As of September 1, 2011, ALL 1,875 retail establishments are prohibited from providing light-weight, single-use plastic carryout bags to customers at the point of sale. MORE

By Lookout Staff

September 20, 2011 -- It's Santa Monica's Sustainable September – with a little bit of October thrown in for good measure.

A slew of city-sponsored events kicked off Monday September 19 with a Green Living Workshop hosted by Sustainable Works at the Gourmandise School at Santa Monica Place, one of a series of workshops at that site that teaches the abc's of sustainability from food to utility management to recycling and more.

Sustainable Works helps residents and businesses toe the environmentally-conscious line while they become advocates themselves. To learn more about these workshops and about the many other programs Sustainable Works offers, go to its website.

Next Saturday, September 24, everyone in Santa Monica is invited to join a city-wide yard sale, where recycling will go to a whole new level.

“Helping the environment and making money has never been so easy,” say city staff, as they urge residents and local organizations to keep valuable resources out of the landfill by selling them.

To register, go to the yard sale website. Your address will be listed online on a map of participating locations and the items for sale.

Then set up Saturday morning, and make sure you've got a back-up cashier so you can take a quick tour of the city to find a few treasures for yourself.

The Airport Demonstration Garden Dedication Ceremony on Tuesday, September 27 will be a draw for the community's green-thumbs.

Three distinct sustainable gardens showing people how they can create their own landscapes in which they can relax and entertain – even grow their own produce to serve to their guests – will be the stars of the festivities, which will begin at 10 a.m. at 3200 Airport Avenue. For details, click on the gardens' website.

Forks Over Knives – a film that makes the case that most disease in the industrialized world can be reversed if people stop eating animal protein and processed food – will be on the agenda Thursday, September 29 at the Main Library's Martin Luther King, Jr. Auditorium at 601 Santa Monica Boulevard.

A delicious sustainable food reception will kick things off at 6 p.m., and the film screening and discussion will start at 7 p.m.

Friday and Saturday, September 30 and October 1, the 6th Annual Alt Car Expo returns to the Civic Auditorium.

“The most extensive presentation of alternative technology vehicles and transportation...found worldwide” awaits fans, who'll even get the chance to take some of the vehicles for a spin at the “AltCar Drive and Ride Area.”

To find out more, including a schedule of speakers, go to the expo's website.

Finally, the New World Festival of Eco-Friendly Science and Technology (or New World F.E.S.T) hits Santa Monica's beaches the weekend of October 7-9.

Called by promoters “a celebration of eco-friendliness, innovation and forward-thinking science,” its features range from robots to sustainable art to a “spiritual oasis.” For details, go to the F.E.S.T.'s website.

For more general information about Santa Monica's Sustainable September, go to the city website's front page.