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Friday, 30 September 2016
[WardFive] Fall into reuse + job opps!
Falling for Reuse
As we welcome the cooler air and the evening shadows begin to stretch, our thoughts turn to preparing ourselves and our homes for the season to come. Fall is a time of new beginnings and transformation. We refocus on our work, shuffle the kids off to a new school year, and for us government folks, we race toward a new fiscal year.
The falling leaves are the perfect metaphor for transformation. They start off as green producers of oxygen and shade, then shift to a confetti of yellow, browns, and oranges, before finally falling to the ground, where they return nutrients to the earth.
In this month of transformation, we are thinking about reuse.
The definition of reuse is simple – it's the act of using (something) again. With the convenience of corner street cans, curbside pick-up and cans under your office desk, recycling has become part of our daily lives. However, while recycling is certainly preferable to landfill or incineration, recycling is considerably more energy-intensive and generates more pollutants than finding ways to extend an item's useful life.
This month we are sharing suggestions for conventional reuse, highlighting ideas for creative reuse, and celebrating a local reuse non-profit. We've also got some great reads on how entrepreneurs have nurtured their ideas for reuse into what we are calling Social "Reuse" Enterprises.
And speaking about transformation, we've added a new feature this month - our new green jobs section can be your tool for personal transformation.
Enjoy!
Image: Mary Tardito
Reuse at home
Here are just a few ways for you to incorporate reuse into your home life:
Buy reusable batteries
Use old dryer sheets as dusting rags
Reuse a former ketchup bottle as a pancake batter squirter
Reuse a mason jar to pack a salad for lunch
Buy reusable dish towels and stop buying disposable paper towels
Reuse an old dish rack to hold coloring books and markers
Reuse empty food cans as pencil holders
Have your own reuse tips? E-mail us at sustainable.future@dc.gov and we'll share your ideas in our next newsletter!
Poppin' Tags: Shopping Thrift
We are constantly inundated with emails from online retailers announcing their fall deals. Shops polish up their window displays to lure us in with the promise of renewal "newness" and we often come home to catalogues packed with adorable kids, styled in layers of fall clothes complimented with the perfect shoes and accessories.
While we all may want to head out looking like we just catwalked off a runway, totaling the cost of one of these ensembles for many of us require a month's salary or more. Luckily for us, our local thrift and resale stores make it easy to find the latest looks for less. For just pennies on the dollar, these stores have a great selection of both basics and other trendy items perfect for layered fall dressing. So as we count down these last days of being able to rock our summer wardrobe, donate those outgrown fall items and stop in your local thrift store to check out their fall collection. You might find just what you're looking for.
Here are some local places to find some new fall clothes:
Did you know that DC government holds online surplus property auctions? What can you find at these auctions? We took a look and found a few fun items that we're keeping our eyes on!
There's spiritual generosity in passing on (donating, selling, consigning, swapping) perfectly good items. You're allowing them to be a blessing to someone else while they still have some useful life. Keeping a dress that no longer fits you until it goes out of style is just plain wasteful. You are keeping all of the potential joy that dress could bring to someone else imprisoned in your closet. Giving away that dress sets both you and the dress free. The dress can bring delight to someone else's life and you'll then be free to fill your life and your closet with things that truly "spark joy." And for the things you never got to use – thank them for the hope they planted in your heart!
Here are some resources for helping you to pass along items you no longer need:
We are excited to announce the launch of Sustainable DC Volunteers! Sustainable DC Volunteers is a new program for people seeking to get involved with hands-on sustainability-themed volunteer opportunities in the District!
If you're looking to get your hands dirty, please complete this short form with your contact info and you'll be added to the listserv for this new program!
Through biweekly e-mails, Sustainable DC Volunteers will connect you to a wide range of environmental volunteer opportunities such as participating in community cleanups, helping to plant and care for trees, removing invasive plants, all while meeting new friends and having fun! For the most part, Sustainable DC Volunteers won't be hosting its own events, but rather partnering with non-profit partners and helping connect volunteers to their events.
We're looking for volunteers to commit to 3 events between October and December 2016. If this all sounds appealing, consider joining us for our kickoff event on Thursday, October 6th at the Wunder Garten at NoMa from 5:30-6:30 pm. We'll be providing new Sustainable DC t-shirts to each new volunteer and giving you a brief overview of the new program. If you're interested in attending, please RSVP to sustainable.future@dc.gov so we can have a head count.
Growing Healthy Schools
To celebrate Growing Healthy Schools Month in October, the DC Department of General Services (DGS) invites all DC schools to participate in the DC Recycle Right Competition. Inspired by the Green Schools Alliance's Green Cup Challenge, the competition is designed to reward schools for recycling right--not recycling more--by encouraging correct recycling behavior in school classrooms. Students participating in the competition will use math skills in a real-world application to conduct weekly classroom bin surveys. During each bin survey, students count the number of recycling and trash bins used correctly and incorrectly. Students and teachers then take action to improve the bin survey results over the course of the competition. DC schools can sign up for the competition here.
Vote for the People's Choice award!
Each year, the District Sustainability Awards highlight businesses, individuals, and organizations that are working towards a more sustainable DC. For the first time since 2009, the District Sustainability Awards will be open for a "People's Choice" award honoring a DC business or organization for outstanding achievement in sustainability. Online voting is open to the public until October 10, 2016.
For more information about the District Sustainability Awards, please contact Mary Lynn Wilhere, Business Outreach, Urban Sustainability Administration at (202) 535-1939 or marylynn.wilhere@dc.gov.
From Friday, October 28 to Saturday, October 29, DC will join over 50 cities around the globe for the 2016 Climathon, a 24-hour hackathon. A hackathon is a quick challenge that creates new solutions to a pressing problem. Hosted locally by GW's Office of Sustainability, the 2016 DC Climathon will address the growing accumulation of useful stuff in DC's waste stream that can take on a new life. Participant teams will vie for prizes to develop the most innovative idea that repurposes goods in creative ways. The best ideas will lead to fundable social enterprises that turn trash like appliances, mattresses, and clothing into treasure, and even improve equity among DC residents. For more information visit go.gwu.edu/climathon or email sustaingw@gwu.edu.
Hey DC Grad Students!
If you're considering a career in the environment, consider a DOEE Green Fellow position. DOEE Green Fellows are highly competitive paid opportunities for graduate students attending DC-based higher education institutions. DOEE is currently hiring for graduate students with experience in the fields of public administration, public policy, energy, sustainability, and the environment. Fellows will be paid $18.23/hour, 24-36 hours per week for 5-9 months. Apply now thru Friday, October 14 at http://doee.dc.gov/greenpathways.
Community Forklift knows reuse!
Community Forklift knows how to turn trash into treasure. Since 2005, they have been turning the DC region's construction waste into a resource stream for local communities.
The nonprofit collects donations of reusable building materials from every era. They offer free pickups, so renovators save on dumpster costs and receive tax deductions. Then, these items go to their big warehouse outside NE DC, where bargain-hunters can find modern & vintage lumber, lighting and plumbing fixtures, hardware, tools, appliances, and antiques at 30% to 90% below retail.
Since 2005, the Forklift has created 40 green jobs, kept almost 30 million dollars of building materials from going to waste, and provided materials for countless homeowners, small businesses, artists, and historic restoration projects. They also offer public education about reuse and green living; and distribute tens of thousands of dollars of free supplies to nonprofits and neighbors in need each year. Learn more: www.CommunityForklift.org
Looking for a job or to start a new career? You're in luck because we've added this new jobs section to help showcase current green job opportunities each month. If you have a job you'd like posted in the next month's edition, let us know at sustainable.future@dc.gov.
DOEE's Green Fellows: Highly competitive paid opportunities for graduate students attending DC-based higher education institutions. Deadline: 10/14/16
Food Campaigns Fellow: Green America is seeking a part-time fellow to work on researching and writing blogs and articles about their GMO Inside campaign.
Youth Farmers: THEARC Farm Young Farmer Apprentice Program is recruiting apprentices for their 8 week training program. Apprentices will assist with planting, maintaining, and harvesting crops.
Director of Programs: Food Recovery Network, the largest national-student led food recovery movement, is looking for a Director of Programs.
Project Specialist for Sustainability Innovation & Urban Resilience:The Project Specialist conducts research, teaches academic classes, and evaluates community education programs that contribute in significant ways to building capacity to succeed in the green jobs market in the future.
Bike Planner: MetroBike is recruiting a bikeshare planner to assist with planning for the Capital Bikeshare system.
Saturday, October 15 Restore Kingman Island's Vernal Pools Community members and families are invited to join Living Classrooms to restore several vernal pools on Kingman Island. The pools are home to fragile critters such as frogs and salamanders that can't survive in many other ecosystems along the Anacostia. Space is limited! Register here.
Saturday, October 22 Paradise Apartments Community Tree Planting Join Casey Trees to add shade trees to the Paradise Apartments complex in northeast DC. If you've never planted a tree before, this is a great opportunity to dig in and get dirty! Space is limited so register now.
Saturday, October 1 Tree Planting Workshop Attend Casey's Tree's hands-on workshop to learn how to prepare a tree planting site and properly plant the tree to ensure its survival.
Wednesday, October 5 Embassy Sustainability Pledge Signing Join Sustainable DC and the U.S. State Department at the Italian Embassy for the signing of the new Diplomatic Institution Sustainability Pledge. Panel discussions begin at 3:30 pm and the formal presentation begins at 6 pm. RSVP required.
Saturday, October 8 Canoe Tour of Kingman Island Join Living Classrooms for a paddle through the wetlands of Kingman Island. The tour will include a history of the Anacostia River and Kingman Island, as well as wildlife sightings only seen in the most remote places of the city.
Have some old towels and blankets that you're looking to get rid of? Instead of throwing them in your trash, consider donating them to a local animal shelter. Shelters love to reuse towels and blankets for bedding for dogs and cats.
We see so many great articles and books every month that we've decided to compile our recent favorites here. This month we've even added a "What We're Watching" fav. If you have a suggestion, let us know at sustainable.future@dc.gov.
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