Menu:

 
Picture
Last weekend, CarbonfreeDC volunteers began the first installment of green makeovers for the Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover.

Three great families in Deanwood opened their homes and worked with us to make eco-improvements on their houses, including caulking, weather-stripping, smart strip installation, light bulb exchanges, gardening & more. This weekend we green 6 more houses in Shaw & Deanwood.

With all the work we're doing, we're also learning a lot about making older homes energy efficient with a small monetary investment. Here's what we learned last weekend! (Click "Read More" below)
 
 
Last night, September 3, CarbonfreeDC Advisory Committee members met to review Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover applications and begin randomly choosing the recipients of the makeovers.
 
 
Picture
Last night in the Tabernacle Baptist Church basement, CarbonfreeDC hosted its first community meeting for the residents of Deanwood. The meeting was designed to inform local families about the Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover happening in their neighborhood, and invite them to participate. 

Rhys Gerholdt led the discussion at the meeting and shared with the audience the goals and importance of the project. There is a lot of interest in the Makeover in Deanwood and it looks like we won't have a problem identifying 10 qualifying homes. 

The next step in the project will be reaching out to residents in Shaw.
 
Why DC? Why Now? 08/13/2009
 
Picture
Here in DC, our Congressmen and women debate climate policy and our energy future - yet they live and work in a city that produces more global warming pollution per capita than almost any other in the world.  And while plenty of powerful people live in the District, our nation's capital has the third highest poverty rate in the country. 

These two facts alone are sufficiently convincing reasons to launch the Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover in DC, but let's not forget the many inspiring activities happening in our community that make this the perfect moment for this project.

One of CarbonfreeDC's community partners in the Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover is locally founded, GreenDMV. At a time when the economy is in turmoil, Green DMV is creating green jobs and helping green businesses thrive in struggling areas of DC. GreenDMV also hosts training seminars and classes on green job skills that help create a pathway out of poverty. Many of GreenDMV's program graduates will be working with CarbonfreeDC to green the deserving homes.

Deanwood, one of two neighborhoods chosen for the Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover, is on the cusp of a green revival. Groundwork USA, an initiative launched by the EPA and the National Parks Service, recently launched the Groundwork Anacostia River DC. This project aims to bridge the communities on both sides of the Anacostia River and provide eco-education, community restoration, installation of new parks and more. CarbonfreeDC is excited to be a part of the many green initiatives taking shape in Deanwood.

It's not just by chance that the Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover is taking shape in Washington. The need is here because of carbon emissions and poverty levels, and the time is now because of our incredible organizations and initiatives.

Join us!
 
 
Picture
At the extreme eastern corner of the District’s diamond, Deanwood embodies a calmer, small-town feel that is often missing from the fast-paced bustle of the more central neighborhoods. The neighborhood’s charm can be attributed to the influence of well-known African-American architects W. Sidney Pittman and Howard D. Woodson. Deanwood’s residents have also been responsible for designing and building many of the neighborhoods' homes.
 
 
Picture
CarbonfreeDC held its first planning session Tuesday night to kick off its “Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover” project. The meeting was a big milestone for the organization who won a $20,000 grant in National Geographic’s “Green Effect” competition to help 20 local low-income families save money and live green by making their homes more energy efficient.