Mas chef teams up with Schoolyard Garden program

It isn’t often that fresh gourmet dishes served up by Tomas Rahal, chef and owner of Mas, are received with choruses of “ewws” and “yucks.” Rahal took it all in stride on July 16 when Grade 2 and 3 students from Clark Elementary School’s Summer School Science Enrichment Program visited his Belmont restaurant for a […]

Green Scene: The forward-thinking garden

Even though summer temperatures have finally climbed to average and above-average highs, it’s definitely time to think about what to plant for the lovely fall growing season. If you haven’t planted a fall garden before, let me review why it’s awesome: Cooler temperatures support the growth of our favorite spring veggies, so if you didn’t […]

Green happenings: Charlottesville environmental news and events

Each week, C-VILLE’s Green Scene page takes a look at local environmental news. The section’s bulletin board has information on local green events and keeps you up to date on statewide happenings. Got an event or a tip you’d like to see here and in the paper? Write us at news@c-ville.com.  Eco-activist onscreen: The Thomas […]

UVA professor helping develop powerful forest mapping satellite

Hank Shugart has been waiting a long time for a view from space. Shugart,  UVA’s W.W. Corcoran Professor of Environmental Sciences, is a global forest ecologist whose work has made him a key consultant on Earth-mapping projects. He was with a crew of researchers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland on February […]

Ivy Creek experts offer tips on after-dark bug hunting

Last week, two volunteer naturalists offered visitors to the Ivy Creek Natural Area’s Education Center a new take on local nightlife. In an evening lecture at the preserve off Earlysville Road, Ivy Creek Education Programs Coordinator Bruce Gatling-Austin and volunteer guide and Master Naturalist Rachel Bush shared some illuminating facts about local nocturnal insects, and […]

Ask Betty: Your burning recycling and energy questions answered

Teri Kent runs Charlottesville’s Better World Betty, a non-profit organization and online resource for locals looking to shrink their impact on the environment. Every month, Betty—Kent’s ’50s-housewife-meets-earth-goddess alter ego —answers the most burning eco-questions from our readers about energy use, water, waste and recycling, transportation, and green buying. What can we do with an old […]

Dominion rolls out solar purchase program

Dominion Virginia is wading into the renewable energy credit market, and it’s offering its customers a way to cash in. Andy Bindea, co-founder of Waynesboro-based residential and commercial solar installation company Sigora Solar, said Dominion’s new solar power purchase program, launched June 20, is a big step for sustainable energy in the Commonwealth. The power […]

Keep your garden producing as the weather heats up

The rainy, mild spring has finally given way to summer temperatures. We’re still enjoying tender spring lettuces, peas, carrots, and greens, but as the mercury climbs, they won’t last long. This short season will soon turn into the early summer doldrums in the garden—our arugula long since bolted, and our tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers are […]

Green happenings: Charlottesville environmental news and events

Each week, C-VILLE’s Green Scene page takes a look at local environmental news. The section’s bulletin board has information on local green events and keeps you up to date on statewide happenings. Got an event or a tip you’d like to see here and in the paper? Write us at news@c-ville.com.  Pack a lunch: Tired […]

City approves master park plan with five-mile commuter loop

The City of Charlottesville acquired the last parcel of a 40-acre tract of parkland along Meadow Creek early this year, and with City Council’s go-ahead, trail planner Chris Gensic can’t wait to get his hands on it. Last week, Council unanimously approved the Department of Parks and Recreation’s master plan for the stream valley, which […]