Have you been thinking about visiting Washington DC to see the sites, enjoy the great entertainment, talk with your representatives, advocate for a better environment, or maybe just join in on some interesting events, then this April seems to be the time to do it.
- The Alliance to Save Energy will be hosting its’ Great Energy Efficiency Day for 2008 on Wednesday, April 16th. It will be held on Capitol Hill at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room G-50, from 8:00am – 3:30pm. It was first held in 2004 and is propertied to have become a “must attend” , drawing more than 400 stakeholders from different sectors, such as industry, business, government, academic, media and public interest. It is designed to be a “discussion” on the need for, and benefits of, energy efficiency. This event will feature leading voices in energy and energy efficiency, addressing current and timely issues and provide insight from Capitol Hill itself from congressional members. This is a free event but you must register as space is limited. The Off-Grid Home is planning to have a presence there so if you can’t make it we should be reporting about it shortly after the event, if all goes as planned of course.
- April 19 is Children’s’ Day at The Accokeek Foundation at Piscataway Park. This is a chance to learn not only about colonial farming but organic farming with your children. You also will be able to hike through the park and purchase seedlings from the museum garden. They are offering free membership to 25 visitors. This event is free for members.
- The Earth Day Network will be sponsoring Earth Day on the Hill on Sunday, April 20 as well as events in 7 other US cities. The event at the National Mall is to be their flagship event and as such is scheduled to include A-list celebrities as well as elected officials/candidates, community speakers, and major musical performances. Educational displays and voter registration is also to be included. They are hoping for hundreds of thousands participants for their combined events in DC as well as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas and Miami. These events are being sponsored by Chase and produced by Green Apple Festivals, they are FREE to attend. They are encouraging everyone who can to walk, bike or even row to an event near them to show your support for dealing with global warming.
- Earth Day Network is also calling for a day of action following these events. On Monday, April 21 they are asking for Americans to contact their elected officials and let then know how important improving our environment is to us. If you are in the US you are able to call the White House at (202) 456-1111 and/or Capitol Hill at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your elected official. Their goal is a million calls, I vote to help them get it. Don’t forget it’s an election year so they may actual listen.
- For our youth The Student Conservation Association’s will be holding a multi-day national conservation summit April 24-27, called EarthVision. This will offer our youth a unique opportunity to meet and influence today’s environmental policy makers. It will will bring together the best and the brightest of young conservation leaders along with government agency directors, elected officials, corporate executives, scientists, media personalities and others to craft citizen-driven solutions to today’s environmental challenges. Over the course of the event they’ll be able learn new ways to minimize your environmental footprint, lend a hand in preserving National monuments, and hear from world’s leading authorities on “green” living. This event costs from $95 to $345 please check their website for more information
- It will also be Gardening Days at Mount Vernon April 12 through May 11. You will be able to see and join others as Mount Vernon hosts its annual outdoor garden and gift sale which includes ornamentals, perennials and annuals, garden items, books, and heirloom plants propagated from historic cuttings. Guests are also invited to enter Washington’s historic “orangerie,” or greenhouse. This event has a fee to enter visit their site for more details.
This April DC is not only giving all of us the chance to learn, have our voices heard, but also enjoy yourself with family. All this while advocating to improve our environment not only for ourselves but for our children as well. This is list is only some of the many events that will be happening in April you can check them all out at Washington DC’s official tourism site here. This April let’s not just have one day dedicated to reminding us how important it is to take care of our home, Earth, let’s take the whole month to think of what little or large changes we can make in our everyday lives to impact Earth in a more positive way.