Fresh AIRE

Tackling a Common Question (And What's Big Bubba?)

As energy manager for Arlington County, I'm thrilled at the leadership shown by County Chairman Paul Ferguson in launching the AIRE campaign. (OK, maybe I'm getting a bit less sleep these days -- but I'm thriving on the enthusiasm of staff, residents and the business community!)

I'll be doing more blog posting, but in this first one, I'll tackle one of the most common questions I hear: "Where do I get compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs?"

The easy answer: You can get CFLs at most of the usual places where you buy light bulbs already. I've gotten them for my own home at Home Depot and Lowes, where you can buy a six-pack for under $10. (And remember, these bulbs last over 8,000 hours -- lasting up to 10 times longer than regular light bulbs!) Other people I know buy their CFL bulbs at Target, Costco, local hardware stores, Walmart, grocery stores, etc. (P.S. Arlington County will be giving away CFL bulbs at selected events throughout the year -- stay tuned.) CFL bulbs are so common now -- there's a CFL for almost every fixture and application.

By the way, the fourth graders at Patrick Henry Elementary especially loved "Big Bubba" -- it's a 55-watt CFL bulb (for specialty applications) that I showed them at a career day demo last year.

John Morrill
Energy Manager, Arlington County

Green Living Challenge: Leaving My Comfort Zone

It's expensive. I rarely use it. It's bad for the environment. It's $4,000 that could pay off my credit cards that's sitting in my parking lot.  But here's the thing ... it's my car.

OK, so it's not Kitt from Knight Rider. It's a '99 Saturn. But it's carried me to Boston and back at least a dozen times. The driver's seat fits me more comfortably than Linus fit his blanket.

Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment has just launched the Green Living Challenge in partnership with Arlington County, and as ACE Board Chair and an environmental blogger, it's time to put up or shut up. One of the key criteria is joining a car-sharing program like FlexCar or ZipCar, and there's never been a better time for me to stop putting it off and sell my car.

And that's really what Fresh AIRE and the Green Living Challenge are all about: Stepping out of your personal comfort zone for the good of yourself and your neighborhood. Giving up the convenience of a paper coffee cup can save dozens of pounds of trash a year. Installing a rain barrel can ease the burden on our runoff-damaged streams. 

Like you've always heard -- think globally, act locally. Because if we don't act, who will?

Miles Grant
Chair, Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment

Welcome and thanks for your interest

Thank you for writing in with your comments about the Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions, Fresh AIRE. Global warming is a serious international problem that is worsening air quality, increasing the frequency of damaging storms, and causing erosion in coastal areas. Although the federal government has done little about this problem and has actually hindered international efforts, many localities and states have voluntarily agreed to their own emissions reduction program. On January 1, 2007, Arlington became one of those jurisdictions to have an emissions reduction plan. The details are provided on our website, www.arlingtonva.us/climate. 

Many Arlington residents, businesses and organizations are already doing their part to save energy and reduce greenhouse emissions -- and I have learned a great deal from the efforts and expertise. In addition, I have heard great stories from people throughout our region and the country.

The Arlington County Government wants to lead by example and has provided details of what we're doing as an organization, along with suggestions about what we can do as individuals. This blog is an opportunity for you to tell us what you have done and what you think. I believe we will learn a great deal from each other and further our goals to reduce emissions. In addition to the environmental benefits, investments in energy efficiency help save us money. Saving money and doing our part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions makes sense. I recently had an energy audit at my home and am redoubling my efforts to use transit and walk when possible. (More on that in a later posting.)

With the change in leadership on Capitol Hill, combating global warming is now a top priority. I am hopeful President Bush will back his words with actions and also start working on this issue. In addition, there is a potential for many other localities and states to put forward an emissions reduction plan. Although the challenge is huge, if governments, businesses, and individuals make this a priority, I believe the problems created by global warming can be solved or greatly mitigated.

The demands of my job will not allow me to respond to all the blog comments, but I promise to read all of your postings. I will try to write and give my thoughts from time to time. Thanks again for your interest and for sharing what you are doing on this issue.

Paul Ferguson
Chairman, Arlington County  Board