Posts tagged Environment
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“Green infrastructure” for clean water shows its worth in DC
A small number of cities, including DC, are starting to embrace “green infrastructure” — rain gardens, bioswales, tree trenches, permeable pavement, green roofs, and other forms that combine old and new technology to absorb more rainwater where it falls. Keep reading…
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National links: When environmental review makes it easier to build a highway than a subway, something’s gone wrong
Environmental regulations are supposed to help the environment, right? Amazon’s latest revolutionary idea is… going to the store. We can’t address the climate crisis without talking about driving. Keep reading…
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Green banks, explained
Green banks are part of a long tradition of using public or collective dollars to sway private investment into serving markets that it hasn’t served, or providing products it hasn’t provided before. Neither they nor the private sector can fund everything that’s needed to address climate change, but green banks exist to bring the private sector’s attention and resources to the issue in ways that it isn’t or can’t otherwise. Keep reading…
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Where do DC’s electronics go when they die?
The District has considerable work to do to keep up with demand for recycling of electronic waste. Keep reading…
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This weird fruit is native to North America and an ‘ecological anachronism’
I was standing in a parking lot in Montgomery County on Saturday when something big and hard hit the ground near me with a loud cracking sound. What had fallen next to me was a Maclura pomifera, otherwise known as the Osage orange. I picked it up, and so began a lesson in the native fruit trees of North America and the eccentricities of our local ecology. Keep reading…
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Environmentalists and development: a complex relationship in a hyperbolic election season
In election races in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, candidates are claiming they “support the environment” or “are for smart growth.” Some of those candidates also seem to be against most development while others are more supportive. It’s hard to make sense of all this. What’s the green view of growth? Keep reading…
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DC’s bicycle commuter movement was activated 51 years ago
People in Washington, DC have been biking to work, and for work, for more than a century, but the bicycle commuter movement in DC celebrates something of an anniversary this year. It was in 1969 that the District Council held the first hearing on bicycle commuting and the the District subsequently installed the first bicycle route for commuters. Keep reading…
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DC has committed to stop burning fossil fuels by 2050. Washington Gas has another plan.
In March, Washington Gas unveiled its “climate business plan” purporting to explain how the utility will comply with DC’s commitment of carbon neutrality by 2050. But instead of laying out a vision of renewable energy from sources like wind and solar, the utility’s plan calls for continued burning of fossil fuels. Keep reading…
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DC has until 2050 to reach carbon neutrality. GGWash will cover how we get there.
DC created a plan with an aggressive timeclock to deal with climate change. The District plans to use 100% renewable energy sources and cut 50% of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2032. It also plans to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Keep reading…
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What will it take for Virginia to get all-electric school buses?
School buses don’t often register in big discussions about climate change, but switching a fleet from diesel to electric could have big benefits. Keep reading…