The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round, All Through the Town

Many people have called the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico "Obama's Katrina". This great environmental disaster is not the only environmental problem Obama faces. While the oil spill is much more urgent as it affects marine life and the human population presently, global warming is still at a constant rise and we must act now to try to slow the rate and alleviate the problem.

The burning of fossil fuel is one of the greatest contributers to the global warming problem. According to LivingSpace, humans pump about 7 billion tons of carbon into the biosphere yet it can only absorb 4 billion tons of CO2. Transportation counts for 25% of the world's green house emissions and 33% of the United States.

The United States' green house emission problem is in fact largely due to the automobile. We have remade our environment for the car. As more people leave the cities and move further away into the suburbs, more people must now rely on the car to get them to work.

"The automobile creates distance and then offers itself as the solution to the problem it has created". - LivingSpace

There are currently about 245 million cars on the road in the United States and about 800 million cars around the world. With much of the cars traveling to the cities for work, air pollution is choking the cities due to exhaust. 30% of air pollution resides in cities which degrades the health of people and eats away at stonework of historic buildings.

However, there is a way to help reduce this problem. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) reduces energy consumption and harmful CO2 green house gas emissions that damage the environment.

• It uses less energy and produces less pollution
• Can reduce CO2 emissions by 37 million metric tons annually
• Reduces congestion in cities and highways

APTA has concluded that:

"A single person, commuting alone by car, who switches a 20 mile round trip commute to existing public transportation, can reduce his or her annual CO2 emissions by 4,800 pounds per year. This is equal to a 10% reduction in all greenhouse gases produced by a typical two adult, two car household"

 Fortunately for visitors and residents in the DC Metropolitan Area, DC offers many ways in which one can travel throughout the city and reach Dupont.

The most popular public transportation is the Metro System. DC's metro system is the second busiest rapid transportation systems in the US in number of passengers after New York City. About 215.3 million trips a year or 727,684 trips per weekday. Fares vary on distance traveling and the time of day.

The metro stations were originally designed by Chicago architect Harry Weese. These stations were designed in the brutalist design of the late 20th century modern architecture. Brutalist designs are normally buildings that are formed with striking repetitive angular shapes and are made with concrete. This can be seen in much of the buildings in the downtown Foggy Bottom area.

The Dupont Station is created with such a design but is also unique as an inscription from Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass 1876 is inscribed on the marble to the entrance of the Metro.

Thus in silence in dreams' projections,

Returning, resuming, I thread my way through the hospitals;

The hurt and wounded I pacify with soothing hand,

I sit by the restless all dark night - some are so young

Some suffer so much - I recall the experience sweet and sad...

Another easy way to get to Dupont is to use the Metrobus, operated by the DC Metro System. It uses the Metro Smartrip card as well as change. It is fueled by natural gas and will take you pretty much anywhere in the city. 

However, the best way to reach Dupont is by foot or by bicycle. Whether you are coming from Georgetown, Foggy Bottom, Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights or Shaw, walking and biking is a great way to experience the city, take in the beauty of the different communities and get some great exercise.

Sweet Greens!

The first stop on my green restaurant tour was SweetGreen, located on 1512 Connecticut Ave NW Washington, DC 20036.

SweetGreen was founded in 2007 by three Georgetown students who had the same dilemma as every other college student in this country- "where should we go eat?" I am very familiar with this question. Having a meal plan only gets you so much food and after two months of buying everything on the menu at every restaurant or dinning hall in the area, you get bored- REALLY quickly; however, I never really asked myself "why not create a place that we would want to eat at on a daily bases". That's exactly what these three students did. After graduating they started SweetGreen in Georgetown and expanded it to Dupont.

What's great about this restaurant is that it is exactly what they wanted it to be, a place you could go eat at everyday. OK, so they do not have a large array of food choices, all they serve are salads and frozen yogurt, but really, do you ever tire of salads and frozen yogurt? For a professional who has to get something quick and easy during their limited hour lunch break, a salad is just the right thing. And for college students, who eat processed foods and sugars almost every day, a salad is not a bad choice.

SweetGreen is situated right in the middle of a long strip of stores and restaurants which can make it easy to pass by it without noticing but the green neon sign and the large windows filled with plants and herbs truly jump out at the average passerby.

It is hard not to realize that you are stepping foot into a eco-friendly environment. Everything in the restaurant yells out "GREEN". The walls are green with branch decor, the tables and chairs are all made out of recycled wood, and there are plants all over the entrance.

SweetGreen uses organic and fresh produce from local farmers, compostable packaging and sustainable practices such as:

• sourcing
• composting
• design
• furniture
• wind energy
• take out menus
• sustainable merchandise

Not only is SweetGreen great for the environment, but it is also great for your pocket! College students and thrifty spenders everywhere, come to SweetGreen for a tasty meal that wont eat your wallet. 

Green Dining

I love eating and really who doesn't? I'm always looking for a place that is unique, with a great environment, friendly service and of course, delicious food. Being eco-conscious also effects the choices I make, which makes it hard to find restaurants around the area.

According to the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), an average restaurant uses about 300,00 gallons of water, and produces 150,000 tons of garbage a year. Plus, the entire American restaurant industry, which is approximately 900,00 restaurants, consumes the most electricity in the commercial sector.

This is a lot to handle. What happens to all the garbage produced? Well obviously it goes to the landfill.  Instead of moving forward, we are moving backwards in the movement to be green and the worst part is, much of the population does not understand this.

Luckily, the GRA provides a convenient and cost-effective way for restaurants, manufacturers, distributers and consumers to become more environmentally responsible. GRA rates restaurants on the bases  of:

• water efficiency
• waste reduction and recycling
• sustainable furnishings and building materials
• sustainable food
• energy conservation
• disposables
• chemical and pollution reduction

By asking around and searching online, I was able to find some great restaurants in the Dupont Circle area that are GRA certified:

Sweetgreen

1512 Connecticut NW

Washington, DC 20036

Bread and Brew

1247 20th Street NW

Washington, DC 20036

Le Pain Quotidien 

2010 Massachusetts Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20036

Restaurant Nora

2132 Florida Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20008

I've also been told that they are quite delicious! Can't wait to check them out! Hopefully my small college budget will be able to handle it. 

Ah! The Suite Green Life

With LEED and Green Seal (a non-profit organization that develops environmental standards and certifies products) certifications, Kimpton Hotels' Earthcare program is redesigning the way hotels operate. 

Kimpton Hotels have opened three hotels in the Dupont area that are designed to be environmentally friendly.

Hotel Madera

1310 New Hampshire Ave. NW 

Washington, DC 20036 

Hotel Palomar

2121 P Street NW

Washington, DC 20037

Topaz Hotel

1733 N Street NW 

Washington, DC 20037

Kimpton's hotels:

• restores and revitalizes historic buildings
• recycles materials
• uses organic products such as cleaning supplies, soaps, creams, etc
• uses bio-friendly decor and bedding such as drapes, carpets, blankets, etc.
• are partners with Energy Star; therefore many of their machines and lights are all energy efficient

For additional information and a full list of all the ways in which the Kimpton Hotels save the planet, visit their page --> Kimpton Hotels Products and Practices

These hotels don't ask guests to sacrifice comfort or enjoyment for the sake of the environment. You can still have a relaxing and joyous stay at any of these hotels, only as you do it, you are lowering your carbon foot print. So whether you are coming to DC to take in the sites or here for business, why not choose a hotel that will help save the planet? You won't have to do anything, except sleep.  

In with the Old and Out with the New Part II

Townhouses along the Dupont Circle have been transformed into restaurants, second hand bookstores, hotels, apartments, and living areas, many of which have been retrofitted to being green. These commercial and residential buildings keep Dupont's unique and historical charm while allowing for growth. Much of the splendor of Dupont comes from the town houses, which parallel's the diversity of its occupants and visitors, making a community rich in art and culture.

Color, lines, shapes, and sizes all contribute to the art of Dupont. Old rusty bars create intricate designs while natural stone and marble buildings are contrasted with bold colored steps and bricks. Small details along the faces of the buildings separate themselves from others and give an extra spark to the once old and aged historic houses.  

Trees, flowers, and plants of every kind adorn the streets and the small front yards creating an oasis in an urban environment. Walking down the streets, I find that every resident puts a little bit of their personality into his or her property, whether its by landscaping or by architectural design and aesthetic. Each building has a its own characteristic, making it alive and very human like.

Out with the New and In with the Old

One of the main ideas in the green movement is

• To promote investment in transportation, electricity, industrial, building, and agricultural sectors that reduce energy bills -White House 

As seen in history, Dupont has been leading the movement through its transformation of existing residential buildings to commercial sectors. Nowadays, many buildings are becoming retrofitted to being greener. According to the Global Sustainable Building Management Initiative this creates:

A tremendous market opportunity for green builders, owners and building product manufacturers," according to the [White House home energy retrofit] report…The study concludes that the greatest opportunity for green design and construction activity lies not in constructing new green buildings, but in engaging in the retrofit and renovation of existing ones 

LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third party verification that a building or a community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performances across all the metrics that matter most as stated on their webpage. They evaluate a building or community on five main criteria:

• site selection
• water efficiency
• energy efficiency
• reduction/reuse/recycling of building materials
• enhanced IAQ (indoor air quality)

Many buildings located today in Dupont are LEED Certified which contribute to the community’s buildings being varied and eclecticc due to the transformation from residential to commercial. In 1923, the Riggs Bank building that went up on the site of one of the Circle’s first mansions signaled the change in use of many of the properties from residential to community. Many of these grand Victorian mansions along Massachusetts Avenues were later converted to embassies, creating what is now known as Embassy Row. 

Other mansions around the Dupont corridor now house art collections like the Phillips Collection or have been turned into historical museums.

La Vie Bohème Verte!!!

Presently, Dupont is seen as a modern day bohemian community, through its diverse culture and arts. Richard Lloyd, author of Neo Bohemia: Art and Commerce in the Postindustrial City states that Bohemia is “an urban artists’ district…[which] has only become more frequent in the postmodern period”. Dupont’s urban community is home to many thriving artists, which is seen through the numerous art galleries, music clubs and street performers.

Just the other day, while walking to the Dupont Circle Metro, I had the pleasure of listening to Bach’s Six Suites for the Cello by a local street musician in front of the entrance to the station. As I stood there watching him play away, another man on a bike rode up to him and introduced himself. Five minutes later, Bach had turned into a modern day jam session featuring an electric cello and a banjo.

Present day Bohemians also known as "Neo-Bohemians" claim to be "avatars of counterculture", always creating new movements in art and redefining trends. Bohemians are always at the forefront of a counterculture. This can be seen in many movements throughout history such as the beat and hippie counterculture of the 50s-70s. Presently, a new counterculture is rising, the green movement!

The green movement allows New-Bohemians to make “unprecedented cultural and economic contributions to the broader social system without ever losing their distinctiveness within it”. This means that Neo-Bohemians have been able to use artistic skills to better serve society by taking the green movement and implementing their creative skills and ideas into businesses. Neo-Bohemians have transformed from the liberal hippies and stereotypical artists of our parent's generation into creative workers, who use their education and business skills to lead the green movement. They are part of the creative economy, in which the creative class fills the workforce making a new Bohemian society where culture and the economy come together.

With Obama’s new environmental plans, these creative workers bring together the new demand for environmental reform to the old businesses of today, reshaping our culture and economy into a more eco-friendly society.

The Beginnings of a Revolution

Washington DC must be a model of how other cities should operate. Many communities in the Washington area are starting to be more eco-conscious, concentrating on how the community impacts the environment and what changes can be made to lessen the carbon footprints. The Dupont Circle Corridor, located in Northwest DC, is home to a growing environmental movement. Though this should be no surprise as the Dupont community has been at the forefront of many movements throughout history as noted in Paul K. William's book Images of America: Dupont Circle.

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Theodor Horydczak Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-H824-0224]

The Dupont community was created in 1870 as part of Pierre L’Enfant’s plan for Washington DC. Before then, the area was marshy and wooded, housing only large country estates. After the Civil War, an influx of citizens moved into Washington DC and real estate agents started to acquire more of the vast land, creating more houses and businesses in the area

 By the mid-1870s, many of the upper-middle classes of the Victorian era, such as diplomats, political leaders, socialites and dignitaries, started to move into the town houses along the neighboring, tree-lined streets.

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Theodor Horydczak Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-H824-0224] 

The area started to receive more international attention, attracting more international businesses and people. Many residential properties started to change to commercial use in the 1920s, creating more of a diverse landscape. Mansions turned into banks and embassies while townhouses were being replaced with shops, restaurants and hotels. 

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection. 

This was increasingly apparent during and after World War II when many residential areas started to “accommodate government workers aiding in the war effort”.

In the 1960s, when hard times fell, the area “became a gathering place for homeless, hippies, and drunks. It was also a gathering place for early homosexual rights protests and Vietnam war demonstrations”.

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Theodor Horydczak Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-H824-0224] 

From this point onward, the Dupont community has not only become internationally and politically diverse but also diverse in religion and sexuality, becoming one of the first openly accepting communities in Washington DC.

Red, White and Green!

President Barack Obama has called upon the nation to turn green...no, this does not mean literally. The threat of global warming and environmental disaster is eminent throughout the world. Consumption of fossil fuel as well as global deforestation are pouring massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, causing major holes in the ozone layer, allowing more UV rays to enter and heat up the globe. As these limited resources of fossil fuel, wood and water are being consumed, shortages are becoming more inevitable.

Petr Kratochvil

David Anderson, Centre College

Petr Kratichvil

Petr Kratochvil

President Obama calls upon the United States to act quickly in subduing these dangers:

So we have a choice to make. We can remain one of the world's leading importers of foreign oil, or we can make the investments that would allow us to become the world's leading exporter of renewable energy. can help stop it. We can let the jobs of tomorrow be created abroad, or we can create those jobs right here in America and lay the foundation for lasting prosperity. (Inaugural Address, Barack Obama)

To watch the full Inaugural Address go here--> YouTube - President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address

Taking this country in a new direction must start at the heart: Washington DC.

Washington DC, the capital of the United States as well as the political force of much of the world, is key to influencing change throughout the nation. Already the White House has created guiding principles that will help to create comprehensive legislation.

Peter Griffin

The Obama administration is focusing on three main areas:

• investing in clean energy jobs 
• securing energy for the future 
• closing the carbon loophole and cracking down on polluters

Vera Kratochvil

Petr Kretochvil

With the implementation of these new goals, we can help stabilize the environment, as well as create new jobs, bringing the economy out of its recession and creating a model for the rest of the world!

Read more on Obama's Environmental Plan--> Energy & Environment | The White House