Fresh AIRE

It's Christmas Tree Collection & Recycling Time

Christmas Tree Collection will be from January 3-14, 2011 on your regular refuse day. 

 

Since trees will be ground into wood mulch, please:

• remove the tree stand
• remove lights and decorations
• Do not place the tree in a plastic bag.

 

During the first two full weeks in January, Christmas trees are collected curbside for residents with curbside refuse and recycling service. Residents are reminded to place the tree on the curb no later than 6 a.m. on your regular trash collection day and to remove all decorations, nails, stands, and plastic bags. After the trees are collected, they will be ground into wood mulch for garden use. Special unbundled brush or metal pickups will be suspended during this time.

After Jan. 14, holiday trees will not be recycled, but will be collected as trash on your regular trash collection day.  After Jan. 14, residents may also resume making requests for special curbside pickup of unbundled brush and metal by telephoning the Department of Environmental Services at 703-228-6570 (703-228-4611 TTY) the day before regular collection from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays.

Arlington County Justice Center Awarded EPA ENERGY STAR Label

• Retrofits saving County $450,000 annually
•  First County building to receive highly sought after designation
• Meets strict energy performance standards
• One of only 34 courthouses nationwide to receive ENERGY STAR label in 2010

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Arlington County Justice Center, which includes the Courthouse and Detention Center, its ENERGY STAR label. The first government building in the County to receive an ENERGY STAR, the Justice Center meets strict energy performance standards, uses less energy, costs less to operate, and creates fewer greenhouse gas emissions than three-quarters of courthouse facilities nationwide.

"The Justice Center ENERGY STAR is an important recognition of Arlington County’s on-going commitment to environmental stewardship,” said Jay Fisette, Chairman of the Arlington County Board. “By working together with the Sheriff’s Office and employing forward-looking and innovative practices, Arlington is one step closer to realizing our vision for a sustainable, energy-efficient community.”

13 percent reduction in energy consumption

 

Snow = Opportunity!

While a few inches of snow may be a nuisance to some, it presents an opportunity for those in the know.

Inspect your roof as the snow melts and compare it to your neighbors.  Snow melt is one easy way to identify inadequate insulation and air leakage in your attic. The pictures below show a few examples of homes that have poor or inadequate attic insulation.

This lack of insulation wastes money and can lead to significant ice dams that cause damage to your gutters and roof.  For a limited time you can still use the Federal Tax credit to insulate your roof for about 75¢ per square foot or less. Insulating your attic can have a payback period of about 2-6 years and make your home significantly more comfortable.

 

Here are some examples of what to look for:

This home has major ice dams that are blocking the front entrance. Sealing attic bypasses and insulating to proper levels would stop this problem and the heating bills for this home would be considerably reduced.

Below, the snow on the roof melted except for the cold outermost edges around the eaves, creating icicles and ice dams. Notice the unheated garage roof is still full of snow. The neighbors house apparently has adequate levels of insulation as they have no sign of snow melt.

The house shown below was 9 years old when the front left room was discovered to have no ceiling insulation. You can clearly see the break between the insulated and uninsulated areas.

Below is an example of GREAT INSULATION in the forefront and the other homes beyond with inferior insulation.  Notice the row house in the front part of the picture, it is the only home with snow on it.  The other roofs have a white coating which helps in the summer, but the others clearly aren’t insulated nearly as well as the first.  Also notice the great solar tube and solar panels.

When you insulate you home you also reduce the amount of time your heating and cooling equipment run which lengthens their useful life and reduces maintenance.

Even when you can’t see the snow melt patterns on your roof, an inadequately or improperly insulated roof costs you money daily in the winter and summer!  Imagine dollar bills flying off your roof hourly!

Take a look around your house and let us know if you find anything surprising!

 

Register for Arlington Green Games - Only 18 More Days!

You likely read about the opening of this new exciting program on our previous blog posting here or our press release here.  There are only 18 days remaining to register your commercial property or office for Arlington's Green Games. 

 

The Arlington Green Games is a friendly competition for commercial property owners/managers and office tenants to reduce costs while reducing their emissions. The year-long competition pits buildings against buildings and offices against offices in the race for business gold. The highly interactive program incorporates trainings, best practices, and technical assistance along the way. Top performers and most improved scores will be recognized by the County and local media.

 

You can register for the inaugural season here until December, 2010. The inaugural season will occur January 2011 - December 2011 and winners will be determined in early 2012.

 

Learn more below and register today!

http://www.arlingtongreengames.com 

 

 

Green Home Building & Remodeling Resource Directory

If you are an Arlington homeowner, resident, designer, or builder look no further for a home building resource directory.   

The directory features suppliers and installers for a variety of green products that you may be looking for in your project. The directory also identifies a number of firms with expertise in the design and construction of green buildings, including consultants in a number of specialty areas. Finally, the directory includes a variety of government agencies, non-profit organizations, and other entities with useful information and resources on green home building and home management. Listings are organized by categories that should make sense as you are looking for a product, service, or information in the course of a project.