OK, so it’s not actually The Office (that beloved TV show) but your office that soon may be getting a bit greener–especially if you work in Arlington, Virginia.

The county has been selected as one of four local U.S. governments (including Charleston, SC; Nashville, TN; and San Diego, CA) to receive assistance in creating a Green Office Challenge program.

The innovative initiative, to launch locally in fall 2010, will engage property managers and office tenants in a friendly competition to save money, reduce energy, water usage and waste; and reach other environmental goals. Offices with the biggest savings over the course of one year will be recognized for their achievements.

The Challenge started last year in Chicago and is sponsored by the ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, a membership association of more than 600 local governments in the U.S. and 1,100 worldwide committed to advancing climate protection and sustainability.

With nearly 44 million square feet—more private office space than downtown Los Angeles, Denver or Dallas—Arlington County could reap significant energy and cost savings. Hailed in the DC metro area for its eco-efforts, Arlington will now have a chance to make its mark on the national map.

Complementing Arlington County’s existing programs to reduce energy use and carbon emissions, including the Fresh AIRE (Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions) Program, the Challenge has already been backed by Arlington businesses, and will be implemented with support from key community partners, including the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington, Arlington Chamber of Commerce and Arlington Economic Development.

To learn more about the Green Office Challenge, visit  ICLEI USA .

Most of us are no doubt familiar with Goodwill and may even be big fans of its thrift shop stores (as is yours truly). But did you know that our local chapter, Goodwill of Greater Washington, is also receiving acclaim for its fashion— that’s right, fashion—sense?

Bridging the gap between the passé and the present, the organization has partnered with Miss District of Columbia 2009 in a fashion-forward campaign designed to bring awareness to recycling.

The month-long campaign, is intended to showcase the recycling platform of Miss DC, Jen Corey, as she prepares for the Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas on January 30. It’s also designed to generate greater awareness for Goodwill’s mission during its slowest donation season of the year.

The campaign includes a series of video vignettes on the nationally-recognized Goodwill DC Fashion Blog. The vignettes, which debuted January 8 and run through the 22^nd, follow Corey as she peruses Goodwill Stores for recycled furniture and accessories to furnish her empty new apartment.

They are accompanied by snippets of a rap song influenced by Goodwill’s job training mission, “Dream without Boundaries,” written and performed by Kokayi, a Grammy-nominated DC artist and producer. The entire song, which also samples Corey’s opera singing (a highly trained opera singer, Corey will be performing during the Pageant), will be available online for a $2 donation to Goodwill of Greater Washington.

Personally, I love shopping at—and donating to—Goodwill. In fact, I have a bag full of things I no longer need sitting in my hallway, ready to go. I’ve also taken numerous items found while “dumpster diving” in the basement of my condo building (everything from a huge handpainted Portuguese ceramic tray to a bookcase to a lamp; OK, so some of these I’ve kept!)—perfectly good items that would have otherwise gone to landfill.

Granted, going to Goodwill may not be that convenient for some, but there are certainly many other options for donations (including homeless shelters and numerous thrift shops). Larger items such as TVs and furniture can even be scheduled for pick-up. And clearing out clutter can be so therapeutic!

Of course, Goodwill is so much more than a thrift shop, as it provides job training and employment services for disadvantaged and disabled individuals. No matter what your personal “platform,” recycling—and helping others— just feels right. And that’s something we can all stand for.

TMDL. No, it’s not some newfangled programming code, but an acronym you’re likely to be hearing quite often nonetheless in the days–and years–to come. Tonight, you’ll have a chance to learn what one local jurisdiction, Fairfax County, is doing to help establish its part of the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Chesapeake Bay. 

The County will hold a public meeting to address its role in development of the complex EPA initiative, which would set restrictions on nutrient and sediment pollution throughout a 64,000-square-mile watershed that includes six states and the District. A regulatory tool of the federal Clean Water Act, the Chesapeake Bay TMDL will be backed by a series of accountability measures to ensure compliance.

In a letter to the Water Protection Division, EPA Region III, the chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Sharon Bulova, offers the board’s input for development of the TMDL. Stating that Fairfax County is the most populated local jurisdiction in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, with “…a long history of progressive environmental management,” she notes, “…we are following with great interest recent developments at the federal level to increase the pace of efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay.”

As cited in Bulova’s letter, the Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration Executive Order (signed by President Obama in May 2009) is helping create a new era of federal leadership in restoring the Bay. Both Senate and House legislation being considered could help set standards for stormwater management to facilitate consistency across state and local lines. 

Noting how “Improvements can and should be made in how urban and suburban stormwater is managed,” Bulova includes a caveat that “Goals should be realistic and attainable, focusing on parameters reasonably within the control of local governments and organizations to influence.” 

To learn more about the “ABC’s” of the TMDL, read the full letter and/or attend the public meeting tonight, Monday, Dec. 14 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Falls Church High School’s Little Theater, 7521 Jaguar Trail, Falls Church, Virginia.

Ah Christmas, a time to gather the family together, drink hot chocolate and decorate your beautiful tree. Many of my fondest holiday memories include helping dad staple-gun Christmas lights to the outside of our home.

Unfortunately, you might want to shy away from including children and the elderly in these activities in the future. CNN has uncovered a disappointing fact about Christmas lights, they contain a potentially lethal level of lead.

Like in fake Christmas trees, manufacturers use lead to stabilize the PVC chemical they use to build Christmas lights. The scientific analysis done by CNN was completed at Quantex Laboratories and uncovered lead levels on the lights that even surprised Dr. Leo Trasande of New York’s Sinai School of Medicine.

“There is no level at which lead exposure is safe,” Dr. Trasande said. “Even at one microgram/deciliter — the lowest level in a person’s blood stream that we can detect — that level has been associated with cognitive impairment in children.”

Often, children will help put up the Christmas tree and will then put their hands in their mouths, instantly carrying lead to their bloodstream and organs. Of the four brands tested, Wal-Mart’s showed the highest concentration of surface lead.

Unfortunately, the level of lead on these lights is totally legal because the US government, through the Consumer Product Safety Commission, has not created rules that forbid such lead concentrations. If you want your kids to help with the decorations this year (and why wouldn’t you?) make sure they only hang ornaments, wear gloves, and wash their hands.

For the full CNN story go HERE.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User Chris_J

The holiday season is here, and most of us are franticly running around in preparations for the biggest holiday of all. As you get ready for the holiday cheer, keep in mind a few tips that will make your holidays even more meaningful, while you make environmentally cautious choices.

• Send e-mails, not cards. You don’t have to send a mass e-mail, a personal Holiday greeting will be as heart-warming as any card sent by snail mail.
• Choose LED lights to illuminate your tree. Even the White House tree has them!
• Be creative when wrapping the presents. Use recycled paper, newspaper, magazine pages or a piece of a leftover fabric.
• The greenest Christmas tree is the potted one – you can replant it outside when the spring comes.
• Surprised your loved ones with handmade gifts, nothing is more heartfelt than a gift you made yourself.

A little extra effort can go a long way. Enjoy!

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User jpmatth

Today, the Washington Post officially launched their climate & energy blog, Post Carbon. The blog is designed to give readers up-to-the-minute information on key international climate and energy issues – from Copenhagen talks to American energy legislation.

For the next few weeks, most of Post Carbon’s content will focus on Copenhagen, as one of its authors is currently at the conference. Post contributors Juliet Eilperin and Steve Mufson are the blog’s writers.

If you want to check-out the Post’s new climate blog, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/climate.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User oxfam international

If you’ve been searching Target, Macy’s and the Pentagon City mall for that perfect gift, but you keep leaving empty handed, it’s time to think local. Starting December 4-23, DC will host its annual Holiday Market in Penn Quarter (8th and F Streets NW).

This festive shopping experience brings 150 local artisans and hundreds of unique gifts to downtown DC. The event will be an opportunity to support local businesses while enjoying entertainment and special treats!

Everyday, the Holiday Market will open at noon and will close at 8:00pm. You can see a list of the exhibitors and learn more about the market on their official website.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User justindc

Like me, if you live in the city, you might not own a car. To make a road trip during the holidays, you’d have to rent something. This got me thinking about how I could reduce my carbon footprint, and my travel costs, significantly by renting a hybrid.

It isn’t as easy as you might think to rent a hybrid. Even though the technology has been around for years and many vehicles now integrate it into their engines, very few rental companies make it as intuitive to rent a hybrid as it is to rent an SUV, convertible or economy car.

Here is a quick breakdown of the best route to rent a hybrid:

• From THIS site you can view the Hertz “Green Collection” and select a fuel efficient car to rent. Unfortunately, you will find that availability is limited and it take several steps on the site just to find out whether a hybrid is available at your nearest location on a specific day.
• Orbitz has a reservation system specifically for booking hybrid vehicles in particular locations. You can find it HERE. I looked up a hybrid for different dates and locations but none were available, so I’m not sure how well the system really works.
• I never knew this, but Toyota offers rental car service at several of their dealerships. You can view the available locations and vehicles on the website by clicking HERE. Unfortunately, you must submit a rental request and wait to be notified about availability and prices.
• Renting a hybrid from National, Budget and Enterprise is still an unnecessarily complicated process. The best thing to do is to call their sales lines and ask about the best location to rent one of their hybrids. For National (800-328-4567), Budget (800-527-0700) and Enterprise (800-261-7331).

So there you go. It might be a little complicated to get a hybrid, but the impact to your wallet, and the Earth, will be worth it.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User kenjonbro

Zoo Lights is a festive annual tradition held at the National Zoo for the holidays. The entire zoo is decorated with colorful lights in animals shapes. Part of the fun is just being in the Zoo at night when it is usually closed.

The event runs from December 4th through the 13th (Friday – Sunday nights) and December 18th through January 2nd (every night) from 6:00-8:30pm.

In addition to the exiting light displays, the Zoo will also feature keeper talks and live music. You can even access the small mammal house, great ape house, reptile discovery center, think tank and the kids’ farm.

If you were curious, the displays at Zoo Lights are made of all LED lights that use 90% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs.

See the full calendar of special events and buy tickets ($5 for FONZ members, $8 for non-members) by visiting the Zoo Lights website. Your ticket purchase benefits the Zoo’s animal research and conservation efforts.

Photo Credit: National Zoo website

The Federal government’s “Cash 4 Clunkers” campaign was a big hit with Americans looking to dump old fuel hogs in exchange for efficient new cars. Congress has debated extending the trade-in program to apply to appliances as well. This would mean anyone suffering with high utility bills because of old refrigerators could afford to replace them. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the appliance version of “Cash 4 Clunkers” is moving forward through Congress very quickly.

Thankfully, the DC government is here to save the day for owners of inefficient appliances by offering rebates for Energy Star refrigerators, washers, heat pumps and dishwashers. Starting in April, DC will distribute claim forms for new appliance purchasers that will provide specific instructions and appliance requirements. You can be on the list to receive information on these rebates by going to the District Department of the Environment’s website and providing your email address.

The US Department of Energy estimates that appliances account for 17% of the average home’s energy bill. Imagine how much you could save over several years with more efficient appliances. This is definitely worth checking out.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User edcrowle