So as I already posted in our Climate Steps Facebook Discussion Group (www.fb.com/groups/ClimateSteps) – I have discovered one of the most fun ways to fight climate change – throw a climate party. My friends Max, Nick, and I did, and it was a total success. We invited friends, and then we put an invite up on the neighborhood listserve. We had at least 32 people show up – including six who came due to the list serve. But then we also had a killer invitation:

My friend Max and I are finally fulfilling our New Year’s resolution: to throw a vegan/vegetarian (more vegan) potluck at my place. I’ve been vegetarian now for 25 years, and Max has been a vegan for eight, so this potluck is to celebrate and share the great, great recipes we’ve been tasting.

But there’s more. Green Neighbors DC is helping sponsor the event by paying for the rights to screen “Being the Change: A New Kind of Climate Documentary.” New Society Publishers. So we’ll combine our potluck with a movie night — an outdoor movie night if the weather (and mosquitoes) are good, as we have a projector and an actual movie screen salvaged from a theater that we’ll hang off of next-door neighbor Mel’s shed. Preceded and followed by Wallace and Gromit – just because.

I hope you all can make it. Dinner will be at 7 PM; outdoor (or indoor) movie begins at dusk.

It’d be great to aim for vegan (no diary or eggs) food, but vegetarian is welcome as well. However, please no meat/chicken/seafood, etc. – it would kindof defeat the purpose of our celebration! Any questions on what to bring, please feel free to ask me.

Two (propane) grills and two solar cookers will be going and there’ll be plenty of food if you don’t know what to cook. Bring your own plates, cups, and silverware so we can cut down on waste too. (That last sentence is Max, who is super green. I will have compostable plates and reusable utensils no worries.)

Finally, various folks from Green Neighbors DC and Citizens Climate Lobby will be there if you have any questions about their (our) work. Oh, and if you are curious about what a solatube (i.e., a tubular skylight), rain barrel, compost barrel, worm bin, rain garden, and finally a green roof look like, come for that as well. The city provided rebates for some of it, so I’m happy to show them off. See you soon!

We ate, we discussed, laughed, and watched W&G and freaked some young kids out, and then we watched a climate movie and discussed. And the nice thing about environmentally interested folks – they clean up before they leave. Try it.

And via my friend Nina Chkhenkeli, photo attached.