How it works: You shop like any other day, EXCEPT that 5% of all sales at the two Whole Foods locations that day will go toward growing the WIC and SNAP (food stamp) programs at the 14th & U, Mount Pleasant, Bloomingdale and NoMa farmers’ markets during their 2012 season.

Learn more about the project here.

What: A public oversight roundtable on community gardens and urban agriculture
When: Thurs, Dec 15, 2011 from 1–5pm
Where: 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (Room 412, John A. Wilson Building)

Councilmember Tommy Wells, Chairperson of the Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation, and Planning, will convene a public oversight roundtable to discuss community gardens and urban agriculture in the District, including the Department of Parks and Recreation’s role in the establishment and use of community gardens, as well as the Office of Planning’s work in this subject area.

Submitting testimony in person
The Committee invites the public to testify or to submit written testimony, which will be made a part of the official record. Those who wish to testify should contact Ms. Tawanna Shuford at (202) 727-8204 or tshuford@dccouncil.us before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, December 13, 2011. Individuals will be permitted 3 minutes for oral presentation; individuals representing organizations or groups, 5 minutes.

Submitting testimony in writing
If you are unable to testify at the public oversight roundtable, written statements are encouraged and also will be made part of the official record. Copies of written statements should be submitted to Ms. Tawanna Shuford, Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation, and Planning, Room 117, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20004, or electronically at tshuford@dccouncil.us, by 5 pm on Friday, December 16, 2011.

Of note, one working group is to focus on food issues in DC. Anticipated topics include: local food production; commercial distribution; access to land and the food grown on it; security and links to social services; composting; and community benefits for health, education, and jobs.

Time: Tues, Nov 29, 2011 from 6:00-8:30 pm
Place: Walter E. Washington Convention Center (Room 202B)
RSVP: If you’re interested in attending, please RSVP here.

Harriet Tregoning (Director, DC Office of Planning) and Christophe A.G. Tulou (Director, DC Department of the Environment) invite you to join Mayor Vincent Gray on November 29^th from 6:00 to 8:30 pm at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center as they present the progress from the “Start in September” outreach, and establish working groups to develop recommendations.

In their own words:

“On behalf of the Mayor, we thank everyone who contributed ideas at sustainable.dc.gov, attended one of over 50 public meetings and events, or tweeted during our #SustainableDC Twitter chat.  Now it’s time to take our initial collection of ideas, existing local efforts, and the best national and global examples of sustainable practices to develop our vision, goals, and priorities.  The plan will also evaluate environmental and health benefits, and take steps to strengthen the city’s economic vitality and build community.

On November 29^th, we will begin the meeting together as a group to hear from Mayor Gray, review input to date, and map out the Sustainable DC planning process.  We will then break out into nine topical working groups:  the built environment, climate, energy, food, nature, transportation, waste, water, and the green economy. We invite you to actively participate in one (or more) of these working groups, which will delve into the details of these topics over the course of four to six meetings from December through February.  At the mid-point and again at the end of the working group process, all participants will come together to share ideas and address the critical connections among these working group topics.

While all meetings will be open to the public, we are asking those who wish to officially participate on a working group to commit to some basic roles and responsibilities.”

For questions, please email sustainable.future@dc.gov or call (202) 442-8809. For more information on the plan and to follow plan updates, please visit http://www.sustainable.dc.gov/ or click here.

We look forward to working with you to make the District the greenest, healthiest, most livable city in the nation!”

It’ll be downtown, at a park near Farragut Square (indoor rain location near Chinatown metro). BYO picnic and blanket. Exact location will be posted Monday morning. Ooooh, the anticipation….

No need to RSVP, just come by. And bring some friends/colleagues. More details can be found here (or if you’re not addicted to facebook, also posted here).

Be ready for fun, an apple or two (a few crates have been donated by local farmers for picnickers to enjoy and hand out to passers-by), and a freebie or two from CSPI. (Now to figure out how to schlep a picnic and more than a bushel of apples there on my bicycle….)

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Food Day’s Goals

1: Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods

2: Support sustainable farms & limit subsidies to big agribusiness

3: Expand access to food and alleviate hunger

4: Protect the environment & animals by reforming factory farms

5: Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids

6: Support fair conditions for food and farm workers

Distillery Lane Ciderworks is offering the chance to learn all about the process of turning apples to cider. Located just outside Burkittsville, MD, the family-owned and operated farm grows unique apple varieties for baking, eating, and cider making. On Saturday, October 15, 2011 you can come to pick apples, learn about cider making and participate in pressing the apples.

Tickets are $20 dollars for the public and $15 for Slow Food members. Some of the ticket price will be credited towards the apples you get to take home.

The official tour starts at 1pm, but if you come at Noon, Slow Food DC is planning on having a potluck lunch. Just bring something to share with 3 other people. And if you only spend $5 for your contribution, even better!

The Distillery Lane Ciderworks is about 15 minutes from Frederick, MD and about an hour from DC. Given that, we are hoping to coordinate rides. If you can offer one or need one, please contact kati@slowfooddc.org with info on where you’re coming from.

DC Farm to School Week — which celebrates healthier food options inside the schools — begins next Monday, Oct 3. But this week you can celebrate the gardens that are helping to teach kids how our food grows just outside of their classrooms, in their very own schoolyards. Yep, it’s DC School Garden Week. Come check out some of the most impressive school gardens around by joining a school garden tour this Saturday, October 1.

It all starts at 8am with a free breakfast and tour at Watkins Elementary (420 12th St., SE, Washington, DC 20003). After biking — or catching the van if you’re not up for biking* — to 10 other local schools, the group will finish at Tubman Elementary with a recap of the tour over a free lunch (thanks to Chipotle). Come meet the hard-working and inspiring people involved in sustaining these gardens, and ask questions.

Where: Meet at Watkins Elementary

When: Saturday, October 1 from 8am-1pm

Cost: None

RSVP: tours@dcschoolgardenweek.com. Please indicate whether you’d like to participate in the van or bike tour.

More details can be found here.

*If you don’t have a bike, but would like to participate in the tour, let us know- we’ll hook you up with a bike courtesy of Capital Bikeshare!

The Parkside-Kenilworth Farmers Market will be just over the Pedestrian Bridge at the Minnesota Avenue Metro Station on the Kenilworth Avenue side. The Market is a collaborative effort between City Interests, the owner and master developer of 15.5 vacant acres of land at Parkside; the University of DC; and the Banc of America Community Development Corporation. The Market is just one of many initiatives underway in DC’s own federally designated Promise Neighborhood, which received a $500,000 grant from the US Department of Education in 2010 to address community-wide issues of health, nutrition, housing, economic development, and education from cradle through college and career.

The yellow star indicates the Farmers Market.

The Market is working toward being able to accept SNAP and WIC payments and hopes to utilize the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) as well. It is the hopes of the Market’s founders that the weekly event will become an outlet for creative, active programming and will draw greater attention to the concerns of food access and nutrition in underserved neighborhoods throughout the District.

This is an exciting development for the Parkside-Kenilworth neighborhood and for Ward 7 as a whole! Check out the Market on Saturday, September 3^rd from 9-1pm to support ongoing efforts to address food access inequalities east of the Anacostia River.

WHAT: Parkside-Kenilworth Farmers Market

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 3^rd from 9am – 1pm and every Saturday following through November

WHERE: The corner of Burnham Place NE & Kenilworth Terrace NE, just off the Minnesota Avenue Metro Station Pedestrian Bridge on the Kenilworth Avenue side. Visible from DC-295.

WHY: Supporting the Market will support the larger cause of bringing greater food access to underserved neighborhoods throughout Washington, D.C.

Join us for our launch on Saturday July 30th from 11am until 5pm at Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church (3000 Penn. Ave. SE).

Aya’s physical farmers’ markets will be a vibrant gathering places and destination points where consumers will come to not only shop for produce, but will be able to access various vendors for goods and services for mental, spiritual and financial health. This holistic approach will attract customers in search of other health experiences such as yoga, exercise classes, or credit counseling which help to improve the community.

Aya Community Markets will offer fresh, local produce, flowers, prepared foods and handcrafted items directly to Ward 7 residents. In addition Aya will host a wide range of family and nutritional programs, including live entertainment, chef demonstrations and youth activities.

Aya will feature:

• Fresh produce and baked goods;
• Handmade arts and crafts;
• Live musical performances;
• Massage therapy, acupuncture and other holistic health services.

Visit http://dreamingoutloud.org/ayamarkets for more!

Explore city spaces and residential gardens that will open their doors and gates for the public to see what growing good food in our own backyards, front yards, rooftops, and empty lots is all about. It’s a chance to ask questions, learn from and hear what inspires some of DC’s gardeners.

The stops on the tour include: Old City Green, several residential and public gardens in Shaw, Bloomingdale and Ledroit Park, Common Good City Farm, and Bread for the City’s rooftop garden.

A map of tour locations will be distributed on the day of the event at Old City Green. The tour is self-guided and will cover just over 4 miles – bike, walk or drive. The evening will end back at Old City Green with a community-potluck (bring a dish to share if you like), seasonal cocktail and viewing of the film A Community of Gardeners.

Tickets: To purchase tickets for this event, visit www.loulies.com. Tickets are $10 each, with a portion of the proceeds to support Eat Local First DC. For more information, visit www.loulies.com or send an email to Bettina@loulies.com.