2020 Food Recovery Presentation and Event Schedule

One of the 2020 goals of the DC Food Recovery Working Group (DCFRWG) is to offer monthly educational workshops and professional networking opportunities for our 300+ person food recovery advocate network in the greater DC area.  These educational and networking opportunities will occur, along with other group updates and cooperative initiatives, during the DCFRWG monthly meetings on the first Friday of each month (second if its a holiday weekend) at 3-5pm. Email dcfoodrecovery@gmail.com if you want to receive the monthly invite with more meeting details. Also email if you would like to present on a DC food recovery resource or initiative, or lead a training.

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2020 Learning, Networking and Professional Development Schedule

Lectures: focused on teaching specific skills or strategies
Presentations: focused on presenting overviews of food recovery resources or initiatives
Events: focused on networking, highlighting food-waste reduction efforts across DC.

Oct 2

  • Presentation: EPA’s Excess Food Opportunities Map
    • Description:  Claudia Fabiano, from the US EPA Sustainable Management of Food Team, will present how the U.S. EPA Excess Food Opportunities Map supports nationwide diversion of excess food from landfills. The interactive map identifies and displays facility-specific information about potential generators and recipients of excess food in the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors and also provides estimates of excess food by generator type.
  • Presentation: Team Up on Food Waste @ DC Wards 7 & 8
    • The Team Up on Food Waste @ DC Wards 7 and 8 action research project engaged a team (10) of residents of ward 7 and 8 to track our own “preventable food waste” and generate and test ideas for taking action to reduce it. A goal of the project was to learn how to modify messages about taking action on food waste to be inclusive for families that are facing challenges to food access and food security. The action research methodology was modeled off of the EPA’s Food: Too Good to Waste toolkit and was designed with insightful input from many members of the FTGTW Peer Network. We will share lessons learned and hear directly from several of the teammates. This project was part of a partnership funded by Sustainable DC and implemented by Loop Closing LLC, Recycle Leaders LLC and Soilful LLC. For more information see the project page.
      Speakers: Beth Gingold (Recycle Leaders LLC); Taft Barber, Charday Eury, Gina Bulett (Team Up on Food Waste action research teammates)
Oct 12-17

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Past Workshop

March 6

  • Lecture: Distributed Composting Solutions by Loop Closing
    • Description: Jeffrey Neal from Loop Closing will talk about possible distributed solutions to composting for DC
  • Presentation: East of the River Compost Stewards Program
    • Description: DPW Waste Diversion team is launching a composting stewards program for the residents of Ward 7 & 8. Howard Lee from DPW and Zero Waste DC will provide a brief overview of the program and hopeful plans for the future.

April 3

  • Presentation: Overview of DC food Recovery
    • Description: Josh Singer, from the DPR Urban Garden Division will provide an overview of numerous food recovery options for consumers, businesses, and school in DC, as well as an overview of dc food policy and laws, including an update to the Save the Good Food Act passed in 2018.
  • Presentation: EatOrToss: Would you eat THAT?
    • Description: EatOrToss.com founder Rachael Jackson will share the story of the consumer-oriented website that uses fun, educational content to prevent food waste. The presentation will include images of “questionable”-looking food, along with the science behind why each item looks “off.” Would you eat an orange that turned purple or a turnip with a maggot in it? Learn what the science says in this presentation of some of the weirdest topics covered by EatOrToss. 

May 1

  • Lecture: Grants in the Food Waste Space
    • Description:  Jeffrey Neal from Loop Closing and Caroline Howe from Sustainable DC will present on best practices on finding and getting grants in the food waste space.
  • Presentation: 2018 Farm Bill Programs
    • Description: Lindsay Smith, the Regional Food Systems Value Chain Coordinator from MWCOG will present an overview of 2018 Farm Bill programs that support local and regional food system development and an update on new funds that will be available through the USDA Office of Urban Agriculture once established, including compost-related grants.

July 10

  • Lecture: Website Optimization/SEO
    • Description: Howard Lee from DPW and Zero Waste DC will teach a class that’s helpful for bloggers and anyone with a website that want to increase traffic.  this class will explain how to effectively use Social Media to bring traffic and the role great copy content and design play in website optimization.  This class will also have a brief overview of graphic design principals and tools to help create your work.

Sept 11

  • Presentation: All about Food Recovery Network’s Programs
    • Description: Cassie Olovsson, the Manager of External Partnerships at Food Recovery Network, will present on all the amazing programs the Food Recovery Network works on, including their Food Recovery Verified program, which recognizes and promotes food businesses and events that are working to fight waste and feed people through food recovery.
  • Presentation: DC Food Project
    • Description: Alyssa MacClellan and Lucie Lebois, founders of the DC Food Project, will present on the work their non-profit organization is doing to  reduce food waste in D.C. schools while improving access to healthy food for students through two initiatives: Share Tables & the Weekend Bag Program. 
  • Presentation: The Food Matters Action Kit- A Resource to Teach Kids About Reducing Food Waste