Posts tagged Environment
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Lawns are green—they’re also terrible for the environment
I made my childhood fortune pulling dandelions. My father saw dandelions as the scourge of his beautiful green lawn. He paid two cents per pulled dandelion, provided the roots came up, too. I had job security because the neighbors let their dandelions go to seed, assuring that there would always be more dandelions for me to pull. Keep reading…
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Illegal dumping is a big problem in our region. Here’s how local jurisdictions are tackling it.
Tires, construction debris, furniture—these are among the many things people illegally dump in alleys, roadsides, and other secluded areas all over the Washington region. Local governmental agencies are working together to stop the dumping, and ultimately to curb the environmental damage it causes. Keep reading…
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National links: Northeastern states and DC have a plan to reduce tailpipe pollution
A coalition of northeastern states and the District released a plan to reduce transportation emissions. Miami-Dade County paid $3 billion for more rail and got three miles. Disney’s master-planned dream town Celebration has turned into a nightmare. Keep reading…
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By 2025, we could fish and swim in the once notoriously-polluted Anacostia River
Hundreds of years ago, people could fish and swim in the Anacostia River without worry, but over time it became so polluted that the prospect of swimming or eating anything from it became absurd. The work of local governments and nonprofits, however, has catapulted this idea out from the absurd straight back into the realms of possibility. Keep reading…
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DC is trying to get food waste out of the landfill and back into the soil
DC is trying to reduce the amount of food waste that ends up in landfills and help residents compost it instead so it can enrich the soil instead of being trapped in a landfill. Food is the most common material found in landfills across the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and it produces climate change-inducing gases as it decomposes in this type of environment. Keep reading…
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Ward 8 residents fight invasive species, litter, and discrimination to keep their woods alive
It’s 10:29 am on a Friday in October. Nathan Harrington, founder of Ward 8 Woods, a local DC nonprofit that aims to clean up the forests in Anacostia, has just finished staking a sign onto the side of the road that says, “Your Litter Hits Close To Home.” Keep reading…
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What would DC look like without methane gas?
DC’s gas utility has promised to transition its business model away from selling gas, a necessary step if the District is to achieve its commitment of carbon neutrality by 2050. Keep reading…
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DC & Washington Gas both agree we need to stop burning gas. What’s next?
The clean energy law going into effect this year in DC requires the District’s electricity mix to be 100% clean by 2032, it sets strong energy efficiency requirements for buildings and calls for DC to transition away from gasoline-fueled transportation. But the law is silent on the source of nearly one-fifth of DC’s greenhouse gas emissions: methane gas. Keep reading…
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Opportunity Zones have gotten a lot of criticism. Could they promote equitable green development?
Opportunity Zone funding is a federal program created to drive economic development in “distressed” areas across the United States, including in DC. The program has been received with both criticism and excitement, but something’s been missing from the conversation: The potential to use this money for clean energy and green infrastructure projects. Keep reading…
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Lawns may be green, but they’re terrible for the environment
I made my childhood fortune pulling dandelions. My father saw dandelions as the scourge of his beautiful green lawn. He paid two cents per pulled dandelion, provided the roots came up, too. I had job security because the neighbors let their dandelions go to seed, assuring that there would always be more dandelions for me to pull. Keep reading…