DC Dirt with Chef Rob Weland

Posted on by Sacha Cohen
Photograph courtesy of Michael Harlan Turkell
Photograph courtesy of Michael Harlan Turkell

Poste Brasserie, part of the Kimpton Hotel family, is well-known for its environmentally sound practices and for its equally eco-minded star chef Rob Weland who has been at the helm since 2004.

Chef Weland is committed to using fresh, sustainable, and organic ingredients, some of which come from Poste’s own organic vegetable and herb garden.

In addition to overseeing the kitchen, he hosts the hugely popular market-to-market dinners and helped create the new farm-to-table ‘Poste Roasts.’

These farm-to-table dinners take place outside at the Chef’s table and feature spit-roasted meat sourced from local farmers and summer-inspired sides, all served family-style.

In this inaugural issue of DC Dirt, a new Q&A column with DC’s green movers and shakers, we sat down with Chef Weland who dishes on his favorite local green business, must-have organic staples, and more.

Favorite vegetable that you grow in the Poste Brasserie garden:

Heirloom tomatoes……But that’s considered a fruit….so garlic then!

Your cooking philosophy, in three words:

Simple, local, sustainable

Three ingredients you can’t live without:

Eggs, sea salt, good olive oil

Guilty pleasure:

Eggplant parmesan

Favorite local green business:

FRESHFARM Markets

Biggest eco sin:

Using too many paper towels at home,……according to my wife!

Organic “musts” for the home cook:

Shopping at their local market for eggs, dairy, and produce.

Your foodie heros:

Alice Waters, Larry Forgione, Marco Pierre White and Gray Kunz

The Week in Green

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

Not everyone is on the Vineyard or in the Hamptons. For us poor basterds left to sweat it out in our soupy city, here are a few things to do this week.

Tuesday, July 28

“Going Green for Jewelry” Fashion Show

Where: Poste Brasserie (555 8th St., NW), 6-10

Looking for a new bauble that says you’re all about Mother Earth? Then Evelyn Brooks Designs might be right up your alley. Brooks recycles materials, eliminates emissions from the production process, and works with natural seeds from the Amazon. The fashion show, which takes place on 123rd Independence Day for Peru, is inspired by “Tapadas Limenas,” women from the Peruvian Virreynal Era (1560-186) who covered their faces and heads with Spanish-style veils,

Wednesday, July 29

Lotions & Potions Workshop

Where: Greater Goods (1626 U St., NW), 8-9 pm, $12 (50% goes to the Susan G. Komen Foundation)

Get your organic DIY on. For the Love of owner Kristina Libby will teach you how to make your own signature scent body scrub and bath salt.

Thursday, July 30

Birthright Earth Happy Hour

Where: Garretts (3003 M St., NW), 9-close (happy hour prices from 9-10).

This non-profit funds “eye-opening” trips to the rainforests of South America. Unfortunately for us, you need to be 18-26 to participate in the trips but anyone of any age can attend the happy hour and contribute to the cause. Recommended donation at the door is $10.

Saturday, August 1

GO Urban Adventure Race

Where: All over town, 12 p.m-5 p.m.

Think the Amazing Race on a Lilliputian scale. This scavenger hunt is “loaded with physical and mental challenges,” starts at noon, and can last up to five hours (God help you). All clues and responses will be through SMS messaging, so Luddites will need to sit this one out. You can run, jog, walk, or take public transportation to reach your GOpoints but no bikes, taxis, or rollerblades.

The race centers around businesses and organizations that provide healthy and sustainable options, and that follow sustainable business models. The winning team will get $400 in cash plus a month’s worth of tea from Honest Tea. We’ll drink to that.

6 Greener Ways to Get Around Town

Posted on by Sacha Cohen
Smartbike DC
Smartbike DC

Sometimes taking out the old clunker is unavoidable, like when you need to stock up on super-sized packages of toilet paper at Costco. Most of the time, however, there are loads of other more eco-friendly ways to get around town. Here are are a few:

1. Hoof It. According to the Brookings Institute, DC is one of the most walkable cities in the country. Strap on a pair of sneakers, load up the SIGG bottle, and you can get from Columbia Heights to Dupont in 20 minutes or less (I’ve done it). Google Maps will tell you exactly how far it is from point A to point B, and everything in between. Not sure where to go? Try a walking tour with DC By Foot.

2. Hop on the Bus. My memory of riding the bus when I was a kid included cranky drivers and being crammed into a space so hot you could nearly fry an egg on the seats (why anyone would want to is another story). Well, not much has changed except the buses now take SmarTrip cards so you don’t have to fish around for change or a crumpled transfer and most are air-conditioned. The drivers, I’m happy to report, have not lost their edge.

3. Circulate. The hipper, shinier cousin of the WMATA bus, the DC Circulator is, as the website says, a cheap date at just $1 a ride. Sure, the route is limited but it covers Georgetown, Adams Morgan, the Smithsonian, Union Station, the Convention Center, SW Waterfront, and Capitol Hill. Plus, a new mobile app provides real-time info on your bus’s whereabouts.

4. Rent-a-Bike. You’re no Lance Armstrong, but occasionally you like to feel the wind in your hair and your feet on the pedals. Enter SmartBike, America’s first self-service public bike rental program. There are currently 10 rental spots around the city including in Foggy Bottom, Shaw, Dupont Circle, and Logan Circle. A $40 annual subscription entitles you to bike usage within a 24-hour period.

5. Pimp Your Ride. The recently launched CoachRider bills itself as an “earth-friendly private driving service” complete with a fleet of hybrid sedans.  The company offers several subscription options from three to 10 hours per month. Enviroride also features hybrid luxury cars so you can get to the airport or a special event in eco-friendly style.

6. Hail a Greener Taxi. You’ll probably still need to interrupt your driver’s animated cell phone conversation to give him directions to your destination, but at least with enviroCAB you’ll be secure knowing that you just rode in a taxi with 60% less emissions than your standard Arlington taxicab.

One more thing….no matter where you go or how you decide to get there, this handy map will help you find places to eat, shop, and more along the way. Now, get a move on.

8 Homegrown Beauties

Posted on by Sacha Cohen
Grapefruit, Lavander, and Coconut Salt Scrub, Perfect Organics
Grapefruit, Lavander, and Coconut Salt Scrub, Perfect Organics

Locavores try not to eat anything that’s produced more than 100 miles away. Can beauty junkies make the same commitment?

We’ve found eight local natural beauty lines so you can get gorgeous and support homegrown companies at the same time. Many of the companies listed here also donate a portion of sales to charity.

8thstreetsoap. With almost-good-enough-to-eat scents like almond joy and sweet tangerine, these soaps are made from scratch with natural ingredients such as coconut oil, sweet almond oil, and fruit peel.

Biggs & Featherbelle. From Charm City, B&F make soaps, lip balms, body butter bars, scrubs, and more–all without synthetic dyes, fragrances, and additives.

For the Love of. Organic and locally sourced ingredients are used to make milk baths, body scrub, and our personal favorite, a 24k gold gilded bath bomb with a blueberry and orange scent. All products are packaged in recyclable, reusable containers.

Herban Lifestyle. The mint chocolate chip lip balm in a recyclable tin reminded us of our tweens, but this one is handcrafted without chemicals, preservatives, synthetics, artificial fragrances, artificial colors, or GMOs. Other goodies from the line include salves, bath oil, bath salts, scrubs, facial masks, soap, and tea.

holeco life. A new line of natural and organic skincare products and cosmetics including organic loose mineral powder inside a retractable dispensing brush made of cruelty free goat hair. Available in six glow-enhancing shades.

Perfect Organics. We love the simple, streamlined approach of these organic, vegan, and multi-use products. Indulge in shea butter lip balm, body glow (for face, body and, hair), scrubs, and more.

Sevi Cosmetics. Based in Baltimore, Sevi features vegan skincare, sulfite-free haircare products, and artisan botanical perfumes made with precious raw materials such as Boronia flowers, Orris, Champaca, and Rose Otto.

Skincando. Known for donating Combat-Ready Balm to our troops, Skincando now also offers a Combat-Ready lip balm and organic rosemary and black tea Combat-Ready soap. All products are made by hand in small batches in Silver Spring.

Up on the Green Roof

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

From urban heat island reduction to improved air quality and storm water management, the benefits of having a green roof are plentiful. Want to see one for yourself? Tours are available at most of the places listed here.

APA
APA

American Psychological Association

A re-roofing at the American Psychological Association incorporated a green roof and a meditation labyrinth with access for tenants, guests, and the public. Approximately 45,000 gallons of water will be retained on this roof during a typical year of average rainfalls. Public tours may be arranged by contacting Nancy Kiefer at nkiefer@wri.org.

ASLA green roof
ASLA green roof

American Society of Landscape Architects

The green roof at ASLA includes two elevated “waves” formed from rigid insulation and covered with a green roof system. The waves create an attractive foliage-enclosed space and block the view of the rooftop HVAC systems. One of the waves is planted primarily with sedums; the other is planted with drought-resistant perennials and grasses as well as sedums. For an appointment to tour the roof, contact Keith Swann, kswann@asla.org.

Eventide Restaurant Terrace, Arlington
Eventide Restaurant Terrace, Arlington

Eventide Restaurant

This popular Arlington restaurant’s 2,800 square foot roof deck and terrace, designed by Capitol Greenroofs, features arborvitae and perennials/herbs that are used for cooking at the restaurant; concrete pavers for protection and drainage; and a 70-gallon planter that holds an evergreen tree.

Sidwell Friends School
Sidwell Friends School

Sidwell Friends School

The platinum LEED certified Sidwell Friends School is home to one of the area’s best-known green roofs. The 7,000 square foot space, completed in 2006, has vegetation that holds and filters rainwater and gutters and downspouts that direct rainwater to a biology pond that supports native habitat. Herbs grown on the roof by students are used in the school’s cafeteria.

1425 K Street NW
1425 K Street NW

1425 K Street NW

This was the first residential retrofit in Washington DC installed by DC Greenworks in 2004. This 3,500 square-foot demonstration project is D.C.’s first high elevation greenroof in a high-density commercial zone. For bimonthly tours, call 202.833.4010 or contact sara@dcgreenworks.org.

Residential green roofs are also sprouting up across the city including on Swann Street, Church Street, U Street, Seaton Place, Park Place, and more. Get a birdseye view here.