environment | ARLnow.com

Group Offering Free Solar Water Heater Installation

Published August 13, 2010 at 12:34PM | Updated August 13, 2010 at 2:46PM

ACE is calling it their “Solar Raisers Program” — a take-off on Amish barn raisings. They’ve started recruiting members to volunteer on weekends for the day-long installations. They’re also looking for homeowners who are interested in the solar systems.

Homeowners who participate in the program will save $3,500 in labor costs, ACE says. They will still have to purchase the water heating system itself — which should cost about $2,300 after tax rebates. And they will have to provide food and drink to the volunteers.

News

Goat’s Head Among Weird Things Found in Barcroft Park

By ARLnow.com

Published August 9, 2010 at 10:15AM | Updated August 9, 2010 at 11:53AM

The group, which cleaned up the portion of the stream that runs through Barcroft Park, filled 28 trash bags with items found in or around the water. Among the items they found were a bicycle, a computer, a 70 pound metal beam and — most amazingly — the severed head of a goat, horns and all.

“I have no clue what it was doing down there amongst the plastic bottles, pens, styrofoam cups, baseballs, etc… but it smelled quite foul and we bagged it with all the other garbage,” Dan Bronson of Arlington’s Community Volunteer Network wrote in an email. “It still had the skin on it so it hadn’t been there too long.”

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published July 16, 2010 at 5:36AM

Dangerous Curve Near Roosevelt Island? — Bicyclists on the Bike Arlington forum say that a sharp curve on the Mt. Vernon Trail near Roosevelt Island has been the site of numerous wipe-outs, at least one of which resulted in broken bones. The main problem with “Deadman’s Curve” seems to be that the painted wooden surface gets extremely slippery after it rains or even when it’s humid. Posters are calling on the National Park Service to make the surface more abrasive to prevent further accidents.

Arlington Caterer Ditches Plastic Bottles — Shirlington-based Main Event Caterers has done away with bottled water — at least the kind that’s plastic and disposable — in favor of a reusable glass bottle system. The company, which is already 100 percent wind-powered and carbon-neutral, says the move will significantly cut down on waste. “We believe that businesses have a responsibility to not only protect but also improve our natural environment,” a company rep said in a press release.

Around Town

Local Eco Heartthrob Spearheading Cleanup Efforts in the Gulf

By ARLnow.com

Published June 10, 2010 at 12:38PM | Updated June 10, 2010 at 3:18PM

If you’ve been watching TV coverage of the spill, there’s a decent chance you may have seen Cousteau talking about the disaster.

“This is a catastrophe beyond imagination,” he has said.

News

Arlington to Hold “Green Office Challenge”

By ARLnow.com

Published February 18, 2010 at 1:32PM

From a county press release:

Arlington County has been selected as one of four U.S. local governments to receive assistance to create a Green Office Challenge program. The Green Office Challenge is an innovative program that engages property managers and office tenants in a friendly competition to save money and reduce energy use in their buildings, as well as reduce waste, save water, and reach other environmental goals.