Take a virtual tour of the VCU Rice Center

If you weren't able to take the VCU Rice Center Tour this past Friday during VCU's Day of Sustainability, you can still see this LEED Platinum building through this great video tour.

First Broad Street Rapid Transit Meeting Tonight!

The first of two identical public forums on GRTC's plans for a rapid transit line running from Rocket's Landing to Willow Lawn is tonight, 6-8pm at the DMV near the Science Museum. The forum I went to last year on this topic was great, and they made a huge effort to listen to the public's suggestions and concerns. If it is anything like last year there will be posterboards set up with their plans, and the relevant people involved in the planning standing next to the boards to field questions. The presentation on the plan will begin at 7pm, and will be followed by a question and answer period. (See more details below).

Deck & Patio Water Solutions (Part II)

In this 2nd installment of efficient and money-saving irrigation methods, I tackle the problem of deck and patio irrigation. If your deck or patio has easy access to tap water, one of the simplest methods may be traditional drip irrigation. If you don't, keeping your patio plants from wilting in the summer heat can be a time-consuming chore. Watering by hand can require many trips to the tap, and is not the best use of water. The large quantities of water delivered all at once can't be absorbed fast enough by plants before water is wasted down the drain holes. I have a few simple solutions that are easier and use water more efficiently.

VCU Day of Sustainability is October 15th!

VCU's first ever Day of Sustainability is taking place October 15, 2010 from 11am to 3pm. There will be tons of free stuff to do and see, including a recycled sculpture competition, a showcase of sustainable modes of transportation like Segways (with free tours!), Biotaxi, and To the Bottom and Back Bus, and trips to the LEED Platinum Rice Center.

CargoTrike Cupcakes will be on the scene doling out some tasty treats, biodegradable balloons will be flying high, and Backyard Farmers will be on hand to help guests compost and recycle, reducing the event's waste by up to 80%! Lucky participants may get a limited-edition custom designed VCU Sustainability Day t-shirt.

From the Facebook event page at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=150043245031910&ref=ts :
This day is intended to promote, educate, and make going green fun!

Come and be a part of something NEW and HAPPENING at VCU!

Music!
Free Food!
Free Segway Tours!
Electronic Recycling Drive!
Bus tours to the Rice Center by 2BNB!
The Farm to Family bus!
Tips on going GREEN!
and FUN!!!

Sign up for FREE Segway tours:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y6PPK3M

Sign up for FREE Rice Center tours:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3DY6FQF

How Boulder Fought for Bicycle Traffic and Won

Check out this awesome video on how Boulder, CO has made their city one of the top bike-friendly cities in the United States:

Zipcars cruise into Richmond

Richmond community members and Virginia Commonwealth University student, staff, and faculty members now have access to Zipcar, the world's largest car-sharing company as of this Monday, August 23rd. For individuals affiliated with VCU, as a special introductory offer, the $35 annual fee will be used as a credit towards rentals in your first month. To get an additional $25 worth of driving credit, click here to sign up with a special promotional code. Under "are there other ways to join" search for VCU to get the cheaper university registration rate if you are a faculty, staff, or student. There are currently 2 cars available at the MCV campus bookstore, and 2 cars at the Monroe Park campus Cabell Library. With a $50 total driving credit and 30-day money back guarantee, why delay, try Zipcar today!

Educational Outreach at VCU New Student Orientation

MCV Green Unity is working to integrate sustainability into new student orientation on MCV campus at Virginia Commonwealth University this year. Part of VCU's Climate Action Plan, this educational outreach effort aims to show students what VCU is doing to be green, and let them know what small, easy behavior changes they can make to help reduce their own environmental impact and CO2 emissions.

MCV is a medical campus consisting of five different academic schools (Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Allied Health). The Schools and groups participating in this sustainability initiative so far include:

• Student Commons & Activities: Information table at the MCV Orientation Fair
• VCU Card Office: Information table, various dates and times
• Nursing: Information table
• Medicine: Information table at SOM organizational fair
• SOM, Dept. of Human Genetics: Sustainability presentation
• Pharmacy: Sustainability information in orientation packages
• Dentistry: Sustainability information in orientation packages, information table, recycling facilitators at luncheon events
• Allied Health, Dept. of Anesthesia: Sustainability presentation, sustainability information in orientation packages

For dates and times of events, please see our Google Events Calendar. If you would like your department or school to include a sustainability component in their student orientation or staff/faculty orientation let your administration know and/or contact us. We are also willing to give short presentations to your group, department, or school.

Recycle Your Printer Cartridges & Cell Phones To Support Green Unity

MCV Green Unity is collecting ink jet cartridges, toner cartridges, and cell phones (working or broken) to raise funds to support our sustainability efforts at VCU and the surrounding Richmond community. Your old printer cartridge or cell phone will be recycled or repurposed through Planet Green, which will then provide us with much-needed funds. Recycling drop-off locations are currently located at Sanger Hall (5th, 6th & 11th floor main elevators) and Biotech I (Room 1-146 at Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics). Please email MCV Green Unity to request recycling bins for your VCU building, or for your local business.

You can also support MCV Green Unity by purchasing quality remanufactured inkjet cartridges (100% satisfaction guarentee by Planet Green) . Just visit the MCV Green Unity page at Planet Green (http://www.planetgreenrecycle.com/mcvgreenunity), and click on "Buy Recycled".

• Green Unity wins: By receiving a 15% donation of the price of every inkjet cartridge purchased
• Your win: By saving up to 70% when purchasing high-quality, remanufactured inkjet cartridges vs. the original brand
• The Planet wins: By buying remanufactured inkjets which reduces landfill and helps the environment
• American wins: You are supporting an American Remanufacturer

First MCV Green Unity General Meeting A Success!

Thanks to all who came out for the first general meeting for MCV Green Unity. We had students, staff, and faculty from all over MCV campus, as well as from Monroe Park, and recent graduates. Some of the main ideas that came out of the meeting were to try to start a campaign for turning off lights/printers/computers, making sure people have contact information to request repair of the many leaky faucets on campus (Plant Ops, service calls, 828-9444 for Sanger Hall, but they can also direct your call for the appropriate building), getting all campus buildings assessed for energy usage and waste output, etc., and trying to get a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) drop point established at MCV campus.

The next general meeting is planned for the week of August 30th. I hope to see you all there! In the meantime, feel free to email MCV Green Unity with any comments/ideas/concerns you have about sustainability at MCV campus or the surrounding community. We are especially looking for new members to get involved!

The minutes from this meeting will be published on this blog in about a weeks time. In the meantime, fell free to browse through the MCV Green Unity general overview presentation below.

Keep Your Plants Happy & Lower Your Waterbill (Part I)

With record-breaking temperatures many gardeners are looking for ways to keep their garden from wilting in the heat and keep their water bills low. While mulching reduces the need for watering and rain barrels reduce the amount of municipal water you're using, you can reduce your dependence on municipal water even further by watering more efficiently. This involves using systems like drip-irrigation, soaker hoses, and water timers. In the first part of this series I will go over the basics of drip irrigation.

My First Farmstand!

With my garden having increased 5x in size since last year I have finally ventured into urban agriculture with my own farmstand. It just made sense - it allows me to grow and sample more varieties of vegetables, and planting a few extra vegetable plants doesn't increase my garden workload significantly. I'm located in Churchill (Richmond, VA) which doesn't have a proper supermarket, and corner stores either completely lack vegetables or have very poor selection and quality. I am grateful to be able to share organic, locally grown produce with the surrounding community in the hopes of improving nutrition, improving exposure to vegetable varieties not found in stores, and encouraging others to grow vegetables as well.

I'm selling tomato plants to start with, and have many varieties which are suitable for yards and/or containers. Determinate tomato plants reach a fixed height and produce fruit all at once, which makes them suitable for yards or containers. Varieties this year include: Totem Hybrid, Razzleberry Hybrid, and Container's Choice. Indeterminate keep growing in height as long as the season lasts and produce fruit over an extended period of time. Because of their large size and high nutrient demand they are not suitable for containers and should be planted in the yard. Varieties available this year include: Jelly Bean, Cherry, Rite Bite Hybrid, Yellow Pear, Better Boy Hybrid, Early Girl Hybrid, and Roma.

Small plants are $1 each or 4 for $3
Medium plants are $2 each or 2 for $3
Large plants are $4 each or 2 for $6

10-12pm every Saturday

12-2pm every Sunday

871 N 22ND ST (22ND & Carrington in Churchill)

View Tomato Plants in a larger map

Green Spaces Competition

This year, the James River Green Building Council held their annual green spaces competition for the design of 34 acres of a 44 acre plot of land just East of Shockoe bottom and South of Church Hill. The competition event kicked off May 27th with a competition community forum, and will continue for the entire month of June as the entries will be on display at Gallery 5, starting this Friday, June 4th for Art Walk.

The vision for the Accessible Sustainable Integrated Community (ASIC) designed by myself, Jordan Starbuck, Leyla Peachy, and Jia Yan was a mix of recreational, retail, and mixed-income housing space. The focus was on a space that would be accessible and usable to all regardless of physical ability, income, ethnicity, or age. Key features include LEED certified buildings, with rain water and compost collection that would feed and water the surrounding urban farm and community gardens. The space would be an attraction for all ages, with many outdoor gathering spaces, nature trails, outdoor exercise equipment and activities, a community center, skateboard park, and bike rental/repair/storage/showers. We wanted to leave as much in-tact natural forest as possible, taking care to build structures in areas already open and cleared of trees. We wanted a space that people could feel proud to call home, which would be accomplished by involving them in the building of their own homes (through organizations like habitat for humanity) and community gardens. This would foster a sense of belonging and self-ownership of the space, which would help to improve space maintenance, reduce litter and graffiti, and reduce crime in general.

Community Meetings this Week to Decide the Fate of Churchill

The first of four community meetings will take place tonight at 5pm at the Robinson Theater that will change the face of Churchill as we know it. These community meetings, called a Charrette, are intensive planning sessions which will condense meetings between the community, city planners, city officials, and community leaders which normally take months into one week. While I definitely agree with the principle of bringing all of these individuals together to plan the future of Churchill, one wonders how much effort the city has really put forth to make this an event truly open and accessible to all. Advertising the event as a Charrette is the first mistake. I have a Master's degree, and I don't know what the heck a Charrette is. If you want to reach the public you shouldn't use any language above a 8th or 10th grade level at the most. When you use fancy words when simple ones will do when advertising these events, it's off-putting and intimidating to the people you're trying to reach. That being said, I hope everyone reading this with an interest in Churchill, and even Richmond in general, will attend. Forward this to as many people as you know - let's make sure our voices get heard!

Hay Bale Gardening

Want to grow vegetables or flowerings, but not keen on digging around in the dirt? How about if you have a bad back, or use a wheel chair? Hale bale gardening may be the answer for you. The idea is simple, all you have to do is properly prepare the bale, then plant your veggies and/or flower right in the intact hale bay, keep it well watered, and watch them grow!

MCV Earth Day a Big Hit!

Thanks to all of you who made it out to celebrate Earth Day yesterday at VCU MCV campus! The event was a huge success with a large turnout and plenty of enthusiasm in the air. Our plant give-away (thanks to Stranges Garden Center) was a big hit, and we were able to give out 200 plants to encourage people to garden at home. There was a huge variety in the amount of plants that Stranges was able to donate, so that we were able to cater to people who would be growing their vegetable in the garden, or in a container. Goes to show that you don't need much room to have a garden - even apartment dwellers can try it!

The Farm 2 Family bus was there with it's pet chickens, and live jazz music was on the stage. Many a person was walking away with their new veggie plants, a scene described by one person as a walking garden. MCV Green Unity had a great response for signing up for their email contact list, encompassing between 250-300 people! If only 1 in 10 people choose to become active in sustainable activities with this club in the Fall, I'd say we're off to a great start!

Bayscaping at VCU this Saturday!

This Saturday, April 24, 2010, volunteer gardeners like you will be completing the first of three projects designed to improve water quality of the James River and Chesapeak Bay in Richmond, Virginia. Every time it rains in Richmond, VA (and many other cities worldwide) the storm water treatment system is overwhelmed, discarding untreated waste water into nearby rivers, lakes, and bays. This means that every cigarette butt, every piece of litter, all of the oil slick and asphalt chemicals, and all the pesticides and fertilizers used in yards citywide are being dumped into the James River and Chesapeake Bay.

Bayscaping (Chesapeake Bay + Landscaping) helps reduce, slow, and treat storm water run-off being discarded into local waterways. The idea is to replace select areas of turf, ivy, cement, asphalt, etc. with native plants, which are able to absorb a significant amount of the runoff, reduce the flow rate of waste water, and filter the waste water before the water makes it into the storm drains. Native plants are adapted to their specific climate and environment, making them tolerant to the water conditions or droughts of the local area. Besides less watering, they require less maintenance, little to no fertilizer, and little to no pesticides, making them an ideal choice for economical and chemical-free landscaping.

You can be a volunteer gardener at VCU! Come out for an hour or two, or stay the whole day.

Day: Saturday, April 17, 2010
Time: 9:00am - 3:00pm
Location: Trani Life Science Building
Street: 1000 W. Cary St.
City/Town: Richmond, VA

MCV Green Unity Makes It's Debut

Tomorrow, April 21st from 11AM-3PM is the 1st annual Earth Day celebration on MCV campus at VCU, and I hope you will all come by to say hello! My friends and colleagues Jia, Leyla, and I will have a table at the event promoting the new MCV chapter of Green Unity, a student sustainability club. We are looking for students, staff, faculty, and community members who want to improve sustainability practices at VCU and the community to put their thoughts and ideas of a sustainable future into action. Whether you have been a long time environmental advocate, or are new to sustainability, MCV Green Unity is the place for us to dream and scheme together to make our world a little better one step at a time. We are giving out one free vegetable plant: tomato, pepper, or cucumber, to the first 200 individuals to sign up for our email list and fill out a bicycle survey.

Special thanks to Strange's Garden Centers for their generous donation of vegetable plants!!!

We will also be doing free face painting for anyone who signs up and fills out a survey. You can also enter for the chance to win one of four Green Unity T-shirts, made of recycled cotton!

MCV Green Unity wants to follow in the footsteps of the Monroe Park campus club, and take on exciting projects like Bayscaping (more on this later), rain gardens. green roofs, and increasing access to recycling on campus. We also hope to partner with the other club to establish a Green Mile between the two campuses, which would be a trash-free corridor with a bike path and Bayscaping. Email me or ask me in person about the Green Mile project to learn more! Have a great idea of your own? Now's the time to put it into action by joining Green Unity.

Monroe Park Celebrates Earth Day with Style

Come out for the huge Earth Day celebration that VCU Monroe Park campus is holding this Wednesday, April 21, 2010. There will be free food. Live music. An Eco-chic fashion show. Free games and prizes. And of course, many educational vendors. Come on, how many reasons do you need to go to one event anyways? The real question is, why would you NOT want to go? Earth week at VCU kicks off with a free movie screening (with free snacks!) of the movie Food Fight, a documentary about local, sustainable and organic food. Don't forget to visit MCV campus' Earth Day event on Thursday, April 22nd too. I'll see YOU at Earth Day!

Food Fight Movie Screening
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Rodneys, Shafer Dining Court
VCU Monroe Park Campus

VCU Monroe Park Campus Earth Day
11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Wednesday April 21, 2010
Compass Point & Shafer Dining Area

Eco-Fashion Show: Re-fashioning the Future!
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Wednesday April 21, 2010
Compass Plaza, Shafer Dining Court

Why Everyone Should Garden

Have you every tasted garden-fresh food? Did you notice that the taste bears almost no resemblance to store-bought varieties? Peppers from the garden seem to be an entirely new and different vegetable. They are crisp, sweet, and so packed with flavor you wonder that one vegetable can contain it all.

Everyone can garden at home. A garden need not be large, complicated, or a lot of work. A garden can be a single potted tomato plant, a window box, a window farm (more on this in a future post) a few peppers on a balcony, or a small plot of land in your yard. Gardening doesn't have to cost a lot of money - you can get many materials for free or cheaply on craigslist, at thrift stores, or from a local garden club.

The trick is to start small and do your research. By starting a small garden and adding to it gradually, you can learn to take good care of the few plants you have now without getting overwhelmed. You don't need to buy fancy books to learn gardening either. There are many gardening books available at thrift stores and used book stores, or you can take advantage of the huge wealth of information on the internet, on websites like Garden Guides. Many garden clubs, like Tricycle Gardens, offer free or low cost workshops to help you get started. Learn which plants grow well in your area, and in the space and lighting you have available. Vegetables generally need 5+ hours of direct sunlight a day, but if you are growing indoors you can supplement this with fluorescent lights.

Gardening is a relaxing and rewarding hobby, and can be great exercise too. Growing vegetables and herbs can save you money, and can allow you to try different varieties that would otherwise be too costly or simply unavailable in your supermarket. If you grow organically you can have fresh food free of pesticides, preservatives, and artificial appearance enhancers, such as wax on apples. So why not give gardening a try this Spring? Because who wouldn't want their very own produce stand in their own backyard?

Effects of Global Change on Human Health

Nationally renowned speaker, Dr. Ricky Sinha will speak at Earth Day at Virginia Commonwealth University on MCV campus, April 21st at 4PM in Sanger Hall 1-044. His presentation, Effects of Global Change on Human Health, will be followed by a reception celebrating Earth Day.

Dr. Parikhit (Ricky) Sinha is a Technical Associate at O'Brien & Gere where he leads the greenhouse gas (GHG) program and GHG projects for industrial and institutional clients, development of baseline carbon footprints, estimation of project-specific GHG emission reductions, and forecasting of future GHG emissions from the operation of new facilities.

As a former study director at the National Research Council’s Board of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, Dr. Sinha has led studies relating the science of climate change to federal policies for carbon mitigation and management. He has served as a member of the Pennsylvania Climate Change Roadmap Working Group and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Carbon Management Advisory Group.

Dr. Sinha has authored numerous technical papers in the areas of climate change policy, air pollution, environmental statistics, and risk assessment. He is a board member and former chair of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association. He has a Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences from the University of Washington, Seattle, and a B.A. in environmental engineering from Harvard University.

First Annual MCV Earth Day

MCV campus at Virginia Commonwealth University has been a little behind Monroe Park campus in terms of sustainability. And with one sustainability coordinator and a small group of dedicated staff spread between the two campuses it's no wonder! But all of this is beginning to change, and the first annual Earth Day at MCV campus is a sign of these positive times we live in.

MCV Campus Earth Day
11AM - 3PM
Thursday April 22, 2010
Kontos Medical Sciences Plaza
(outside Medical Sciences and Egyptian buildings)

Part of the Year of the Environment initiative, MCV Earth Day will feature live music, free food, prizes, and about 15 exhibitors including Dominion Power, William Byrd House Market, Farm to Family, 2nd Solutions, VCU Physical Plant, VCU Student Government Association, VCU Parking and Transportation, and many more.

You will also have an opportunity to meet me, your favorite blogger, at an exhibit advertising the new MCV chapter of the student sustainability club, Green Unity!

No Work & All Play Garden

How would you like to spend less time and money on weeding, watering, and fertilizing your garden this year, and more time enjoying it? No, I haven't been eating the mysterious mushrooms growing in my yard...All this and more can be yours with a mulched garden using the Ruth Stout method. Ruth Stout (1884-1980) is known as the person who made the magic of mulch famous among gardeners. This method is fairly easy to start small and build upon. Not only can you often find freely available materials for mulch, but this method could actually save you money, by having to water and fertilize less!

Be Heard at the Earth Day Climate Rally

Sunday, April 25th there will be a chance to have your voice heard at Washington, DC to tell politicians that we need to take a more aggressive stance on climate change. As a nation, the United States continues to be dependent on fossil fuels, without putting enough time and money into developing alternative energy sources. Whether you believe that climate change exists or not, the fact remains that fossil fuels are not an unlimited resource. They are running out, and we are increasing our reliance on foreign fossil fuels, and are having to develop new ways to extract remaining local fossil fuels using methods that are often both more dangerous to the workers harvesting them, or have significantly more environmental impact.

It is time for us to stop seeing ourselves as separate from the environment in which we live. If we pollute the air, we are the ones that have to breath it. If we pollute the water, we are the ones who have to drink it, and deal with reduced harvest from fisheries. And if we rely on just fossil fuels to provide jobs, we are the ones who will become unemployed when they run out. If we start the transition now to jobs in the green energy sector, we will not face a sudden economic crisis in the future, when the fossil fuels become exhausted.

I hope to see you at the climate change rally on April 25th. Come to make a difference, stay for the inspirational speakers and live music!

When:  11:15am - 11:15pm, Sunday, April 25th
Where: National Mall, Washington, DC
Why:    Because we want a better future!

Earthday.org

Publish Your Own Seed Catalog

Are you lost on how to organize your seeds? Try using an old 3 ring binder and 3.5" x 5" photo holders! I picked up a 3.5" and 4" binder from the thrift store for $1 each, and after about $12 for the photo holders I had a storage system for all of my seeds for under $15. The photo holders allow you to store and view up to 8 packets of seeds per page. Organized alphabetically, by plant type, or by planting season, this system allows to quickly find the seeds you're looking for. And when your seeds are well organized you will be less likely to buy extra seeds you don't need. Try using coin envelopes to keep your partially used seeds sealed up and safely stored.

Darkness Falls for Earth Hour

Saturday, March 27 from 8:30 - 9:30 p.m. is Earth Hour, when hundreds of millions of people from around the world will turn out their lights and unplug appliances. In 2009, over 4000 cities in 88 countries officially switched off during Earth Hour to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2009 the world’s largest global climate change initiative (EarthHour.org). This event gives people the chance to reflect on their personal energy usage and the large impact we can make on the environment with conserving energy for just one hour. Toronto, Canada managed to save 900 megawatt-hours of electricity, which is a 8.7% decrease if measured against a typical March Saturday night (Wikipedia).

Just remember, small changes can make a big difference! You can follow these tips every day to be sustainable every day:

• Replace incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent ones.
• Recycle paper and plastic, instead of using the trash.
• Read news online, instead of buying paper copies.
• Grow vegetables during the summer.
• Bicycle or walk to work or to run errands instead of driving.
• Take the bus or train, instead of driving long distances.
• Unplug appliances when they are not in use.
• Lower the thermostat to cut back on heating during the winter.
• Insulate and eliminate drafts to get the most out of your heating and cooling.
• Plant a tree to help filter your air and to provide shade.

House Bill to Kill Renewable Energy Jobs in Virginia

Received an interesting email from Conservation e-Action Virginia today. Apparently trying to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for doing their job to protect Americans from the harmful effects of CO2 emissions wasn't enough for Virginia (more on this later). They had to also try to squash the renewable energy industry in the state as well. This new law would put current jobs and future jobs in renewable energy in serious jeopardy, and would reinforce the near monopoly that Dominion Power holds over Virginians. At 10% unemployment, haven't we lost enough jobs already?

If you are a voting citizen of Virginia, contact your legislator today to prevent him/her from making the mistake of supporting house bill 92 when in comes to vote tomorrow. It's easy to have your voice heard. First, find out who your local governor is here.

VCU Anti-Discrimination Rally

Make sure to attend the anti-discrimination rally this Wednesday, sponsored by the Students for Possibilities Party. All students, staff, and faculty are welcome to attend this event. Let's stand united and show VCU and Virginia's state government that we will not support policies and laws that violate human rights.

12pm-1pm, Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

VCU Commons Plaza (907 Floyd Avenue)

Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=347726437231&ref=mf

Update: More than 1000 people showed up at Monroe Park campus to march to Capitol Hill, for a chance to speak with their local representative about anti-discrimination law. Apparently this demonstration, along with community forums and the multitude of individuals who contacted state and university leaders had the intended effect. Late this evening, according to VCU President Rao, and several news sources, Governor McDonnell released an executive directive:

“Discrimination based on factors such as one’s sexual orientation or parental status violates the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution. Therefore, discrimination against enumerated classes of persons set forth in the Virginia Human Rights Act or discrimination against any class of persons without a rational basis is prohibited.”

This comes after a house bill was defeated earlier this week, that would have included sexual orientation and gender identity as protected groups under state anti-discriminatory law. In the end, Virginia went two steps backwards, and one step forwards towards equal rights for all. It is up to Virginian voters to follow through with this human rights issue next year, when they will have a chance to voice their opinion to their local representatives to change the law in the next session of the General Assembly.

Courtesy Richmond Times-Dispatch

Forums Showed Support of Diversity by VCU

Community forums were held today at Virginia Commonwealth University in response to the advice of Virginia's Attorney General that VCU (and all other state universities) remove sexual orientation as a protected group from their anti-discrimination policies. Many people spoke up in support of keeping university policy the same, to protect the gay community from discrimination. There were concerns raised that unless VCU made it known that they were strongly supportive of including sexual orientation as a protected group against discrimination, that they would lose top staff, faculty, and students, and that VCU and the state in general would receive negative publicity that would severely damage the reputation of the state and university. A few voiced the potential concern that the state may try to pressure state universities to revise their policy by threatening to cut funding to the university, which currently comprises 75% of the university budget funds. Some voiced confusion as to what the federal legislation was, as they had heard of a supreme court ruling supporting including sexual orientation in anti-discrimination law.

According to Rebecca Glenberg, the ACLU's legal director,

"In Romer v. Evans, 517 U.S. 620 (1996), the United States Supreme Court held that discriminatory laws based on sheer animus toward lesbian and gay persons violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Later, in Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003), the Court ruled that consensual, adult sexual relationships are protected by the Fourteenth Amendment, notwithstanding societal views regarding the morality of such relationships. Consistent with these principles, courts have repeatedly held that public employers may not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation..."

With federal backing on the side of human rights, it looks like the state of Virginia may need to have the supreme court force their hand to help end discrimination against the gay community. Interesting that the supreme court also had to pressure Virginia into ending discrimination against the Black community, and people with disabilities. Third time's a charm Virginia, I hope you don't need any hand holding this time when it comes to upholding human rights.

Below follows the response to the community forums held today at VCU from the Provost:

Cuccinelli's Defence

Here's a useful Facebook group page that highlights actions you can take to fight against discrimination in Virginia (see below). Especially important is to contact your legislative representative or governor by tomorrow (Tuesday, March 9, 2010), so that they can revive a bill that would include sexual orientation in anti-discrimination laws.

Came across a newscast on CBS6, and one on WSLS10, with Cuccinelli's explanation of his letter sent to state universities. He states that he was just giving legal advice to several clients, who then chose to share this information. Who were your clients? And what explanation did they give for wanting to share this "information/advice" with every single state university? I'm sorry, Mr. Cuccinelli, I don't buy it. The letter sounds suspiciously like you are pressuring Virginian universities to remove anti-discrimination policies. Using scare tactics to make universities think that by enforcing anti-discrimination policies they could be inviting lawsuits is a low blow. You state that you don't have the power to change the law to protect the gay community. Well, I'm calling your bluff. I don't think you have the power to force state universities to comply with your request.

And since when do universities need "specific authorization from the general assembly" to change any one of it's policies? I don't think cheating on tests is illegal in the state of Virginia, do we need special permission to put this in university policy? Why now, and why comment on this specific issue? Your letter may be carefully worded to try to protect your back, but we all can read between the lines, and can see that you have more than "advice giving" in mind. You say that "changing public policy of the Commonwealth is within in the purview of the of the General Assembly and therefore...is unconstitutional". Well I say that any anti-discriminatory law that the General Assembly upholds that does not include the gay community as a protected group is unconstitutional! The universities of Virginia are just trying to do you a favor, by correcting this major oversight on the part of the General Assembly.

Legislators of Virginia: you can't have it both ways. You can't say that including the gay community as a protected group under anti-discrimination law is unnecessary in this day and age, and then turn around and demonstrate the opposite by your actions. If unnecessary, why all the effort towards defeating bills that ban discrimination against the gay community? Why would the Attorney General, and his unknown backers, take the time to draft a letter trying to undermine gay rights and send it to all state universities? I leave these questions in your hands, intelligent readers, and hope you will come to your own conclusions as you read Cuccinelli's letter, and when you attend one of the public forums tomorrow, the rally on Wednesday, or when you email or phone a university or state official.

Forums to Decide Whether Human Rights are Upheld at VCU

This is your chance to voice your outrage at the 'advice' of the Attorney General of Virginia that will allow discrimination against the gay community at VCU, and universities in the state of Virginia in general. Before attending one of these sessions, try to make time to read the letter from the Attorney General, to better inform yourself about the issue. You may want to make a short list of key points you want to raise at the forums. There are four different forum times/locations that students, staff, and faculty can attend:

On the Monroe Park Campus

-- 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. -- University Student Commons, 
907 Floyd Ave., Richmond Salons I-IV

-- 2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. -- University Student Commons, 
907 Floyd Ave., Commons Theater

On the MCV Campus

-- 11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. -- George Ben Johnston Auditorium, 
305 N. 12th St.

-- 4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. -- George Ben Johnston Auditorium, 
305 N. 12th St.

Let's show VCU and the Attorney General we stand united on the issue of human rights, by attending the community forums! Click read more to view the letter from the Attorney General...

Virginia is for Straight Lovers?

It looks like Virginia will have to change their state slogan "Virginia is for Lovers". What they really mean is Virginia is for lovers, but only if you're straight. I was indescribably upset when I received an email from the president of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) on Friday evening, which contained the following:

"Virginia Commonwealth University received a letter from Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli requesting that the Commonwealth's public universities and colleges rescind policies that ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation".

Someone please remind me, what year are we living in? 1980? 1960? 1865??? What I take from this, is that Ken Cuccinelli think's we should be able to discriminate against the gay community. What's that? You're gay? Well, you can't work here. No, of course, you can't go to school here either. And don't think you can go whining to the courts either, because the Attorney General is on our side.

Do Good While You Walk Your Dog

There is a huge abandoned/feral pet population in Richmond, many of which have no shelter during the cold winter months, have little food to eat, and are at the mercy of illness and wild animal attacks. Saturday March 20th you have a chance to change all this at the 8th annual Dog Jog and 5K run, hosted by the Richmond SPCA. Last year's event raised $108,000 to help orphaned pets housed by this no-kill facility. You can run, jog or walk the 5K, walk with your dog in the 1-mile Dog Jog, buy a raffle ticket, or just show up to attend the vendor fair from 9am to 1pm. Participants may register individually or as part of a team, and have the option of raising donations to benefit the SPCA. As an added bonus, the SPCA will be offering a walk-up microchip clinic for $20 the day of the event, where you can have a small microchip placed under the skin between your pets shoulder blades. The insertion is nearly painless, and as most vets and animal shelters now carry microchip scanners, this can help identify and return your pet to you if they ever become lost.

In addition to keeping animals off the street, the SPCA offers free spaying/neutering for owned cats and dogs for students and low income families in the Richmond area. They also have Pet Pantry and a Wellness Clinic, to provide pet food and medical care to pets from low income families, and a Feral Clinic, where they fix feral cats for free, through the trap-neuter-release program. As socially conscious individuals we owe it to our animal friends to take responsibility for their welfare. Please consider participating in this event, or making a donation. And get your pet spayed or neutered, because the best solution to prevent animal homelessness is to prevent unwanted litters.

Badda Bing, Badda Bloom Box

"It's about seeing the world as what it can be and not what it is" K.R. Sridhar, inventor of the Bloom Box says. Any company who starts with that kind of philosophy has my backing. Originally designed for NASA, the Bloom Box was re-engineered to be a stand-alone power plant in a box. The goal is for consumers to be able to purchase a single Bloom Box for about $3000 for their backyard or basement, which could then power an average American home. Bloom Energy, the manufacturers, estimate that customers could make up the initial purchase cost in 3-5 years with money saved in energy production by the Bloom Box.

The Bloom Box takes in oxygen, and combines it with a fuel of your choice to produce electricity. Fuels can be fossil, like natural gas, or renewable, like gas produced from landfills, or solar power. I'm still a fan of the Bloom Box even when using fossil fuels, as they use half as much fuel to provide the same amount of energy as conventional methods. See the full story on 60 minutes here.

Viva la Transit Revolution!

I'm so excited about bus rapid transit for Richmond, VA! GRTC wants to put in a rapid transit line on Broad St. starting between Rocketts Landing and Willow Lawn, eventually expanding to Short Pump. There are also plans to establish a transit hub with train, bus, taxi, limo, airport shuttle etc. at Main St. station - sweeeet! The first public meeting is tonight:

Public Meeting #1:  Will introduce the project to the public, explain the study process, and introduce the concepts that are being studied.

6-8pm, February 24, 2010

Children’s Museum of Richmond

2626 W. Broad St.  

There's also an identical meeting at the same time Thursday evening:

6-8pm, February 25, 2010

Thomas Jefferson High School

4100 W. Grace St.

Even for those of you who will still need to use your car on a regular basis to commute, this will mean in the long term:

1) Reduced traffic volume, less traffic jams, potentially less accidents

2) More time saved during commute to spend with your family and friends

3) Less CO2 emissions into the air from vehicle traffic, less smog, better air quality

4) Less traffic means less wear and tear on the roads, hopefully better quality roads with less necessary maintenance and less taxes spent!