Spotlight on Arlington Walker and Green Living Champion Elenor Hodges
Elenor Hodges, Arlingtonian and Executive Director of Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment (ACE), walks the walk when it comes to green living. This D.C.-area native moved to Arlington about 10 years ago and has left quite a footprint Countywide.
Elenor began walking regularly after moving from Del Ray to her home in the Bluemont neighborhood of Arlington in 1997. With easy access to both the Bluemont and Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) trails from her doorstep, Elenor soon added walking to her exercise routine.
When her daughters, now 6 and 3, arrived on the scene, strollers became part of the mix. Then last year, when her older daughter started school at Ashlawn Elementary, the family incorporated the school's popular Foot Fridays program into their increasingly busy schedules by walking to school every Friday.
Elenor also commutes to work in Shirlington on foot, whether pedaling or walking. These days, she describes herself as a seasonal walker because she switches between walking and biking according to the time of year. In spring, summer, and fall, she bikes to work; in the winter, she takes the bus to work, but on return, gets off at a stop that requires a 30-minute walk home.
She finds that the walk at the end of the day provides an opportunity for exercise, a mental break, and a chance to connect with the outdoors.
ACEing Arlington's Environment
Connecting with the outdoors is essential to Elenor's role as Executive Director of the 30-year-old community non-profit Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment or ACE. ACE provides environmental education and community service to create a more sustainable Arlington.
Elenor originally became involved with ACE as a volunteer when she first moved to Arlington. Her background in the education department of the National Wildlife Federation specializing in curriculum and teacher training served ACE well, and after volunteering for three years, Elenor was hired as Executive Director in 2000.
Under her leadership, ACE has undertaken a wide range of successful activities and initiatives, from ongoing community clean-ups to educational programs to environmental tours to sustainable living workshops.
The Green Living Challenge
Drawing on the success of ACE's 2005 Backyard Habitat Challenge and the momentum of this year's Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions (AIRE), ACE started off 2007 by launching one of its most ambitious undertakings yet: the Green Living Challenge.
The Challenge, which ran from January 1 to October 31, 2007, provided Arlington residents with the opportunity to participate in the AIRE program and contribute to Arlington's local goals to reduce emissions in order to combat global warming--making Arlington a healthier, more sustainable community in the process.
Participants were asked to take actions/make lifestyle changes to earn "green points" for themselves and their neighborhoods. Some of the point-earning actions included changing incandescent lightbulbs to compact fluorescents; joining a carsharing company; taking public transit, walking or biking instead of driving at least once a week; conducting an energy audit; and switching to green cleaning products. To qualify for certification as a "Green Living Household," each participant needed to earn 100 points.
Entry forms were due on October 31, and results are now being tabulated. According to Elenor's preliminary review of the submissions, the most widely adopted actions include changing lightbulbs, buying locally grown produce, recycling, and giving up driving one day per week.
Representatives of each qualifying "Green Living Household" will be honored on Monday, November 26, at the Arlington Green Living Gala!. The Gala will take place on the 3rd Floor of the Courthouse Plaza, 2100 Clarendon Blvd., from 7:00-8:30 p.m. Green Living Challenge Awards will be presented to participants, and the new documentary UpClose: Fresh AIRE, will be premiered. View the Green Gala Invitation (pdf).
The Green Living Challenge program will be refined and continued in 2008. Elenor and ACE's small but mighty team of two permanent staff members also have plans to launch a Green Schools program in 2008, working with select Arlington Public Schools on kid-friendly environmental stewardship projects.
Walking the Green-Living Walk, Arlington-Style
With all the goings-on at ACE, it's difficult to imagine when Elenor might find time to walk. By working walking into her weekday commute and taking 45-minute walks on the trails near her home on the weekends, Elenor manages to fulfill this Green Living Challenge action every day.
Elenor also sees walking as a great awareness tool to enlist support for ACE and its mission. "If people can look at their lifestyles and embrace getting outdoors," she says," they will begin to re-connect with the outdoors and realize why we need to protect our natural surroundings." Of course, there is also the "great personal benefit in terms of physical fitness, mental health, and outlook."
According to Elenor, "walking in Arlington is particularly appealing because the system of parks and trails makes you forget you're in an urban setting, the priority on pedestrian-friendly planning allows easy passage through most of the County, and pleasant streetscapes make Arlington's urban villages ideal for foot travel."
As one of Arlington's most high-profile walkers, Elenor is to be commended for walking the walk in all aspects of her busy life. Come to the Green Living Gala on November 26th to see for yourself just how large a footprint she's made on our little County!
