An Environmentalist's Moment of Glory

Arlington Lawmaker Praised for Greenhouse Gas Initiative

Over the years, residents of the Fairlington neighborhood in Arlington County have grown accustomed to the site of a tall, lanky figure going through the trash bins outside their homes.

No matter-- it's just their county board president, Paul Ferguson, making sure they've recycled their cardboard toilet paper rolls properly.

Ferguson, 41, has been a relatively quiet presence on the Arlington County Board since he was elected as its youngest member ever in 1995.

Now, the longtime environmentalist has finally stepped -- a bit reluctantly -- into the spotlight, gaining attention in recent days by launching a major initiative to lower the county's greenhouse gas emissions.

The program commits Arlington to reducing harmful emissions by a total of 10 percent in the next five years; it has already reduced them by 2.6 percent. It has won kudos from environmentalists, who say the county of about 200,000 has positioned itself as a regional leader on climate change as concern about global warming is rising -- amid news of melting ice caps and a report that last year was the hottest on record in the United States.

But those who know Ferguson (D) say his initiative is consistent with a decade of policy work and years of personal commitment to the environment -- a commitment that is often quiet and, his supporters say, rarely preachy.

He is a vegetarian but allows his two young sons treats at McDonald's. He's religious about recycling but unlikely to harangue those who are not. He rarely mentioned the fact he rode the bus for years until having children made that impractical. Now he and his wife get by on one car; he still occasionally uses public transit.

"He's always had a real consciousness that has been a part of the way he lives," said board member Chris Zimmerman (D), whom Ferguson succeeded as board chairman Jan. 1. "He's just a very modest sort of person. . . . You could say he has his ego under control more than any other politician I know. It contributes to his ability to be effective."

Ferguson -- tramping along a wooded path one day last week at Potomac Overlook Regional Park -- admits he is a little taken aback by all the attention he has received in recent days.

"I'm quieter than others, and a lot of what I do, I do behind the scenes," he said. "I'm not trying to garner attention for myself, but I've always been out in front on these environmental issues. . . . So this is a real opportunity."

Ferguson spent his early years in the District but stayed often at his grandmother's home in Oxon Hill, often exploring the woods with his younger brother, recalled Bonnie Bick, an aunt who is a well-known environmental activist in Maryland.

When he was 12, Ferguson's family moved to Fairlington, a neighborhood of modest World War II-era brick townhouses just off Interstate 395. Ferguson has lived there in one house or another ever since -- now with his wife, Karen Keyes, a lawyer, and sons Daniel and Timothy, ages 5 and 8.