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Written by U Street Neighborhood Association
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Tuesday, 22 September 2009 |
 The U Street Neighborhood Association's Clean and Green Committee and green-thumbed member Jeffrey Willis are once again heading up the neighborhood's ongoing efforts to keep Vermont Avenue looking as good throughout the year and invite you to join us for a new fall edition of the "Vermont Avenue Garden (work!) Party" this Saturday, September 26 from 9 am to 12 noon. Volunteers will gather at 9 am at the African American Civil War Memorial, located at the corner of Vermont Avenue and U Street, NW. We will be planting roses, perennials, and flowering pansies. The bigger the turnout - the more we can plant. Work will take place in the quarter-mile of public gardens in the meridian of Vermont Avenue, NW from Florida Avenue to S Street, NW. Saturday's project is being funded by generous donations from Urban Brokers and the African American Civil War Memorial. Volunteers will also enjoy the generosity of our neighborhood businesses: breakfast courtesy of Nellie's Sports Bar, lunch and beverages courtesy of Duffy's Irish Pub and Restaurant, and beverages courtesy of the 9:30 Club. As this is an all-volunteer event, your help is crucial. We have the funding; now we need the workers. Will you join us to make your neighborhood even better? If you can, please let us know you're coming by emailing the U Street Neighborhood Association at:
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Click Read More to learn more about the Vermont Avenue Gardens...
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Read more...
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Written by U Street Neighborhood Association
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Thursday, 30 April 2009 |
 Volunteers hard at work along Vermont Avenue; click for more photos. The middle of Vermont Avenue, NW - from Florida Avenue to S Street - was filled with traffic Saturday morning, April 25, but it wasn't cars that lined the avenue, it was nearly 50 volunteers who part of the Cardozo Shaw Neighborhood Association's (CSNA) annual Vermont Avenue Garden (Work!) Party. Volunteers braved the punishing sun to weed, rake, plant, and mulch this mutlti-block median into a public garden full of flowering trees, roses, day lilies, and ornamental grasses.
“Just a few years ago the Vermont Avenue median was just a solid chunk of concrete,” explained CSNA president Bryan Martin Firvida, “But through the dedication and hard work of our neighbors, the District was convinced that we could turn that concrete into a garden.
DC agreed to remove the concrete, and through the continuing work of volunteers and support of local businesses and neighbors, we have been able to plant and maintain the median, and bring a little more green and natural beauty to our U Street neighborhood.”
While CSNA has been the organizational sponsor of the Vermont Avenue effort, and this year's effort was coordinated by CSNA member Jeffrey Willis, several area businesses have played a critical supporting role. CSNA extends thanks and appreciation to: UrbanLand Company which provided up to $1,000 in support of the project; Ben's Next Door provided breakfast for volunteers; Nightclub 9:30 provided bottled water; and Duffy's Irish Restaurant and Pub, hosted lunch for volunteers upon completion of the day's work; and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) for cones and more cones! The next time you walk or drive down Vermont Avenue, think of the many CSNA volunteers who have given their time and effort to turn the median strip of this important thoroughfare into a beautiful garden. View more photos from the CSNA Vermont Avenue Garden (Work!) Party:
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Written by U Street Neighborhood Association
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Monday, 06 April 2009 |
On Saturday, April 25, 2009, beginning at 9 am, CSNA members and neighborhood volunteers will gather at the African-American Civil War Memorial plaza at U Street and Vermont Avenue, NW, for the Vermont Avenue Garden (work!) Party to plant, landscape, and care for a quarter-mile of public gardens in the meridian of Vermont Avenue, NW from Florida Avenue to S Street, NW. In past years, over 75 volunteers have provided hundreds of hours to beautify this once barren concrete strip, into a median filled with trees, flowers, and other plantings. Local business UrbanLand Company, is providing up to $1,000 in support of this project and has challenged other neighbors to match their initial donation of $500 with their own donations. CSNA is still seeking volunteers and donations to support this project; if you're interested in volunteering or making a donation please contact Jeffrey Willis, CSNA's Vermont Avenue Garden Party coordinator at (202) 465-9654 or by email:
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Written by U Street Neighborhood Association
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Monday, 10 November 2008 |
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Note: At the October CSNA meeting, our friends from Eco-Coach, a neighborhood company that helps residents and businesses become greener, shared important tips to help us a "go green". We will share these tips with you over the next few weeks. Thank you Eco-Coach! Why is it important to ‘green’ your home, and make it healthier for you and good for the environment?
The internal environment is 2 to 5 times as polluted as the external environment, according to the EPA
We spend about 90% of our time indoors.
Sickness and allergy rates are on the rise and many are linked to the time we spend while indoors.
Tip 1. Replace your household cleaners:
Did you know?
Over 90% of all reported poisonings in America occur at home, with the leading reported cause being household cleaners.
Long-term or delayed health effects of household cleaners have been linked to cancer, endocrine disruption and reproductive issues;
other effects include asthma, organ damage and neurological problems.
Alternative:
Buy natural alternatives. These can be found at natural food stores such as MOMs (in DC area), Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and
increasingly, at regular supermarkets.
Make your own: see Annie Berthold-Bond’s ‘Better Basics for the Home’ book for alternative recipes.
Tip: Household cleaners are not regulated, so check the ingredients carefully, even when the company claims that the product is made
from ‘natural’ ingredients.
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Committees 
There are many green events taking place between now and Earth Day, April 22nd. Start celebrating Earth day early by cheking out the Goodwill Travelin' Trunk Show, DC Environmental Film Fesitval, Earth Hour. For details on these events and Earth Day click read more.