Doug Emhoff, Second Gentleman, Learns to Compost
During the campaign, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff said that he would use his groundbreaking role to elevate food insecurity and its issues. On his first solo public outing, which took place right here in Washington, DC, he made efforts on that promise by meeting with our partner nonprofit organization, Dreaming Out Loud (DOL). They have the dual mission of decreasing food insecurity and increasing economic opportunity for Washingtonians, and we lead their composting operations. In that capacity, we help train staff and community members on the processes and importance of composting as a part of their workforce development program. We also coordinate with critical supporting partners such as the Dept of Parks and Recreation, Dept of Public Works, DC Central Kitchen, and the Kelly Miller Middle School. Check out the video here of DOL's Chris Bradshaw showing him the composter!
“This is just so amazing to see the passion, the way these folks are approaching this and how they’re serving the community and coming to a school on a plot of land that hadn’t been used and to actually grow food and then serve the community that way, and also to educate the community about what's going on,” Emhoff said.
We hope to see his influence with Vice President Harris bear fruit on firm federal policy supporting stripping away racial inequities in our food systems. Such changes would support our work and our many partners in Washington, DC and the DMV region.
New to Loop Closing? Click on this LC link to subscribe, and we will keep you informed on how to take action. Be sure to tune in on March 9th to the DC Council Committee on Transportation and the Environment Budget Oversight Hearing for the Dept of Public Works - our founder and COO Jeffrey Neal will testify on the importance of supporting such #ZeroWaste efforts as decentralized composting at the Dreaming Out Load farm.