Friday, May 29, 2009

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!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

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.



Monday, May 25, 2009

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! 

Thursday, May 21, 2009

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.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

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.



Tuesday, May 19, 2009

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. 


Thursday, May 14, 2009

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.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

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.

Monday, May 11, 2009

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.


Friday, May 8, 2009

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.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

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.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

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.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

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.






Monday, May 4, 2009

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.

Saturday, May 2, 2009


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.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Cap and Trade In Virginia

 The New York Times columnist Paul Krugman recently wrote about President Obama's cap and trade program aimed at reducing green house gases and slowing the pace of global warming. Krugman, a self described 'card carrying economist', correctly pointed out that cap and trade policies would increase costs to consumers. The question: Is that a good thing in the long run for the people of Virginia who care about their environment today and for the future?

When all things are said and done, I think that the answer has to be yes. 

But just what might the cost of a cap and trade program be to Virginia's consumers and why would there be a cost at all? Krugman's article doesn't go into dollars and cents, but because cap and trade would cost the energy companies doing business in Virginia money, they would naturally pass that cost on to us.

Most of Virginia's energy is produced by power plants fueled by coal, one of the dirtiest fossil fuels around. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 44 percent of the electricity generated in Virginia comes from coal.  And power plants that use coal are more likely to be affected by limits on carbon emissions, aka global warming gases, and be big users of any cap and trade system.

So, what's the possible cost to Virginia's nearly three million households? Difficult to determine without more information about the cost of the cap and trade product in the market. But one thing is for sure, the cost is not going to be as onerous as some would argue. Look, we managed through $4/gallon gasoline last summer. 

Virginians are a tough and resourceful bunch and we love our green space throughout the state.  According to the state government, about 13 percent of all land in the commonwealth has been set aside to remain verdant, green, healthy -- for all of us to appreciate, use, and steward into the future. And more is being set aside each year.

Keeping an eye on how we use energy and what the providers of energy do to get it to us -- is it clean and renewable and generated with an eye to all of our futures -- is important.