Rob Perks's Blog: Living Sustainably

Skip the Bag, Save the River

2010-01-07T14:00:28Z

"Do you want a plastic bag?"

"Um, okay..."

"That'll cost you a nickel."

"Oh, well, never mind. Thanks anyway."

That's the exchange I had with a Subway cashier today. As I was paying for my food, she piled my sandwich, chips and napkin on the counter, held up a clear plastic bag, and asked me if I wanted to use it.

I never really thought of it before -- all the other times the items were simply stuffed in the bag and I went on my merry way to enjoy my footlong at my desk. But today's experience reminded me that there's a new policy here in D.C. which taxes shoppers for the use of plastic bags. I think it's great!

I've long used reusable cloth shopping bags for groceries and usually decline plastic bags whenever I shop retail stores. However, it had never occured to me until today to decline the bag at Subway and simply carry my stuff back across the street in my hands. Not much of an inconvenience if you think about. And certainly a small price to pay (or not to pay, as the case may be) for a greater good -- a cleaner, healthier environment.

Under the new policy, which took effect on Jan. 1, District businesses that sell food or alcohol must charge customers 5 cents for each disposalbe paper or plastic carryout bag. The business keeps 1 cent (or 2 cents if it offers a rebate when you bring your own bag), and the remaining 3 or 4 cents go to the new Anacostia River Protection Fund. The fund will in turn provide reusable bags, educate the public about litter and clean up the river. Pretty simple and very cool!

Check out this website to learn more: http://green.dc.gov/green/cwp/view.asp?a=1248&q=463102&PM=1

I certainly appreciate what this education and action campaign is trying to do. As someone who started my environmental career with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, ran the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation in North Carolina, and oversaw the National River Cleanup program for the group American Rivers, I've done plenty of stream cleanups in my day and know how much litter ends up in our wonderful waterways. Most people probably don't realize that this is a big problem but millions of tons of trash pollute the nation’s rivers and streams every year.

To me, anything that keeps crap like plastic bags from clogging up our waters makes sense. And charging 5 cents to help clean up the Anacostia River seems worthwhile. So, the next time you buy something in D.C., do the river a favor and bag that bag!

My Neighborhood LEED'ing the Way to Green Living

2008-12-05T20:57:34Z

I live about 10 miles as the crow flies from Washington, D.C. in Rockville, Maryland. About 10 years ago my wife and I bought our first home in the neighborhood of Twinbrook, a pleasant place of modestly-priced Cape Cods built in the early 1950's. The main reason we moved here was the Metro station located within walking distance, which quickly and easily conveys me to my office in D.C. so that I don't ever have to fight the region's notorious traffic.

I love the charm and convenience of my neighborhood. Besides the nearby Metro, we're within close proximity to retail shops and restaurants, just one metro stop away from downtown Rockville, a block from my son's elementary school (Go Twinbrook Tigers!), surrounded by parks and biking trails, and amongst a canopy of mature trees (none better than the two 100+ year old Silver Maples in my backyard).

Lately there's been a lot of construction around the Metro and I must confess that although I've been a bit wary, I really haven't paid close attention to the redevelopment taking place. That's why I was so relieved and delighted to learn from my colleague Kaid Benfield -- NRDC's resident "Smart Growth" expert -- that the project underway happens to be the first planned development in the Washinton region that is certified under LEED for Neighborhood Development.

LEED, which stands for "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design" is essentially a standard for environmentally-friendly or "green" building. I'm proud to say that NRDC invented and continues to co-sponsor LEED-ND, which is the specific rating system that integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building into neighborhood design. Earning LEED certification means that a development's location and design meet accepted high levels of environmentally responsible, sustainable development.

With the new Twinbrook Commons project, my neighbors and I can look forward to a 26-acre, mixed-use, walkable development adjacent to the Twinbrook Metro -- now basically a wasteland of faded low-rise buildings and vacant lots. According to Kaid, the development's plan qualified under NRDC's pilot program, which rates projects in three major categories: location & linkage; neighborhood pattern & design; and green features. The best part is that transit-oriented development like that happening at the Twinbrook station has been shown to generate only half the driving and associated carbon emissions of an otherwise comparable development.

When I look at the before (or "now") photo compared to the developer's concept of what is to come, I can't help but feel lucky that my decision a decade ago to live close to mass transit is about to pay off in more ways than I ever could have imagined. When the project is complete, folks should come see the place. Twinbrook is, after all, just a short ride on the Redline from D.C.!

White House War on Lightbulbs?

2008-12-01T15:18:05Z

From the administration that views conservation not as a necessity but a virtue, this little nugget buried in yesterday's WashPost story about Bush's raft of 'midnight regulations' rolling back environmental protections stood out:

"On Nov. 19, the OMB ordered the Energy Department to kill new regulations that would have forced the federal government to buy more-energy-efficient lights, appliances, and heating and cooling systems."

Let me get this straight. New regulations, approved by the Energy Department, to mandate energy efficiency were overturned by the number crunchers at the Office of Management and Budget. On what grounds I do not know -- other than the fact that the Bush administration has consistently balked at responsible policies to protect natural resources and public health, not to mention those that might actually help safeguard the planet by addressing global warming.

The article lays out more than 60 other last-minute regulatory maneuvers by the White House to help polluters, including ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw a new regulation mandating that truck manufacturers install equipment to monitor vehicle pollution and getting the Interior Department to ease constraints on environmentally damaging oil shale development throughout the West (over the objections from Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) and a majority of the state's congressional delegation).

Sadly, I fear that this is just the start of a season of regulatory rollbacks aimed at benefitting various polluting industries at the expense of public health and the environment.

Fortunately, the Obama administration and leaders in Congress have vowed to reverse as many of these irresponsible policies as possible. They have their work cut out for them, that's for sure.

Geez, Jan. 20 can't come soon enough.

Liquid Coal a Crude Substitue for Oil

2008-10-24T14:00:00Z

The coal industry has a dream -- that one day our cars and trucks will run on liquefied coal. They tout this as a way to free America from its addiction to oil -- 60% of which we export from foreign nations, many of which don't like us very much.

Ending our dependence on oil is a worthy goal. But replacing one fossil fuel with another is not the way to do it. Especially since liquid coal is a dirty fuel that would threaten our national security by worsening global warming.

In fact, a new study confirms that trying to achieve energy independence by replacing petroleum with coal for transportation would increase our country's carbon emissions, thereby exacerbating the climate crisis. Greenhouse gas emissions could DOUBLE if coal were to replace foreign oil, the researchers concluded.

As we work to move America beyond oil, we must guard against the reckless pursuit of unconventional alternative fuel sources that promise more pollution and more climate change. Certainly, liquid coal is one of the worst dirty fuels, along with tar sands from Canada and oil shale in the Rocky Mountain West.

Check out our movie to see why liquid coal is a crude substitute. And join NRDC in the effort to stop dirty fuels before they get started.

Now is the time to rally for an end to our nation's dangerous addiction to oil by investing in a new energy economy built on cleaner fuels, better cars, improved efficiency, and more livable communities.

Offshore Drilling? Endless Bummer.

2008-08-15T01:11:58Z

I was lucky enough to grow up not too far from the beach, so I've spent a good part of my life – but not nearly enough – surfing. I rode my first wave as a teenager off the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Since then I’ve enjoyed the swells off the coasts of Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, Florida, California and Hawaii – not to mention a few exotic locales like Puerto Rico and France.

Over the years I’ve transformed from a perpetually tanned shredder on a 6’ thruster to a paunchy, pasty ‘soul surfer’ on a bulky longboard. I went from a wetsuit-clad all-year surfer shooting house-high curls during hurricanes to a weekend warrior content with thigh-high chop on warm sunny days only. Some kids dreamed of growing up to be firemen, fighter pilots or football stars; I longed to be a pro-surfer, getting paid to travel the world, ride endless waves and live the laidback beach lifestyle.

Of the lucky few who fulfilled my dream, none is more famous or accomplished than Laird Hamilton – big wave rider extraordinaire. Among surfers, Laird is a living legend. And he’s not just an amazing athlete who lives by the sea and makes his living playing in it; Laird is also an environmental advocate who cares deeply about protecting the oceans. Which is why it’s great that he’s speaking out against offshore drilling – a snake oil 'solution' to rising gas prices that will do nothing but perpetuate America’s addiction to oil.

Whether or not you surf, and whether you love the beach or never bother visiting the ocean, the fact is there’s already a heckuva lot of drilling already happening offshore. But with the U.S. only having 2% of the world’s oil reserves, risking more of our precious shorelines, pristine beaches and coastal economies won’t make a dent in prices at the pump.

Totally, dude.