Green Your Home Expo

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

english gardenCurious about solar energy for your home? Want to learn about carbon offset programs? Interested in yard sharing? Then stop by the Green Your Home Expo on Saturday, September 12,  from 10 am – 2 pm at UDC’s outdoor plaza (4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW in front of building 38 and 39; Van Ness Metro stop).

Find out how to  ‘green’ your home and neighborhood, enjoy live music, a farmers’ market, and bicycle eco-tours. There will also be two hour-long panel discussions–“Act Locally” and “Think Globally”–with experts on sustainability, climate change, and residential greening. The panels begin at noon in the Windows Lounge on the 3rd floor of Building 38.

Exhibitors include CarbonFreeDC, Clean Currents, DC Greenworks, District Department of the Environment, Eco-Green Living, Green Living Consulting, Sharing Backyards, Standard Solar, Switch Renewable Energy, Zipcar, and more.

Green Gift Guide: Part 2

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

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.

Happy Holidays!

–GG DC

Go, SmartBike, Go

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

A few weekends ago, I was strolling near the National Portrait Gallery when I noticed a rack of groovy retro-looking red and white bikes. Turns out, Clear Channel and the DC Department of Transportation are applying the Zipcar model to bikes by offering SmartBikes at various points throughout the city. This is the first high-tech car-sharing program in the U.S., although other similar programs already exist (and are successful) in Paris and Barcelona.

You can rent one of the earth-friendly vehicles at 10 self-service stations around downtown DC including Foggy Bottom, McPherson Square, Dupont Circle, and Logan Circle. And this Saturday, September 27th, there is no better time to channel your inner Lance Armstrong because it’s Bike DC day. So, leave your four-wheel gas-guzzler at home, grab a helmet, and sign up for an online subscription to SmartBike DC for just $40 a year (up to three hours per trip).