Category Archives: We Green DC

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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A Morning Spin

Photo courtesy of
‘morning’
courtesy of ‘placid casual’

If you’re still looking for something fun to do tomorrow (and beat the rain, currently forecast to hold off ’til afternoon), explore an area you might not have seen before on the ‘Round the Anacostia Bike Ride and Historic Tour.

Rides range from 5 to 32 miles, leaving from Bladensburg Waterfront Park and stopping at places like Montpelier Mansion, Riversdale House Museum and Lake Artemisia.

The event is meant to promote the history and natural beauty of the Anacostia River, while highlighting the need to restore the river. In addition to good exercise, you’ll get breakfast, a picnic lunch, a t-shirt, pontoon rides on the river, and more.

Entertainment, History, Special Events, The Features, The Great Outdoors, The Mall, We Green DC
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Host a National Park Premiere Party

photo courtesy of pbs.org

photo courtesy of pbs.org

This Sunday evening, September 27 at 8pm, the long awaited Ken Burns documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea premieres on PBS. The documentary stories the inspiring individuals who dedicated themselves to establishing our National Park System and to protecting America’s cultural, natural and historic heritage.  The series will air a new episode every night next week with the concluding episode on Friday, October 2.

To spread the word about this awesome documentary and get park lovers to share their parks stories with friends and family, the DC-based non-profit, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is organizing nation-wide viewing parties for the Sunday premiere, and they’ve made it super easy to host your own get-together with customized evites, your own personalized party page, helpful party tips and innovative ways to share this documentary with people around the country.  “Our goal is to inspire all Americans to dedicate themselves to protecting and preserving our national parks,” says Tom Kiernan, NPCA President, “so that the parks can be enjoyed, explored, and cherished by our children, our grandchildren, and by all future generations.”

Register to host a (private or public) party, and you’ll be entered in a raffle to win 1 of 5 signed copies of award-winning, conservation photographer Ian Shive‘s The National Parks: Our American Landscape.  This new, visually stunning photo journey highlights the beauty and majesty of our national parks from Alaska’s Denali to Florida’s Everglades.  RSVP’ed guests will also be entered in the drawing, and you, as the host, will get a bonus entry for every guest.  Woot! Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Taking Out the Trash

Photo courtesy of
‘ken’s night out’
courtesy of ‘uberculture’

Okay, so I’ve never passed a blitzed Ken on my morning run, but I sure have seen plenty of tossed beer cans, water bottles and Doritos bags. Not to mention the package of chocolate GU glop I picked up the other day that wasn’t empty after all….

The good news is there’s a simple solution — the folks who use the trails can help keep them clean! Hence the DC Trash Runners. This new group will meet for the first time on Sunday at 10 a.m. at Woodley Park Metro and go for a short run or walk, picking up trash along the way in Rock Creek Park.

Yours truly is helping to kick it off, so of course I think it will be fun. Come join us!

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Taste “Green” Wine

Photo courtesy of
‘mmm’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Hmm, wine. You’ve got your reds, you’ve got your whites, you’ve got your greens. Well, what else would you call organic wine? And why would you want it, anyway?

On Friday night, you can learn all about organic wine — how it’s made and how it tastes — at Sonoma, through the DC Green Connection.

Since grapes are one of the top foods to buy organic if you want to avoid eating pesticides, organic wine makes sense. Sonoma’s sommelier has picked out several kinds for DC’s greenies to taste while chatting about ways to save the planet.

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Bright Ideas for Lower Bills

Photo courtesy of
‘Light Bulbs’
courtesy of ‘Marionaire’

If you want to lower your electric bill, try some simple changes to make your place more energy efficient. This really does work; the changes I made dropped my usage by 18%.

On Saturday from 10 to 2, you can find out how at a Green Your Home Expo on UDC’s outdoor plaza. There, you can learn about various ways to save energy in your own home. They’ll also have live jazz, bicycle eco-tours and farmers market goodies.

And since buildings account for nearly 40% of all carbon dioxide emissions in the US, while you’re lowering your own bill, you’ll also be doing good for the planet.

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Here Comes the Sun

Photo courtesy of
‘Solar eclipse 22 July 2009’
courtesy of ‘hughrocks’

On a rainy day, what better to think about than the sun?

So today’s topic is solar power. What will it take to make it a reality? Addressing the costs is a start.

On Thursday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. at the Swiss embassy, you can hear Swiss and American solar power experts speak on Making Solar Energy Competitive, and share how new technologies and manufacturing methods can trigger rapid growth of solar.

After the talk, you’ll be invited to a reception at the Ambassador’s residence, a “green” building that has won awards for its environmental design. Bring on the sun!

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Die, Plant, Die!

Photo courtesy of
‘126/365 pulled out by the roots’
courtesy of ‘Gibsonclaire’

Apparently there are some violent greenies in Arlington. On two Saturdays and two Sundays every month, people meet in various county spots to take out their frustrations by ripping plants out of the ground. Who knew?

Whether these folks are frustrated by a long work week or by invasive plants taking over the area is for only them to know. But the invasives certainly get the raw end of the deal. And once they’re gone and native plants grow in their place, harmony returns, and the local birds and bees and box turtles have something good to eat again.

You can join RIP (Remove Invasive Plants) the second and third weekends of the month – and be like this smiling volunteer, who explains why squelching the invaders makes him so happy.

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Does Farm to Table Mean Pumpkin Pie?

Photo courtesy of
‘Pumpkin Pie’
courtesy of ‘benklocek’

Hard to believe, but true — soon it’ll be time for pumpkin pie! And pumpkin dip, and pumpkin muffins…nom, nom, nom.

As the fall harvest starts, Arlington is celebrating local foods like the great pumpkin. Its Farm to Table Month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 14, with locavore dinners at several restaurants including Willow and Eventide.

There will also be movie nights, with films such as The True Cost of Food and FRESH. Next Tuesday’s kickoff is from 6-9 at, where else, the Whole Foods in Clarendon.

Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Park(ing) Day Comes to DC


PARK(ing) Day by Laughing Squid

It’s amazing when you stop and think about how much of our cities are dedicated to cars. What was once fertile green land is now sealed in pavement, concrete, and pollution. Well on September 18, we have a chance to claim a little bit of that space back with Park(ing) Day DC. The idea is to take over a parking space (or two or three) for the day and turn it into a park. Get it? Park(ing) Day? Check out this video to see what people have done in past years in NYC.

I think this is an awesome idea and can’t wait to see what people do in DC. What a great way to combine artistic creativity with environmental awareness. If you have ideas, want to volunteer, or even want to sponsor a space, be sure to sign up and get involved on their website. Oh, and be sure to take photos on the 18th and submit them to our Flickr pool!

We Green DC
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From Waves to Grain: New Green Flicks

Photo courtesy of
‘Surfer Rides Wave Brought by Hurricane Bill’
courtesy of ‘michelemeek’

Take a break. Right now, really, and watch the lush, smooth, curling waves on this trailer from BlueGreen. Ahhh, the beach! I can even feel the sand between my toes.

BlueGreen, they say, is a documentary about the human connection to the ocean. That sounds wonderful, and I think I vaguely heard people saying as such on the trailer. But mostly I was mesmerized by the waves and the surfers sliding along them, including stars Keith Malloy, Layne Beachley, and Robert August. Robert “Wingnut” Weaver narrates.

BlueGreen is one of three summer movies with an earth-friendly bent that have screenings around town in the next few days. The next few hot, dog days of summer, that is — days perfect for slipping inside a chilly theater.
Continue reading →

Essential DC, Life in the Capital, The District, We Green DC
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Revamp: Stoddert Elementary & Recreation Center

EEK schematic of proposed Stoddert entrance

EEK schematic of proposed Stoddert Elementary School

As WeLoveDC’s Georgetown/Glover Park resident reporter, I considered myself fairly well informed on the general neighborhood on-goings. However, I was completely stumped about a month ago when on my daily commute a passed the Stoddert Recreation Center fields to see them completely fenced off. I was even more confused when the only construction sign announced a “Geothermal Renewable Energy Project.” What the heck did that mean? And how would this project affect the adjacent elementary school and the playing fields that were now fenced in?

It turns out that both Stoddert Elementary School, built in 1932, and Stoddert Recreation Center are getting a much needed overhaul. The existing 18,000 square foot school, which provides pre-K to 5th grade education to approximately 300 DC children, will grow by about 46,000 square feet. The addition will include classrooms, a publicly accessible gym and multiple purpose rooms to service the neighborhood community. Grounds work will affect both the school and the accompanying recreation center with a new entry plaza, new trees, a 40-car parking lot; reconstruction of the existing softball and soccer fields (from a personal point-of-view, this is HUGE as the existing fields were a twisted ankle/busted knee waiting to happen), a refurbished playground and a new tot lot. While the construction is still ongoing, you can check out Ravenscroft’s offering to enroll your child the upcoming school year. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Green Houses

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_1860’
courtesy of ‘soundfromwayout’

Get out your hankies. The “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” TV crews are here, and they’re painting the town…green?

That’s right. They’re rebuilding the nonprofit Fishing School in DC and the Hyattsville home of Nikema and Tamara Tripp, both with energy-efficient features. The masterpieces will be unveiled on Saturday, to tears of joy.

This isn’t the only extreme green makeover in town. Carbonfree DC soon will be doing the same for 20 homes in Deanwood and Shaw.

Farm Fresh, Food and Drink, Special Events, We Green DC
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Farm Fresh: Charlie Palmer Steak

Charlie Palmer

WeLoveDC authors Donna (greenie) and Katie (foodie) have paired up to bring you a double-hitting feature about local area restaurants that take on the challenge of being green. Donna will explain the logic behind the environmentally friendly trends and Katie will tell you if the food tastes any good. It’s a rough life, but someone has to do it, right?

Katie: Charlie Palmer Steak is situated on the bottom floor of the Carpenter’s Union building, facing the Capitol Reflecting Pool on the Senate side. I’d almost be tempted to call it DC stuffy, if I didn’t love it so much. And love it I do, Charlie Palmer Steak gets top marks in my foodie book. Not only is it gorgeous, the food is fantastic, and the service matches. The entire front of the restaurant is glass, and in the winter I’m sure it has a supurb view of the Capitol Building. An impressive walk-in wine cellar sits above a fountain and water pool full of stones. The servers are inconspicuously attentive. Candles flicker on the table. It is a quiet sort of posh, the perfect place for a business meeting, or a very impressive date. Honestly, it’s the type of place that you wouldn’t quite expect to do locovore meals. It’s a bit too conservative, too buttoned-up. But for all the month of August, through September 12, you can stop by Charlie Palmer to do an incredibly affordable “In the Loop” dinner – all food from within 150 miles of DC for $39 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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“Glamping”? Oh, Come On.

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_0097’
courtesy of ‘puregin’

Did you see this in today’s Express — that you can go glamorous camping, or “glamping” in Maryland?

Here’s how it works. If you want to go camping but are simply too lame to set up your own campsite, you can pay the fine folks at Montgomery County’s Little Bennett Regional Park to do it for you.

For “Camper Ready Camping,” (no hyphen included) they will prepare for you a tent, a stove, a lantern, and two chairs for your pampered behind. (Note that it’s a four-person tent, so either you’ll have lots of room, or two of you will be parking your butts on logs where they belong.)
Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Fish Stories

Photo courtesy of
‘Say Hello to My Little Fren”
courtesy of ‘marciadc’

If you still have an appetite for food movies, there’s a new one in town — but only for a limited time.

The End of the Line, which has been called “the Inconvenient Truth of the oceans,” is a fascinating movie that lays out why seafood may soon be off the menu and what you can do to save it.

Originally screened at National Geographic in June, it’s now playing for one week, starting today, at Landmark E Street Cinema.

Check out the trailer for a taste.

We Green DC
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Food, Glorious, Food: The Movies

Photo courtesy of
‘DSCN1388’
courtesy of ‘ttarasiuk’

I’ll admit it; I was a little nervous about going to see two movies about our food supply on two consecutive evenings — Food, Inc., playing in area theaters, and FRESH, at a special screening Wednesday night.

I didn’t know much about FRESH, but what I’d heard about Food, Inc. was to eat something organic beforehand. My imagination ran wild. How disgusting was this going to be? Would I have to start eating seaweed for breakfast? And what if I came out of the theater feeling really compelled to change something? The horrors!

It wasn’t quite what I expected.

Food, Inc. may masquerade as a boring documentary, but really it’s a thriller, full of espionage and ex-military company types roughing up farmers in the black of night, arrests and cover-ups and mad scientist types turning corn into Coke and Cheez-Its. Of course there are blood and guts — those are prerequisites for any box-office hit — but the message wasn’t all kumbaya about growing broccoli and whatnot. It was about how giant corporations run by evil, squinty-eyed people are controlling the food supply.

In essence, this movie’s about rights — among them, yours and mine to know what we’re eating and to order a burger without a side of e-coli. Cool concept, huh? So now for the big question — if you go see this flick, will you ever want to eat again? Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Splish Splash Statues..and Free Yoga Mats

Photo courtesy of
‘Dew on bamboo’
courtesy of ‘Lip Kee’

Over the years, artists have tried to capture the magic of water in myriad ways. Sergio Martinez chose bamboo and organic hemp rope. His sustainably made eco-statues now leap over walkways at, fittingly, the Crystal City WaterPark, near Crystal Drive and S. 18th St.

Come by tonight from 5-7 p.m., and you can meet the artist himself. Sport & Health will lead “a yogic commemoration reflective of the eco-art.” And they’re giving away free yoga mats. Boat pose, anyone?

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover to Come to DC

Photo courtesy of
‘Front Step’
courtesy of ‘Michael Cornelius’

This just announced — CarbonfreeDC has won $20,000 in the Green Effect contest sponsored by National Geographic and Sun Chips!

They will use their winnings to carry out an Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover, and help 20 families from a low-income block to green their homes and lifestyles.

Congratulations, Carbonfree DC — and thanks to everyone who voted!

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Good Green Nibbles at Blue Ridge

Photo courtesy of
‘Subversive Supper: Inaugural Dinner’
courtesy of ‘Cooking With Jeff’

You’ve already heard from Katie that the new Blue Ridge Restaurant is mmm, mmm good. Next week, in addition to other foodie events, you’ll have a chance to hear from Chef Barton Seaver himself why it’s also good for the planet.

On July 22 at 6:30 p.m., join the newly formed DC Green Connection there to sample Chesapeake Bay oysters and other local delights, to hear why Chef Seaver sources all his items locally, and to raise a glass of organic wine to “green” goodness!

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Vote to Green DC!

Photo courtesy of
‘VOTE’
courtesy of ‘christaki’

A green effort in DC may soon win a national contest — if you vote!

CarbonfreeDC is one of 10 finalists in the Green Effect competition for its “Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover” campaign, which would use the $20,000 winnings to help 20 families from a low-income city block in DC to green their homes and lifestyles, and save money. National Geographic and Sun Chips are sponsoring the competition.

You can vote once a day through Monday. Cast yours now!