New Year's Eve - avoid DUI: alternatives to driving drunk

Still can't figure out who's going to be the designated driver this New Year's Eve?
Southern Californians have several options for getting around New Year's Eve when bus and light rail lines offer all-night service.
Orange County Transportation Authority buses will run all night four of its most heavily used routes. To Read the full story from the Orange County Register, go HERE.

Huntington Beach in the Rose Parade - excitement growing

By ERIC CARPENTER
The Orange County Register

The rush is on. Today begins the final push toward the 120th Tournament of Roses parade, which will feature floats from three Orange County cities – Anaheim, Huntington Beach and Mission Viejo.
There's been no shortage of enthusiasm from O.C. residents who want to help their cities show off in the parade, which just happens to be watched by an estimated 40 million Americans on New Year's Day.
Hundreds of people from local community groups and families who just want to help out have volunteered to attach seaweed, carnations, tulips and, of course, roses to the floats' bare metal frames. Volunteer shifts for each city filled up weeks ago. Read the rest of the story HERE.

Tips for having a "green" Christmas: both eco-friendly and money wise

A "green" Christmas can be good for your wallet as well as the Earth, according to environmentalists who advocate doing more with less. "We're suggesting cutting back 20 percent. Twenty percent in gifts, 20 percent in greeting cards, 20 percent in gift wrap, 20 percent in miles traveled," says Peter Sander, co-author of Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season. The result would be a trimmer holiday budget.
Read the full story here.

Did you know the Huntington Beach Independent is "green"?

What is green and black all over? The HB Independent with help from its parent company, The Los Angeles Times. They are an industry leader in recycling. In fact, the Los Angeles Times has won several honors including a national Environment and Conservation Challenge Award for its recycling efforts and other programs.According to the California Environmental Protection Agency, The Times is the largest user of recycled newsprint. More than 70% - about 216, 360 metric tons – of all newsprint used by the Times contained a recycled fiber content of at least 40%. They were the first U.S. daily newspaper in 1992 to transition entirely from petroleum based black ink to water soluble soy based ink. The soy based ink is highly resistant to rub-off; it significantly reduces the airborne release of volatile organic compounds and the issues that arise from recycling newspapers that are printed with petroleum-based ink. Almost all of the ink used at their printing facilities is returned back into the production cycle for reuse. The South Coast Air Quality Management District Clean Air Award was given to the Los Angeles Times for this particular initiative.Their Aluminum plates they use to print onto the paper are also recycled, in fact, they usually come back to consumers within two weeks as a soda or beer can. Good thing they use the soy based ink so they can be environmentally friendly to your stomach.As a company they are committed to their readers, advertisers and our environment. Just thought it was worth passing on this information!