Casey Trees’ (PARK)ing Day setup in 2012. Photo courtesy Casey Trees.

Tomorrow is (PARK)ing Day, when metered parking spaces across the world, and in D.C., will be transformed into small parks for a few hours.

Once again, Casey Trees, the non-profit agency tasked with protecting and enhancing the city’s tree canopy, will be one of many organizations to set up its own tiny green oasis, this time at 1700 K Street NW from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Timothy Hoagland, digital media associate for Casey Trees, said the main idea behind the day is “taking what people see everyday as a slab of concrete … and really making it stand out with this little pocket park.”

“The bottom line is challenging people to think about green space in D.C.,” Hoagland later added.

Casey Trees’ setup has “grown in size and complexity” since they first started participating in 2011. This year’s park will feature seven tree boxes (three that are already there, plus four fake trees created from post-consumer cardboard), a game called “Ginkgo Plinko” and places to relax. “The overall idea is to capture people’s attention and to engage with them,” Hoagland said. This year, Casey Trees will be joined by salad and wrap company sweetgreen, who will hand out treats and offer coupons for a free lemonade (with the purchase of a wrap or salad).

Hoagland said in past years “passersby have been very intrigued” by the park, and they received “positive feedback” from stores near their temporary setup. “There were one or two establishments that were hesitant at first. They were worried about people’s ability to park” he said. “By the end of the day, they were outside talking with us about their love of their own trees.”

“We were able to turn typical engagements, or ones that weren’t necessarily positive, into really positives one because of our space,” he added.

For the first year, D.C. government agencies, including the Department of Parks and Recreation (of course) and the D.C. Office of Planning, will also participate. Casey Trees has compiled a map of all participating organizations. Check it out below.

If you’re not into maps, here’s a list of locations where there will be (PARK)ing Day spaces:
Capital Bikeshare, 700 F Street NW (They will be hosting their third year anniversary.)
Gensler, 2020 K Street NW
Landscape Architecture Foundation, 1900 M Street NW
National Wildlife Federation, 901 E Street NW
Casey Trees, 1700 K Street NW
Smart Growth America, 1726 M Street NW
DC Greenworks, 927 15th Street NW
OCULUS, 1440 P Street NW
Turkish Policy Center, 1509 Connecticut Avenue NW
baked & wired, 1052 Thomas Jefferson Street NW
History Matters, 1726 14th Street NW
Malmaison, 3401 K Street NW
Fleurir, 3235 P Street NW
Georgetown BID, 3401 K Street NW
Robert Bell Architects, 3214 O Street NW
Cycle Life USA, 3255 K Street NW
NoMa BID, 131 M Street NW
Zipcar, 2021 14th Street NW
BicycleSPACE, 1019 7th Street NW
WABA, 1792 Columbia Road NW
D.C. Dept. of Parks & Recreation, 1250 U Street NW
D.C. Office of Planning, 1100 4th Street SW