Which version of the Hickory Ridge Village Center is likely to survive?

The Howard County Design Advisory Committee (DAP) is reviewing Kimco’s revised plan for the Hickory Ridge Village Center on Wednesday, February 8th. Their decision may very well determine whether the Village Center survives. Moreover, it’s a decision that will affect all of Columbia and whether our city will take the steps to become truly sustainable.

There is considerable community opposition to adding apartments to the Village Center. Many residents of Hickory Ridge feel just as strongly that the higher density is essential to the Center’s future viability. It is a struggle that has occurred in Columbia before and is likely to continue. I support the following perspective, and it applies to other Village Centers as well.

Dear members of the Design Advisory Panel,

I represent a citizens’ action group of Hickory Ridge residents recently formed to help ensure a viable Hickory Ridge village center, one that would be designed for the 21^st century. Our group, Citizens in favor of a Vibrant Village Center (CIVVC), believes that Kimco’s revised plan for the village center offers the best hope of creating a flourishing village center 10 years from now.

We also think Kimco’s revised plan responds appropriately to the DAP’s suggestions at its last meeting. Here’s why:

Continue reading Which version of the Hickory Ridge Village Center is likely to survive?

Contact your Local Senator and Delegates to Ban Rolling Coal in Maryland

For the second year in a row, Delegate Clarence Lam (Democrat District 12, Howard/Baltimore County) has introduced a bill (HB-11) to make rolling coal illegal in Maryland. And what is rolling coal?

“Rollin’ Coal” Is Pollution Porn For Dudes With Pickup Trucks

By Elizabeth Kulze with Eric Eyges, vocativ (Jun 16, 2014)

In small towns across America, manly men are customizing their jacked-up diesel trucks to intentionally emit giant plumes of toxic smoke every time they rev their engines. They call it “rollin’ coal,” and it’s something they do for fun.

An entire subculture has emerged on the Internet surrounding this soot-spewing pastime—where self-declared rednecks gather on Facebook pages (16,000 collective followers) Tumblr and I nstagram (156,714 posts) to share photos and videos of their Dodge Rams and GM Silverados purposefully poisoning the sky. As one of their memes reads: “Roll, roll, rollin’ coal, let the hybrid see. A big black cloud. Exhaust that’s loud. Watch the city boy flee.”

Of course, there are things about diesel lovers and their trucks that the rest of us weren’t meant to understand. Like how the guttural noise of a grumbling engine sounds Continue reading Contact your Local Senator and Delegates to Ban Rolling Coal in Maryland

January 13 is Korean-American Day in Maryland

On Friday, January 13, Maryland is one of several states and the federal government to celebrate Korean American Day. It honors the Korean American community’s contributions in the United States and commemorates the arrival of the first Korean immigrants on January 13, 1903. In 2005, the United Sates Congress passed resolutions supporting the goals and aspirations of Korean American Day.

I feel real kinship with Korean Americans. My father fought in the Korean War 1951-1952 and came to love Korean people and culture. He was thanked by conferral of the Republic of Korea War Service Medal. As the son of my father, I have felt a partnership with Korea. I appreciate Korean-American’s contributions to our community.

http://www.keia.org/page/history-korean-american-day

Maryland road to be named ‘Korean Way’

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (Yonhap) — A section of a Maryland road will be named “Korean Way” in recognition of Koreans’ contribution to economic development and cultural diversity in the U.S. state, the office of Gov. Larry Hogan said Tuesday. Continue reading January 13 is Korean-American Day in Maryland

We waste a lot of food; In sink garbage disposals make the waste worse!

In the season just past of great foods and feasts, I’m mindful of the amount of food waste we generate. Obviously, there are huge amounts of wasted food in restaurants, and there are always leftover scraps from family dinner. What we do with that waste has environmental consequences.

It is estimated that 40 percent of food in the United States goes uneaten, and perhaps 25% of household food. Uneaten food is reportedly the single largest component of U.S. municipal solid waste landfills. And 93% of us in Howard county have Insinkerators that flush scraps down the drain, requiring that it be processed by Little Patuxent Water Reclamation Plant or Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant in Baltimore City.

https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/wasted-food-IP.pdf

The Little Patuxent Water Reclamation Plant in Howard County, Maryland (photo by Atkins Global) — The Little Patuxent Water Reclamation Plant in Savage, Maryland (photo by Atkins Global)

There’s a better way. Howard County has now made composting food scraps even easier! Residents in the collection areas can now “Feed The Green Bin” with all of their food scraps, including meat, fat, and dairy; other residents can drop off food scraps at the Alpha Ridge Landfill. And there are efforts to divert still edible food to people and places that can use it.

What’s Going Down Your Drain
by HoCo Office of Community Sustainability — 12/21/16

Wow! We had a great response to our garbage disposal survey. Here’s what we learned… Continue reading We waste a lot of food; In sink garbage disposals make the waste worse!

Guess what country this coin is from!

I am an occasional collector of a lot of different collections. I blame my antique-collecting grandparents for the gene (https://hocomd.cc/2016/10/09/my-grandparents-were-john-schwarz-antiques/). One of my collections is foreign coins and currencies. I have money from 72 different countries, some just a single coin or currency, and others a real moneybag. I love the coins for the artistry, sometimes the politics, always the history and values represented. These are some of my favorites. (Click on any coin for a slideshow.)