Betty has a new friend at the green picnic table!

Spread out the red and white checkered, reusable table cloth… Betty has a new friend at the picnic table: Cville Weekly’s Abode!

I am excited to announce that Better World Betty and Abode have joined together in an effort to connect our beautiful and fast-growing green community here in Charlottesville and the surrounding area.

Better World Betty will have monthly tips in Abode’s Green Scene both in print or online at www.c-ville.com under Abode's Green Scene.

Here is our first shared piece where Betty helps us green our summer picnic:

Inside the green basket
What is summer without the requisite afternoon picnic? This summer, treat the ubiquitous picnic guest—Mother Nature herself—more kindly with these green tips.
*Choose your favorite greenscape, nearby vineyard (eight vineyards lie within 10 miles of Downtown), or romantic spot by the river and go local for the menu. Select fruits and veggies from the farmer’s market (Tuesdays at Forest Lakes 4-7pm, Wednesdays at Meade Park 4-7pm, and Saturdays Downtown and Scottsville 7am-noon), but be sure to ask about the farm’s location and spray protocol.
*For fancier fare, visit the Main Street Market. Local cheese from Feast!, a fresh baguette from Albemarle Baking Company, and some Gearhart’s chocolate will satisfy the greenest palate. Finally, toast to your pint-sized carbon footprint with a local beer (Starr Hill) or wine.
*Pack reusable plates (bamboo, recycled or biodegradable plastic work well), flatware, glasses, and cloth napkins.
*For those uninvited guests, mosquitoes, try Avon’s Skin-So-Soft bug repellent (an alternative to DEET) and chemical-free sunscreen from Burt’s Bees or JASON Natural.
Your summer picnic is now a brighter shade of green!

Besides enjoying their consistent green coverage over the past 2 ½ years, Betty has happily learned of their inner green efforts they have implemented as a business. Here is a growing list of initiatives:

--new in 2008, C-VILLE printed on 100% recycled paper!
--office-wide recycling of all city curbside recyclables (plastics, newspapers, etc)
--company policy: computers must be turned off before leaving work
--thermostats have off-hour settings to save energy
--recycled, biodegradable kitchen supplies are used
--plastic and styrofoam drinking cups are banned
--toilets are low-flow
--renovation of their new space on the downtown mall includes many green features

We believe the union of Better World Betty, a burgeoning grassroots green movement, and Cville Weekly (and Abode), a long-standing news publication which has consistently highlighted green happenings in our community, will further galvanize the many green efforts going on locally.

Check out more monthly green living tips at www.c-ville.com
Cheers!
Everyone here at Better World Betty