Green-building conference scheduled for Sunday

The event is sponsored by the Takoma Park Recreation Department and the city’s Committee on the Environment. Registration is offered through the city’s Recreation Department. The fee is $5; pre-ordered lunches are no longer available. The event will be held at the Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave.

Call senior planner Ilona Blanchard at 301-891-7205.

Seeking requestsfor traffic studies

The City of Takoma Park is seeking requests for neighborhood traffic-calming studies of city streets. Requests may be submitted to Takoma Park’s Housing and Community Development Department by a neighborhood, residents’ association or the City Council member who represents the neighborhood.

The request must be submitted in writing and should be specific, including a description of overall traffic issues, the area to be studied with street names and relevant intersections, and the specific issues for each identified intersection or street. The deadline for submission is 4:30 p.m. Feb. 23.

Visit www.takomaparkmd.gov for the full text of the notice under News and Announcements. Call 301-891-7119.

Savory Metro launches ‘Compassionate Cuisine’

Gary Vierk’s ‘‘Sunrise Sandwich” isn’t your typical sausage-bacon-cheese breakfast snack. The new addition to the Savory Metro’s menu is made meatless instead, with mock ham, tofu and soy cheese on a bagel.

The sandwich is one of several new meals manager Vierk and an assistant at the Takoma, D.C., eatery have been serving up as part of their new ‘‘Compassionate Cuisine” menu.

‘‘A lot of people get frightened when they hear ‘vegan,’” Vierk said. ‘‘But a plain marinara sauce on pasta can be vegan. Being in the restaurant business, I like to try out new things.”

Vierk learned how to cook vegan meals when he moved to the area, and had a roommate who followed the strict diet: no animal products, including dairy.

‘‘I don’t shut my eyes to anything, so I had to learn how to cook it, because that’s all she wanted to eat,” he said.

Vegan specialties are also available.

Arts for Our Childrenfund-raiser

Nonprofit organization Arts for Our Children will host its first art auction at Trinity Episcopal Church Feb. 17.

Funds raised will be used to provide scholarships for students in the area to receive dance instruction in ballet, tap, modern dance and jazz. Art for the auction will come from Ross Galleries, and most pieces will be priced from $50 to $300.

The preview starts 7 p.m. The live auction begins 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person, with wine, cheese and desserts included.

The church is located at 7005 Piney Branch Road, NW, in Takoma, D.C. For tickets or information call 240-687-4757.

February exhibit

Ann Riley will be the featured artist this month at the Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave. Riley’s paintings reflect her passion for animals, nature and looking at ordinary objects in different ways. The exhibit can be viewed in the atrium and Richard Dempsey Memorial Galleries throughout the month of February.

At the libraries

The Takoma Park Maryland Library’s Teen Book Club will meet 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday. Middle- and high school-age teens snack and chat about the books they’re reading on the their own. Registration is encouraged, but not required. Teens also are invited to contribute to the Teen Book Buzz blog, a Web site for teens’ book reviews. Interested teens can send their contributions to Karen MacPherson at karenm@takomagov.org.

Throughout the month of February, the library’s Children’s Room will feature books by and about African-American authors to recognize Black History Month. The winners of the Coretta Scott King Award, a prize given by the American Library Association and named after the wife of Martin Luther King Jr. will be given extra attention. The library is located at 101 Philadelphia Ave. in Takoma Park. Call 301-891-7259.

The Takoma Park Branch Library, 416 Cedar St. NW just across the D.C. line, will hold a mystery book club meeting 7 p.m. Saturday. Call 202-576-7252.

The Long Branch Library will hold a chocolate-tasting 2 p.m. Saturday, where visitors will be able to hear about the history of what they’ll be sampling and the chance to win a chocolate prize. The Long Branch Library is located at 8800 Garland Ave. in Silver Spring. To register, call 240-777-0910.

Gardening tips

Gardener Gary Cahn will share 30 years worth of experience, research, tips and tricks on getting plants out of seeds in the cold months 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Feb. 21. The event is sponsored by the Takoma Horticultural Club, and will be held in the Azalea Room of the Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave. Admission is free, and open to nonmembers. E-mail cwalczak@helix.nih.gov or visit www.takomahort.org for more information.

Poetry reading

Martin FitzPatrick and Sheema Kalbasi will give a reading at the Community Center 7 p.m. Thursday as part of the Takoma Park Poetry Series.

The series is sponsored by the Takoma Park Arts and Humanities Commission and Poet Laureate Don Berger. The Community Center is located at 7500 Maple Ave. For more information, e-mail ahc@takomagov.org or call 301-891-7224.

Call for books

The Takoma Park Middle School PTA is looking for used books, videos, CDs and DVDs to sell during its March Madness Books and Basketball event March 9. All books are welcome, except out-of-date travel guides and old textbooks. All CDs, DVDs and videos are welcome, as long as they’re not too risqué.

Donations are welcome at the school before and after hours until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. They can be left on the stage of the cafeteria. The school is located at 7611 Piney Branch Road in Takoma Park. Call 301-650-6444.

Send Takoma Park news to Agnes Jasinski at The Gazette, 13501 Virginia Manor Road, Laurel, MD 20707. The phone number is 240-473-7564. The fax line is 240-473-7501. Items can be e-mailed to ajasinski@gazette.net.