Day 15: LA Eco-Village

From Arizona we traveled west to Los Angeles, a big city with a reputation for lots of smog, traffic and consumer America's paradise; meaning almost anything you could ever want to purchase, whenever you want it, within a 30 minutes drive (depending on traffic). Although a bit skeptical at first, we were pleasantly surprised to find some wonderful pockets of sustainability and community in LA. One of these pockets is the Eco-Village of Los Angeles. The founders and residents have bought out a pair of neighboring apartment buildings. Their proximity (as with other co-op/ cohousing arrangements) allows residents of the LA Eco-Village to maintain an urban lifestyle while collaborating to reduce their resource usage. This includes community gardening, rainwater collection, art projects and some residents have even traded out their cars for bikes.

In the courtyard of the main building, residents have repurposed an excessive patio into a respectable food garden complete with sunflowers, various green leafy goodies, many fruit trees, and even a small chicken coop. It was inspiring to see the merge of living comfortably in the city, with the overall effort to reduce environmental impacts. The garden party was bustling with active residents giving their time to maintain a sustainable lifestyle on the property. The intention was clear when speaking with folks, that reducing carbon footprints was an important aspect of taking part in this community. This community's hope for moving towards positive impact amongst residents was exceptional and helped motivate this project even more so.

No one embodied that spirit of urban rejuvenation more than Lois, our spunky tourguide and founder of the Eco-Village. Her excitement about how the LA Eco-Village confronted typical life in metropolitan southern California was invigorating. Lois talked with us about the difference between hope and optimism, and why she has hope for the city of Los Angeles.

After visiting this community we got a chance to surf one of Soph's favorite spots in Malibu, then packed up our boards and headed north towards the Bay. Thanks to the Tyler and the Spadone family for their wonderful friendship and hospitality!

Thanks for the tour Lois!

Reduce Reuse Rebicycle

A chicken that Can support its own weight

Getting the down low on H2O

Plain White Walls?

Art above the studio spaces

An alleyway becomes an art gallery

If you speak gently enough, the plants will listen