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D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser joined District Department of Energy and Environment Director Tommy Wells and his staff Friday to kick off Earth Day weekend by distributing free pollinator plant seeds at 17 Metro stations across the city.
In addition to encouraging residents to plant backyard habitats that enhance the survival of important native pollinators like bees and butterflies, this year’s giveaway included a special theme: D.C. statehood.
“As we continue the hard work of increasing resilience, reducing carbon emissions, and restoring our waterways, today’s event is just one of the ways we’re engaging residents in the effort to make D.C. the healthiest, greenest, most sustainable city in the world,” Bowser said. “By growing pollinator plants, residents will play a critical role in ensuring our city’s native pollinator population continues to grow.”
Wells added that providing seeds to grow native flowers has been a critical part of DDOE’s mission.
“It’s an important opportunity to meaningfully engage our residents, helping make the restoration of our natural urban habitat a shared value — and responsibility — for everyone,” he said.
The seed giveaway comes on the heels of the official release of the 2017 Sustainable DC Progress Report. Sustainable DC, first released in 2013, is the citywide plan to become the healthiest, greenest and most livable city in the United States in just one generation.