Next-Gen Cityscapes: solarpunk Progress in the Capital

Explore the forefront of sustainable urban innovation as the DMV pioneers cutting-edge energy solutions and community-driven environmental initiatives.

Power to the People

Did you know the DC-MD-VA region is pioneering some impressive technologies in decentralizing and bringing greater equity to the electricity grid? Sunrun has launched the U.S.’s first vehicle-to-home grid support in Maryland using Ford F-150 Listening trucks. In partnership with the state’s largest utility, Baltimore Gas and Electric (of Exelon Corporation), the initiative leverages all-electric Ford F-150 Lightening trucks to deliver electricity to owners’ homes during peak summer demand times from June 1 to September 30, 2024 to support Maryland’s power grid. The program demonstrates how bidirectional EV charging can reduce the strain on the power grid and unlock even more value for consumers.

Demonstrations of virtual power plants (VPPs) like this program can help support improving grid efficiency and reliability with distributed energy resources, allowing more power (pun intended) in the hands of customers while helping reach state net-zero emission goals.

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Micro-Mobility in the Capital

E-bikes and e-scooters are zipping their way into the heart of the DMV with more trips than ever before! Since their big breakout in 2021, every summer has seen the streets feel more lively and the paths fill up a bit more. And this August? We're gearing up for an all-time high in trips and miles traveled. Get ready to join the micro-mobility movement and see where two wheels can take you this summer!

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A Walkable City Supports a Fitter Community….Go Figure

For the seventh year in a row, Arlington County is named as America’s “fittest city,” with Washington, DC. also in the top three. Helping its ranking by the American College of Spots Medicine (ACSM), Arlington was the top “city” in community and environmental indicators.

National Landing, for example, is Virginia’s largest walkable downtown, with parks (we love a picnic at Gravelly Point), access to major trails (shout out to our friends at the Mt. Vernon Trail), and lots of community-oriented activities, like free outdoor summer exercise classes at the Water Park. The re-developed neighborhood also boasts protected bike lanes, where parked cars serves as a barrier between bikes and car traffic. It’s no wonder folks are encouraged to be outside, active, and in touch with their community surroundings.

Overall, ACSM found more people are walking and biking to work around the country, more public spending on parks, and slightly improved food security. Still, residents in the 100 largest cities are not exercising enough, sleeping enough, or maintaining adequate physical and mental health.

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Community Gardens - Can’t get anymore solarpunk than that

solarpunk dc has had such a fun time getting to know a local favorite, City Blossoms. A non-profit focused on interactive and creative programming around community centered, kid-driven gardens. City Blossoms has around 30 gardens around DC at public schools and communal sites, and share our vision for urban areas with abundant green spaces that encourage communities, especially children, to foster a deeper and more meaningful connection to nature and their food sources. After spending a morning helping out at their Kelly Miller garden and winning a “best drink” award for our strawberry basil lemonade at their Basil Bonanza community gathering, we can’t wait to bring our professional climate and clean energy groups to volunteer with City Blossoms in September. Hopefully, we can eventually round up some solarpunk dc readers to do the same!

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DC’s Thriving Thrift Culture

On any giving weekend in the DMV, you are bound to find a thriving flea market, a vintage pop-up, a library’s used book sale, or a goods swap. It’s a fun way to be creative while shopping and get a glimpse of others’ creativity. Not to mention the deals you can snag while getting some extra loved styles, tools, and even furniture. In DC, thrifting is an adventure for Gen-Z college students and boomers alike. If you love to people-watch like I do, you’ll notice the diversity of folks who are interacting with one another out in the open air market of gently loved goods and the shared appreciation for creativity, individuality, and sustainability. It’s exciting to see what a circular economy can look like at a micro-level, here in the the nation’s capital, while knowing that down the street at the nation’s Capitol, legislators are working with companies like Patagonia and ThredUp to help address America’s obsession with “fast fashion” through the new “Slow Fashion Caucus.”