Well isn't that nice

Environment Leader reported a few days ago that Pepsico Inc. is going to reveal how it measures the carbon footprint of one of the products it markets in the U.K. Well whoop-dee-doo as they say. As one of the largest sources of plastic bottles in the world, Pepsico absolutely needs to make sure that it does all that it can to report its carbon footprint, reduce its carbon emissions and in general, do better for the environment.

Look, we all like to drink a Pepsi now and then, and who really can eat just one Lay's potato chip, but Pepsi is one of the driving forces behind the misuse of fresh water today, and the proliferation of plastic bottles on our beaches and just about everywhere else.

As the bottler of Aquafina water -- just tap water pushed through a filter and then sold for more than the price of a gallon of gas -- Pepsico contributes to pollution on grand scale. Read the book, Bottlemania, to see just what went on to create the wild demand we see today for bottled water.

The company does try to put forward a positive environment story. A visit to its website and a read through the company's corporate sustainability report shows in excruciating detail the lengths that the company goes to be green. I give them a point for that. But the bigger picture is one of corporate profits being pushed way out in front of planet sustainability.

Pepsi is doing something; a lot of other companies are not, but let's not hurt our hands patting the big guy on the back.

Carpet You Could Live With

The economic crisis is affecting everyone. Unemployment is higher than it has been in more than a decade and in some places as many as one out of every six working age adults is without work. To put it bluntly: the economy sucks right now.

The housing market from Rhode Island to Miami and up to Seattle is bad -- improving-- but still bad. In the midst of the worst housing downturn in seventy years, a lot of homeowners have learned that moving up to a better home just isn't an option right now. Their alternative is to make the home that they have a better place for them to live. So they're remodeling.

From ripping out old kitchens and baths to making the tough and costly decision to add on a room, homeowners are rolling up their sleeves and building their own dream home right where they are. But while many homeowners are remodeling, not enough of them are doing so to keep earnings at the country's largest do-it-yourself superstores climbing. Six weeks ago, The Home Depot reported a drop in earnings and so did Lowes.

More importantly, however than how well the big stores are doing, is what are homeowners doing when they're remodeling their places top-to-bottom.

I hope that they're recycling. As a kid I remember a buddy and I scoring big time stuff for our clubhouse from the curbside trash of neighbors. I especially remember the carpet remnant we dragged through the woods to our very own Fortress of Solitude. I remember because when we started a fire in an old cast iron pot -- we wouldn't think of just starting a fire without protection -- we forgot that the heat would pass through the pot and start burning our precious red shag carpet. We survived and tossed the burnt rug into the trash along with miles and miles and tons and tons of other old, worn carpet from everyone else's homes.

That doesn't have to be the case today: homeowners can choose to recycle carpet. The Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE -- yes, overused and corny, but it works) is a national association committed to keeping old carpet out of landfills and directing it to be reused. There's a carpet recovery/recycling company here in Northern VA. According to the CARE website, the organization and its partners have diverted more than 1.3 billion tons of carpet from America's landfills. That's a lot of shag!

Put another way, by diverting and recycling the carpet into other uses, CARE and the homeowners that choose to go this route have helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 238,000 tons or about the equivalent of two million barrels of oil.

The fact is there are opportunities for all of us to do something with our garbage that is better than letting it pile up in a landfill somewhere. So when you're remodeling your home or doing just about anything, think about how what you're doing can be done with a green theme. You'll like the result and our grandchildren will too.

State Parks: Where the Bikes Go

The highlight of the weekend for me recently was a trip to Pocahontas State Park. I'd been trying to get to the park for a couple of years, but never could squeeze in the time to stuff a pack, spray some insect repellent and hike its winding trails spread among more than 7,000 acres. But I had the chance this past weekend and the opportunity revealed to me just where all of those bikes hanging off the back of RVs rolling down I-95 are headed. Yep, they're headed for our state and national parks.

I pulled into Pocahontas state park and was straight-away informed by the ranger at the gate that "ticks are pretty bad this year. You should stop by the camping store and see if they're selling any repellent."

Three years ago I would have put the car in reverse and not felt bad about it. I grew up within a couple of blocks of something called "The Big Park." When my wife saw it she said, "It's a playground. Basketball courts, handball, pool. What park."

I'd point to the baseball field. She'd shake her head. That meant park to me.

Not anymore. But still, I hate bugs. They h love me so much they just swarm around my ears and stuff. But I'm older now, a subscriber to Backpacker magazine and will not let a bug keep me from enjoying the outdoors.

I took the rangers directions and drove to the camp store. It was closed, but would open in ten minutes or so. I decided to take the time and walk around the area. In no time at all I saw the kids from the ET movie. You know the scene where Elliot and ET and his single-speed posse are running from the bad guys and all of a sudden are airborne? Well these kids weren't airborne, but they pedaled like they were being chased and all of them looked like they were right out of ET central casting.

A year ago my wife and I went to Italy for our 20th anniversary. Two Americans strolling through Rome, Florence and Capri. I felt less like a fish out of water there than I did in the campground. I mean, I've been the only Black in a room before. I think that I was once the only Black in a building before, so it wasn't that. I think what I was experiencing was a completely alien sense of not belonging.

I'd read about camping -- tent camping and RV -- but never had been smack in the middle of it. I was at the same time fascinated by these kids up and rip-roaring around before 10 am, and sure that my own kids wouldn't ever want to do this. I imagined the night before: sun goes down around 8:30 and these kids and parents are soon asleep in the trailer before the moon gets too high in the sky. How else could they have the enormous energy that they displayed?

But I persevered. Hey, I'm a city guy after all.

The camping store opened up and I bought an overpriced can of bug spray. I sprayed until I nearly dripped and then drove to my first trail head. My REI pack contained a light blanket, a magazine, water and a Power Bar. I was ready.

The first wave dive bombed me fifty yards up the trail. The gnats and mosquitos buzzed me like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. I swatted my ears until my head rang and cursed words I hadn't spoken in years. But I pushed on up a slight hill, mid-morning sun slicing through the trees just like in the magazine articles and poems. I could hear Walden's footsteps beside mine and felt John Muir's breath on my neck. Oh, that was an insect flying past.

I hiked in Pocahontas for about an hour, finally getting used to the bugs or maybe the overpriced spray began to take effect. Either way I had fun, and I think everyone who goes to our state parks will enjoy them, too. Just watch out for the RV bikers. They're every-eee- where!

Checking our water

We turn on the tap, fill our glasses and drink down what comes out. The water looks clear and if we've chilled it or put in the fridge to get cold it refreshes us like few things can. But most of us don't wonder just how clean our water is.

A scan of the label on some of the top brands of bottled water shows that the stuff is just tap water poured through a filter, bottled and sold for many times the cost of production. That's capitalism, and I have no complaints about that.

But we assume the water we drink is as clean as that which we buy in bottles. But you don't to have to assume, the water authorities around Virginia are required to provide an annual report on their water quality.

And, these reports are on-line. Fairfax County, Virginia's largest county by population has its drinking water report here, while Loudoun County's water report is here.

Both counties and the other jurisdictions around the state report on their water supplies. A simple web search using your county's name and the words "water authority" should turn up the latest report.

The fact is, the water that flows out of your tap is as good as the water a lot of people pay more than $1/quart or liter. It's just not worth it.

Just about every non-clothing department store (Target, Wal-Mart, K-Mart) and national chain drug store sells stainless steel or aluminum water bottles. I advise against plastic bottles because of potential leaching if the bottles are left out in the sun. That goes for the pricey bottles, too. Keep it chilled, drink it right away. The trade association of plastics manufacturers has its own website debunking some of the things we've heard about plastic bottles. I'm no scientist, but I'm always leery of what a trade group says about its products. What are they going to say, "Don't use our stuff."

Bottom line is this: Check out your local water quality report, back it up with some additional research and save some money and buy a reusable metal bottle.

Local Grocer Says it Does Well By Environment

Safeway, Inc., one of the dominant food stores in Virginia, recently published its Corporate Social Responsibility report. According to the company, it purchases 90,000 hours of wind energy, making it one of the largest users of renewable energy in the U.S.

The company should be applauded for all that it does, but here in Northern Virginia it is one step shy of Giant Foods, which makes a big deal out of collecting plastic shopping bags. The ubiquitous bag is a major danger to marine life and takes just about a day less than forever to biodegrade in the land fill.

That said, Safeway's website does a much better job of marketing the company's green credentials than Giant. Of course, Whole Foods, another grocery competitor in the Northern Virginia market also stands tall in the green area, but that's been the Whole Foods tradition since its start. That Safeway executives have taken sustainability seriously and do such a good job of informing customers about the grocery's progress and short comings -- is good to see.

The stores near me do a pretty good job of bringing locally grown foods into its stores, mindful of the carbon emissions that accompany long distance trucking of food, not to mention the emissions from air transport.

Mile after mile, trying to be Green

It's been a while since I posted to the blog. Vacation got in the way, but the trip provided opportunity to consider just what it means to be green while away from home. We drove a pretty fuel efficient SUV -- I know, can that even be possible? But when you're packing a teen and an adolescent who have grown up in today's society, squeezing them into the back of my Civic for 850 miles was not going to happen. Not if we all wanted to get there and back in one piece.

So while on the way we kept our use of bottled water to a minimum and while we certainly pushed the speed limit and a little more, we didn't load the roof rack with our luggage carrier so we kept the wind drag down. While I can't verify the science behind this website, www.metrompg.com demonstrated that a roof rack could reduce fuel efficiency measured in MPG by as much as 12 percent.

So the ride down the road was pretty green. But what about eating out and things like that? It's becoming more widely known that food production, transportation and packaging disposal are serious contributors to climate change and landfill use. So what's a green guy to do? Well, at least here in Virginia the state is trying to certify restaurants that claim to be green.

The Department of Environmental Quality is beginning to certify restaurants that claim to be green by requiring that they prove it based on a several criteria. The list of participating restaurants can be found here.

The truth about trash

For the last couple of years I've been a big fan of shows like Man vs Wild and Survivorman. As all of my friends know, the closest I come to the wilderness is the Animal Kingdom amusement park in Disney World. I'm on my way there now, and while traveling I've made a few stops along the way and came face to face with the truth that Bear and Les (hosts of the two shows above) talk about.

No matter where you go in the world, they say, there's trash from civilization. They find old water heaters washed into the Everglades by hurricanes, or fishing nets from ships long since visited the coasts of remote Alaska.

I find plastic bottles, tossed cigarettes and enough plastic bags to make a balloon that might get me to place where there is no trash. Not likely though, because I hear that there's trash even on the jagged slopes of Mt. Everest.

But while none of us is likely to get into too many wild places that another person hasn't already been and maybe left some stuff behind, it's good to know that there are organizations -- and the people in them, of course -- that care enough about the outdoors to clean it up. Futile as it may be, and although returning every few years to pull another truck tire from the river or styrofoam cups from a creek makes me think that they're crazy, I am glad there are thousands of volunteers around the U.S. and the world who do that type of stuff.

I'm going to join a group when I get back to VA and do my part, act crazy and demonstrate that I care a little more.

A Frenemy

Environmentalists got a whopper of news a few days ago when ExxonMobil (formerly headquartered in Fairfax, VA) announced that it was going to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into the research of converting algae into biofuels. The announcement was described by some as a turnaround for the giant oil company, but others saw it as a natural step for the firm to take as it strives to maintain its leading role as an energy producer -- fossil fuel-based or otherwise.

It definitely is a surprise considering that the ExxonMobil CEO is not a public proponent of efforts to combat global warming. According to an article in the New York Times, Mr. Rex W. Tillerson once described biofuels as moonshine. But then again, a lot of fortunes were made back in the days of prohibition from moonshine, so it probably is not too great a leap to think that a profit machine like ExxonMobil would turn to another way of printing greenbacks, even if it means going green.

The move by ExxonMobil means that we're going to have to pay close attention to the old adage, "keep your friends close, and your enemies closer", or better yet, start considering the oil giant as a frenemy.

Why Water

The other day I received my Loudoun County water bill. With all of the rain this spring, I haven't had to water my lawn, and since I don't wash my car at home, the bill was about what I expected. But tucked inside the envelope was a the latest newsletter from the county -- NewsLeak. Not as clever as they could be, but the title aside, the contents were interesting.

It seems that Loudoun water received $1.78 million in federal stimulus funds for two separate water projects here in Northern VA. Apparently there is some kind of water industry term for reclamation projects -- purple pipe. Here in Loudoun, the utility is reusing water for irrigation and cooling purposes. Excellent choices and smarter thinking that using fresh, drinkable water to keep lawns green or buildings cool.

Fresh water brings me to a column in today's The New York Times by Nicholas Kristoff, "Clean, Sexy Water." Kristoff tells the story of the man who started charity:water, a group that I heard of for the first time a few years ago. I was in Kansas City at a business conference and strolled into Saks (I'm a world-class shopper, albeit without a world-class check book) after noticing an interesting poster. The store was selling rubber bracelets with the words charity:water stamped on the face.

The bracelet's not as sturdy as the LiveStrong ones that seem to be on everyone's wrist, but just like Lance's quest to raise funds to find a cure for cancer, Scott Harrison the founder of charity:water wants to find a way to find a way to get clean water to families around the world, especially in Africa.

Kristoff and Harrison, and importantly, Loudoun County all know that clean water is precious. Let's all do our part like Scott Harrison and encourage our government and local utilities to continue supporting projects that use water wisely.

Water and Waste

The lure of lakes and oceans is particular hypnotic in the summer. That's why the report recently from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation on the quality of the water in our public areas is so disturbing. As written about in The Washington Post earlier this week, the CBF reported that bacteria that has the nasty desire to make people sick are having a good ol' time in the waterways that feed the Chesapeake, Virginia's most important water resource. 

The CBF, no friend of the government whether a Democrat or a Republican is in office, laid the blame for the sorry state of the Bay and its waterways on ineffectiveness at the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA has a lot on its plate now a days, but you'd think that with Environment being right there at the front of its name, the EPA would be the one department that would keep its eye on the ball when it comes to, say... wait for it... the environment!

I shouldn't be so hard on the EPA. The agency did find in favor of California recently when that state tried to tighten rules on air pollution from cars. But that's out west. What about back east right in the EPA's back yard? Stay tuned for more or check out the ebb and flow (I just had to do it) by visiting the CBF's website.

Meanwhile, folks living in Loudoun county might want to start sorting their trash because the pick-up of household hazardous waste is happening on July 18 in Leesburg. 

A list of what types of household waste from automobile anti-freeze to paint thinners is available on the county's website.  And while it doesn't seem as if its the run-of-the-mill household stuff that is polluting the Chesapeake, it makes sense to dispose of the toxic stuff lying around in basements and garages appropriately. And remember, don't toss anything down the storm sewers -- the junk goes right to the bay and the ocean.

Being Green This Vacation

The summer officially began a couple of weeks ago, and unofficially kicked-off Memorial Day weekend, but the reality is that summer vacation for most of use doesn't begin until the Fourth of July. This year, summer vacations are likely to be found closer to home, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).  Although air fares to some of the best destinations have dropped, they may be on the rise according to USA Today.

And with gas prices coming down from early Spring-highs, hitting the road is proving to be the way to go. Moreover, with most of the on-line travel sites offering deals ranging from a free nights stay with only a couple of nights paid for, booking an affordable vacation in a nice hotel isn't that expensive.  So trying Yahoo travel, Expedia or Hotels.com or the larger aggregator sites is worth a few minutes (or hours) this holiday season. 

Importantly, if you travel by car this year, you're using a lot less carbon-based fuel than when you fly, cutting green house gases and global warming.

The Congress is finally taking action on global warming, having kept their heads in the sand for years. Problem is, the president's push to get something done has created a monstrous bill that doesn't do nearly enough to change behavior or to provide the right incentives for business, and puts too much junk into what should be a simple bill, so I'm paraphrasing David Brooks.

And for those free marketers who think that government shouldn't be in the business of promoting business -- you know, the whole winners and losers argument-- well I have two items for you to consider: the home mortgage deduction and the highway trust fund. Both of these choose winners: homeownership over renting on one hand, and cars over trains on the other.

Those of us who want a greener Virginia and a greener America can make the choice to drive close to home and enjoy the ridiculously incredible sights that are within a few hundred miles of us. Or, better yet, we can take a train, which uses even less fossil fuel than our cars. Of course, trains don't go to as many places we can reach with cars or even those carbon catastrophes called planes, but trains are fun. When is the last time you said that about taking a plane trip?

A few seconds with garbage

The other day I was killing time while my children practiced some stuff. I had my laptop and went down to the nearest Whole Foods to do some writing and drink some of their over-priced coffee.

That's when I noticed the trash bins in the store's cafe. This is the store on Rt. 123 in Vienna, adjacent to the W&OD trail. The bins were marked for recyclable, trash and compost -- and they were nearly full.

Seems as if the Whole Food shopper walks the talk when it comes to taking care of the environment. But it got me to thinking if the same kind of garbage system would work in the major fast food restaurants? Would the typical McDonald's shopper toss his uneaten french fries in to the compost bin, the paper wrapper in the Big Mac into the recycle slot and the plastic straw from the 300 calorie Coke into the garbage bin?

Yeah, probably not. 

I don't want to pick on McDonald's (I think the same for Burger King and Wendy's for that matter) on suggest that the average customer doesn't care more about the environment than their waistline, I just don't think that habit can be changed. We eat fast food because a lot of us live fast lives and taking even a few seconds to sort our garbage isn't fast.

The Whole Foods vibe almost guilts a customer into sorting the compostable cups from the plastic lids and the uneaten food. 

But I don't want to feel guilty if I toss my mixed trash into a single garbage bag. I do want to feel good about taking care of the environment. Maybe the geniuses on Madison Ave. can come up with a campaign that gives us the warm and fuzzies when we do good.

 

Kreme-ing the Environment

According to an article in the Washington Examiner, Fairfax County is suing the once-upon-a-time donut king Krispy Kreme of sending too much cooking trash down the sewer of its stores.  The county is saying that the donut company's waste is destroying its pipes to the tune of millions of dollars in damage. Talk about dollars to donuts!

Krispy Kreme is fighting back, with the tried and true comment to the press that the claims of Fairfax County are "unfounded."

A long time ago, before iPods and other Apple wonder devices, one of my best friends who now works for Apple worked at a Dunkin' Donuts on Staten Island. Before he worked there I had no idea how donuts were made. I ate them. They were good. I was a teenager and didn't count a calorie. I learned from visiting him on the job one day that the donuts were fried in grease. The back room was filled with the sound of dough frying and the air seemed to have a Los Angeles-type haze because of the grease in the air.

Maybe my friend and his coworkers dumped the grease down the drain in the decades before bio-diesel. I don't know. I do know that my plumber told me not to dump cooking grease down the drain; it'll create a real nasty situation for you and probably run into the hundreds of dollars to fix. 

Hence my collection of cooking oil in containers ready to be dropped off at local hazardous recycling centers. In researching this story, I came across an association for used cooking grease. Ok, it's not actually that, but the National Renderers Association represents the companies that deal in post-consumer food products. And guess what? It's based in Fairfax County!

I'll keep an eye on Krispy Kreme and its battle with the county. Meanwhile, think of this as another example of the behind the scenes effects of the things we do.

After National Trails Day

One day after National Trails Day and three parks later, it looks like I didn't wear enough sun screen. Saturday began with the usual wash out here in Sterling, VA. My daughter's soccer game was cancelled because the field was too soggy from all the rain we had the previous couple of days. You have to wonder with soccer being the major suburban game that it is and Loudoun County having one of the highest household incomes in the whole USA, why is it that the soccer fields turn into a bog after just a couple of days rain?

The walk from the parking lot to the fields adjacent to NoVA Community College on Route 7 is at turns a stroll through dry grass and a soggy slog across poorly draining fields. Are we misspending our tax dollars or do we need more for the fields our children (and quite a few adults) play on?

Compared to the near-surgical care that is taken with the trails at Claude Moore Park, Algonkian Park and Riverbend Park, the soccer fields are like clean restrooms on I-95 -- hit and miss.

But like I said, the Saturday soccer game was cancelled so I had the opportunity to take full advantage of National Trails Day. First stop was Claude Moore, just a few blocks from the house.  Ran some of the trails for a couple of miles and stopped to watch the local kids try their hands at fishing in the local ponds. Great time, and highly recommended for next year. While I never was much of a fisherman, in fact, an old friend of mine teases me these thirty years later about the time I brought a book with me fishing. It was more exciting than the fishing that day, believe me.

But the dozen or so kids who cast and reeled and cast again, had a great time.

Later on, I drove down to River Bend Park. It's right near the more popular Great Falls Park, but without the larger crowds and the parking fee, River Bend is more my style. The trail from their runs north east to Great Falls or south east back toward Sterling. Great plants, wide trails and the Potomac River flush from all the rain we've had the past five or six weeks. Another great time, even counting the german shepherd that got a little too close on the trail. Six foot leash law people!

The day wrapped up in Algonkian Park on a bench overlooking the river and a half-dozen water craft zipping up and down the river. The noise was ok and the wakes they created were wonderful. I slapped at a gazillion gnats and when I nearly knocked my glasses from my face swinging at a particularly pesky swarm, I called it a day.

National Trails Day 2009. Some kids, some fishing, a slobbery dog and a face full of gnats. Beats working every day of the week.

Gas at $2.60, Vacations in our backyard

We've all recovered from the ridiculously high gas prices of last year, although their effect are certainly be felt by GM, its employees and dealers. I read this morning that GM has found a buyer for its Hummer brand, and that the company intends to sell more of the gas guzzlers outside the U.S. Pretty awful idea because carbon emissions here or there mean the same thing -- warmer temps everywhere.

But at least more Americans are getting on board the idea that burning a lot of gas to go a short distance doesn't make much sense. And being resident to Northern Virginia means that I don't have to travel too far to enjoy a wonderful summer. Whether its mountains, beaches or resorts that people only with a portable ATM can afford, everything is just a short distance from home.

Think about it. If you live in Northern Virginia, the Shenandoah mountains and links to the Appalachian Trail are less than two hours away. Same for Harpers Ferry and its historic landmarks and access to the AT. In fact, Harpers Ferry is home to a pretty cool celebration for National Trails day on June 6. 

But if hiking among the bugs, creepy crawlies and sleeping outside doesn't conjure up visions of dreamy vacations then choose from any number of gorgeous B&Bs within a tank of gas. Bed and Breakfast options are all over the region and general vicinity, offering great meals, good company and often gorgeous views. Tips on B&Bs in the area can be found all over the web, but I like the Bed & Breakfast online. 

Of course there are luxury spots also in the state just a few hours from the beltway. Our favorites are down in the Williamsburg area. No, I'm not telling where. Some things need to be kept secret. Meanwhile, if you're in the Williamsburg area, a stay at the Wolf Lodge isn't bad. It's a bit pricey, and while the water park is something to experience, the Lodge's Magi Quest attraction is a pale imitation of the real deal found in Myrtle Beach, SC. 

And speaking of beaches, Virginia Beach is fun and if you're driving a 30 MPG or higher car, you might be able to make it on one tank of gas. Waves are good, boardwalk is nice and if you go at the right time, you can catch some pretty good volleyball. 

Keeping Festivals Green

Last week I took my daughter and a friend of hers and my son to the Viva Vienna festival here in NoVa. As one of the oldest Memorial Day community events in the area, Viva Vienna got a lot of things right. But it also got a few things wrong.

First the right stuff. Vienna is sandwiched in between the nightmare that is Tyson's Corner to its east and the relatively calm town of Reston to its west. With very little parking available for the hundreds (and maybe a few thousands) of people who visited over the weekend, the only way to sample the booths of locally made crafts and fresh cooked food was on foot.  That forced a lot of people who wouldn't normally walk more than a few yards from their cars to the front door of the mall to get out there and exercise. Point for Vienna!

And since practically all of the vendors (over priced if you asked me) were local, no one with a green screen for their purchases had to worry about the carbon cost of shipping goods across the country, or worse, from China. Another point for Vienna!

Moreover, what would Memorial Day weekend be without good barbeque, hot dogs and burgers and funnel cake? Not a fun time, that's for sure. So while I had to make sure to log a few extra miles on the trail to avoid packing on a few extra points, another point for V-V getting it right when it came to food.

But with so much good, there had to be something not so great.  The organizers tried to encourage folks to recycle the plastic bottles of water, used lemonade cups and such, but their efforts failed. They fell short mainly because there weren't enough recycling trash containers. Plus anyone who bought some of the great stuff sold by the vendors carried their treasure home in plastic bags. 

Navy Federal Credit Union, the largest credit union in the country and a fast moving mortgage lender, gave away a plastic bag full of junk with their logo. I'm sure that the majority of the stuff wound up in the trash that afternoon or no more than a few days later.

This weekend, the Herndon Festival kicks off its annual rite for summer. I hope that it offers as broad a mix of vendors and food that I won't mind burning off on the trail. But I also hope that it has more recycling bins and encourages its vendors to send us on our way with stuff packed in reusable, earth-friendly shopping bags. And yeah, no plastic doo-dads. We can pick up that stuff at McDonald's -- NOT!

A Wet Summer

With the unofficial first day of summer behind us, millions of Virginians are planning trips to the beach. A great first stop is the business and travel site www.virginia.org, which offers tips and packages for family and individual vacations in dozens of places along the hundreds of miles of ocean, bay and riverside beaches.

But with all the rain we've had these past weeks, before dipping your toes or whole body in the water, remember to check out if the water is save even get into.

The Richmond Times Dispatch is informing us that the Virginia Dept. of Health has kicked off its beach monitoring activities.  Following the kind of rain that we've had in the region for the past couple of months, it's vital that the state and local health departments monitor the water quality. 

Storm run-off from heavy rains can strain the ability of water treatment facilities and the result can be untreated sewage making its way into the rivers, oceans and bays in the state. Check out this story from news radio station WTOP that aired in the middle of the summer 2008 about what polluted water could mean to your fun in the sun.

But it looks like it will be a great year for beach goers, with gas prices down from the stratosphere of 2008 and prices for hotels more affordable than ever.  So grab your swimsuit, boogie board and whatever else and visit Virginia's beaches.

Family Hits the Shenandoah

A couple of days before Memorial Day,  I finally got the family to come with me to Shenandoah National Park. The five of us (we brought along one of my daughter's friends) arrived around one pm after a surprising amount of traffic on Route  66 out of Fairfax, VA. But we got to the visitor's center raring to go, eager to take a peek at one of the park's several waterfalls.

Or maybe not.

Although I'd read about the park for a long time and talked to a lot of people, I didn't realize how big was Shenandoah. The closest waterfall to the visitor's center near the park's entrance flowed fifty miles away. We didn't have that much time, so after a group vote we chose the 2.4 mile round trip up-hill hike up Compton's Gap.

My daughter's friend wore flat heeled shoes more like ballet slippers than sneakers or hiking boots, so the going was tough. She trooped on without complaint, though as we clambered over rocks the size of softballs and along the narrow trail littered with crawling millipedes and tiny spiders. The air wasn't too warm and the tree cover protected us from the sun and helped to keep us fresh on the climb.

At the right hand turn toward the peak we met up with a couple resting by the side. Their pug dog was with them, too. 

"He started to pant," the man said. "So I just put him in the pack to take a rest."

My daughter and her friend couldn't stop cooing over the little thing, but after a few minutes we took the right along the trail that leads to the best view from Compton's Peak. 

We pulled out the water bottles at the top of the peak with fantastic views at nearly every turn. Although we had to dodge a few pesky bumble bees, we lingered for awhile and everyone admitted that the hike "wasn't bad" and that the view "is incredible!"

The hike down was fast and with the help of pair of socks my ever-prepared wife had handy, my daughter's friend had a much better time navigating the rock strewn trail.

This Memorial day weekend is just a couple of weeks away from National Trails Day, sponsored by the American Hiking Society. My local regional park, Claude Moore, is hosting a series of events June 6, and I'm sure that there's a park near you hosting an event, too.

So get out there. Take a hike! 

Origins Takes Back Packaging

Origins, the natural cosmetics brand found in Macy's and other fine stores, is recycling cosmetic packaging, a move that the company says is in keeping with its mission to take of its customers and the environment. 

I talked to a representative of the company today at the display in the Washington, DC Macy's on 13th and F and she said that the campaign was doing well.

The Origins website explains the recycling program in good detail, but the downside to the site is that the information is several clicks from the home page. I sent a message to the company's PR team to let them know that the company either needs to step up its external marketing or move its recycling story higher up on the website. Either way, if you care about the environment and want to reduce the amount of plastic cosmetic trash, check out the Origin's program.

Aveda stores have a similar program aimed at collecting caps from plastic bottles, which are more costly to recycle than the bottles themselves. Stores around the region are collecting caps. See an earlier post for details on the Aveda effort.

Green Cars, Green Virginia or Maybe Not

Recently the Obama administration proposed new rules aimed to increase fuel efficiency standards of cars and light trucks. That's a good thing, getting more out of gallon of gas and sending less carbon emissions into the atmosphere and contributing less to global warming. 

In Northern Virginia, where I live, I think that the message to drive more fuel efficient cars is breaking through. Maybe not.

My friend who writes the girlmeetshome blog drives a hybrid Honda Civic. It's a nice car that's not half as stylish as she is or her blog, but if she'll excuse me for outing her on the Internet -- she got it primarily to ride in the HOV lanes. And one long look at the cars riding in the HOV lanes of 66 every morning and evening will reveal that a lot of people are driving hybrids these days.

I wasn't able to find recent statistics, but according to some dinosaur data from the Greencar Congress, Virginia ranked second only behind California in hybrid vehicle registrations.  While Virginia may have fallen from the silver medal spot these past few years, I think that it's a good bet that the state still ranks in the top ten.

So why isn't that a good thing? Well the whole purpose of HOV lanes is to reduce emissions and while a hybrid certainly does that, the "O" in HOV stands for occupancy. The real goal is to reduce emissions by getting cars off of the road. Unless I missed the brochure, hybrids still do burn some gasoline and emit some carbon.

The fact is a fair amount of the hybrid drivers on our roads primarily drive a hybrid so they can speed past me in my conventional Civic. Some mornings on the Dulles Toll Road I move so slowly that I'd get to Tyson's corner faster if I walked. Meanwhile, single riders in Hybrids are silently (tire noise notwithstanding) streaming down the left hand HOV lane, getting 40+ miles per gallon.

Which brings me back to the President's fuel efficiency standards. His goal of average fleet MPG of 35.5 miles is a good one, but the President really needs to be a magician because the better trick is to get people out of their cars altogether, especially for routine tasks like getting to work.

When gas prices surged above $4 per gallon last summer, it was kamikaze time at the park and ride that I use. Folks couldn't rush to the parking lot fast enough and board the bus into downtown DC. With gas prices comfortably below $2.50 (although on the increase in recent weeks -- can someone say summer driving season?), spaces don't fill up so fast over at Dulles North.

Virginians are green. It shows in the cars we drive and in our visits to the parks we love. But the truth is our driving habits need to improve if we're going to make any real dent in climate change due to carbon emissions.  The Virginia Department of Forestry has a blog that looks at the effect of climate change on the state's forests. Admitting that the data is a bit sketchy and a lot of things can happen, the writers note that "Despite all this uncertainty, climate change on the level predicted would likely have significant impact of our forests, even if there is a large degree of uncertainty as to just what these impacts will be."

 And the photo at the beginning of this article? That's a picture of a pine tree forest being eaten to death by pine beetles. You see, the beetles are enjoying better breeding weather with higher temperatures out there in the Rocky Mountain region. Virginia has pine trees and if we don't seriously tackle the global warming trends from carbon emissions, maybe the beetles will be here soon.

Trail Fun in Richmond, VA

It's less than a month away and the only way that I can contain my excitement is to recognize that there's a better than even money chance that I'll finish close to the back of the pack in the 2009 Xterra Challenge race this year on Brown's Island.

It's no cliche to say that Brown's Island is an oasis in the heart of downtown Richmond. Smack in the middle of the James River, Browns Island is just minutes from the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank, headquarters offices for Dominion Power and a slew of other office towers. This will be my first year competing in the event, although it's my third year hanging out on the island watching Triathlon pros and amateurs swim, bike and run. For my part, I'm only going to pound my quads into mush in the event's Fugitive 10K.

The Xterra is a great event, incorporating fun runs for kids and world-class tests for pros. The exhibit area is packed with the typical high-fat and carb food, but if you search carefully, the calorie worriers can find something lighter.

The first year I went to the Xterra (2007), I arrived late and just caught the winners accepting the trophies. This year the winners share in cash prizes of $10,000, and more importantly for the pros, real points on the way to national championships.

But prize money and ranking points aside, Xterra's a real gem because it takes place on Brown's Island, an unlikely green space  surrounded by concrete, pavement and skyscrapers and urban land crawlers who couldn't care less about getting outside to get sweaty, dirty, tired and in touch with the environment.

It's no national park, that's for sure, but if you're looking for a place to go on an easy, flat hike or cut through relatively decent single-track, then Brown's Island is not a bad place. 

Even better, if you've got children, Brown's Island offers good access to the James River. I know all about easy access. Three years ago I meandered across the rocks that make up the shore of the river and decided that I'll dip my toes in the water. The day's heat was strong and who wouldn't be cooled off by one of Virginia's greatest and most historic rivers.

I took off my Asics and socks and took one step into the water. With one foot on a stone and the other one in the air my brain sent a message that I had made an awful error. The rocks were slippery and I was going in. But the brain has a sense of humor. It sends you this message that you're going to fall as if your muscles have anything to say about it. The result is flailing arms and a near-stopping of time as you have an out of body experience that seems to have you watching yourself fall into the river.

Yep. Into the river, hard. Cell phone and all. The cell phone worked after a couple of days, but for a week or so it kept dialing my wife's phone. Hers was the last number that I called before taking the plunge. 

I climbed dripping from the river, happy that I had on one of those quick drying running shirts. Too bad, though, I had on cotton shorts. I think they're still drying somewhere.

Some kids playing in the river laughed as I drip-dried on the rocks and one man decided to strike up a conversation.

"Happened to me, too," he said.

"What? You fell in, too," I said.

"Yeah. Those boys over there knew it would happen. They watched and fell out laughing when I fell in."

"You knew I was going to slip."

"Yeah, I tried to say something, but you didn't hear me."

"Uh huh," I said. Misery loves company, that's what.

But there's really no misery on Brown's Island during Xterra weekend. In addition to the triathlon, there's a kayak competition on the river. I don't understand what these guys do, but it looked like fun. 

And the Xterra weekend on Brown's Island is fun, too. In fact, the Island's fun all the time, just like all of the outdoors in Virginia. 

Baby steps to less garbage

A few days ago a co-worker showed me a picture of the baby stroller that he and his wife plan to buy for their baby on the way. I nearly choked on my office coffee when he told me that the stroller would cost more than $500. It's been a long time since my wife and I had a baby stroller, but even factoring for inflation, I'm sure that it didn't cost anywhere near $500.

I'm also sure that my friend didn't for one second consider buying a used baby stroller, essentially recycling a stroller and thus diverting the plastic and metal from a local land fill.

A quick search on Ebay found more than 1,500 baby strollers for sale. A similar search on Craigslist notched just 14 in the DC/MD/VA area.

There were a lot more babies than that being pushed around the last couple of years,  and from the looks of things, most of the mom and dad powered taxis are going to wind up curbside and then in a landfill.

That's such a waste of resources, both financial and environmental.  I'm as much of a germ-a-phobe as the next person (I use those wipes at the supermarket each time I get a new shopping cart), but no one could convince me that it's a good idea to for us to buy item after item for our children when a good ol' 'previously owned' think would do just fine.

Most financial writers suggest that buying a new car -- something that you'll make use of for years -- is a waste of money. I've not read any of them chime in on the reasonableness of buying a new baby stroller, but I think that given a little thought, these writers would come to the same conclusion I did: if the wheels roll, the seat's soft, the baby won't care if someone else used it.

But the parents will care, and I guess that's the point, and why my coworker is willing to drop the cost of little less than a week in a Disney World Resort for a baby stroller.

And perhaps it's unreasonable to think that those of us who can afford to purchase a brand new designer stroller for our child should not for the sake of the environment.

 But where do we start? And when?

Producing more and more goods burns more and more fossil fuels, creates more and more waste and sooner or later we're going to have to make changes. My co-worker's stroller isn't a big deal in the scheme of things, but when the number grows to tens of thousands heading for Virginia's landfills, then we're talking a big deal.

When Two is Better than Ten

With the Potomac River as a fitting photo-op backdrop, the leaders of Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC announced Tuesday that they would focus their efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and its various waterways using a two-year plan rather than a ten-year time line. 

Admitting that the longer time line allowed governments to put off what should be done today for administrations of tomorrow, Governor Kaine, Governor O'Malley and Mayor Fenty pledged to do more to clean up the region's signature water treasure. The Obama administration's EPA chief, Lisa Jackson, also was on hand to signal the new president's support for a healthy Chesapeake.

They hadn't finished speaking for long before the head of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation threw cold water on the plan. William C. Baker told The Washington Post that the actions by the three leaders and the Environmental Protection Agency are inadequate. 

Baker and the CBF have filed a lawsuit against the EPA, but that was before the Obama Administration took over. Time will tell if his EPA cares more about the Bay than the former administration.

One thing is for sure, the announcement Tuesday comes after a flurry of back-slapping PR pushes by Virginia and Maryland to show that the two current state administrations get the urgency surrounding cleaning up the Chesapeake.

The tri-announcement followed just one day after Maryland Governor O'Malley pledged to take steps to reduce fertilizer run-off that is polluting the bay, creating dead zones for fish and hurting the ability of watermen to make a living on the bay as they've done for generations. 

And Gov. O'Malley's pledge came only a few days after Virginia's leader gave a round of applause to a state agency for committing to invest about $180 million in waste water treatment. 

It's good to see that Virginia, Maryland, D.C., and the feds are taking cleaning up the Bay more seriously. The fresh water of the Bay and its waterways need to be cleaned up and taken care of. We're all stewards of the environment around us and we have to hold our elected officials and the corporations that operate beside the water accountable  for their actions. The Washington media gave the announcement Tuesday pretty broad coverage, but we all know that before the next tide comes in, this news will be yesterday's memory.  It's up to us to keep watch on the reporting coming from the respective state and federal agencies and from our own non profit watchdogs of the Bay's health.

State Parks and VA Budget Cuts

Governor Kaine today told heads of the various Virginia government agencies that each would need to look for ways to trim their budgets as revenue for April came in below expectations. With most of us shopping less, state sales tax revenue is down and so is income tax revenue as unemployment across the state climbs, although not as high as the national unemployment rate.

With budget reductions looming -- and this after an earlier round of budget reductions -- I thought I'd check in and see how our state parks are doing.

Virginia has more than thirty state parks, and a survey in 2006 of Virginians showed widespread support for public open spaces. A great resource for information about the state parks is available here, on the Department or Recreation and Conservation website.

Governor Kaine's budget for 2010 sees spending of about $42 million, down from about $46 million this year. Go here for a run-down of where the cuts are expected to be felt. One thing seems to be clear from the budget and proposed cuts, the Governor and the legislature seem to be looking first to inside administration reductions and less to outside park projects that would effect how well we all enjoy the parks.

Nevertheless, when using the parks throughout the state this year, keep "leave no trace" principles uppermost in your mind. As the saying goes, tread lightly, leave footprints, nothing else and our beautiful and diverse parks will be there for us today and for our children tomorrow.

Sun, Rain and Car Wash

If it's spring time it's time for those free car washes that pop up in shopping plazas all around Northern Virginia. Today, I passed three different ones between Arlington and Sterling. The kids working the car washes are earnest enough in their attempts to raise money for everything from travel soccer to the high school band. But I just motor on by in my dirty Honda Civic. 

I rarely wash my car. At first  I didn't because I just didn't care whether it was clean on the outside or not, but I choose not to wash my care now because I think fresh, clean water is too precious even here in temperate Virginia.

In the last couple of years, Northern Virginia has been under a drought watch. Rainfall was well below average, and so was snowfall. As a result, counties across the state have been asking homeowners to water their lawns less and to skip washing the car just because someone can write their name in accumulated road dust. But this year seems to be better for our water supply, especially the last week or so.

It's been raining off and on for the past eleven days, so there's a good chance that my neck of the woods is out from under any kind of drought watch. And with the sun come thoughts of getting out there and washing our cars.

Nevertheless, those of us who care about a healthy environment, not just for ourselves, but for the animals around us, may want to take a few important steps when washing a car -- steps that the high school road-side car washes don't.

First, remember the wisdom of Scar, the fish that helped Nemo get back to his father: "All drains lead to the ocean," Scar said.

All drains do lead to the ocean, and a look at most of the street-side sewers reveals a little green and blue emblem. The emblem reminds everyone that what you put down the drain sooner or later winds up in the Chesapeake and other major bodies of water.

That includes the soap that we all use when washing our cars. Most soap that's used when washing a car contain phosphates, a chemical that contributes to oxygen depletion in the bay and elsewhere. 

And those fundraisers that I drove past earlier today? They didn't seem to be following the accepted guidelines for keeping the run-off from the car washes from getting into our creeks, rivers and bays. Go here for some tips, or visit the Stormh2o, the journal for the Surface Water Quality Professional association.

Some states have even tried to ban driveway car washing. The legislature met resistance, and I don't think that something like that would even make it out of committee here in the Old Dominion. 

But one thing is clear, using a commercial car wash is better on the environment than soaping it up in the driveway. Commercial car washes are required to reclaim the bulk of the water used in their businesses, and then treat the water. Many of them reuse the water after it's filtered.

So if we're going to ride in around in cars so shiny that we can see ourselves in them, take it to the car wash to get cleaned. The school fund raisers? They're usually touted as free, so just give them a couple of bucks and drive on. Our waterways will appreciate it, and so will the kids.

Commitment

Today is my wedding anniversary. Back when Ronald Reagan was president, I made a commitment to Terri that I would love her forever, and let everyone in the world know. Honestly, it's not that difficult a commitment to keep because Terri's a really wonderful person and a true gift from God to me.

As a result, staying committed to her is pretty easy. Sure, we've had tough days, weeks, months... no, really, just a few days scattered here and there these past twenty-one years, so remaining committed is almost as easy as breathing.

Not all commitments are so easy. The commitment to try to live an intentional life in harmony with the planet is not so easy. Not for me, anyway. Sometimes I forget to bring my aluminum water bottle with me and find myself buying a plastic bottle of water, or going back out to the store in the car because I forgot to pick up something at the grocery store. I try, but like many people, I forget and I'm often pulled in too many directions at the same time. Multiple tasks can make my promise to be committed to keeping the Earth at least as good as I found it tough to do.

Being around other people who are committed to the environment helps move me back on track, just like seeing the ring on my finger, or seeing Terri each morning remind me of the promise I made twenty-one years ago. Commitment reminders are good things.

Basic things can be reminders to be committed to the environment. Believe what you want to about the beginning of the world (me, I'm a God created it kind of guy), but one thing is clear about our planet, it does take care of us. It has since we sucked in our first breath outside of our mother. You could say that from day one, the earth has been committed to keeping us alive. Its natural processes produce oxygen for us to breathe; its land produces food for nutrition, and its amazing beauty is more than we can imagine, let alone realize.

But we're taking the earth's commitment to be there for us for granted. Air? Water? Land? Sometimes we behave as if these things are endless, that they will be around no matter how we treat them.

But like a marriage, taking a partner's love for granted will eventually put distance between each other, no matter how hard one person in the relationship tries to keep things close. So it is with the planet. The sea will try to cleanse itself; the wind will blow and dissipate air pollution, and the soil will try to renew. But after awhile if we don't take care of these things, of this planet that has been committed to our life since the beginning, it won't be there for us.

Remind me where we'd be without the earth again.

The cost of green

In today's Washington Post, two supporters of real action on climate change and a healthier environment take Post columnist Robert Samuelson to task. A little more than a week ago, Samuelson wrote that the cost of mitigating climate change is too great for the U.S. economy. 

Writers Kristen Sheeran and Mindy Lubber take issue with Samuelson and we all should, too. If Sheeran and Lubber are correct that Samuelson and other opponents of aggressive action on climate change are not using the cost of carbon emissions on society when calculating the cost of mitigating them, then he indeed is missing the mark.

The cost to the U.S and the world from carbon emissions is real. Maybe we don't see it on the balance sheets of companies who collectively pump billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the air each, but we certainly see the result in shrinking glaciers, wilder storms and sea level increases.

For Virginians who love the ocean and bays, global warming is a real threat. The Chesapeake is at risk and that means jobs. 

I don't think that Samuelson is a flat-earth person, someone who doesn't believe that global warming is a problem or that carbon emissions from the way we live and manufacture is not a contributing cause. I do think that he is wrong on the economics. If he wants, I can dust off my old copy of his father's wonderful textbook and send it to him for a Econ 101 refresher.

True Value, True Green

I was walking up near Dupont Circle this afternoon and passed by a branch of PNC Bank. In the window was a sign proclaiming that PNC has a lending program that supports green business. Huh? It seems that everyone is getting on the green bandwagon these days (Can anyone really say 'Clean Coal' without gagging?), even companies that most reasonable people would think have no business promoting their green credentials except to get on an overcrowded bandwagon. 

PNC managers may be sincere -- the loans are targeted at specific energy saving purchases -- but its offer of lower interest rates for those business purchases really is about saving greenbacks, and not so much about saving and greening the planet. 

But for some businesses green, the environment -- stewardship -- really is at the heart of their product development, production and overall business mission. Such is the case with Atayne, an Arlington, VA- based manufacturer and seller of performance athletic wear.

I spoke earlier today with Jeremy Litchfield, the company's CEO while he was driving up to New York City on business. He told me that Atayne's green DNA is a part of the company's end-to-end business process and overall mission.

The company motto -- "Run Hard, Tread Lightly" is realized through what it does. It makes running apparel out of trash, essentially recycling old polyester running clothes and creating new light-weight, moisture wicking and stylish running gear.

Over the road noise, Jeremy explained that the company has big plans to expand beyond running shirts and similar clothing products into a broader collection of lifestyle gear. 

"For example, the plastic cushion in the typical running shoe can be repurposed after its worn out and made into a yoga mat," Jeremy said. In all, he hopes to grow Atayne into the kind of company that meets people where their hearts are.

He also hopes that people who see others wearing Atayne's clothing are sparked to think twice about the environment.

"Our shirts have different logos and looks. Our mantra of reduce-reuse-recycle-run can have an effect on someone in a park who sees a runner go by and instead of tossing a plastic bottle into the trash, or worse, on the ground, may be moved to take that bottle home and recycle it," Jeremy told me.

Sounds great, right? Well, there's a catch for us here in Virginia. Atayne is looking to grow someplace else.

"Washington is a great place, has a fabulous running community, but we're looking to make a lifestyle move to a location that has a more immediate access to the outdoors and a more affordable cost of living," Jeremy said.

He also noted that funding for expansion is not as available here in the east-coast hi-tech capital as in other places. "Grants and other types of funding that we need to expand seem to be more available outside of DC."

I don't think that there's much those of us here in Virginia could do to change Jeremy's mind and keep Atayne here in the Old Dominion. But we can help the company grow and be true to what we believe in what we want to leave for our children -- less trash and a healthier, greener planet.

Ol' School Recycling

Before Al Gore made it cool to want a cooler planet, and long before our offices and city government encouraged us to recycle our bottles, cans and paper, a company headquartered just across Virginia's Potomac River Maryland border in Rockville, was going about the business of recycling what others didn't want into good stuff and good jobs.

I'm talking about Goodwill Industries, which celebrates Goodwill Industries Week May 3-9.

For more than 100 years, Goodwill has collected our out of style shirts, last decade's furniture and books we couldn't stand to read again, or never read in the first place and sold them to people who thought otherwise. 

For every shirt, double-breasted, wide lapel suit, or those awful peasant skirts (yeah, you know the ones) not tossed into the garbage can and trucked off to clog a landfill, someone at Goodwill washed, pressed and sold those clothes and took another step toward work and financial independence.

Because just like when we recycle plastic, aluminum, paper -- all kinds of stuff, we are taking care of the planet that supports us, donating lightly used but unwanted other stuff to Goodwill is action that helps another person.

According to the company, there are more than 2,000 Goodwill stores around the U.S. and the world. There's one in Sterling, another in Arlington, and a huge store in Richmond. Oh, yeah, Richmond also is where one of the company's largest employment centers is located. 

Goodwill is a major job skills trainer, a part of its mission that most of us don't realize. Goodwill is a recycler of lives, turning bad luck in the past into good fortune for the future. Check out one of their success stories. 

A few months ago my son was in a local high school play and a cast-mate needed a denim jacket for a role. Instead of spending $45 or more on a new jacket that would be worn a few times and tossed to the ground after each act, I drove over to the Sterling Goodwill and picked up a jacket for $5. Fit nicely, did the job and until now, no one knew that it had been recycled. That's the beauty of Goodwill. It's stuff isn't ripped up and abused.

Before I discovered the Goodwill store in Sterling, I drove twenty or so miles to the store in Arlington, right on Glebe Road a little bit from where it crosses Rt. 50. I've purchased Dora the Explorer VHS tapes and a even got a first edition Spenser novel. Now that my daughter is more into iCarly than Boots and Swiper, the Dora tapes are back in the store, and Spenser is on my book shelf beside Isabelle Allende. 

Those of us who care about Virginia and all of the other green places we see and read about, should give a nod to Goodwill industries this week. A recycling pioneer that is still blazing a trail for the rest of us, one object at a time, one life at a time.

Stewardship on the W&OD Trail

Most people who live in Northern Virginia are only a few minutes away from one of the many urban trails that crisscross the area. I'm about a mile from the W&OD, a trail that stretches from Arlington to Purceville, connecting to other trails along the way.

The W&OD is often described as the narrowest state park in Virginia. When I'm jogging on the trail and a cyclist passes on the left, I can really feel how narrow is the W&OD.

But while it's narrow, it's never really crowded. Last year, my wife and I trained for our McDonald's half marathon on the trail and welcomed the people biking, walking, blading and, or course, running on the trail.

However, like most of our state and national parks, the W&OD occasionally is used like a trash can by some people. I was on a short run Saturday and when less than a half mile from my car, I came across a plastic water bottle tossed onto the trailside.

The 20 oz bottle of Nestle water lay on the grass. I picked it up, carried it the half mile to my car and then drove home with it to toss into my recycle bin. It wasn't hard to do. Why couldn't the person who drank the water from it carry it home, too? We'll never know.

One thing that I do know, plastic bottles are improperly disposed of everywhere. And even when we take them home and recycle them, they may not be recycled properly.

For example, most of us think that when we screw the cap back onto a plastic bottle of water, toss it into a bin and then the bin is picked up by a waste recycle company that all is fine. Not! Plastic bottle caps and the plastic bottles themselves are can't be recycled with the same process. Often the bottle caps are discarded, not recycled and end up in land fills or worse -- in our oceans, rivers and bays.

National Public Radio discusses the ins-and-outs of plastic bottle cap recycling here. Locally, all of us can take advantage of plastic bottle cap recycling program launched by Aveda, the skin care company. There's an Aveda store that accepts bottle caps in the Tyson's mall -- less than two miles from where the W&OD crosses Gallows Road.

The W&OD sees tens of thousands of people each year, a few of them are lazy or just don't care. The rest of us should. Take a moment and pick up a bottle that you see and dispose of it properly, keeping the W&OD clean and being a good steward of the green world around us.

It's true that the park is remarkably well maintained. State personnel take care of the park, but so does a dedicated group of volunteers who comprise the Friends of the W&OD.

The Friends of the W&OD understand the meaning of stewardship. The group's been around since 1991 and regularly holds trail clean up days, and probably as important, the FOWOD frequently patrol the trail. Trail patrols are aimed at helping users of the trail stay safe, promote safe use of the trail and educate the public about the W&OD.

The W&OD is a public resource that all of us who live near it must protect. The W&OD can connect users to the C&O bike and hiking trail, and to trails that lead to Great Falls Park.

So, whether you run the trail, bike it or just like to stroll along, the W&OD deserves our appreciation and stewardship, one bottle at a time. See you on the trail.