The Well at Oxon Run, DC Greens’ urban farm located in Southeast DC

“Advancing health equity by building a just and resilient food system,” is the powerful mission statement which drives DC Greens, one of Sol Systems’ newest community partners. DC Greens is a Black-led, multiracial organization actively making healthy and local food accessible to underserved DC communities.

Sol Systems is partnering with DC Greens as a part of the Sol Profit Share initiative. Sol’s Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (“SREC”) aggregation customers can select a Sol Profit Share contract which provides customers with a guaranteed, fixed payment per SREC, plus, additional profit when SREC prices rise. In conjunction, Sol Systems also donates five percent (5%) of its net Sol Profit Share profits to non-profit organizations working to support renewable energy access and sustainability. With the 2022 profits from the Sol Profit Share initiative, Sol Systems funds support DC Greens as they continue serving Washington, DC communities through urban farming and food education initiatives.

At “The Well at Oxon Run,” DC Greens’ farm in Southeast DC, the team cultivates crops, hosts nutrition education seminars, and fosters local engagement through volunteer opportunities. The Well’s farm staff utilize sustainable farming practices, including companion planting, rainwater capture, and natural pest management, indicative of DC Greens’ commitment to local environmental stewardship. The crops grown at The Well are packaged into produce boxes and distributed to community members, an initiative strengthened by DC Greens’ collaboration with Capital Area Food Bank. Additionally, the team spearheads a Produce Prescription program to enable doctors to prescribe fresh fruit and vegetables to patients experiencing diet-related, chronic illnesses. The program has supported over 1,400 adults and 900 children on Medicaid to access healthy food through participating grocery stores – reflecting DC Greens’ efforts to advance health and wellbeing through nutrition.

Squash, beans, and corn grown using the “Three Sisters,” companion planting method

Through the 2022 Sol Profit Share funding, DC Greens will purchase a growing season’s worth of compost, soil, and woodchips to ensure The Well can remain a productive hub for crop cultivation. Already, both DC Greens and Sol Systems use services from Veteran Compost, a locally run, veteran-owned business. Sol Systems sends food waste from our DC office to Veteran Compost’s processing facilities, and DC Greens purchases compost to enrich the growing soil; this transformation of waste to fresh food between the three organizations will continue in future years.

Overall, Sol Systems is looking forward to continuing to engage DC Greens and their farming operations at The Well. Sol’s SREC Profit Share customers have helped make the community partnership opportunity possible, advancing Sol Systems’ ambition to create impact through infrastructure and local collaboration. To learn more about how DC Greens is supporting a sustainable and resilient food system in the Washington DC area, please visit their website at: dcgreens.org.

The Well’s “Donor Wall,” highlighting their strong network of community support