District Government Offers Funding for Solar, Wind Energy Projects

District residents, businesses, nonprofits and private schools may now
apply for up to $33,000 in assistance to install renewable energy
systems on their buildings. The Green Energy DC Incentive Program is
the first of a series of upcoming initiatives to support clean energy
technology. The District Department of the Environment (DDOE) will
provide up to $2 million for each of the next four years, beginning
immediately with solar photovoltaic and wind turbine systems.

Incentive payments are based on the amount of electricity the
renewable energy system generates. Projects must be completed within
six months of application. DDOE expects to be able to offer incentives
for solar thermal, geothermal, biomass and methane recovery systems in
the next several months.

For more information and a downloadable packet of application
materials, visit Green Energy DC

For more information, contact the DDOE Energy Office at (202) 673-6700 or greenenergy@dc.gov

Recycle your used Brita Filters

Preserve Recycles Brita Water Filters We are proud to announce that we have teamed up with Brita and, beginning in January, will recycle all Brita pitcher filters returned to our Preserve Gimme 5 program. The No. 5 polypropylene plastic from the casing will be used in our products. The filter ingredients – activated carbon and additional ion-exchange resin that reduces lead, mercury, copper, cadmium and zinc that might be found in tap water – will be regenerated for alternative use or converted into energy. Starting in January, you can drop off your used, dry Brita pitcher filters at participating Whole Foods Market stores or mail them directly to Preserve Gimme 5. Full details and instructions on both options, including a complete list of Gimme 5 stores, will be available at www.brita.com in early January 2009. To read more visit http://www.brita.com/pr/recycling.pdf

Free Urban Composting Workshop — Sat, Nov 22

Saturday, November 22
10 a.m. –11:30 a.m. Urban Gardening Series

Historical Society of Washington, DC
801 K St. NW at Mt. Vernon Square

FREE Admission

Can Compost Save Planet Earth?

Don’t blow those leaves out to the curb! Turn them into compost!

Recycling food scraps and other organic matter has become symbolic wow…
of the modern green movement as one thing we can do to nourish the
planet. For centuries, gardeners have known the many benefits
compost brings to the soil: increased fertility, better drainage and
water retention, a buffer for pH. Now we are learning that an ample
supply of organic matter is critical to support soil microbes, so
important for plant health.

City dwellers generate huge amounts of organic scraps, but turning
them into compost—rather than sending them to the landfill—presents
special challenges. Not everyone has a back yard with room for a big
compost heap. Still, there’s more than one way to get those carrot
peels, apple cores and grass clippings back into the soil where they
belong.

Ed Bruske, Master Gardener and past-president of D.C. Urban
Gardeners, shows how composting works and demonstrates a variety of
strategies for composting in an urban setting. He’ll explain
different types of tumblers, why pests and odors needn’t be a
problem and how even apartment dwellers can start composting with
their own colony of worms.

Ed Bruske frequently writes about composting on his blog, The Slow Cook

This presentation is given in collaboration with D.C. Urban Gardeners.
RSVP@historydc. org or 202-383-1828

GREATER GOODS GREEN LIVING CLASSES

GREATER GOODS GREEN LIVING CLASSES

Cost: $15 early registration, $20 at the door  •  $5 OFF with Coupon!  •  Limit 20 people per class

Water Conservation – Thursday, November 6, 8pm to 9pm
Fresh water is key to our survival, yet many times we waste it without realizing it. This impacts the environment as well as our wallets! Come find out ways you can stop wasting fresh water.

This workshop will provide you with:

• Information on the main water consuming appliances and activities in the home
• Actions you can take to decrease your water consumption (and by definition, your water bill!)
• Products and services that can help you conserve water
• Resources that will provide you with more information

Waste & Recycling – Monday, November 24, 8pm to 9pm
Confused about recycling in the District? Heard about composting but not sure what it’s all about? Come find out the many ways you can reduce waste in your home!

This workshop will cover:

• Reducing the amount of waste that enters your home
• Recycling basics–what to recycle and what not to recycle; what happens to recycling in the District
• Electronics and hazardous waste recycling
• Composting — in a backyard or an apartment
• Suggested products and services to help you decrease waste
• Additional resources for you to learn more!

Classes Fill Quickly!! More Info and Registration >>

greater goods is located at 1616 U street NW. Washington, DC 20009

DC EXPANDS RECYCLING PROGRAM

DC EXPANDS CURBSIDE RECYCLING PROGRAM

DC Mayor Adrian Fenty has announced that the DC Department of Public Works recycling collection crews will accept an expanded list of items for recycling, especially plastics. As of October 6, residents can now recycle:

• Aerosol cans
• Milk and juice cartons
• Plastic bags, e.g., grocery bags, newspaper bags, shopping bags (Please “bag the bags” by placing all the bags into one bag.)
• Rigid plastics: plastic milk/soda crates, plastic buckets with metal handles, plastic laundry baskets, plastic lawn furniture, plastic totes, plastic drums, plastic coolers, plastic flower pots, plastic drinking cups/glasses, plastic 5-gallon water bottles, plastic pallets, plastic toys, and empty plastic garbage/recycling bins
• Wide-mouth containers: peanut butter, margarine/butter tubs, yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, whipped topping, and prescription and other medicine bottles.

For a comprehensive list of allowable items for recycling, click here.

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DC HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE/E-CYCLING DROP-OFF SITES

DPW operates two weekly household hazardous waste (HHW) /e-cycling drop-off and free personal document shredding sites at the Benning Road Trash Transfer Station (3200 Benning Road, NE) and the Fort Totten Trash Transfer Station (4900 Bates Road, NE). Both are open on Saturdays, except holidays, 8 am to 3 pm. These weekly drop-off sites replace the semi-annual HHW/e-cycling collection events. Residents also can bring documents to be shredded.

If you cannot make it to either site, residents can call 311, the Mayor’s Citywide Call Center, for a bulk collection appointment.

Accepted Household Hazardous Waste includes: Leftover cleaning and gardening chemicals, small quantities of gasoline, pesticides and poisons, mercury thermometers, paint, solvents, spent batteries of all kinds, antifreeze, chemistry sets, automotive fluids, and asbestos tiles, fluorescent light bulbs, polishes, and moth balls.

Unacceptable items: Ammunition, bulk trash, wooden TV consoles, propane tanks, microwave ovens, air conditioners and other appliances, as well as radioactive or medical wastes.

Residents can also e-cycle end-of-life consumer electronics, including audio-visual equipment, televisions, VCRs, cell phones and home office equipment such as computers, computer parts, printers, photocopiers and fax machines. These machines will be broken down into their component parts (plastic, glass, toxic metals) and recycled or disposed of safely. More Info >>

Eco/Justice Café — Nov. 14th, 6-10pm

Save the Date and Tell Your Friends: Friday, November 14, 6 to 10 pm

Eco/Justice Café !

Featuring music, poetry, an open mike session, good food, good beer, good people, good cheer, good info and good karma.

University of DC, Firebird Inn, Van Ness/UDC Red Line West exit

Building 39, B-Level, 4200 Connecticut Ave., NW, 20008, Wheelchair Accessible

Suggested donation $15/ $10 students/$5 kids

Food and drink included.

All ages event; child activities provided – and powered by kids!

A TABLING AREA (The Eco-Justice Bazaar) will feature environmental and social justice organizations and businesses.   For this launch event, tables are FREE for the first 20 groups to co-sponsor!  To co-sponsor, email zaharapeace@gmail.com.

Co-sponsors and Eco-justice Bazaar participants: UDC David A. Clarke School of Law Community Development Clinic,  DC Environmental Network–Friends of the Earth, Sierra Club Energy Committee, DC Department of Public Works Recycling Office, DC Employment Justice Center, National Council of Women’s Organizations, Young Ladies of Tomorrow, Community IT Innovators, Washington Peace Center, Ecolocity DC, Can Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition (Free DC), Stop Modern Slavery, Capital Sun Group, Community Forklift, Live Green, Bethesda Green, DC Statehood Green Party, Progressive Democrats of America, Peoples MEDIA Center

Al Gore’s National Challenge on Energy and Climate

Vice President Gore will be issuing an unprecedented challenge to policymakers and entrepreneurs. He’ll push the “reset” button on how we think about energy and climate. And how we create American prosperity.

This event will be held at DAR Constitution Hall (1776 D Street, NW) at noon on Thursday, July 17th.

Tickets are free, but space is limited. Please complete the form to get your ticket (you won’t be admitted without photo identification and a valid ticket).

Source: http://www.wecansolveit.org/page/s/tickets

The Most Important Number in the World: 350

From: The Seventh Generation 7Gen Blog

By the Inkslinger – June 30, 2008

Three hundred and fifty. 350. That’s the most important number in the world. Learn it and remember it, because it represents the atmospheric line in the sand that we cross at our own peril. In order to live sustainably, we need to make sure the air we breathe stays below 350 parts per million (ppm) concentration of carbon dioxide.

350 is also the name of a new group spearheaded by our writer and activist friend Bill McKibben that intends to help us get to the safe side of that number. We support this group and think you should, too.

We know that the climate crisis is pretty hard to get your head around. It involves a lot Byzantine atmospheric science that can be difficult to follow, and we can’t see it the same way we can see polluted water or mountains of solid waste. But it is definitely affecting us, causing weather extremes, slowly rising sea levels, and arctic melting, to name a few disasters-in-the-making.

But 350. Now there’s a number we can understand, a way to make this big amorphous thing feel real and tangible and part of our lives. Currently, atmospheric CO2 levels are about 387 ppm. We’ve already crossed the line, and 350.org is going to work to pull us back from this brink. They’ve got some good ideas, some great energy and some excellent info. But mostly what they’ve got is the meme we’ve been looking for. 350. That single bite-sized piece of information that instantly crystallizes an amazingly complex idea for effortless consumption and motivated action. It’s really quite an extraordinary thing. 350. Take it. Spread it. Share it.

And check out 350 the group. It is an effort we all need to make together.

Source: The Seventh Generation 7Gen Blog

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) and Electronic Recycling (e-cycling) drop-off

for those of you who can’t wait for the annual earthday e-cycling events….

happy recycling…

Free, Weekly Drop Off Site for DC Residents

DPW offers a free, weekly Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) and electronic recycling (e-cycling) drop-off service at the Benning Road Trash Transfer Station, 3200 Benning Road, NE, each Saturday from 8 am to 3 pm.

See our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on household hazardous waste.

FreshFarm and Botanic Garden

FRESHFARM Markets invites you to tour, taste & savor our local flavors
at the United States Botanic Garden Exhibit:

One Planet – Ours! Sustainability for the 22^nd Century*

on Thursday, July 10, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Our market garden, designed by FRESHFARM Market farmers, is part of this wonderful exhibit, and we want to celebrate with seasonal cocktails & seasonal bites created from food from our local farmers & three sensational local chefs:

Cathal Armstrong, Restaurant Eve | Chris Smith, The Caucus Room | Peter Smith, PS7’s

cocktails by popular guest DC mixologists:

Derek Brown, Komi | Gina Chersevani, EatBar & Tallula

Tickets: $75

Buy tickets here!

This event would not be possible without the contribution & coordination
provided by Steve Dunn and Well Dunn Catering

~~~

*The One Planet – Ours! Sustainability for the 22^ndCentury exhibit
will run May 24-October 13, 2008*