... I'm just here to do the Super Bowl Shuffle. Tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday, and having lived for a few years as a kid in Carol Stream, IL, I'll be wearing my Walter Payton jersey and rooting for Da Bears. Realistically, they have very little chance of beating the Colts, but rooting for the underdog has never stopped me before. The NFL is making an effort to reduce the Super Bowl's environmental impact by planting 3,000 native trees in Florida. As one climate scientist says, "It's probably a nice thing to do, but planting trees is not a quantitative solution to the real problem."* The Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse is hosting its Biannual TPS Report Managers Meeting, aka the Office Space Movie Festival.* Speaking of drafthouses, The Green Girlfriend and I stopped by Shenandoah Brewing Company in Alexandria last night. Not many local breweries in the DC area, especially since the downfall of Foggy Bottom Beer. But we tasted ten different beers and I came home with a mix case of Old Rag Mountain Ale and Mountain Beast Ale -- brews as strong as their names.* Speaking of downfalls, the Washington Post has more details on the demise of Backfence.* Am I the only one who thinks Arlington County Board members deserve to be paid more than $14.77 an hour? If you believe the board members themselves that it's a full time job, that's what their $30,723 annual salary works out to on an hourly basis.* Interesting article on the tug-of-war between parents of young children and young professionals as they battle for time on the dwindling number of places to play in Arlington.
In the wake of his Fresh AIRE proposal, the Washington Post profiles County Board Chair Paul Ferguson today. Arguably the best part of the article -- the attached photo, which in my limited experience with Paul's kids perfectly captures their energy and its contrast to their dad's laid-back style. As Paul was delivering his New Year's Day address, his boys were hovering over the compact fluorescent display in the lobby, their mere interest menacing its survival. Ah, to be young and maniacal.I got to talk to Paul during last year's ACE Hike & Happy Hour, and I was struck by many of the same things the Post reporter was -- very unassuming guy, easy to talk to, never preachy.
The profile raises an interesting question for all environmentalists. What's the best way to advance green causes? Are you better off gently pushing on the macro level for slow, sustainable change as Paul has? Or is it more effective to attack wasteful habits on the micro level, even calling out friends & family who drive gas guzzlers or don't recycle?
I don't think the two are mutually exclusive, and fortunately it doesn't seem like Arlington County does either. It's working on both broad initiatives like Fresh AIRE, and trying to push individual apartment/condo complexes and businesses to recycle at the same high rate single-family homes currently recycle.On a personal level, I'm both a member of ACE working to back Fresh AIRE, and willing to urge my friends & family to be more environmentally conscious. Just yesterday, a college friend told me she drove an SUV, but by the tone she used, you'd think she was telling me she'd accidentally flushed my winning lottery ticket. I don't wave my environmentalism in people's faces, but I guess if you know The Green Miles, you feel the guilt!
Here's a quick recap of the reaction Paul Ferguson's Fresh AIRE plan has received in DC-area media ...* The most impressive coverage came from the Sun Gazette, which had two articles up within minutes of the meeting's close.* Apparently trying to prove true the criticism that the Washington Post's Virginia coverage is shoddy, the Post's recap of Ferguson's proposal quotes only one person outside the County Board ... Takoma Park, MD resident Mike Tidwell, who wasn't even at the New Year's Day meeting. Mike's a great guy and as head of CCAN he's one of our region's leading environmental voices ... but there were dozens of people who actually live in Arlington who were actually at the meeting the Post reporter could've talked to.So they'd have to correct the mistake in the follow-up article, right? Nope. Wednesday's article on the cost of the program quotes ... another Takoma Park resident! Two articles on an Arlington environmental initiative, zero quotes from Arlington residents not on the County Board.Today the Post editorializes in favor of Ferguson's proposals, saying, "We hope that more cities, counties and states take note while the federal government fails to lead."* The DC Examiner mentioned the plan within an article on the County Board's first meeting.* The Washington Times, not surprisingly, ignored the County Board's New Year's Day meeting altogether. And you wonder why they're giving them out free at Metro stops.* The Arlington Connection previews Fresh AIRE within a broader profile of Ferguson and look ahead at his year as chair.* Lowell at Raising Kaine praises Arlington for taking the environmental lead among Virginia communities, and several commenters question why Fairfax County is so far behind.* Jim at Bacon's Rebellion offers cautious praise for Fresh AIRE, correctly pointing out the proposal is still short on specifics when it comes to financing.
Just got back from the Arlington County Board's traditional New Year's Day session. It was loaded with red meat for the tree-hugging crowd (and yes, I'm aware of the irony of connecting those two political phrases). Just how green was it? Three different board members referenced An Inconvenient Truth (official site, my review, buy the DVD).My biggest bone of contention with the County Board -- and I don't have many -- has been that in a green-and-getting-greener community like Arlington, there's no reason it shouldn't be pushing the envelope of environmentally-friendly policy. Yet DC gets the headlines for requiring green buildings and innovating on things like rubber sidewalks.But today's meeting marked the start of a new era for Arlington's environmental policies, with new Board Chair Paul Ferguson kicking off his Fresh AIRE (Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions) program. Arlington County has already reduced its emissions 2% since 2000, and Fresh AIRE aims to cut emissions another 10% by 2012 from that 2000 baseline.Ferguson pointed out several ways Arlington residents could quickly, easily, and affordably contribute to the effort, though he was careful to avoid nannyism, citing Jimmy Carter's sweater speech (not to be confused with Weezer's Sweater Song). The county will be providing some incentives for people to get started:* Giving out 2,000 compact fluorescent light bulbs at county events over the next year* Exploring personal property tax (car tax) discounts for drivers of hybrid vehicles* The county and Dominion Virginia Power will pay for dozens of homes to get energy auditsYou can watch video from the board meeting on the County website, or read the text of Ferguson's address.The elephant in the room, as always, is funding. The dichotomy is visible in the Sun Gazette's coverage of the meeting -- separate articles detailing Ferguson's initiative and the possibility of a tight budget ahead, without mentioning how either might be affected by the other. Obviously I'm not the one writing the budget, but I'd certainly be willing to pay more (in my case, through higher property taxes via higher rent) to make sure the environmental initiatives have the money they need.Please email board members to let them know you support all the new environmental initiatives and want to make sure they're fully funded!
