Finding Happiness on the Anacostia River

The Divas MPH will host a Sunday workshop series for women who need some relief from the stresses of life's. The event, "More than Brown Blues: Getting to Your Happy", will be held west of the Anacostia River at The Overlook at Yards Park this Sunday June 26, 2011 from 2pm-4:30pm.

Overlooking the west bank of the Anacostia River, join the ladies in practicing yoga, meditation and a personal depression prevention consultation.



This will also be a great chance to enjoy the Yards Park and meet folks from the other side of the Anacostia River.

Photo by Leo Boudreau

More than Brown Blues, sponsored by Divas MPH
Sunday, June 26, 2011
2pm-4:30pm
Overlook at The Yards Park
http://brownblues.eventbrite.com/
http://www.yardspark.org/about

Sierra Club for Streetcars Happy Hour at Rays the Steaks Wednesday June 22 6pm

The Sierra Club is at it again. Another Sustainable Happy Hour will enuse on Wed June 22, 2011 6pm at Ray's the Steaks on Minnesota Avenue. We will discuss the most recent Streetcar plan for communities East of the River.



The Sierra Club’s Washington, D.C. Chapter will hold a streetcar happy hour at Ray's Steaks, 3905 Dix St. NE, located a short walk the Minnesota Avenue Metro Station. Please join fellow sustainable transit advocates have a drink and informally discuss the streetcar system that will soon come to the District.


Directions to Ray's: After leaving the Minnesota Avenue Metro station, walk .4 miles southeast along Minnesota Avenue. Turn left onto Dix St. NE. Ray's is located on the right side of the road just past McDonald's. The V8, U4, and X2 buses all stop nearby. Capital Bikeshare stations can be found at the Minnesota Avenue Metro Station and at the Benning Branch library, located on Benning Rd. one block north of Ray's.

To learn more about Washington's streetcar initiative, visit www.streetcars4dc.org.

Please contact Jason Broehm, chair of the Chapter’s transportation committee, at jason.broehm[@]dc.sierraclub.net.

Soulful Flow Yoga Hillcrest Recreation Center Mondays 7pm-8pm

Every Monday from 7pm-8pm, I will teach a Soulful Flow Yoga Class at Hillcrest Recreation Center at 3100 Denver Street SE Washington DC 20020.



For more information:

AnacostiaYogi
anacostiayogi@gmail.com
anacostiayogi.blogspot.com

Ward 8 Farmer's Market Saturday June 4

The floodgates are open for fresh food and organic delights on Saturday at 9:00am for the grand opening of Ward 8 Farmers Market at THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE.


For anyone using WIC or Senior vouchers or an EBT/SNAP card, we will double the value when you buy produce from our farmers. For those who need it the most, Ward 8 Farmers Market is half-price.

We also welcome the Field-to-Fork Network. This group of community gardens will sell their produce as well as specialty products such as pesto, soaps and salsa. Each item will be produced from DC soil, by the efforts of community members and volunteers. With their participation our market comes full circle. We began in 1999 after the closing of Ward 8's last Supermarket. Our market began as a self-empowerment tool. When people produce AND consume this food, we not only become healthier, we take a giant toward this self-empowerment. Please support the Field-to-Fork network by backing their kickstarter campaign

Join Ward 8 Farmers Market at THEARC!!
Saturdays 9-2
1901 Mississippi St. SE

Starting June 4, 2011

www.ward8farmersmarket.com

How Many Intellects to Clean Up the Anacostia River?

How many more reports, news items, and research studies before someone actually cleans up the Anacostia River? More time and money is spent talking about the river than spent actually cleaning it up.

On June 2, DC Environmental Network, DC Appleseed and Friends of the Earth held a discussion to share the dirty details in a new report, "A New Day for the Anacostia." The researchers kept reinforcing that cleaning the River is a "long term" project but didn't provide any projected timelines.



The presenters shared a 78-page blueprint that calls on Federal and local regulatory plans to "provoke and evoke" action. The good news is that the report is well done and outlines the Anacostia River Restoration Plan as a multi-pronged approach focusing on policy, partners and people. The bad news is that this is million or even billion dollar decade-long plan.


Policy- DC appleseed along with other pro-bono attorneys are working with federal and district lawmakers to offer incentives. Some ideas were tax incentives to private and public developers to retrofit stormwater and run off systems.

Partners- NGO's, Clean Water Action groups, and other local advocacy groups constantly raise awareness about cleaning the Anacostia.

People- Sierra Club's Irv Sheffey brought up mobilizing folks who live on the Anacostia to place pressure on our elected officials to take action on the recommendations.

Overall, the forum was very informative and interesting but a little abstract for the average citizen who fishes, exercises and bar-b-cues along the Anacostia River. I ran into a teen who lives on Benning Road and asked his opinion on cleaning the river. He said he didn't really care about cleaning the river and only attended because he is compeleting a summer internship.


He made me realize that the missing link on cleaning the river is getting residents invested in Anacostia on an emotional level. The people's passion and voting power can force lawmakers to clean up the river and move from reports to real ecological restoration.

To get involved in an Anacostia Clean Up Initiative:
contact me: anacostiayogi@gmail.com or
Irv Sheffey of the Sierra Club
tel: 202-575-1469
cell: 202-299-6503

For more info on "A New Day for the Anacostia" contact DC Appleseed:
http://dcappleseed.org/
DC Appleseed
1111 14th Street NW, Suite 510
Washington, DC 20005
ph: 202-289-8007
or
DC Environmental Network
Chris Weiss
cweiss@dcen.net
www.dcen.net