Alter Eco Season 1, Episode 8: School House Rock 'n Review

Our Own Backyard

Popular actor and sustainable living activist Adrian Grenier, who's renovating a 1920's house in the historic, hip Los Feliz neighborhood, gathers green-conscious friends Angela Lindvall, Boise Thomas and Darren Moore to help make a stylish, earth-friendly difference in Los Angeles. First up, explore a farmer's market, taste-test organic wine and help Adrian's neighbors, a Spago chef and his wife, build a compost bin. At the end of the week, everyone celebrates the green team's first green-over with a meal and music at Adrian's.

30 min

Green Seeds

The Green Team meets up with seminal graphic artist and designer Shepard Fairey to help reduce the footprint of his new Sunset Boulevard studio. When they find out Shepard's wife Amanda recently gave birth, they hit the shops for some earth and baby friendly products and give her nursery a loving green-over. When the work's done, it's off to Malibu for a wrap party at a beautiful sustainable cabin. This episode features Culver City eco-truck catering and delivery company called Green Truck. The Green Truck service is to be praised for both its scrumptious food as well as its innovative bent toward eco-friendliness.

30 min

Re-Psyched

It's all about recycling as Boise, Angela & Darren green-over the El Cid, a landmark restaurant/bar built by Hollywood pioneer D.W. Griffith, using salvaged materials. At the same time, Adrian helps artists working for non-profit Global Inheritance turn recycling bins into works of art and the old stucco comes down off Adrian's Dundee house and goes to a recycling station. Plus the green team breaks bread at high-end organic restaurant Akasha and wrap things up with a Good Listeners set at the newly-greened El Cid.

30 min

Blue to Green

At the "Alter Eco" HQ the Green Team helps install blue jean insulation in one of the rooms. Inspired by this creative re-purposing of denim, our hosts decide to hold a denim drive party to collect blue jeans. On their search for denim scraps, they make a visit to Paul Frank's Los Angeles store where they find another project to tackle—the company's gas-guzzling Winnebago. While the RV gets a make-over at Lovecraft Biofuels, Angela and Boise hit the jean scrap jackpot at 575 Denim. Angela challenges 575's high fashion designer to make her a pair of eco-jeans. The eco-jeans turn out fabulous, and a multitude of old jeans are collected at the party to be donated to an eco insulation company.

30 min

Coachella

The Green Team has plans to check out the eco initiatives at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival but Rick needs help getting construction at the Dundee House back on schedule. So Darren stays behind in L.A. and installs energy-saving windows while Boise and Angela head to the desert to check out the huge-scale eco art at the biggest music festival in the U.S. When their friends at Global Inheritance need help building an installation to increase awareness of alternative energies at Coachella, Boise and Angela have to scramble to get the work finished before the gates open.

30 min

Wheels of Change

The Green Team helps apply a roof sealant made from recycled tires to the Dundee house before heading to the LA Arts District to meet activist and t-shirt designer Jeff Toolan and his bicycle junkie pal Ray, who are starting a bike share program. Darren helps them build a bike shop on zero budget from materials collected by dumpster diving. Then Boise joins the eco-artist and wandering chef Jim Denevan in Ojai, where they farm-hop, foraging for a meal. Later that day, the Green Team and friends sit down to a locally-grown feast served up in an orange grove.

30 min

Work of Art

Boise takes a turn supervising construction at the Green Team's HQ as the workers prep for a key city inspection. Angela & Darren green over Rick's favorite downtown art gallery with LED lighting, high-end sustainable furniture and a giant eco fan. Meanwhile, Adrian learns how to make fusion drinks from found fruit in neighborhood trees and the whole team enjoys the gallery's exhibit opening and an organic dinner from eco entrepreneur Bret Mosher.

30 min

Eco-Fabulous

It takes specialists to spray eco insulation into the walls of the HQ house in Los Feliz, and this means the green team has the week off! Angela, Boise & Darren visit an eco surf shop in Venice to test out bio-foam surf boards.

30 min

Eco Fabulous

30 min

H2Eco

Rick rushes to get the drywall installed at HQ while the Green Team checks out a high school's environmental program. Boise helps students sell reusable water bottles while Angela buddies up with two teenage girls who are big advocates for eco makeup.

30 min

Hollywood Green

The alter eco HQ is a flurry of activity as Rick Byrd's construction crew rushes against the clock to finish the house in time for an off-the-grid dinner party. Darren lends a hand greening over an eco friendly night club.

30 min

Greening Entourage

30 min