Dear Planet Coolers,

Did you miss our cool newsletter this summer? We missed you too. There's so much going on, we could really use your help! Look for ways to participate below and be part of the VCCoolers action team. And enjoy this mother-of-all newsletters!

-From the folks of VCCool
www.vccool.org

E-Extravaganza - Smart Home & Lifestyle Expo
With Green Jobs Now - National Day of Action

September 27 & 28
Saturday/Sunday
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Palms Shopping Center
2100 Outlet Center Dr, Oxnard

This coming Saturday and Sunday, everyone is coming out to strut their Green Stuff at the Oxnard E-Extravaganza. There will be booths and free workshops at all levels of "greenness". Let us know if you can help at the VCCool booth Sunday. Here are the three big takeaways:

• Don't miss the Green Jobs Now - National Day of Action booth. Be sure to sign the "I'm Ready for Green Jobs" petition. Every 30 minutes there will be an "I'm Ready" group photo so Congress and the Presidential Candidates get the message!
• There are some excellent free workshops, including one Saturday at noon by VCCool on how to Really use a carbon calculator. Check out the schedule.
• This is a bold event including many of the usual suspects as well as folks just getting their green on. So come out an mingle, share, and meet new friends.

Action: It's Getting a Little Crowded!
Action Needed by September 25th

This August, the Secretary of Health and Human Services introduced a proposed rule that would actually threaten a couple's access to birth control in the US.
Article by Hillary and Cecile - New Your Times

Population isn't the only issue when it comes to over-heating the planet, but it is a critical part of the picture. Please Take Action.

Sign the Letter Against the "Conscience Regulation"   
(Please Sign Today! Comment period ends Sept 25th.)

VCCool is Going County
Ventura County Regional Gathering to Strategize on Global Warming and Energy

This August, VCCool partnered up with Kids vs. Global Warming and Community Environmental Council to host our first strategy discussion on regional actions to fight global warming and use renewable energy. Over 30 non-profits, businesses, and County and City people from across Ventura County attended and got the ball rolling with ideas they were ready to commit to.

Click here to learn all about our first meeting.
Click here to learn more about our next meeting.

Action: County Voted "YES" on Funding Alternative Energy & Conservation Loans

Funding is being researched and so far it's for unincorporated areas, but the Ventura County Board of supervisors voted 3-1 to approve Steve Bennett's proposal to "Conceptually Support Formation of an AB 811 Funding Program." Cities are invited to join in too.

In a nut shell: AB-811 is a loan program that you pay back when you make your property tax payment. If you move, the loan stays with the house. That way, you can make energy improvements even if you might move in a few years. This is HUGE!

Thank you to the VCCool members who attended and spoke at the Board of Supervisor's meeting!

What you can do to help:

1. E-mail a thank you note to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. Let them know that helping residents be part of the renewable energy solution is important to you.
2. Urge your city council to also support funding for SB-811 by participating in the discussion and helping to come up with creative ways for funding so city residents can afford energy improvements too. [Important - Be sure to include your home address.]
   Ventura (City Council)
   Port Hueneme (City Council)
   Camarillo (City Council)
   Fillmore (Mayor)
   Moorpark (Mayor)
   Ojai (Mayor)
   Oxnard (Mayor)
   Santa Paula (City Council)
   Simi Valley (Mayor)
   Thousand Oaks (Mayor)
   

"Car of the Future" - (Or would we rather bus or a bike? Let's Discuss!)

The Ojai Valley Green Coalition will be screening Car Talk's "Car of the Future." The film will be followed by a discussion of present and future transportation options in the Ojai Valley. See Flyer for more info.

Growing Food, Growing Community

Saturday, September 27th
4 - 6 p.m.
Chaparral Auditorium
414 E. Ojai Ave, Ojai CA
$10 Donation - kids and seniors free

Another Ojai Valley Green Co. event. It's all about food as local as it gets - in the yard!

1. The Victory Garden Movement Today - with Rose Hayden-Smith
2. Tomato Taste-Testing - with basil, baguettes, and cheese.
3. Grow Food Party Crew - Video Show and Tell

The Ecology of Leadership Workshop
Nature Can Teach Us to Be Leaders

Free 1-Day Introductory Workshop by Regenerative Design!

Saturday, September 27
9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Unitarian Society
1535 Santa Barbara Street,
Santa Barbara
Free with pre-registration/ $25 at the door

A wonderful way to foster healthy leaders and inspired leadership to our communities. "The program engages leadership that arises from an intimate relationship with the natural world." Learn More.

Action: Reduce Sprawl and Global Warming - Support SB-375

SB-375 is bill now on Governor Schwarzenegger's desk. It is an important step towards developing state policy to encourage sustainable communities and reduction of greenhouse gases.

Please urge the Governor to sign this bill into law.
Sign at NRDC
Sign from a Faith Perspective

More information:
From Ventura City Manager Rick Cole's Blog
SB-375 Summary

VCCool Joins ASERT
Alliance for Sustainable and Equitable Regional Transportation

We are excited to announce our partnership with ASERT, a coalition of CAUSE, COAST, Pueblo, and now VCCool! We will be promoting public transportation regionally, as well as other alternatives to private vehicles.

This effort will take county-wide organizing. If you're interested in being contacted when volunteers are needed, please e-mail us your contact info.

Grow Food Party Crew Presents:
Essentials of Permaculture Garden Design Workshop

October 4 Principles & Design 10AM-4PM
October 5 Garden Creation 10AM-4PM*
In Ventura
$25-$50 sliding scale (trades are an option).
Bring a lunch - (sharing is always encouraged.)

Registration/Information contact Devin Slavin (805) 218-7655.

*2nd day is optional although learning will be exponential with the hands-on experience.

Instructor: Devin Slavin

Flyer with more information.

Eat Local One Year - Locavore Potluck and Information Sharing

Saturday, October 4
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Please RSVP!
Flyer with more information

A Locavore is a person who gets their food from local sources.

Come learn about the local Locavore Project. Bring a non-disposable place setting and a dish made of ingredients from within 100 miles of this area. This is a great chance to learn more about the "Eat Local One Year" project - and maybe even sign up to be a locavore for 2009!

Green Building and Beyond - With David Eisenberg
Transitioning to Sustainability

Wednesday, October 29th
6:30 p.m.
Poinsettia Pavilion
3451 Foothill Road, Ventura, CA
Flyer

Don't miss this fantastic line-up of speakers. The topic will be Green Building, Natural Building, and the disconnect between building codes, standards, programs, and true sustainability.

Key Note Speaker: David Eisenberg

Panel Speakers:

• Brenden McEneaney, Green Building Program Advisor for the City of Santa Monica
• Jim MacDonald, CBO Director of Building and Safety for the County of Ventura
• Brandy Gallagher, founder and developer of O.U.R. ECOVILLAGE
• Paula Baker-Laporte, FAIA author of “Prescriptions for a Healthy Home”
• Robert Laporte, Natural Builder, co-founder and steward of the EcoNest Company

Full Day CEQA Workshop - With Special Focus on Global Warming

Saturday, November 15
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Bell Arts Factory
432 N. Ventura Avenue, Ventura
$35 to $60 plus optional $12 for lunch
Online Registration

Mark your Calendar early - it's a solid day event! VCCool is coordinating a workshop about how you can understand and use the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to guide the way our communities are designed and built.

Doug Carstens from the environmental law firm Chatten-Brown and Carstens will facilitate the workshop, with plenty of visuals, discussion, and materials for you to take home. The workshop is designed for both the novice and the experienced activist. This is a powerful way for people to take part in shaping our communities for a sustainable future.

Nine local sponsors are helping to fund this event in our area!

• Ventura Climate Care Options Organized Locally (VCCool)
• Community Environmental Council (CEC)
• Ventura Citizens for Hillside Preservation (VCHP)
• Citizens for a Peaceful Resolution (CPR)
• Sustainability Council of Ventura County
• Midtown Ventura Community Council
• C4 Green Building Council
• Ventura County Civic Alliance (VCCA)
• Surfrider Foundation – Ventura
• PLUS - the Bell Arts Factory for the gift of location.

Be sure to Register. An please help us get the word out! Flyer

If you received this message from a friend, and you'd like to be on Ventura's Global Warming email list, send a note to the action@vccool.org with instructions to add you to the global warming e-mail list.

To remove yourself from our list, simply send a note to action@vccool.org with a request to remove you from the global warming list..