Browsing Category sideblog

Buy local food in Charlottesville

Following up on Waldo’s post in March …  There has been much talk in the Charlottesville area about buying local foods, organic foods, etc. That is why I was happily surprised to receive a mailing from the PEC titled “Buy Fresh, Buy Local,” further directing one to visit their new site, “Buy Local Cville.”  (I didn’t see anywhere that the mailing was printed on recycled paper – that would have been nice 🙂 )Personally, I’m trying to “walk the walk,” riding a bike around Crozet when I can, using a manual push mower, recycling …  joining a CSA may be next.

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Belvedere groundbreaking today

Their website certainly is, and their product should be as well….  with the throngs (ok, about a hundred people) waiting, the principal didn’t show up until 10:35, at which time I had to leave to meet clients for an 11 o’clock appointment.  The presentation was marketed as starting at 10 and lasting to 11, so I figured I could hear at least part of the presentation.  Punctuality is a sign of mutual respect for others’ time, and for me at least, helps to set the foundation upon which trusting relationships are built.

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Get your popcorn to watch the race!

The third candidate for Albemarle’s Board of Supervisors is Tom Loach.As I can see it, the news cycle started with a letter to the editor of the Crozet Gazette….  And Democratic Central.A search for “Tom Loach” in Yahoo News and Google News reveals no relevant results (google has none), and none of the local media have picked up the story as far as I can tell….  is Tom Loach also CrozetResident, frequent commenter on cvillenews.com?  If so, ought a candidate for public office not post under a nom de plume?

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Is this ASAP’s point of view?

In search of Albemarle’s “optimal population,” ASAP believes in part:There are limits to growth locally as well as globally….  Through education, research, advocacy, and policy formulation, ASAP is working to identify our regions (sic) optimal population and build sustainable communities here in Central Virginia….  note: the missing possessive apostrophe is aggravating)How far will they take their quest for an “optimum population”?The paper by the Optimum Population Trust will say that if couples had two children instead of three they could cut their family’s carbon dioxide output by the equivalent of 620 return flights a year between London and New York.  …In his latest comments, the academic says that when couples are planning a family they should be encouraged to think about the environmental consequences.”The decision to have children should be seen as a very big one and one that should take the environment into account,” he added.Professor Guillebaud says that, as a general guideline, couples should produce no more than two offspring.

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The power to change – Cville leads the way

The recent surge of activity locally and elsewhere towards green building will impact the back-end of the building industry writes Francesco DeParis.  I have written before about the power small-towns will have in the future as the alternative energy/efficiency landscape progresses, and we are now starting to see more “townie” initiative.  Charlottesville, VA has put the gears in the motion on LEED requirements for new residential construction.  The benefits to mandating this at the town level are many: lower heating/cooling costs, less pull on the local-grid, etc…Hat-tip: WSJ blog.

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