Mayor Gray Releases Plan for a Sustainable DC | Article

On February 22, DC Mayor Vincent C. Gray announced a sweeping initiative that would make the District of Columbia the healthiest, greenest, and most livable city in the United States in twenty years. The release of the Sustainable DC Plan , a culmination of 20 months of work, was held at the Earth Conservation Corps Pump House along the Anacostia River, with more than 100 people in attendance.

The plan aims to confront challenges in four key areas: jobs and the economy; equity and diversity; health and wellness; and climate and the environment. It includes long- and short-term measures such as cutting citywide energy use in half, increasing access to healthful and nutritious food, and creating green job trainings in schools. One of the more controversial measures is the proposed “pay-as-you-throw” system, which aims to encourage recycling and composting. It would charge city residents for trash collection based on the size and number of trash cans they request, rather than charge the same fee for all.

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On March 28, the DC Environmental Network (DCEN) will hold a debriefing on the release of Mayor Vincent Gray's report. Details here .

"The release of the Sustainable DC Plan marks both the culmination of a major effort and the first step in a very important journey for the District. To me, creating a more sustainable District means improving the quality of life for every resident,” said Mayor Gray. “We will grow the economy, improve our residents' health and enhance transportation, buildings, parks, and neighborhoods." Already, the city has allocated $4.3 million towards twelve innovative sustainability projects, installed more green roofs than any other city, and built the largest bikeshare program in the country.

Mayor Gray Releases Plan for a Sustainable DC
(Courtesy: Mayor's Office) The initiative first began in the summer of 2011, when Mayor Gray announced his intent to make DC a leader in sustainability and a model for other cities. Soon after, he organized nine public working groups comprising 700 citizens who proposed ideas for how to make the city greener. Ultimately, thousands of people gave their input on the plan, submitting their ideas to Planning Director Harriet Tregoning and Acting Director of the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) Keith Anderson.

The final report cites 143 specific actions that the district government aims to implement by 2032. Measures include retrofitting public housing to be capable of meeting net-zero standards; providing incentives for new building projects to achieve at least the LEED Gold standard certification (developed by the U.S. Green Building Council) or equivalent; developing a wind farm in the region; installing educational gardens and integrating sustainable jobs training into DC public schools; and adding 37 miles of streetcar networks. “Not every proposal will work out just as envisioned,” said Gray at the unveiling of the plan. “Some details will be refined over time, and some actions may fail, but with this implementation plan, we will move forward with clear goals in sight.”

The President of George Washington University, Steven Knapp, also spoke at the event. Noting the school’s new sustainability minor and its three photovoltaic solar installations, he said that the university administration hopes to “practice what we teach.”

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