Two Blacksburg environmental projects have won the 2008 Governor’s Environmental Excellence awards.

The awards were presented at the Environment Virginia Conference in Lexington to businesses and government agencies that strive for environmental protection and sustainability.

The town’s electronic waste recycling program, established in 2006 through a federal grant program, won a gold medal in the environmental partnerships category.

According to the town’s award application, through Blacksburg’s partnership with the YMCA at Virginia Tech, 85,176 pounds of electronic devices and 801 pounds of batteries that would have gone into landfills have instead been reused or recycled.

Sustainability Week 2007, an environmental awareness campaign and celebration put on by Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, and numerous businesses, agencies and residents won a bronze award in the government environmental programs category.

The recognition is “a source of pride” for all the individuals and groups who have worked so hard to make these projects happen, said Kelly Mattingly, Blacksburg Public Works Director.

Other winners included the city of Charlottesville, the University of Virginia and the Volvo Trucks North America plant in Dublin.

If you’re curious about “green” remodeling, wondering how to lower your energy costs, or want to visit some environmentally friendly homes, the New River Valley Green Home Seminar and Tour is here to help. The seminar will be held on April 26 at the Blacksburg Recreation Center, located at 725 Patrick Henry Drive. It will be held from 9 a.m. until noon.

Speakers at the seminar will include Ed Tuchler of Shelter Alternatives and Colin Arnold of Community Housing Partners on “Green Remodeling: Retrofitting Your Home,” Terry Clements of Virginia Tech on “Landscaping for Energy Conservation,” and Bryan Walsh of Solar Connexion on “Residential Solar Technology.” Local area green building businesses and organizations will exhibit their wares and services to the public from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The tour, held from 1-5 p.m. at houses throughout the NRV, will feature area residences that are extremely energy efficient in their design and construction, utilize renewable energy systems, or utilize local building materials. Registration is $15 per person or $25 per couple through the Blacksburg Parks and Recreation Web site: https://recreation.blacksburg.gov or by calling 540.961.1135.

Virginia Tech mechanical engineering students and RIDE Inc., a Virginia-based corporation concentrating on the development of hybrid vehicles, are working together to develop hybrid vehicle components.
Al Kornhauser, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech, who specializes in internal combustion engines, fuel cells, and other energy-conversion systems, is working with RIDE. Mechanical engineering students under Kornhauser’s guidance will design, build, and test a hydraulic pump/motor for use in a hydraulic hybrid vehicle.

“Hybrid vehicles use two or more distinct power sources, as opposed to conventional automobiles that rely on internal combustion engines alone,” Kornhauser said. “An electric hybrid vehicle has a motor/generator that can either supply power to the wheels or store energy in a battery.”

RIDE already has a patent pending on the Rotational-Inertial-Dampening-Engine (RIDE), a hybrid engine that stores energy in a flywheel rather than a battery or hydraulic accumulator. According to Phillip Vera, president of RIDE, it achieves double the fuel economy and sharply reduces emissions compared to a similar-sized conventional engine. It also provides hybrid capabilities without the necessity for separate components to perform the energy storage and retrieval functions.

The African Cultures Festival continues through May at Radford University. The festival began last fall with a variety of educational and entertaining events, including lectures, films, dance performances and a children’s festival designed to share the customs, traditions and history of African cultures.

RU faculty and students worked together to bring the festival to the university and surrounding communities. Everyone is invited to attend these events, which are free of charge. From now through May 16 there will be a gallery open in Powell Hall, room 205, displaying Tesfaye Tessema’s work: Affirmation of the Self. Born in Ethiopia, Tessema synthesizes African and Western elements to create paintings that speak to the affirmative human experience. His works are in several prominent collections, including those of the United Nations, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian Institution.

The African Cultures Festival is sponsored by the McGlothlin Family Endowment and the RU International Education Center. To learn more about these events and others available throughout the spring, you can contact the International Education Center at 540.831.6200.

New River Valley lovers now have a new tool available this spring with publication of the National Geographic Map, New River Blueway. The Blueway is a “trailmap” for the river as it flows from North Carolina into Virginia. The map includes information about parks, camping, access, canoe/kayak outfitters, and safety along the way; UTM grids are present for GPS users.

The map also provides information about organizations working for New River conservation, including the National Committee for the River (NCNR), New River Community Partners, the American Heritage Rivers initiative and others.

The New River Blueway map is available at many recreation-oriented retail outlets in the watershed such as Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, Gander Mountain, Great Outdoor Provision Company, Footsloggers, REI, Jesse Brown’s Outdoors, and Water Stone, Inc. They may also be ordered at the National Geographic Web site: natgeomaps.com, by typing New River Blueway in the search box at the top of the page.

Purchasing National Geographic Maps supports the mission of the National Geographic Society. All net proceeds from sales are donated to the Society to fund its programs in research, exploration, conservation, and education.

The City of Radford has many events planned throughout the month of April in recognition of Environmental Awareness Month. Some events that have been held included an Environmental Awareness Month Speaker Series.

There are a few more environmental-related events left in the month of April, all of which are free of charge. A Radford City-wide Cleanup Day occurs on April 19. Meet at the Bisset Park Shelter at 1 p.m. for bags, vests, and cleanup assignments. The volunteers will then spread out across the city to pick up litter.

On Saturday, April 26, there will be a Citywide Shred-a-thon. Kodiak Shredding will be on-site offering free document shredding to individuals and non-profit organizations. This way you can protect your identity while cleaning out your files and helping the environment. It will be held from10 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Radford High School parking lot along Walker Street.

If you have any questions or suggestions contact Becky Hawke at rhawke@radford.edu or 540.731.3603.