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August 29, 2008
Recycling Gets Easier in Vienna Comments (2)
From the Town of Vienna website:
http://www.viennava.gov/Town_Services/trash.htm#recyclables
MIXED RECYCLABLES AND NEWSPAPER: These items can now be placed together in the same container for recycling, and do not need to be separated. Residents may use plastic bins, clean trash cans, or clear plastic bags for containing recyclable materials. If a trash can type container is used, it should be clearly labeled and preferably blue.These items will be collected on the second day of the scheduled trash route. (See section on "Routes" above.) Recyclables shall be placed at the curb or edge of pavement by 7:00 A.M. on collection day (but not earlier than 6:00 P.M. the preceding evening) where they will be easily and safely accessible.
Recyclables include, but are not limited to:
Newspapers (including all inserts)
Magazines and catalogs
Junk mail
Cardboard and paperboard boxes (including cereal boxes without liners)
Corrugate boxes
Computer printouts
Books (including paperbacks, textbooks, and hardbacks)
Aerosol Cans
Office paper (including typing, fax, copy, letterhead, NCR) and envelopes Brown paper bags (kraft)
Telephone books
Glass containers such as jars and bottles
Ferrous and bimetal food and beverage containers
Non-metalic wrapping paper
Aluminum food and beverage containers
Aluminum foil and aluminum pie pans
Narrow-neck plastic containers (other than for motor oil) carry plastic resin identification code 1 through 7
Wide-mouth containers such as peanut butter, margarine/butter tubs, yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, whipped topping, and prescription bottles (please note that the lids and caps do not need to be removed)
Rigid plastics which include plastic milk/soda crates, plastic buckets with metal handles, plastic laundry baskets, plastic lawn furniture, plastic totes, plastic drums, plastic coolers, plastic flower pots, plastic drinking cups/glasses, plastic 5-gallon water bottles, plastic pallets, plastic toys, and empty plastic garbage/recycling bins
Bagged plastic film (for example: grocery bags contained within 1-bag, or stretch-film and/or shrink wrap contained within 1-bag)
Aseptic/gable-top milk and juice cartons
Plastic items and cardboard items that are recyclable will not longer be eligible for collection as a special pickup and should be placed at the curb on your normal recycling day.
August 22, 2008
It's Not Easy Being Green. Comments (5)
Luckily, with Maud by our side, Vienna does not have to worry about that.
Please take a look at the Green Government Challenge that Maud absolutely does not want to be involved:
http://www.gogreenva.org/?/green_government_challenge/green_challenge
August 21, 2008
Maud says "Go Brown! It's the Wave of the Future!" Comments (7)
Thanks for being so ass backwards, lady.
HistoricVienna.com has a green tip for the Town (and a cost effective one): GET SOME BIKES. We are sick of seeing police and TOV cars driving/idling all over town.
Vienna's Efforts at Going 'Green' Met With Some Doubts by BRIAN TROMPETER, Staff Writer Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Eight Vienna employees since April have researched ways the town government could save energy, cut costs and protect the environment.
When the “Green Team” presented its findings to the Vienna Town Council on Aug. 18, however, the reception was mixed.
The council, citing a fast-approaching Sept. 30 deadline, voted unanimously not to expedite initiatives so the town could qualify for the Virginia Municipal League's “Green Government Challenge.”
Council member Maud Robinson thanked group members for their efforts, but said the “go green” movement spanks of trendiness.
“Everything here adds up to money,” she said of the report. “Just to get in a contest for the sake of being in a contest, when most of the issues are covered by civic and common sense, makes absolutely no sense to me.”
According to the Green Team's report, the town currently qualifies for 30 points out of the challenge's possible 200. With town-code changes and the adoption of new policies, that figure could be raised as high as 80 points - which is still 20 points too low to qualify as a certified “Green Government.”
Robinson balked at several proposals that would have required hiring consultants or purchasing equipment.
“This is a bureaucrat's dream, if it's pursued to its ultimate end,” she said.
But Mayor M. Jane Seeman and Council member Michael Polychrones, who will become the Virginia Municipal League's president this fall, said the green movement is growing in strength and ubiquity.
“This is not going to go away,” Seeman said. “If anything, [the report] is helping us focus on what needs to be done. This is something we need to keep working toward.”
July 15, 2008
Dude, Would Anyone Notice a Difference? Comments (8)
If Town Hall was opened 2 days a week, would anyone even notice?
State, Local Officials Eschew Idea of Four-Day Work Weeks by BRIAN TROMPETER, Staff Writer (Created: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 7:39 AM EDT)Virginia state and local officials say they're saving money and reducing pollution with teleworking and flexible schedules for employees, but do not plan to institute four-day work weeks anytime soon.
Utah this summer will become the first state to mandate that state-government employees work four-day weeks, according to a recent article in USA Today.
In Virginia, Gov. Kaine's office this week will announce changes to the state's teleworking system, said Delacey Skinner, a spokesman for the governor.
“The policy will allow managers and supervisors to determine policy for eligible [employees],” she said.
Some independent agencies in the state government are considering four-day employee work weeks, but government leaders insist that these agencies' customer-service offices be staffed five days per week, Skinner said.
Fairfax County officials are not considering any proposals for four-day work weeks, but do support an aggressive telework program, said Jeremy Lasich, a county spokesman.
“About 1,300 employees telework now and about 4,000 people have computer access from home, so they can work from home, if needed,” he said.
The town of Vienna's government also is not considering four-day weeks, said Nancy McMahon, administrative services director.
“Our residents are used to our being very, very accessible,” she said. “We can't flex-time the sanitation drivers.”
Vienna has offered a flex-time program for many years, implemented on a case-by-case basis. Employees usually are the ones who initiate such schedules, McMahon said.
“Out of 185 employees, I'm guessing that maybe at most 40 would work a traditional 9-to-5 schedule,” she said. “Town Hall is the only [location] that works a standard shift. It's really only suited for office personnel. [Police] patrol cars have to roll 24 hours per day.”
Vienna's government two months ago formed a “Green Team,” drawing from employees in every department, to examine materials used by the town and find ways to realize further energy savings. The group's report should be ready sometime this fall, McMahon said.
