Donna C. – We Love DC http://www.welovedc.com Your Life Beyond The Capitol Thu, 11 Nov 2021 12:44:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9.9 Environmental Film Fest Starts with Party Tonight http://www.welovedc.com/2011/03/10/environmental-film-fest-starts-with-party-tonight/ http://www.welovedc.com/2011/03/10/environmental-film-fest-starts-with-party-tonight/#comments Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:19:34 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=65332 Photo courtesy of
‘Bizarro Tulips’
courtesy of 

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Photo courtesy of
‘Bizarro Tulips’
courtesy of ‘theqspeaks’

Tonight marks the launch party for the 2011 Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital; soon the lights will go down for 150 films from 40 countries that illustrate the connection between energy and the environment.

The festival runs from March 15-27 in various locations around the city, and it includes talks by 55 filmmakers and 94 special guests. Tonight’s kickoff starts at 6:30 in the Warner Building Atrium and features art, dance, and music.

Which of this year’s films are of local interest?

Gardens:

Plastic Bags:

  • With DC’s plastic bag fee, check out Bag It, about a guy who pledges to stop using plastic bags at the grocery store, which changes his life completely.

Chesapeake Bay:

West Virginia:

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Run with an Olympian http://www.welovedc.com/2010/10/27/run-with-an-olympian/ Wed, 27 Oct 2010 18:15:59 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=53904 Photo courtesy of

courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spod

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Photo courtesy of

courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Whether you’re gearing up (and tapering down) for Sunday’s Marine Corps Marathon or see another race in your future, you can learn from the best tomorrow night.

Come to Pacers Logan Circle at 7 p.m. to join marathon runner Ryan Hall, who broke a record in the 2008 Olympic trials and finished 10th in the Beijing Olympics, and his wife Sara Hall, also an elite runner, for a quick zip around town.

Buy a Run.Give.Run. package, and you’ll get a pair of running shoes that Ryan will sign, plus a race entry. And a member of DC nonprofit Back On My Feet, which promotes self-sufficiency of homeless populations by engaging them in running, will get a donated pair of running shoes.

No word on how far or fast you’ll have to run – better eat your Wheaties.

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Get Naked http://www.welovedc.com/2010/10/19/get-naked/ http://www.welovedc.com/2010/10/19/get-naked/#comments Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:45:39 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=53071 Photo courtesy of
‘Nude 2’
courtesy of ‘Pete

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Photo courtesy of
‘Nude 2’
courtesy of ‘Peter Alfred Hess’

Tomorrow night, you can go bare in Dupont Circle – at the launch of Herban Lifestyle’s Naked ™ beauty and skin care line, that is. Come check out the new body butter, mineral soak, facial masque and more. They have only minimally processed natural, organic and fair trade ingredients and no harsh chemicals.

Chief Herban Developer Mary Kearns will be debuting them at One Restaurant and Lounge, at 1606 20th St. NW. Even if she were not a friend of mine, I’d still suggest you go; her products are great, and they’re very green.

Prices range from $5 for lip balm to $35 for bath tea. Fifteen percent of tomorrow night’s proceeds will be donated to Miriam’s Kitchen.

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Va. Phone Books Could Go Way of Dinosaur…Finally http://www.welovedc.com/2010/10/14/va-phone-books-could-go-way-of-dinosaur-finally/ http://www.welovedc.com/2010/10/14/va-phone-books-could-go-way-of-dinosaur-finally/#comments Thu, 14 Oct 2010 21:30:16 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=52677 Phone Book

In news from across the river, the fine folks in A…

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Phone Book

In news from across the river, the fine folks in Arlington are all over an environmentally friendly idea: stopping phone books.

Verizon has said that by discontinuing the White Pages in Virginia, it can save 1,600 tons of paper per year. Results of today’s poll by ARLNow.com show 95% of voters want to ditch the practice of tossing trees on every doorstep in a honking big book that only 11% of recipients will ever use.

Don’t want the Yellow Pages either? You can opt out.

Now there’s an idea that makes sense.

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DC’s Local Food: Polyface Farm http://www.welovedc.com/2010/09/23/dcs-local-food-polyface-farm/ http://www.welovedc.com/2010/09/23/dcs-local-food-polyface-farm/#comments Thu, 23 Sep 2010 19:00:56 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=50469 If you’ve been to some of DC’s restaurants that t…

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Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm, and his pigs

Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm, and his pigs

If you’ve been to some of DC’s restaurants that tout local fare, or if you’ve read The Omnivore’s Dilemma or seen Food Inc., chances are you’ve heard of Polyface Farm and its charismatic leader, farmer Joel Salatin.

Go to the farm’s Web site, and you’ll see that “Polyface, Inc. is a family owned, multi-generational, pasture-based, beyond organic, local-market farm and informational outreach in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.”

These are all very good things, in my opinion—and it lets you know, if you don’t already, that you’ll get a lot of adjectives from Salatin. So a friend and I recently took a day’s journey to Swoope, Virginia, to check out the wonders of Polyface for ourselves.

The Black Dot

Let’s start out with what Polyface Farm isn’t. It isn’t a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO), which is how much meat and poultry is grown in the United States—one source says more than 99 percent.

CAFOs are an efficient method of growing a lot of meat quickly, cheaply. Or at least the end product is affordable—costs to the environment, human health and animal quality of life in the conventional food system aren’t entered into that equation.

Beef on the move

Beef on the move

When I think of a CAFO, I think of a thick black dot—thousands of animals crammed into a small area, vast quantities of antibiotic-laced corn to fatten the herd and prevent disease from spreading through the crowd, deep layers of dung underfoot, and deep blue funk for the animals.

The Wide Circle

Polyface is pretty much the opposite.

My visual there is a wide circle. The entire farm spans about 100 acres, and the impression is much more of grass than of animals. Many pastures look completely empty. The animals don’t stay in one spot long; they are moved from field to field to field before they have a chance to tromp it down to dirt. This means the animals walk on and eat grass, not commercial feed that can include protein derived from things such as chicken manure, or dead cows.

The whole system is built to mirror nature—the symbiotic relationships the animals and plants might have naturally.

Predator control, off duty

Predator control, off duty

Take the rotation of the fields, for example.

The cows, said Salatin, like three things—to be moving, mowing, and mobbed up. So every day he moves 120 head of cattle to a new half-acre of pasture where they can eat fresh grass and stick together for predator control. They do what cows do—they loll, they graze, they moo, they make cow pies. The next day, with the grass mowed and fertilized, Salatin moves them to another field.

The Eggmobile

The Eggmobile

Then he rolls the Eggmobile into the first pasture. The Eggmobile is a chicken coop on wheels, a Winnebago for the feathered crowd. Its passengers disembark, and the hens clean up, sanitizing the field by scratching around the cow pies, gobbling down insects and larvae, and adding some fertilizer of their own for the next crop of grass. The chickens and the cows have a symbiotic relationship like the egret and the buffalo, said Salatin.

Pastured broilers

Pastured broilers

Other flocks of Polyface chickens stay on the move, too. The pastured broilers, raised for meat, live in little portable pens where they can get some shade, some sun. Every morning at daybreak, when the grass is dewy and most palatable, said Salatin, the pens are moved to new spots. It’s a simple, no-tech process: one of the workers grabs a handle and slides the pen to a new spot in the grass, and the chickens walk along inside the pen to their new location.

Also in the rotation are turkeys, which live up to their name. Salatin says every day they wake up to try to find “a new and creative way to die.” To keep them from doing so, he enlists some savvy hens to live among them and teach the young turkeys the ins and outs of being a bird. They peck around in a grassy area enclosed by a fence of netting, with a shelter on wheels parked in the middle. Every few days, the whole operation moves to a new location.

The rotation of the fields, then, looks something like this. The field the broilers and turkeys were in the day of our visit has been grazed by cows and cleaned by the Eggmobile’s residents twice this year. Grass has grown and hay has been cut, then the pasture grazed again. Broilers and turkeys are using it now, and it may be grazed again this fall.

Talkin' turkeys

Talkin' turkeys

The grass, which Salatin called “the lungs of the earth,” is becoming more and more healthy as it receives these periodic disturbances from the animals, followed by long rests. So it stays ready to support the animals.

This circular process means the income from this plot of land stacks up – it can yield a high potential per acre, said Salatin, and can make a good successional business for a family of farmers. All with low pathogens, and without the chemicals Salatin’s father called a drug trip, because more and more are needed each year to keep up.

Polyface Farm has other practices born of plain ol’ common sense, too. Water comes from ponds built in high spots on the farm and lowered through pipes by gravity, not pumps.

The pigs rotate from paddock to paddock until they reach about 250 pounds, and then they are moved into the woods where they eat acorns and other tasties off the forest floor. You’ll find no “cardboard pigs with big rear ends and skinny middles” at Polyface, said Salatin—they don’t do well in the woods. You don’t get “the other white meat” either, because these pigs thrive on exercise and nutrient-rich food and have “color indicative of the vibrance of life.”

There’s yet another benefit of this approach: the olfactory one. Polyface Farm is “aesthetically and aromatically pleasant,” said Salatin. “If that principle were followed everywhere, it would revolutionize American farming.”

Barn made famous in The Omnivore's Dilemma

Barn made famous in The Omnivore's Dilemma

Taking the Tour

Care to see it for yourself?

You can see Polyface for the low, low price of $10.50 for a two-hour Lunatic Tour. But you need to plan ahead. There are only 100 seats on the hay wagon, and they sell out months in advance. We reserved our September tickets in May, when only a handful were left.

Plan on driving two and one-half to three hours from the DC area, through Virginia’s scenic Shenandoah Valley.

Just the ride can be a bit of an adventure—100 people perched on the hay bales in the center of the flat wooden wagons or hanging their legs off the side, bouncing and holding on as the tractor pulls them across the fields and dirt roads of rural Virginia. Salatin invites any who wish to get some exercise to walk behind the wagon, so a ragtag army trails along behind.

It’s definitely worth the walk—and the ride.

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Win Wolf Trap Tickets and Silver Diner Nibbles http://www.welovedc.com/2010/08/19/win-wolf-trap-tickets-and-silver-diner-nibbles/ Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:00:14 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=46770 Silver Diner

You may have seen that you can get $10 to try Silve…

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Silver Diner

You may have seen that you can get $10 to try Silver Diner’s yummy new Fresh & Local menu if you are one of the first 5,000 fans to like them on Facebook.

They’re almost to their goal – and if they reach it by 2 p.m. today, they’ll hold a drawing. You could win two tickets to The Sound of Music at Wolf Trap on Aug. 31 and a $25 Silver Diner Gift Card! Plus, four fans each get a $20 Silver Diner Gift Card.

But you better be quick!

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DC Is Second-Most Honest City http://www.welovedc.com/2010/08/16/dc-is-second-most-honest-city/ http://www.welovedc.com/2010/08/16/dc-is-second-most-honest-city/#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:15:57 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=46429 If you cut through the spin, how honest is DC, rea…

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Click here to view the embedded video.

If you cut through the spin, how honest is DC, really? Apparently about 93%.

At least that’s what the folks at Honest Tea discovered when they put ice-cold bottles of organic tea, guarded only by a sign asking folks to pay $1, on a DC street on a hot summer day.

A hidden camera recorded the results, above.

Among the honest? A homeless man who proudly paid one dollar in change while expressing appreciation for the experiment and its belief in him.

So who was more honest than DC? Boston, at 93.3%. We beat out San Francisco, New York, Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles.

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Parking Ticket from Hell, Anyone? http://www.welovedc.com/2010/08/10/parking-ticket-from-hell-anyone/ http://www.welovedc.com/2010/08/10/parking-ticket-from-hell-anyone/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:00:14 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=45726 Photo courtesy of
‘Only in DC’
courtesy of ‘t

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Photo courtesy of
‘Only in DC’
courtesy of ‘thetejon’

Last winter, I got in the mail a love letter from DC Division of Motor Vehicles. It said that because I hadn’t paid a parking ticket, the fine had automatically doubled and I owed them $50.

This was news to me for two reasons. One, my parking was paid up for an hour past the time they say they wrote the ticket, and I still have the receipt to prove it. Two, they hadn’t left me a ticket.

So I sent Adjudication this pertinent info, and the receipt, and asked that they write me when they dropped the matter. I know they got it, because they quickly sent me a form letter saying they’d review it and respond, maybe up to six months later (they must be very busy over there).

That was all I heard. Until this week’s letter, which says that I did not respond at all, thereby deeming admission of the crime, and that if I don’t fork over the money within 10 days, they’ll send me to collections.

SERIOUSLY, people?!??

I can’t tell if this is a scam, or if they’re just that screwed up. Readers, what do you think? Are they crooked, or inept? And has this happened to you?

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$10 Off at Silver Diner http://www.welovedc.com/2010/08/06/10-off-at-silver-diner/ http://www.welovedc.com/2010/08/06/10-off-at-silver-diner/#comments Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:45:54 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=45169 Silver Diner

When you think about diner food, “fresh&…

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Silver Diner

When you think about diner food, “fresh” and “local” probably don’t spring to mind. But the fine folks at the Silver Diner are out to change all that – and to let you try some of their new dishes for free.

Starting today, if you “like” Silver Diner on Facebook and enter your e-mail on their form, they’ll send you a coupon for $10 off once they reach 5,000 fans.

Their new Fresh & Local choices mean if you order a salad topped with local blueberries and goat cheese, it’ll taste great.

And you can still order a burger – they’ll just hold the hormones and the long truck ride for your beef, and stack on extra juicy flavor.

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Free Film Tonight: Food, Inc. http://www.welovedc.com/2010/07/22/free-film-tonight-food-inc/ http://www.welovedc.com/2010/07/22/free-film-tonight-food-inc/#comments Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:00:55 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=43428 Photo courtesy of
‘Summer Film Series’
courtesy of

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Photo courtesy of
‘Summer Film Series’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

Looking for a way to escape the heat tonight? How about a free movie?

Come see Food, Inc. at Letelier Theater in Georgetown. A reception starts at 6 p.m., with the movie at 6:30. A discussion follows with Food & Water Watch and Food Program Director Patty Lovera.

It’s an eye-opening movie that I found empowering. Especially in the DC area, it takes only a little extra effort to find farmers markets and restaurants offering local food that’s safer and healthier than what comes from factory farms – and that tastes fresh and delicious.

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Wed. Screening: How Everyday Folks Bring Change http://www.welovedc.com/2010/06/15/wed-screening-how-everyday-folks-bring-change/ Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:10:10 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=39612 Environmental Film Fest logo

If you’ve ever thought of starting your o…

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Environmental Film Fest logo

If you’ve ever thought of starting your own sustainably sourced salad shop or of plucking all the trash from the city streets, check out tomorrow night’s screening of Climate of Change, a film that shows how ordinarily people are making a difference for the planet, around the planet.

It shows how self-described “hillbillies” in Appalachia battle strip mining and mountaintop removal, a London woman starts an environmental communications firm, a 13-year-old in India rallies against plastics, and more.

The screening starts at 6:30 p.m. at Georgetown’s Letelier Theater, and a wine reception catered by Sweetgreen follows. Tickets are $20 and RSVPs are required to this Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital event.

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Get Half Off Green Goodies http://www.welovedc.com/2010/06/10/get-half-off-green-goodies/ http://www.welovedc.com/2010/06/10/get-half-off-green-goodies/#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:15:10 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=39109 Photo courtesy of
’67A #1′
courtesy of ‘Chri

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Photo courtesy of
’67A #1′
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

If you like buying stuff online at a steep discount, check out the newest program in town – Greenbacks. The twist? It’s all green, giving you at least 40% off of eco-friendly products, services, and events.

To celebrate the launch, today and tomorrow you can get a $50 gift card to Java Green and the new Cafe Green for only $25. Just buy the coupon, print it off, and take it to them.

Each week, Greenbacks will offer new deals at places like Holeco® Wellness Medi Spa, Herban Lifestyle, Big Bad Woof, and Energy Efficiency Experts, all eco-friendly businesses in the DC-metro area.

And if it’s on Greenbacks, you’ll know it’s green–each product or service goes through Live Green’s rigorous vetting process, which measures quality, social responsibility, and the greenness of both the product/service and the business’ operations.

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Columbia Heights Farmers Market Opens Tomorrow http://www.welovedc.com/2010/06/04/columbia-heights-farmers-market-opens-tomorrow/ http://www.welovedc.com/2010/06/04/columbia-heights-farmers-market-opens-tomorrow/#comments Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:27:59 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=38421 Photo courtesy of
‘Dreamy Creamy Chocolate’
court

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Photo courtesy of
‘Dreamy Creamy Chocolate’
courtesy of ‘Hoffmann’

Even the mayor will be on hand to welcome a new farmers market to the city tomorrow. The Columbia Heights Community Marketplace kicks off at 9 a.m. and runs until 2 p.m. at 14th and Park, across from Giant, Target, and Tivoli Theater.

At 11 a.m., Mayor Adrian Fenty, Chairman Vincent Gray, and Councilmembers Jim Graham and Kwame Brown will kick off opening ceremonies. Dancers and actors from the Dance Institute and Gala Theatre will perform; live entertainment will take place the first Saturday of each month and include activities like tai chi and cooking demonstrations.

Come every Saturday for fresh veggies and fruit (it’s berry season, you know), meats, breads, cheeses, flowers and beat-the-heat gelato–all grown and raised within 150 miles of DC.

Thrive DC, Miriam’s Kitchen and Christ House, three local homeless services, will be gleaning leftover produce to make meals for the homeless.

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Where Does Your Recycling Go? http://www.welovedc.com/2010/06/03/where-does-your-recycling-go/ http://www.welovedc.com/2010/06/03/where-does-your-recycling-go/#comments Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:15:42 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=37406 Ever wonder happens to your recycling once it le…

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Click here to view the embedded video.

Ever wonder happens to your recycling once it leaves the bin?

Arlington County recently released a video that takes you inside a recycling facility. It shows how items are sorted, where they go, and what’s made from them.

Your host? A bathrobe-clad man carrying a coffee cup labeled “dork.” Check it out for good info and good cheesy fun.

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5 Ways to Green Your Yard and Garden http://www.welovedc.com/2010/05/28/5-ways-to-make-your-yard-and-garden-greener/ Fri, 28 May 2010 17:30:18 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=37403 Photo courtesy of
‘The Lawnmower Man (197/365)’
co

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Photo courtesy of
‘The Lawnmower Man (197/365)’
courtesy of ‘NomadicLass’

You may think that grass and veggies are inherently green, but a new guide tells you how to make yours even greener. If you want to learn more,visit https://www.anjtreeservice.com/.

Steps for Planting
  1. Locate all underground utilities prior to digging.
  2. Identify the trunk flare. …
  3. Dig a shallow, broad planting hole. …
  4. Remove the containers or cut away the wire basket. …
  5. Place the tree at the proper height. …
  6. Straighten the tree in the hole. …
  7. Fill the hole gently, but firmly. …
  8. Stake the tree, if necessary.

The Climate-Friendly Gardener: A Guide to Combating Global Warming from the Ground Up, tells you how to lock carbon dioxide in the soil so it doesn’t heat the atmosphere.

Tree-planting is the process of transplanting tree seedlings, generally for forestry, land reclamation, or landscaping purpose. It differs from the transplantation of larger trees in arboriculture, and from the lower cost but slower and less reliable distribution of tree seeds. Early spring, just as the ground thaws, is the best time plant. Fall can be too late, because trees won’t be able to survive the freezing temperatures that can damage roots and stop moisture from reaching the tree.

“Gardening practices alone won’t solve global warming, but they can move us in the right direction, just like installing super efficient light bulbs and using reusable bags,” said Karen Perry Stillerman, a DC-based senior analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists Food and Environment Program, which released the guide.

Tips include avoiding chemicals and motorized equipment, planting trees and shrubs so they shade your house and block wind, minimizing fertilizer and water use on your lawn, composting, and planting winter crops.

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Free Yogurt Today and Tomorrow http://www.welovedc.com/2010/05/13/free-yogurt-today-and-tomorrow/ http://www.welovedc.com/2010/05/13/free-yogurt-today-and-tomorrow/#comments Thu, 13 May 2010 13:15:30 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=36428 Photo courtesy of
‘froyo’
courtesy of ‘laur

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Photo courtesy of
‘froyo’
courtesy of ‘laurarotondo’

The eco-conscious Sweetflow Mobile will be making stops in Virginia today and DC tomorrow to celebrate the 11 Kimpton Hotels that were recently Green Seal Certified at the Silver Level — meaning they’ve achieved standards to minimize waste, conserve energy, manage fresh water and waste water, prevent pollution, and commit to environmentally sensitive purchasing.

Be one of the first 50 when the truck arrives at each hotel, and you can get a free cone with one topping, such as strawberries, granola, or organic chocolate chips. You also can enter a raffle for a free weekend getaway at each hotel and get the “inside scoop” on the company’s more than 80 green products and practices.

Where and when: Virginia – Today at Hotel Palomar Arlington (3:15 p.m.), Hotel Monaco Alexandria (4:45 p.m.), Morrison House (5:30 p.m.), and Lorien Hotel & Spa (6:15 p.m.); DC – Friday at Hotel George (10 a.m.), Hotel Monaco Washington DC (11 a.m.), Helix Hotel (Noon), Hotel Rouge (3 p.m.), Topaz Hotel (4 p.m.), Hotel Madera (5 p.m.), and Hotel Palomar Washington DC (6 p.m.).

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Time Out: Yoga for Foodies http://www.welovedc.com/2010/05/12/time-out-yoga-for-foodies/ http://www.welovedc.com/2010/05/12/time-out-yoga-for-foodies/#comments Wed, 12 May 2010 17:00:14 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=36272 When you go to an event called “Yoga for Foodies,…

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Yoga for Foodies

David Romanelli leads a yoga pose. Photo credit: Lindley Thornburg

When you go to an event called “Yoga for Foodies,” it’s hard to know just what to expect. Is someone going to pop a chocolate-dipped strawberry in your mouth as you strike a triangle pose? Is it going to be pretentious? And most of all, are you going to have to sit in a fancy restaurant in your yoga clothes, all sweaty after an hour of backbends and other contortions?

Thankfully, at last Friday’s event at Zola with David Romanelli, the answer to all those questions was no. The food followed the class, the atmosphere was relaxing, dinner was served in a private space near the yoga floor, and the class was calm enough to leave us un-mussed. Whew.

What Romanelli delivered was a time-out, a chance to stretch quietly after a busy week, lie on the floor, and really listen to him. His mission, he said, was simple: To help us slow down and savor life.

I don’t want to rush to judgment and say DC is a workaholic place, of course, but when I was waiting for the Metro last night, almost every person on the platform was looking down at an iPhone or Blackberry, reading and texting away. And they all had blank expressions on their faces. Romanelli referred to this behavior a couple of times during the yoga portion when, in between instructions to move to the next pose, he shared his philosophy.

He talked longingly about the days before cell phones, when we could wait in the checkout line (or in the subway) without texting or tweeting, when friends gathered together and were fully present with each other.

“There’s more to life than a text or a tweet,” he said. “Sight, sound, touch, and taste — these make life beautiful. Put down the cell phone and experience life.”

He also talked about the importance of taking things slowly. He shared a quote from Carlos Petrini, who founded the slow food movement: “Some experiences which are crucial to our maturity cannot be speeded up, and are only possible if they occur slowly.” Romanelli interpreted it in his own way: “If you rip off a bud, no flower will grow. Some things take time.”

Photo courtesy of
‘Pink and Green Lotus Bud’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

At the end of class, as we lay in savasana with our eyes closed, he came around with lavender oil from Sedona, Arizona, and smoothed it across our arms. It took time before he got to me in the last row, and that was fine. Already I could smell the oil, rich and sweet.

Romanelli began trying in the late 1990s to make yoga more accessible by expanding it beyond the studio, fusing it with tried-and-true indulgences such as chocolate and wine. He decided to try the foodie avenue when chefs emerged as rock stars. He’s currently on a nationwide tour that began in January and runs all year. He calls them “Jam Sessions” to convey that they’re experiments. True to form, each one is different, with different spaces and menus and levels of involvement from the chefs.

Romanelli set the stage for dinner during yoga, talking about the slow food movement, which honors unprocessed foods, meat from animals that are humanely raised, and meals that are enjoyed and eaten slowly, in the company of others. Indeed, our dinner included seasonal and local ingredients, such as the Rappahannock River oysters and veggies in our salad, the dandelion greens under our salmon, and the strawberry and rhubarb atop our pound cake streusel. And it was delicious — flavorful and fresh and light, just what you feel like eating after yoga.

Photo courtesy of
‘Strawberry Season’
courtesy of ‘ellievanhoutte’

I’d expected Romanelli would keep talking throughout our dinner, explaining how this healthy food would nourish us and outlining the differences between it and conventional, factory-farmed fare. Initially, I was disappointed that after such a thoughtful class we were just going to sit and eat dinner.

But what happened was this. We were seated at tables of 10. I knew nobody, two girls to my right knew only each other, and the rest at our table were friends. Yet almost immediately, we all started talking, trading stories of yoga and cycling classes, places we’d lived and visited around the world, and so forth.

Instead of continuing to instruct us, Romanelli created a space where a group of friends and strangers could kick back and share, and have the kind of conversations he misses from the days before we became tethered to handheld electronic devices. After the dessert plates were cleared, most of us sat a bit longer, feeling no need to rush the event to a close.

Photo courtesy of
‘On the Clock’
courtesy of ‘Sprezzatura Images’

Despite his commitment to slow food, yoga, and chucking his cell phone from time to time, Romanelli admitted that turning off the push to be productive and efficient is hard even for him.

I appreciate his honesty, and it makes me wonder. If life is a journey and not a destination, maybe striving to be present in the moment is the same way — if we balance our crazy workdays with “Jam Sessions” devoted to quiet yoga, tasty healthy food, and laughter with those we love or with people we may never see again, maybe that’s how we more fully experience life. Step by step, bit by bit, along the way.

Special thanks to Lindley Thornburg for inviting me to attend gratis.

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Yum Yum Yoga http://www.welovedc.com/2010/05/06/yum-yum-yoga/ Thu, 06 May 2010 15:45:22 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=35829 Photo courtesy of
‘one (final version) (#117)’
cou

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Photo courtesy of
‘one (final version) (#117)’
courtesy of ‘j / f / photos’

Tomorrow night, you’ve an option to get very relaxed and happy, when a Yoga for Foodies event comes to Zola.

David Romanelli, who co-founded Yoga + Chocolate, will lead a one-hour flowing yoga class, to stretch your consciousness and your tummy for the three-course dinner that will follow. The menu is chock full of fresh, local, seasonal food, such as an oyster salad, dandelion greens, and strawberry and rhubarb gratin.

His plan is to make you aware of what you’re eating, where it comes from, and how it makes you feel. Which likely will be mmm, mmm good.

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5 Top Tips for Container Gardening http://www.welovedc.com/2010/05/06/5-top-tips-for-container-gardening/ http://www.welovedc.com/2010/05/06/5-top-tips-for-container-gardening/#comments Thu, 06 May 2010 13:06:44 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=35778 Photo courtesy of


‘365.105: The cook’s herb garden

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Photo courtesy of


‘365.105: The cook’s herb garden’
courtesy of ‘WordRidden’

There are lots of things I think would be cool to do, so I just dive in without proper training. One is growing herbs on the deck. Understandably, my results have been mixed. The potted mint is going great guns, but last year the basil plant that had been visibly shooting up daily as if it inspired Jack and the Beanstalk suddenly turned black, dropped its leaves, and keeled over. No more fresh basil for me.

So when Arlington Adult Education offered a class called Growing Herbs in Containers, I signed up—mostly out of sympathy for the plants. And then I came late to class. When I walked in, instructor Dottie Jacobsen stopped her talk, greeted me, then asked, “What’s your growing situation?” Under the bright lights and many watching eyes, I came clean: “I kill plants.”

And presto! Within two short hours, I had a long list of things I’d done wrong and could easily correct. Since some of my plants did actually survive, this knowledge was inspiring. “Many of my students have gone on to be excessive container gardeners,” Jacobsen reassured us. “They say, ‘it’s a jungle out there.’” What are her tips?

Photo courtesy of


‘peppermint flower bud’
courtesy of ‘christaki’

1) Use the right kind of dirt. Jacobsen calls it a potting medium, to give you the correct term – and plain ol’ potting soil is out. Instead, use ProMix, which includes sphagnum peat moss, vermiculite and perlite. The bag should feel light when you pick it up, and you’ll need to dampen it before you put it in the pot. Mix it with water until it’s fluffy and moist.

To cut the need for watering in half, add a few polymer gels deep in the pot. These crystals will soak up water and release it around the roots. Only use this for thirsty herbs, though, such as mint, chives, parsley, cilantro, and basil. Skip this step for herbs that like it dry, like rosemary, sage, thyme, and lavender.

Follow the instructions on the package so that you know how much to use. (I once used these when planting flowers in a friend’s back yard and apparently overdid it. He said the first time it rained, he looked out to see the flowers rising up from the earth.)

Photo courtesy of


‘Magnificent sage’
courtesy of ‘digika’

Put the potting medium on top of any polymers, filling to half an inch below the top of the pot. A crust may form on top of the soil over time, and this arrangement means your water will still flow into the pot, not over the side.

For the first two weeks after you pot your plants, shake some black pepper on top of your newly dug earth, to repel squirrels searching for “vaguely remembered acorns,” said Jacobsen. Avoid the red pepper, though – black pepper works to keep them at bay, and the red can burn their paws and eyes as they scratch.

Photo courtesy of


‘Potted Herbs’
courtesy of ‘amy[treespacestudio]’

2) Water them properly. “Water is one of the fundamental issues of container gardening,” Jacobsen said. But parching them isn’t always the issue. “Water is often a huge part of failing,” she said. “Too much is as bad as too little.” To see how dry they are, rap on your containers. If it sounds hollow, your herb is dry. If there’s a thud, it’s saturated.

Above all else, make sure you’re using a pot with holes in it for drainage, and never let your herb stand in water.

When you do water, use a soft spray. Jacobsen shared several hose attachments that deliver a gentle rain.

Photo courtesy of


‘Precarious Herbs’
courtesy of ‘Jenn Larsen’

3) Feed them. Because you’ll be watering the containers so frequently, you need to feed your herbs every other week until fall. Make sure that you choose a fertilizer that’s approved for edibles, and avoid granular fertilizers, which are too harsh. Miracle-Gro will work, or you can treat your pot with Osmocote for vegetables, which you’ll need only once per season. If you want to go organic, try kelp or fish emulsion, and watch out for cats.

Lavender
Too-tall lavender

4) Prune. “Plants need tough love,” said Jacobsen. That means pruning and harvesting. You can easily lay your hands on garden strimmers that are cordless and get to pruning. I’m thrilled that my lavender is tossing up tiny buds this week, but the stalks they’re on are crazy long. And the rest of the plant is clearly overgrown, winding around outside the pot. It badly needs, as Jacobsen calls it, a haircut.

Cutting the plant releases a hormone that tells it to grow. So you’ll get a bushier plant.

For herbs like basil, cut anywhere above the first set of true leaves that cluster around the main stalk. For herbs that are more grasslike and grow in clumps, cut above the new growth that springs up from the center of the plant. Right after a bloom is a good time to cut most herbs, though with basil you’ll want to cut earlier to prevent a bloom.

If you don’t want to eat all of the cuttings, stick some in water to see if they’ll root – and give you a new plant.

Photo courtesy of


‘Foraged wild garlic’
courtesy of ‘Fimb’

5) Repot when necessary. Roots need both water and air. Yellow leaves are a sign your herb is asking for a bigger pot, said Jacobsen. When it’s time to move your herb to a new home, choose a pot that’s twice the size of the original. What you don’t want is a little herb swimming in a big pot, because that will make it more difficult to get water to the roots.

Consider pruning when you repot. As you transfer the plant, butterfly the roots, gently separating them into four opposite directions to keep the plant from being rootbound. Then scoop a hole in your pot, plop the herb in, and water it. “Then it’ll snuggle in,” she said.

If you think you’re now ready to add greenery to your home, visit https://www.laweekly.com/11-best-house-plants-to-purchase-durable-and-delicate-plants-are-for-everyone/ to find out what are the best indoor plants to raise.

Jacobsen also shared many other tricks of the trade, including identifying and fending off hungry critters, choosing pots, and growing herbs indoors through the winter. And she brought in many varieties of herbs, including fragrant lemon thyme, pineapple sage, rosemary, and lavenders.

She’ll be back in Arlington May 18 and June 23. If you’re a certified plant killer like me – or someone who has the basics down and wants to learn more secrets of growing herbs – she may make a better gardener out of you.

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Jolly Green Giants http://www.welovedc.com/2010/04/26/jolly-green-giants/ Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:00:32 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=35012 Photo courtesy of
‘Green grass, Masonville Cove’
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Photo courtesy of
‘Green grass, Masonville Cove’
courtesy of ‘sidewalk flying’

In its just-released May issue, the Washingtonian names the winners of its 2010 Green Awards, which honor those who protect the environment and teach others the importance of eco-friendly living.

Loyal We Love DC readers may recognize a few names — Philip O’Neal and Rhon Hayes, co-founders of Green DMV, whose Greater Washington Green Jobs Corps graduates weatherized the Gospel Rescue Ministries homeless shelter earlier this year; Seth Goldman, co-founder of Honest Tea, who told us why he loves DC; and Tracy Bowen of the Alice Ferguson Foundation, which organized the massive Potomac River Watershed Cleanup for which We Love DC co-sponsored a site earlier this month.

See the issue for more on the efforts these and all honorees have made. A hearty congratulations to all the winners! Keep up the great green work!

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