Lots of great green ways to get involved. Check out this list of upcoming events, activities, and observances happening this month: Statewide Invasive Plant Removal Day Saturday, May 5 Join volunteers from across the state for the 4thannual state-wide invasive plant removal day. Alexandria is hosting three sites across the city at Chinquapin Park, Dora [...]
Tomorrow is Alexandria’s the big Earth Day celebration at Ben Brenman Park and one of the key events is the 2nd Annual Trashion Show. Public school students from across the city will participate in the Trashion/Upcycling Show, where students sashay across a stage in handmade designs made from trash and recyclables. My kids participate in [...]
Earth Day is just a few days away. What commitment will you make to have a more positive planetary impact? (My commitment for this year is to reduce food waste – more on that soon!) Need some ideas? We’ve got you covered with the following suggestions: Learn More Read a book. The Green Book: The [...]
Lots of green green events happening this month in honor of Earth Day. From Native Plant Sales to National Parks Week, opportunities to get out and involved abound! National Parks Week April 21 – 29 The National Park Service and the National Park Foundation are teaming up to host National Park Week, during which you [...]
A week or so ago, the Kojo Nnamdi Show aired a program about wildlife in the DC Metro area that featured Martin Ogle, Chief Naturalist at Potomac Overlook Regional Park in Arlington, VA (one of our favorites!) and John Rappole, author of “Wildlife of the Mid-Atlantic: A Complete Reference,” and others titles. I turned on [...]
Last month I wrote, “Invasive Species and Why They are a Threat,” and about, “Invasive Species Awareness Week Activities for Kids at the U.S. Botanic Garden.” One of the most prominent invasive plant species in the DC Metro area is English Ivy. It can be seen everywhere: in neighborhoods, intentionally planted as ground cover (now [...]
Connecting with nature does not need to involve a grand plan, a field trip, or even leaving your own backyard. With the warmer than usual temperatures we have been enjoying, we decided to put a spin on story time. After dinner and bedtime prep, I asked one of the kids to help put the trimmings [...]
A version of this story originally appeared in my Green and Simple column on the Old Town Alexandria Patch. A few weeks ago, I had the very unoriginal idea of going to Mt. Vernon Estate on Presidents Day. Although we arrived shortly after opening time at 10 a.m., traffic drew to a slow crawl as we came within [...]
If you haven’t yet locked in your camps for the summer, here is a great one to add to the list. Campers ranging in age from 6 to 10 years old will gain hands-on experience as they work the farm and engage in related activities designed to help them understand and appreciate where their food [...]
I recently participated in a family work day at my son’s pre-school. The event provides an opportunity for parents to enhance and improve the school environment and get to know other families in the process. While I love the spirit of the event, I was not looking forward to participating on this particular day. Each [...]
