Contributor Opinion By John Britton: Collective Action Can Help Achieve Environmental Goals

>The following contributor opinion is by Rockville City Council member John Britton. (Hyperlinks have been added.) This Friday’s Rockville Central Radio show will focus on sustainability and the environment, so this piece is particularly timely!

On November 12, 2008, the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) adopted the National Capital Region Climate Change Report. The Report offers recommendations and voluntary commitments for the local, county and state jurisdictions in the metropolitan Washington region for the reduction of our region’s carbon footprint and greenhouse gases. It is a Report that focuses on the macro trends of housing, land use, transportation and energy generation and their profound impacts on the environment and, by extension, our public health. The COG staff presented a few weeks ago a briefing on the Report to a joint meeting of the Rockville and Gaithersburg mayors and councils.

The Report is a worthwhile, albeit possibly daunting, read. There is one section in the Report that should be of particular interest to our residents and businesses — Table 5 “Household/Business Actions to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” It identifies no cost, low cost, medium cost and high cost activities that we can undertake to achieve certain greenhouse gas reduction benefits.

The no cost activities include such things as: recycling; change thermostat settings in both winter and summer; set computers to energy-saving setting; drive 10 fewer miles per week; set water heater thermostat no higher than 120 degrees; wash clothes in cold water. A low cost suggestion: change incandescent lighting to compact fluorescent (maybe Rockville should sponsor a change-your-light bulb day). A medium cost activity is to conduct an energy audit of your home. Such an audit could reduce greenhouse gases, create green jobs and, in the long term, put dollars back into the pockets of our homeowners.

The above may seem like trivial activities but if you believe, as I do, in the efficacy of collective action, then they become a significant contribution to our environmental goals.

Councilmember John Britton

Rockville Central runs occasional, edited opinion pieces by contributors as well as other guest columns. Their views are not necessarily those of Rockville Central. We encourage you to join the growing list of contributors! To submit your piece for consideration, contact us.

Most Dangerous Intersections In Rockville

In a >Gazette article outlining a proposal by Council Member (and, by the way, frequent Rockville Radio listener) John Britton to place Darnestown Road on a “road diet” and squeeze it from four to two lanes, there is appended a list of the ten most dangerous intersections (for pedestrians) in Our Fair City.

The City put this list together in April, but I only now just noticed and it seemed a worthwhile thing to know. So, I helpfully mapped them all out below:

(Don’t forget, if you are getting this by email, you’ll have to come back to the blog to see the map.)

Here is the list of intersections:

1. Route 355 and Halpine Road
2. Veirs Mill Road and Atlantic Avenue
3. East Jefferson and Monroe streets
4. Jefferson and South Washington streets
5. First Street and Baltimore Road
6. Route 355 and Edmonston Drive
7. Route 355 and First Street/Wootton Parkway
8. Route 355 and East Middle Lane
9. Route 355 and Redland Road
10. Shady Grove Road and Fallsgrove Boulevard

Back to Council member Britton’s proposal. It’s got a funny story behind it. It seems it is in response, according to the Gazette,

. . . to a letter the city received from the county that said the city’s request to remove trucks from Darnestown Road was not viable because the road is an arterial road and allows a high volume of traffic, including trucks.

“And because trucks use it, it has to be designated an arterial,” Britton said.

“I read that book, it’s called ‘Catch-22,’” Mayor Susan R. Hoffmann joked during Monday’s [Mayor and Council] meeting.

In addition to serving on the governing body of Our Fair City, Britton is a member of Montgomery County’s Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee.

Rockville Roundtable, Radio Schedules

Don’t forget, the next meeting of the >Rockville Roundtable — previously scheduled for today — is set for next week on Wednesday, September 3 from 12:00 until 1:30 pm.

It will be brown-bag: We’ll stake out some tables near the Out To Lunch Wednesday stage (by the Regal Cinemas) and listen to Sandra Dean while we ponder the issues of the day. So, grab your lunch and come on over. It helps if you let me know you are coming ahead of time, but if you wake up that day and just decide you want to attend, don’t let not having RSVP’d stop you! Just come!

Also, we’re also happy to announce the return, after a summer break, of the popular Rockville Central Radio! Our next scheduled show is Friday, September 5, at noon.

To listen, simply come to Rockville Central and click on the link at the right (the one that says “radio,” natch). Better still — call in! The show is best when there is a vibrant give and take, and there are lots of issues that have been bubbling that we can talk about. The call-in number is 646-200-3332.