USDA Celebrates National Pollinator Week on UDC Green Roof

University of DC’s Rooftop Garden hosts celebration of Pollinator Week

A garden in the sky. That’s the best way to describe the Green Roof, a rooftop garden at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), the nation’s only urban land grant university. This living laboratory is one of the latest features at UDC’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES), which is also home to the Center for 4-H & Youth Development. 4-H is the nation’s premiere youth development program, managed by National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

UDC 4-H students were among the Green Roof guests at an event to highlight National Pollinator Week and the White House Pollinator Health Initiative, a multi-agency partnership to promote pollinator health, reduce honey bee colony loss, and restore pollinator habitat.

The event’s special guest was Dr. Ann Bartuska, Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, USDA. Bartuska addressed the importance of pollinators and food security.

“As part of the White House Pollinator Health Initiative, the USDA is investing in pollinator health through its Research, Education, and Economics mission area. Between FY 2008 and 2014, NIFA invested approximately $40 million in pollinator health research and education,” said Bartuska.

Bartuska was joined by Dr. Thomas Bewick, National Program Leader, Division of Plant Systems-Production, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA, and UDC CAUSES Director of the Center of Sustainable Development, Dr. Dwane Jones. Sandy Farber Bandier, UDC Green Roof Master Gardner Coordinator and UDC extension agent, led the tour of the 40,000 square foot oasis filled with a variety of insect-pollinated crops such as strawberries, cherries, apples, and peaches. 

4-H Students sample local honey.

“This is the nation’s only urban agricultural garden,” Farber noted, as she explained importance of the green roof, and the pollinator’s role in helping provide nutritious food for the community. She also noted that the creation of this pollinator garden jump-started reliable fruit production at UDC. As a sweet finale, beekeepers from Capital Bee CARE brought an exhibit hive of honey bees, and guests sampled locally produced honey from neighborhoods in Washington, DC and Northern Virginia.

From a rooftop garden in Washington, DC, to farmlands across the country, pollinator health is a critical issue for the nation’s economy, food security, and environmental health.

Continue reading at USDA NIFA's website!

Renowned Author Frances Moore Lappe’ Headlines ISEE 2016 Special Event

Will be joined by Tommy Wells, DOEE

The College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) will host the 2016 Conference of the International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE), Transforming the Economy: Sustaining Food, Water, Energy and Justice. At a time when our planet’s vital signs are in distress and the social stability of our human community is under duress, a “transformed economy” supports the resilience of our planet and makes this conference theme more relevant than ever.

On Monday, June 27, 2016, renowned author Frances Moore Lappe’ headlines An Evening of Inspiration and Celebration. Tommy Wells, director, Department of Energy and Environment will open the event. The evening lecture will be held in the University’s Theater of the Arts, and includes refreshments and music by Trio Caliente. Registration is available here.

Frances Moore Lappe’ is the author or co-author of 18 books, beginning with Diet for a Small Planet. Her newest books are World Hunger – 10 Myths and EcoMind: Changing the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want. She is the cofounder of three organizations, including the Oakland based think tank Food First and the Small Planet Institute which she leads with her daughter Anna Lappé. Frances and her daughter have also co-founded the Small Planet Fund, which supports democratic and social movements around the world. Gourmet Magazine named Frances one of the twenty-five most influential people whose work has changed the way America eats. She is also the recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Nobel Award. She appears frequently as a public speaker and on radio and is a regular contributor to Huffington Post.

Transforming the Economy: Sustaining Food, Water, Energy and Justice

The College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC will host the 2016 Conference of the International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE), Transforming the Economy: Sustaining Food, Water, Energy and Justice. At a time when our planet’s vital signs are in distress and the social stability of our human community is under duress, a “transformed economy” supports the resilience of our planet and makes this conference theme more relevant than ever. Register here.

The conference brings together researchers, policy makers, and practitioners from all over the world and features plenary sessions, roundtables, and scholarly presentations focused on finding solutions for a socially and environmentally sustainable future. The International Society for Bio-Physical Economics will also hold its proceedings as a part of the ISEE 2016 conference.

Plenary speakers include:

• Frances Moore Lappe', author of Diet for a Small Planet and founder of the Small Planet Institute
• Marina Silva, former Minister of Environment, and contender for the presidency of Brazil
• Jairam Ramesh, former Minister of the Environment, who was recently reelected to the Upper House of the Indian Parliament
• Mokgadi Monamati, Senior Natural Resources Specialist of Environmental Affairs and Industry in Botswana, Africa
• Dr. Shi Yan, President of Shared Harvest, and founder of the Chinese Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement
• Dr. Renato Maluf, President Emeritus of the Food Policy Council of Brazil
• Dr. Gar Alperovitz, Co-founder of the Democracy Collaborative and President of the National Center for Economic and Security Alternatives, Washington, D.C.
• Dr. Peter May, Senior Environmental Scientist of Biohabitats Inc. and lecturer at the University of Maryland

The conference will also include several special events open to the community. Frances Moore Lappe’ will be the featured speaker at an evening of celebrating sustainable communities at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, June 27. Registration is available here. 2016 Kenneth Boulding Award recipient, Prof. Kanchan Chopra, former director of the Institute of Economic Growth in Delhi, India, will lecture at a luncheon Monday at 12:00 p.m.; while Dr. Arild Vatn, a well-known institutional economist from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences will be honored at 8:00 p.m. on June 28. Registration for both Boulding events is available here.

Attendees of the conference can also earn Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits. The University of the District of Columbia is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and follows the IACET protocol for providing CEU’s for professional development. Contact CCDC_CE@UDC.edu for more information.

ISEE 2016 will be hosted at the University of the District of Columbia, located at 4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. To view the schedule or register for the full conference please visit www.isee2016.com. For questions, contact causes@udc.edu.

CAUSES TV: Climate Change and Pollution

Washington, DC, is in fact well on its way to becoming one of the greenest cities in the country. We have more green roofs here than almost any other city; we have one of the largest bike share programs in the country; we have a huge number of local food initiatives; and urban agriculture is a big focus. 

Some would say though, that it’s still not enough; and it’s still not fast enough. There are still way too many people right here in our nation’s capital and in cities all around the country, who suffer from the effects of pollution and unhealthy living conditions. And things are becoming more challenging, not less. We have unprecedented storms and erratic weather patterns that impact our health. Are things getting better or worse? How can we mitigate the effects of changed weather patterns that make our air feel heavier, and more oppressive? 

The two guests who join Dean O'Hara have put a lot of thought and a lot of passion into these questions of how can we help people live healthier lives, especially people who live in underserved neighborhoods. Dr. Elgloria Harrison, is a respiratory scientist and Special Assistant to the Dean of the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences here at the University of the District of Columbia; and Andrea Herrera, is an environmental engineer and recent graduate of the Professional Science Master Degree in Water Resources Management.