FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2013

Mayor Dwight C. Jones' Pedestrian, Bicycling, and Trails Commission invited the city of Richmond to participate in Richmond Bike Month during May 2013. The goal of the 2nd Annual Richmond Bicycle Commuter Challenge was to show bike commuting is easy, affordable, and healthy.

"The Richmond Bicycle Commuter Challenge is a great way for our residents to learn and experience the tremendous health and sustainability benefits of bicycling. It is my hope that local businesses and large employers alike partner with us to promote a healthy Richmond, and be a central resource in increasing the overall health of our city," said Mayor Jones. "My administration has the goal of making Richmond one of the most bicycle and pedestrian-friendly cities in the country."

Participants were encouraged to ride their bicycle to and from work, and report days commuted at the end of each week for the entire month of May. Riding a bicycle for only part of the commute, such as to join a car pool or get to a bus stop, were counted. Participants registered online and logged their weekly commutes. All commutes must be reported on the website by Friday, June 7, and the results will be announced by Friday, June 15.

"This is an opportunity to encourage everyone to try bike commuting and possibly make cycling a routine as well as a healthy travel option for commuting or running errands. Richmond Bike Month will also allow Richmond area cyclists to see the city's infrastructure improvements, including widespread bike parking racks and improved bike routes across the city," said the city's Bicycle Coordinator Jakob Helmboldt.

Mayor Jones and the Pedestrian, Bicycling, and Trails Commission celebrated Richmond Bike Month on May 17 during the Bike to Work Day rally at Monroe Park.

Motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians have shared rights and responsibilities when using city streets. Please visit the Richmond Bicycle Commuter Challenge link for safety tips and laws.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

Since 1953, Keep Virginia Beautiful has been working to do just that by developing community programs for five impact areas: litter prevention, waste reduction, recycling, roadside beautification, and education about the environment.

To celebrate the organization's 60th anniversary, Keep Virginia Beautiful is introducing a new campaign just for you. The first thing you can do is give 60 minutes of your time by volunteering in your neighborhood and community to make a difference in one of those five impact areas.

The second thing you can do is donate $60 to Keep Virginia Beautiful. Non-profits and other organizations can share in the donations by sponsoring a local project and promoting it. Find out more here.

What else can your group do? All kinds of things, including planting a community garden, organizing a clean-up, removing graffiti, cleaning up a park or hiking trail, or starting a recycling program somewhere. More ideas and volunteer opportunities are on the kvb60.org website.

Afterward, submit your project through a photo or video and you might be a winner! There will be a gala at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in October to announce the results! Tickets are on sale now on the website. There's also a golf tournament and grant program, so log on now and see all the things you can do to make your contribution.

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013

Rainwater running off streets and roofs toward storm drains collects pet waste, fertilizer, pesticides, oil and sediment and carries it to streams and rivers. During heavy rain in Richmond, the central portion of the city serviced by a combined sewer system can't accommodate filtering the extra water through the wastewater treatment plant. This dirty water goes right into the James River and the Chesapeake Bay.

Do your part to help:

Test your soil every three years to avoid over fertilizing. Test kits can be acquired from any city library or from the Richmond Cooperative Extension office at 701 N. 25th Street.

Reduce the size of your lawn. Reuse lawn clippings and fallen leaves by composting. It creates a free fertilizer that helps build healthy soil.

Don't fertilizer before it rains or on frozen ground. Rain washes fertilizer into the street and down storm drains. Excess nutrients create dead zones in the James River and Chesapeake Bay where no wildlife can live.

Say inside the lines. Sweep fertilizer that's fallen on pavement back onto your lawn or garden.

Established lawns don't need phosphorus. Unless your soil test kit says it's needed, select a fertilizer with 0 percent phosphorus.

Apply no more than one pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet during a single application.

Participate in Richmond's Stormwater Credit program. Actively reduce stormwater runoff and reduce your stormwater fee by up to 50 percent by installing rain barrels and cisterns, planting a rain garden, using pervious pavers and vegetative filter strips.  Learn more here.

Small actions on everyone's part add up to healthier waters. To learn more about other ways you can help, visit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation or call 804-780-1392.

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

Mayor Dwight C. Jones included a major change in the city's water rate structure that encourages conservation in his FY2015 Biennial Fiscal Plan budget.

The Mayor’s proposal calls for a substantial reduction in the base rates -- from the current base rate total of $49.40 to $26.11-- as well as a move to charging for volumetric usage. This means that residents and businesses that use more water will pay more, also known as a conservation rate structure.

“Through this rate structure change, an estimated 50 percent of our residential households will see a decrease in their water and wastewater bills,” said Mayor Jones. “This action responds to the numerous voices, including mine, requesting a review of our structure and way to reduce the base charges.”

The Mayor told City Council "those who use large quantities of water...will need to be more creative in reducing their usage."

The Mayor also proposed an assistance program to provide an average $150 annual rebate on water and wastewater charges for qualified, low-income households.

Water conservation supports the Environment Focus Area of the RVAGreen Sustainability Plan. Conservation efforts also support reducing energy used for pumping, treatment, distribution, and the heating of hot water. The Department of Public Utilities is already a partner in the Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program, which encourages more efficient water use through efficient WaterSense-rated appliances, low-flow fixtures, and collecting rainwater for reuse. The Department of Public Utilities provides free weatherization kits to senior citizens with low-flow showerheads included, and every March, it publicizes and supports Fix a Leak Week, providing free leak detection kits.

Approved by City Council, the changes take effect July 1, 2013.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2013

The Department of Public Utilities' Energy Services division's DPU Energy Conservation Program concluded in the spring of 2012, benefitting 231 customers who received rebates on new purchases of high efficiency natural gas equipment and energy audits.

The Hopkins Road compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling facility began fueling operations for the Department of Publics Works refuse truck fleet in March 2011. During the first full fiscal year’s operation, the station displaced the equivalent of nearly 118,000 gallons of diesel fuel with clean burning natural gas. In terms of reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG), the city’s annual emissions of carbon dioxide were reduced by more than 350 tons!

Construction of the first public compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station between Washington D.C and Virginia Beach (the I-95 Golden Crescent) began in March 2012. Partnered by Clean Energy Fuels and Quarles Petroleum, it is ideally located at 211 Maury Street, Exit 73 off I-95. Its strategic importance will become even more apparent with the development of Virginia’s alternate fuel vehicle program, the conversions of other city fleet vehicles, and the ability to finally provide a CNG fueling means for other companies and individuals wishing to switch from gasoline or diesel to natural gas.

The significance of the technological advances that have resulted in the dramatic increases in shale gas reserves and supplies can’t be overstated.  Because of the resulting long-term forecasts of relatively flat natural gas prices, domestically abundant and secure, the three historical energy segments comprising the natural gas markets (Residential, Commercial, and Industrial/Power Generation), will now be joined by the largest of all, the transportation segment.