Disposable Bag Fee Awareness Campaign Launches

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

As reported by DCist yesterday, the city has finally launched an awareness campaign about the impending disposable bag fee.

Beginning January 1, 2010, District businesses that sell food or alcohol will be required by law to charge you 5 cents for each disposable paper or plastic carryout bag. The Skip the Bag, Save the River campaign from DDOE will give 3 or 4 cents to the new Anacostia River Protection Fund.

According to Alan Heymann, Director of Public Information at DDOE, The Office of Tax and Revenue estimates that the bag fee will generate $3.6 million for the new Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Fund in the first year.

DDOE will use the money to physically remove trash from the Anacostia and conduct stream restoration activities.

“We will also start a public awareness campaign about litter prevention, beginning in the schools,” says Heymann. “Finally, we will use the funds to continue handing out reusable shopping bags to residents – especially seniors and in low-income communities.”

DDOE is partnering with CVS and Safeway to hand out 122,000 reusable bags in the next few months. “These will be available at public events and distribution points throughout the District, so please watch our public calendar at for more information when it becomes available,” he adds.

The bag fee is the first of its kind in the nation, and will not apply to bags used for newspapers, produce, hardware, frozen foods, plants, bakery items or prescription drugs. Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward Six) introduced the bag legislation, which the DC Council passed unanimously in June.

DDOE has generously offered 10 free reusable bags to readers of GoingGreenDC.net. Simply send an email to sachacohen@comcast.net with your name, phone number, and address. Winners will be chosen at random and notified by December 1, 2009.

Where to Find Heritage, Free-Range, and Organic Turkeys

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

Heritage TurkeyThanksgiving is right around the corner. Do you know where your turkey is? If you haven’t already ordered a bird, there may still be time to get one that’s organic and/or locally-raised.

The advantages of ordering a non-commercial bird are plentiful: If it’s certified organic, you can rest assured that it wasn’t injected with antibiotics and has been fed organic feed.

Other types of birds–including free-range and pasturized–weren’t confined to cages or subjected to inhumane living conditions.

There are also Heritage turkeys, which are the ancestors of the common broad-breasted white industrial breed of turkey that account for almost all of the supermarket turkeys sold today. They dine on fresh grass and insects and lead relatively long, happy lives.

By buying a free-range, organic, or Heritage turkey, you’re not only getting a better bird, you’re supporting small local farmers.

Ready to order? Here are some local farms and shops where you can find a splendid turkey to be the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving celebration:

Ayshire Farm: Organic

Cibola Farms: Pasture-raised and heritage

Eastern Market: Locally raised

Let’s Meat on the Avenue: Free-range

Maple Lawn Farm: Free-range

MOMs Organic: Local free-range and organic free-range

Whole Foods: Organic and heritage, depending on location

YES! Organic: Organic and free-range, depending on location

Does the idea of a tough bird fill you with dread? To make sure your turkey turns out moist and tasty, consider brining it. Here’s an apple-brined turkey with herbs recipe from the Washington Post. Your friends and family will, um, gobble, gobble it up.

Green November Events

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

green drinkWhether you’re in the mood for a trunk show, book signing, or a big blowout party, November has it all.

First Thursday Happy Hour with Bethesda Green

When: November 5th, 5-7
Where: Redwood Restaurant

Join Bethesda Green for casual conversation and social networking at one of the new restaurants within Bethesda Lane.

Book Talk: Greening Your Small Business

When: November 14th, 1:00 pm
Where: Politics & Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave.

Jennifer Kaplan will discuss her new book, Greening Your Small Business. Her comprehensive guide is for companies too small to hire a consultant to help them go green. The book covers basics such as recycling, reducing waste and reducing the IT footprint, as well as considering wider concerns such as green marketing and communications, green business travel, and green employee benefits.

Goodwill Travelin’ Trunk Show

When: November 14th, 11am-2pm
Where: Greater Goods, 1626 U St. NW

Calling all fashionistas, designers, and eco-friendly shoppers! Goodwill of Greater Washington’s Travelin’ Trunk Show will be returning to Greater Goods with racks and racks of contemporary and vintage fashions along with donated fabrics and buttons. The charity will also be accepting donations of items that have outgrown your home (or closet). All proceeds from this event will support Goodwill’s mission to educate, train, employ, and place people with disabilities and disadvantages throughout the greater DC area.

Live Green’s Big Green Bash

When: November 19th, 6-8:30
Where: The Reef, 2446 18th St. NW

Join Live Green for delicious food, drink specials, and prizes at the Big Green Bash. Everyone who recruits at least three new Live Green members automatically receives a $20 gift certificate to Java Green or Sticky Fingers and is entered into a raffle to win other fab prizes like a flight anywhere in the continental US from Green Earth Travel. Get your tickets today.

Drink Locally, Impact Globally

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

This post was written by GoingGreenDC.net contributing writer Alison Drucker.

wineIf you like wine, go straight to the source and attend a tasting at a Virginia or Maryland winery. Satisfy your green conscience at the same time by paying a visit to one that’s environmentally friendly.

The local wineries here all follow organic practices to the greatest extent possible, using minimal chemical pesticides and herbicides and eradicating pests using biological controls.

Certified organic wine – wine that uses organic grapes – is impossible to produce in this area; local vintners report that due to the humidity and rainfall, vines in the region are prone to fungus and pests that are immune to non-chemical treatments.

These wineries have also constructed energy- and water-efficient facilities that incorporate salvaged materials and innovative design strategies.

Maryland

At Black Ankle Vineyards, the tasting room features straw-bale insulation and wood harvested from the site, plus a bar made from crushed grape vines. The growers use sprays and fertilizers made from herbs, compost, and minerals, rather than chemicals, and follow the principles of biodynamic farming – a step up from organic on the sustainable ladder. Plus, their tractors are powered using biodiesel. Deep Creek Cellars also uses mostly organic and biodynamic farming methods.

Virginia

Pearmund Cellars’ facilities are heated and cooled using a geothermal system that draws from the Earth’s natural thermal energy. Barrel Oak Winery’s dog-friendly facility also uses geothermal energy and a highly efficient natural ventilation system; plus, all of its wood flooring was salvaged from an 18th century farmhouse.

The famous owner of Blenheim Vineyards – Dave Matthews – hand-sketched the design for the winery building, which was constructed from reclaimed wood and is strictly naturally lit during the day due to its daylight-efficient design. Cave Ridge Vineyard reuses their barrels and uses biodegradable products whenever they can, and the tasting room was constructed using sustainable wood. Rappahannock Cellars also reuses barrels and uses environmentally sensitive cleaners instead of noxious chemicals.

By drinking at these wineries (or at any of the other roughly 175 wineries in Virginia and Maryland) you can rest assured your wine hasn’t been shipped from overseas or trucked in from California. So go get tipsy locally, and with a lower ecological footprint.

The Solar Decathlon Shines on the Mall

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

This post was written by GoingGreenDC contributing writer Alison Drucker.

photo_gallery_austinFor a couple weeks in October, your regular jog around the Mall will look a little different. That’s when the Solar Decathlon comes to town, and 20 cutting-edge solar-powered homes descend on the Mall.

An educational project from the Department of Energy and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Solar Decathlon is a competition among university teams from around the world to create the most efficient, attractive, and entirely solar-powered home. The teams spend almost two years designing and building their homes elsewhere, and transport them to the Mall to be rebuilt; the public is then invited to come tour, observe, and learn.

The challenge for participants is to create an efficient solar home that could actually serve the needs of a typical family, with all the modern conveniences, while being aesthetically striking. There are certain restrictions in place, such as a specified temperature range the homes have to maintain and types of equipment they have to power. Experts from DOE and NREL judge entrants in 10 categories, from architecture to market viability to home entertainment.

The homes generate energy with building-integrated (incorporated during construction) photovoltaic systems to produce electricity, and with solar thermal systems for space heating/cooling and water heating. The goal is a net-zero energy home that produces as much energy from renewable sources as it consumes. Teams come from as far as Germany and Spain, and as near as Virginia Tech and Penn State, to compete.

photo_gallery_montrealThe competition equips the student participants – future engineers, architects, builders, business owners, policy-makers – with the skills to make renewable energy, energy efficiency, and green building technologies part of their careers. It also teaches the rest of us about one of the world’s greatest challenges – our constantly increasing demand for energy and the need for sustainable solutions.

It’s well worth fighting the crowds to take a peek at the houses, with participating teams on hand to give insightful tours and explanations. The homes are open to visitors October 9-13 and October 15-18, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. You can also attend presentations in the temporary educational village (whose technology is powered by solar electric systems, naturally).