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Making a Difference in the Great Outdoors!

Thu, 06/18/2015 - 23:04

Here at ENERGY STAR, we have a passion for protecting the environment. In honor of this mission, we hosted the first annual ENERGY STAR Volunteer Day with our 2015 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award winners. These organizations are dedicated to making the world a better place by reducing energy use and protecting the climate, so we asked them to take it a step further and join us for a day of hands-on volunteering in Washington, DC!               

ENERGY STAR partners and EPA staff visited the historic Dumbarton Oaks Park to help remove invasive, non-native plants from native trees and shrubs, while enjoying the beautiful outdoors. Often described as a “secret garden,” this nearly-century-old park features a landscape of meadows, woodlands, paths, ponds, and waterfalls and is known as one of the United States’ 10 greatest garden landscape designs. Who knew such a lush forest and park was hidden in the midst of busy, downtown DC?

“The work everyone did will make a great difference this summer and helps prepare the area for a major effort next year. I know our folks really enjoyed meeting everyone and hearing lots of stories about lots of good work.” – Ann Aldrich, Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy Restoration Director

We rolled up our sleeves, got our hands dirty, and with our partners’ support, did our part to help ensure the park remains beautiful for generations to come! A warm thank you to everyone who joined us in a day of service to celebrate Mother Earth. We had a wonderful time learning more about our partners and spending quality time in the great outdoors.

“The park was a wilderness full of the beauty of native species in the heart of the nation’s capital.It was pleasing to see the variety of volunteers from around the country taking time to volunteer to the efforts of park restoration in an informal, fun way.” – Philip Henson, Sr. Manager, Energy and Environmental Sustainability, Hanes Brands Inc.

EPA Partners

EPA and our partners rolled up our sleeves to remove invasive plants and more to help restore the historic Dumbarton Oaks Park in Washington, DC.

Doug Anderson

Doug Anderson, EPA, is no beginner when it comes to landscaping!

Whirlpool

The Whirlpool team learned some pointers on how to make the park more sustainable, while enjoying the lovely weather at Volunteer Day!

Hands_Legs

Volunteers weren’t afraid to get their hands (and legs!) dirty while removing invasive, non-native plants.

Columbia Gas_AEP

Morning meetings didn’t stop Columbia Gas of Ohio and AEP Ohio from lending a hand.

Volunteers

Volunteers learned a variety of sustainable restoration practices (and how to pose with landscaping tools!) from the knowledgeable Dumbarton Oaks Conservancy staff.

Rolling up your sleeves

Rolling up your sleeves can be fun when it’s for a great cause!

Directv_Hanes

Members from DIRECTV and Hanes covered a lot of ground.

Additional Links:

Learn more about Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy here: http://dopark.org/

Read Burton Energy Group’s Blog post about the event: http://www.theenergytrail.com/epa-volunteer-day/

Get involved in your community with ENERGY STAR: www.energystar.gov/changetheworldtour

Tags:

Volunteer, Earth Day, Partner of the Year, POY, event

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