http://www.c-ville.com/rss/1990309083055403.rss Renewable living in Charlottesville Sun, 23 Nov 2008 04:00:02 -0400 Copyright 2008, Portico Publications http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171811080366455 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171811080366455 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:34:41 -0400 And now, the second installment of Green Reads for this week! From the New York Times' Dot Earth blog, a list of reader recommendations for what Obama should do on behalf of the planet when he takes office. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171811083093805 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171811083093805 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:03:33 -0400 O.K., puppies, here's the latest roundup of green items from around the web. From Inhabitat, one of those techno-stories that sounds almost too good to be true. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171311083898587 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171311083898587 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:15:44 -0400 The flow of junk mail's really been picking up lately at our house, which is no surprise considering the crazy consumption-fest that looms on the near horizon. This arrived in the mailbox yesterday... http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171211084363487 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171211084363487 Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:15:04 -0400 If there's one thing the green movement isn't short on, it's talk. At first glance you might think that the certification of Charlottesville and Albemarle as "Green Governments" by the Virginia Municipal League is another example of hot air tinged green, but I think it's probably a little more substantive than that. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171011084288783 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171011084288783 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:59:44 -0400 I was lucky enough to be invited to the Live Arts Gala on Saturday night. The space was transformed into a kind of nighttime fantasy, with performers on suspended ladders and free-flowing booze and...wait for it...a sustainability theme! http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170611084344853 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170611084344853 Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:39:21 -0400 The campaign in which the environmental conversation largely amounted to "Drill, baby, drill" is over. I'm definitely glad about the results, but I did wish for more concentrated talk about environmental issues. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170411082795225 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170411082795225 Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:06:23 -0400 Here's your latest roundup of environmental news from around the web: Our local green guru gets some tough love, and an architecture prof calls out sprawl. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12173010084237043 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12173010084237043 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:37:22 -0400 Check out this editorial from the Lynchburg News Advance. If it doesn't make you feel shocked by the yawning divide between the Charlottesville bubble and most of the rest of Virginia, you either commute from outer Fluvanna or you're a tougher bird than I am. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12173010083729648 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12173010083729648 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:21:53 -0400 The humble bus seems to be gaining in popularity as a political instrument. Tomorrow, October 31, you've got not one but two chances to see how the big, lumbering vehicles are becoming surprisingly nimble as symbols of various issues. Depending who's driving, of course. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12172710081004242 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12172710081004242 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:41:32 -0400 Interesting phenomenon, climate change: Most people agree that it's happening, but as soon as you get past that basic consensus and start talking about what the hell we should be doing about the problem, people revert to their usual partisan ways. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12172310084440084 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12172310084440084 Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:40:59 -0400 When we were informed a few months ago that our home county, Nelson, would no longer take glass at its recycling center off Rte. 151, we certainly did not feel like breaking out the bubbly. We generate more glass than any other type of recyclable. So not to have an eco-approved outlet for that stuff has resulted in some major distress. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12172110081580549 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12172110081580549 Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:28:33 -0400 So, anyone else being totally cheap about turning on the heat? We have vowed, with a certain amount of false bravado, that we won't fire ours up until Thanksgiving. (Check in with me on Election Day and see how that's going.) http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12173009080626205 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12173009080626205 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 07:57:04 -0400 And, while we're at it, let's hear it for Apartment Therapy Re-Nest, one of my favorite green-living blogs. A while ago on Re-Nest I spotted this post, about turning a reclaimed futon frame into a lovely, Japanese-ish front gate for a city house. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171410080559428 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171410080559428 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:11:30 -0400 A wee roundup of favorite green reads from the recent world of cyber. Greywater systems, urban bears, and a local no-buy pledge. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171410080798736 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171410080798736 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:18:17 -0400 Last Friday, the Design Marathon had local design talent racing through pro-bono projects to benefit local nonprofits. Our correspondent Kathryn Faulkner was there... http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171310080978968 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171310080978968 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:24:21 -0400 The glorious weekend we just had was proof that fall's an excellent time to be in the garden. Even if you're not shepherding seedlings toward a stellar broccoli-producing career, you can be getting some education that'll serve you well when spring rolls around again. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170910084195273 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170910084195273 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:27:29 -0400 You can't just make a house tight as a drum and congratulate yourself on not wasting energy anymore. Yeah, it's great to know that the A/C and heat aren't just escaping through underinsulated walls. But really tight, efficient houses can have moisture problems if they're not built correctly. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170110080929320 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170110080929320 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:58:48 -0400 And now for the coolest news of the day. We used to have, on our property, a big area of young trees and briars and weeds. Now, that area has been cleared. By goats! http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170610080982677 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170610080982677 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:07:13 -0400 In a town that loves its organics and all-naturals, and is stuffed to the gills with supermarkets, one of our least-froufrou grocery chains is making a bid for the gourmet granola crowd. That would be Food Lion, the store you've formerly known to occupy a rung on the grocery ladder that's slightly below Giant and a tick above I.G.A. In other words, nothing fancy. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170110084113864 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170110084113864 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:08:49 -0400 So, when you are geeky about composting like we are, you wind up getting excited over some pretty weird things. A week ago, we were in a certain local restaurant and spotted a big bucket of compostables. "Hey, can we have that?" I asked. And they literally started giggling with delight. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170110084608316 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170110084608316 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 08:29:06 -0400 Why, you ask? Because, A), passive is the new active, and B), it's free, not to mention C), it won't last forever, plus D) all the carbon-neutral kids will be there. GreenMatters is the free green-your-home workshop series hosted by the Habitat Store, itself an essential resource for the reuse/recycle set, and it's been chugging along for well over a year now. Anyone who's gone to all the workshops since they began in May 2007 is, at this point, pretty well-versed in the basics of making one's household a less impactful place. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12172509080983444 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12172509080983444 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:28:19 -0400 So, as you may have heard, there's this ginormous new power line that's been proposed for Northern Virginia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. This issue has an unusual personal resonance for me, since the Pennsylvania portion of the 500-volt line was slated to pass directly over my dad's house. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12172309080807596 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12172309080807596 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 08:23:03 -0400 Looky here: Another ranked list of American cities. This one's all about who's greenest among our fair nation's 50 largest towns. It's published by SustainLane.com, and I spotted it on the New York Times blog Dot Earth. If you want to get a quick taste of how complex a task it actually is to rank major urban areas on their so-called sustainability, read the comments on that post as well as SustainLane's explanations of their methods. We're talking some serious visual aids and some serious statistical angst, people. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171509084233200 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171509084233200 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:11:05 -0400 No, I do not refer to cap-and-trade systems for controlling industrial emissions. I speak of an ad I spotted last week for the eco-fabulous Richmond grocer Ellwood Thompson's, which is offering customers 25 cents off their bills if they walk, bike or take the bus to the store. It's called the EnviroCredit, and the company's website hints at more such initiatives to come. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171709083457858 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171709083457858 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:37:35 -0400 Know what? If you paint the concrete floor of a bus maintenance garage white, it will encourage workers to keep it clean. And you know what else? If you line the hallways of a school with vertical wood planks interspersed with full-length mirrors, it will make students feel like they're walking in the woods. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171809083801307 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171809083801307 Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:31:04 -0400 Permit me a brief moment of bragging. I am as proud as any farm wife with a brand-new ribbon from the county fair, because this summer I conquered my fear of canning food. Well, it wasn't exactly a fear; just the uncertainty that comes from not knowing much, except the fact that if you screw it up, you could die of botulism. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171709083161539 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171709083161539 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:30:28 -0400 Now here's a truly cool project. A bunch of UVA students (in architecture and engineering) spent last Friday assembling, at the Cobham home of architecture prof John Quale, structures they'd designed to shelter two sleeping people. The rules were that the structures had to be made from recycled, reclaimed or natural materials; that materials had to be recycled after the project; and that each structure could take no more than two hours to assemble and cost no more than $10. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171509083838512 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171509083838512 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:33:00 -0400 So far, we haven't seen any large-scale shift in American energy habits (the closest I've noticed are the stats about many drivers cutting down on their gas usage). But little changes are making news, like these two recent items about renewable energy coming to our area. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170809080645831 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170809080645831 Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:36:59 -0400 Back in the April issue of Abode, I wrote about a house Upstream Construction was building in Crozet for Brian and Joan Day. As I pointed out then, it's notable not only because it's a custom house with many green features, but because the Days are both environmental professionals who decided to open their house to the public during and after construction, so people could take a look and learn a thing or two. Well, Upstream recently wrapped up construction and the Days held a final open house event to show off their LEED-worthy dwelling. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171109083404228 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171109083404228 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:48:07 -0400 I was out of town last weekend, and blissfully so, but there was one local event I was sorry to miss: the Heritage Harvest Festival at Tufton Farm. This celebration of all things edible and local is put on by Southern Exposure Seed Exchange and Monticello's Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants. Fortunately, ABODE's kitchen columnist Lisa Reeder was there, handing out local apples and taking in the scene. Here's her report: http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171009083407183 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12171009083407183 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:09:34 -0400 Last night my husband and I stopped off at our neighborhood grocery store, the one where we do our last-minute shopping for essentials like beer and half-and-half. We did our usual quick circuit through the aisles, and landed at checkout in under a minute. The worker at the register was unfamiliar to me, but the other young woman sitting nearby is an employee we've seen many many times. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170909082972645 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170909082972645 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:28:04 -0400 This is the object that Converse, the shoe company, sent me as a marketing piece recently. Why, I don't know; perhaps my involvement with SUGAR, our women's style and health section, got me on their mailing list. In any case, this is a big old pile o' wasteful indulgence on the part of Converse, if you ask me. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170409080562354 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170409080562354 Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:07:12 -0400 At an undisclosed location in Albemarle County last month, I got to see an impressive number of solar panels being installed on the roof of homeowners Richard and Melissa King. Thirty-six panels, in fact. They nearly cover the south roof face of this 2,500-square-foot house, which is being built on a fairly ordinary lot in a small, quiet subdivision. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170309083315926 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=post&pid=12170309083315926 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:35:28 -0400 Boy, am I excited to be introducing our brand-new blog, Green Scene. I see this as a chance to talk with all of you on a regular basis about things that interest me anyway: everything from figuring out how to set up a rain collection system at my house, to local debates between developers and preservationists.