The Quiet Revolution of Public Food

Across the DMV, public spaces are becoming edible, equitable, and rooted in community care.

Lavala Harris

and

Shi

Apr 03, 2025

175

solarpunk dc · April 2025 Issue

In our last issue, we dreamed aloud about fruit trees, community abundance, and the quiet rebellion of a world where food is free and growing all around us.

Turns out, it’s not just a theory — it’s already unfolding right here in the DMV.

New Carrollton is turning Veterans Park into a food forest with fruit and nut trees. Hyattsville is quietly offering pesticide-free, pickable bounty in its Emerson Street and McClanahan Food Forests. At George Mason, students planted over 1,700 native species in a “Foragers’ Forest” designed to nourish people and pollinators. Even the USDA’s People’s Garden in D.C. is back, cultivating community and giving away every harvest.

No checkout lines. No fences. Just shared care, sunlight, and seasonal ripeness.

We’re witnessing the seeds of a solarpunk future — one that doesn’t need to be bought or downloaded. It’s growing out of sidewalks and city budgets and collective imagination.

We will be highlighting more of these hyper-local dreams soon. Until then, keep an eye out for what’s growing just around the corner.

Thanks again for that beautiful issue, Lavala!

Stay grounded.
—Shi 🌾

NEW CARROLLTON SAYS "YES"

TO A FOOD FOREST GUYS! Pretty soon you’ll be able to stroll through your neighborhood park and snag a few fresh pecans or pawpaws off a city-planted tree. That’s not some speculative fiction (or just my experience from living back home in Liberia) — that’s the vibe in New Carrollton. Thanks to state Purple Line funds and some good planning juju, Veterans Park is transforming into an edible ecosystem, complete with fruit and nut trees, native species, and a vision for food sovereignty in public space.

This is urban planning with flavor, and it’s what solarpunk tastes like.

🔗 More on the project via WTOP

🌿 Green Spaces: The Quiet Revolution of Public Food

From Hyattsville’s McClanahan and Emerson Street Food Forests to George Mason University’s “Foragers’ Forest,” we’re seeing a new design language pop up: one where fruit is free, kids learn ecology with their hands, and parks are built to nourish.

Hyattsville even dropped the pesticides, so it’s safe to munch straight from the tree. IYKYK: figs hit different when they’re community-grown.

🍊 “A just city feeds you while you walk through it.” — somebody’s wise auntie, probably.

🔗 Hyattsville’s Food Forest Program
🔗 Mason’s Native Forest Launch

♻ Circular Economy: The USDA Gets in on the Action

Remember the People’s Garden? Yeah, the USDA’s flagship community garden right in DC is back, and it’s giving awayits harvest. Crazy to say right? — your federal government is growing food on purpose and not charging for it. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Bonus: They host learning events, seed swaps, and volunteer days to root folks in food justice.

🔗 Welcome Back, People’s Garden

🍄 A City that Grows Itself

Let’s go a bit deeper: these forests aren’t just cute garden projects. They’re systems redesign. This is what it looks like when cities prioritize:

🍎 public health without prescription pads
🍂 resilience in the face of climate crisis
🌳 joy without a transaction

This is food justice wrapped in climate justice, sprinkled with community magic mixed with fufu and soup lmao! — I have way too much fun writing these.
And here’s the thing though— all of this isn’t theoretical. It’s happening quietly. all around us.

Your block could be next :)

Shout out to the volunteer crew at City Blossoms last weekend for hosting Garden Workday at Ft Stanton! 🌻
If you’ve harvested fruit from a public tree or helped plant in a food forest, send us a pic or voice memo — we’re building a Fruitful Futures Map for the DMV!

📧 Drop it to: community@solarpunkdc.com or tag us

solarpunk dc

This Is How We Win

We don’t have to wait for someone in a suit to give us permission. The solarpunk revolution grows from the soil up. Plant a tree. Share a fig. Invite a neighbor. That’s the blueprint.

Until next time…
Keep it punk. Keep it delicious 😋.

—✌🏾 lavala