Dear Friends of Sustainable Reston™,

 

Driving around Reston after THE RAIN STORM, I heard a newscaster announce the rains we had just endured happen only once every few centuries.  Let’s hope he was right.  One does wonder, though, if climate change is going to bring us more rain events like the one on September 8, 2011.  What do we need to do as a community to ensure that we are prepared for more events like that one?  How would we fare if a severe storm or flood damaged our water system?  What can we begin to do now to be less vulnerable to power outages?  Does our way of life leave us particularly susceptible to external disruption: for example, a power distribution problem in the Midwest or a crop failure in our increasingly centralized and specialized agriculture system? How would we take care of our neighbors if many homes in Reston were suddenly condemned after a weather event? 

 

No one likes to think about these “What ifs…”, but that’s precisely what we need to do in order to increase Reston’s resiliency in the face of external events over which we have no control.  Join the conversation about local food security, energy security, and other community programs by participating in Sustainable Reston™ activities.

 

Local Foods Working Group Events

 

Thanks to everyone in the community who turned out on September 9 to see “Fresh” at Nature House.  Our Local Foods Working Group’s inaugural event was a big success.  It’s clear that many folks in Reston are concerned about our industrial agriculture system and would like to find alternatives like more farmers’ markets, a year-round grocery store or co-op that carries only local products, more community gardens, etc.   We can continue the discussion about local food at two upcoming events and, hopefully, lay the groundwork for action:  the October 3 screening of “Power of Community:  How Cuba Survived Peak Oil” and the October 10 local food panel discussion.  Please see our website (www.sustainablereston.org) for full details. 

 

Third Annual Reston Sustainability Awards

 

Thanks to everyone who turned in nominations for the Third Annual Reston Sustainability Awards.  The winners will be announced at the Sustainable Reston Forum on October 22 (see below).  Please come out to support Reston’s sustainability champions!

 

Sustainable Reston Forum

 

We are very pleased to be a sponsor of the Sustainable Reston Forum, which will take place on October 22 at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods, 3-5 p.m.  The event will inaugurate a multi-year effort involving a coalition of Reston civic organizations to build on Reston’s original values and make its future one of sustainable practices that will safeguard its natural beauty and environmental stewardship. There will be open discussions and opportunities for all to generate ideas and work together. In the first year of the initiative, residents are encouraged to pledge their commitment to sustainable practices; the goal of the first year is to have 12 percent of Reston households pledged by Founders Day in April, 2012.

 

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Catherine M. Hudgins will open the forum and Michael Shuman will be the keynote speaker. Sustainability champions in the areas of “Transportation,” “Home and Lifestyle,” “Environment,” and “Buying Local” will speak and lead discussions.  The community sponsors of the Sustainable Reston Forum have a strong vision for making Reston a more sustainable community. Building on our traditions, values, and leadership, Reston of the 21^st century continues to be a diverse and healthy community that fosters stewardship of natural beauty and has a vibrant, resilient economy.

 

You can register for the Forum by going to RCC’s website:  http://www.restoncommunitycenter.com/arts_community_SustainableReston.shtml or by printing a form from the Sustainable Reston Forum website and mailing it to or dropping it off at RCC:  http://www.sustainablerestonforum.org/forum-fact-sheet. 

 

More information on the Forum and the pledge is available at www.sustainablerestonforum.org.

 

See you at the Forum!

What We’re Reading

As you all know, one of our goals for Reston is a strong and vibrant local economy.  It’s impossible to have a vibrant local economy without a local arts scene.  So, this month we stopped reading about peak oil, climate change, and economic problems and chose to read The Taker, Restonian Alma Katsu’s first novel.  The Taker is an immortal love story that carries the reader across centuries and continents.  One wants to rush through this novel to learn the next twist in the plot, but the writing is so beautiful and elegant, and the plot so intriguing that one lingers on each page so that nothing is missed.  The Taker is the first novel in a trilogy, and we’re hoping we don’t have to wait too long for the second installment.  We hope you’ll support our local economy by supporting a local artist, author, musician, actor, or playwright.

                                                                        Sustainable Reston™ *

Events:  Please see www.sustainablereston.org for full details on these events

 

October 3,  7 p.m. ,  “Power of Community:  How Cuba Survived Peak Oil”

October 10, 7 p.m. ,  Local Foods Panel discussion with local farmers and chefs

October 14, 2011, 7 p.m, movie “Energy Crossroads”

October 22, 2011, 3-5 p.m., Sustainable Reston Forum at RCC (www.sustainablerestonforum.org)

November 11, 2011, 7 p.m, movie “Dirt!”                                                                                                                                                              

*A project of the Fairfax Coalition for Smarter Growth, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit community organization

Contact:  Diane Blust dblust@comcast.net

Please consider the environment before printing this newsletter!