Pictures: Tysons Corner Metro Station Construction

If you've driven around the Tysons Corner area recently you can't miss the massive Metro pylons rising from the dirt -- a symbol of hope in the economic rubble. Construction is on a fast pace for the first phase -- unofficially titled the Silver Line extension and officially called the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project -- that will eventually run past Dulles International Airport and into Loudoun County.

Phase one is going to run from the East Falls Church Orange Line station to Wiehle Avenue on the eastern edge of Reston and will be completed in 2013. The second phase will terminate in Ashburn and has an estimated completion date of 2016. There will be 11 stations in total with four stations in the Tysons Corner area.

The following is a picture slideshow of what will be the Tysons Central-123 aerial station that will drop off passengers across Chain Bridge Road from Tysons Corner Center Mall with a pedestrian bridge to the shopping center. You can see the skeleton of the bridge that will cross Interstate 495 to reach Tysons.

This is the largest mass transit project in Northern Virginia since the Orange, Blue and Yellow Metro lines were built. When the first phase is finished in a little over two years passengers will be able to ride the train from downtown Washington, D.C. directly to Tysons Corner and when phase two is finished it will be a straight shot from downtown to Reston Town Center, Herndon, Dulles and eastern Loudoun.

Green Videos: Nissan Leaf Polar Bear Ad

Nissan Leaf Polar Bear Ad
Seeing its arctic home melting away, a lone polar bear sets out on a great journey to thank someone who is trying to help.




Villaraigosa posts video promoting 30/10 Initiative
The 30/10 Initiative will allow 12 crucial public transit projects to be constructed in Los Angeles in 10 years rather than 30, improving transportation in L.A. and creating more jobs.




The LA Streetcar: See what happens when Downtown connects
Film about the planned LA Streetcar Line. Prominent Angelinos extol the virtues of the proposed streetcar for Downtown Los Angeles. The film gives viewers a virtual experience of a streetcar gliding down the streets of Los Angeles. Production created by Nelson and Sixta, Los Angeles. Original footage by Brewhouse of Portland, Oregon.






How one Swedish city gets people to trade silly car trips for bikes
No ridiculous car trips is an informational film about a campaign with the same name. Trying to get more people too choose riding their bike over their car in Malmo City.




China Sets New High Speed Rail Speed Record
China sets a new record for high speed rail and America's long-term vision for high speed rail begins to emerge.




The Life of Coal and You
The Life of Coal is a dirty one. Learn about it and get involved in the work to build a cleaner future!

Green D.C. Headlines: Environmental Education Pushes Ahead in Maryland

Environmental Education Pushes Ahead in Maryland
Summary: Environmental education took a giant leap forward in Maryland on Thursday. Previously, schools were only required to expose students once to environmental education sometime between pre-kindergarten and twelfth grade. That changed when the Maryland State Board of Education unanimously approved a measure mandating all Maryland schools to integrate environmental education into the curriculum.

Board Passes Sweeping Plan to Redevelop Crystal City
Summary: Just before the unanimous vote that would approve a sweeping plan to redevelop Crystal City, county board chairman Jay Fisette paused for reflection. Looking back at the four and a half year process of crafting the plan, Fisette remarked that it “an amazing moment and a startling success.”

O'Malley-Ehrlich transportation gulf is wide
Summary: If O'Malley is re-elected, he will almost certainly keep Maryland on a course toward construction of two long-sought but expensive light rail systems — the $1.8 billion Red Line in Baltimore and the $1.6 billion Purple Line in the Washington suburbs. As governor, Ehrlich supported the planning process on both lines, but has turned against them as proposed by O'Malley. The Republican has vowed to scuttle light rail on both lines, saying rapid bus lines are his preferred choice.

Metro loses more than a million riders on bus, rail
Summary: Metrobus ridership plummeted and the number of rail passengers fell well below staff projections during the first month of the agency's new fiscal year -- and the first month of higher fares.

County favors underground airport rail station at Washington Dulles
Summary: Fairfax County officials are still backing an underground Metrorail station at Washington Dulles International Airport, but say costs must come down for the project to remain viable.

Nearly 7,000 Go Car Free in the Metropolitan Washington Region
Summary: Over 6,900 residents in the Washington metropolitan region went car free or car-lite on Wednesday, September 22, making it the region’s most successful year yet in the international celebration of alternatives to solo-driving. Registrants pledged to rely less on their cars by riding metro, bicycling, carpooling, vanpooling, walking or teleworking.

Walkers Turn Out in Droves for September 26 Debut of WalkArlington's Yorktown Walkabout
Summary: Despite an early morning rain shower, skies cleared by mid-day Sunday, just in time for WalkArlington’s Yorktown Walkabout. More than 75 walkers of all ages and all walks of life turned out for the two-hour, two-mile walking tour of the northwest Arlington neighborhood, the latest in WalkArlington’s series of self-guided Walkabout routes.

Metro Board Member Falls on Slippery Train Platform
Summary: There is a call for change from a Metro Board member after he was hurt boarding a train Thursday. Bill Euille, who is also the Mayor of Alexandria, slipped and fell at the Braddock Road Metro Station as he was boarding a train.

Feds urged to use Bikeshare program
Summary: Three federal agencies are offering employees corporate memberships with the District's Capital Bikeshare program to help promote the new cycling network and reduce the government's carbon footprint.

New On-Street Bike Parking
Summary: Together with WABA’s bicycle parking program coordinator, District Dept. of Transportation crews installed new on-street bike parking corrals in five locations in northwest Washington, DC.

Amtrak Ignores Bikers

One of the pleasures of riding Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner Train from Los Angeles to San Diego is how easy it is to bring your bike on the train. There are bike wall racks on nearly every car so you don't have to deal with the hassle and the costs of boxing your bike and stowing it.

Unfortunately the Southern California route is one of the few lines in the system that allow for roll-on and roll-off biking. That is a shame. I recently encountered a couple of guys who took the train up to D.C. from Richmond, Virginia and wanted to do the right thing and bring their bikes onboard instead of renting a car, but couldn't because there are no bike wall racks on any of the East Coast lines and they didn't want to spend the time and the money boxing up their bikes.

If Amtrak wants to stay competitive with the private operators that are bidding for the new high-speed rail lines that are coming, then they need to cater to bikers and not just business travelers around the country.

Wouldn't it be great if one day you could bike to Union Station in D.C., board a train bound for New York City and leave Penn Station on your bicycle?

Segway Lives in D.C.!

It appears rumors of the death of the Segway Personal Transporter electric vehicle are premature. While the rest of the country mocks the awkward, bulky design and ridicules its use as a commuting option with a top speed of 12 mph, the Nation's Capital has been oblivious to this perception.

Every day Capital Segway City Tours and other tour companies zip visitors around D.C. to see the monuments and museums. You can't miss the big groups riding around town with fanny packs, cameras and FBI t-shirts in tow. And the Metropolitan Police Department is even using Segway scooters for community policing. While two D.C. cops riding the streets in an electric scooter might look like a scene out of "Robocop," it is apparently an effective method of policing that is used all over the world because it is quicker than on foot and increases the field of vision.

So say what you want about the Segway, but the machine has outlasted the late-night punchlines and is here to stay -- at least in Washington, D.C.

Breaking News: White House To Install Solar Panels

President Obama will install solar panels and a solar water heater on the roof of the White House by the spring of 2011. Not since President Carter's solar panels has such a public commitment been made to renewable energy. This decision has the potential to give a huge boost to an already burgeoning solar power industry in the United States.

Here is the full press release of this morning's announcement:

THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Public Affairs


News Media Contact: For Immediate Release:
(202) 586-4940 Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Obama Administration Announces Plans to Install New Solar Panels on the White House Residence

WASHINGTON – U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chair Nancy Sutley today announced plans to install solar panels and a solar hot water heater on the roof of the White House Residence. These two solar installations will be part of a Department of Energy demonstration project showing that American solar technologies are available, reliable, and ready for installation in homes throughout the country. Secretary Chu and Chair Sutley made the announcement during CEQ’s 2010 GreenGov Symposium, which is bringing together leaders from Federal, state and local governments, nonprofit and academic communities and the private sector to identify opportunities around greening the Federal Government.

“This project reflects President Obama’s strong commitment to U.S. leadership in solar energy and the jobs it will create here at home,” said Secretary Chu. “Deploying solar energy technologies across the country will help America lead the global economy for years to come.”

“President Obama has said the Federal Government has to lead by example in creating opportunity and jobs in clean energy,” said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “By installing solar panels on arguably the most famous house in the country, his residence, the President is underscoring that commitment to lead and the promise and importance of renewable energy in the United States.”

The PV system will convert sunlight directly to electricity. The solar hot water heater will have a solar collector facing the sun that will heat water for use in the White House Residence. The Department of Energy will now begin a competitive procurement process to select the company responsible for the installations.

By installing solar panels on their homes, consumers are able to effectively lock in the price of electricity they will pay in the years ahead, acting as an insulator against future rises in electricity prices since the systems installed in homes today are expected to last approximately thirty years. Financial incentives are also available to offset the initial costs of installing solar energy systems, including a 30 percent federal tax credit and additional state, local, and utility incentive programs to encourage the deployment of renewable energy.

The deployment of solar energy and other renewable energy sources will help expand U.S. clean energy manufacturing and create new jobs for American workers. As a result of investments under the Recovery Act, the solar energy industry is growing and solar resources can now be seen in communities nationwide. In the coming years, continued investments in innovation and cutting-edge solar technologies will help make solar energy cost-competitive with conventional electricity sources all across the country.

This announcement is made on the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s Executive Order 13514 on Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance, which called on the Federal Government to lead by example towards a clean energy economy and reduce, measure and report direct and indirect greenhouse gas pollution. In support of this goal, the Department of Energy also released “Procuring Solar Energy: A Guide for Federal Facility Decision Makers” to support the use of solar energy throughout the Federal Government.

Thousands Rally For Green Jobs

On Saturday afternoon thousands of people gathered along the Reflecting Pool and the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to rally for a range of progressive issues including green job creation. The officially-titled One Nation Working Together event featured a heavy turnout from labor and civil rights groups, and was billed by the media as the liberal answer to Glenn Beck's Tea Party rally which took place at the same spot in late August. Both events were aimed at energizing their base to get to the polls for the midterm elections on November 2nd.

Former White House Council on Environmental Quality's Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Van Jones, spoke about energy efficiency and renewable energy such as solar and wind as the solution to our economic, security and environmental problems. Here is the full video of his speech followed by a picture slideshow from the event.