Check out California Home+Design's monthly roundup of what's new on the West Coast green scene.

Safe Passage

Trestles is one of the most popular surf spots in San Diego County, but access to the site has always been a problem: In order to reach the beach, visitors must cross train tracks and navigate haphazard trails that disrupt the fragile wetlands. But Architecture for Humanity has launched Safe Trestles, a competition to design a pedestrian walkway for surfers and beach visitors that restores the damaged wetlands. Five finalists, including L.A.-based Co-Lab Design Office (whose rendering is shown), were selected to move into the next phase. openarchitecturenetwork.org.

Coming Together

LA Box Collective is a group of 11 Southern California furniture makers who share a vision of environmentally and socially conscious design. Heralding fine craftsmanship, locally salvaged materials and a commitment to nontoxic processes and finishes, they turn out unique pieces. This summer, the group is repurposing “dunnage”—wood scraps used for skids on shipping containers—to create one-of-a-kind pieces that will be on display through the end of July, along with other Box Collective furniture, at Fifth Floor gallery in Los Angeles. 502 Chung King Ct., L.A., 213-687-8443, fifthfloorgallery.com.  

What's Cooking?

Oregon-based Studio Gorm presents its second iteration of Flow, an eco-friendly concept kitchen. “The kitchen is an ideal place to look at our main problem areas: waste, water and energy,” says John Arndt, cofounder of the husband-and-wife design team. The result is a simple, compact culinary workstation that keeps all the functions of a traditional kitchen within arm’s reach. The space features earthenware containers and hanging produce bags to keep ingredients fresh, and vertical dish-drying racks that drip water into a countertop herb garden. Compostables drop neatly into a sleek vermiculture unit that filters out a clean compost tea. studiogorm.com.