Saturday: Stream Cleanup at Barcroft Park

Community Role Models will be joining with Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment and the Girl Scouts for Saturday’s stream cleanup! It will take place on Saturday, May 3^rd from 10am-noon at Barcroft Park (on Four Mile Run Drive at George Mason).

We’ll be doing a cleanup along the banks of Four Mile Run alongside some Arlington Girl Scouts. If you’ve wanted to get involved with a local troop, this will be a great way to learn more. And regardless of your badge-earning interest, it’ll be a great way to get outdoors, get some exercise, and preserve Arlington's environment. In fact, an ACE cleanup in this location just last year resulted in a dumping discovery and county investigation. Sign up now at the CRM website!

The CRM May Monthly Meetup will take place just a few days later on Tuesday, May 6^th at Sine in Pentagon Row. An organizer from Arlington's American Cancer Society Relay for Life event will join us to talk about how you can get involved. Look for the green CRM t-shirts in Sine’s smoke-free back bar. RSVP at the CRM website or at the Facebook event page!

New Staples Coming to Virginia Square

Was on my way to work a couple of weeks back when I saw this at Wilson Boulevard & Oakland Street ...

OK, so as usual my cell phone camera sucks, but the red sign says "Staples Coming Soon." That strip used to be home to a doggy daycare, dance school, and flower shop. I'm assuming this Staples will replace the one in Ballston as development continues at the former Bob Peck site.

When taken in the larger context of the new tennis shop going in at Wilson & Pollard and the new stores going in at "Liberty Plaza" on Wilson across from the Metro bus lot, the new Staples is a sign of progress. Right now, there are virtually no retail storefronts on Wilson all the way from the Ballston Common Mall to Lincoln Street the east end of Virginia Square -- a full seven blocks of blankness.

I wonder if the new Staples will come with an upgraded sidewalk. That stretch is one of the last narrow sidewalks left on a major road in Arlington. It's so narrow that if you're walking with a friend and someone's coming the other way, you have to go single file to let them pass.

And when buses and trucks fly by at 40 miles an hour just a couple of feet away from your head ... well, who needs King's Dominion? They should have a camera set up that snaps your picture at that instant like they do on rollercoasters.

Saturday: Arlington E-CARE

Saturday April 18th from 8:30am-3pm at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Arlington County will be hosting its spring E-CARE! The Arlington Environmental Collection and Recycling Event gives you a chance to recycle items not picked up curbside or at county recycling centers.

E-CARE gives you a chance to safely dispose of hazardous waste like car fluids and electronics. The Green Miles plans to drop off some old anti-freeze and a PlayStation 2 that kicked the bucket a couple of years back.

It's also a rare chance to recycle items like shoes, eyeglasses and bikes that may not be of use to you anymore, but could find a second life in a developing country. Come to think of it, it may be time to recycle my embarrassingly huge, not in style now, not in style then, not in style ever high school glasses.

Check out the E-CARE website for a full list of what you can drop off and handling instructions.

Cross-posted from The Green Miles

Saturday: CRM Headstart Spring Cleanup

Here's a CRM volunteer opportunity coming up this Saturday in Ballston:

Headstart Spring Cleanup
Saturday, April 19th, 10am-1pm
601 Vermont Street

Help CRM spruce up Northern Virginia Family Service's Arlington Early Headstart Child Development Center! We will help clean several classrooms, the playground and a small shed. Playground cleanup will involve general yard work tasks and the shed cleanup will entail some lifting and carrying of small furniture.

The mission of Northern Virginia Family Service is to empower individuals and families to improve their quality of life, and to promote community cooperation and support in responding to family needs. Northern Virginia Family Service was established by volunteers in 1924 to help people in need. Today, it is a private, non-profit organization staffed by professionals trained in counseling, social work and community outreach. Northern Virginia Family Service is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children and is a member of the Alliance for Children and Families.

Sign up at the CRM website!

May 8: Red Cross Wine Tasting

Just heard about a fundraiser coming up on May 8 for Club Red, the young professionals branch of the Arlington Red Cross:

Club Red is hosting a Wine Tasting event on Thursday, May 8, 2008 (World Red Cross Day) with Curious Grape, a local wine shop. Come out to sample wines from around the world and enjoy a variety of cheeses and chocolates.

You'll get to keep your wine glass, and for any wine that you purchase, Curious Grape will donate 15% of your proceeds to the Red Cross! The cost is $25 for Club Red members and $35 for non-members. A portion of these proceeds will benefit the Arlington County Chapter. Feel free to forward this along to others who might be interested.

Here are more details:

WHO: You and other local young professionals

WHAT: Wine Tasting with Curious Grape

WHEN: Thursday, May 8, 2008 from 8:00 to 10:00 pm

WHERE: Courtland Towers party room (1200 N Veitch Street, Arlington)

WHY: To meet new people and to taste and learn about wines from around the world.

HOW: To reserve your spot today, please call Heather at 703-527-3010 x735. You can pay via credit card over the phone, or I will tell you how to pay via check. If there are tickets left, we'll accept payment at the door, but to be safe you should go ahead and pay to reserve your spot!

To learn more, visit Club Red's website or Facebook group!