Words, music, images and more from Jim Barnes
As part of the program, sponsored by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission and the Local Energy Alliance Program, Dumfries homeowners can use a new online mapping tool to estimate how much energy they could save by converting to solar power. The program bases savings predictions on factors such as the size of the roof and the amount of sunlight the building receives, said Robert W. Lazaro, director of regional energy planning for NVRC.
Washington Post, September 13, 2015
Homeowners in Herndon, Vienna and Falls Church have until Tuesday to take advantage of a program that can make it more affordable to start powering their homes with solar energy.
The Solarize NOVA program helps homeowners save money on converting to solar power through free home assessments and bulk discounts, said officials with the Local Energy Alliance Program, which sponsors the initiative with the Northern Virginia Regional Commission.
Washington Post, June 25, 2015
When officials from the Belmont Country Club homeowners association realized that weeds were threatening trees in the neighborhood’s protected areas, they decided to bring in a herd of goats.
Last week, a truckload of about 30 goats arrived in the gated community to begin a five-day feast that association officials hoped would rid the areas of invasive nonnative vegetation.
Washington Post, June 18, 2015
Concern about the plight of the honeybee has sparked a surge of interest in backyard beekeeping in Northern Virginia.
Interest is so high that two local beekeeping clubs say they are being stretched to keep up with the demand. Introductory beekeeping classes offered in Loudoun and Prince William counties fill up quickly every year, and waiting lists carry over from one year to the next, beekeepers in both counties said.
Washington Post, April 30, 2015
The Journey Through Hallowed Ground will hold its first Living Legacy tree-planting ceremony of the year April 12, when it will add 500 trees to the Inn at Meander Plantation in Madison County, Va.
National Guard members will join wounded veterans and descendants of Civil War soldiers for the planting ceremony, which will be on the 150th anniversary of Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.
Washington Post, March 26, 2015
I had been hoping to catch a glimpse of a pair of bald eagles with a nest in Manassas. I didn’t have any luck there, but was struck with the stark beauty of the late winter trees.
Admirers of a pair of bald eagles that live near Manassas Regional Airport raised alarms recently about the birds’ safety after noticing a real estate sign and utility work on property in the vicinity of the eagles’ nest.
Concern about the eagles’ welfare spread quickly through social media and drew the attention of federal, state and local authorities, who responded to fears that the eagles’ habitat might be threatened.
Washington Post, March 1, 2015
Prince William County officials last week unveiled plans for a STEM Education Center at the county’s sanitary landfill on Dumfries Road near Independent Hill.
Billed as an interpretative education center for science, technology, engineering and math, the facility would be used to teach students and the public about environmental issues and challenges.
Washington Post, February 1, 2015
Gardening is much more than growing plump tomatoes or fragrant roses. Gardens are part of the chain of life, with environmental consequences that can be beneficial or detrimental, depending on the choices a gardener makes.
That is the central theme of Landscape for Life, a five-week course that 15 people will begin taking Tuesday through the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy.
Washington Post, January 5, 2015
A new program being piloted in Loudoun County is aimed at making solar power more affordable for residents of Northern Virginia.
Washington Post, November 10, 2014