Briefly In The News
Pets and chili to vie for awards
The competition will be hot when Laguna Board of Realtors holds its 14th annual Chili Cook-Off and Pet Parade from noon to 3 p.m. Sept. 12, with pets and chili cooks competing for attention at Tivoli Too, 777 Laguna Canyon Road.
Aspiring and professional chili chefs are invited to submit recipes and samples of their fiery concoctions for review at the event by a panel of local judges.
Pet owners of all ages can also compete for awards by entering their pets in six different categories: Most Handsome, Prettiest Female, Most Talented, Most Beautiful Rescue Pet, Best Costume and Most Gorgeous Senior (10 years and older). The day ends with all the pets strutting their stuff in a pet parade.
The annual event raises funds for four animal charities: Laguna Beach Animal Shelter, Pacific Marine Mammal Center, The Bluebell Cat Foundation and The Pet Rescue Center.
Chili participants can reserve a booth for $50; vendor booths are $100. Pets can be entered for $10 per pet per category. Registration is 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. the day of the event. For more information and chili registration forms, call Caroline Haines at (949) 499-9933, ext. 110 or (949) 510-6766.
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McDonough to appear at museum event
The Townhall Foundation will host noted author Bill McDonough at a discussion on the topic “Celebrating Abundance: Designing for the Cradle to Cradle Future,” at 7 p.m. Sept. 8 at Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Drive.
McDonough is a noted author and sustainability expert, who wrote “Cradle to Cradle,” about how sustainability efforts have failed. To register, visit https://www.townhall-foundation.com.
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Commercial recycling bins offered
Recycling bins are available for commercial customers in Laguna Beach at no additional cost to encourage recycling, City Manager Ken Frank announced in his Friday Update on Aug. 13. Commercial customers, who pay for the quantity of solid waste generated, can save money by recycling but many commercial operations in town have such limited space that they do not have room for a separate recycling bin. The city’s solid waste contractor, Waste Management, has rolled out a combination bin that has separate compartments for regular waste and recyclables, and can fit into the space occupied by the standard trash bin, Frank said. The customer helps the environment and saves about 10% by using the combination bin.
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Laguna one of cleanest beaches
Laguna Beach has been declared among the cleanest beaches in America by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Laguna received the most 5-star ratings in Orange County from the organization in a July 28 report, “Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches.”
The report analyzes government data on beach water testing results from 2009 at more than 3,000 beaches nationwide, and issued 5-star ratings for 200 of the most popular beaches nationwide. The findings were based on indicators of beach water quality, monitoring frequency and public notification of contamination.
“As a marine protected reserve, water quality is important for the health of our tidepools and marine life,” said Karyn Philippsen, president of the Board of Directors of the Laguna Beach Visitors and Conference Bureau. “Our clean waters also provide a healthful environment for surfers, divers, skimboarders, kayakers and body surfers year-round.”