There are some great new townhomes being built in Arlington, Fairfax and Alexandria with move-in available in 2012. We have picked out our six favorites and are providing a brief description below. There are some other new townhome options available in Northern Virginia that you are welcome to ask me about offline or by posting a comment below.

1. The Court at Lyon Village - Arlington VA

Located on the corner of N. Veitch and Lee Highway – three blocks north of Courthouse Metro – 13 new townhomes are currently being constructed. This puts you within one metro stop or a few traffic lights of DC. Each townhouse includes generous outdoor space perfect for entertainment, gardening and grilling; on lots that range up to 3053 square feet. Each home also includes a 2-car garage. Another bonus is the view. The Court at Lyon Village sits on hill with vistas that reach parts of McLean, Georgetown and the National Cathedral.

Price: $$$$$ (starting in the low $900's)

Performance Rating: Energy Star

2. Mosaic District Townhomes - Fairfax VA

What will soon be a vibrant town center is now a massive construction site that spans for acres. The one major component already in place is Dunn Loring metro station. Based on artist renderings of Mosaic District Towhomes, they will have a modern / urban rowhouse type look to the exteriors. The floor plans are nice and open. The generous amount of windows and high ceilings will make the homes feel bright and bigger than they actually are. This particular developer has made their 4th level loft and terrace a signature feature of their homes.

Price: $$$ (starting in the upper $500's)

Performance Rating: LEED

3. MetroWest Townhomes - Fairfax VA

Almost every home within MetroWest will be no more than one quarter mile (a five minute walk) to Vienna metro station. A quaint pedestrian access trail will make it especially easy to get from the doorstep of your townhome to the turnstile at Vienna metro station. In case you are not familiar – Vienna metro is the last stop along the popular Orange Line. MetroWest will not only be residential. It is designed to accommodate over 125,000 square feet of retail space and a plethora of green space. The vision for this space to include a grocery store, coffee shop, dry cleaning, day care, fitness center, restaurants and other personal services. The townhomes include a long list of premiere finishes that include granite counters, recessed lighting, high efficiency HVAC systems, etc. But, early purchasers can customize your home with an endless array of options.

Price: $$$ (starting in the low $500's)

Performance Rating: none

4. Madison Mews - Fairfax City VA

It's hard not to have a soft spot for old town Fairfax. It has a quaint feel to it and the vibe is anything but old. New construction in old town Fairfax is rare so this new townhouse neighborhood immediately caught my attention. Madison homes has impressed me before with their craftsmanship and attention to detail. Madison Mews is no exception. The floor plans are spacious ranging from 2200-3100 square feet. These are the largest townhomes on our list. There are a total of 26 homes and 5 different floor plans. Each homes comes with a 2-car garage.

Price: $$$ (starting in the low $600's)

Performance Rating: none

5. Old Town Commons - Alexandria VA

Old Town Commons provides a luxurious urban-living option in Old Town Alexandria. The Old Town Commons brand new townhomes with rooftop terraces occupy 5 city blocks. The exteriors are made of brick or the highly durable HardiPlank siding, and the colors are vibrant. These new townhomes set a new tone for homes in Old Town Alexandria while maintaining the local charm. You’ll love the rooftop terraces with views for miles. The location earns a Walk Score of 89 out of 100. This is likely to improve once Harris Teeter opens its doors as well as the other restaurants and shopping options on the way. Braddock Metro station is located only 3 blocks away. The Potomac River and all the heart of Old Town Alexandria are within easy walking distance.

Price: $$$$ (starting in the $700's)

Performance Rating: LEED

6. Potomac Yard Townhomes - Alexandria VA

Potomac Yards has long been the bridge between Arlington and Old Town Alexandria. What was once a no-mans land is becoming one of the hottest strips of real estate in town. Beside the bustling shopping center is the construction of new homes, retail and parks. There is also always the underlying talk about the possibility of a Potomac Yard metro station one day. These homes will vary between three and four stories. Sizes range between 2,169 and 2,506 square feet. I really like the 10 foot ceilings on the main level and nine foot ceilings on all other levels. A few homes are available for immediate purchase and move-in. Others, can be customized to your tastes.

Price: $$$$ (starting in the upper $700's)

Performance Rating: none

Email me if you would like to keep up-to-date with information about any of the above neighborhoods.

A guide through the sustainable building practice is made easy by EarthCraft's Green Building Program.

Last Thursday, August 29th was an all day EarthCraft Home training event for single family builders hosted by Arlington County Parks and Operations in their general very functional conference facility near Shirlington. Although the class was geared towards builders who were looking to green their building practices by learning from the professionals at EarthCraft Virginia, in attendance you could find award winning architects, insulation experts, home energy auditors, Arlington County inspectors, planners and then some. This seminar was really a way to bring together people who are interested in building a community in a sustainable way. EarthCraft is originally based out of Atlanta, Georgia; the program was brought to Virginia through the help of the Home Depot Foundation in 2007. The idea behind EarthCraft Home is to help to educate builders about new and time tested techniques to build high performance and energy efficient homes. EarthCraft Virginia began in 2007 as the scion of Chuk Bowles and his business partner who saw a desperate need for sustainable building practices in their native Richmond area. Seeking a program that he could ultimately take state wide, Bowles looked to the Georgia based Southface Institute to help him put together a green building program modeled after some of the most successful programs in the nation such as Austin Energy's Green Building Program. The program seems to be catching on, as they branch out with more technical advisers (highly skilled construction experts who advise builders while taking their project through the certification process). They have 24 technical advisers working in Virgina at the present time, each of whom is very knowledgeable about their craft. So far, Earth Craft has been able to certify 525 single family homes and 2500 multifamily homes in Virginia.

What goes into an EarthCraft certified home? Well, the short, simple answer is 150+ points (green building techniques and resources) on a new construction that enable the home to be at least 15% more efficient than its regularly built counterpart. The long answer would mean that you need to sit through the basic building science class that is their EarthCraft Virginia training session. Seriously though, EarthCraft is only for new construction at this point, but they are working on a pilot program for remodels/retrofitted homes in the Virginia area. During the training they touch on the hundreds of things that go into building a green home. They discuss everything from the mandatory Manual J (the mathematical formula that ensures that your HVAC is properly sized to ensure proper pressurization, balances and comfort performed by the HVAC professional) to the importance of site orientation. Something that a lot of the folks in the seminar didn't know about is that there are energy efficient mortgages available to assist their clients in building a green home! They stress the importance of building a team that is on the same page from the get go. This reminded me of SEED Home's plans that I was so excited about. All the while, they remind the builders that the house is a system, the walls, the thermal envelope, etc and that a house must be breathable to have a healthy indoor air quality.

In the training seminar which is meant to kickstart builders into the Green building machine, KC McGurren, the energetic and enthusiastic Director of EarthCraft gave several hours of straight knowledge to the audience of mixed builders, architects, inspectors and rogue Realtors. She would get some great questions about construction science, and immediately rattle off a very precise answer: Why are we doing it this way? "Green building is trying something new and ultimately coming up with cost effective solutions for problems..." So what happens if A, B or C happens? "Code trumps EarthCraft, just know that this is a collaborative work that is about health and safety." The registration page noted that "This program serves as a blueprint for healthy, comfortable homes that not only reduce utility bills but also protect the environment." The kind folk, of EarthCraft Virginia definitely held up to their end of the bargain and put out some very helpful information for people looking to hit the ground running into the sustainable building field. In a nutshell, EarthCraft Virginia is the only statewide program for certification of a green built home. Skilled and passionate technical advisers are assigned to builders specifically to help them liaise between the tradesmen and even the client to understand how a home should be properly constructed to ensure a healthy environment. The homes are "graded" with the points system and will ultimately achieve a rating through EarthCraft to certify that the home has been built to specific standards of sustainability. This is a wonderful program for Northern Virignia Buiders to become a part of. If you're looking for a green built home, find an EcoBroker that you trust to help you through your sustainable home search! If you find this sort of information interesting, find us on Facebook!

Get the goods on what DC residents do in the summer!

You've moved here. You've gotten semi-settled in. Now, how do you figure out what to do for fun in the late summer evenings? All of the things they don't put in the tour guides are what you need to find out! But where do you look? Do you follow around your long time resident friends? No, you look right here, because we've got some great ideas for ways to enjoy the lingering twilight hours of the DC summertime.

Are you a foodie?! Well, with Top Chef DC currently on the air, people are starting to understand that the folks of Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland "get food." How about trying DC Restaurant week? Running from August 16-22, 2010, DC Restaurant week offers locals and visitors a taste of the town at a fraction of the cost! Hosted through OpenTable, this is a great way to get out and try some of the premiere restaurants that you've been dying to try.

Want a romantic evening under the stars, with the stars? Try one of the many open air movies around town. One great option is Screen on the Green hosted on DC's National Mall. Movies range from oldies but goodies to new blockbusters. Just look up the movie, grab a blanket- bring a snack and enjoy a movie under the stars with fellow DC movie buffs. Other Outdoor movie spots to look up:

1. Rosslyn Outdoor Film Festival
2. NoMa Summer Screen
3. Capitol Riverfront Outdoor Movies
4. National Harbor Movies on the Potomac

Thinking about a jazzy evening in the great outdoors?! There are plenty of places to go listen to some live music on Wednesday and Thursday evenings through out DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland. Look into listening to some live music on the National Mall, at National Harbor, even some meet-up groups can help you find some awesome jam sessions to make your DC summer evenings a little bit, well, jazzed up!

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for some other exiting things to do around DC and Northern Virginia in the summer time. If you find something fun to do that we haven't mentioned, be cool and leave us a comment, or post it on our Facebook Page- fellow residents will thank you for the great ideas to lighten up their Summertime blues...

 

-Genevieve Concannon

Arbour Realty

 

An exclusive look at GreenSpur Inc.'s new project: Value Driven Modular Homes and online green products catalog launches today

It seems that these days, every which way you turn you are being forced to listen to how this that or the other thing has gone green. How can you even keep track? Even better yet, how can you achieve the level of sustainability that most of us are striving for these days? Here in the DC Metro area, there are so many companies looking to make an impact on their community and their environment, it is hard to know who is for real, and who is just riding that ever present green wave. At long last, there is the semblance of an answer and in a nice neat online package- use it as your very own comprehensive product guide to green living!

Mark Turner is in the green building business; as the 2010 National Green Project of the Year award winner, he wanted to take his high end products- which are already incredibly "green" and make them available to everyone. After many long months of conceptualization and research, McLean Virginia's own, GreenSpur Inc. in conjunction with award winning Cunningham Quill Architects, Mark Turner's GreenSpur is launching a new line of modular homes along with a green living product and services guide. These homes are the ultimate in sleek, sexy design, are environmentally friendly, and completely attainable. The added bonus is that you get to choose how your home is designed and laid out on your lot! Mark Turner, President and owner of GreenSpur, Inc. has been working on this line of eco-friendly modular homes for several reasons: he saw the need in his Northern Virginia Community and beyond for homes that are of the upper echelon in architectural design, home owner friendly so to speak, and above all, environmentally sustainable to produce.

One of the aspects that makes this project so intriguing is that each home can be tailored to the homeowners needs. What is the most important thing to you about where you live and how you use the space you live in? Think first about how you live in your home now. What would you change? What do you love? GreenSpur's Value Driven Modular homes are smart like that... you can take the pieces of your own personal lifestyle puzzle and make the home fit your needs in an environmentally friendly, sustainable, and architecturally stunning way. From the way that you work from home, or how you entertain, these new value driven modular homes are designed around the way you live. Think of the homes like this- they are as unique as you are. Created from custom, yet pre-fabricated SIPS panels- each home can be designed to simple specifications in an infinite amount of configurations . How awesome is that?! You can be living in your very own green built home in a fraction of the time it takes to do a full-scale regular green built home. We recently wrote an article about how far modular and pre-fabricated homes have come over the last 20 years... GreenSpur's product is anything but boxy...The lines of the homes are unique to the style of the home owner and the homes are, again, crafted to meet the needs of how the homeowner will actually live in their space.

Beyond the modular homes, the exclusive online catalog will offer environmentally friendly products and services collectively in one place. Local vendors, artisans, and service providers have teamed up with GreenSpur to encourage sustainable and healthy living by presenting their services through this catalog. To look at this online catalog is to reminisce over Sears and Robuck, from the day when you could find everything that you needed all in one place from the comfort of your own home and from a trusted brand, to boot. Greenspur took the time to understand what eco-friendly shoppers are looking for an d consolidated these items to their easy to use and peruse catalog. When Mark first described the catalog, he asked, "do you remember J. Peterman?" -internal monologue as an answer- of Seinfeld??? Well, the design is clean yet quirky through the occasional throw back to our friends Mr. J. Peterman and Elaine Benes - it is smartly laid out into categories which pertain to each element of how we live and described in an elegant way that draws you into the element. Each of the 12 categories include short, poetic vignettes and environmental statistics to keep things fresh and informative. All elements are available Earth, Sky, Air, Water, down to Community, you can find exactly what you are looking to buy for your healthy lifestyle. If you are an avid gardener and are looking for a good solution to roof run-off, check out "Water" and find Maryland's AquaBarrel. If you are in need of a home energy audit to see if your home is leaking air, find the "Air" category and look up Conway Green Construction. From yoga instructors for your health and longevity to au-pair services to keep your family organized, GreenSpurs' catalog has created a beautifully convenient, one-stop green living guide for those of us living in the DC Metro and Northern Virginia areas.

We can't always expect to know the answers when all of this "green" stuff is coming at us. Hearing "you should live this way, you should live that way.... " is not what we want to hear. It is about making our own choices, and with the GreenSpur's new line of Value Driven Modular homes and the ever growing roster of environmentally friendly vendors and services that are local to us here in the DC Metro Area, you have the choice to live your life as sustainably as you want to. It like a Choose Your Own Adventure for sustainable living.

Are you looking for a space to call your own and choose your own plan for a modular home? Get creative! Sketch up your dream home in an awesome "raw sketch" - not some crazy auto-cad thing- and enter GreenSpur and Cunningham Quill's sketch contest for a free iPad by emailing it in to Mark! "Like" us on Facebook for information about the catalog, contest and more!

-Genevieve Concannon

Arbour Realty

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Extreme Makeover Home Edition takes on a Green Home in neighboring Baltimore New Modular homes Green and Beautiful

As we sit here and take in this article, thousands of busy-bee workers are pulling together a new home for ABC's Extreme Makeover- Home Edition right outside of Baltimore, Maryland. So, all of you out and about in DC and Northern Virginia, keep your eyes peeled for that loud, yet lovable Ty Pennington and his crew of builders, motivators and motley volunteers. Not even an hour away from us here in Northern Virginia, a very deserving group of at risk Baltimore youth are having a home created for them that will be highly functional for their needs and built in a sustainable manner, so that their new home will be healthy for them, their neighbors and the planet.

The folks at Extreme Makeover have done their homework... Prefabricated homes have come quite a long way, they aren't the single story boxy homes of yesteryear, they are cool, contemporary homes that can produced in a timely manner and have a better indoor air quality than some regularly built homes. Back in April modular home design company Blu unveiled a sleek, new two story modular home that doesn't look shipping container-chic. Interesting enough, I joke about shipping container-chic, but Bryan Clark Howard's recent posting on The Daily Green reminds us that we can "Discover some of the exciting possibilities of shipping container architecture, from disaster relief shelters to luxury condos, green sheds, vacation homes and off-the-grid adventurers. See what makes them green as well as cutting edge." Modular is the new thing to do to go green: our friends at GreenSpur, Inc. were asked to judge a new modular home design competition, where they were able to view some innovative modular home designs that are far from the rectangular, bland, straight from the box designs.In the past, modular homes weren't made from the healthiest of products, but right now, modular homes are on the cutting edge of sustainable design.

For instance, a modular, or pre-fabricated home built from SIPs panels (structural insulated Panels) will be beautiful from the outside and the inside. When most of us think of modular homes, or prefabricated homes, we may not have the grand image of what prefabricated homes have become today. However, if you take a look at some of the newest designs, pre-fabricated homes have gone from boxy to out of the box. The Caribbean style plantation home that Extreme Makeover built for the Beach family is not exception! The architectural details were precise and elegant, and in no way indicative of pre-fabrication! On the subject of the Beach Family's green built, pre-fabricated home, Extreme Makeover's main site states: "We used SIPs for the exterior walls of the Beach family's new home. Because of these pre-insulated panels, their home will have excellent indoor air quality and will also require a smaller HVAC system. This reduces the emission of greenhouse gases and fossil fuel consumption. In addition, SIPs use about one third of the wood used in frame construction. Oriented strand board (OSB) is used to construct SIPs, and is made up of wood scraps from fast growth forests, therefore making it a sustainable resource. SIPs can lower homeowners' energy bills by as much as fifty percent. If properly installed, they make the home airtight, which is a key factor in reducing energy costs since most of them come from air leakage. The airtight construction also helps to prevent dust, bugs, pollen, and mold from entering the home. Lastly, homes made of SIPs are significantly stronger than stick-frame construction and can withstand hurricane winds."

The current home in production in Baltimore has suffered a few set backs due to the major storm fronts that came through earlier this week, but that didn't stop the volunteers from doing their work and helping out a group in need of support and strength. Community building is a huge aspect of sustainable and green living that many people put by the wayside, but Extreme Makeover Home Edition brings together people across all communities, lifestyles and walks of life. This is about community building in the most figurative and literal sense. The home that is being built is a community group home for at risk youth of Baltimore. Kudos to all of the volunteers, tradesmen and ABC personalities for putting so much of themselves into these healthy and sustainable homes for a good and greater cause. For more information about sustainably built pre-fabricated homes in the DC Metro area, subscribe to the newsletter and keep up to date on our blog.

 

-Genevieve Concannon

Arbour Realty

 

Tax Credit extensions provide some cushion to those who have been under contract since before the deadline.

A very important home buyer tax credit extension was presented on July 2nd to those who have been under contract prior to the April 30th deadline. We posted this via facebook on the date that we received it, but wanted to make sure that those who may have missed out on the information had another chance to review the update. Little reminders are helpful, right?

Northern Virginia Association of Realtors, NVAR, sent out a priority email to their local Realtors: "Tax Credit Extension Passes: After a close brush with a deadline that could have impacted tens of thousands of home buyers, the U.S. Congress last night passed an extension of the Home buyer Tax Credit closing deadline. ...The extension is included in the Home Buyer Assistance and Improvement Act (H.R. 5623) and will prevent as many as 180,000 home buyers from losing their eligibility for the tax credit through no fault of their own. These households had home purchase contracts pending as of April 30 and had until June 30 to close on their purchases to claim the federal tax credit. Under the legislation that passed last night, these households now have until September 30 to close. "

What does this extension mean? It simply means that people who should have been able to close prior to the last deadline will still receive their tax credit. As a reminder, those who are foreign service employees or deployed military personnel can still take advantage of the tax credit through June 30, 2011 as long as they go under contract by April 30, 2011. Should you have further questions about how the tax credit will affect you, or if you are eligible, review the IRS website's frequently asked questions, or contact your real estate professional. Arbour Realty's founding broker Adam Gallegos had a very good point in his recent blog- are you better off buying a home now with the lower interest rates, or with the tax credit. Check out his awesome information. If you think you may be ready now- start your home search here in Northern Virginia.

 

-Genevieve Concannon

Arbour Realty

 

 

Energy audits give insight into how homeowners can make big improvements in little increments

My husband and I just bought a house in Arlington, VA. We were so thrilled to find a home that matched our style and, of course, that we could afford! Since both of us are very

conscientious about the environment, we wanted to spring for a home energy audit to make sure that we are doing our part to ensure that our home is not a big energy sucking monster. Remember when Jack Nicholson’s character in A Few Good

Men, Col. Jessop, said “ You can’t handle the truth!” ? I do. It is a saying that resonates with many and can be parlayed into any circumstance where there is a truth to be told.

I sort of had the feeling that when Chris Conway , the Green Gobbler, came into my new home that I was not going to be able to handle the truth about the possible energy sucker that is my newly purchased 1950’s rambler up above Shirlington. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be. I mean, I’d gone through other people’s homes conducting energy audits, but not my own. That wasn’t the case; Chris framed everything about our house that needed to be done in very manageable and understandable terms. Being that I come from a builder background, it was easy for me to understand what he was talking about, from the R-ratings of insulation to the E-values of windows. I did have the re-visiting of the conduction-convection-radiation story of how heat travels… and then there was the math… but Chris did it for me thank goodness! Yep, math in public…

The arithmetic of a home energy audit is in three equal parts, there is the homeowner, the mechanical system and the thermal envelope. 1+1+1=3. Easy enough. Chris starts out his home energy audit by going through the full diorama of how home efficiency chalks up to how the home owner uses their house, how the mechanical systems operate and how the thermal envelope is sealed to provide health, safety, comfort, cost effectiveness, etc. Living in Northern Virginia, for instance, home owners will more than likely be pushing their air conditioner to the max during heat spells such as the one that we’ve had for the last several days, but in a few weeks, we may just want to open our windows and let the breeze do the work for us. Since every home owner lives differently in their home, Chris takes the time to investigate how well you know your home by asking specific questions about your comfort level and how you use your space. After we’ve taken the “short course” on home energy efficiency, it is time for the tour of the house.

In our tour, Chris takes the time to assess everything from the flooring systems to the draperies to see if there are any smaller scale items which would help to provide more comfort in your home i.e. thermal insulated curtains will reduce solar heat gain in the home. Hardwoods will be cooler and less apt to hold in allergens than carpeted flooring, etc. We look at recessed can lighting to see if it is properly rated. When we happen upon the mechanical closet we stop. The truth about my little house has been discovered. Can I handle it? Yes. Chris sees that the mechanical space is wide open to the attic. Taking his handy-dandy infrared camera, he shoots an image of the attic space as being 114 degrees, and the space near eye level as being in the 80’s. Outside of the mechanical closet, the kitchen space is a cool and comfortable 75. The attic space is wide open with its heat pumping down into our kitchen. That is why it is so much hotter in the back half of our house- the attic is wide open to our house, in essence. I want answers- most of them are fairly obvious, but I want the straight dope from Chris. Patience is a virtue, right? Chris offers recommended solutions at the end of the audit with actionable solutions based on priority and cost benefit. Another “biggie” that we find in our walk through is that the addition on the back of the house has almost no insulation above it whatsoever and the lights that were installed were IC, not ICAT. This is ok, but having ICAT lights would make the back of the house cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, because air would not be lost through the cans. This needs to be remedied.

While walking my house, Chris gives helpful information and answers all sorts of questions that didn’t necessarily have much to do with the audit. He’s full of goodies! After nearly four hours of detailed information, lessons and asking for and creating solutions together, it is time for the recommendations. The truth isn’t always pretty, but at least with a house, things can be fixed! I was pleased to find out that our little house that could is in good shape. We just have a few items to tweak and we have actionable solutions. I have a list of items that are going to provide my husband and I cost benefit as well as comfort and safety in our home. I was able to have a very knowledgeable professional come through my home and help me assess what was going to provide us with immediate results as well as making plans for future improvement.

Having a home energy audit may seem like a daunting thing. You have someone coming into your home and telling you the raw truth, but this means that you have the opportunity to correct things that could be costing you money, safety and even time in the future. By allowing myself to listen to what is going on in my home, I can better understand how I need to live in it, make sure that we’re still doing our part to be environmentally aware. It doesn’t hurt that we’ll be saving money in the long run after we make our few improvements. I look forward to that, for sure!

 

-Genevieve Concannon

Arbour Realty

 

How to stop junk mail, this is something I have been trying to figure out for the last year.  Opening my mailbox to find large amounts of unwanted solicitation is almost as irritating as seeing you have 10 new emails and finding that 9 of them are spam mailings.  I wonder why companies would actually think we want these mailings; it is almost like taking your garbage or recycling and dumping it in someone’s front yard.  At a time when the environment is at the forefront of everyone’s mind, and businesses are striving to be green companies, destroying trees to send unwanted mailers is not only damaging to the environment but ones business reputation.

Still thousands of companies who do not have a green commitment continue to do this, resulting in more than 100 million trees being destroyed each year to produce junk mail. 42% of timber harvested nationwide becomes pulpwood for paper.  The only way to stop this type of environmental destruction is to find a way to get off the junk mailer’s list. This maybe easier than it sounds, initially I tried to call the companies that were regularly sending me the junk mailers and asked to be removed from their mailing list, although time consuming slowly but surely this does work but unfortunately it won’t be long before a different company's mailer shows up.

Thankfully, I recently found 41pounds.org, a company committed to helping home owners fight the junk mail crisis. 41pounds.org are a non-profit environmentally conscious company that gets it’s name from the amount of junk mail the average person receives each year (credit card applications, catalogs, coupon books, etc.) which for the most part goes directly into the trash can or recycling bin. Even with recycling programs all over the country, the majority of household waste is junk mail, and paper takes up about 40% of landfill space!

41pounds.org contact the mail direct companies on your behalf, all you have to do is sign up for their services.  There is a small annual fee but they will take care of the rest, guaranteeing to reduce your junk mail by 80-85%.  I already like the sound of that percentage, which means your junk mail waste would shrink on average by 34lbs a year.  Additionally not only through their actions will the preservation of trees and reduction of waste in landfills result, they also donate more than 1/3 of their fee to community and environmental organizations. These organizations plant trees, protect watersheds and strengthen our communities.

Like most people reading this blog, I feel very passionately about junk mail and trying to eradicate it as much as possible. Signing up with 41pounds.org seems like a great way to start the process of making this actually happen.  If you don’t want to pay the small fee, still check out their website as they give some great tips on how to reduce junk mail without their services.  Ask your local businesses to stop sending junk mail and becoming a green company.

-Lisa Tsoupelis

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Well Spring is certainly here in Arlington VA; in fact you could be excused for making the mistake that we are in early summer with the soaring temperatures the last few days.  All this nice weather has brought the flowers into early bloom in the Arlington neighborhoods and within the next couple of weeks the trees will be plentiful with green leaves.  In turn the grass will grow and with that Arlington homeowners will be breaking out the lawnmower, weather it be gas, electric or a push mower.

I have to admit I am not a big fan of the gas lawnmower, primarily as a result of  having my Sunday morning lay in disturbed by my over zealous neighbor trying to get an early start on garden chores, or having my relaxing alfresco dining experience interrupted with the intrusion of carbon emission fumes from the gas guzzling mower.   But after reading Arlington County's green tip of the day, that one hour use of a gas lawnmower emits the same amount of pollution as driving a car 93 miles, I feel it really is time for the gas lawnmower to move over for an environmental friendly lawnmower.

Environmentally friendly lawnmowers come in either an electric or a push (manual) version. The great advantage of the pushmower is that not only does it decrease your carbon footprint, save you money on fuel, but it is also is good for your health by creating a nice workout as you mow. In fact an hour of mowing the lawn with a pushmower burns on average 408 calories.  Changing to a push or electric lawnmower is just another way to make your household a green home and continue your green commitment. Don't forget to recycle your grass.

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