Groxie

We’re in Portland—woohoo! So far we haven’t ventured out too much, but there are a couple of greenish things that have come across our path.

Before we even got our first water bill, we received in the mail brochures about conservation and stormwater management. I ordered (for free!) a home water audit kit, a bathroom kit, and all sorts of other goodies from the city. We’ll be receiving leak detection tablets, a toilet “tummy,”a faucet aerator, and more—all courtesy of the city. In addition, we can receive a discount on our water bill for good stormwater management practices. There are even classes offered twice a month to teach homeowners what to do!

Why isn’t this common practice? Conservation and stormwater management benefit everyone, the city budget included. We also have some pretty good options for green power, but we’re still exploring those for now. I’ll post more on those when I get it all figured out.

In term of recycling, Portland accepts more than many municipalities. When I asked her what types of plastic they accept, the kind woman on the phone said “anything with a screw cap.” I assume that this really means #1 & #2, but I think that’s a pretty good (if not comprehensive) explanation for those who don’t know much about plastic labeling. The city has lots of good recycling resources online, too. The “Find a Recycler” page is particularly helpful.

These are two examples of what Charlottesville (and I imagine lots of other cities) could be doing much, much better. Of course nothing’s perfect, and I expect to hear about the flaws in the system eventually. But I’ve always been frustrated by the lack of action on common sense conservation and prevention tactics; Portland seems to be on top of those at least.

Sorry again about the long break—I hope to be back to posting regularly starting today!