abundant clean energy sources will reduce our reliance on fossil energy, eliminate pollution, and support the health of our families and communities.”

Tani suggested to take advantage of resources when researching options, including asking neighbors to help decide about installing things like solar panels.

Boyle also wrote the September 26 Green Tip, which covered the “Plastics and Human Health Symposium at NYU.”

“I am reporting from the Plastics and Human Health Symposium at NYU at the same time the United Nations is meeting to discuss a global plastic pollution treaty,” Boyle wrote. “Scientists and policy makers want the public to understand the urgency of turning off the flow of plastics into our environment.”