Projects

Current GNDC Projects include:

DC’s TOOL LIBRARY!!

Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) Tool Library – now open year-round

A picture of a hedgetrimmer in the sunlight on a bench — Hedgetrimmer! Photo courtesy of GNDC, CC-BY 4.0.

First – we have a new website just for the tool library. So for more information you can go there to learn how to register and more! But the below is still helpful too.

www.dctoollibrary.org

1380 Taylor ST NW, in the Twin Oaks Community Garden.

At the request of DC’s Department of Parks and Recreation, Green Neighbors DC manages DC’s Garden Tool Share, which we call DC’s Tool Library, as it is much more than Garden Tools! We have miter saws, drills, and many, many other construction tools, wet/dry vacs, wrenches and other hand tools, paper shredders, and even some solar ovens and camping gear! And then a wonderful selection of shovels, rakes, hoes, etc. – even to do a group garden event. Oh, and then there are the ice cream maker and the snowcone machine.

AND this spring we are creating a second branch of the tool library at Lederer Gardens in Ward 7!

LIBRARY HOW-TOS

Register. To view online and reserve from the list of 400+ tools, please email GREENNEIGHBORSDC@GMAIL.COM, so we can create a user account for you. We will need:

Name, email, phone, and DC DL# or other proof of residency to show that you are a DC resident.

We’ll register you in the system, and you will get a verification email from “AssetTiger” (The system underneath is based on AssetTiger software, with our logo.) Click on it, set up your password, and you are good to reserve a tool.

You can also make an appointment with us to come by and see the library first and/or check out tools then – just bring your DC DL.

Step-by-Step Guide: A guide to how to use the system can be found at https://greenneighborsdc.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/step-by-step-guide-to-the-online-dpr-tool-library-system.2021.joining.pdf.

Please email us if you have any questions in the meantime, greenneighborsdc@gmail.com.

Reservations are limited for a one-week period. If no one else has reserved the tool for use after that, you can renew for a week.

LIBRARY SCHEDULE – by Appointment only

The library is inside the Twin Oaks Community Garden’s buildings, 1380 Taylor St NW, and we run entirely on volunteers, so an appointment is needed.

Our Schedule is determined WEEKLY (almost daily) the week of, so don’t despair looking ahead and not seeing dates. We’re working each week on getting enough volunteers to start filling out times.

Make sure to send a message to us so we can let the volunteer know that you are coming: http://www.greenneighborsdc@gmail.com. And we’re still working on making this even more efficient, somehow.

If you need another time, though please send the suggested date/time to us and we’ll see if one our on-call volunteers is available.

Do give us 24 hrs notice please.

OTHER PROJECTS/ISSUES WE’RE INVOLVED IN

Local to global issues that directly affect our neighborhood.

Climate Change. Our world is changing very rapidly with greenhouse gases, urban heat island effects, and motorized vehicles everywhere – yielding higher global temperatures every year. Though our specific neighborhoods are ~200 feet above the Chesapeake Bay, much of DC will be affected, as the world is affected. Lower portions of DC will be flooded at high tide, water supplies will change, and more snow is forecast in winter while even higher temperatures are anticipated for the summer (affecting our utility prices), and even plant, insect, wildlife cycles will change, as will diseases. As one of us was bitten by a mosquito in January of last year – this is not good! GN is involved locally in efforts to help prevent climate change – from helping neighbors pursue renewable energy, to promoting the planting of trees to prevent the urban heat island effect. Many of us also join in regional, national, and international initiatives. We plan to be a clearinghouse for local action.

Wildlife Protection and Safety. Even though we are urban dwellers, wildlife exists in DC, and interacts with folks. From snowy owl sightings, to raccoons, possums, and squirrels raiding our trash cans (and the night creature that shall remain nameless),

gn-at-petworth-community-market-6-11-16-3 — At the GNDC booth at the Petworth Farmer’s Market

there are many creatures that still live in the environment we keep changing. Migratory birds fly overhead, and stop in our parks. Songbirds now sing much earlier due to streetlights, and wear themselves out. How do we interact with them, and help protect them? Keep watch for a quarterly post about some of our furrier green neighbors. And we’re looking for resources and great stories!

And many thanks to two GN members who wrote up this handout on creating bee-friendly gardens.

Create-a-bee-friendly-urban-garden

More to come…