Bethesda plans EcoDistrict future

by Sophia Knoll

The Montgomery County Planning Department is considering EcoDistrict concepts — based on three core principles of sustainability: environmental, social and economic — as part of  a 20-year plan for downtown Bethesda.

At a June 18 public meeting, Tina Schneider with the planning team and Otto Condon of ZGF Architects discussed how the Bethesda community can go about changing Bethesda for the better.

First off, they said that we must look at buildings, streets, and communities as a network that can seamlessly work together. According to Condon, everything within an EcoDistrict must be used for either retail, housing, office space, or culture and more importantly must focus on water and energy efficiency to “revitalize cities from neighborhoods up.”

Condon also mentioned that districts are the building blocks of sustainable cities, which has led the Montgomery County Planning team to divide Bethesda into four main districts in designing our own EcoDistrict.

In the second part of the meeting, people worked in groups of eight looking over maps of Bethesda and brainstormed over various goals, deciding which of the eight “Performance Areas” (Community Identity, Health and Well Being, Equitable Development, Habitats and Ecosystems, Materials, Water, Energy, and Access and Mobility) they would like to see associated within each district.

People offered their suggestions and ideas for the planning committee, which will move forward in creating a plan for the Bethesda EcoDistrict and submit it later this year to the County Council for approval.

For anyone who cares about Bethesda, it is important to get involved and become part of the process. Offer your ideas (send an email to bethesdadowntownplan@montgomeryplanning.org) and help ensure Bethesda’s future as an efficient, vibrant, and  environmentally friendly community.

Sophia Knoll is a Bethesda Green intern and a rising high school senior at Georgetown Visitation.

 

Green News & Events, May 28

Bethesda Green looks to produce rooftop gardens in downtown Bethesda

Bethesda Green is looking to partner with the owners of flat rooftops in town — mostly businesses — to plant gardens and grow produce that would then be sold to local restaurants.

“We want to start a new business model,” said Sharon D’Emidio, program manager for Bethesda Green and head of the rooftop gardens program. “We’d love to see every roof with a garden on it.”

The rooftop gardens are a good fit for many of the roofs on Bethesda’s commercial properties because of their flat surfaces, plenty of sunlight and easy access to water, D’Emidio said. Produce from these gardens could be labeled pesticide-free.

See full article in Gazette.net.

Green Events

• Green Festival — Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, DC Convention Center. Use code BGREENGF14 to buy discount tickets here.
• Imagination Bethesda — Saturday, June 7, 10 am – 3 pm. Downtown Bethesda street festival for children.
• Big Train baseball — Go Green night at Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda, Saturday, June 7, 7:30 pm game time.
• Celebrate The Blairs Sustainable Community — Tuesday, June 10, 5:30-7:30 pm, Silver Spring, MD.
• Happy Hour w/ Maryland Green Registry — Wednesday, June 11, 5-8 pm, Courtyard by Marriott Chevy Chase.
• Reel Water Film Festival — Saturday, June 14, Bethesda Blues & Supper Club; feature film presentation of DamNation. Purchase tickets here.

 

Reel Water Film Festival, June 14

by Dave Feldman

Consider the following water-related facts:

• 70% of the earth’s surface is covered with water but less than 1% is drinkable.

• The Chesapeake Bay watershed consists of more than 100,000 streams, creeks and rivers; 18 trillion gallons of water; 11,600 miles of shoreline. It  goes through 6 states and Washington, DC, and is home to 17 million people.

• A typical individual in the United States uses 80 -100 gallons of water (reports vary) each day.  Over 1 billion people use less than 1.5 gallons a day.

• On average, women in Africa and Asia walk 3.7 miles to collect water

The numbers tell compelling stories. Water is vital to all life on our planet.

On Saturday, June 14, Bethesda Green and partners Mark Leisher Productions and Journey’s Crossing will hold our third annual Reel Water Film Festival at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club.

This inspiring event will share beautifully produced films about water and explore what is taking place around the world and within our communities. Plus, you’ll hear personal stories directly from many of the filmmakers. Our highlight of the evening is the award-winning feature film DamNation that explores the changes in our national attitudes about dams and healthy rivers. Click here to see schedule details.

Our work doesn’t end when the festival is over. We use the funds raised to support international water projects and local education about water sustainability. This year, we are partnering with Rukundo International to work in a village in southern Uganda called Kabale. We’ll be installing water-harvesting tanks to support a primary school and the surrounding community. Locally, Bethesda Green will work with partners to protect the Chesapeake Bay and support various storm-water management projects.

The documentary movement is growing everywhere and film stands at the crossroads of culture, somewhere between journalism, narrative and television entertainment. Water is our story. Film is our medium.

Tickets are now available to purchase online. See you at the festival Saturday, June 14.

Dave Feldman is Executive Director of Bethesda Green.

 

Protect the Potomac River

Part of our local watershed, Cabin John Creek flows under the MacArthur Blvd. bridge.

by Julie Clendenin

I spend a lot of time enjoying Rock Creek Park, which runs alongside my Kensington neighborhood. I drive through it every day on my way to work.  I run and walk regularly on the Beach Drive path. I have enjoyed the playgrounds and wetlands with my children and friends. I love it. Rock Creek is an oasis of natural beauty in the midst of our highways, lawns, houses, supermarkets, and sports fields. But sometimes, when the rains (and snows) are heavy, Beach Drive is closed due to high water, which reminds me that our suburban sprawl is a real threat to this precious natural wetland. We are slowly edging out the Potomac River’s natural filtration system of forests and wetlands.

Right now the water is running fast and the marshy grass along the creek’s banks is pocked with huge puddles. And all of our runoff — fertilizers, pet waste, de-icing chemicals, and other pollutants — is headed straight for the Potomac River (our main source of drinking water) and the Chesapeake Bay.

According to the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB), of the 14,650 square miles in the Potomac River watershed, 57.6% is forest; 31.8% is agricultural; 5% is water or wetlands (like Rock Creek Park); and just 4.8% developed land. While agriculture and development play important roles in our community, it’s important to understand their far-reaching affects on the local watershed. Everything we do on land has an impact on our river, which is the source for 90% of DC’s drinking water; in fact, 486 million gallons are taken out of the Potomac every day to provide drinking water for 5 million people in the DC metro area. We need to protect our river.

Recently, a number of water conservation groups organized a regional river clean up day. including the Alice Ferguson Foundation, which reports that more than 5,000 volunteers picked up over 1oo tons of trash. Here’s some of the things pulled out of the river banks:

• 73,700 beverage containers
• 7,800 cigarettes
• 18,300 plastic bags
• 510 tires

All of this trash was rescued from the Potomac River watershed. How does that make you feel? Disgusted? Regretful?  Personally, I feel grateful to the many people who spent their weekend cleaning up after us. I also feel inspired by them, and I’m thinking that maybe you do to. The Reel Water Film Festival, Saturday, June 14 at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, is a great place to learn more about local water issues. Also, here are a few things, including some from Potomac Riverkeeper, that you can do to help protect the Potomac River:

• Scoop pet waste and dispose of it properly
• Plant a rain garden or use a rain barrel – Montgomery County residents are eligible for rebates of up to $2,500 through the RainScapes Rewards Rebate Program
• Properly dispose of hazardous wastes like oil and paint
• Use natural fertilizers and do not over-fertilize your lawn or use chemical pesticides
• Reduce, reuse and recycle (don’t forget your reusable shopping bags)
• Wash your car at an eco-friendly commercial car wash or use biodegradable soap
• Safely dispose of unused drugs and other chemicals – DO NOT FLUSH THEM
• Spend time enjoying  the river and show your friends and family why it’s important to protect it

Julie Clendenin grew up in Montgomery County and is happily raising her family here with her husband, Tom.  She enjoys having unlimited access to Rock Creek Park; tasty, cold water from her kitchen tap; and swimming in the ocean.

 

Green News & Events, April 4

Ocean rapidly warming

The length of the melt season for Arctic sea ice is growing by several days each decade, and an earlier start to the melt season is allowing the Arctic Ocean to absorb enough additional solar radiation in some places to melt as much as four feet of the Arctic ice cap’s thickness, according to a new study by National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and NASA researchers.

Arctic sea ice has been in sharp decline during the last four decades. The sea ice cover is shrinking and thinning, making scientists think an ice-free Arctic Ocean during the summer might be reached this century. The seven lowest September sea ice extents in the satellite record have all occurred in the past seven years.

“The Arctic is warming and this is causing the melt season to last longer,” said Julienne Stroeve, a senior scientist at NSIDC, Boulder and lead author of the new study, which has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters. “The lengthening of the melt season is allowing for more of the sun’s energy to get stored in the ocean and increase ice melt during the summer, overall weakening the sea ice cover.”

See NASA News article for full story.

Eat your fruits and vegetables

Eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day reduces your risk of death at any point in time by 42% compared to eating less than one portion, reports a new University College London (UCL) study.

Researchers used the Health Survey for England to study the eating habits of 65,226 people representative of the English population between 2001 and 2013, and found that the more fruit and vegetables they ate, the less likely they were to die at any age. Eating seven or more portions reduces the specific risks of death by cancer and heart disease by 25% and 31% respectively. The research also showed that vegetables have significantly higher health benefits than fruit.

This is the first study to link fruit and vegetable consumption with all-cause, cancer and heart disease deaths in a nationally-representative population, the first to quantify health benefits per-portion, and the first to identify the types of fruit and vegetable with the most benefit.

See UCL News article for full story.

Events

• Rock Creek Extreme Cleanup —  Saturday, April 5, 9 am – noon. Join Rock Creek Conservancy at one of more than 50 locations along the 33-mile length of Rock Creek for volunteer trash cleanups.
• Master-Metered Condo Alliance Meeting — Monday, April 7, 4 – 5:30 pm at Bethesda Green. A representative from WSSC will discuss ways to reduce water consumption and get some control of water and sewer bills.
• Demystifying Clean Green Energy — Thursday, April 10, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, Silver Spring Civic Center, One Veterans Place, Silver Spring, MD. GreenWheaton, Silver Spring Green, and Bethesda Green present an expert assessment on the current state of the clean energy industry.

 

 

Green News & Events, March 20

World’s Largest Urban Greenhouse

Giant Food Stores signed a deal with BrightFarms to build the world’s largest urban greenhouse, expected to open this fall.  At 100,000 square feet, the greenhouse aims to deliver 1 million pounds of fresh produce throughout the year to about 30 Giant supermarkets in the Washington, DC,  metro area. Plans also include making the greenhouse available to schools as an educational tool on urban agriculture and sustainability.

In addition to building greenhouses attached to supermarkets, BrightFarms designs rooftop farms and is working on projects in Kansas City, Oklahoma City, St. Louis, and St. Paul.

To read more, check out this article.

New Bike Lanes

As Bethesda proceeds through a new sector plan for future development, interested parties may want to take note of Alexandria’s plan to add new bike lanes. The Alexandria City Council voted unanimously recently to create bike lanes on a span of King Street from Janneys Lane to West Cedar Street, one of Alexandria’s busiest streets.  Many Alexandria residents objected to this plan, however, because it will cause the removal of more than two dozen parking spots and add to congestion. Those in favor of the bike lanes argue that more and more people are using bikes for commuting so creating a safe way for them is key to cities like Alexandria.

Ultimately, the bike lanes proposal was approved with the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians in mind. Bicyclists will share the traffic lanes with motorized vehicles in the areas where parking is still allowed. New crosswalks and electronic speed indicators will also be installed for the safety pedestrians and bicyclists.

To find out more information, check out the Washington Post.

Events

• Maryland Day, a weekend celebration of all things Maryland, March 21-23, explores historic sites, cultural activities, and natural resources around Annapolis. See the Annapolis Green Growing a Little Greener webpage for more details.
• H2O Summit, March 22, 9:30 am – 4 pm, Silver Spring Civic Center, 1 Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring, MD. Topics covered include: What is Stormwater and How Can You Help Prevent Pollution? and Volunteerism & Community Efforts to Improve the Environment. The morning session (9:30 to 1:00 pm) will have speakers and workshops. Attendance is limited, so register in advance. The afternoon session will be a Family H2O Fair hosted by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission and will include kid’s crafts and environmental demos for families. An assortment of water related exhibitors will also be on hand located in the Great Hall. Registration is not required for the afternoon session.

 

Exploring the global water crisis

by Julie Clendenin

DC Water lifted its two-day Boil Water Advisory March 7, which was a relief for many DC residents. Their short “water crisis” ended without much drama. It did, however, remind me of our good fortune when it comes to drinking water. It’s good that the remarkable days are those when our water supply is NOT absolutely safe.

And it made me wonder about the flip side of that luck that escapes my consciousness most of the time. I started really thinking about what it would be like to live without a reliable, convenient source of drinking water.

I wanted some perspective from the flip side, so I went looking for some data. Here’s what I found:

• 768 million people in the world do not have access to safe, clean drinking water (UNICEF, 2014).
• “Access to drinking water,” in international development language, means that the water source is less than 1 kilometer from its place of use.  That means that someone has to travel, collect water, and carry it home for use. EVERY DAY. The World Health Organization estimates that, globally, 200 million hours are spent EACH DAY collecting water for domestic use.
• An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than the average person in a developing country slum uses for an entire day (UN Development Program, 2006).

Our city’s briefly threatened water supply was an inconvenience for many of our neighbors – in fact, it was a very real health hazard that needed to be taken seriously. I am grateful that this kind of thing is a rare occurrence for us, and that we can remain confident about the safety of our drinking water.

The thing is, in the developing world, the lack of clean drinking water is daunting crisis. In some African nations, less than half the population has access to clean drinking water. Every day, 1,400 children die from diseases directly linked to unsafe water or lack of basic sanitation.

The Reel Water Film Festival, Saturday, June 14 at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, is a great place to start exploring the global water crisis. It’s also an opportunity to explore our own, local water supply challenges. Roughly 6 million people live in the DC area – and most of us get our drinking water from the Potomac River, which is threatened by stormwater runoff from our paved surfaces, sewage overflows caused by massive rainstorms (and snowmelt!), chemical & nutrient pollution from our lawns as well as larger industrial and agricultural sources.

There are things we can each do to help, on both fronts. Let’s not take clean water for granted. It’s not really just a matter of good fortune. We need to get real about protecting it.

Julie Clendenin grew up in Bethesda, met her husband during high school at Walter Johnson, currently lives with her family in Kensington, and works for a consulting firm in Bethesda.

 

Green News & Events, Dec. 19

What is the future for Solar Energy?

GreenBiz.com recently published a solar industry forecast with a bright future — at least in the short term.  Solar energy has been growing and becoming more popular throughout the last five years but what does the future look like for it? The solar energy industry is moving extremely fast and, according to the GTM Research’s annual solar industry conference, the United States is expecting to install more solar capacity this year than Germany.

Solar energy is becoming popular because it is able to be sold to consumers through numerous channels, including traditional installers, car companies, environmental groups, home improvement stores, and home automation companies.  Solar energy is also becoming a favorite of institutional investors, which allows new companies such as SolarCity and Sungevity to innovate around financing.

Solar energy is the second largest source of new power generation and if it continues to grow, it is estimated that it could contribute nearly 10 percent of electricity generation in 15 years.

The challenge is that solar energy’s continued fast growth is not guaranteed. Future cuts in federal tax credits could slow down sales.

To read all of the details, check out this article.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle — but first Avoid

This article published by Shareable asks: What would a zero waste world look like? One dimension is efficient recycling. But to truly get to zero waste, you’d need to go beyond recycling into reduce and reuse. In South Australia, they’re experimenting with how to take this one step further by adding “avoid” to the top of the waste management hierarchy.

Insects help our food system

Eating bugs certainly is not an accepted part of our cultural appetite.  But that all may be changing.  According to an article published by Worldwatch, insects are an important part of the future for our food. The prices of grains and meats that depend on these grain supplies to feed livestock will definitely rise. Insects, however, offer a great alternative because they are easy to raise, healthy, and much more efficient in processing. The only problem is that bugs are usually not a friendly or attractive topic.

Most people relate disgust to insects so the biggest hurdle would be introducing insects as an appetizing and healthy food. The easiest way to integrate insects in our diet is through processed food, where the texture and taste of the bugs are lost but the healthy and sustainable source of protein is preserved.

Who knows?  It may not be too long before raising bugs is a normal part of the U.S. food consumption economy.

Learn more at this article.

Opportunities in water technology innovations

According to 77 percent of the respondents to the 2013 CDP Global 500 Water Report, business opportunities exist in addressing water-related risks. Many companies identified new products and services as one of the opportunities. The commercialization of innovative water technologies can be challenging though. These reasons include a disconnect between the price and the value of water and a lack of funding for water infrastructure and technologies in the public sector. Despite the challenges, water technology innovation continues.

To find out more, check out this article.

Events

• GreenWheaton and Silver Spring Green Holiday Event — Thursday, Dec. 19,  5-8 pm, Hollywood East Cafe, Westfield Wheaton Plaza, 11160 Veirs Mill Road, Wheaton, MD 20902.

 

Green News & Events, Sept. 17

By Alison Wentzell

Savenia Labs Gets Ready to Premier WaterSavvy Database

Savenia Labs announced today that they have put together a database that compares the price of water across the United States.  What they have found is that water prices are drastically different across the country.  For example, in Atlanta, GA the average family will pay $2,600 per year for water; whereas in Wilmington, DE families will pay approximately $260 per year.

The wide variation in pricing is due to diverse pricing strategies around the country, and they’re not exactly what you’d expect.  Water companies figure water bills based on either a fixed price or a price based off of a household’s water usage, but there are also administrative fees, sewer rates, block rates, and pricing tiers.  Savenia Labs has found that a majority of what we pay on our water bills isn’t actually for water, but rather sewer and administrative fees.  Most surprisingly, though, is that the pricing logic regions use for water doesn’t always make sense.  They found that water was relatively cheap in the Southwest, despite the arid environment, but in regions that are plentiful with water, it is expensive.  The difference being sewer costs.

Savenia Labs hopes that WaterSavvy-DB will inform residents across the nation about the price of water and will help them to purchase the most water and price efficient appliances for their region.  Catherine Norman of Johns Hopkins University praises the WaterSavvy-DB by saying, “Savenia WaterSavvy-DB empowers buyers to make smart choices that support conservation in their communities and helps raise awareness of local water costs.”  Savenia Labs plans to utilize the database to illuminate the hidden costs and environmental impacts of common appliances.

For more information and a sample of the WaterSavvy-DB, check out their blog.

Startup Maryland

The new organization, Startup Maryland has reached enormous success since its launch from the Startup America Partnership.  Their main concentrations are connection, celebration, coaching, and capital.  With all of these four initiatives they hope to help startup businesses ground themselves in today’s economy.  In addition, Startup MD strives to strengthen Maryland’s economy while fostering an economic climate in which companies can leverage the state’s Unfair Advantage.  Unfair Advantage refers to the fact that Maryland provides resources to entrepreneurs that have fueled startup innovations for decades, which no other state has been able to match.

Earlier this year Startup Maryland received even more validation to their success when they were invited to the White House to highlight how their efforts developed over the past year.  Since their inception they have become one of the top 5 startups per capita, and have worked with over 500 startup businesses.  Their successes boost Maryland’s local economy by providing easily accessible resources for startup businesses that might otherwise not succeed.

For more about Startup Maryland, check out their website.

Events

• Pitch Across Maryland, September 18, 10 am – 1 pm, Bethesda Green, 4825 Cordell Ave, Bethesda, MD

Join Bethesda Green as we host the second annual Pitch Across Maryland Bus Tour.  This event is open to all entrepreneurs seeking the opportunity to make pitches, and connect with potential investors.  For more information email Robert Snyder at robertgsnyder@msn.com and register at www.startupmaryland.org/get-on-the-bus-registration.

• Food and Water Watch’s Perdue Fair Share Campaign Kick-Off Meeting, September 18, 7-9 pm, Heffner Center, 42 Oswego Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912

Come out and show support for the Poultry Fair Share Act, which would end Big Chicken’s free ride on pollution in the Bay and make them pay to clean it up.  This first meeting will provide further information about the campaign and what you can do to help.

• Montgomery County Food Council General Council Meeting, September 18, 7-9 pm, Bethesda Green, 4825 Cordell Ave, Bethesda, MD

Learn 10 Easy Steps to Greening a Restaurant, which can help any business where food is packaged and consumed!

• PARK(ing) Day, September 20, 10am-2pm, 7900 Norfolk Ave, Bethesda, MD,

PARK(ing) Day is an annual worldwide event where artists convert metered parking sports to temporary parks to raise awareness about the need for more urban open space and to spark conversations about how public space is created and allocated.  To learn more visit www.parkingday.org.

• DC Green Festival, September 21-22, 10a-5pm, Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Come out to the showcase green event of the year, and say hello to Bethesda Green!

• Norwood Park Day, September 21, 1-4 pm, Norwood Park, 4700 Norwood Drive, Chevy Chase, MD

Volunteer from 1 to 3 to help clean up Norwood Park and stay for the Little Falls Ramblers concert.  Make sure to bring clippers, loppers and gloves!  Free Food will be provided!

Alison Wentzell is a senior at American University and an intern with Bethesda Green.  Her interests in sustainability focus on the community, environmental politics, and cultural aspects of the environmental movement.

 

Potomac River Festival 2013

“Incredible paddling action. An epic celebration of the Nation’s river.” This Saturday and Sunday, the 2013 Potomac River Fest kicks off just a few miles outside our nation’s capital. The country’s best kayakers will face off in an epic race down the Potomac River, a fast-paced, breathtaking event with kayakers traveling 60 vertical feet through the River’s class V+ Great Falls. The 26^th Annual Race is an opportunity to celebrate and promote the Potomac River, the sport of kayaking, and the large and diverse community of river stewards who work and play on the Nation’s river.

The Potomac River Fest is the product of Active Nature and its work with the local paddling community. Founder and President Jason Beakes, born and raised in the DC area, is a world-class athlete, Olympian, and local and national hero. A member of the US Kayak Team for 8 years, Vice President of the Board of Team River Runner, ambassador through sport to China… Jason’s work in the paddling community over the past 20 years has inspired and motivated thousands.

Active Nature is devoted to giving back – community service and environmental sustainability are core values of the Active Nature team. They work to provide access to the outdoors to members of underserved communities, work with Team River Runner to provide health, healing, and challenges to active service members, and partner with the US National Park Service to advocate on behalf of the public lands we all love.

Mark Leisher Productions is proud to be a sponsor of the Potomac River Festival 2013. The MLP crew will be at the event Saturday and Sunday, manning our table, handing out giveaways, and filming the action. Mark Leisher’s background includes working with kayakers all over the world – while other people take it easy on the weekends, we spend some of ours on the water, filming and participating in the action! We hope to see as many of you there as possible, enjoying the beautiful weather and the breathtaking sportsmanship on display. You can purchase tickets through Active Nature.

Susanna Parker is a volunteer with Bethesda Green, and social media manager for Mark Leisher Productions.