Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/118686
city of angels WHAT COUNTS? How far is Earth from the sun? What's the deal with those pesky leap years? How about daylight savings? All those fun Earth facts from grade school might be buried beneath the perils of tax season, but Earth Day's approach provides a special opportunity to think anew (or in this case, old) about the only planet in our solar system not named after a Greek god. 23 The degrees of Earth's axis of rotation 23.56.4 Actual amount of hours Earth takes each day to rotate on its axis 7,500 Degrees Celsius of Earth's core—a temperature hotter than the sun –89.2 Degrees Celsius of the lowest recorded temperature on Earth, in Vostok, Antarctica July 21, 1983 8,000 Miles in Earth's approximate diameter 238,857 Earth to the moon Miles from 6.6 sextilion Estimated weight of Earth in tons 326 million trillion Approximate gallons of water on Earth 1 10 Percent of drinkable water on Earth Percent of Earth glaciers occupy—a space the size of South America Sources: Universe Today, Space.com, Scienceray.com, Ecotech Water, Live Science, National Geographic and NASA —Tim Posada 14 CofA.indd 14 wholelifetimesmagazine.com HOMEBOY'S Where the HEArt Is A A safe space in the meanest streets quarter century has gone by since Father Gregory "Greg" Joseph Boyle, a Jesuit priest, started Jobs for a Future, which ultimately blossomed into Homeboy Industries (www. homeboy-industries.org). It not only got thousands of teens and young adults off some of L.A.'s meanest streets in South Central, but also transcended the traditional parameters Father Greg at Homeboy Industries, Thanksgiving morning 2011 of what anti-gang and rehabilitation programs could offer. It's grown so that each year about 300–350 work in the job-training program, and an additional 12,000 come in for tattoo removal and other services. The Homeboy organization got its start in a bakery across from the Delores Mission in Boyle Heights, and has expanded into such enterprises as the farm-to-table Homegirl Café & Catering, Homeboy Farmers Markets, Homeboy Diner at City Hall and Homeboy Grocery (launched in 2011 with branded tortilla strips and several salsas, available at Ralphs and elsewhere). While the homespun, locally sourced food products are conirmed hits, environmentalists will also be pleased to learn that Homeboy Industries now offers a solar panel installation training and certiication program. "Because our trainees come from deep poverty, missed out on childhood and in many cases were pushed out of school, their opportunities have been limited, and the vast majority have some kind of [prison] record," explains Alison Camacho, director of marketing and communications. "This is why we focus on industries like food service and solar energy. However, we've also found these to be places where our trainees not only develop skills, but also meaningful experiences. When you learn to bake bread side-by-side with someone who used to be your 'enemy,' or you grow carrots in the neighborhood where you were once shot and left to die, as one of our Homegirls does now, you get a sense of being able to create new life in the day-to-day work you do." The ever-expanding food enterprises most recently caught the imagination of nationally prominent chef Thomas Keller, who toured the facility. "When you see its inner workings, you want to become a part of the effort to make a difference," says Keller, who was moved to launch an externship program for a hand-selected group of Homeboy participants alongside students from such schools as Culinary Institute of America. It is funded in part by upscale cooking school programs at his French Laundry and Per Se restaurants. While Keller's high-proile involvement has brought a welcome spotlight to Homeboy Industries, Camacho says the various programs are still squarely focused on inding new ways to create opportunities for young people born into life-limiting circumstances that would otherwise be dificult to escape. "For us," Camacho says, "having a safe space where our trainees can share their stories and speak with people from all over the city is in itself a triumph." —Elyse Glickman 3/26/13 2:21 PM