May 09, 2008

How It All Ends

If you've never seen this video, I think it is one of the most powerfully convincing efforts to help people understand the need to take action on climate change.  If you like it, you can also watch the more than 6 hours of additional supporting video in the "Expansion Pack." . . . . . but you don't have to.

If you are committed to fighting global climate change and liked the video, feel free to pass it on.
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Steve Offutt, Arlington Resident and climate change battler

May 05, 2008

Shedding those Spring 'kilowatts'

The days are getting longer and summer is knocking on the door.  It's time to start shaving off those unwanted kilowatts for summer.
I have been doing some spring cleaning and in doing so I have been looking all around my house for ways to save energy.  It has become a game that my roommate and I play to reduce our energy bill.  First we swapped out all of our incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescent, then we turned our refrigerator down one notch, we put our cell phone and laptop chargers on power strips with an on/off switch, and so on. Nothing major or complex, and with minimal effort we have been able to save about $40 dollars a month. 
 
The reason for this blog entry is to tell you that we hit a NEW LOW.  A new low in that we recently hit 52 kWh Utilitybilljpg   for the month of April which got me thinking about that TV show The Biggest Loser. Would you be interested in getting involved with your neighborhood  to create a "Biggest Energy Loser" or do you think there are entirely too many challenges and pledges out there already?

May 01, 2008

Rethinking the bike lane - where should it live?

Here is an interesting film to get you thinking about bike lane design.  The film is about 8 minutes long and well worth the time.  Arlington has long been a leader in smart growth and transit oriented development as you know and Bike Arlington along with Commuter Services continues to innovate our connectivity. Here is yet another idea to consider for our streets to further encourage bicyclists and keep them safe.

Though this video is NYC-centric in nature, all lessons and video easily apply to cities across the U.S. including the metro DC area.

This film was sourced from http://www.streetfilms.org/.  Feel free to look at the other educational films and resources on their site.

April 30, 2008

Re-thinking “Stuff”

How much “stuff” surrounds you?  Useful or useless?  If we consider the word we find synonyms like material, matter, things.  I can tell you…I have plenty of “stuff” surrounding me.  I have a basement full of “stuff” that rarely sees the light of day.  It’s the special holidays when much of it makes it out of the large Tupperware bins; the rest of it I hang on to ‘just in case.’  In my younger days, I made wonderfully creative labels for my boxes of stuff…Sarah’s Stuff (of course, writing in a way so as to use just one letter S).

But seriously, have you ever really thought about how all that “stuff” around you has  made it to your hands, how long it remains in your possession, and what happens to it after you are done with it?  Few of us have probably really thought about those aspects…especially at the time of purchase.  I’ll be the first to admit, I hadn’t thought about it much until now.  That is…until finding out about The Story of Stuff. 

StoryofstuffThe Story of Stuff is a 20-minute video by Annie Leonard that dissects the extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal of goods (aka stuff) in our lives.  It’s a bold statement and call to action.  The Web site if full of useful resources and guides too…dive in and see how you can take steps to be just a little more sustainable.  I already have! 

April 29, 2008

Our new hybrid - Update #3 (1 year) [cross-post]

Toyota_camryhybrid_4doorsedan_2009_Please see my post on the Commuter Page blog about the reason you should buy a hybrid car if you live in Arlington (and even if you don't).

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Steve Offutt, Arlington

April 28, 2008

Compact Flourescent Bulbs - NOT kryptonite; a bright idea!

Cfl2_2 Thank you to all who visited us at the Home Show and Expo this past Saturday April 12.  The expo brought hordes of people out to receive one of the free compact fluorescent light bulbs we were offering to Arlington Residents. 
Compact fluorescent light bulbs are one simple nonsensical way you can lower your utility bill and reduce your emissions.  These bulbs use approximately 75% less power than a traditional incandescent and last up to 10 times longer.
What’s that you say?  But they are toxic and full of mercury – hardly?!  The media has stirred up quite a frenzy on the topic.  Here is the real story on compact fluorescent light bulbs.
They do indeed contain a small amount of mercury. On average they contain about 5mg of the stuff.   5 mg of mercury is equivalent to the size of the period at the end of this sentence.  That is a fraction of the amount of mercury they use in amalgam fillings for your teeth that reside IN YOUR MOUTH! 
CFL bulbs are far more rugged than a traditional bulb and the reality is there are many toxic substances in our homes.  From bleach and cleaning chemicals, mercury tilt switches in thermostats, paint, antifreeze, gasoline, etc.  CFL bulbs should be disposed of just as any other household hazardous waste AND NOW ARLINGTON IS MAKING IT EASIER TO DO SO!
Starting today (4/28/08) Arlington County has implemented a program for you to drop your old CFL bulbs off at the locations below.  SImply put any unbroken bulb in a zip lock bag and bring it to any of the locations below:
  • Arlington’s semi-annual E-CARE recycling events in April and October
  • The circulation desk at one of three Arlington libraries: the Central Library (1015 N. Quincy Street), Aurora Hills Library (735 S. 18th Street), or Government Reference Library (2100 Clarendon Blvd, 1st floor lobby).
  • HHM recycling station at the Water Pollution Control Plant on Saturdays and by appointment Monday-Friday.
  • Solid Waste Bureau at 4300 South 29th Street 8 am-5 pm Monday-Friday.
Lastly, please take a look at our CFL fact sheet.  There are significant benefits to both the environment in reduced mercury expelled from coal fired power plants and to your utility bills by using these compact fluorescent bulbs.  Arlington County encourages all residents to use these bulbs and dispose of them properly.  If you have questions please contact us at->  climate@Arlingtonva.us

April 23, 2008

134 tons of fun

I saw the traffic jam Saturday morning of folks trying to get to T.J. for the Elec_truckCounty's environmental recycling event, E-CARE. More than 1,800 people delivered a staggering 80-plus tons of electronics, enough to fill five tractor trailer trucks; 47 tons of household hazardous materials and more than seven tons of small metal items such as pots, pans, lawn mowers and vacuum cleaners.

If my math is right, each person brought, on average, almost 150 pounds of stuff to recycle! OMG, that is awesome!

Saturday's haul is nearly 20 tons more than has been collected in any previous recycling event. If you missed E-CARE and you have stuff you need to get rid of, no worries! You can visit the County's Household Hazardous Materials disposal facility or Electronic Collection and Recycling Center.


Diana Sun is Director of Communications for Arlington County, a walking commuter, a new bicylist, and a happy resident of the urban village of Clarendon.

Arlington Youth Makes the Green Grade!

Checkmark Getting savvy on the environment is at all levels in Arlington.  On April 17th, President Bush awarded 10 sixth graders from the HB Woodlawn School in Arlington with the Presidential Environmental Youth Award for their work to help the environment.  These students organized a community e-cycling event that resulted in the collection of more than 450 electronic products such as cell phones and computer equipment.  Recycling electronics is becoming an increasing issue with the rapid advancement in technology and science we are experiencing these days.  Products get phased out so quickly as newer, more sophisticated products hit the shelves every day.  These students tackled this issue front and center by raising awareness to this issue and encouraging the community to properly dispose of older products by recycling them.  The parts of many electronic products can often be reclaimed and reused.  Check out the full press release here.  And if you’re looking for more information on e-cycling in Arlington, whether you’re a business or a resident, check out this link.