Incubating Programs
DC Greens has a history of creating programs with an eye toward systemic uptake. We are here to germinate and support creative solutions and then step aside so that they can thrive without us. Since our founding, we have incubated a number of programs that are now a part of the city fabric or have grown to be run independently, including:
Produce Plus
In 2012, DC Greens led the charge in securing funding from the city to support a city-wide farmers market incentive program. In 2015, DC Greens took on the labor of running this city-wide program (Produce Plus) in collaboration with DC Health, 36 farmers markets, over 100 farmers, and a Farmers’ Market Brigade of over 300 volunteers (40% of whom were Produce Plus customers themselves). In 2015, working closely with customers, DC Greens successfully advocated for permanent funding in the city budget for this critical food access program. In 2021, we completed our final season as the program administrator, and handed the reins over to FRESHFARM market, who is the current administrator of the program together with DC Health. To learn more about the upcoming Produce Plus season, check FRESHFARM’s website and follow the FRESHFARM Instagram page.
Read our program reports:
Rooting DC
In 2013, DC Greens became the backbone organization of Rooting DC, a collaboratively organized annual free urban gardening forum designed to provide education about urban agriculture and food systems while building community. Drawing from the range and depth of expertise in the mid-Atlantic, Rooting DC provides free hands-on gardening workshops and discussions so that attendees can learn new skills and engage with key issues around food justice and food policy. With over 1200 attendees from all across the region, Rooting DC has been the premiere event for those working on (and in) the ground in the nation's capital. In 2021, DC Greens advocated for funding in the city budget so that Rooting DC could live inside of the Department of Energy and the Environment.