I love Virginia for many reasons, but lately I have been reflecting on the great places to eat. I love eating out, sitting with my family and friends enjoying a good meal, drinking, conversing and laughing. I find that some of best conversations happen around a table covered in food! We all have our favorite local spots, and believe me I have a list, but what is more noteworthy than being a good restaurant is being a good GREEN restaurant!
During college when I was home in Warrenton on holidays I worked at Applebee’s and I learned a lot from working there. One thing that stood out from my time there was the amount of waste that comes from restaurants. Think about the amount of food that gets sent back because it was made wrong and simply gets tossed, the energy consumption, the packaging; which is mostly plastic, and the to-go boxes; which are more often than not Styrofoam. So when I go to an eatery that is decreasing their consumption of energy and plastic or is recycling and composting, if the food is good, I am hence forth a loyal patron.
In addition to the green practices of the establishment you can imagine that the design factors in as well. So far according to the US Green Building Council there are no LEED certified restaurants in Virginia, this does not take into consideration those that are in the process of being certified/built. That said, there are some amazingly designed spaces that use a variety of green materials that are filled with eco-friendly food service people ready to persuade you to go green with them.
Hopefully as the economy picks back up and the treehuggers and eco-conscious stick to their desires of quality and smaller impacts on the environment, more of these sustainable eateries will bloom and prosper. Gone are the days when we would obliviously sit out at the table and ignore the back of house processes. We now have opportunity of becoming more than just consumers and to drive change if we chose to support these sustainable entrepreneurs.
Please comment and share your favorite sustainable eateries here with us. We would love to try them out!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Cheers to Green Service
Sunday, May 31, 2009
A Time For Change?
I have been reading the book Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet by Mark Lynas. This book walks you through the life-altering changes we will experience as our average global temperature rises by 1-6 degrees. According to the author of this book, who has done a tremendous amount of research, we have a very, very small window in which to affect real change by reducing greenhouse gases in order to save our planet—and ourselves.
I've been very busy with end-of-the-year activities at my daughter's school but thankfully a good friend has kept me informed on some major developments in our nation's energy policy. I urge all of you out there to inform your elected representatives of how disappointed you are with this legislation—and read the book I mentioned above.
Below is an excerpt of what I received from my friend just the other day.
Last Thursday, several months of debate over energy policy reached a very disappointing point for the community of life on Earth when the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the Waxman-Markey bill or "American Clean Energy and Security Act." The legislation puts limits on greenhouse gas emissions way too slowly to avoid climate change catastrophe, establishes a cap-and-trade system riddled with loopholes that could allow industries to avoid real emissions reductions for almost 20 years, and removes the president's authority to address global warming pollution with existing laws. To top all that off, the bill showers polluters with billions of dollars of free allowances and direct subsidies that would let dirty industries rake in more profit.
As the Center for Biological Diversity declared this Tuesday in a joint statement with 14 allies: "Regrettably, we cannot support this legislation unless and until it is substantially strengthened. The lives and livelihoods of 7 billion people worldwide will be affected by America's response to the climate crisis. The response embodied in today's bill is not only inadequate, it is counterproductive."
Read about a study showing the bill's doubtful effects on coal use in the Houston Chronicle (http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2009/houston-chronicle-05-25-2009.html) and visit the Center's Climate Law Institute web page (http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/climate_law_institute/index.html), where you can also read their statement on the bill.
Please write your Congressional Representative expressing your huge disappointment at the proposed bill's major flaws—to find your representative's contact info, visit http://beavoter.org/congressorg/issues/basics/?style=comm.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Inspirational Resources
What is inspiration? As I was talking to my friends about what inspires them I started to find that there is no formula or a perfect answer. I’m inspired by art, music, sunny spring days, and one of my favorite books, Walking on Water by Madeline E’ngle, but mostly I’m inspired by others. There is this quirky thing that happens when my friend Esther and I sit down and start to design something together, it’s as if my ideas are ‘half thoughts’ and as soon as she sees a sketch and we talk about it, the ideas become ‘full thoughts’.
Another of my favorite places to find inspiration was created in
In the spirit of Pecha Kucha Night I’m going to start each blog for now on with a picture and converse about it.
This picture was taken by my friend Ana who says that she really found herself when she moved to DC from out West because she was able to walk to her destinations and she would literally stop and smell the roses. She began to realize it was her environment that really inspires her.
The earth provides us with many natural resources from water to trees that we should be working towards conserving and protecting , but often we don’t discuss the resource of inspiration that would be lost if we continue to destroy our environment.
There are many examples of buildings, gadgets, and art inspired by nature, however it was more than the beauty that inspired the artists, it was also functional aspects of their inspiration. For example when the Japanese were designing their high-speed bullet trains there was an issue with the noise made as the train exits the tunnel called “tunnel boom.” Using biomimicry, designers found that the shape of a hummingbird’s beak allowed it to dive into the water without a splash, so they formed the front of the train in the shape of the beak and were able to eliminate the negative impact of the tunnel boom.
I didn’t start out this blog thinking about biomimicry and protecting our natural muses, it just came and it’s a darn good point. See - inspiration! There is a great book out there if you want to learn; Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janin M. Benyus.
So I challenge you to be inspired. Go out into nature and let us know what inspires you!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Eco Resolutions
Were any of your New Year's Resolutions "Eco Resolutions"? If not, why not make some Eco Resolutions today. It is Earth Day after all. What better time to take a look at how you live and how you can change?
I've got a few Eco Resolutions myself.
For one, I vow to find a way to compost. I have tried this in the past only to come out in the morning to find my compost bin in pieces strewn about the hill in front of me courtesy of our resident bear. After a few attempts to bear proof the bin I gave up. However, I have discovered this nifty little compost bin at naturemill.com. It uses 5 kwh/month and I can keep it in a bear-free area like my garage or my kitchen. It's a little pricey but will ease my conscience and give me great compost for the garden.
My second Eco Resolution is to be much better about turning off power strips and unplugging appliances that are not in use. I do this on occasion but I need to be more vigilant about it. I mean, c'mon, it takes about 30 seconds to re-set the clock on the coffee maker vs. 12 hours of draining power. I think I can handle adding another 30 seconds to making coffee.
My last Eco Resolution for this year is to install a laundry line. I'm lucky enough to have my laundry room right off the deck so in about 15 steps I can walk outside and hang my laundry on a line stretched from my deck to a nearby tree. We are putting in the old fashioned pulley type of line and I'm pretty excited about it. We tried to get the components locally but none of our local hardware stores or Tractor Supply carry them so we have to order a kit online. So much for supporting local businesses. Watch, within a couple of months everyone will be carrying them.I can't wait to make the bed with sheets dried in sunshine. Assuming we ever see the sun here in Warrenton again.
So these are my Eco Resolutions on this Earth Day 2009. What are yours?
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Educating for the Future
I'm late getting this post up but it's because I had too many thoughts on what to write about this time around. But, after a weekend meeting for a new sustainable living business venture (more to come on that later) and the collapse of the Wilkins Ice Bridge in Antarctica it became clear to me. I need to write about teaching our kids to live sustainably and think globally.
I attended the Fauquier County Arts Festival two weekends ago and, as usual, I came away totally impressed. Where was all this kind of art when I was in public school? I ended up majoring in art in college but it took me awhile to find my way there. Now, as a graphic designer, I couldn't imagine not doing what I do for a living—and it's been 20 years. I can't help but think I would have figured things out much earlier on had we had art programs like Fauquier has in their public school system. So, kudos to our public schools for supporting the arts.
The thing that struck me most about the show this year were the pieces from Warrenton Middle School. The art teacher there deserves a round of applause from our entire community. Just about everything on display there was made from re-purposed materials. The kids used pudding cups, toilet paper rolls, fabric boards, and old newspaper to create some of the most beautiful and creative art. My daughter, who enters middle school next year (not Warrenton), found the WMS display and dragged me over there to look at it. It was really inspiring and I wish all of our teachers would teach this way.
Let's face it. It's up to our kids to save this planet. While we all do our part, the majority of the weight of the problem lands on our kids shoulders. It is hard to teach old dogs new tricks and while it doesn't mean we shouldn't try we do need to realize that the future lies with the next generation. That's why it is so important to teach our kids, in school as well as out, about living sustainably and thinking globally.
Every one of our teachers needs to be working these concepts into every subject. Hard to do when you have to teach to SOL's—but surely there must be a way? Virginia is re-writing their science SOL's this year so hopefully we will see more importance placed on these kinds of issues for the future. In math, kids could be given homework to go around their house and count light bulbs then figure out how much energy would be saved by switching to CFL bulbs. Or, decrease your shower by two minutes and figure out how much that saves in CO2 emissions. There are ways to work these ideas into the curriculum and by making them part of homework it brings it back to the parents, educating them at the same time.
FCPS is looking to the future. Dr. Lewis announced at our last School Support Council meeting that a pilot program is being installed this summer at KRHS in the form of a video conferencing center. Greenville Elementary and Auburn Middle School will be using this facility as well. All the schools will be video conferencing in real time with schools in Santo Domingo. What a great opportunity for these kids! It goes along with the idea of the Global Issues Network —www.global-issues-network.org—which promotes teaching that each of us is first a global citizen, second a national citizen, and third a local citizen. If this pilot program works well it will be implemented into all the schools.
We need parent involvement to make a real difference here. Let the administration know that you think this is important. Get involved in your child's school and PTO and come up with creative ways to get kids involved and learning about the environment. Sponsor an ecology club if your school doesn't have one. Anything you can think of—there is no time to waste.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
LEEDing the way…
Have you ever seen a sign that said LEED, and thought man someone doesn’t know how to spell?
LEED stands for Leader in Environmental and Energy Efficient Design, and it is the growing trend in the architecture, construction and real estate world that differentiates those who are green (good) and those not doing enough to alleviate environmental destruction (very bad, and not to mention behind in the times).
The LEED green building rating systems were created by the United States Green Building Council in 1998 as an effort to quantify sustainable building design practices. According to the Environmental Information Administration, buildings account for 72% of our energy consumption in the US. Through the LEED rating systems, the USGBC has set up nationally accepted standards for designing green buildings in an effort to lower consumption and waste.
The types of buildings that are currently qualifying for LEED certification vary across the board from residential, to schools, to corporate buildings. Certification has for four levels which indicate the extent of how green the building is, in ascending order they are Certified, Gold, Silver and Platinum. To become LEED Accredited Professional there are currently no prerequisites (as in education or professional experience), however there is an intensive and rather unforgiving exam one must pass. (Fortunately I did, so if you have any questions or need resources I would be happy to share my experience with you.)
What does this all really mean, to you?
If you work in a LEED certified building you are more likely to experience a more productive, healthy and comfortable work environment and enjoy the technologies that have been created to maximize our energy, water and waste efficiencies. A major part of sustainable buildings, especially those LEED certified, focuses on the materials you build with and how they effect not only the environment, but also the occupants. This means that, from the paint on the walls to the furniture, the materials and components used have to be chosen intentionally, to ensure that they perform well and don’t adversely affect the health of the occupants, such as emitting possibly hazardous odors and fumes.
Now if you are thinking about a LEED building for your next office, home, or school you should prioritize. The LEED process can be expensive, however looking into green building life cycle cost analysis it will prove that investing in your building up front will increase your return in energy and productivity savings.
If you are a student, a parent or a teacher and you know that your school is not green, but you would really like to see that change, you can get involved in the Build Green Schools. This is a sector of the USGBC and has lots of resources on educating the decision makers in schools on the positives of building green or renovating schools to become green. So take the pledge on their website and be one step closer.
To learn more about LEED go to usgbc.org.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Clean and Green
How green is your laundry room? Not the grass stain kind of green—but the eco-friendly kind of green.
If you have a top load washing machine it takes 40 gallons of water to do a load of laundry—almost twice as much as a front load washing machine uses. If you are in the market for a new washing machine consider purchasing a front load model. They cost a little more up front but they are cheaper to operate, saving you money in the long run.
Don’t need a new washing machine? There are things you can do to make your top load machine more eco-friendly. Don’t do laundry unless you have a full load and use warm or cold water for the wash and rinse cycle. Only about 10% of the electricity used by a washing machine goes to running the motor, the other 90% goes to heating the water. If possible, line dry your clothes to save even further. You could cut 9% of your energy bill with these steps! Going green can also save you some green — and who doesn't need a little of that.
When it comes to detergents, avoid the petroleum based ones. Look for detergents with no phosphates which deprive aquatic life of oxygen and say no to bleaches with chlorine which contaminate ground water. Instead, look for whiteners that are hydrogen peroxide based or oxygen based. Seventh Generation makes a line of green household products and you can get them locally at Walgreen’s, Safeway, Giant, Wegman's, and Harris Teeter’s. Coupons are available on their website at www.seventhgeneration.com. According to the label on the back of the bottle I have, if every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 100 oz. 2x concentrate petroleum-based laundry detergent with one plant-derived 100 oz. 2x concentrate we could save 466,000 barrels of oil!
Do you have static cling issues? Those dryer sheets are made from synthetic, petroleum-based chemicals and don’t biodegrade. Think a dryer ball is more eco-friendly? Think again. Dryer balls are made from polyvinyl chloride which releases carcinogenic dioxin during production and may release hormone-disrupting phthalates during use. Instead, try reducing static cling naturally by adding one-fourth cup of white vinegar to the wash cycle. Line drying will also reduce static cling and wrinkles but if you can’t line dry then dry natural fibers and synthetics separately.
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