‘Rock Creek Park’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’
It’s time for the annual celebration of Earth – and there’s an abundance of green activities around town! Here are some happening in the next week or so. Stay tuned for Part 2 next Friday, when we’ll preview events scheduled for Earth Day itself, April 22nd.
Join We Love DC’s Cleanup at Rock Creek Park
Saturday, April 10
8:15 a.m., yoga; 9 a.m. – noon, cleanup
DC
Southwest corner of P and 23rd Sts. NW, 4 blocks west of Dupont Circle
Join us in this annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup, which takes place at approximately 500 sites! We Love DC, Trail Voice, Friends of Rock Creek’s Environment, the DC Trash Runners and more are partnering to clean up Rock Creek Park.
Come early (8:15 a.m.) for a morning yoga stretch thanks to a Lululemon Yoga Ambassador and fresh baked goods compliments of Firehook Bakery, plus an option to clean up while taking a morning run.
Sign up on the Trail Voice site! Can’t make our clean-up day? Join another of the hundreds of sites closer to your home. (Please bring work gloves if you have them; some will be available.)
‘Salad Ready to Eat’
courtesy of ‘The Written Geekâ�¢’
Visit an Urban Farm
Saturday, April 10
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
DC
Common Good City Farm, 300 V St. NW, between 2nd & 4th Sts.
Register to volunteer, sign up for the Growing Gardens Workshop, or just stop by to say hi on opening day for this urban farm, which has provided over 400 bags of fresh produce to low-income DC families and taught over 600 DC residents in workshops since 2007.
‘Butterfly On Butterfly Bush’
courtesy of ‘Photos by Chip Py’
Eat (and Drink Beer) Locally
Sunday, April 1811 (Updated: Sorry about that!)
3 p.m.
Arlington
Shirlington Branch Library, 4200 Campbell Ave., Shirlington Village
Area farmers and a beer “activist” will discuss how to eat locally; journalist Sam Fromartz, author of “Organic, Inc.” will moderate. It’s part of Arlington Reads 2010, which is all about food and sustainability. Bonus: Two portraits of We Love DC author Brownpau are at the library’s entrance – part of an exhibit of paintings by his wife.
Get Eco-Savvy at Huntley Meadows
Sunday, April 11
Noon – 4 p.m.
Alexandria
Huntley Meadows Park, 3701 Lockheed Blvd.
Learn butterfly gardening and other backyard conservation tips and bring nature home with a native plant sale, bee boxes, wren boxes, rain barrels, native seed mixes and how-to presentations. Or take a guided walk with a park naturalist.
Give a Phone, Get a Flower
Tuesday, April 13 – Wednesday, April 14
DC
Farragut Square Park, Connecticut and K Sts.
To honor Earth Day, the Golden Triangle is organizing a Flowers for Phones recycling event. Drop off an old cell phone, and get a lovely potted daffodil in return. On Tuesday, Councilman Jack Evans will be giving out the flowers, and at noon that day there will be prizes up for grabs, including gift certificates to BLT Steak.
‘Daffodils’
courtesy of ‘egoody’
Artists for the Climate
Thursday, April 15
7:30 p.m.
DC
Foundry United Methodist Church, 1500 16th St., NW
$10 for students. $15 for everyone else
Famed climate writer and activist Bill McKibben will discuss his brand new book — Eaarth: Making A Life On A Tough New Planet — and the sobering message that some planetary warming is already “in the bank,” so we have to get ready. But there’s a lot we can and must do as a practical and moral duty, including building sustainable communities and switching to clean energy NOW.
Jeff Biggers, an author and leader in the fight to end mountaintop removal coal mining, and CCAN director and author Mike Tidwell, will speak, and Lissy Rosemont of the Junior League Band will perform.
A special reception with the authors catered by Nora Pouillon of Restaurant Nora, America’s first certified organic restaurant, will take place from 6 – 7 p.m., and space is extremely limited (reception costs $150).
Green your Home
Thursday, April 15
8 p.m.
Downtown/U St.
Greater Goods, 1626 U St., NW
Where should you start to make your home more eco-friendly? If you’re feeling overloaded by all the information that is out there and you’re wondering what to do first, this is the course for you.
‘where are we?’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
Catch a Green Festival and Scavenger Hunt
Saturday, April 17
1 p.m., Festival; 2:30 p.m., Scavenger Hunt
DC
Green in the Circle Festival in Dupont Circle
Live Green members, $20 / non-members $25 in advance
Live Green is hosting an action-packed, fun-filled scavenger hunt where teams of two to five people will race against the clock to explore DC’s most eco-friendly spots and compete to win $1,000! Start at the Green in the Circle Festival with great performers, speakers, and green exhibitors and conclude at The Reef for an after party with delicious food, raffle prizes, and great entertainment!
‘spirals of savings’
courtesy of ‘sun dazed’
Attend Arlington’s First Community Energy Town Hall Meeting
Saturday, April 17
2 – 5 p.m.
Arlington
Washington-Lee High School Commons Room, 1301 N Stafford St.
Share your thoughts on energy issues in the community at this inaugural event – and receive a free compact fluorescent light bulb!
Run the Earth Day 5K
Sunday, April 18
9 a.m.
Silver Spring
Ellsworth Drive near Pacers Silver Spring, 8535 Fenton St.
Run this race, and help raise the $25,000 needed to build an oyster sanctuary in the Chesapeake.
Celebrate Earth Day in the Garden
Sunday, April 18
8 a.m. – 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Wheaton
Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave.
This all-day festival features a volunteer project, bird walk, seedling giveaways, an exhibit fair and lots of children’s activities. At 6 p.m., there will be a screening of the documentary film “The Future of Food.” Some activities require registration.
Clean Up Cabin John Creek
Sunday, April 18
9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Cabin John
Join the Friends of Cabin John Creek Watershed to clean up this scenic creek. Meet at the playground next to the one-lane Cabin John Bridge on MacArthur Blvd.
‘Chesapeake-4’
courtesy of ‘Walt Hubis’
Catch The Last Boat Out
Wednesday, April 21
7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Bethesda
Hard Times Café, 4920 Del Ray Ave.
$10 suggested donation
Watch the PBS premiere of The Last Boat Out, a documentary about Chesapeake Bay watermen, in good company — with members of Bethesda Green and award-winning documentary producer Seltzer Film & Video. It’s an inspirational story of a family of watermen tirelessly trying to preserve their way of life on the bay. It’s also the story of a bay battered by development and pollution, yet struggling to stay alive — and shows how poor water quality and failure to protect natural resources affects our communities.
