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# Green is fabulous at SMC campus
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/green-is-fabulous-at-smc-campus/
- Published: 2007-04-25T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:37:55.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*FROM GREEN PAGE 1 ‘EcoFabulous’ event draws ‘em in*

SANTA MONICA COLLEGE Green is one “fabulous” color.

In a delayed observance of Earth Day and a celebration of the release of a year-long environmental study, Santa Monica College hosted its first “EcoFabulous” event on Tuesday, showcasing local bio-friendly nonprofit organizations.

The atmosphere was festive at the college’s clock tower as hundreds of people swarmed in and out of the small square on the southeast part of campus.

Some were supporters, others were students who were just hungry for free food.

Booths sponsored by non-profit organizations and city and county departments were situated on the perimeter of the square, with some volunteers soliciting help and others distributing information about their programs.

Hungry students waited in a long line for a small piece of organic pizza, others threw their best fastball to hit a target on a dunk tank. Most missed.

Props scattered the square, including a green-colored electric Rav 4, whose license plate read “sun powered,” and “zero waste” stations with trash and recycle bins.

Brandishing a bright smile, Katura Reynolds of the Beverly Hills-based non-profit Tree People, sat at a booth, informing people of an organization that has planted two million trees in Los Angeles County over the past 30 years.

Across the way, Margaret Kemp, an outreach coordina-tor with Flexcar, was handing out pamphlets on their rental car business. With public lots in several Downtown Santa Monica locations, Flexcar encourages people to ditch their cars in favor of alternative transportation. In the rare occasions that a car is needed, for short trips to the grocery store or a visit to the doctor, Flexcar offers cars that can be rented on an hourly basis.

“It’s designed so you can get a little extra distance that the bike can’t take you,” Kemp said.

The intent of her visit to Santa Monica College on Tuesday, like many other vendors, was to raise awareness for her organization, taking advantage of the opportunity to recruit potential volunteers who were present for the release of the 2005-06 SMC Environmental Audit.

A report card that rates the college’s efforts in sustainable practices was launched in May of last year. The collaborative effort of students, faculty and city staff, the audit assesses the college’s performance in areas such as water, energy, transportation, solid waste and recycling, purchasing, hazardous materials, food services and education.

The 100 page-plus report outlines areas in which the college has improved since its last audit in 1993, and areas where the college could fare better, offering suggestions in the process.

The audit shows that the college is performing well in areas such as water conservation and handling of hazardous material, but could improve in conserving energy and encouraging alternative transportation, said Genevieve Bertone, the chair of the Audit Subcommittee and executive director of Sustainable Works, a non-profit partnership of the city and the college.

“We’re hoping to institutionalize sustainable practices,” Bertone said on Tuesday.

The college has reduced water use by 8 percent from 2000 to 2006, even though the campus population increased by 3 percent during that same time frame. But in 2005 to 2006, the water usage actually increased by 5 percent.

The college was not as efficient in its energy usage in the past few years. In 2006, energy usage increased by 13 percent from the previous year, resulting in a energy bill of $1.5 million last year to operate the entire campus. The study recommends the college implement an on-site solar generator in conserving energy usage.

One area where the college will show improvement in the immediate future is in transportation, as it plans to add more Big Blue Bus and MTA routes servicing the Santa Monica College campus. The college is currently subsidizing the new bus routes it has added as it looks into adding more lines.

The transportation initiative program aims to increase bus ridership while decreasing the number of cars that come in and out of the college every day. As a result, the program would reduce neighborhood congestion as well as air and noise pollution.

Playing with a small model of a Big Blue Bus, SMC President Dr. Chui Tsang talked about the initiative program during the “EcoFabulous” event, saying it will help students save time in finding a parking spot, and save them money since they would no longer have to pay for a parking permit or gas.

Along with all the guests who spoke that morning, Tsang praised the environmental audit, agreeing that suggestions such as the installation of a solar grid would not only help the college, but benefit the state, nation and the world.

“It will benefit more than those of us living here,” he said.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 25, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/042507.pdf?ref=smdp.com)