Looking back at when I started riding a bike in Charlottesville in 2008 . What I wrote is as relevant now as it was then. Since then, I’ve gotten a better bike, discovered more routes and actually shown property to a client while on bikes .
Browsing Category Green
A first – Rode My Bike to Show a House in Charlottesville
Today marks a first: I rode my bike from Nest to a buyer client’s house (where they’re renting) and from there to a house on the market in the City. No car, just a nice ride on a beautiful day in Charlottesville. I’ve wanted to do this for years, ever since I started consistently riding a bike a few years ago.
Backyard Garden, Year Two
Year One was a reasonable success , in that: – We fed ourselves a little bit, – We learned that gardening is a lot of work that requires constant vigilance – from weeds, deer and other critters – The family gardened together – I’d like to think I’m helping my little corner of the world by growing local, eating a bit local, and hopefully setting an example for others. – Spacing of plants matters. … In fact, they’ll likely die. – Order and planning seem to be reasonable foundations for success in gardening; I’ll let you know if that proves to be true. – I want a bigger garden. … More of my buyer clients have gardened, and many more want to have gardens; “I’d like some space for a garden” is one of the more common questions/criteria I am hearing, and I don’t think this is a self-selection whereby I am attracting like-minded buyer clients. I think more people want to garden. 
If you’re like me and are getting started in gardening and haven’t had time to plant, may I suggest a visit to the Virginia Cooperative Extension’s website ?
Charlottesville’s Retail Relay raises Nearly $3 Million
The online grocery retailer took in $2 million from an equity offering, while raising $959,836 from an offering of convertible notes. Retail Relay is a pretty fascinating concept that speaks to the growing locavore movement that is so prevalent in Charlottesville, as well as the busy schedules of many people. … C-Ville had a nice description recently of what Retail Relay does : The way Relay works is simple: you log on to their website, select from an extensive list of groceries (and gifts, cleaning supplies, etc.), pay with your credit card, select a pick-up location (or home delivery), then go get your necessaries in one easy trip. They even put the bags in your car (bring your own reusable totes for extra greenie points)!
Cities Are Greener than the Suburbs. Apparently.
And that leads to lower electricity usage, lower home heating usage — and those are the facts that I think make cities seem, at least to my eyes, significantly greener. … … And let’s just go through this — more than 85 percent of single-family detached houses in this country are owner occupied. … If you rent out single-family detached housing, they depreciate on average, more than 1 percent a year, according to some studies. And that’s quite easy to understand: renters don’t do the maintenance that homeowners do, to keep taking care of their homes.
Coaching Soccer This Spring. Again.
Easy: When we bought our home several years ago, one of my requirements wishes was that we live close to a soccer field. … At the time, I was coaching my older daughter as she began her U-8 soccer career, and I was (and am still) playing in an adult soccer league. … Coaching soccer is one of the ways I choose to participate in my community, and more importantly, my kids’ lives. Seeing the kids in the hallways of the schools, in coffee shops, in grocery stores, and knowing that for that little time of their lives, I had a impact, is something I encourage every parent to do.
Charlottesville’s LEAP One of 10 Communities to Test “MPG for Houses”
One of 10 Communities Nationwide to Test Score Akin to MPG Label for Cars The White House today announced that Charlottesville’s Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP) was selected to help pilot a new Home Energy Score Program, similar to a miles-per-gallon label for cars, before it is rolled out nationally next summer. LEAP’s Executive Director Cynthia Adams was in Washington, DC, for the announcement today which was attended by Vice President Joe Biden as Chair of the White House Middle Class Task Force, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality Nancy Sutley, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan. LEAP will now be one of the first to offer this valuable tool to customers and stakeholder partners in Charlottesville and the surrounding counties of Albemarle, Greene, Nelson, Fluvanna, and Louisa and will help improve the program before it is rolled out nationally. “We know that in the U.S. buildings account for 70% of our electrical and 40% of our overall energy use, and yet until now we have had no practical tool for quantifying the relative performance of these buildings.