On Tuesday January 27th at 6 pm, join other sustainable business leaders and entrepreneurs for EcoTuesday at Bar Tabaq. These monthly events, which take place all over the country, provide a great venue to network and learn about current environmental and green issues from an innovative speaker.
This month, the speaker is Julia Hamm, executive director of the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), a national membership organization that facilitates solutions for utility use and integration of solar electric power.
Your budget’s tight but your leisure-time aspirations are noble. If your weekend plans include time spent downtown, here’s a Metro-accessible itinerary of environmentally friendly, culturally oriented activities that locals and visitors alike are sure to enjoy.
Begin your Saturday or Sunday with a hearty breakfast at Eastern Market. Locally grown fruits and veggies, handmade soaps and jewelry, and flea market finds are just some of the items you’ll find at this beloved destination.
Take the Blue or Orange Metro line from Eastern Market to Federal Center and get your fill of flora and fauna at the U.S. Botanic Gardens. Stay toasty warm inside the newly renovated Conservatory, which is home nearly 4,000 plants including rare and endangered species.
Hungry again? Stroll over to the SmartKart stationed outside of the Smithsonian Castle for eco-friendly, healthy fare including natural beverages, tacos, and BBQ.
Then, spend the afternoon at the Hirshhorn where you can view some of the world’s most important modern and contemporary works of art. Don’t miss Strange Bodies: Figurative Works from the Collection now on display.
For a slightly more active pursuit, get your skate on at the Sculpture Garden. Admission is $7 for adults, skate rental is $3, and the rink is open through March.
It’s the beginning of a new year and time for Going Green to change along with the administration. As such, I’m looking for local contributors who are tapped into the DC green community and would like to be involved with this blog. Interested? Send me your contact information, writing sample and a little about yourself. Send the email to sachacohen [at] comcast[dot] net if you’d like to be considered as a regular contributor.
Looking for a new gig? According to an article from the Washington Business Journal, DC is likely to add about 24,000 new green jobs in the coming year. The growth is due, in part, to the District’s Green Building Act of 2006, which requires much of the city’s new public and private-sector construction to adhere to green building standards.
Many of the jobs will result from greening existing jobs such as carpenters, construction laborers and managers, operating engineers, plumbers, roofers, electricians, cement masons and painters.
The article points to a report from the Louis Berger Group, which recommends the city focus on recruiting greener players within existing sectors, and launch green business certification and purchasing programs that require vendors and suppliers to use green practices.
Here are a couple of resources where you can look for environmental and green-focused jobs:
Step away from the fruitcake and Chia pets. Instead, give a gift that shows you care about your giftee and Mother Earth, too. Here are some more eco-friendly gift giving options with a local twist.
Check out the Downtown Holiday Market for an assortment of handmade gifts from local craftspeople such as functional wall art made from recycled materials and vintage images.
On December 13th, warm up with a soup tasting from Souper Girl at Greater Goods and stock up on eco-friendly goods and wrapping paper.
Give the gift of food with Oceanaire’s “Sustainable Feast of the Seven Fishes.” Chef Klink’s holiday feast showcases sustainable, seasonal and local ingredients including U.S.-farmed Australis Barramundi and Sherry Crab Bisque.
Zoom zoom. Or should we say “zip, zip”? With a Zipcar gift certificate you can give the gift of a BMW, Volvo or a Mini Cooper (well, sorta) while cutting down on pollution and car consumption at the same time.
goinggreendc.net 
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