We like to focus on the climate and environment every Monday, and this week, we’re tackling something very popular around this time of year: shopping.
This is the web version of our How To LA newsletter. Sign up here to get this newsletter sent to your inbox each weekday morning
My colleague Erin Stone explores how being more mindful and intentional with your shopping — going local, ordering things online, looking into fair trade products — can alter your imprint on the planet.
“I think sometimes we don't take time to consider what the impacts are for real human beings,” said Ellen Reese, co-author of the book Unsustainable: Amazon, Warehousing, and the Politics of Exploitation and a professor at UC Riverside.
Erin’s piece examines the boom of warehouses for e-commerce in the Inland Empire and also what shopping “glocal” can mean for the climate. You can check out the rest of her story here.
Elsewhere in our climate section, our partners at Grist look into what might happen if everyone decided to stop eating meat tomorrow. It’s an interesting question to chew on around holiday feasting time.
Also, CalMatters explores the potential clean energy power of ocean waves, and what it could mean for the state.
(After you stop hitting snooze)
*At LAist we will always bring you the news freely, but occasionally we do include links to other publications that may be behind a paywall. Thank you for understanding!
We’ve learned that seagulls — yes, seagulls — could actually be a bit of a nuisance on the pristine grounds of SoFi Stadium. They are typically attracted to the venue because of its artificial lake and some of the food debris that get left behind.
However, there’s a reason you probably haven’t seen swarms of them … it’s because of the predatory birds circling the area. Their job – to intimidate the seagulls and get them to back off.
It’s an important job for several reasons: It helps keep the area clean, since the birds both leave waste of their own and carry stuff from other places. But unchecked gulls can also find themselves in the flight path of planes coming into and from LAX — and if any of them get caught in a plane’s engine, that could lead to serious problems.
My colleague Kevin Tidmarsh talked to Jorge Herrera, the person who oversees the hawks. You can check out the rest of the piece here.
Got something you’ve always wanted to know about Southern California and the people who call it home? Is there an issue you want us to cover? Ask us anything.
Have a tip about news on which we should dig deeper? Let us know.