Vertical Veggies > Thursday, August 26 > Homegirl Cafe, Chinatown

Summer is here! Join de LaB and LA Commons for an evening of urban farming, cooking and—most importantly—eating at Homegirl Cafe. Choose from several gardening and cooking workshops led by experts at Urban Farming and Homegirl Cafe that specialize in the art of growing (and preparing) edibles in small and surprising city spaces:

• Cooking Workshop: Join the chefs from Homegirl Cafe for a workshop that shows how to put all that homegrown produce to good use. We'll be making a roasted beet salad with poblano pepper dressing and a roasted heirloom tomato salsa….all from the garden!
  
  
• Container Gardening: With autumn fast approaching, let us help you plan your cool weather container garden! Master Gardener Milli Macen-Moore will teach you how to plan your autumn and winter container garden, speak about companion planting and growing food in small urban settings. Help us prep the beds at Homegirl Cafe + all participants go home with seedlings for their own garden.
  
  
• Vertical Gardening: Join Urban Farming's Meg Glasser for an introduction to the do's and dont's of vertical farming. We will discuss some of the systems that are currently in use around Los Angeles such at Woolly Pockets and Green Living Technology + create DIY hanging containers for all participants to take home.
  
  
• A brief tour and overview of Chinatown's "crack gardens" where produce is literally growing out of cracks in the pavement
  

In addition to the workshop, your $15 ticket also gets you an all-inclusive dinner from Homegirl Cafe made with produce from their on-site vertical garden (and including their homemade sangria!). Plus, live music by Fandango Sin Fronteras all night long! Proceeds benefit Homegirl Cafe and LA Common's Trekking LA program. See you in the garden!

Bring gardening gloves if you have them and don't want your hands to get dirty!

6:00pm Dinner and drinks (dinner service will continue throughout the night)
7:30pm Workshops begin
8:15pm Drinks and live music

RSVP in advance by emailing us at hello AT designeastoflabrea.org but you can pay when you get there.

Vertical Veggies: Urban Gardening and Cooking at Homegirl Cafe
Thursday, August 26
6 to 9 pm
Homegirl Cafe
130 Bruno Street, Chinatown
Metro Gold Line is right across the street, plan your trip at Metro.net
$15 includes dinner plus gardening or cooking workshop

Moving Beyond Cars > Wednesday, August 18 > Downtown LA

We suspect Los Angeles might have a car-crazed reputation but we also know this city has a vibrant community that likes to take bikes, buses and sidewalks, too. So we're teaming up with GOOD, railLA, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, and the Coalition for Clean Air for an event that shows how L.A. can move beyond cars. We're holding it at the exhibition LA Beyond Cars: A Global Perspective on Rail and Space which envisions the future of high speed rail in Los Angeles. And we're challenging everyone who attends to use alternative transportation. That's right—our goal is to make this a completely car-free party.

Board a bus, take the train, ride a bike, map out a walk, jump on your scooter, hire a horse and buggy, break out your hoverboard...just get here in a way that illustrates an L.A. that's not auto-dependent. Connect with friends and travel together. Document your trip on Twitter, Flickr or Facebook using the tag #LAbeyondcars. When you get to the event, we'll have an opportunity for everyone to record how they got there, where they came from, and what happened during their journey. James Rojas will be holding his extremely fun interactive city planning workshops focusing on walking and biking. The folks from CicLAvia will be on-hand to talk about how they're planning a car-free street celebration this fall. Plus: There will be prizes awarded for the people who arrive in the most unique, alternative, or "beyond car" ways. We're looking forward to seeing you there!

Moving Beyond Cars
L.A.'s Alternative Transportation Celebration
Wednesday, August 18
7 to 10 p.m.
The Jewel Box / City National Plaza
525 S. Flower Street, Downtown Los Angeles
Free, cash bar
RSVP and share the event information on Facebook

Update: Entrance to the building is on Figueroa. We will also have a bike valet thanks to the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition!

Tips for safe biking and links to routes from the LACBC

Tips on how to ride and plan your trip from Metro

Tips on car-free commuting from the Coalition for Clean Air

Sponsored by GOOD, railLA, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, Coalition for Clean Air and de LaB

Graphic by Will Etling