Fresh AIRE

The Real Deal

Here's a little something for those of you that struggle to either understand or explain the link between energy and climate.  I recently discovered a video ad by the Alliance for Climate Protection entitled "Black Balloons:  Making CO2 Real."  It is a great visual representation of what happens when we use energy at home - helping to illustrate the linkage.  This is an especially challenging linkage to convey when we talk about energy use in buildings.  Many have walked behind a car, unintentionally inhaled some exhaust, and coughed.  No one has walked past a building with the same result.  So, whether you're new to the environmental scene, or an expert in the field, you must check this out. 

Front Loading and Fancy-Free

Gurgle, glug. Stop. Gurgle, gurgle. Stop. For the first few days we had our new front-loading washer, my husband and I just stood in the laundry corner of our basement listening to and watching our amazing new appliance. The manual had warned us of the strange new sounds and behavior of our front-loading washer -- cool.

Our old washer broke down (for the second time in 2 years). We'd already spent a chunk of $$ to get it repaired the first time. This time, we decided to cut our losses and get a new Energy-Star rated front-loading washer. And we also went for the matching dryer and sold our eight-year-old (or more) dryer on Craigslist (we got $75 for it, by the way).

We're thrilled to be using about 2/3 less water than we used to with our old washer (or maybe even 75% less). And the energy use by the washer and more-efficient dryer is much less as well. And another plus: Our clothes will likely last longer as well -- especially since our old washer ONLY worked on the heavy-duty cycle! Sure, it takes longer on average to wash clothes...but I figure it takes less time to dry the clothes (since they're "less wet" due to the new washer). And we can live with that -- especially since we can also schedule it to wash anytime we want.

We found our new appliances on sale at Sears...and though I usually shop around for the best deal, that day I just didn't have the will for it. Both units were about $700 each (after the rebate). I expect they'll pay for themselves in energy/water use savings over the next five years!

Do YOU have a front-loading washer? Or are you thinking about getting one? It's definitely something to consider if you need (or want) to replace your current washer -- and if you want to be environmentally friendly and save money.
_________________
Jennifer K. Smith, 18-year resident of Arlington
Arlington County employee

How green is my urban village

We moved to Clarendon to be close to work, great restaurants, transportation, and all the little daily  conveniences. All of that is terrific. And, according to a recent New York Times article, "Don't let the green grass fool you" (02/10/08) we can also congratulate ourselves for becoming cleaner and greener.

According to the story, "In the end, the very things that make suburban life attractive — the lush lawns, spacious houses and three-car garages — also disproportionally contribute to global warming. Suburban life, these environmentalists argue, is simply not sustainable."

Here's a photo of our former single-family house with a two-car garage on 1/3 acre. It's a great house and while I do miss the renovated kitchen and bathrooms (the heated tile floors!), one thing I 100% DO NOT MISS is having to drive anywhere and everywhere. We weren't that far from the grocery store, but the lack of sidewalks made walking treacherous.

Today, in Clarendon, we have so many transit options -- walking, biking, Metro, ART bus, Metro bus, ZipCar, car pooling -- that we sold 2 of our 3 cars. The article makes other interesting observations about how people are commuting farther these days, and living in much larger houses.

We reap other benefits as well -- because we're only exposed on one side, we save on heating costs. What can I say -- it's awesome!