Bethesda Green

Like old friends catching up on good times, President Obama and Seth Goldman, TeaEO of Honest Tea and Bethesda Green Board co-chair, take a moment to chat at a recent White House gathering of business leaders.  Seems like Bethesda Green and the White House have something in common — we both like to keep well-stocked with the bottled organic beverages produced by Honest Tea.

The president is a long-time fan of Honest Tea and reportedly kept a supply on the campaign trail.  Now Seth drops by to stock the Oval Office frig with Barack’s favorites — Black Forest Berry and Green Dragon — honest.

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) is tickled about Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s announcement that he’s pushing for passage of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act of 2009.  According to CCAN, it is the same bill (formerly the Global Warming Solutions Act) that environmental, faith, health, campus, and business groups have been strongly supporting for the last two years.  See CCAN’s blog entry for more info.

The centerpiece of the bill calls for statewide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 25% from 2006 levels by 2020, and directs the Maryland Department of the Environment to craft a plan and a timeline to achieve those goals.  Read the governor’s release.

CCAN’s grassroots advocacy efforts include promoting a write-in campaign thanking Gov. O’Malley for his leadership.

People often ask us about Montgomery County’s plastics recycling program for residents.  Well, I believe in the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, so as a public service, here’s a sampling of plastics that you can and cannot put in the blue bins to be picked up with cans and bottles.

Why the heck are you posting a picture of Chevy Chase Bank on your Bethesda Green blog?  Very simple.  The second floor of the building — located at the corner of Woodmont and Cordell Avenues — is our new home.  A Bethesda Green sponsor, Chevy Chase Bank has generously donated the space, which is starting to take shape as a community center and green business incubator.

Designers and builders are working up remodeling plans; and community members, government, and businesses are contributing information displays, artwork, and decor.  Lot’s still on the drawing board, so any suggestions or ideas are welcome.

In the weeks ahead, by early Spring, we’ll be hosting a big, open house party t0 showcase Bethesda’s green businesses, programs, and activities.  Stay tuned.

By the way, did you notice the recycling bin to the right of the front door?  Sponsored by Working Group Member David Hill of CycleLogic, it’s one of our many new bins installed thruout downtown Bethesda.

Here’s a copy of our ad that appears on page 230 of the Jan/Feb 2009 issue of Bethesda Magazine — a generous in-kind contribution from publisher Steve Hull and Nasuti + Hinkle Creative Thinking.  Variations of the ad will appear in every issue this year.

Going Green DC blogger Sacha Cohen says nice things about recycling in Bethesda in an interview with Washingtonian.com.

Responding to a question about the best city or town in the area for recycling, she says:  “Bethesda is setting an excellent example with its recycling efforts.  Thanks to Bethesda Green, there are now recycling bins throughout downtown Bethesda, and the organization supports other environmental programs like an electronics-recycling day.”

Recycling bins are popping up all over the place in downtown Bethesda, and we’ll be highlighting some new locations soon.  In the meantime, thanks to Cohen for citing our efforts.  Be sure to check out her blog.  It features a terrific list of links to local businesses,  builders, boutiques, bars (restaurants), and more.

Let’s get 2009 off to a good start and get our economy back on track.  Green America, formerly Co-op America, offers a great road map with an article from its latest newsletter.

According to Executive Director Alisa Gravitz, “We now have a teachable moment to be bold in stepping up with these solutions for long-term change toward sustainability—and helping people through tough times.  Now these green economy solutions are more important than ever.”

See 7 Fixes from the Green Economy for more information.