Friday, October 29, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
5 Easy ways to GREEN up your Tailgate!!!
It's that time of year again. There's a blush of color in the trees, the air is getting crisp and football season is in full swing. The perfect time for tailgating.
Before we go much further: a reality check. There's not much green about the idea of transporting thousands of people to a football arena, jetting teams around the country and cleaning up tons of trash after the final down. If you want a truly eco-friendly tailgating party, skip the stadium. Watch the game on TV and invite a few friends over for barbecue in the driveway.
But greener living doesn't always have to mean doing without. It's about doing better. So if you've got your heart set on a traditional pregame party with alumni, fans and family, we've rounded up a few ideas to green up your party and demonstrate that almost anything can be made a bit more sustainable.
The green barbecue
Your lowest-impact grilling option is propane. Sure, propane is a fossil fuel — but it burns a lot cleaner than charcoal or wood fires. Propane also leaves behind less waste, and is particularly convenient when you're cooking away from home.
If you're going the charcoal route, consider something like Greenlink's All Natural Briquettes. They're made from environmentally friendly wood sources and renewable plant wastes such as coconut husks. Unlike conventional briquettes, Greenlink doesn't use clay or anthracite fillers.
Forget the charcoal starter: it's rich in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which you don't want in your food or in the air. Use an electric starter. If that's not practical, a good-quality charcoal chimney will get those coals glowing in minutes using nothing more than a sheet or two of newspaper.
Earth-friendly eats
Maybe you're easing back on your meat consumption for the sake of the environment. That doesn't mean you'll have to settle for trail mix at your tailgate party. Check out the Vegetarian Kitchen's tasty suggestions for veggie barbecue.
Not ready to give up on burgers and hot dogs? If you've not tried Boca's burger patties or one of the great vegetarian franks you'll find in most grocery freezer sections, you're in for a surprise. A tip: veggie hot dogs are better boiled than grilled. You can always steam them in foil when you're ready to serve.
As for the rest of the meal, go with local, seasonal produce and plug in your favorite recipes. The great thing about tailgating season is that it coincides with the biggest selection of the year down at the farmers market. Bon appetit.
Organic brew
Green beer isn't just for St. Patrick’s Day. Of course, we're talking organic — not color.
Organic beer has really taken off in the past few years. Even big players like Anheuser-Busch have gotten into the act, which means organic brew may very well be sold wherever you normally buy groceries. Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or most local natural food stores also carry organic beer lines.
Wolaver's is currently the largest national distributor of all-organic beers. Its pale ale is a good choice for warm-weather tailgating. It's traditional to drink heavier brews once there's a snap to the autumn air. In any case, it's an excuse to sample Wolaver's award-winning Brown Ale or Oatmeal Stout. You'll find similar organic selections from Peak Brewing and Goose Island Beer Company.
Ditching the disposables
It's tempting to break out the paper plates and plastic cutlery when you're eating away from home. They're certainly convenient, but most dining disposables end up in the environment or clogging local landfills, rather than finding their way into the recycling stream.
It's really not much of a hassle to bring some dishes from home. They needn't be your everyday ware: picking up a set of lightweight plastic place settings is a great outdoor investment, and you can probably find them secondhand for next to nothing at a garage sale or thrift store. Carry them home for washing in a lock-top box.
If you really need disposables that won't make a mess of Mother Nature, check out Cereplast's line of compostable cutlery. They're made from a bio-resin derived from corn and potato starch. For other ideas on cutting picnic waste, see our article on dining without disposables.
A little entertainment
Crank your own tunes! The Eton Emergency Radio.
If you're fit enough to roll with the Tour de France (and perhaps a bit crazy), you can always follow the big game on a bicycle-powered television set like these inventive fellows.
For the less obsessive, there's the Eton FR300 Emergency Radio . You'll probably have a great-sounding car radio to turn up at the tailgate site, but the FR300 is ideal for catching the play-by-play in the stands. It can be crank-operated, which means no need for AC power and zero battery waste. The FR300 has a TV audio section and will even recharge a dead cellphone battery in a pinch.
It's a smart radio to have on hand for emergencies, and a subtle way to demonstrate alternative-powered consumer devices for friends.
Let Us know your ideas, tips or advice!!
Before we go much further: a reality check. There's not much green about the idea of transporting thousands of people to a football arena, jetting teams around the country and cleaning up tons of trash after the final down. If you want a truly eco-friendly tailgating party, skip the stadium. Watch the game on TV and invite a few friends over for barbecue in the driveway.
But greener living doesn't always have to mean doing without. It's about doing better. So if you've got your heart set on a traditional pregame party with alumni, fans and family, we've rounded up a few ideas to green up your party and demonstrate that almost anything can be made a bit more sustainable.
The green barbecue
Your lowest-impact grilling option is propane. Sure, propane is a fossil fuel — but it burns a lot cleaner than charcoal or wood fires. Propane also leaves behind less waste, and is particularly convenient when you're cooking away from home.
If you're going the charcoal route, consider something like Greenlink's All Natural Briquettes. They're made from environmentally friendly wood sources and renewable plant wastes such as coconut husks. Unlike conventional briquettes, Greenlink doesn't use clay or anthracite fillers.
Forget the charcoal starter: it's rich in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which you don't want in your food or in the air. Use an electric starter. If that's not practical, a good-quality charcoal chimney will get those coals glowing in minutes using nothing more than a sheet or two of newspaper.
Earth-friendly eats
Maybe you're easing back on your meat consumption for the sake of the environment. That doesn't mean you'll have to settle for trail mix at your tailgate party. Check out the Vegetarian Kitchen's tasty suggestions for veggie barbecue.
Not ready to give up on burgers and hot dogs? If you've not tried Boca's burger patties or one of the great vegetarian franks you'll find in most grocery freezer sections, you're in for a surprise. A tip: veggie hot dogs are better boiled than grilled. You can always steam them in foil when you're ready to serve.
As for the rest of the meal, go with local, seasonal produce and plug in your favorite recipes. The great thing about tailgating season is that it coincides with the biggest selection of the year down at the farmers market. Bon appetit.
Organic brew
Green beer isn't just for St. Patrick’s Day. Of course, we're talking organic — not color.
Organic beer has really taken off in the past few years. Even big players like Anheuser-Busch have gotten into the act, which means organic brew may very well be sold wherever you normally buy groceries. Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or most local natural food stores also carry organic beer lines.
Wolaver's is currently the largest national distributor of all-organic beers. Its pale ale is a good choice for warm-weather tailgating. It's traditional to drink heavier brews once there's a snap to the autumn air. In any case, it's an excuse to sample Wolaver's award-winning Brown Ale or Oatmeal Stout. You'll find similar organic selections from Peak Brewing and Goose Island Beer Company.
Ditching the disposables
It's tempting to break out the paper plates and plastic cutlery when you're eating away from home. They're certainly convenient, but most dining disposables end up in the environment or clogging local landfills, rather than finding their way into the recycling stream.
It's really not much of a hassle to bring some dishes from home. They needn't be your everyday ware: picking up a set of lightweight plastic place settings is a great outdoor investment, and you can probably find them secondhand for next to nothing at a garage sale or thrift store. Carry them home for washing in a lock-top box.
If you really need disposables that won't make a mess of Mother Nature, check out Cereplast's line of compostable cutlery. They're made from a bio-resin derived from corn and potato starch. For other ideas on cutting picnic waste, see our article on dining without disposables.
A little entertainment
Crank your own tunes! The Eton Emergency Radio.
If you're fit enough to roll with the Tour de France (and perhaps a bit crazy), you can always follow the big game on a bicycle-powered television set like these inventive fellows.
For the less obsessive, there's the Eton FR300 Emergency Radio . You'll probably have a great-sounding car radio to turn up at the tailgate site, but the FR300 is ideal for catching the play-by-play in the stands. It can be crank-operated, which means no need for AC power and zero battery waste. The FR300 has a TV audio section and will even recharge a dead cellphone battery in a pinch.
It's a smart radio to have on hand for emergencies, and a subtle way to demonstrate alternative-powered consumer devices for friends.
Let Us know your ideas, tips or advice!!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Do you think the economy is bouncing back?
BWI sets passenger record for June
Increase of 8.9% over June 2009 gives airport 2nd-best month
Increase of 8.9% over June 2009 gives airport 2nd-best month
August 02, 2010By Michael Dresser, The Baltimore Sun - Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport set a record for June traffic this year as 2,085,293 commercial passengers passed through the airport that month, according to the Maryland Aviation Administration. That total represents an 8.9 percent increase over June 2009.
It was the second-busiest month ever at BWI, falling just short of the record set in August 2001 — the month before 9/11 sent the airline industry into a prolonged slump.
More than half of BWI's June passengers — 1,111,896 — flew on Southwest Airlines, which tallied a 14.9 percent increase over the previous year. Southwest is now making 182 daily departures from BWI, its highest level since it began operations there.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Pilot explains air traffic back-ups
Travel and Tourism
Editor's note: Daniel Fahl is a captain for a major U.S. airline. He has been a pilot for 10 years.
(CNN) -- "Airspace congestion" is routinely cited as the cause of air travel delays, particularly in the busy, storm-prone summer months.
It's important for a frequent flier to understand how traffic piles up, even when the sun is shining and the weather overhead looks great.
More often than not, airspace congestion is tied to airports in and around New York. Other major airports in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Atlanta, Georgia; and Chicago, Illinois, are also sensitive to congestion. But when the weather is foul, any airport can be affected.
In the greater New York area, three major airports, LaGuardia, JFK and Newark International, all within a 25-mile diameter circle, land and depart hundreds of flights per day. With this many flights, it's crucial to have an organized system of filtering arrivals and departures from each airport at a safe distance.
The system consists of standardized routes that aircraft use to keep out of each other's way, similar to highway on-ramps and exits. In the sky, since there's no pavement to follow, on-ramps and exits are defined by coordinates.
Congestion arises when aircraft from multiple airports are headed in a similar direction. When a flight from Newark departing for Denver, Colorado, a flight from LaGuardia departing for Phoenix, Arizona, and a flight from JFK departing for Los Angeles, California, all head west, it's important to allow enough space between aircraft so they don't arrive at the same coordinate at the same time.
If traffic is light, it's business as usual for air traffic control. But when many flights are headed in the same direction from multiple airports, aircraft may be held on the ground to provide enough spacing. The result for passengers? A tarmac delay.
Departure delays can also occur when many aircraft are trying to depart the same runway. Since airlines generally run large "banks" of flights that arrive at the same time, allowing passengers to connect to flights that will depart at the same time, there can be a long line for take-off.
Most of the time departure bank delays are built into your travel itinerary. It may be a 30-minute flight from New York to Boston, but your ticket may say one hour to account for time on the ground.
Aircraft are also arriving from all directions, and they not only have to be separated from each other, but also from aircraft departing the airport, adding to congestion.
Although many airports have multiple runways, bad weather or runway closures can snarl traffic. If there are 50 flights per hour scheduled to arrive, but the airport can only handle 40 arrivals per hour, someone's going to be delayed.
So which flights get priority for departing on time? That decision often is left to the airlines themselves. The FAA may say 40 flights are allowed per hour, but the airline will decide which flights will be on time. Usually arrivals from overseas will be prioritized, followed by transcontinental flights, then finally the closer-in "regional" flights. This is subject to change, but is the general rule of thumb.
In the summer, departure and arrival routes can quickly become blocked by thunderstorms, usually in the afternoon. And the weather does not necessarily have to be near the airport -- storms between airports can cause backups as well.
If a thunderstorm is blocking a major route, pilots and air traffic control must navigate around the weather. With so many flights arriving and departing in all directions, the storm is similar to a disabled vehicle on a highway causing a traffic jam because everyone's trying to merge into a new lane.
But even without storms, flights can be delayed if "bumper to bumper" aircraft force air traffic control to slow the pace of traffic. Until the traffic jam is eased, your flight will be held on the ground awaiting an open spot on your route.
The best way to avoid delays is to travel early in the morning, as the weather is usually calmer and the traffic is lightest. If you find yourself delayed, chances are that your connecting flight will also be late because of a ripple effect. The more severe the congestion, the more likely flights from other cities will also be delayed. If your connecting flight is on one of those aircraft, clearly you have a fighting chance to make your connection.
But frequently, connection times are not long enough to absorb delays. Pay attention to the layover time between connecting flights as you purchase your ticket. A 30-minute layover to connect to another flight is very challenging at larger airports -- an hour is better.
And watch the weather; if you can avoid forecasted storms by changing your flight, give it a shot. Many airlines have mobile websites that allow you to check a flight's status, so you are that much more in tune with the bigger picture.
Travel and Tourism
Editor's note: Daniel Fahl is a captain for a major U.S. airline. He has been a pilot for 10 years.
(CNN) -- "Airspace congestion" is routinely cited as the cause of air travel delays, particularly in the busy, storm-prone summer months.
It's important for a frequent flier to understand how traffic piles up, even when the sun is shining and the weather overhead looks great.
More often than not, airspace congestion is tied to airports in and around New York. Other major airports in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Atlanta, Georgia; and Chicago, Illinois, are also sensitive to congestion. But when the weather is foul, any airport can be affected.
In the greater New York area, three major airports, LaGuardia, JFK and Newark International, all within a 25-mile diameter circle, land and depart hundreds of flights per day. With this many flights, it's crucial to have an organized system of filtering arrivals and departures from each airport at a safe distance.
The system consists of standardized routes that aircraft use to keep out of each other's way, similar to highway on-ramps and exits. In the sky, since there's no pavement to follow, on-ramps and exits are defined by coordinates.
Congestion arises when aircraft from multiple airports are headed in a similar direction. When a flight from Newark departing for Denver, Colorado, a flight from LaGuardia departing for Phoenix, Arizona, and a flight from JFK departing for Los Angeles, California, all head west, it's important to allow enough space between aircraft so they don't arrive at the same coordinate at the same time.
If traffic is light, it's business as usual for air traffic control. But when many flights are headed in the same direction from multiple airports, aircraft may be held on the ground to provide enough spacing. The result for passengers? A tarmac delay.
Departure delays can also occur when many aircraft are trying to depart the same runway. Since airlines generally run large "banks" of flights that arrive at the same time, allowing passengers to connect to flights that will depart at the same time, there can be a long line for take-off.
Most of the time departure bank delays are built into your travel itinerary. It may be a 30-minute flight from New York to Boston, but your ticket may say one hour to account for time on the ground.
Aircraft are also arriving from all directions, and they not only have to be separated from each other, but also from aircraft departing the airport, adding to congestion.
Although many airports have multiple runways, bad weather or runway closures can snarl traffic. If there are 50 flights per hour scheduled to arrive, but the airport can only handle 40 arrivals per hour, someone's going to be delayed.
So which flights get priority for departing on time? That decision often is left to the airlines themselves. The FAA may say 40 flights are allowed per hour, but the airline will decide which flights will be on time. Usually arrivals from overseas will be prioritized, followed by transcontinental flights, then finally the closer-in "regional" flights. This is subject to change, but is the general rule of thumb.
In the summer, departure and arrival routes can quickly become blocked by thunderstorms, usually in the afternoon. And the weather does not necessarily have to be near the airport -- storms between airports can cause backups as well.
If a thunderstorm is blocking a major route, pilots and air traffic control must navigate around the weather. With so many flights arriving and departing in all directions, the storm is similar to a disabled vehicle on a highway causing a traffic jam because everyone's trying to merge into a new lane.
But even without storms, flights can be delayed if "bumper to bumper" aircraft force air traffic control to slow the pace of traffic. Until the traffic jam is eased, your flight will be held on the ground awaiting an open spot on your route.
The best way to avoid delays is to travel early in the morning, as the weather is usually calmer and the traffic is lightest. If you find yourself delayed, chances are that your connecting flight will also be late because of a ripple effect. The more severe the congestion, the more likely flights from other cities will also be delayed. If your connecting flight is on one of those aircraft, clearly you have a fighting chance to make your connection.
But frequently, connection times are not long enough to absorb delays. Pay attention to the layover time between connecting flights as you purchase your ticket. A 30-minute layover to connect to another flight is very challenging at larger airports -- an hour is better.
And watch the weather; if you can avoid forecasted storms by changing your flight, give it a shot. Many airlines have mobile websites that allow you to check a flight's status, so you are that much more in tune with the bigger picture.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Tell us what you think about the new security measures at BWI.....
Some experts question security value of full-body scannersAfter months of seeking to allay public fears over privacy, the TSA finds itself increasingly answering another criticism of full-body scanners: Some experts say the machines simply don't work. Critics -- including the Government Accountability Office and private security consultants -- say advanced imaging technology can miss too many threats because it relies on human judgment in interpreting the vague, chalky images. Many critics say the scanners should be used in conjunction with metal detectors, rather than being deployed as a primary screening tool. But the TSA defends the scanners, even as it closes in on its goal of 450 installations by year's end. "No technology is going to be the silver bullet, but this is a significant enhancement," says Robin Kane, assistant administrator for the TSA's Office of Security Technology. Chicago Tribune
Some experts question security value of full-body scannersAfter months of seeking to allay public fears over privacy, the TSA finds itself increasingly answering another criticism of full-body scanners: Some experts say the machines simply don't work. Critics -- including the Government Accountability Office and private security consultants -- say advanced imaging technology can miss too many threats because it relies on human judgment in interpreting the vague, chalky images. Many critics say the scanners should be used in conjunction with metal detectors, rather than being deployed as a primary screening tool. But the TSA defends the scanners, even as it closes in on its goal of 450 installations by year's end. "No technology is going to be the silver bullet, but this is a significant enhancement," says Robin Kane, assistant administrator for the TSA's Office of Security Technology. Chicago Tribune
Friday, June 11, 2010
Earth Day Celebration
Renewing Community Partnerships
By: Jodie Dibley – Guest Service Manager
Boy Scouts of America has recently partnered with Hampton Inn BWI in efforts to contribute to a greener community environment. The Boy Scouts of America has what is called a “Venture Crew: Unit 725” that comes out bi-weekly to the Hampton Inn BWI to collect aluminum cans with the intention to eventually expand into collecting paper recycling.On Thursday, April 22, 2010 – which was also known as Earth Day; Hampton Inn BWI held a community event to announce and publicize their newly founded relationship with Boy Scouts of America. BSA has really helped Hampton Inn BWI give a “jumpstart” to their Sustainability Plan that includes current green efforts, green efforts in the making, and plans for a better tomorrow. Such efforts included, but are not limited to, elimination of water waste, paper waste, and energy waste. Hampton Inn BWI takes pride in using Taterware plates, bowls, knives, forks, and spoons. Taterware is an environmentally conscious material made out of potatoes. Taterware is both biodegradable and compostable. It is primarily made of corn plastics and potato starches. The green kickoff event included a well rounded group of individuals from local businesses such as Northrop Grumman, Dept.of Defense, Arbee Assoc., Keystone Research, John Hopkins, and many more. Absolutely Perfect Catering spiced up the evening with a beautiful Italian Market food display that offered an array of meat, cheese, and vegetable choices. It was greatly enjoyed by everyone in attendance. A more notable part of the evening featured Maryland State Senator Edward Reilly delivering an inspiring speech that included the importance of community involvement. He further articulated the foundation of BSA and how much they contribute to the well-being of America through the core values they represent. The event concluded with a presentation of a $1,000 dollar check made out to the Boy Scouts of America from Hampton Inn BWI in appreciation to the beginning of a strong partnership. Hampton Inn BWI anticipates continuing their newly found relationship with Boy Scouts of America while inspiring other businesses towards community involvement and welfare.
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