If You're Thinking Sun, Come to Solar Bethesda June 12!

Memorial Day weekend is here, so even though it's cloudy my thoughts are turning to the beach and the swimming pool. It's the unofficial start of summer and many folks will be fleeing the city to hit the beach; others will celebrate the opening of the local pool.

If you're thinking sun, it's a short synaptic leap to solar energy--one of the renewables that's gotten more affordable with federal, state and local incentives. So if you're curious about solar or ready to put solar panels on your roof, come to the Solar Bethesda! expo, Saturday, June 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Bethesda Green. It's free and you'll be able to:

• Hear from neighbors who are living with solar
• Get info on costs, benefits, rebates, tax credits
• Check your home's solar readiness with satellite mapping
• Meet local solar companies (so far there are 10 on the list)
  

Plus, there will be activities for kids.

Visit the Solar Bethesda! website to learn more or click here to RSVP.

The expo takes place at Bethesda Green, 4825 Cordell Ave., Suite 200, Bethesda, Md. (Basically it's at the corner of Cordell and Woodmont on the 2nd floor of the Chevy Chase Bank building.)

Solar hot water systems and solar electric systems can be really affordable. For example, in Maryland the state, local and federal rebates can cut your cost in half! So come check it out and learn more.

(Full disclosure: I'm the volunteer website manager for Bethesda Green and I also am a writer for the DASolar Blog.)

How You Can Help the EPA Clean Up the Bay

The big news today was that the Environmental Protection Agency agreed to enforce tough new standards for pollution reduction in the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. It seems voluntary reductions by states in the watershed did not work over the last four decades.

The difference now, as explained by Ashley Halsey III in this Washington Post article, is "the EPA is legally obligated to achieve the goals established in the settlement. The agency has agreed to force states to do what has not been done voluntarily in the past."

So while the EPA gets its act together and starts coming up with enforcement plans, what can you do to help the Bay's health? Here are a few suggestions:

• Simple Ways You Can Help the Bay (a list from the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay)
• Help the Bay in Your Backyard (from the Chesapeake Bay Program)
• How Can I Help Save the Bay? (from Laura Seltzer's 'Last Boat Out' site)
• RainScapes program -- This Montgomery County initiative makes rebates available to homeowners and organizations that use any of a range of techniques to reduce stormwater runoff on their property. The techniques or projects eligible for rebates include rain gardens, conservation landscaping, permeable pavers and more.
• What You Can Do (from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation)

We should be glad the EPA is going to make states clean up the Bay, but we can also take some actions on our own. A healthy watershed and health Bay is best for everyone.