environmental

E-Bicycles in Los Angeles

On a breezy April afternoon in downtown Los Angeles, Calvin Phuong, a 32-year-old Marina del Rey resident who recently purchased an electric bicycle kit, was riding his new bike around a parking lot, demonstrating its speed and handling.

“One day my wife and I stopped by an Izip store in Venice and rented a couple electric bikes for the day. We had so much fun, we didn’t want to return them,” Phuong said with a smile.

In the last couple of years, electric bicycle shops such as Izip, Hollywood Electrics, and Pedego have popped up around Southern California trying to tap into the alternative transportation market. Popular consumer stores such as Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Costco have also begun selling e-bikes nationwide. (more…)

Continue ReadingE-Bicycles in Los Angeles

Tim Disney Profile

Originally published Feb. 20, 2011

LOS ANGELES – “It’s a David and Goliath story,” said Tim Disney, the executive producer of the environmental documentary “The Last Mountain.”

Scene from “the Last Mountain,” Photo courtesy of Fastertimes

The movie is about the Coal River Valley, West Virginia citizens’ fight to save one last Appalachian Mountain ridge from being blown up and strip-mined for coal. He said the movie was a “project of passion.”

Disney, who considers himself an environmentalist, told a group of USC Annenberg students during an interview session that the movie’s purpose was to give the people of Coal River Valley a voice.

“We tried to tell the personal stories of the locals who lived on the mountain. That was what was most compelling,” said Disney. “I’m very proud that I’ve been given the opportunity to do something like this.” (more…)

Continue ReadingTim Disney Profile