Image by grandriverconservation licensed under Creative Commons.

As summer winds down, why not chill outdoors with a sweet view of the rooftop plants that keep us chill inside? This Friday (August 24), you can tour University of DC's green roof, hear more about sustainable agriculture and learn about green roof design.

UDC's 20,000 square foot green roof is the food production site of the Van Ness Urban Food Hub. The roof showcases four types of production: (1) high revenue plants (i.e., herbs, greens); (2) high nutrition plants that can cover the entire range of dietary needs (i.e., tomatoes, peppers, chards, cabbages); (3) pollinizer plants to ensure bee health in our urban environment; and (4) low maintenance plants that help capture rain, reduce runoff and cool the building in the summer and provide insulation in the winter. In addition to food production, the green roof is also used to conduct research on plant varieties that thrive in roof environments.

Come to UDC's Building 44 at 4200 Connecticut Ave NW this Friday August 24 for a 5:30pm tour to view the green roof and gain knowledge from their experts. Sign up here.

Other events from around the region

Tuesday, August 21

A time portal will open up at noon in the Georgetown Neighborhood Library (3260 R St NW) to show artifacts and stories of the people who lived at Georgetown’s landmark Halcyon House over the last 200 years. In 1985, archaeologists found a wealth of household trash that provided new insights into experiences of residents, from the enslaved people living on the site in 1810 to a possibly gay or gender nonconforming resident in the early 20th century. Jenn Porter-Lupu, Northwestern University doctoral student in anthropology, discusses new findings based off the unstudied artifacts from the collection. Artifacts from the site will be on display. Learn more here.

Sunday, August 26

Want to see better transit in Prince George's County? Then answer the call and join the Prince George's Advocates for Community-Based Transit (PG-ACT). PG-ACT is having an interest and organizational meeting to plan this fall's activism at 2 pm at the Whole Foods in the Riverdale Park Station development (6621-B Baltimore Ave, Riverdale, MD). All are welcome, even if they're not Prince George's County residents. For information, contact the PG-ACT Chair, DW Rowlands.

Check out more urbanist events at ggwash.org/calendar. Do you have an event you'd like to see featured the weekly events post? Submit it here.

Jeb Stenhouse is a clean energy economist who wants to help everyone enjoy livable, walkable public places, and to reach them by as many clean transportation options as possible.  He studied in Montpellier, France and still marvels at the quality of life in its car-free downtown (and the 15 pounds he lost roaming its charming streets).  Between adventures, Jeb lives with his husband in Adams Morgan.