Green Scene

December ABODE visits Fifeville, greens your baby and more

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:18:52 -0400

If you aren't already acquainted, please meet ABODE, our monthly shelter section.

In Slutzky, Albemarle loses a wonktastic green

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:12:13 -0400

To actually make preservation happen, Slutzky was willing to wade into deep policy waters.

Lawyers, schools, chickens are local green heroes

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:52:16 -0400

The SELC and others populate Green Scene's informal gallery of eco-winners. Plus, we throw one rotten tomato.

Everybody wins the Eat Local Challenge

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:46:42 -0400

Everybody who entered ate at least 21 local foods in 21 days, so you know they were lovin' them some meals.

News flash: Mountaintop removal happens in Virginia

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:43:20 -0400

Although folks around here might associate this mining method only with West Virginia and Kentucky, it does in fact happen right here in our home state.

Tech beats UVA, and other green campus news

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:17 -0400

Compared with its most immediate peers, UVA is not exactly a shining star of greenness.

On the Day of Climate Action, should you stay home?

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:04:41 -0400

This Saturday is supposed to be a big day on this blue globe. Should you go to a local event, or think small instead?

In which I get all opinionated about the Eastern Bypass

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:15:25 -0400

At least six reasons why it's good that VDOT axed the proposed road to Keswick.

The Bridge is showing my favorite artwork right now

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:55:05 -0400

In celebration of C-VILLE's big Food & Drink issue, which comes out today, I hereby issue a Green Scene PSA about Art You Should Not Miss.

Why a 1980 Rabbit is an eco car, and other Green Reads

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:47:34 -0400

Read about E. coli, a windmill made from trash and the latest boneheaded move by Orange County Supervisors.

Nourish(meant): An update from the garden bus

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:30:34 -0400

The veggie-powered, food-growing bus is back in town, and Green Scene visits again.

Green Metropolis and the forgotten trees

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:15:36 -0400

The book's main premise: Manhattan is a model of sustainable planning and development.

Another poke at a local eco hero

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:12:08 -0400

Last time it was Thomas Jefferson; this time it's Joel Salatin.

Owl portraits and the truth about biomass

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:06:42 -0400

Green events to rock yer October. And we don't mean metal.

Eco-fatigue in the paint store

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:12:49 -0400

That paint is glopping all over the planet! Someone stop it!

Thomas Jefferson, the suburbanite

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:45:06 -0400

A few pages into David Owen's Green Metropolis, I found a surprising take on our own dear Thomas Jefferson.

If you run, run for the mountains

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:01:40 -0400

Will Harlan asks people to donate their miles - run, walked, or hiked - toward a goal of one million to end mountaintop removal.

Paying lip service to pedestrian safety

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:29:35 -0400

Albemarle residents think the county is basically a fine place to walk or ride a bike. Huh?

LIVE from Veggie Fest!

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 11:38:01 -0400

Good morning, veggie lovers! We've taken Green Scene to the streets today.

Green Scene is going live at the Veg Fest!

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:53:07 -0400

This Saturday, all you loyal readers will have the chance to say hello in person AND get your own words on the blog!

Attacking locavores and more Green Reads

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:19:30 -0400

An extra-long edition of Green Reads, complete with a major newspaper fake.

Why I stick to my guns on Creigh Deeds

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:52:53 -0400

After my posts about Creigh Deeds, more than one commenter said I was "trying to push voters toward McDonnell."

Whole Foods takes the heat

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:32:13 -0400

The Organic Consumers Association has been attacking the chain on workers' rights, greenwashing and more.

Another reason to be proud of Joel Salatin

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:41:45 -0400

Now he's won a Heinz Award. A hundred thousand smackers for our local guru of better farming!

I challenge you to a broccoli! And other local foods.

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:17:13 -0400

Here's one to make your mouth happy. The PEC, your ever-reliable champions for local food and farmers, is running an Eat Local Challenge starting September 21.

A chair made of bone and other Green Reads

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:37:57 -0400

Let's get things off to a preposterous start with this story about how the uranium industry will study its own safety.

Montessori's green island on Pantops

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:05:02 -0400

Just back from a tour of the Montessori Community School, where I spent a solid hour wishing that I could go back to middle school.

Follow-up on Deeds: Still not that green

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:13:56 -0400

A mere hour or two after I posted last Wednesday, I got a phone call from Creigh Deeds' people.

Bust two moves at the CCDC

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:41:56 -0400

Shake your groove thing with the designingest crowd in town, not once but twice. But first, some edification.

Why is Creigh Deeds ignoring the environment?

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:44:44 -0400

I have gotten little or no indication over the past weeks that environmental issues are a key part of Deeds' platform.

Giving garbage its due

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:32:16 -0400

What if you photographed everything you throw in the garbage for an entire year?

Green fights and Wilderness rights

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:57:12 -0400

Because this is back-to-school week, this edition of Green Reads is extra packed. Buckle down, class!

Children are the secret weapons of green

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:43:23 -0400

It's great to see that friends have already made an environmentalist out of their son.

Rain barrels, our Congressman, and other green events

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:33:38 -0400

Once again, good people, the calendar is turning green.

At UVA, a greener way to eat lunch

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:40:24 -0400

Kendall Singleton called me this morning to talk about her new gig: Sustainability Coordinator at UVA Dining.

Do you know where you live as well as Mary Austin?

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:03:12 -0400

If you want to seriously goof off at work (but with something more contemplative than Facebook), we've got your site.

Paint cans and other thorny problems of waste

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:37:28 -0400

Where's the point of diminishing returns when you go to great lengths to recycle?

The real problem with meat, and other dying animals

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:28:19 -0400

The current edition of Green Reads links you to stories on wind power, fall crops and other essential reading.

Big juicy kiss from Green Scene to you

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:08:36 -0400

We find evidence on every block that locals care about the planet.

Cash for flunkers, and letters smudged with coal

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:29:38 -0400

Green Scene takes on fossil fuels in this week's news.

Board of Supes votes against nudity

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:48:47 -0400

Developers have let graded sites remain bare for months while soil washes away. That just got tougher to do.

Green reads for the eighth month

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:00:47 -0400

Bisphenol A on home canning lids, plus some happier news from the world of green.

More nailbiting about home heating oil tanks

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:17:12 -0400

Is there an underground tank leaking near your house? How would you know?

How not to advertise to Green Scene

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:53:34 -0400

Yesterday marked at least the third time I have found a flyer for Kleen'n'Team on my vehicle after parking it downtown.

Let summer be summer, sans A/C

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:30:50 -0400

Air-conditioning has become - even for some folks in Florida - a luxury to be shunned.

When the veggie tide cometh, get thee to a cannery

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:44:33 -0400

It's a lovely time of year, when you open the fridge and see two and a half cabbages, eight summer squash, two giant bags of basil, four (four!) cucumbers...

Learning green at the Albemarle County Fair and beyond

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:23:07 -0400

It'll be a busy couple of weeks for those of us trying to green up our brains.

Half a mil for more efficient houses

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:12:27 -0400

We beat Asheville! We beat Jacksonville! We beat friggin' Bowling Green!

I found a free Whole Earth catalog

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:25:03 -0400

A great find on the free table outside Daedalus Bookshop.

Green reads for green beans

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:05:39 -0400

Your latest round of reading suggestions, in honor of last night's salad.

More noise about the Wilderness Wal-Mart

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:14:34 -0400

At the Wilderness, Wal-Mart holds the reins. They should take the opportunity to pull out.

Loving thy neighbor, even when it stings

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:04:07 -0400

I love all the wildlife we have out in the country. But can I love these creatures too?

Empty slogan spotting at Old Navy

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:30:29 -0400

And now, it is time for a brief rant.

Green reads for high summer

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:40:35 -0400

For your third-quarter reading pleasure, a few little ditties on green.

UVA project pictures the meaning of water

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:01:46 -0400

As the photos in an exhibit at UVA demonstrate, one South African village is a place where water is a daily struggle.

Water still scarce; barrels still cool

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:17:59 -0400

It seems the Central Virginia drought season may have returned. Good timing, then, for a reminder from Paige Mattson at the Blue Ridge Eco Shop.

Exploring the question of fuel use by greenhouses

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:18:13 -0400

A special treat, greenies: Guest writer Melissa Batchelor Warnke on the question of whether local food grown in greenhouses is as sustainable as what comes from the open fields.

Dominion herbicides: Don't buy it

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:31:00 -0400

Just recently I noticed evidence of spraying - brown, shriveled foliage - along the road where I live. What disturbed me was that this was mere feet from a small creek.

Green reads for the Independence countdown

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:41:17 -0400

It's time once again for your roundup of reading that sports that peculiar verdant hue.

More about when to junk your car

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:14:17 -0400

This legislation is a serious bit of greenwashing: subsidizing the purchase of cars that get 14 miles to the gallon, in the name of efficiency?

Notes on greenness underway

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:01:36 -0400

Free bear access, no-spray West Nile, the SmartGrid, and Green Scene's Twitter name!

Composting at warp speed

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:54:20 -0400

At the risk of sounding like a weirdo, I will relay my excitement. Here goes. Dude!! Our very own worms!!

On the bus with peppers and worms

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:21:39 -0400

Emily Nelson and Graham Evans, two local artists, will be driving around in an old school bus, powered by waste vegetable oil, with a garden on top.

Green reads for long days

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:43:27 -0400

Welcome to the end of a busy week, friends. Here's what to read.

Keeping the green in the governor's race

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:06:10 -0400

The way Deeds and McDonnell talk about environmental issues could have ramifications for future races elsewhere.

How to make driving slightly less evil

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:12:51 -0400

I have eased my darkened conscience a little bit by dropping out of AAA and getting into the Better World Club instead.

Ecophotos, i.e. frogs and ice, at McGuffey

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:43:05 -0400

I just came from McGuffey, where the Festival of the Photograph is showing two exhibits related to matters of ecology.

Composting women, passive houses, cleaner bays

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:36:16 -0400

Good day, amigos. I bring you a fine selection of green events with which to fill your calendar.

Greenest candidate for gov

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:20:50 -0400

I had hoped to deliver a ringing endorsement of one of the three Democratic candidates for Virginia governor.

We have an attitude problem about cars

Thu, 28 May 2009 17:00:52 -0400

Sooner or later we'll have to cash in those junkers we're driving. Or will we?

Betty would buy a T-shirt

Wed, 27 May 2009 15:55:18 -0400

Here's an easy good deed. $15 to a good cause.

Green reads after the barbecue

Tue, 26 May 2009 12:56:41 -0400

Happy summer greenies. Some reads to get your season going: unicycles, union-busting, and more.

Bee green with a backyard hive

Fri, 22 May 2009 09:38:54 -0400

A tour of friends' hives brings beekeeping home.

EarthCraft tour scratches green house itch

Thu, 21 May 2009 11:27:13 -0400

Afflicted with roving eyes for houses? Interested in green building? This tour's for you.

Tanks on the corner, gas in the well

Tue, 19 May 2009 10:51:20 -0400

When you learn what this Albemarle family's been through, you think "What amazingly rotten luck!" Then you learn more...

Charlottesville is all kinds of eco

Fri, 15 May 2009 10:05:05 -0400

A snapshot of the many manifestations of green in Charlottesville right now.

What we would trade for our cars

Wed, 13 May 2009 11:01:59 -0400

All the vitriol stirred up by my recent post about Harris Teeter has me thinking.

Green reads for iris season

Tue, 12 May 2009 09:39:46 -0400

Hello, friends and neighbors. We're here to talk about good green reads.

How to change the way everybody eats

Fri, 08 May 2009 16:50:35 -0400

Right about now, the new Buy Fresh Buy Local guide is probably showing up in your mailbox.

Stuff not to buy at LEED-certified Teeter

Wed, 06 May 2009 10:32:17 -0400

It seems appropriate for shoppers at the new HT to honor all those good steps by not buying the following things there.

Garden update: Pest control mostly working

Mon, 04 May 2009 15:21:43 -0400

So far, so good with no-spray methods keeping bugs at bay.

Perriello scores a few more eco-points

Fri, 01 May 2009 14:09:22 -0400

Tom Perriello's looking to get the love from the Fifth District's energy crowd.

Dumps, recycling, and reusable bags

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:35:13 -0400

This week, we have a lot of local stories that ultimately come back to waste.

Coal mining through the windshield

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:31:36 -0400

The trip wasn't meant to be a tour of coalfields, but it did wind up causing a lot of thought.

Green reads for your Earth Day hangover

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:13:18 -0400

It's time to sit like a lump in your chair, and catch up on your reading.

Earth Day events: the green tide

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:36:03 -0400

If you're looking for some ideas to pack your Wednesday with eco-friendliness, look no further.

Hating rain is not eco-friendly

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:11:12 -0400

If you are complaining about the rain, please stop and reexamine your thinking.

A brief tale of resistance to consumption

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:53:07 -0400

How a disposable culture conspires to cause an unnecessary purchase.

Cul-de-sacs: more than dead ends?

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:05:56 -0400

It seems cul-de-sacs are more complicated beasts than we thought.

New wilderness areas to make Virginians proud

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:24:19 -0400

Count me among the pleased by 53,000 acres newly protected in the Virginia Ridge and Valley Act.

Perriello grabs worms with bare hands

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:18:32 -0400

On Wednesday, Tom Perriello demonstrated his interest in the topic of local food, and his lack of squeamishness.

Green reads for late frosts

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:51:19 -0400

A wee selection of fascinating things to read, from a terrifying lack of Wal-Marts to local passenger rail.

Ten Miler not so wasteful after all

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:55:57 -0400

One of the reasons running is my workout of choice is that it can be very light on resources.

Charlottesville full of smart, green thinkers

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:49:56 -0400

We're not just fouling the natural environment, but also the places we live and work.

A light touch on eco-travel

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:35:44 -0400

Tourists can go to the Virginia Green site for, it's said, green travel ideas. But what they'll find there is vague and the puzzling.

Design Week tears down the walls

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:25:16 -0400

It's Design Week, which means you have your choice of brain food.

A series of unfortunate buildings

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:40:38 -0400

Brookwood is the city's ugliest development, bar none. It's one of the saddest exampes of siting I've ever seen.

Greenwashing example of the day

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:52:57 -0400

Beware, friends. The most banal products are engaged in a strange kind of sabotage. Here is an item I spotted today...

Grousing about gardens and slurry

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:19:07 -0400

Michelle Obama has not made a big deal about all the important and timely food issues that her garden represents. Why the hell not?

Green reads for the equinox

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:04:05 -0400

Before you head home to ready yourself for a proper pagan ceremony to mark the beginning of spring, check out the latest Green Reads.