It’s easy to mix an eco-friendly experience with your next visit to Los Angeles. Green vacations in LA are simple with farm-fresh local produce, hybrid rental cars and environmentally conscious stores. Even LA’s famous Starline Tours is going green with new topless buses so you can enjoy an open view in the open air and lighter lower emission Diesel powered buses. “Waste and Recycling News” surveyed a slew of US cities and it’s official, when it comes to recycling Los Angeles came out with their highest rating. Here’s an introduction to LA’s best green-friendly businesses.
Green Shopping
Local farmers’ markets are great for picking up fresh produce. Most of the vegetables and fruits are locally grown, cutting down on pollution generated by transporting them long distances, and many of them are grown without the use of harsh pesticides and fertilizers.
Green shopping in LA is just as plentiful. Check out these green-friendly retail stores — places like American Apparel, Inc. and Arbor — to buy hot fashions for a cooler climate.
Green Architecture
LA’s cutting-edge architectural designs use less energy, generate their own power and look good all at the same time. The Caltrans District 7 Headquaters is a LEED-certified building with an exterior skin of photovoltaics capable of producing a significant percentage of the building’s electricity. At the Los Angeles Audubon Center at Debs Park, the building is entirely off the grid, earning the highest possible rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. LA also recently introduced its first solar powered park lights at the North Hollywood Park, increasing safety and energy efficiency for visitors from joggers to dog walkers.
Green Rental Cars
Econation has become a premier chauffered transportation company in LA by setting new green auto standards with rides in luxurious alternative fuel vehicles such as the Executive L Series Lincoln Town Car, which emits 90 percent less carbon.
If you’d prefer to skip the biodiesel in favor of a hybrid, head to California Rent-A-Car. They offer a variety of hybrid vehicles that’ll go easy on the wallet with their excellent fuel economy and help ease your environmental conscience with their lower emissions.
Simply Hybrid is an all hybrid rental company operating at LAX and specializing in hybrids from the Toyota Prius to the Mercedes E320 BlueTEC. If driving is not your deal, or you need a lift for a night on the town, KLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services has a green fleet of vehicles that can shuttle you around in style.
Green Public Transit
LA’s Metro public transit system continues to be at the forefront of developing a more environmentally friendly transportation network. They also have one of the largest fleets of natural gas buses in North America, and eliminated diesel buses entirely by the end of 2008.
If you’re staying in Downtown LA, you can get just about anywhere using public transit, including quick subway trips to Hollywood, Universal Studios HollywoodSM and the San Fernando Valley on the Red Line. There’s also the Gold Line to Pasadena and the Blue Line to Long Beach.
