The Eco-Women’s Hour

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

Have you ever wanted to know about FRESHFARM Markets, those wonderful outdoor fruit and veggie-fests that sprout up around town this time of year? Well, now’s your chance. On Tuesday March 18th, Bernadine Prince, the organization’s founder and co-director will be the guest speaker at Eco-Women’s Hour.

Event details:

When: Tuesday March 18th, 6-8

Where: Teaism @ 8th & D Streets (400 8th Street NW)
Metro: Archives/Navy Memorial, Gallery Place/Chinatown, and Federal
Triangle.)

RSVP to info@ecowomen.org. If you are new to the list, please include your name and institutional affiliation. Sorry guys, the event is restricted to women only.

More about FreshFarm Markets: A nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about food and farming issues, providing vital economic opportunities for farmers, and celebrating the Chesapeake Bay watershed region’s agricultural heritage
and bounty. In 2007, the organization operated six producer-only
farmers’s markets in DC (Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom, H St, NE and Penn Quarter) and Maryland (St. Michaels and Silver Spring) and directed a local foods and gardening program (FoodPrints) at Rudolph Elementary School (Ward 4) in Washington, D.C.

More about DC EcoWomen’s Hour: A monthly forum that provides
environmental advocates an opportunity to network with like-minded women.
Participants include women directly protecting the environment through
work in nonprofit organizations, foundations, businesses and government
agencies. Each month’s featured speaker is a leading environmental activist.

Green Events Galore

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

Mark your calendars, greenies. There are a bevy of events on tap for March that are not to be missed. First up is Green Drinks on Tuesday, March 11 at Lillies inside the Carlyle Suites Hotel. In addition to the usual schmoozin’, this month’s event will include a short talk about CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture) and the chance to sign up for a cooking class on seasonal eating with Inspire Nutrition. Oh, and there will be free apps so get there early.

On Sunday, March 9 @ 5 PM head to Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th Street, for a free screening of King Corn. You can catch another screening at the new Busboys & Poets in Arlington on Sunday, March 16 at 4 PM. Admission is free but you must RSVP to kingcorn@communitycinema-dc.org or 202-939-0794

The screening is sponsored by Independent Lens, ITVS, WHUT, Busboys and Poets,
Social Action and Leadership School for Activists (S.A.L.S.A.),
FARMFRESH Markets, The National Family Farm Coalition, and Slow Food DC.

About the movie: Have you been wondering why Americans are so overweight? Or why certain foods are so cheap? Two college friends set out in search of answers to these questions and were surprised with what they found. KING CORN is the story of two friends, one acre of corn and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation.

Green on the Screen

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

Break out the organic popcorn–the 16th Annual Environmental Film Fest is coming to DC March 11-22. Several of the films being premiered include “All in this Tea,” which follows a renowned tea expert to the remote regions of China in search of the finest handmade teas in the world, and “Arid Lands,” about the former Hanford nuclear site in Washington State, which has become the largest environmental cleanup in history.

This year’s festival has a selection of films that look at the topic of water and its growing scarcity on the planet. The premiere of the IMAX film “Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk” calls attention to watershed conservation on a trip down the Colorado River, while “The Water Front” documents the struggle against water privatization in Highland Park, Michigan. And “It’s Your Water–Use it Wisely” tells young people how D.C. gets its drinking water.

The festival’s last day, March 22, coincides with World Water Day, and will include a day-long tribute with films from Mexico, India, Austria, Slovenia, and Chile, accompanied by a panel discussion with experts on the need to provide safe water, sanitation, and hygiene throughout the world. The Sundance film “Flow–For Love of Water,” will close the day.

Open Green House

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

Yes, the market is lousy but that doesn’t mean you should forgo your comittment to leaving a smaller footprint if you’re in the market for a new home. Enter Capitol Solar Condos on Harvard Street in Columbia Heights. There are three units starting at $499,000 for a 2 bedroom.

Claiming to be the first solar powered condos in DC, each unit also features Energy Star stainless steel appliances, bamboo floors, tankless water heaters, elongated soft flow dual flush toilets, motion sensor lighting and compact fluorescent lighting. And did we also mention they’re pretty stylin’ too? Btw–if you do end up buying one of these little beauties, tell Jen we sent ya.

All Hail the New Hybrid Taxis

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

Move over Diamond and Yellow Cab. EnviroCAB opened earlier this month in Arlington with a fleet of hybrid Toyota Priuses, Camrys, Highlanders, and Ford Escapes. Hell, it’s almost as exciting as the end of the dreaded zone system. Of course, there’s still no guarantee that your driver won’t rant endlessly on his cell phone or weave like a kamikaze through traffic, but at least you can be sure that you’re making a greener transportation choice.

EnviroCAB offsets its own emissions by purchasing “clean-source” offset credits and offsets the emissions of 100 of the approximately 685 non-hybrid taxis operating in Arlington,Va. The company is already providing service to all major airports for corporate clients who are “going green” and expects to have its full fleet of 50 vehicles in operation by March 2008.

It’s unclear from the company’s website whether enviroCABs can be hailed on the streets of DC, but if you need a ride, call (703) 920-3333 to find out.