The Columbia Heights Community Marketplace started off with a bang on Saturday, June 5th. Vendors began arriving at 7am, and the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza was buzzing with activity. Over the course of the next two hours, a group of us helped put up canopies, set up tables, and build a stage to host speakers and performers from the Columbia Heights community.
Although I spent the majority of the day helping sell organic cotton Community Marketplace t-shirts, giving out free reusable bags, and answering questions about the marketplace, I witnessed a lot of really neat things on Saturday. The farmers market portion of the Marketplace boasts nine amazing vendors, all from within 150 miles of the city—but that is only a small portion of what it will bring to Columbia Heights.
Tamma Carleton, a member of the Board of Directors, specified that the goal was to provide “a market focused on local, sustainably grown food, a weekly event that could reflect the diversity of Columbia Heights, and a forum for public engagement and youth involvement.” From now until the end of October, the Marketplace will host yoga classes, live music and performances, cooking demonstrations, free health clinics, and more.
There is a weekly gleaning schedule so that local organizations that provide meals for the homeless can pick up the extra food at the end of the market day.
Carleton also mentioned that they are working on a Youth Market Program:
Local kids will be hired to work at the Marketplace in all tasks from setup to selling products, to helping vendors on the farm, in the bakery, or in the kitchen. This program will help educate local youth about the many issues around sustainable food and access to fresh food in urban areas as well as give them valuable entrepreneurial skills.
Overall, the Community Marketplace will be a space for residents to give and receive services and get to know their neighbors. It will be a way to engage and inspire, helping to turn a neighborhood into a community.
Here’s what I've learned: A community brings together people with something in common. Like-minded individuals with a common cause form the basis of a movement, and Strong movements are what ultimately cause global change.
In our busy, everyday lives, we sometimes forget the importance of in person interaction and connection. A community can be anything from a neighborhood, to a sports team, a faith group, a music group, or a book club…
So here’s some food for thought: what communities are you a part of? What brings your community together, and what are you fighting for?
*Columbia Heights Community Marketplace photographs by Joel Mittleman
About a month ago, farmers markets made an appearance on the DC scene. Produce was limited at first, and markets boasted mainly preserves, spring lettuces, and fruit from last year. But things are picking up significantly, and as the weather continues to heat up, the selection of fresh fruits and vegetables is increasing.
Washington, DC is home to many farmers markets, and though some of the vendors overlap, each market has a slightly different feel.
My recent visit to theU street farmers market was a happy accident. I hadn’t planned on going to the market, but I had just dropped my bike off for repairs, and found myself on foot only a few blocks away. I got some things that I don’t ordinarily cook (turnips and collard greens), but they looked so tasty I couldn’t resist. After getting unreasonably excited about an epazote plant, I wandered in the general direction of my neighborhood, thinking that I had already purchased as much as I could comfortably carry all the way back to my house. But I didn’t quite make it out of the market…
I am an asparagus fiend. Not only are they delicious, asparagus are one of the first vegetables to signal an end to winter, and the beginning of warm weather crops. Yet in only a few short weeks, asparagus will be replaced with peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash, and then cherries, blackberries, peaches….
The great thing about farmers markets is that they remind us about seasons. We are accustomed to buying the same fruits and vegetables year round. But when we buy asparagus in the dead of winter, not only do they come from thousands of miles away and take unreasonable amounts of energy to transport, they don’t taste nearly as good. How could they, really? I can’t imagine that countless hours on buses, trains, planes, and trucks do a whole lot for the freshness and flavor of a vegetable.
We rarely think about our food choices as having an impact on our energy consumption. We think about how high our air conditioning is turned up, or how many miles to the gallon our cars get, but food choices also matter. Even if we can’t always buy produce from a farmers market, making an effort to eat produce that is in season reduces the amount of energy needed to get that food from a farm and onto our tables.
…I bought a bunch of asparagus, thinking that this could be my last bunch of the summer. It would be untrue if I said I wasn’t a little bit sad that asparagus are phasing out, but it’s hard to be too down when I think of all of the other fruits and vegetables that are slowly ripening on bushes and vines in nearby farms. Besides, when it finally comes time to eat asparagus again next year, the anticipation will make them taste even more delectable.
This Saturday, June 5th, check out the opening of the Columbia Heights Community Marketplace. In addition to food, there will also be speeches from Mayor and local politicians, live music, and other performances!
On May 18 and 19, the U.S. Green Buildings Council hosted their 2010 Federal Summit, part of which I was able to attend. Following an opening plenary address, the afternoon offered conference-goers an array of panel presentations that ran the gamut from sustainability in the military, to solar panel installation, to urban regeneration.
At first glance, it seemed as though I could have been at any conference in Washington, DC. People exchanged business cards between sessions, and casually browsed the tables piled high with literature in hopes of encountering a free pen or a flashlight for their key chain, or some equally enthralling piece of conference shwag.
Nevertheless, this was a bit different than your average trade show. For starters, I couldn’t help but be amused by the sight of hundreds of people in business suites sipping green tea and munching on trail mix. More significantly, the people gathered in the Ronald Regan Building last Tuesday were there to learn more about green building, energy efficiency, and sustainability.
I went to a session entitled Cash for Caulkers, where three panelists shared their insights about developing both public and private programs for residential retrofitting. They were from three different States, but they all agreed on one thing:
We need to pass the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act.
H.R. 5019, the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act, was passed by the House of Representatives on May 6, 2010 by a bipartisan vote of 245-161, and is now headed to the Senate. This legislation, affectionately known as Cash for Caulkers, would provide $6 billion dollars in rebates to homeowners who increase energy efficiency in their homes.
Passing Home Star would be huge.
Not only would Home Star lessen the monetary burden of retrofitting and make it more affordable for homeowners, it would save energy, and boost the economy. And isn’t that exactly what we need right now?
Check out the full version of the legislation, or see an overview on the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce website and decide for yourself.
Last Wednesday night I hurriedly crossed the courtyard of the National Geographic building, dwarfed by larger-than-life statues of insects and seedpods. I was running late, and was worried that I would miss the beginning of the lecture I was there to hear, or would have to stand in the back. When I took a seat and caught my breath, I was surprised to find the medium-sized lecture hall half empty, but I settled in with eager anticipation all the same.
I was there to hear Saleem H. Ali speak about his new book, Treasures of the Earth. The premise of the talk was the same as the central question in his book: would the world be a better place if societies curbed their desires for material goods? The answer, it seems, is complicated.
Ali began his presentation with a familiar quote:
“The Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.” -M. K. Gandhi
Ali then asked us to challenge the words of a man who is known throughout the world for his intelligence and wisdom. He asked us to consider that need and greed are not isolated concepts, but rather represent opposite ends of a spectrum between biological sustenance and social sustenance.
Human happiness, Ali offered, depends upon pluralism of choice. Pure biological subsistence does not allow for freedom of choice, and we should not confuse coping with contentment. Therefore, Ali believes that if one person’s greed—or their desire for that which is not essential—can help to satisfy another’s need, then we mustn’t be so quick to condemn their excess. Though he encourages us to factor in the negative environmental impacts of our actions, Ali also asks that we consider potential for positive economic impact and redistribution of wealth.
To demonstrate his point, Ali used an example that really resonated with me. In his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan examines our food structure, and analyzes our detachment from food and where it comes from. Pollan records his preparation of an elaborate meal, made entirely of food that was wild or local, and sustainably grown. Well, almost entirely. In order to round out his meal, Pollan decides that he needs chocolate for his dessert. Since nowhere in the Berkeley area grows cocoa beans, Pollan splurges on a fine Belgian chocolate.
The question that Saleem Ali asks is not, “why splurge,” but rather, “why Belgian?” If you have decided that buying chocolate is worth its environmental impact, why not buy chocolate from somewhere in the developing world to support their economy? When fighting for environmental causes, we must not be blind to economic injustice.
Ali argues that creating a mineral mine in a non-pristine area can justify minimal environmental damage in order to provide jobs and wealth in a part of the world where it is desperately needed. Pouring time and resources into an expensive and environmentally risky offshore drilling process in an already well-off country, however, is neither environmentally nor economically justifiable.
Ali urges us to think about the environment in a global context, and to practice “responsible consumption.” We must find a way to “manage our desire for resources while safeguarding the environment and alleviating poverty.”
What do you think of "responsible consumption?" Let us know in the comments section below!
The dramatic explosion on an oil rig 50 miles off the Louisiana coast on April 20th was a shocking display. The resulting leak in an underwater well continues to pour mass quantities of crude oil into the waters off of the GulfCoast, threatening delicate ecosystems and the livelihoods of many. Despite efforts to seal the leak, every day about 210,000 gallons of oil are spewing into the ocean, creating a giant oil slick that has been working its way toward the coast, and wreaking environmental havoc.
Various cleanup tactics have been employed, but there is no doubt that the effects of the spill will persist even after BP manages to stem the flow. Communities in the Prince William Sound are still recovering from the Exxon Valdez oil spill that took place there in 1989. We have been told that the GulfCoast oil spill is not as bad as the Exxon Valdez spill…yet. But so far the well has leaked approximately 4.2 million gallons of oil, and an interactive map of the spill shows how the slick is spreading and expanding.
(picture courtesy of http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20003894-52.html)
The economic implications of the spill are equally devastating. It is estimated that it will cost $300 million just to plug the leak, and that doesn’t even include clean up costs.
This whole episode forces me to question the structure of our economy. We have become so dependent on oil that we are willing to put time, money, wildlife, and even human life on the line in order to pursue a costly and risky drilling technique that perpetuates our addiction to a non-renewable energy source, and ultimately does nothing to solve our energy crisis. Even if we pour billions of dollars into drilling more offshore wells, those, too, will eventually run dry.
Shouldn’t we be directing these resources toward developing clean, safe, renewable energy techniques? Instead of dirtying our waters and jeopardizing the jobs of coastal workers, shouldn’t we be increasing employment opportunities through the creation of green jobs? It is clear that we have to push for a transition to a clean energy economy, and yet this shift will undoubtedly take some time.
So what can we do in the mean time?
Reducing our current energy use is the first step toward decreasing our oil dependence and preventing disasters like the GulfCoast spill. In the face of this dire and depressing event, I am again reminded of the urgency of our situation. We have to create a powerful movement toward a clean energy economy. Starting here, starting now…
Start by making DC a model green city, and an example for the rest of the Nation.
Passing through the groups of people sprawled out on the grass adjacent to the AmericanHistoryMuseum, I pushed my way into the dense crowd, packed in for at least the length of a football field behind the stage framing the Capitol. Voices joined in unison, forming a chant that hummed behind the staccato of the Reverend’s passionate calls to action.
“Clean Air,” Reverend Jesse Jackson demanded.
“NOW,” we responded.
“Clean Water,” he continued.
“NOW,” affirmed the crowd.
Green Jobs. NOW.
There is a reason they call it a rally. The feeling that I got, squashed in among peers, letting my voice be bolstered and carried by the chant that echoed across the National Mall, left me feeling pissed off, invigorated, and determined to make change. This is a feeling that I love, a feeling that gets me high, psyches me up, and encourages me to continue fighting for what I know is right, despite what sometimes feels like insurmountable opposition. Being a part of that crowd is the reason that I came to the Climate Rally on the Mall on Sunday, April 25th.
But for those that don’t respond the way that I do to this group sensation, or for those who just wanted to come up for air, this particular event offered much more.
Despite an ominous weather forecast, the day of the rally was warm, and mostly sunny. A group of Frisbee enthusiasts (woot!) formed a circle behind the stage, tossing the disc back and forth while jamming to The Roots, Passion Pit, John Legend, and many other awesome bands throughout the day. Some people chose to sit slightly farther back from the stage, with space to stretch out, enjoy a picnic, and take in the day’s incredible line up.
Nick Dodril came to Earth Day to hear the speakers, listen to music, and peruse the various information tents set up about a quarter of a mile back from the stage. WeatherizeDC had a table at the back, and Nick stopped by to see what was up. Though he had heard about weatherization in the past, he was interested in receiving more information about the weatherization process. After learning about what WeatherizeDC is trying to accomplish, he signed a petition for creating a model green city.
A woman from Northern Virginiatalked to WeatherizeDC staff about green building work that she was doing, and requested that a staff member come to her organization’s next meeting in order to create alliances and share information.
Elena Digiovanna came to volunteer at Earth Day with a group of returned Peace Corps Volunteers. She said that her favorite parts about the rally were that 1) it wasn’t raining, and 2) that people were getting out on a Sunday and learning something new. Although she had been to a green building event in the past, she hadn’t heard of WeatherizeDC before, and was happy to have the opportunity to learn about our mission. When I asked her what she thought about it she said, “It gives people jobs, and that’s what people need right now.”
Thank you DC community! Your support was inspiring. Take a look at the photostream from last night courtesy of volunteer Will Marsh, and we'll continue to update you on last night's success!
Your home is your environment and addressing any unnecessary air leakage in a home is the most cost-effective way to reduce energy consumption and improve comfort. This past weekend at WeatherizeDC's Weatherization Block Party, an energy auditor gave tours of the recently weatherized rectory that was celebrating a 36% decrease in unwanted air infiltration after the one-time $3,000-$4,000 weatherization investment, which resulted in a 20-25% decrease in energy use (and energy bills)!
A closer look:
Above is a photo taken before air-sealing measures were completed in the basement of St. Alban's rectory. The dust and spider webs were a give-away that chronic air leakage had been plaguing the space. The weatherization installers used 2-part foam to block up these cavities, which will help air leakage into the exterior walls and cut down on leakage all over the first floor!
In the picture to the left, Bobby and Wayne worked to dense-pack the attic floor with cellulose insulation, providing the maximum insulation possible as well as effective air-sealing. Based on its size, every home has a recommended level of air leakage, known as the Building Airflow Standard that describes the minimum required air-leakage into a home to maintain safe indoor air quality. When an energy auditor visits your home at the beginning of your weatherization pathway, most homes measure 2 to 5 times as leaky as they should be after a blower door test.
Today, as you experiment with a reusable water battle, maybe an old bike in the garage, take a good look at the very common areas where your home is encouraging wasted energy. Weatherizing your home is equivalent to taking three cars off the road.
Clues for detecting air leakage around your home: •Spider webs: Spiders are smart. They tend to build their webs in places where air flows by to increase their chances of catching insects. Look around in your basement and attic--see those dusty cobwebs? That's a spider telling you to weatherize you home.
•Dirty insulation: Anywhere that you have white, yellow or pink fiber-glass insulation in your home, poke around and see if you find any "graying" or dusty insulation. The graying insulation indicates places where air has been moving by this insulation for an extended amount of time, depositing dust as it moves through the fiber-glass.
•"Graying" carpet at the base of walls: Similar to the dirty insulation described above, this is due to air moving in through the spaces at the base of walls and past the carpet, where it deposits dust. Steam-cleanings won't solve it, but air-sealing will.
•Excessive dust: As air moves into your home, it often passes through the interiors of walls where it picks up a laundry-list of contaminants--dust, fiber-glass, mold, and all sorts of particulates. An overly dusty house is a good sign of a house that's asking for air-sealing.
•Icicles: Did you find ice build-up or icicles on your roof's edge during DC's snow storms this year? This is caused by melting snow due to a lack of insulation and air-sealing.
•Temperature Differences: Are there temperature differences between your first and second floor?
A few overall helpful numbers in thinking about how to best care for your first environment: ENERGY SAVINGS (provided by the California Energy Commission)
Sunday afternoon is the perfect time for a barbecue…
…add live music, games, and energy efficiency, and you’ve got yourself quite an event! The weatherization block party that took place at St. Albans Church on April 18th was an excellent combination of good food, good music, good vibes, and good information.
There was a great mix of people in attendance. Kids tossed beanbags and families ate frozen yogurt. Anthony Clark, 16, was so stoked about the event that, only an hour after his own arrival, he was signing in newcomers and handing out t-shirts.
For me, the highlight of the afternoon was a tour of the weatherized St. Albans rectory. Jacob Weiss, an energy auditor from Ardently Green (WeatherizeDC's first home performance partner), was giving tours every half hour to DC homeowners hoping to learn more about weatherization.
We walked through the building and Jacob pointed out some of the improvements that had been made. Jacob told us that most houses are about two to five times as leaky as they should be, and many of the inefficiencies have relatively easy and intuitive fixes.For example, the Ardently Green team air sealed a fireplace on the first floor that had been letting energy escape through a chimney with no flu.
Next, we headed up to the attic.
I learned a lot about the way that home insulation works, and how smart decisions about defining a building envelope—a continuous line that separates the inside from the outside—can save money and increase energy efficiency. In this particular building, the attic was used only for storage, so the owners of the building had no use for keeping it temperature controlled. Rather than devoting resources to sealing up the attic, Ardently Green defined the attic as “outside space,” allowing them to focus on creating a well-sealed building envelope around the rest of the house. Jacob also took us into the basement and showed us where they had used expanding foam to seal air leaks, and prevent cold air from coming in through the basement.
I was interested to learn that Ardently Green uses eco-batting, an insulation material that is more environmentally friendly and takes much less energy to produce than fiberglass insulation. They also use a product in floors called cellulose insulation that is made out of recycled newspaper and treated to be fireproof.
Jacob was honest, knowledgeable, and open to answering the countless questions thrown at him by DC homeowners (and by my inquisitive parents who are visiting from California and came with me to the block party). After telling us about the numerous improvements made in the rectory, I was shocked to hear that the whole weatherization process only took about four and a half hours. In less than five hours, Ardently Green had improved air filtration by 36%, and reduced the building’s energy use (and energy bills!) by 20-25%.
Sign up here to find out more about weatherizing your home!
Shortly after 11am on Saturday morning, six high school students headed toward a group already forming in front of the table WeatherizeDC had set up in Rock Creek Park. Despite the occasional gust of wind, the sun was shining and it was really a pretty ideal day to spend outdoors. After some informal mingling, chatting, and bagel munching, Winston gathered a group of about 15 Sidwell students and a few community leaders to give us some training before we hit the streets as the first round of weatherization canvassers.
We were split up into groups of two, and each pair was given a packet that contained a map of our target area, script, fliers about upcoming events, and information about weatherization. Winston gave a dynamic rundown of the tools, and spelling out our mission:
1. Help every resident save money by elminitating wasted energy. 2. Create local green jobs. 3. Bridge Communities to build a Model Green City.
Another of our goals for the day was to encourage people to attend the big Earth Day Climate Rally on April 25th. Jessica, from the Earth Day Network, talked to us about the importance of this year’s event, urging us to help make Earth Day a “turning point in the environmental movement,” and to use the rally to “tell Congress that it’s time to pass a comprehensive climate bill.”
The whole experience left me feeling pretty jazzed up, and I set off toward Cleveland Avenue with my canvassing partner, Jenny.
At the first house we went to, we were greeted by Cheryl, an enthusiastic homeowner, and her equally exuberant golden retriever, Chloe. Cheryl had already been thinking about ways to improve the energy efficiency of her home. She mentioned that she was considering replacing her windows, but was concerned about how expensive it would be.
Jenny was quick to point out that, although getting new windows can certainly improve the energy efficiency of a home, there are many less expensive alternatives that can create a larger impact on energy efficiency relative to the size of the monetary investment. Cheryl’s interest was sparked, and she gave us her information so that someone from the WeatherizeDC team could contact her about weatherization options.
How cool is that?
We were off to a great start, and I was feeling really good about the impact we were making already. Even if Cheryl was the only person that we connected with that day, weatherizing one home is the equivalent of taking three cars off the road!
Saturday was my first time canvassing for WeatherizeDC, and since Jenny has volunteered with them in the past, she did most of the talking at the first few houses. As the morning progressed, though, I found myself enjoying talking to homeowners.
At one house, we opened the door to quite a festive scene. Balloons, cake, and lots of young children clearly indicated that there was a birthday party going on. Not wanting to distract too much from the celebration, Jenny and I gave a brief overview of what we were up to, and I handed the man at the door a flier. He took in the information, and then politely asked for a few more fliers to pass around to his friends and neighbors at the party.
To me, that house with the birthday party really served as an indication of just how far reaching a day of canvassing can be. Getting a few people excited about weatherization means that they will tell their friends, who will reach out in turn, impacting communities and getting us one step closer to creating a model green city.
Earth Week has just begun so stay tuned. Have you checked out the Direct Impact Fundraiser details? This Thursday, April 22nd (Earth Day). Check it out: http://www.weatherizedc.org/fundraiser
In the picture to the left, Bobby and Wayne worked to dense-pack the attic floor with cellulose insulation, providing the maximum insulation possible as well as effective air-sealing. Based on its size, every home has a recommended level of air leakage, known as the Building Airflow Standard that describes the minimum required air-leakage into a home to maintain safe indoor air quality. When an energy auditor visits your home at the beginning of your weatherization pathway, most homes measure 2 to 5 times as leaky as they should be after a blower door test. 
