ReNewable Now Radio Interview

I was recently a guest on ReNewable Now Radio where I offered my insight into the world of sustainability. Host Peter Arpin and co-host Jim Murphy, sustainability director at Rhode Island College, interviewed me about topics ranging from what the Founding Fathers would have thought about Republican climate deniers in Congress to California high-speed rail to Germany leading the world in clean energy to sustainability initiatives in professional sports leagues.

Guest Post: Cash for Trash: The Scrap Metal Story of World War II

The scrap recycling industry annually transforms 150 million tons of obsolete materials from consumers, businesses, and manufacturers into useful raw material, according to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc (ISRI).

The fact, aside from delivering on its intended promise of catching eyeballs, also underscores the critical role played by the scrap recycling industry in providing valuable resources at reasonable prices to the American manufacturer.

Guest Post: Go Green in Your Next New Home Construction and/or Remodeling Tips

Having thoughts of a new home? Have enough money for it? Consider the idea of going green in your next new home construction or remodeling.

Top 100 Green Blogs: Green Forward Ranks 73!

Rebates Zone just published their Top 100 Green Blogs according to Alexa rank, Twitter followers and Facebook fans. My Green Forward blog came in at 73! The Alexa rank for Green Forward is 3,180,687, Twitter followers is 860 and Facebook fans is 49.

People's Climate March NYC 2014

This past weekend I was proud to be one of 400,000 concerned citizens participating in the People's Climate March that took place in New York City -- by far the biggest climate march in history.

New D.C. Urban Rain Garden

A new innovative urban rain garden has been installed in downtown Washington, D.C. along the 19th Street corridor. The planted area is a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat. It is great to see and hopefully there will be more of these urban rain gardens sprouting up around town so the nation's capital can become the greenest city in America and the world.

Costa Rica Adventure August 2014

Arenal Volcano

This summer I took a group eco tour of amazing Costa Rica in Central America. Enthusiastic and experienced environmentalist Ami Greener and his travel company Greener Travel organized the ten-day adventure. The tiny nation the size of West Virginia is one percent of the world's land mass and yet contains five percent of the world's biodiversity. The flora and fauna, the pristine beaches, the happy people, the many cultures, the rainforest, the volcanoes, the cities. When you visit Costa Rica you understand why their most famous saying and national greeting is "Pura Vida," or "Pure Life!"

Photos: New Amtrak Cities Sprinter Electric Locomotive

On a recent train trip from Wilmington, Delaware to Washington, D.C. I had the pleasure of riding on a Northeast Regional train with Amtrak's new Cities Sprinter electric locomotive designed by Siemens. The Sprinter is energy efficient and offers a smoother and faster ride. A smart infrastructure investment to improve passenger rail service on the Northeast Corridor.

Photos and Video: Riding New Metro Silver Line

This past Sunday I checked out Metro's new Silver Line Phase One that runs from Largo Town Center in Maryland, through The District, into Arlington along the Orange Line route where it splits off between East Falls Church and West Falls Church and follows the Dulles Access-Toll Road until it elevates and makes its way towards the Tysons area where there are four new stations -- McLean, Tysons Corner, Greensboro and Spring Hill. Then the Silver Line rolls down to ground level and back to the median of the Dulles Access-Toll Road as it travels to its final destination -- Wiehle-Reston East.

Guest Post: 7 Rising Costs and Falling Energy Bills

Rising Costs and Falling Energy Bills 

Almost any adult you speak to will remember a time when products were cheaper. Gas used to be available for under a dollar a gallon. An entire cart of groceries could be purchased for fewer than fifty dollars, and stamps were only a quarter, or less. This day and age has seen a rise in the cost of almost everything, as products become bigger and better or at least more costly. However, there is a product that is coming down in price and can help you save money after installation. You guessed right, solar panels!

Photos: Wiehle-Reston East Metro Silver Line Station

After a series of delays and setbacks, the Metro Silver Line is finally set to open to the public on July 26th. Metro's newest line will include four new stations -- three in the Tysons area and the terminus near Reston Town Center. This is Phase One of what will eventually extend past Dulles International Airport to Loudoun County.

Guest Post: 3 of the Founding Fathers On Climate Change

By Michael Marquet

Living in Washington DC one tends to get a little historical. DC, history and green blogging together leads one to wonder what the Founding Fathers would have said about climate change.

Let’s examine 3 test cases: Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Guest Post: Five Eco-Friendly Ways to Keep Your Home Safe and Secure

Home security is a top priority for most families. Most traditional methods of security, while efficient, are in fact energy draining. From excess electricity to security cameras to old, non-energy efficient thermostats and water heaters, keeping your home safe and secure has become excessively expensive.

Green Traveler: New Orleans, Louisiana

May 8, 2014 to May 12, 2014 -- When I visited New Orleans recently for the first time I had no idea what to expect. Would the city still be reeling from Katrina? Is The Big Easy preparing for the next Katrina? Is there anything sustainable about a place with such a complicated and decadent history?

Green Traveler: Boca Raton, Florida Goes Electric

A recent visit to South Florida revealed that the region is going green and going electric. I was staying in Boca Raton for a family event and saw that the Palm Beach County Palm Tran public buses are environmentally friendly biodiesel-electric hybrids. The cleaner burning and more fuel efficient buses are made possible thanks to the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act and Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grants.

Guest Post: Ten Ways To Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly

Making eco-sensitive improvements in your home is both environmentally beneficial and monetarily beneficial, for these eco-friendly changes are more energy efficient, which means less money spent on utilities.

Here are 10 ways your home can be more eco-sensitive:

'Years of Living Dangerously' D.C. Premiere

If you haven't had the chance to see the new Showtime documentary series on climate change called "Years of Living Dangerously" I highly recommend calling your local cable provider and ordering the movie channel because this is one of the most important television events in history.

New Photos of D.C. Streetcars on H Street NE

It is spring in the nation's capital and while the cherry blossoms are sprouting, there is another new beginning that is taking place on hopping H Street NE -- the return of streetcars to the District for the first time in 50 years!

'Reject and Protect' March and Rally to Stop Keystone XL Pipeline

I was at the "Reject and Protect" march and rally last Saturday, April 26th in Washington, D.C. to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. While I missed Neil Young, who spoke in the morning, I did get some photos and video of the march after they delivered a hand-painted tipi to President Obama at the American Indian Museum and then rallied on The National Mall where indigenous leaders from First Nations communities in Nebraska and Alberta along the pipeline route spoke and said prayers and then an indigenous rapper performed.

Guest Post: Bold Moves Against Fossil Fuels in Washington, DC

Guest post by DC Divest -- a local, citizen-run, all-volunteer campaign to get the District of Columbia government to stop investing in fossil fuel companies.

The deadlocked congress in our nation’s capital can make positive change in our country feel hopelessly out of reach. But people power on the local scale has made meaningful steps in fighting a battle that the whole world is facing: climate change. DC Divest, a citizen-run, all-volunteer campaign, is making headway in Washington toward getting the District to remove investments in fossil fuel companies from its portfolios.

Green Traveler: Las Vegas, Nevada

On a recent trip to Las Vegas, Nevada I took full advantage of the public transportation options available to visitors. While the monorail has not yet been extended to McCarran International Airport, there are multiple buses that take you to The Strip, downtown and beyond.