Traveling Lightly: How to Explore the DMV with an Eco-Friendly Mindset

For the past few years, I have become more conscious of the environmental cost of travel. Initially, I focused on my travel to other locations rather than considering the sustainable options available in my own area, Arlington County in Northern Virginia. I now focus more on local travel and key destinations that I can reach by train and then try to combine train and bicycle as my primary modes of transportation.  Yesterday, during a webinar with leaders of our county's Climate Policy Office, I was happily surprised to learn, among other things, that there were local efforts to align business-related, income-generating activities like tourism with a more environmentally conscious approach to tourism.  In the future, when I plan trips to destinations further away than my immediate neighborhood, I will seek out information similar to what Arlington County is providing 

Here are a few resources:

• Arlington Convention and Visitors Services (ACVS) promotes Arlington as a dynamic destination to stimulate economic growth.  

• Green Dining Arlington, an initiative of EcoAction Arlington to implement green dining practices, which can be much more than just reducing the use of plastics.
  
  
• Biophilic Arlington -- Cool site!    
  
  
• GetGreen App.  This is the latest effort, just launched very recently in collaboration with EcoAction Arlington.
  

When you live here, there are lots of opportunities to support eco-friendly economic development and engage in volunteer work and advocacy activities. I help mostly with cleanup activities around streams and parks and with the Energy Masters program which supports energy efficiency improvements for low income housing and their residents. When you visit, make sure to look up potential activities such as nature walks or even the Green Community Tour if you happen to be here in early June. My little permaculture-inspired backyard was part of the tour one year. 

Of course, if you come to Arlington, you should explore the broader area, which could mean the Washington Metropolitan Area (DMV) and beyond.

Exploring Eco-Tourism and Sustainable Travel in the DMV

The Washington, D.C. metropolitan area (DMV), encompassing D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia, is rich in history, culture, and natural beauty. As travelers become more conscious of their environmental impact, eco-tourism and sustainable travel have gained momentum in the region. From green-certified hotels to nature-focused experiences, the DMV offers numerous opportunities for responsible exploration.

Green Spaces and Nature Reserves

For nature lovers, the region is home to an array of parks and preserves committed to conservation. Great Falls Park in Virginia offers breathtaking views of the Potomac River while emphasizing environmental preservation.  If you’re up for a nice bike ride, you can reach some great views by following the trail in the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, stretching from Georgetown into Maryland. On the other side of Washington, D.C., Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens provides a serene escape with water lilies and lotus blossoms, all within an urban setting.

Credit: Barbara Fillip, date unknown, probably 2010s. 
Taken at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.

Sustainable Accommodations

Eco-conscious travelers can find sustainable lodging options in the DMV. Many hotels in D.C. and Arlington participate in green certification programs like LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and EarthCheck.

Eco-Friendly Activities

For those interested in sustainable urban exploration, Capital Bikeshare offers a green way to navigate the city. Farmers’ markets, such as the Arlington Farmers Markets and Eastern Market in D.C., promote local food systems and reduce carbon footprints. You might even catch a tour of the Area 2 Farms, where my salad, microgreens and herbs are grown, vertically.  Additionally, guided eco-tours of the Anacostia River highlight conservation efforts and the importance of protecting local waterways.

Supporting Local and Sustainable Businesses

Dining sustainably is easy in the DMV, with many restaurants sourcing ingredients from local farms. Busboys and Poets, a community-driven eatery, prioritizes sustainability with plant-based menu options and fair-trade coffee. True Food Kitchen in Arlington offers health-conscious, environmentally friendly dishes that align with sustainable agriculture principles.

How to Travel Responsibly

To reduce environmental impact while exploring, opt for public transit, bike rentals, or walking tours. Support businesses that prioritize sustainability, and when visiting natural areas, adhere to Leave No Trace principles by minimizing waste and respecting wildlife.

By choosing eco-friendly travel options, residents and visitors alike can enjoy the beauty of the DMV while preserving it for future generations. What are your favorite sustainable spots in the region? Share them in the comments!

More Resources @ Virginia Green Travel

The next Sustainability in Tourism Conference is in Williamsburg, March 20-21, 2025, and will feature discussions on responsible travel, eco-friendly business practices, and sustainable hospitality. It’s an excellent opportunity for networking and learning about innovative approaches to sustainability in the tourism industry. I can reach the conference location with a train to Richmond and a bike ride on the Virginia Capital Trail. That would be a great way to get there. I've got some planning to do!

Exploring the Relationship between Knowledge and Fiction (Part 4: Knowledge at Societal Level)

This is the fourth post in the "Knowledge and Fiction" Series.

Part 4: Knowledge at Societal Level & World Building

The novel I am working on is set in 2065, which is 40 years from now.  As we are witnessing that a lot can happen in a week, a lot can happen in  40 years. At the same time, 40 years is only half a lifetime. I am not engaging in comprehensive world-building in the traditional sense. I am not envisioning flying cars and life on Mars. In crafting this world of 2065, I am constructing a framework for how knowledge and expertise function in the future. In many ways, world-building is about the unseen structures—institutions, trust networks, and ways of knowing—that define everyday life. Themes to consider include:

• The role of expertise in a knowledge-driven society.
• Impact of advanced technologies on data and information flows.
• Trust in knowledge institutions and emerging professional roles.
• Global knowledge flows: What networks facilitate or hinder them?
• Knowledge access disparities: Who benefits, and who is left out?
• Consequences of knowledge loss, whether through societal breakdown or natural disaster.

These are contemporary themes that are unlikely to become obsolete in 40 years.  At the same time, I am likely overlooking elements that will be prominent by 2065. 

The way we (in Western society) approach knowledge today, in 2025, is not the same as the way we approached it 40 years ago.  The way we access and treat information, the way we handle data, issues around misinformation, lack of trust in traditional institutions of knowledge, etc., all these changes are part of broader societal shifts.

Since I am looking at 2065 for the setting of the novel, I need to figure out how things will have evolved around these themes.  For a while in the late 1990s and early 2000s, there were references to “knowledge societies” but over time focus on knowledge was replaced by focus on data and now we’ve entered the era of the “AI-driven society”.   For the purposes of my plot --putting on my amateur futurist hat--, here are some questions I am contemplating:

What is the role of expertise in 2065?

In the past, I might have asked what is the role of expertise in a knowledge-driven society. Today, I would ask about the role of expertise in an AI-driven society. For the purpose of writing speculative fiction, I have to imagine the role of expertise 30-40 years from today. 

• Who is considered an expert in 2065?  What expertise is most valued?  How is that expertise validated? Whose knowledge is valued?
• Perhaps the term “expert” has become pejorative in 2065 because of a catastrophic failure of so-called “experts”.
• What are some emerging pathways to expertise?  Have traditional credentials (degrees and certifications) been replaced by new ways of learning and acquiring experience?  Have resumes finally disappeared as obsolete relics of the past? Is expertise measured on an individual’s ability to manipulate or work with advanced technologies?
• What new roles and professions have emerged?  What do they “do” for work?  Has the distinction between work and the rest of life changed?  Are the characters still struggling with work/life balance?  I hope not.
• What areas of “old” knowledge might become relevant again?

What is the impact of advanced technologies and data flows in 2065?

I will no doubt be challenged to come up with a realistic perspective on technology in 2065. The speed of progress is difficult to predict.  It’s somewhere between fast and extremely fast. Technological advances don’t impact everyone equally or at the same pace, which could be an interesting aspect to explore.  We are still very early in the era of AI advances but by 2065, the term “AI” will mean very little, just as  the term “IT” means very little now because it covers too many different things.

• How far along will quantum computing be by 2065 and what will be the impact on daily lives (if any)? What about neural interfaces and nanotechnology?  What about medical advances in the treatment of all the conditions related to cognitive decline and more broadly, aging?
• How will robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT) have evolved?  For this aspect, I’m particularly interested in the convergence of robotics and IoT to address challenges related to an aging population in most of the Western world and parts of Asia.   In that context, I am researching AgeTech and even experimenting with more wearable technology than I have in the past.
• What ancient, sustainable technologies might make a comeback?
• How will new technologies impact societal inequalities and divisions?
• How will information and data overload impact decision-making and governance in 2065?

What is the level of trust (or mistrust) in knowledge institutions and professional roles in 2065?

Considering the erosion of trust in all kinds of institutions, including media and academia, and confusion around the role of science, I consider it a very legitimate concern for 2065.

• What will be the role of academia, scientific research institutions, and the media, and how will they evolve?
• What new roles might emerge to address challenges in scientific knowledge?
• How can speculative fiction portray conflict around trust and sensitive issues that currently lack consensus without becoming “political” in nature? 

What are the relevant global networks facilitating global knowledge flows in 2065?

Even if the action takes place in a relatively confined setting, the characters don’t live in isolation. Their primary network might be very local, siloed and constrained by geopolitical factors, or global but narrowly defined by professional needs. It’s not clear to me (yet) that any of this is central to the plot but it’s worth exploring.

• Can new technologies facilitate decentralized knowledge hubs and global (planetary) cooperative AI systems?  This might involve autonomous networks of locally based AI systems collaborating (for the common good?).
• What are the barriers to such knowledge flows?  What are the technology barriers and AI-related challenges?  And perhaps equally important, what are the human/political challenges, geopolitical tensions, linguistic divides and other implications for knowledge equity.

What does access to knowledge look like in 2065?

• Who has privileged access to knowledge in 2065?  How is that privileged access leveraged?  In 2065, data is a highly prized commodity – it already is now.  There is probably some highly profitable, illegal trade in data, including personal data.
• Who is left out of the knowledge economy?  What is the impact of increasing disparities and technological illiteracy?  By 2065, there are new names for issues emerging from disparities in technological adoption.
• Are there societal counter-movements fighting against some of the new technologies and their impacts?
• Is anything happening underground to challenge authorities and promote access to “forbidden” knowledge?
• Are there any ethical dilemmas around access to knowledge, access to proprietary, dangerous, or personal data?

What knowledge(s) are lost or on the verge of collapse in 2065?

As of 2025, there are concerns about linguistic diversity not being represented well in Large Language Models, lack of acknowledgement of traditional and indigenous languages, and overall Western domination of knowledge institutions and research.  What will be the status of these concerns in 2065?

• What systems will have been put in place to preserve knowledge and create resilient local knowledge networks?
• What ancient or old knowledge previously perceived as obsolete will have been rediscovered and leveraged to solve 2065 challenges?

There is a danger, of course, of overcomplicating the novel, getting lost in research and losing track of the critical elements of the plot. 

What I have been reading:

The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow, by Michael F. Roizen, M.D..  

People put M.D. or Ph.D. after their names to signify expertise.  Will these traditional credentials still hold weight in 2065? Defining who holds knowledge, how they acquire it and how they convince others of their expertise in 2065 is part of world-building. 

The first part of the book is about current and anticipated advances in medicine that will increase human longevity, not just by allowing us to live longer but to live healthier longer.  Some of what the author describes and the timelines seem optimistic – I am no expert in that field.  Realistic or not, reading about the potential future of medicine has been very useful to imagine certain aspects of the world of tomorrow for the novel.  The second half of the book is a lengthy reminder that regardless of medical advances, there is a lot we all can do individually today to maintain good health with lifestyle choices… and then hope to benefit from the medical advances if and when we need them in the future. That also resonated with me even if I’ll admit to scanning that section as it did not tell me anything I didn’t already know.

Final Thoughts

Speculative fiction has long explored knowledge as a force that shapes worlds. In Dune (Frank Herbert), knowledge monopolies define power structures, while in The Diamond Age (Neal Stephenson), access to knowledge is a key theme. The approach to world-building mentioned in this post differs—it focuses on how knowledge institutions, technologies, and trust evolve over time, shaping the fabric of everyday life in 2065.

As I refine my world-building for 2065, these knowledge themes will continue to shape the story’s backdrop. While much of this won’t be explicitly detailed in the novel, the underlying structures will influence every aspect of the characters’ reality.

Creative Writing: January Update

Writing a novel a journey of discovery. I had a plan–I followed it, but I'm also deviating from it. And that's exactly how it should be.

I started writing the novel in early January. I have made good progress so far, reaching about 24,000 words. It's a good place to pause because it's the end of what I consider to be Act 1.

I thought I would write a full first draft of the novel without stopping for revisions. I worried that if I started rereading what I had written, I would become paralyzed and would never manage to put the full story down in a first draft.  A fully-flushed out novel is a significant commitment. That's what I like about it.

However, as I began planning Act 2, I realized I needed to ensure Act 1 was fully coherent, my characters were well-developed, and that I was actually ready to move forward. I am now spending a few days rereading and adjusting key elements in Act 1, focusing on flow and strengthening dialogue to solidify the characters.

For example, one character’s journal entries feature prominently, but they slow the action and feel out of place. I wrote these entries before starting the novel, so they’re important to me—but now I realize they were more of a tool for developing the character than something the reader truly needs, at least in their current form.

I'm sharpening the dialogue to ensure it not only sounds natural but also reveals character and moves the story forward. I know I have a problem with an AI that sounds too human—or too much like the character it interacts with. But who’s to say that in 2065, an AI assistant wouldn’t mimic its user? I have to decide one way or the other and stay consistent.

I am not in a rush to finish the first draft. Over these past few days of reflecting on what I’ve written so far, I’ve also been playing with various loglines. As part of that process, I started exploring how each key character might introduce the story if they were telling it in their own memoir. This exercise has made me realize just how 'open' the story still is—and that I may need to narrow down the number of themes I’m addressing. None of these little exercises and experiments will make it into the novel itself, but it’s fun. More importantly, it’s helping me focus on what truly matters. I do have to be careful, though—I have a tendency to introduce too much complexity.

To accompany this journey, I signed up for an upcoming writer's conference, I am looking for a writers' group. and I am reading or listening to interesting non-fiction, including:

• Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest, by Suzanne Simard which brings out the theme of curiosity, scientific discovery, deep knowledge and understanding of nature and sustainability.
• Islands of Abandonment: Nature Rebounding in the Post-Human Landscape, by Cal Flyn. which brings out a mix of dystopia and hope, related to themes of nature and resilience.
• Assembling Tomorrow: A Guide for Designing a Thriving Future, from the Stanford d.school), by Scott Doorley and Carissa Carter, which is simply amazing as it mixes some future-focused short stories with insights around designing the future, and is sprinkled with very imaginative Dali-inspired illustrations.

As I read these books—sometimes in parallel, listening to Finding the Mother Tree on my daily walks and sitting down with Assembling Tomorrow because it demands closer attention—I can’t help but see parallels between their themes and my own work. A reminder that writing is never done in isolation.

Next week, I will return to the Knowledge and Fiction series with a post on Knowledge at the Societal Level, which translated into the language of writers rather than Knowledge Management folks, revolves around aspects of World Building. 

Exploring the Relationship Between Knowledge and Fiction (Part 3: Character Development)

This is the third post in the "Knowledge and Fiction" Series.

Part 3: Character Development Through the Lens of Knowledge

All stories have the following five elements: plot, setting, characters, point of view, and conflict. In this post, I will focus on characters and the process of character development.

Not everything in a character’s backstory makes it into a novel, but the more detailed the backstory, the easier it is to deliver believable characters whose actions, inner monologue, and interactions align with who they are. My background as a Knowledge Management professional influences how I think about backstories, by focusing on—no surprise—knowledge.

I’m not suggesting this is the only or the best way to approach character development. It’s simply how my brain has been wired after several decades of working in knowledge management. Here are a few aspects I consider:

Key Considerations for Character Development

• Learning History
  Everyone has a personal learning history. What is the character’s learning history? How and what have they learned from their experiences? This could include pivotal moments in their education, career, or personal life that shaped their knowledge base.

• Approach to Learning
  A character’s ongoing approach to learning is related to their learning history and could impact how they approach new ideas and their awareness of knowledge gaps. Are they open-minded and curious, or do they resist new ideas? What knowledge do they have access to, and how do they seek or acquire it? How do they consume information—are they avid readers, podcast enthusiasts, or experiential learners? What’s their attitude toward technologies that support learning and information access?

• Unique Skills and Sharing Knowledge
  What unique skills have they acquired, and how did they acquire them? Are they good at sharing knowledge? If so, with whom, and under what circumstances? Consider how their willingness or reluctance to share knowledge impacts their relationships.

• Knowledge Network
  What does their knowledge network look like? Who do they rely on for specific insights or advice? Explore the dynamics of trust, mentorship, and collaboration within their network if it has a potential impact on the plot. Are they well-connected or isolated?

• Tacit vs. Explicit Knowledge
  How do tacit knowledge (intuitive, experience-based) and explicit knowledge (codified, formalized) manifest in their actions? Consider how these types of knowledge influence their decision-making and problem-solving.

• Emotional Impact of Knowledge
  Knowledge is not neutral—it carries emotional weight. What a character knows or doesn’t know affects their emotions, choices, and relationships. Some knowledge is empowering, while other knowledge becomes a burden.

  One particularly complex emotional dynamic is the burden of knowing more than others:

  • Does the character feel isolated by what they know?
  • Are they responsible for sharing or withholding information that could change lives?
  • Does their knowledge put them in a moral dilemma or create an internal conflict?

  Emotional engagement with knowledge can reveal vulnerabilities, strengths, and motivations, shaping the character's arc.
  
  
  

  

  Just a "KM" slice of questions that might be relevant to character development.

  
  

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Three Connected Ideas for Future Posts

• Illustrating Character Development through a Knowledge Lens Using Fictional Characters
  This would be a close follow up to this post, taking each of the elements I have highlighted and exploring each of them with a different well-known character from fiction (books or movies). 

• The Role of Memory in Character Development and Plot
  A character’s knowledge is shaped by memory, which carries its own mysteries. Memory is not just about what a character has learned but how their memories shape their worldview and decision-making.

• Point of View and the Role of the Narrator
  How is knowledge shared with the reader through an engaging story? How can each key character’s knowledge shine through, unhindered by the voice of the main narrator?

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As I write these posts and develop my novel, it’s tempting to include details that would reveal elements of the plot. For now, I’m intentionally keeping these discussions generic, resisting the urge to give away too much.

What I can say is that because my novel takes place in 2065 and advancements in technology impact all of these elements—memory, learning, and knowledge-sharing—on both an individual and societal level.