Upcoming Events

Invasive Removal at Dumbarton Oaks Park (Feb. 22)

This activity was originally scheduled for Feb. 15 but had to be rescheduled due to inclement weather.  Though Dumbarton Oaks Park isn’t technically Rock Creek Park, it is managed by the National Park Service and adjoins with Rock Creek Park. We will be joining forces with Ann Aldridge of Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy. Dumbarton Oaks, formerly part of the Dumbarton Oaks Estate, is a lovely section of Parkland that was designed by Beatrix Farrand, America’s first female professional landscape architect. The removal will start at 10:00 a.m. and end at 2:00 p.m. Please RSVP to Mary Farrah for the meet-up location. 

4-H Volunteer Leaders Training (March 1)

The 4-H Volunteer Leaders Training prepares adults to assist youth in managing 4-H clubs and activities. Learn how to support our youth in learning about leadership and opportunities that help them to meet their full potential. Volunteers have been an integral part of the success of 4-H since the 1920s, serving as club and project leaders, camp counselors, and even as trainers and mentors. 4-H adult volunteers have the unique opportunity to make a significant and positive contribution to youth development by sharing learned skills, making a difference in their lives and leaving a legacy. Contact Rebecca Bankhead to sign up!

Lead Abatement Worker Course (March 14 and 17)

As part of its efforts to be ever more relevant to the needs of residents and communities of D.C., UDC's Architectural Research Institute is offering training for participants interested in becoming certified lead abatement workers. Attendees of the two day Lead Abatement Worker Course will: 1) Engage in interactive classroom training, 2) Participate in a small classroom setting and one-on-one training, 3) Receive  a comprehensive manual to keep for future reference, 4) Engage in hands on training in a state of the art containment room and 5) Receive a Lead Abatement Worker Certificate of Completion. The first day of the course will be held March 14 and March 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The course, which has a fee of $275, will be repeated in April. Contact Marshelle Hailstock at mhailstock@udc.edu or (202) 274-7115 for more information.

March Invasive Removal

For our March invasive plant removal, we will be joining forces with Rock Creek Conservancy and John Shorb Landscaping for a short but sweet event removing English ivy from the trees along Rock Creek Parkway. This will be on Saturday, March 29^th from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Contact Mary Farrah if you are interested in participating.  

CAUSES TV: The Environment Matters and Housing and Your Health

In two new episodes of CAUSES TV, Dr. Sabine O'Hara interviews Keith Anderson, Director of the District Department of the Environment and Dr. Marvin Turner, Director of the National Capital Area Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

On this first episode of CAUSES TV entitled  "The Environment Matters," Dr. O'Hara interviews Keith Anderson, DDOE, and William Hare, Associate Dean of Landgrant Programs for CAUSES. Together, they discuss the environment and how it impacts the quality of life, especially for DC residents; and how DDOE works to address concerns and environmental issues.

As Dr. O'Hara explains, it's the residents of the District of Columbia driving CAUSES TV. She reminds viewers that the mission of the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences is to improve the quality of life and economic opportunity for people and communities of the District of Columbia, the nation and the world.

"That is a big mission – improving the Quality of Life. And we are learning every day how much what we perceive as a high quality of life, or a lousy one, is impacted by our environment. Being only indoors is not good for us, and it does not make us feel very good either."

In a second episode of CAUSES TV, "Housing for your Health," Dr. O'Hara interviews Dr. Marvin Turner, Director of the National Capital Area Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). 

4-H Corner

Aside from the upcoming 4-H Volunteer Leaders Training, here's what's happening in the world of UDC 4-H:

Healthy Lifestyles Update with 4-­H UDC

The Dream Academy youth receive weekly healthy cooking classes from 4-H's Carlita Law. Some of the recipes the kids have helped to prepare over the past couple of months include chicken and veggie kabobs, healthy spaghetti and meatballs, fruit and vegetable smoothies, Greek salad, sweet and savory waffles (with scallions, cheese, apples, and sweet potato) and chicken quesadillas. The cooking classes have helped the Dream Kids to try to and healthy foods, expanding their palates. 


We need your extra newspaper!

4-H is saving Newspapers for an event in March for our military partners. Please join us and bring in the newspapers that you saved to Room 117 by February 28, 2014. 

CAUSES Awarded Three Sustainable DC Grants!

The University of the District of Columbia was named one of the honorees of the Sustainable DC Innovation Challenge, winning three out of seven grants for a total of $921,000. The grant competition was established to promote novel initiatives among District agencies that will advance Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s Sustainable DC Plan that seeks to make the District of Columbia the greenest, healthiest and most sustainable city in the nation. 

In his announcement Mayor Gray stated:

“These Sustainable DC Innovation Challenge grants demonstrate that a dollar invested in sustainability can return multiple benefits for the city. By building outdoor classrooms, urban farms and greenhouses, and green infrastructure for storm-water control we can help educate the next generation, increase access to healthy foods, expand job training and business opportunities, and ensure protection of our natural resources.”

UDC’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences was awarded three grants; one for building three state of the art neighborhood scale aquaponics facilities; one for building a commercial kitchen facility and food truck to promote nutrition, job-skills and entrepreneurship training; and one to create a native plants nursery to combat invasive plant species and restoration native habitats. All three facilities will serve as community education center to create local green-jobs training.

“This is a unique opportunity to see the community education and research programs we offer through our land-grant programs transform District neighborhoods,” said UDC Interim President Dr. James E. Lyons. 

Heads of DC Water, DDOE, close Post-Oil City Workshops

For the first time in history, more than 50 percent of the world’s population lives in urban areas. This new reality raises fundamental questions about water management, water and food security and urban food production. Given the history of urban spaces, soil and water pollution problems are prevalent. They also pose threats to meeting the water and food needs of urban populations as transporting food and water over long distances are inconsistent with the energy and mobility goals of the Post-Oil City and its high efficiency economy. The Post-Oil City must therefore adopt models for achieving water and food security that include reductions in the long-distance transportation, increased urban food production, improved water capture and reuse, and new solutions for an aging and outdated urban infrastructure.

Presented by CAUSES and the Goethe-Institut Washington, Post-Oil City: The History of the City’s Future is an international planning and landscape architecture exhibition that presents paradigms of traditional climate-sensitive construction from the past on display in the field of sustainable urban planning. The innovative solutions for the Post-Oil City were envisioned by architects, planners, designers and engineers from 10 different countries. Embedded within the exhibition were workshops and panels on topics shaping the Post-Oil City of the future including mobility, energy and functionality.

The final in this series of dialogue workshops, The City of the Future: Water & Food Security, will focus on Water & Food Security and will bring together a broad range of stakeholders to discuss how food and water needs can be met in the post oil era. Expert panelist include George S. Hawkins, General Manager, DC Water and Sewer Authority; Keith Anderson, Director, District Department of the Environment; Dr. Jill Auburn, National Program Leader, Division of Agricultural Systems, Institute of Food Production & Sustainability, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and Dr. Thomas Schmidt, Minister Counselor, Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. 

4-H Volunteer Leaders Training

The next 4-H Volunteer Leaders Training will be held on March 1. Sign up today by emailing rbankhead@udc.edu.

When Dreams Take Flight

"When Dreams Take Flight," is a new campaign being unveiled by the University of the District of Columbia. This short video above featuring CAUSES Dean Sabine O'Hara emphasizes the joy of being an educator. If you are local to Washington, D.C., you might catch the video on UDC's local cable station!  Lookout for more videos in the future.

For more information on CAUSES, visit www.udc.edu/causes. 

National 4-H CEO Jennifer Sirangelo on CAUSES TV

On this episode of CAUSES TV, Dean Sabine O'Hara is joined by Jennifer Sirangelo, President and CEO of the National 4-H Council, and Rebecca Bankhead, Director of UDC's Center for 4-H and Youth Development.

4-H is the nation's largest youth development and empowerment organization, with more that seven million young members in rural, suburban and urban communities across the country. Children from elementary to high school have the opportunity to learn about science, citizenship, healthy living and food security. 4-H programs are designed to shape our future leaders. What makes the organization special is its reach-- 4-H has 540,000 volunteers, 3,500 professionals, and more than 60 million alumni.

According to the 4-H Positive Youth Development Report, students engaged in 4-H are:

Around CAUSES January 2014

1. Dean O'Hara Delivers Keynote for Austria's Young Science Summit
2. CAUSES Takes Part in NBC4's Health and Fitness Expo
3. DC Central Kitchen, Bread for the City Purchase Muirkirk Farm Greens for Area Schools
4. Yao Afantchao to Participate in Penn State Ethnic Produce Conference

(photo Young Science / Armin Bardel, Location: Austria / Vienna) 

Dean O'Hara Delivers Keynote for Austria's Young Science Summit
Dean Sabine O’Hara recently delivered the keynote address for the Young Science Summit, hosted by the Vienna University of Technology in Austria. The program, which was attended by students and young scientists, focused on the field of sustainability. Dean O’Hara, who is an environmental economist and agronomist by training, also participated on a panel with Marie Céline Loibl, Federal Ministry for Science and Research, Alexia Fürnkranz-Prskawetz, demographer, Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, Melanie Pichler, political scientist, University of Vienna and Andreas Reiter, futurologist, CTB future Vienna Office, to discuss the topic: A planet on the edge of resilience: Do something! Young Science is sponsored by the Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research, a division of the Austrian Government.

CAUSES Takes Part in NBC4's Health and Nutrition Expo
CAUSES had the opportunity to take part in the NBC4 2014 Health and Fitness Expo. This year signaled the 31st anniversary of the Health and Fitness Expo, which was held Jan. 11 - 12 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C.. The Expo featured free health screenings and hundreds of exhibitors with lots of free health information.

Representing CAUSES was Che Axum, Director, Center for Urban Agriculture and Gardening Education and Chef Herb Holden from the Center for Diet, Nutrition and Health. They handed out over 1,400 samples of salad made from Muirkirk farm greens, along with Vicki Reese, of 5 a Day CSA.

Also on hand was UDC's Student Dietetic Association, who made sure attendees were aware of the nutritional content of some of their favorite snacks. And CAUSES Recruiter Marshelle Hailstock participated on an education and recruitment panel, helping to spread the word about CAUSES. View more pictures on our Facebook page!

Speakers Announced for Post Oil City Workshops

The list of speakers for the Post Oil City Workshops has been released, an experts from the private and public sectors will be on hand to take part in the series of workshops focused on energy, mobility and food security. Presented by CAUSES and the Goethe-Institut Washington, the Post-Oil City exhibition and workshops will present solutions for the post oil city as envisioned by architects, planners, designers and engineers from 10 different countries. The exhibit will be hosted on of UDC’s Van Ness campus from Jan. 30 – March 1 on the second floor of Building 32. The events are free, so register today!

Embedded in the exhibit will be workshops on topics shaping the post-oil city of the future. Each topic will be discussed by panelists representing federal government agencies, district agencies, the private and non-profit sector, and individual residents. Free workshops will be held on the topics of mobility, energy, functionality, water and food security:  

Continue reading for the list of workshops and speakers.

CAUSES TV: Food Security

Food is fundamental to our health and well-being. If we don’t eat right we don’t feel right. Can the city of Washington, D.C. do more to ensure that everyone has access to healthy food?

On this episode of CAUSES TV, Dr. O'Hara interviews Dr. Judy Fisher, Bishop of the Full Gospel Church of the Lord's Missions International, and Gus Schumacher, Executive Vice President of Policy of Wholesome Wave and the former USDA Undersecretary of Agriculture. Together, they discuss the challenges faced in addressing food security in Washington, D.C.

Dean Sabine O'Hara is a firm believer in the motto 'Healthy Cities - Healthy People.'

Internship and Apprenticeship Opportunities

• Military Extension Internship Program 
• National Park Service’s National Capital Region Exotic Plant Management Team
• Eco City Farms

The Military Extension Internship Program is now accepting applications. Travel while putting your education to work and make a difference in the lives of military families and their children. Designed for college students and recent college graduates, this program provides a unique opportunity to gain practical work experience in child development plus schoolage and youth programs. As an intern, you will live and work on military installations around the globe for 10-15 weeks. Among the required documentation is at least one recommendation from someone for whom you have worked or volunteered in a child or youth development capacity and a 500-600 word essay outlining why you are applying, what knowledge and skills you will bring to the internship, what you hope to gain from the experience, and how the internship will support your educational and professional goals. Visit www.ydae.purdue.edu/military for more information. This program is supported by the Cooperative Extension System and its 4-H Youth Development Program.

Lead Abatement Short Course

Upcoming Events

 CAUSES is offering several events in 2014, so mark your calendars!

Post-Oil City Exhibition and Workshops (Jan. 30 - March 1)

City life over the past 50 years has been very oil dependent. Can cities function without oil and what would such a city look like? The negative side effects of fossil fuel use are becoming increasingly apparent and costly. Presented by CAUSES and the Goethe-Institut Washington, the Post Oil City Exhibition will present solutions for the post oil city as envisioned by architects, planners, designers and engineers from 10 different countries. The exhibit will be hosted on UDC’s Van Ness campus from Jan. 30 – March 1.The exhibit will be available for viewing from Jan. 30 – March 1. Free workshops will be held between Jan. 31 and Feb. 21 on the topics of mobility, energy, functionality, water and food security. The opening reception will be held Jan. 30 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Learn more to see when the free workshops will be held and be sure to register.

Invasive Removal at Dumbarton Oaks Park (Feb. 15)

This is the first of the monthly Saturday invasive plant removals. Though Dumbarton Oaks Park isn’t technically Rock Creek Park, it is managed by the National Park Service and adjoins with Rock Creek Park. We will be joining forces with Ann Aldridge of Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy. Dumbarton Oaks, formerly part of the Dumbarton Oaks Estate, is a lovely section of Parkland that was designed by Beatrix Farrand, America’s first female professional landscape architect. Volunteers have had a huge impact on the invasive plants in this section of park, but there is always more to do! The removal will start at 10:00 a.m. and end at 2:00 p.m. Please RSVP to Mary Farrah (mfarrah@udc.edu) for the meet-up location. 

Lead Abatement Worker Course (March 14 and 17)

As part of its efforts to be ever more relevant to the needs of residents and communities of D.C., UDC is offering training for participants interested in becoming certified lead abatement workers. Attendees of the two day Lead Abatement Worker Course will: 1) Engage in interactive classroom training, 2) Participate in a small classroom setting and one-on-one training, 3) Receive  a comprehensive manual to keep for future reference, 4) Engage in hands on training in a state of the art containment room and 5) Receive a Lead Abatement Worker Certificate of Completion. The first day of the course will be held on Jan. 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the second day on Jan. 24. The course, which has a fee of $275, will be repeated in April. Contact Marshelle Hailstock at mhailstock@udc.edu or (202) 274-7115 for more information.

What is a Land-Grant University?

You may have heard that the University of the District of Columbia is a land-grant university, but do you know what exactly that is?

Land-grant universities provide education both on campuses and in communities. Signed by President Lincoln In 1862, the Morrill Act established the creation of the land-grant university. In 1887, the Hatch Act expanded the mission of land-grant colleges by providing states with federal funds to establish what are known as Agricultural Experiment Stations (AES), which research solutions to individual state agricultural concerns, such as the correlation between soil and crop management.

The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 created the Cooperation Extension Service (CES), where representatives known as extension agents were tasked with teaching the community with lessons learned from agricultural research conducted at the experiment stations. CES is designed to “bring land-grant expertise to the most local of levels.” The program is run by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) and is supported specifically by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture  (NIFA).

Being a public and a land-grant institution makes the University of the District of Columbia different from the other colleges and universities local to the Washington, D.C. metro area. In the following CAUSES TV video, UDC Interim President James Lyons and CAUSES Dean Sabine O'Hara discuss how as a land-grant, the University of D.C. serves particular needs for the District's residents.