Events: There are lots of ways to celebrate Earth Day

With Earth Day right around the corner, you've got more than one way to get into that environmental spirit.

Honor local sustainability leaders: This Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:30 pm in Eastern Market's North Hall (225 7th Street SE) you can join DC's Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE) director Tommy Wells “to honor this year’s District Sustainability Award winners, which include local nonprofit and educational organizations and private sector businesses – and an award for “People's Choice.” This year, the city will also recognize the first winner of the Clean Energy DC Award.”

Find out how these winners “support the Sustainable DC Plan goals in areas of energy and water conservation, green building/construction, healthy food access, solar energy production, triple-bottom-line programs, stormwater management, and sustainable waste management.” Register to attend for free here.

Plant some trees: You've also got two opportunities to plant “approximately 70 trees on Saturday, April 20 [from 9 am to 12 pm], and approximately 20 trees on Monday, April 22 [from 10 am to 1 pm],” at UDC's Van Ness campus (4200 Connecticut Avenue NW). Lend a hand, knowing that the trees planted by your efforts “will improve air quality by removing small pollutant particulates, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by taking up carbon dioxide, provide habitats for beneficial plants and animals, and help mitigate the urban heat-island effect by shading homes and streets.”

Other events from around the region:

Wednesday, April 17

Farm some knowledge: From 6:30 to 8 pm at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC)'s Architecture Suite 200, Building 32 (4200 Connecticut Avenue NW), educate yourself in the latest of UDC's Architecture Public Lecture Series with a session about “Vertical Farming in Cities” presented by Dr. Dickson Despommier, Emeritus Professor at Columbia University. With its Urban Architecture and Community Planning program, UDC “seeks to educate the next generation of architects.” Find more information here.

Saturday, April 20

Tour a green roof: At 10 am at Building 44 of UDC (4200 Connecticut Avenue NW), check out the “20,000-square-foot Green Roof [which] is the food production site of the Van Ness Urban Food Hub. The roof showcases four types of production: (1) high-revenue plants (e.g., herbs, greens); (2) high-nutrition plants that can cover the entire range of dietary needs (e.g., tomatoes, peppers, chards, cabbages); (3) pollinator plants that ensure bee health in our urban environment; and (4) low-maintenance plants that help capture rain, reduce runoff, cool buildings 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.” Sign up here!

Monday, April 22

Budget some time for DC budgets, community development edition: Give input on the budgets for the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Housing Production Trust Fund starting at 2 pm in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW). Anyone who wishes to testify should contact Oscar Montiel to sign up.

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