Tag Archives: sustainability

The Daily Feed
By

For the Greener Good

Photo courtesy of
‘green roof’
courtesy of ‘(afm)’

Building environmentally sound buildings is extremely important because people spend the majority of their life indoors, and nobody wants to live, work, or play in a space that could be potentially detrimental to their mental or physical health.  Furthermore, even more imperative, is the status of our schools.  A place where children are meant to grow and learn – and be safe – yet, many primary and secondary schools expose children to toxins and other potentially harmful deficiencies.

Tonight, the National Building Museum is hosting For the Greener Good Lecture Series on Sustainable Schools, where expert healthcare, design, and education panelists will convene to share ideas for building schools – discussing the art and science of the education environment.

Learn why greener schools mean a brighter future for everyone.

For the Greener Good Lecture Series: Sustainable Schools will be from 6:30 – 8:00 PM. The cost is $12 for members and $20 for non-members, Free for students with valid ID. You can purchase tickets here or at the door.

Business and Money, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, The District, We Green DC
By

DC Chef Talks Sustainable Seafood On CNN

Photo courtesy of
‘Anacostia Fish Market #34’
courtesy of ‘andertho’

Barton Seaver, executive chef at Northwest DC’s restaurant Blue Ridge appeared on CNN today to speak about the realities of seafood sustainability and ways that Americans, and the world for that matter, can make their menus more sustainable when it comes to seafood.

Seaver recommends switching out mainstream choices such as tuna, swordfish and salmon, which have been seriously over fished and over eaten, with smaller, plentiful species like mackerel, sardines, clams, catfish, oysters, and my personal favorite, anchovies. Another practical and healthy suggestion is for restaurant and home chefs to use more vegetables in their dishes. And with the DC farmers market season ready to kick into gear, it’s the perfect time to incorporate produce from local sources into our cooking.

These simple and implementable cooking choices, according to Seaver, can have a measurable impact on depleted fish populations and can help in comprehensive efforts of seafood sustainability.

The Daily Feed
By

Why Do You Care About Sustainability?

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Caring about the environment is the cool thing to do, right?

According to a study conducted by the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, when people shop in public they tend to favor green and more earth friendly products – however, when shopping online people tend to favor the ‘regular stuff’; thus suggesting that “green purchases are often motivated by status,” says Vladas Griskevicius, co-author of the study.

Although I find this study to be quite interesting, I wonder how variables such as statewide or citywide mandates could moderate this study’s outcome. Since the District’s 5-cent bag tax law took effect, not only is going green now hip – but if you want to watch your pennies, it’s basically required.

I don’t really thing in the end anyone really cares what your reasons for being environmentally conscious truly are, because as long as a difference is being made then it doesn’t really matter right?

The Daily Feed
By

Greener Buildings = Healthier Employees?

Photo courtesy of
‘Interning at Bascom’
courtesy of ‘Mark Drago’

This Thursday night, the National Building Museum is hosting another session in its For the Greener Good series.  This session focuses on the benefits of green buildings, and panelists explore how working in a green building could actually make employees healthier.  More natural light, better heating and cooling, and building with more sustainable resources all seem like they’d make an office a healthier and happier place to be.  Arlington has already jumped in to the Green Office Challenge, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out locally.

Tickets for Thursday’s panel are $12 for NBM members, $20 for members of the public, and free for students.

The Daily Feed
By

Today is World Habitat Day

Photo courtesy of
‘Sustainability’
courtesy of ‘SWP Moblog’

Did you know that half the world’s population lives in cities?  Or that within the next generation, more than two-thirds of the population will be urban? The United Nations designates the first Monday of October as World Habitat Day, a day to reflect on the state of our urban environments and reaffirm a commitment to providing decent, affordable housing worldwide.  There are three great ways to celebrate World Habitat Day: advocate for housing to Congress, educate yourself on current urban housing issues, or donate time or money to an organization that focuses on housing issues.

There are a number of events here in DC to mark the occasion, including a forum on Livable Communities today at Howard University at 3 PM.  The forum is entitled “Planning our Urban Future” and features the Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs, the HUD Deputy Secretary, the Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, and DC’s very own deputy mayor.  There are also several events happening throughout the week that focus on housing and urban environments.