by Leslie Malone
After a very long winter, spring is blooming and it’s time to celebrate our planet. April 22nd is Earth Day, and CAUSES has been tapped to host the District’s 2015 Earth Day event. Join us from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the David A. Clarke School of Law for “Path to Zero Waste,” brought to you by the District Department of the Environment.
Many notable speakers, including Mayor Bowser, DDOE Director Tommy Wells and CAUSES Dean Sabine O’Hara, will discuss how DC is working toward “zero waste” as defined in the Sustainable DC Plan. Other relevant topics include the future of waste management, waste reduction, composting, anaerobic digestion, how to increase the District’s recycling rate.
The EPA just named DC its top city with 480 certified buildings, and we are increasingly being recognized for our sustainable initiatives; so join us on April 22 to help keep the momentum going!
Free, but be sure to register here.
Biogas workshop at Muirkirk Farm
And just ahead of our Earth Day event, we will be offering a biogas workshop at Muirkirk Farm. Produced by a natural process similar to composting, biogas is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, and can be used as a fuel wherever ordinary natural gas might be used, such as cooking, heating and vehicle operation, or even to produce high-quality fertilizer!
One example of a “biogas digester.”
If you are you interested in renewable energy and reducing your carbon footprint, the Beginners and Builders Biogas Workshop will cover these topics and more, and offer practical methods of making several kinds of biogas digesters. David House, author of The Complete Biogas Handbook, will present details about a new design for a fully insulated, small biogas digester capable of producing several cubic yards of biogas daily from moderate amounts of food waste. Watch this short video with David House to learn more!
During day one of the workshop, you will gain a solid grounding in how to make and use biogas, and see working examples from all around the world of the four most common small-scale biogas digesters. Day two will offer key aspects of building a low-cost, fully insulated, US-ready biogas digester that will accept food waste and other materials.
Both days of the short course workshop will held at Muirkirk Farm Saturday, April 18th, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 19th, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Muirkirk Research Farm is located at 12001 Old Baltimore Pike, Beltsville, Maryland 20705. There is a $190 fee for both days. Register here.
Can’t make the workshop? On Friday, April 17th, CAUSES is hosting a FREE lecture at 3:00 p.m. in Building 44, A-03 on the Van Ness campus.
Hope to see you at both events!
Leslie Malone is the Marketing and Communications Manager for the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences of the University of the District of Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].
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