Washington, DC – The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) will hold the first in a series of home improvement workshops on Saturday, July 17th from 9:00am to 1:00pm at the Home Depot at 901 Rhode Island Avenue, NE.

The event will include clinics offering practical tips and demonstrations to homeowners on how to make their dwellings more weather-proof and how to complete some projects without having to call a professional. DCRA and other District agency staff will be on hand to answer questions and provide one on one guidance on the permitting process.

"This is our second year of offering these workshops and they've been very successful," said DCRA Director Linda K. Argo. "We're excited to bring together local businesses and city staff to help homeowners build safely and be more environmentally friendly."

The multi-agency, multi-discipline event will be hosted in partnership with:

• DC’s Home Improvement LLC
• The Solar Energy Company
• NDS Fixit
• Stone World
• Rain Barrels
• ECO Green Living
• The Home Depot
• District Department of the Environment
• DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency
• DC Department of Public Works
• Casey Trees

The Department of Public Works (DPW) will be giving away free compost, the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) will be giving away winterization kits and other freebies will be given away during the event.