Halloween Heroes, Harvests and Hoots

District of Columbia sent this bulletin at 10/21/2019 01:00 PM EDT

OCTOBER 2019

Celebrating Creepy Crawlies

Bats and spiders are showing up in Halloween art all over the city, but they’re also a wonderful part of our urban ecosystem. All *seven* of DC’s bat species are insectivorous, meaning they eat insects - including mosquitoes! Eating mosquitoes? That makes bats less creepy, more superhero-y.

As we wrap up one of the hottest summers in DC history, mosquitoes are an even bigger risk, making our bats and spiders all the more important. Female bats can eat the equivalent of their body weight in insects every night! Want bats to hang out in your neighborhood? Bat boxes mimic the tight spaces where bats like to roost and can prevent them from looking for those spaces inside your home!

Still concerned about bats being vampires? Bats do not attack humans, and will use their teeth to defend themselves only if cornered or handled. Plus, less than 0.5% of bats carry rabies. If you find a bat in your house (that isn’t part of your Halloween decorations!) there are simple ways to get them out.

If you’re carving a pumpkin this year, how about celebrating one of our best District critters? Carve the stars & bars, or a bat, spider or other creature, and share them with us: @SustainDC on Twitter or Facebook! #CelebrateCreepyCrawlies

And, post-Halloween, bring your pumpkin to one of your nearby food waste drop-off spots at a Farmers Market near you.

DC FOOD RECOVERY WEEK

Food waste is terrifying: 40% of all food in the US is thrown away! This is money and energy tossed in the garbage, which also creates methane as food decomposes. During DC Food Recovery Week, check out numerous events across the region that spotlight, celebrate, and advocate for all the ways we can reduce and divert food waste and feed more people in DC. Take a class. Attend a film screening. Get trained to be a composter. Whatever your tastes — we have an event for you!

CLOSE THE LOOP ON TEXTILE WASTE

While you’re searching thrift stores for the ideal elements of your costume, consider how many clothes don’t get donated and resold and end up in the waste stream. The vast majority of unwanted clothing and other textiles are landfilled or incinerated. This year’s DC Climathon is looking to tackle that in a 24-hour hackathon bringing together designers, entrepreneurs, innovators, students, engineers and YOU! Sign up to participate!

FAST FASHION/SLOW ART EXHIBIT

A diverse group of emerging and established contemporary artists explores issues of waste and consumerism, as well as the production of the products we rely on, through eleven films and video installations.

JOBS

Chesapeake Network, Ban Single Use Plastic – Campaign Manager
A Field Office Director will build campaigns to eliminate single use plastics, including fundraising, recruiting and mobilizing. The deadline for application is October 26, 2019.
Learn more here.

Solar United Neighbors, Director of Co-ops, Grants Manager and Marketing Director

These three positions at Solar United Neighbors all support the work of SUN nationwide, based out of the DC office. The Director of Co-ops will scale SUN’s solar bulk purchasing program, built on grassroots organizing for affordable rooftop solar.
Learn more about all of SUN’s open positions here.

Blue Green Alliance, State Policy Director
The State Policy Director oversees policy development aimed to build a clean economy with quality jobs, as a part of a coalition of fourteen labor unions and environmental organizations. This position will coordinate with team members to develop state-specific plans as well as connect with multi-state and national objectives.
Learn more and apply here.

Stormwater Retention Project Manager, The Nature Conservancy
This Project Manager will apply field experience, design skills, and contract management to implement Stormwater Retention Credit (SRC) green infrastructure programs in Washington, DC. Deadline for applications is November 3. To apply visit careers.nature.org and search for position number 48098.

VOLUNTEER

Farm at Kelly Miller Final Open Work Days
Wednesdays, October 23 and 30th, 3:30 – 6:30pm
The Farm at Kelly Miller, 301 49^th Street NE, directly behind Kelly Miller Middle School

Join Dreaming Out Loud for the last two open volunteer hours of the year at the Farm at Kelly Miller, an urban farm project in partnership with the Department of Parks and Recreation, City Blossoms, Beet Street Gardens, Hustlerz to Harvesters and more, focused on expanding food access and garden education. Find more information and RSVP here.

Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens Volunteer Morning
Saturday, October 26 9 am – 12 pm
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave Northeast, Washington, DC 20019

Join Friends of the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens on Saturday, October 26 for a volunteer service event in this DC National Park! It will be a morning of removing invasive plants, collecting litter and working on other park-beautification projects. Register and find more information here.

EVENTS

4th Annual DC Food Recovery Week #NoWastedFoodDC
October 19 – 26, various locations and times

DC DPR Compost Cooperative Training
Saturday, Oct 19th, 1:00 - 2:00pm
Howard University Urban Garden, 2255 Sherman Ave NW
Complete this training to gain access to the network of community-run compost drop-off points around the city

Waste Not: Food Waste, Resource Conservation, and You
Monday, Oct 21st, 7:00 - 8:30pm
Northeast Neighborhood Library, 330 7^th St NE
Learn the scale of food waste in the US and what you can do, taught by Will Reid, who lived for 2 years on what others considered “food waste.”

DPR Brownbag: Overview of Food Recovery in DC
Tuesday, Oct 22nd, 12:00 - 1:00pm
REI Co-op, 201 M St NE
Learn what’s happening in food recovery in the District of Columbia

Sierra Club Commercial Composting Forum
Tuesday, Oct 22nd, 6:00 – 8:00pm
Shaw Library, 400 8^th St NW
Bring composting to your multifamily unit, whether that’s apartments, condos or shared houses

Zero Waste & Package Free Shopping Workshop
Wednesday, Oct 23rd, 6:00 – 8:00pm
Mom’s Organic Market, 1501 New York Ave NE
Learn how to shop zero waste by eliminating packaging while you also reduce food waste

Should You Eat or Toss that Food? (Class)
Wednesday, Oct 23rd, 7:00 – 8:00pm
Southeast Neighborhood Library, 403 7^th St SE
Take the doubt of “when in doubt, throw it out,” so you can confidently assess your food and waste less

Household Food Waste Workshop
Saturday, Oct 26th, 11:00 am – 12:15 pm
Petworth Neighborhood Library, 4200 Kansas Ave NW
Gain new tools and strategies from recipes to meal planning to reduce food waste at home and make the most of your groceries