In the spirit of “think globally, act locally,” the City of West Hollywood hopes to inspire sustainability projects and more sustainability leaders in the community. Local green actions are one way that the City builds its community resilience and collectively contributes to combating climate change. The City of West Hollywood’s Green City Awards complements the City’s longstanding leadership of green policies and practices. The awards program is administered by the City of West Hollywood and its Public Facilities Commission. To learn more about the City of West Hollywood’s Green City Awards Program, please visit www.weho.org/gca.
The 2021 Green City Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. as a part of the Public Facilities Commission’s annual televised meeting. The event will take place in a virtual teleconference format via Zoom. Community members may join using the Zoom meeting link at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82569401571 or by calling (669) 900-6833 (Meeting ID: 825 6940 1571).
Viewers may view a livestream of the Green City Awards ceremony through the City’s WeHoTV YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wehotv; on streaming services by searching for “WeHoTV” on AndroidTV, AppleTV,
FireTV, and Roku; and through broadcast on Spectrum channel 10 within the City of West Hollywood.
For the 2021 Green City Awards, the City of West Hollywood’s Public Facilities Commission has selected three recipients to receive awards:
Two “Green Champions” will receive a Green City Award — Heidi Schooler for “Heidi’s Garden” in the Individual Adult category; and Bikes and Hikes LA in the Business category; and
One “Green Seedling” will receive the Green Seedlings Prize — Faring for “9176 Sunset Blvd” in the conceptual projects Green Seedlings category.
Heidi Schooler’s “Heidi’s Garden” is an example of one individual’s ongoing effort to beautify a multifamily residential surrounding with plants grown from seed and rescued from sets before being discarded. The colorful flora is maintained using water-wise landscaping principles and helps to support beneficial insects such as pollinators, hummingbirds, and squirrels — all of which she sees daily. She believes her efforts inspired the landlord to plant a cactus garden in front of the building about five years ago. The project nomination notes: “[Heidi’s] goal was to not only bring life to our home, but also to our neighbors, and to inspire them.”
Bikes and Hikes LA, located at 8500 Santa Monica Boulevard, is an outdoor adventure company that offers biking, hiking, and walking tours. The business is focused on eco-friendly, health-conscious, and sustainable/carbon neutral ways to experience the region. At its store, Bikes and Hikes created a protected monarch butterfly sanctuary and a spot for foster dogs. Bikes and Hikes aims to remove existing barriers that impact bike-riding and hiking, and has developed unique community-based educational outreach programs to encourage local community members, school groups, and visitors to enjoy the outdoors, impacting car culture and reducing people’s reliance on motor vehicles. The project nomination notes: “Bikes and Hikes LA believes everyone deserves the opportunity to choose bicycling regardless of income, education, or background — and this is the motivation behind everything that we do.”
“9176 Sunset Blvd” is a conceptual design project by Faring, a real estate development firm, along with project partners Gensler and The John Buck Company. The design makes the case for project innovation, sustainability, and community compatibility. The existing site, which is situated along the world-famous Sunset Strip and is comprised of a car dealership and surface parking lot, would be the site of an all-electric five-story building with a mix of retail, food and beverage, and creative office uses. The design raises the bar in new building construction practices in eliminating the use of natural gas (a fossil fuel) to heat water and occupant spaces. Additional sustainability components would include passive heating and cooling strategies, recycled foundation materials, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, solar photovoltaic panels, bicycle parking spaces, electric vehicle-capable parking spaces, durable materials, sustainable finishes, a green roof, green screen façade, landscaped terraces, and the intent to pursue LEED-Gold certification. The project nomination notes: “9176 Sunset Blvd is fighting global-warming by proving that the newest and best structures in our communities can also be the most environmentally conscious.”
Additionally, the City of West Hollywood will present an “Urban Forest Preservation Champion” Award to Angee Beckett during the 2021 Green City Awards ceremony for her dedication to the preservation of the City’s Urban Forest. Beckett is the Executive Director of the West Hollywood Tree Preservation Society, and her work has been instrumental in local large tree preservation and in the City’s adoption of its Heritage Tree Program and Urban Forest Management Plan. The City and its Public Facilities Commission had originally planned an Arbor Day event in March 2020 with the City’s Women’s Advisory Board to celebrate Women’s History Month, but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This award will be conferred to formally applaud Beckett’s important work in the West Hollywood community including her leadership in a primarily male-dominated industry.
For more information, please contact City of West Hollywood Senior Administrative Analyst Erin Hamant at (323) 848-6859 or ehamant@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
The City of West Hollywood remains in a declared local emergency in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. West Hollywood City Hall is open for in-person transactions by appointment. Visitors to City Hall and City facilities are required to adhere to vaccine verification requirements. Click here for details. To make an appointment, visit www.weho.org/appointments. City Hall services remain accessible by phone at (323) 848-6400 and via the City’s website at www.weho.org. City of West Hollywood coronavirus information is available at www.weho.org/coronavirus.
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For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or slunn@weho.org.
It seems that over the years,West Hollywood has chosen to shroud itself in a self congratulatory facade of bogus awards and co granulations. Could the the budget for this nefarious be hidden in the Demand Register and under what entry?
In the real world outside of the special interest back slappers of WeHo, these folks would receive an old fashioned dunce cap and be relegated to standing in the corner as many did when children and write “I will not do this again” several hundred or thousand times”. That is how children learn.
Speaking from experience, on more than one occasion, Ms. Beckett appears to be AWOL. Excuses,no real knowledge and no evidence of inspiration or interest in the subject matter. This colleague of Abbe Land Ms.Beckett seems to be part of the scenery and not authentic conservation efforts. Not deserving of an award.