Thanks to Lara for sharing the, what looks like, a post carbque situation “in Mt. Vernon Sq. on 4th by Ridge St.”
And more importantly:
“I’d like to share the Opt to Act from REI which gives everyday citizens a 52 week guide to being a better environmental steward. Weekly challenges are assigned to give us the tools to improve our carbon footprint like opting out of junk mail (which no one wants in the first place) and how to recycle snack wrappers! (more…)
The following guest post was written by Amber Wason from Green DC Realty.
Mount Pleasant Solar Coop is born…
In September of 2006, Mount Pleasant resident, Jeff Morley, was dragged to see An Inconvenient Truth by his (then) 12 year-old son, Diego. Impacted by the documentary, the boy and his friend carried the discussion home, and what began as a dinner table discussion resulted in a promise to do something about it.
In response, neighbors, Jeff Morley and Anya Schoolman, and their teenage sons, Walter Lynn and Diego Arene-Morley, founded the Mount Pleasant Solar Coop. It is their answer to addressing the sense of urgency to do something to reduce their impact on global warming.
They were led to the coop model for two reasons: first, they figured if they were going to go through the work of figuring out how to install solar technology, they should include more people and have a bigger impact. Second, they needed a way to bring down the cost, and hoped through bulk purchasing they could share expenses and expertise with neighbors.
They began with ambitious goals and thought it was feasible to have something up and running within a year. While sounding reasonable, the early contributors learned that they would face many obstacles; a steep learning curve around this topic of solar. They resiliently unbundled the prohibiting factors solar presents to homeowners, addressing each one individually and holistically. Their persistent efforts paid off as the group celebrated completing 47 solar installations in the fall of 2009.
The remarkable efforts of this group serve to be an example for other groups in DC, and late in 2008, we saw a second coop model emerge in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Then came the Capitol Hill Energy Cooperative…
In 2008, homeowners, businesses, and churches in the Capitol Hill neighborhood decided they too wanted to do something to address climate change and lower energy bills. Your browser may not support display of this image.
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“Dear PoP,
I see these little compost containers in places like Greater Goods on U Street that are designed to hold kitchen scraps in a convenient, non-smelly way until you’re able to drop off the contents at a local compost pile.
I’d really like to buy one of these and reduce the amount of garbage I generate, but I’m not sure where I could drop the scraps. I live on 16th near Dupont.
Any recommendations?”
I thought the purpose of compost was that it is supposed to degrade where it is, no? Anyone have a compost pile? What do you do with the scraps?
For quite a while all the “Don’t Dump” signs had been to the Chesapeake but over the past few months I’ve noticed these new signs. The one’s I’ve seen have been around 11th Street near U St. Not that I don’t like the Chesapeake but I’m glad we’re starting to embrace the Anacostia River as well. These signs may not be as fancy as the Chesapeake ones but I love ’em even more for it.
One of the things many people find difficult about city living is the lack of green space. Fortunately for us, the nation’s capital ranks pretty high on the list of cities with the most park space, with 250,000 acres of parkland in the Greater Washington Metropolitan area. As privileged as we are to be able to enjoy all of this green space, we also have the responsibility to respect and maintain it. Caring for our city’s parkland can mean something as simple as not littering, or picking up after people who do. Another option, one that not only protects existing green space but also creates more, has quickly been gaining popularity – installing a green roof!
We’ve spotted a number of green roofs around the city, but there are many, many more thanks in part to Canopy, a green roof company started by Sarah Murphy. Last week I had a chance to sit down with Sarah and learn about what she does and why she does it. I’ll admit that going into this interview I knew very little about green roofs, aside from the fact that they are pretty and that adding some green to an otherwise unused space probably has some environmental benefits. In the short amount of time we spent together I learned that there are a ton of reasons to consider installing a green roof on your home or business.
Though you have to make a bit more of an investment up front for the installation costs, the payoff can be pretty rewarding. The insulation provided by a green roof can help to reduce heating and cooling costs, and it can help extend the lifespan of your roof membrane by protecting it from harmful UV rays. Installing a green roof can also increase your property value by utilizing unused space. Green roofs also have a number of public benefits, including lowering the Urban Heat Island effect by reducing ambient air temperatures, and capturing storm water which helps our waterways by reducing flow rates. Did you know that a 4 inch green roof system (that’s pretty standard) will hold up to an inch of rainwater?! Continues after the jump. (more…)
Any hardcore ethanol fans out there? I always thought the answer was smaller more fuel efficient cars. Is ethanol going to be the way of the future? I though it was supposed to be electric?
Well, you have to give them credit for creativity and heart. But, I always thought the anti veal coalition were aligned with environmentalists. So, I was surprised to see this eloquent plea and artwork on a rather large automobile. When I was growing up I remember hearing about the cruelty of veal and how dolphins kept getting caught up in Tuna nets. I guess they solved the dolphin problem but what about veal. Except for this car you don’t hear too much about it. I wonder what happened to the campaign.
I received an email this evening from the Director of Public Affairs from DC Water and Sewer Authority asking me the location of this photo. On behalf of the fish in Rock Creek I thank you, DCWASA, for your diligence.
Just a little bit though.
I ran into some folks from the Sierra Club outside the Petworth metro on Sunday. They were all volunteers on a mission to fight global warming. To that end the Sierra Club took a two block radius around the metro and handed out free energy saving light bulbs. When asked how they chose Petworth, they explained to me that Georgia Avenue is one of the proposed locations for new energy efficient streetcars which they strongly support. With the lightbulbs they handed out postcards that residents could mail to Mayor Fenty in order to encourage him to “provide DC residents with convenient, energy efficient alternatives to driving by ending the delays in the citywide streetcar plan”. Certainly a worthy cause.
To further raise awareness the Sierra Club is hosting a Beer Night from 7-9pm Tuesday, Oct. 23 at Temperance Hall. According to the flier they gave me “Enjoy Free Beer. Meet New People. Protect the Planet.” You can visit their Web site here.
They had me at Free Beer.