Dead tree home tour: August's Abode Column

This month Betty takes a home walk-through to find any dead tree, replacing it with some tree-friendly alternatives.

Entering the home, we are likely standing on hardwood or surrounded by wood columns (i.e. 4x4s) that were once trees growing outside amongst the elements, but now wear a coat of drywall, insulation, and paint to protect us from the weather. Done deal.

The first thing we find in the entryway: junk mail. Put a stop to this dead tree by going to Betty’s easy links for eliminating junk mail at www.betterworldbetty.org. Share your magazines and recycle newspapers.

What do we find in the kitchen? No paper bags because you use reusable bags. Paper towels are unnecessary, but if you insist on having them on hand, the brown recycled variety will do. Cereal boxes and other food containers made of mixed brown paper (once trees) make great flash cards, art project materials, and can be recycled.

Stepping into the living room, we find a coffee table, dining set, and guitar—all former trees. Make your next furniture purchase FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or reclaimed wood, or second-hand.

Next room: the office. Remember to purchase 100 percent post-consumer FSC-certified bleach-free paper, have a recycle box readily accessible (paper still tops the list as the number one recyclable throwaway), and go paperless when possible.

We finish the tour with a bathroom break, finding Green Forest or Seventh Generation toilet and tissue paper using 90-100 percent recycled content and a chlorine-free manufacturing process.

Phew!

BWB

p.s. photo from one of my favorite books: The Remarkable Trees of Virginia, photo by local Bob Llewellyn

Betty's BUY LOCAL reading list

Hmmm. It's a rainy summer day... too wet play outside, too boring to stay at home inside, yawn... yawn, there's NOTHING to do (isn't this the beginning of one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books?). Betty has a solution for you... Take a walk/bike/ride to the WEST side and go to the newest indie bookstore in town: Over the Moon Bookstore & Gallery in Crozet! Just two doors down from Crozet pizza, this is an all-out indie effort that is community-minded, e-conscious (check out their reclaimed wood book tables) and cozy. (I promise to take pictures next time!)

Break the big box book chains (which shall remain nameless) and be a LOCAL book buyer: pick up one of the essential summer reading musts.

The Better World Handbook; Plenty; Growing Local Value; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle; and Deep Economy are just some of the books about making and keeping local economies vibrant. Find the full list at here: http://www.bookweb.org/files/open/pdf/shoplocal/200909local_first.pdf

WHY is this important? You might ask. From the www.indiebound.org website, here's why...

"The Economy
Spend $100 at a local and $68 of that stays in your community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and your community only sees $43.
Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
More of your taxes are reinvested in your community--where they belong.

The Environment
Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.
Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money to beautify your community.

The Community
Local retailers are your friends and neighbors—support them and they’ll support you.
Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains.
More independents means more choice, more diversity, and a truly unique community.

Now is the time to stand up and join your fellow individuals in the IndieBound mission supporting local businesses and celebrating independents.

IndieBound supports Independent Business Alliances around the country. To find an alliance near you, visit AMIBA or BALLE."

Bookstore hours are 10 to 7pm Monday through Saturday, Sunday noon to 5pm. Call 823-1144 for more details!

In-joy,
BWB

Betty believes in MAKEOVERS!

SIGN UP NOW FOR THE CVILLE HOME ENERGY MAKEOVER AND TELL THEM BETTY SENT YOU!


Today was the opening announcement of Charlottesville's Home Energy Makeover Contest today at City Space and Betty was there among industry leaders, politicians, environmental activists, several Betty board members, and press to hear about the program. Energy is a 'hot' topic these days, so let Betty tell you how to 'cool' your energy costs and possibly win a makeover!

*Is your cooling system running when it doesn't need to be?
*Are there cracks in your doors and windows that are letting the cold/warm air escape thereby increasing your home heating/cooling costs?
*Are you running humidifiers or fans 24/7?
*How tight is the flue on your chimney?

These are among the important questions to be answered when looking at home energy use. LEAP and the home energy contest aims to raise awareness among Cville about the comfort and value of reducing energy use and cost in your home! So enter so that you have a shot at winning a FREE energy assessment (audit) and MAKEOVER.

If you haven't heard by now, LEAP is a community-based non-profit formed by a joint initiative between the City and the County of Albemarle and they recently garnered 1 million dollars in funds to increase energy efficiency right here, beginning with you!! The cool thing about this is the huge amount of money LEAP wants to give right back to the community, to YOU for making positive changes to your home! Whether your home need a lot of help or some help or A LOT of help, please sign up. It's EASY. Just fill out the EASY form online at www.cvillesaves.org

The other cool thing about this is that BETTY has a chance to get funds for her programs!! All you have to do on the application is enter the non-profit, BETTER WORLD BETTY. More details:

*Entrants will be selected to receive a free professional home performance assessment and energy makeover worth up to $10,000.

*Typical retrofit measures include: air sealig, duct sealing,adding insulation, tuning or upgrading heating and cooling equipment. Their goal is a 20% or better efficiency gain for these homes.

*Eight runners up will receive free home performance assessments (a $400 value) conducted by certified local contractors.

*Entrants must be City of Charlottesville or Albemarle County residential property owners.

*Registration is open now through August 20 (postmarked or email by midnight)

So take FIVE MINUTES and apply and be sure to put BETTER WORLD BETTY as your favorite non-profit because they will be awarding $1,000 to the organization that brings the most applicants!

THANKS everyone!
BWB

Betty floors everyone!!

For the floor

Most builders, architects, designers and homeowners now incorporate sustainable flooring into their home projects, whether it’s for LEED or EarthCraft certification, or simply at the homeowner’s request. Sustainability considerations include use, durability, and aesthetics and your budget. Fortunately, we have many great local options to choose from, living in the heart of Appalachia.

Wood:
Reclaimed wood is a prime choice. Mountain Lumber Company (founded locally by Willie Drake) carries reclaimed flooring. As for new lumber, the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) label assures conservation of natural resources and fair work conditions. Sustainable Woods only harvests diseased trees from Virginia’s FSC forests (we actually have two FSC-certified forests here), uses animals to pull the trees out, and uses a solar-fired kiln to dry the wood. Other FSC-certified wood floors are an option, but could be coming from Northwest Canada or South America.

Carpets:
Many carpets are now made using recycled products—plastic bottles or cork—or renewables like bamboo. Carpet Plus is the local frontrunner. I recommend asking lots of questions about the materials’ origin and the manufacturing process.

Other options:
Ceramic tile is a durable option, and local manufacturing lessens the embedded energy cost of the product. Linoleum and marmoleum are biodegradable (check for the GreenGuard certification). Concrete floors are hip and definitely long-lasting. They retain cold and heat, which can save on home energy costs. Questions remain about possible pollution in the production process, however.

An expert’s opinion: Charles Hendricks, architect with The Gaines Group and chairman of the Shenandoah Valley Home Builders Green Building Committee, suggests “a sustainably harvested wood floor from Southwest Virginia, with a fallback of a locally harvested wood floor from the Shenandoah Valley.”

I do so like GREEN floors and hope you do too!
BWB

A friend of Betty has something to say!

It's late. I'm checking email and I'm really not "reading" any of them in my current state. But I see one entitled "Climate Change Legislation" and which perks my Betty radar. I need to read this one, I think, and I'm delighted that it's 1) brief (hey, I'm being totally honest here) and 2) it's impassioned and true and 3) it's from one of my favorite local community activists - Glenn Short.

I served on the Unitarian Universalists Green Committee one year with Glenn and he is just an amazing force. Silver-haired, a proud and slightly hunched 5'8" (and last year had a fall that forced him to walk with a cane, much to his dislike), he always greats me with a big smile, a big hug, and a passion for change that is so strong in him, you can see it in his quick step. I believe he's well over 70 --I don't know his exact age-- but he certainly doesn't act it, which is delightful. The first green meeting I attended I remember his little black book that was so ink-splotched with dates and times and numbers for community meetings, public hearings, state legislator phone numbers, that it looked as though a pen exploded on it!

By way of that explanation, I MUST share with you his impassioned plea...

"Climate scientists report the uppermost safe limit for CO2 in earth's atmosphere is 350 parts per million, while today we're at 392 parts. Melting glaciers worldwide, Greenland's & Artic ice meltdowns prove we're in the danger zone now. Yet fossil fuel energy producers call for-- Drill Baby Drill! The only way to stop this status-quo, castastrophe-bound trend is to put a legal carbon limit on all greenhose-gas-emitting industries and vehicles. Even billionaires living on this finite-resource planet breathe the same air, drink the same water as the rest of us. Please, for the sake of future generations, tell Senators Warner (202) 224-2023 & Webb (202) 224-4024 we need a Climate Change law NOW, while there's still time."

Glenn Short

Please support Glenn and steps toward turning the tide of Climate Change by being active and involved in legislation aimed at solutions! Betty thanks you for your passion for change.

Best,
BWB

Betty's summer reading list title #1: Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Last week I had to take a staycation, welcome-to-summer roadie to Richmond to see the new addition of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and visit one of my favorite trees at Maymont AND a new discovery: indie bookstore in Shockoe Slip FOUNTAIN BOOKS. Ahhhh. It was a great half-day excursion, but the highlight just might have been sitting in that quaint little bookstore for an hour, perusing new titles, favorite authors, a stellar tree book I MUST acquire soon but DIDN'T write down the title, and Ralph Waldo Emerson's book NATURE. Between grant-writing, mothering, working, and going to school I'm not sure when I'll get to "summer reading" lists, but I've started. Emerson's writing are his life are passionate expressions of his love of the natural world. He was radical in urging Americans of his time to be in the joy of beauty and Nature by walking, noticing, breathing.

I share this quote with you:

"The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible; but all natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence. Nature never wears a mean appearance. Neither does the wisest man extort her secret, and lose his curiosity by finding out all her perfection... the lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood. His intercourse with heaven and earth becomes part of his daily food."

from Ralph Waldo Emerson's (1803-1882) book Nature, Penguin Books (printed on FSC certified paper)

Best,
BWB

A More Perfect Patio this Summer....

Deck yourself out with these summer ideas from Betty's June Column for Cville Weekly's Abode Magazine

There’s nothing better than a relaxing summer evening with friends on the patio enjoying great music and great food. This month, Betty reveals eco-friendly ways to make your deck the in place to party outside.

Invite nature-lovers—like butterflies and birds—to your patio party with strategically planted butterfly bushes and bee balm. Find drought-resistant plants grown locally at the farmer’s market or area nurseries. Recycled glass bird-feeders are decorative and eco-minded, or make your own using a cardboard milk carton covered with a collage of old magazines and newspapers.

Lighting sets the mood. I like to get creative with candles: Mason jars filled with soy candles surrounding the edge of your patio offer a natural glow. Solar-powered lights create enchanting illuminated pathways. Energy-efficient options would be outdoor LED or motion sensor lights.

Of course your guests need comfy places to sit, so how about upcycling a great yard sale find (an old wicker chair or paint-peeling patio set) into a patio treasure with a quick new spray low-VOC paint job? Or you could splurge on a pair of Adirondack chairs made of recycled milk jugs, available at the Blue Ridge Eco Shop in a variety of joyful colors ($275; see p. 10).
If you have a wooden deck, a soy-based, zero-VOC deck stain (Velvet CDF, for example) seals the wood for 10 years’ worth of outdoor fun.

Finally, to avoid pesky mosquitoes, spray your patio area with a natural and locally made insect repellent: St. Gabriel’s, which lasts four weeks. Scented citronella candles are another good solution.

Best,
BWB