Staunton Green 2020

Every Thursday in July at Live Arts in Charlottesville there will be the one woman show, Cry of the Mountain, a documentary play about Mountaintop Removal in Appalachia, conceived and performed by Adelind Horan.

As described on the Live Arts web site: “This is a wonderful and simple piece of theatre in which Adelind portrays a wide variety of people involved with and affected by Mountaintop Removal in Appalachia. The characters are performed verbatim from interviews she conducted last summer while volunteering with iLoveMountains.org.”

Get more info at Live Arts.

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Staunton might seem far away from the Gulf of Mexico, but our dependency on oil is inextricably linked to the millions of gallons of oil gushing into the gulf. The proportions of the Deepwater Horizon environmental and human tragedy grow each day which makes looking at this immense disaster even more overwhelming. Nonetheless, consider viewing this underwater footage from ABC news on the Repower America web site to get a sense of the impact of this gusher.

Commentators locally, like Ed Scerbo, and elsewhere have smartly pointed out that calling the disaster in the gulf a “spill” is misleading. A spill suggests an accident with a finite amount that can be cleaned up. The gusher in the gulf is a result of decades of decisions (and indecisions) and our addiction to oil.

Let’s work locally to reduce our dependence. Use the comments section to identify one or two ways you are going to lessen your use of petroleum.

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Staunton Green 2020 logo

Oil spill in the gulf got you down? We’re frustrated and bummed out too. We can sit on our hands or we can take some action and come together. Here are some ways to help to get things going locally:

Next Thursday, June 10 at 5pm head over to Zynodoa (115 E. Beverley) in downtown Staunton for Green Drinks. No, not  shots of algae biofuel, but getting together in a fun and hip spot with some of the best local food and drinks, while meeting others interested in greening our environment, energy and economy.  We hope you’ll come. Let us know if you plan to swing by: RSVP to stauntongreen<at>gmail.com (replace the <at> with an @)

I’ll be wearing my recycled 1974 green blazer from Stuyvesant Thrift Store (you don’t have to wear green, but let’s make Staunton Green).

On the following Thursday, June 17 at 7pm it’s King Corn, the first installment of the local motion summer film series sponsored by Transition Staunton Augusta, in partnership with Staunton Green 2020 at the Mockingbird Restaurant at 123 W. Beverley. Free admission.

Come early to enjoy a special dinner in the Music Hall featuring food from local farmers (call 540.213.8777 for reservations). King Corn is a feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation.

On July 3 Staunton Green 2020 will again be driving a hybrid vehicle in the Staunton July 4th parade. We hope to see you at Gypsy Hill Park.

local motion summer film series

June 17 King Corn

July 15: Save Our Land, Save Our Towns

Aug. 19: A Crude Awakening

Sept. 16: The Green House

Soon will be sharing more information about our fall “re-skilling” workshops and additional efforts to reduce our carbon footprint here in Staunton.

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico just got scarier. NPR reported today that the spill could be considerably worse than originally believed. See the story here. It would be easy to get bummed out by the environmental damage, angry about the economic consequences and worried about the potential increase in gas prices. Instead take action to reduce your dependence on oil. Here are some steps to consider:

1. Help SG2020 in our efforts to create clean energy and green jobs in our community. EMAIL US: StauntonGreen AT gmail.com (insert @ in place of AT, no spaces!)
2. Make better transportation choices: walk, cycle, take the train, carpool, or recycle an old car for an energy efficient model. Plus, turn off the mower, blower and other small engines. Finally, combine errands into one trip.
3. Talk to friends, neighbors and local politicians; discuss what we all can do to move the entire city to greener and lower carbon practices.
4. Shop at locally owned businesses, support Augusta County agriculture. Join a CSA this summer.
5. Attend Staunton Green 2020 events — such as End of Suburbia at the Mockingbird on Thur. May 20 @ 7pm
6. Buy less stuff and when you do make a purchase, bring your own (petro free) bag!  Rethink your purchasing priorities. And of course recycle, reduce, reuse, renovate and restore.
7. Reduce your home’s carbon footprint by 20% by 2020 and save on your monthly bills and be eligible for BIG state and federal income tax incentives.
8. Demand environmental education in local schools; talk to school board members and teachers.  Instruct children in sustainable living.
9. Let  local, state and national lawmakers know your feelings.
10. Support SG2020 by making a tax-deductible donation through the Staunton Creative Community Fund.  Make your checks payable to SCCF and place SG2020 on your memo line. Your donation is  fully deductible to the extent allowed by law. Send checks to:  SCCF, 35 S. New St. Staunton VA 24401

On Thursday May 6, the House of Representatives passed the Home Star bill dubbed “Cash for Caulkers” because homeowners could collect thousands of dollars in rebates for renovating their homes with better insulation and energy-saving windows and doors. Caulking, adding attic insulation, installing energy star appliances are great ways to cut energy costs, reduce carbon emissions and save money. But without incentives it is tough to take these kind of actions.

Ready to make changes in your home? Keep an eye out this fall for Staunton Green 2020 re-skilling workshops on all sorts of topics that will help you green your fall and save you money this winter.

The bill (H.R. 5019) now goes to the Senate for consideration.

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Stay informed after Earth Day.  Here are a few of my favorite websites that I hope you will enjoy.  Send your favorite environmental websites to us at StauntonGreen@gmail.com.

Join the Food Revolution!

www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns

This is an exciting movement started in Huntington, WVA to bring fresh nutritious foods to our schools and to people all over.  See the website to join the 8,440+ Virginians who have signed the petition.

Environmental Working Group

www.EWG.org

Look here for the latest research to protect you and your family from toxic chemicals in our food, water and air in every day products that we use.  EWG is nationally recognized and they event have a great easy to follow rating system.

Food and Water Watch

www.foodandwaterwatch.org

If you liked the movie Fresh, this is a good website for you! This organization is one of the best for environmental education and enabling individuals to take ACTION. Their mission as a non-profit organization is to work with grassroots organizations around the world to create an economically and environmentally viable future. Through research, public and policymaker education, media, and lobbying, they advocate policies that guarantee safe, wholesome food produced in a humane and sustainable manner and public, rather than private, control of water resources including oceans, rivers, and groundwater. Check them out!

The Good Guide

www.thegoodguide.com

The Good Guide is another great on-line resource that rates healthy green products from food to make-up.

Environmental News Network

www.ENN.com

Sign up for daily emails on the latest worldwide environmental news.

The Daily Green

www.thedailygreen.com

Sign up for The Daily Green e-newsletter promoting environmental responsibility with easy to read tips.

Center for Science in the Public Interest

www.cspinet.org

CSPI publishes an excellent magazine, Nutrition Action, on health and food safety. It’s the largest circulating health newsletter in North America.  This is a concise magazine complete with dos and don’ts and healthy recipes at the end of each edition.

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Mark your calendars, we’ve set a date for the first biomass energy presentation. We’ve asked people to come and speak on the topic of growing switchgrass as a fuel alternative here in Staunton.

Where: Mary Baldwin College’s Francis Auditorium
When: Thursday, January 21 — 7-8:30 p.m.

There is no cost to attend but we will request an RSVP closer to the date.

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…and by “grass” we mean exactly that: the green vegetation in your yard right now that is a hassle to maintain. Wouldn’t it be better if your grassy yard actually did more to benefit the environment?

It can, and, SG2020 will be exploring the issue in depth starting this January. As you may know, switchgrass is an alternative fuel source that can grow right here.

We’d like you to be involved. Send us your thoughts and ideas for this series of events.

• What would you like to know about switchgrass?
• Do you have suggestions about public or private places in Staunton to grow it?
• Would you be willing to allow us to replant your yard next Spring as an example?
• What other topics would be of interest for us to explore together?

Drop us an email (stauntongreen2020 ~at~ gmail.com) or leave a comment here or at Facebook.

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Historic Staunton Foundation is hosting a free workshop about weatherizing your old home. The workshop will take place Saturday, October 17th from 10am to 2pm at the R.R. Smith Center.

Energy and Comfort in Your Historic Home
Frank Strassler, HSF Executive Director, will demonstrate and discuss preparing your home for winter.  Display materials & case study information will be on hand to show you how to manage the stack effect, weather strip windows, and outline effective insulation.  Pick up a tool and give it a try!  HSF promotes green, energy efficient and sustainable solutions with a quick payback.

It is free to attend so bring a friend!

Have you heard about the growing national debate over clotheslines? As it turns out, clotheslines touch on questions about individual rights, private property, class, aesthetics, the environment.

From a purely environmental standpoint reducing dryer usage (and the dirty electricity that powers it) is a big deal. Some estimates put dryer usage as high as 6% of total household energy consumed. Reducing this energy use saves money and reduces your carbon footprint.

But, some feel that laundry lines reduce property values. They associate laundry lines with poverty. That’s why there is a growing trend to reverse this stereotype.

Here’s an article I wrote recently about the clothesline debate.

How do you think Staunton should address clotheslines? Good thing? Bad thing?

Personally, I’d like to see Stauntonians embrace more clotheslines. But, perhaps they’d need to be concealed from the street so people don’t get upset. What do you think?

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