Did you know this month marks 5 years since the release of An Inconvenient Truth?
No, Columbia Pike won't be underwater now or anytime in the foreseeable future. But regardless of your view of Al Gore’s Academy Award-winning film, we have seen tremendous change in the past 5 years. From dining room conversations to CEO round tables, Arlingtonians have been discussing climate change, fuel efficiency, renewable energy, and a more sustainable way of life.
Dominion Virginia Power rolled out a Smart Cooling Rewards program that single-family residents can take advantage of.
What’s the Smart Cooling Rewards program? I’m glad you asked.
Dominion will pay you $40 a year to let them install a device that cycles your air-conditioning system off during periods of peak demand. This is smart grid technology for your air conditioner that is available to Arlington residents in single-family homes. It benefits our community, the environment, and your wallet
Sign up today and share this with your neighbors: http://bit.ly/cbywpE
Continue reading "Green Home & Garden Tour -- June 5, 2011" »
Composting is becoming increasingly popular for both households and businesses, and the environmental benefits are numerous. Not only does compost enrich soil, but it also helps clean contaminated soils. Compost can serve as a low-to-no-cost natural fertilizer, reducing the need for chemical-based formulas. Lastly, diverting what would be landfill-bound trash to your compost bin (and eventually your garden) ultimately avoids the production of methane emissions – shrinking your carbon footprint.
Despite appreciating the many benefits of composting, our apartment was a bit tight for a complex composting system. (“Honey, should this go in the living room or bedroom?”) Fortunately, there are many composting options for urban dwellers. By using a Bokashi bin - just one of many options - we’ve been able to address the issue of having a cozy space with this small “effective microorganism” (EM) system.
All it takes is an airtight five-gallon bin (stored under the kitchen sink) and a substance called Bokashi, which is a mixture of water, wheat bran, molasses, and microbes. All we have to do is place alternating layers of our food scraps and Bokashi, and then the microbes work their magic. These little guys are natural lactic acid bacteria, yeast, and phototrophic bacteria that ferment and accelerate the breakdown of organic matter. Yes, they will happily feast on your garbage – like these goats, but more manageable.
The bin can handle everything from veggie scraps to leftover meat. When we open the bin to add in new layers, the contents have a surprisingly sweet scent akin to fresh soil (read: pleasant). A spout at the bottom of the bin allows us to drain the ‘tea juice’ which we dilute and feed to our hungry houseplants. It’s also a very high-speed system. Scraps break down into a ‘compost product’ that can be dumped outside in just 10 days. (We take ours to a friend with a yard and a garden. We are fed brunch in exchange for our garbage. Win-win.) It has been a useful solution for us, and it has been downright fun to see our food scraps transformed in the matter of days.
Is anyone else out there using an EM system? Does anyone else have any other composting systems that have worked well for their households?
“The County continues expanding its recycling program to make it easy for all to recycle in Arlington – whether they live in multi-family properties or work for a local business,” said Dept. of Environmental Services Director William O’Connor III. “By stepping up education and recycling requirements in the County, we plan to capture more recyclables while reducing trash – which ultimately will provide cost savings for County businesses and residents while helping to preserve our resources.”
Continue reading "Arlington Expands Successful Recycling Program" »
If you planned to make energy efficiency improvements to your home and receive Federal tax credits but missed the December 31st deadline we mentioned here,we have good news!
Congress and President Obama passed legislation that extends federal tax credits for energy-saving upgrades another year. The tax credits were set to expire at the end of 2010 but have been extended until December 31, 2011. However, the incentive has been reduced to 10%, up to $500. In 2010, the incentive was 30% up to $1,500.00.
Continue reading "Energy Efficiency Federal Tax Credit Extended, Reduced " »
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.”
Continue reading "Arlington County Justice Center Awarded EPA ENERGY STAR Label" »
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!
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
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.
Continue reading "Green Home Building & Remodeling Resource Directory" »
