Cindy's Blog

Well, I think that we can safely say that we are slowly, but surely, starting to grow a bit of a sustainable building culture and a fostering environment in the Richmond area. More and more people are becoming aware of what an energy audit is, and more and more home builders are starting to realize that people are becoming more aware and more interested in sustainable, more energy efficient homes.

It sure is slow going, though. I don't remember if I've referenced this before, but there was an old joke saying that "Richmond is the best place to be in a nuclear war, since it takes everything 10 years to get here." As much as I love Richmond, and don't get me wrong, I do love Richmond- I've lived up and down the East coast and came back here very purposefully. It certainly does have it's little quirks, though- one of them is the length it time it takes things to really "catch on" here.

After talking to a number of people who have moved here from out of state/ out of town, they've noticed this as well, in the sense that there is definitely a "waiting" period before anyone really fully lets you in. It's not that we're not nice, here, it's just that we as a community seem to want to wait for things to gel before we fully engage them.

At any rate, the one thing I think that is fortunate about the often irritating "hipness" about the wave of "greening" that has been sweeping the nation, is that it has perhaps pushed Virginia, and the oh so conservative Richmonders to be a bit greener than they would have been had they just waited to do it on their own because it's a good idea.

I digress a bit- what I really wanted to mention was that the Virginia Sustainable Building Network is having their Annual Meeting and Celebration here at the University of Richmond's Jepson Center this Wednesday. Very exciting! It should really prove to be a great event, and hopefully we'll have a good local representation. I believe that the registration is closed now, but check out www.vsbn.org for more information about what they do and how you might get involved and learn more!