ARLINGTON FOOD ASSISTANCE CENTER – INSCAPE PUBLICO

Inscape Publico recently hosted a happy hour as part of their summer fundraising campaign. This year the featured project is the Arlington Food Assistance Center’s distribution facility. Plans include a renovation of the existing facility and a new teaching kitchen to promote food education. Inscape Publico is a nonprofit (501c3) architecture firm which provides design services for other nonprofit organizations. Their goal is to design for the public good and to inspire positive change in communities.

“Support the value of design with the power of your donation.” Donate here. Read more about Inscape Publico in the Washington Business Journal.

DESIGNING FOR DISASTER: NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM EXHIBIT

Katrina. Washington Post

The National Building Museum, in Washington DC, is featuring an exhibit on resiliency that will run through August 2nd, ~~2014~~ 2015.

“Design can reduce our risk and increase our resiliency to the most destructive forces of nature. From seismic retrofits and safe rooms to firebreaks and floodplain management, this exhibition explores how regional, community, and individual preparedness are the best antidotes to disaster.”

Plan your visit to the NBM. Can’t make it to the exhibit? Check out the Washington Post article and the NBM Designing for Disaster blog MitigationNation.

JOSEPH’S HOUSE WINS PITCH NIGHT – MAKE DC

MakeDC awarded $20,000 of professional design services to Joseph’s House, a nonprofit that provides end-of-life care for homeless men and women in Washington DC. With a unique twist on the traditional design competition, MakeDC organized this competition where worthy clients presented their desire for design services. A panel of judges then voted for the winning team along with the public who attended the event. Joseph’s House requested a meditation garden which will welcome neighbors to mingle with their guests receiving end-of-life care. MakeDC is a Public Interest Design firm in the Washington DC area.

See more about MakeDC.

LOCAL | SUSTAINABLE DC, FIRST YEAR PROGRESS REPORT

graphic from report

In 2011 Mayor Gray and the District Government set out to create a plan, called Sustainable DC, to make DC the most sustainable city in the United States by 2032. This plan was developed through a series of community meetings that formed into 9 public working groups on the topics of built environment, climate, energy, food, nature, transportation, waste, water, and the green economy. With over 143 actions, DC is well underway in achieving this plan. The report lists each action and its status. Some examples:

Equity & Diversity – 1.1 Modernize all public school buildings.
Built Environment – 4.5 Require all new buildings to be net-zero or net-positive.
Energy – 2.5 Develop a wind farm in the region to power District government and private facilities.
Food – 1.1 Adopt the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Act.
Transportation – 2.1 Develop a citywide, 100 mile bicycle lane network.
Waste – 1.3 Ban Styrofoam and non-recyclable plastic containers from food and retail outlets.
Water – 2.1 Install 2 million new square feet of green roofs.

See the full report at Sustainable DC and how you can get involved.

LOCAL | WASHINGTON DC TO BUILD LARGEST URBAN GREENHOUSE

artist rendering | BrightFarms

BrightFarms is partnering with the DC Department of General Services and the Anacostia Economic Development Corporation to build a 100,000 square-foot green house on city-owned land currently used for storage. The urban farm will provide fresh lettuce and other produce to local Giant grocery stores, creating over 100 construction jobs as well as 25 permanent jobs. A “classroom greenhouse” will also be built within the facility to teach kids about health and nutrition.

Read more from The Atlantic City Lab and FastCoexist