Fresh AIRE

Be a “Green” Jammer!

Think “green” thoughts this summer...especially if you’re taking part in the Dave Matthews Band (DMB) 2008 tour.  When singing along to the tunes, especially the infamous DMB song Tripping Billies, “Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we’ll die,” hang on to your bottles and cans!  DMB wants you to take this one seriously and is challenging you to recycle at the remaining shows of their 2008 tour by seeking out the specially marks bins – in exchange for some cool stuff, like front row seats!  It's called 'So Much to Save.'  DMB is going beyond recycling though.  The band’s efforts are known as “The Bama Green Green Project.”  Other cool efforts, like ‘Eco-Rideshare’ - launched to promote carpooling to shows, are taking off.  How cool is that?  And so easy too!!  As if DMB isn’t already one of the sweetest bands around, they’ve just earned extra points in my book.  Keep on jammin’!

I am brilliant

My husband and I moved from suburban life 3 years ago to a condo in Clarendon (Arlington) -- and I felt brilliant at the time, with gas at $3/gallon. With gas now at $4+, I feel like a downright genius!

Now the New York Times has confirmed my genius-ness with an article, "Fuel Prices Shift Math for Life in Far Suburbs." As the article states, "The shift to costlier fuel is threatening to slow the decades-old migration away from cities."

Higher fuel prices may at last be providing the big motivation for people to seek a more transit-oriented, walkable, bikeable life. We've already seen that Arlington's urban villages have weathered the housing downturn better than our ex-burban neighbors.

Urban villages = healthier and now, wealthier! Am I brilliant, or what!

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

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

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. 

The 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! 

The Footprint Chronicles

Here's something cool...Patagonia has just launched an interactive Web site that allows you to track the environmental footprint of five of their products from the design phase all the way through delivery.  This site, called the Footprint Chronicles, lays out the good and the bad elements of the product.  While you may be surprised to learn just how much work goes into creating an article of clothing, you may also be impressed with the effort that Patagonia is putting forth to reduce the environmental impacts of the process.  Or, as they like to say, "lighten our footprint and do less harm."  Just another cool way to learn more about this intricate web of carbon footprinting.

Happy footprinting!

-Sarah O'Connell, Energy Outreach Coordinator

Getting the Word Out

I wrote in this blog recently about a group called the Alliance for Climate Protection and a video ad they created on pollution prevention. 

I’m back again to tell you that not only does this group have a great collection of videos and resources, but they just launched the We Campaign.  For a quick overview,  check out the We Campaign TV ad, fact sheet, and FAQ.  And check out this artistic take on it all!

And while I’m talking about great messaging and resources on climate change, have you heard about PG&E and San Francisco’s Let Green This City partnership?  Wow!  Here is another site simply chock-full of new and fun ways to get the word out.  I particularly like the CFL Bulbs video and the list of great publications, like this one. 

Happy Reading and Watching!

Sarah O’Connell

Energy Outreach Coordinator, Fresh AIRE

41pounds.org says “Reclaim your mailbox!”

How many of you are simply “done” with all that junk mail?  And how many of you actually read the multiple reminders and offers from unknown vendors for every product and service within a 100+ mile radius of your home?  Well, did you know that “the average adult receives 41 pounds of junk mail each year?”  41pounds.org knows this all too well and provides a service to stop most of that junk from arriving in your mailbox, to include catalogs and general junk mail.  41pounds.org is a nonprofit organization working to reduce this nuisance that truly is an environmental waste.  Stopping the junk mail helps to reduce the strain on natural resources.  So, go out there and get your mailbox back!

I'm So Proud!

Although my family has always been supportive of my career choice, they have never really understood my interest and motivation in working to “protect the environment.”  But, after more than 14 years of studying and working in the field, I think they’re starting to come around and I’m just so proud! 

I’ve long been deemed the “tree-hugger” in my family and quite frankly, very proud of that.  I wear it like a badge of honor.  Wearing this badge means that I often have to remind my mom to “turn off the faucet” when she cleans up the kitchen counters, tell my dad to “turn off the light” when he leaves a room, or urge my brother to “recycle that bottle” when he’s about to throw one in the trash can.  I try not to nag, but I do look for these instances where an opportunity presents itself and I jump right on in with my two cents.  The best part of wearing this badge is that it has actually rubbed off in some way. 

The best example of this is the decision my parents made in 2003 to buy a Honda Civic Hybrid.  Now, we can’t forget one of the major factors in this decision – the allowance to use the HOV lanes!  Nor can we forget the bottom line benefit of money saved at the pump (the car averages about 40 mpg).  But, we should focus on the fact that by owning this car, my parents are continuing to prevent an enormous amount of harmful emissions that would have otherwise gone into our air.  The decision, as my parents like to say, was a “no brainer.” 

Another example is the fact that my mom now not only looks for CFLs instead of traditional incandescent bulbs, which is a huge leap in itself, she even knows to look for the ENERGY STAR label on the package.  For those not familiar, ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.  You can now find the ENERGY STAR label on over 50 product categories as well as buildings (commercial, institutional, and industrial) and homes.  Now, my mom may not know the details of ENERGY STAR, but she recognizes that the cyan blue label means something important.  She understands that it means it will save her money and allow her to one way to “do her part.” 

Bag Lady

Sigh. This time last week, I was schussing down the slopes high up in the German Alps. It was a terrific trip, and I wrote about the wonderful everyday use of bikes that I observed.

One aspect of skiing in the Alps that I love (aside from the enormous mountains and yummy food) is that I get to immerse myself in the local culture and live like the locals... for just a little while. While I was in the grocery store loading up on 77% chocolate and yummy wafer cookies, I noticed that the cashiers passed my items to the end of the counter, where I was expected to bag them. Into my own bags.

Fortunately, I was prepared with my handy-dandy tote bag that I keep clipped to my backpack. It folds up small enough that I can also throw it into a ski jacket pocket or fanny pack. Isn't this bag great? Unfolded, it's big enough to carry several liters of water, cheese, chocolate and the sunblock I forgot to pack. And it folds up into itself -- into that teeny zippered pouch you can see here on the front.

The store also sold cloth tote bags and plastic bags, but customers have to ask for them. Back home, I'm getting a 3-cent credit for every bag I bring in and Whole Foods in Clarendon is phasing out the free bags. I do have bigger bags for bigger shopping trips, and I do get a lot of mileage from this little guy. Here's hoping that we continue to move toward a culture in which we all get accustomed to BYOB -- Bring Your Own Bag. :-)

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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.

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!