The Natural World (Q4 2012)

Featured beneficiary in THE NATURAL WORLD category for fourth quarter 2012:

DC GREENWORKS

DC Greenworks, an environmental organization based in Washington, DC, is a multifaceted project aimed at using gardening techniques and technologies to protect and improve the city environment. The green roofs and rain tanks installed by DC Greenworks have an incredible impact on the city’s water system, which struggles with excess runoff picking up debris and other waste material, and depositing it in the local waterways. Green roofs and rain barrels catch, use, and conserve water, using it to grow local, organic food and provide city-based havens for local wildlife.

The green roofs have countless benefits, from reducing the heating costs of buildings and improving the air quality of the city to empowering local communities. DC Greenworks sees environmental projects as being intimately linked to economic projects, providing education, training, and employment. 

DC Greenworks’ educational projects include classes for ages ranging from elementary school students to high school graduates, teaching about the far-reaching importance of local, sustainable ecological projects and the benefits of urban agriculture. Their job training projects teach members of vulnerable communities to design, install, and maintain green roofs and rain barrels, providing a ready source of food as well as skills training and employment. 

The program now installs about 1,000 green roofs per year, with more than 100,000 square feet of garden installed since 2009. DC Greenworks is an organization with an incredible track record and an innovative, exciting vision, and Foundation Beyond Belief is proud to support their work.