Rooting DC Forum

This weekend I attended the 9th annual Rooting DC forum. It's an awesome free conference hosted each year covering all things food access and urban gardening. I don't know much about gardening (though I would like to!) but loved hearing about all the great things folks are doing to decrease hunger, connect people with healthy food, and grow the local food economy in the district.

Even more than the talks, just being around people who are so excited and passionate about their causes was energizing. And, there was a bunch of food trucks there too!

My favorite talk I went to was the "DMV Game Changers" talk, where people leading innovative projects each talked for 7 minutes about their work. Here are a few of my favorites, check them out if you have a chance!

Up Top Acres: This organization designs and installs rooftop gardens in the areas, from personal homes to huge gardens on office buildings. Not only is it a productive for currently neglected space, they are also help organize small CSAs or "garden shares" for the produce grown on rooftops.

Bloom Soil: DC Water implemented a program to make use of the waste we city dwellers so generously produce on a daily basis. In partnership with the water treatment plan, they process the waste leftover after treatment, create fertilized soil, and sell it to businesses.

Arcadia Mobile Market: This group created a mobile market out of a old bus to link the produce they grow on their Alexandria farm to people who need it in underserved communities in DC. They visit neighborhoods with high demand, but not quite enough to justify a full farmers market. By applying the food truck model to a farm stand, they can be flexible to meet demand and need.

Mighty Greens: A high school program that's combining growing food with learning about entrepreneurship. The students grow vegetables that they sell at farmers markets, and also developed a CSA that they distribute to staff at the school.