Smithsonian Institute celebrates Earth Day in the community

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. went out into the community Saturday to celebrate the upcoming Earth Day holiday.

The Anacostia Community Museum and Smithsonian Institute’s second annual earth day celebration worked to engage the surrounding community with the earth.

Museum acting director Shanita Brackett said Earth Day is the perfect opportunity to highlight how communities can help the earth.

“It’s an opportunity for people to reflect back and in this particular neighborhood really thinking about how historic this place is to the Washington DC environment,” Brackett said. “Here on site today we’re handing out seeds, [there’s a stand for] Freshfarm where you can pick up produce, learning about recipes that you can actually create from what you might grow in your own backyard or from a farm nearby.”

Anacostia is a community that faces a disproportionately high level of food insecurity. Freshfarm stand manager Price Holman said Freshfarm is one organization working to fix that.

“East of the [Potomac] River we have not as many grocery stores in some of these wards around here, so its really important that fresh food gets here and that our community has options,” Holman said.

Freshfarm values sustainability, making Earth Day a good opportunity for the organization to focus on the future.

“It really just takes us back to what are we going to need in the future, how are we going to continue to make sure what we’re putting in our bodies is nutritious, what we’re breathing in is still safe,” Holman said.

One highlight of the Earth Day celebration was a 3-D chalk mural of flowers and ducks from the artist group Chalk Riot.

The mural’s designer said she wanted to highlight the nature of the surrounding Anacostia area.

“Earth Day is important because the residents love the nature and the community, and they always interact with it, and it brings them joy and peace,” Ann Gill said. “It just brings a recognition to people to take care of the earth that they live in.”

Earth Day started in 1970 and is celebrated every year on April 22.

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