Santa Monica Beach Maintenance Equipment Operator Mark Zurich combs the beach with the surf rake on Monday, February 8, 2010. The surf rake removes pollution such as seaweed, glass, syringes, plastic, cans, cigarettes, shells, stone, wood and virtually any unwanted debris from the beach. The city of Santa Monica combs the beach six days per week and seven days per week in the summer.

Benjamin Kay's Santa Monica High School Junior and Senior Marine Biology students gather beach organisms including Sea Grass and Brown Algae to take back and study in class during a field trip to the beach on Tuesday, January 12, 2010.

Ron Durgin from TreePeople helps Kindergartners plant a Fern Pine Tree at Grant Elementary School on Friday, November 6, 2009. TreePeople is an environmental nonprofit that unites the power of trees, people and technology to grow a sustainable future. TreePeople’s mission is to inspire, engage and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment, making it safe, healthy, fun and sustainable and to share the results as a model for the world.

Rick Woodbury drives the 'Tango' at the Santa Monica Civic Center during the 4th Annual Alternative Energy and Transportation Expo on Friday, October 10, 2009.  The revolutionary Tango combines the speed and agility of a motorcycle with the security of a high-performance sports car. The Tango's ability to maneuver through traffic is second to none. Like a motorcycle, it can change lanes to gain advantage in traffic better than any car in history. Where lane splitting is permitted (i.e., driving between lanes of stopped or slow-moving traffic), the advantage can be staggering. In extremely heavy traffic, a Tango or motorcycle can travel in 20 seconds the distance that cars travel in 20 minutes. With over 1,000 ft-lbs. of torque, the Tango can accelerate from zero to over 130 mph in one gear. Without an energy-robbing transmission or differential, it accelerates from zero to 60 mph in about 4 seconds and finishes the standing 1/4 mile in about 12 seconds at over 100 mph.

AltCar Expo , one of Nation’s Largest Displays of Alternative Fuel Vehicles, are showcasing more than 100 alt-fuel and ultra-efficient vehicles including zero-emission electric cars and trucks, hybrids, Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles rated in excess of 100 miles per gallon, and those running on hydrogen fuel cells, natural gas, propane, biodiesel and ethanol. Scooters, Segways, electric motorcycles, bicycles and more will also be on hand. Low-speed and freeway-capable vehicles are available for public “ride-and-drives” and for immediate purchase. AltCar Expo is known for its uncommon mix of vehicles by major auto manufacturers and smaller companies. Its seminar speakers, addressing the latest global transportation and energy trends, will include industry executives, grass roots advocates and nationally recognized experts in public policy, mass transit, sustainability, engineering and automotive technology. Attendees will learn when they can expect to purchase the hottest eco-friendly vehicles in development and about mass transit options, charging infrastructure, new battery technologies, maximizing gas mileage and other issues. The expo's purpose is to give consumers the chance to test drive alt-fuel cars, many of which will be for sale on site, and find out about earning tax credits by going green.  The two-day expo will be held for the fourth consecutive year at the Santa Monica Civic center on Oct. 02 & 03.

Guests look at  CODA , a four-door, five passenger, all-electric sedan at the Santa Monica Civic Center during the 4th Annual Alternative Energy and Transportation Expo on Friday, October 10, 2009. CODA's promotional display reads, "IN CASE of global warming, outrages gasoline costs and oil-fueled international conflict, break glass and remove CODA immediately."

Children watch as the Swell Sharks get fed at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium (SMPA) during  Heal the Bay's  Ocean Appreciation Celebration on Sunday, Aug 9, 2009.

With about 70 percent of the Earth’s surface covered with water, the ocean plays an integral role in our lives in a myriad ways. Special presentations and activities illustrating the ocean’s affect on our lives - and our impact on the ocean was the focus of the weekend.

About the SMPA:
The Santa Monica Pier Aquarium is Heal the Bay’s marine education facility located beach-level, just below the Carousel, at the Santa Monica Pier. The Aquarium is open to the general public  and attracts more than 85,000 visitors per year. Since Heal the Bay acquired the Aquarium in 2003 from UCLA, more than 300,000 visitors have been welcomed during public hours and approximately 80,000 students have been educated during in-house education programs.

(top) Santa Monica Council Member Richard Bloom signs a pledge to drink tap water and avoid bottled water whenever possible during the “I Love Santa Monica Water” kickoff campaign at Santa Monica Farmers Marketon Wednesday, Aug 26, 2009.(center) Daniel Macias, 12, fills his plastic bottle with free filtered water at Santa Monica Farmers Market's filling station on Wednesday, Aug 26, 2009.

Santa Monica Farmers’ Markets and Food & Water Watch Partner to Launch “I Love Santa Monica Water” Campaign

Santa Monica, Calif. – On the forefront of a nationwide trend to kick the bottled water habit, the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Farmers’ Markets today partnered with the consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch to launch the “I Love Santa Monica Water” campaign by providing free filtered Santa Monica tap water at special self-serve station to all market customers and vendors. Former Mayor and current Council Member Richard Bloom demonstrated his support for the program by signing a pledge on behalf of the community to support tap water and avoid bottled water. The event marked the start of the markets’ ongoing effort to offer free filtered tap water at all four of its markets.

The campaign dovetails with Food & Water Watch’s “Take Back the Tap” campaign, which works to educate consumers and decision makers about the economic, social and environmental benefits of choosing tap water over bottled water. In addition to costing consumers thousands of times more than tap water, bottled water contributes to excess waste in landfills, and in most cases, is no safer or healthier than tap water.

“Farmers’ markets provide consumers with access to local food, but often water is left out of the equation,” said Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter. “Drinking local water is less taxing on the environment, making it an essential component of the local food movement. Food & Water Watch is proud to partner with the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Farmers’ Markets to support local, public water systems and to go bottled water-free.”

After today, the campaign will be extended to the Saturday Pico and Sunday Main Street markets. “Santa Monica’s tap water is healthy and very economical compared to bottled water. I’ve been drinking our tap water for years,” said Kim O’Cain, Water Resources Specialist for the City of Santa Monica. “We hope the “We Love Santa Monica Water” campaign will help farmers’ market customers make the transition from disposable to reusable water bottles.”


Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit consumer organization, works to ensure clean water and safe food in the United States and around the world. We challenge the corporate control and abuse of our food and water resources by empowering people to take action and transforming the public consciousness about what we eat and drink. For more information, visit www.foodandwaterwatch.org.