For the past five years, D.C. Greenworks has worked with residents of three of the most diverse urban communities of Washington, D.C.—Shaw (from 1st to 15th Street, NW and from Florida Avenue to M Street, NW); Trinidad, and East of the River (Wards 7 & 8).

Our communities are often described by their needs, or thought of only in negative terms. The word "Anacostia", to many in D.C.—and even around the country—recalls images of blight, crime, and a lack of public or private investment. "Anacostia" is really a catch-all term for a collection of neighborhoods in the forgotten part of our nation's capital—a place that many of the political and economic elite would rather ignore until it comes time to site public housing projects and prisons. These neighborhoods are separated from the bulk of the city by the Anacostia River—which has in turn allowed it to become an out-of-sight host for the city's mentally ill, indigent elderly, impounded cars, and sewage. Lamont Mitchell, who owns the Imani Cafe in Anacostia (for a number of years its only sit-down restaurant), noted, "We are one mile from the Capitol. But the river represents for us...the unspoken warning: Don't cross over."

Shaw is often described in contrast to the "more stable" communities that surround it, or thought of for its drug corners and social needs. Many of the more affluent residents of the District avoid Shaw, or at least lock their doors when they have to drive through. The problems of our neighborhood are often described by outsiders with binders called "community profiles" that list "objective statistics" of crime, employment, and income. The solutions for our neighborhood are often prescribed by "experts." People see Shaw for the trash, boarded buildings, and violence that are common in our neighborhood. And of course, race becomes inextricably linked with these perceptions of our communities.

We begin to see ourselves through these eyes as well, and tied up with the "negative" pictures comes a loss of pride in ourselves, our communities, and our environment. As Ms. Frieda Murray of the Anacostia Garden Club states, "The way we treat our environment has a lot to do with how we feel about ourselves and our community." And the reverse is also true.

Yet our communities are also places of resources. They have a rich history and culture. Anacostia is the home of many historic houses, including the Frederick Douglass Home and the Smithsonian's Anacostia Museum of African-American history. In Shaw, a tourist walk through the neighborhood depicts the rich history of the neighborhood. It was once "Duke Ellington's Washington" and the home of many musicians and civil rights activists. Today, in Malcolm X Park, a troupe of African drummers regularly practices bringing to life the beat of our community, and residents can still feel that sense of culture here.

Although "inner-city" communities, East of the River, Trinidad, and Shaw have important natural resources and resource opportunities. Anacostia borders the Anacostia National Park, which runs along the Anacostia River. The river itself has been becoming cleaner in recent years. Just a few minutes from the Mall, Anacostia boasts some of the best views in the city, and still has some large forested tracks in both public and private ownership, including many mature, specimen trees on the grounds of Saint Elizabeth's. We also have numerous green space opportunities including national park lands, private yards, pocket parks, and open spaces within housing developments. Some of these opportunities in East of the River neighborhoods, along the Anacostia River tributaries, and within Federally-owned forest lands include residential greening and park building, tree plantings, vacant lot improvements, LID installations, and even streambank stabilization, invasive management, and woodland restoration in mowed medians.

Shaw borders on Meridian Hill / Malcolm X Park in which ANC Commissioner Deborah Thomas used to picnic and camp. In this community, there are opportunities for improving yards, streetscapes, and vacant lots; for turning abandoned spaces into gardens, orchards, or tree nurseries; for putting a tree in front of every house and a greenroof on every rooftop; even for improving native diversity, wildlife habitat, soil conditions and soil permeability.

All three communities are beginning to see economic development. Anacostia is near downtown and yet an affordable place for professionals to live. At least ten public and private housing developments are currently in progress and many more are being planned. Old public housing developments are being demolished, and new lower-density and mixed-income housing is replacing them. In Shaw, new metro stops have recently opened, housing prices are rising, and national chains are opening new stores. With each development also comes an opportunity for green jobs, not only in landscaping and streetscaping but also in the installation and the maintenance of Low Impact Development (LID) features such as green roofs and rain gardens. With new residents come new opportunities for green products, from ecologically sensitive landscaping to nursery products to organically grown food.

One of the greatest strengths of both of our communities is their diversity. Neighborhoods East of the River have a great deal of economic and land use diversity. We have a wonderful mix of residential, commercial, office, and open space areas, which are often overlooked. In Shaw, African-Americans, Hispanics, Caucasians, and Asians live side-by-side. We have a mix of row-homes, apartments, businesses, restaurants, and offices. Embracing this diversity makes all our efforts more challenging, but also stronger.