Washington Nationals’ Stadium Goes Green!

Over the past couple weeks our little family has done an awful lot of traveling far and wide to visit with family and friends. Last weekend we spent a few days with one of Matt’s best friends, Dan, who lives in the Washington D.C. area, and since all of us are big baseball fans he started looking into getting tickets so we could enjoy a game while in town.

The Baltimore Orioles were on the road so we landed at Nationals Park, home of the Washington Nationals. Before we even got to DC, Dan had sent me a link to some information on the park and it turns out the ball park is one of the most environmentally conscious in the country! I was excited to have a first hand look at their efforts.

Construction on the structure was completed in time for the start of the 2008 season and it is the very first LEED Silver Certified professional sporting venue in the country so the two year project was quite a big deal!

Some of the efforts completed include:
- Location chosen to be accessible by the Metro (public transportation)
- Low VOC materials
- Materials consist of a minimum 10% recycled content
- LED lights used in scoreboard/electronic banner displays
- Massive reductions in water and energy consumption (3.6 million gallons annually / 21% over standard field lighting)
- Drought resistant plantings
- Reflective roofing materials
- Locally produced materials specified in construction
- Over 5,500 tons of waste was recycled upon completion of the project

We had a blast at the park, which is also one of the cleanest facilities I’ve ever been to! Here are a few photos I took the day we watched the Nats beat the Florida Marlins.

Thanks for blazing the trail toward a Greener way of thinking, Washington Nationals, while still allowing us to have a truly enjoyable baseball experience!

Water, Water Everywhere…

An old quote, from “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, goes: “water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink.” This famously used quote was originally written to describe how difficult it was for the crew of a ship to float along in the ocean without being able to drink from it. Luckily our situation is not quite as perilous but it certainly gives pause regardless.

On Saturday while I was busily enjoying a great time at a retirement party in California, a section from a ten foot wide pipe that delivers clean and purified drinking water to upwards of 2 million residents in and around the Boston area, burst.

The water released from the pipe was allegedly leaking upwards of 8 million gallons of water an hour into the Charles River and residents from over 30 surrounding communities were told to boil water as the water coming from their tap would be provided by non purified sources.

When we got in last night after midnight we instantly started to boil water. We placed cups full in the bathroom for brushing teeth and washing hands, I pulled out my hand sanitizer and started plotting my course of action for acquiring fresh, clean water to drink today.

From all the stories I’ve read most, if not all, stores in and around Boston that sell bottled water were stripped bare shortly after the tragedy occurred. I suppose New Hampshire, a short thirty five minute ride north, would be a good place to start and I can acquire my groceries for the week at the same time.

There is no definitive answer as to how long the boil order will last, but I will likely be doing so for longer than the recommended time suggestion anyway and everything will still be run through my PUR filtered pitcher. It has really got me thinking about water conservation and some of the ways I can cut back anyway.

What are your tips for saving water? I’d love some advice as the entire city of Boston aimlessly drifts forward without their morning coffee. Be safe out there friends and enjoy this video from Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds performing an acoustic version of Don’t Drink the Water

Fun and Funky Jewelry from Artwork by KD

Recently I chatted a bit with Kathy DellaValle, fellow Team Eco Etsy member and owner of Artwork by KD located in Susquehanna, PA, because her super funky jewelry really caught my eye as a fun and fresh approach to a hip retro style. Her use of bold colors and large shapes seem to scream hey check me out! Oh and did I mention all the materials used in her fashions are completely recycled or upcycled? She was willing to share a little bit of what encouraged her to pursue a career with an eye on both the planet and funky fashion.


How long have you been creating jewelry from recycled/upcycled materials?

A little over 1 year.

Where do you acquire the materials that go into your pieces?

I collect on a daily basis in my house (some kind of container is always being emptied) and I also receive lots of donations from friends and family!

What inspires you to create a piece?

I am inspired by colors big time!! They are usually my first inspiration. I love creating color combos that just make you stop in your tracks. Or a really rich color all on its own! Colors make me happy! Shape/texture come next.

Do you wear your own jewelry? What kind of reactions do you get from people on the street?

I wear my jewelry all the time! I had a post mistress that would order just about every pair of earrings I wore to the post office! It's great to get compliments from people in public. It makes me morph from artist to business woman; I then flash a business card and a smile ;-)

When did you become interested in protecting the environment?

Ever since I could walk! I always wanted to reuse things; it made me feel like I was hurting it's feelings to throw something away. Here's an embarrassing fact: When I was a little girl, after using a paper napkin I would keep it in my hand and call it my little napkin dog (I also did that with small brown paper bags too!). You can imagine the sadness when little paper dog went in the trash!

Are there other ways you are Green?

I recycle everything I can. Even tiny pieces left over from making things are sent to the recycle bin. I'm also a big conserver of water and electricity (I don't let the water run, I turn off lights when I'm not in a room, etc.). I enjoy picking wild apples and berries when they're around and making things from scratch. I park in a central location and walk to where I have to go and I also plan errands on the same day to avoid driving to town every single day.

What is one thing you do everyday that is considered Green?

Making wearable art from disposable objects and containers!

Do you have a tip for artists that are new to their industry?

Live by the 3 P's:
Passion - Love what you make/do so much that even if you don't make a dime for 3 months you still can't wait to wake up in the morning to get to work again.

Patience - Typically a successful business does not happen over night, maybe not even in a year! But you get what you put into things, so be patient and know success does not come fast or easy.

Lastly, Persistence. You need to have a daily plan and be aggressive every single day. Persistence in promotion, and in art making. Constantly try and make your work better, and think how you can reach more people. Sell at lots of shows. Don't give up! Everyday is a new chance.

Where can we find your items?

Web:
Artwork by KD Etsy Shop
Artwork by KD Artfire Shop

Brick and Mortar Locations:
Greenbeing in Scranton, PA
Earth and Wears in Dallas, PA
Pure Pennsylvania in Great Bend, PA
L'aveggio Roasteria in Binghamton, NY
Sea Hag Soaps and Art Mercantile in Brackney, PA

To keep up with the happenings of Kathy and her latest creations or show appearances you can also stop by her Artwork by KD blog which she updates frequently. She is running featured artist spots as well (I will be one of them in a few days too, thanks Kathy!).