Environment | Street Sense Media

Photo of tents with a sign that reads "Stop camp evictions." Also, a group of people in winter gear have a conversation to the right of the photo

DC misreports number of hypothermia-caused deaths

The Emergency Response and Shelter Operations Committee of the Interagency Council on Homelessness revealed there had been an error in the number reported of unhoused individuals whose main cause of death was hypothermia in 2021.

Earth Day doesn’t have to be a guilt-trip: Here are some things you can do this weekend

On Friday, April 22, organizations all around D.C. will celebrate Earth Day.

Photo of a dying and drying tree at a Washington, DC park.

Our trees are dying where they stand

Artist and vendor Shuhratjon Ahmadjonov explains why trees are dying rapidly in D.C.

Photo of Boulder Bridge in Rock Creek Park.

Earth Day

Ayub Abdul shares a poem reflecting on how every day should be Earth Day.

A black and white photo of a street with traffic lights, trees, and clouds.

First day of spring

Ball reveals the harsh effects weather has on his living conditions.

Photo showing several construction workers installing many solar panels in a mostly dirt field that is surrounded by trees with city buildings visible in the distance.

Solar Works DC program creates jobs and can reduce expenses for low-income households

Solar Works D.C., through the DDOE, employs low-income residents in a solar installation and job training program. Panels are installed across the District, and low-income residents can request installations for free.

Portland's sky turned orange as the 2020 Oregon wildfires approached.

How the climate emergency exacerbates homelessness

Kathryn McKelvey explores the connection between climate disasters and homelessness.

The word diesel is painted across a red tank.

The danger of diesel

Street Sense artist and vendor Ayub Abdul writes about the harm caused by diesel fuel.

A black man in a white shirt and blue tie sits in front of two posters. One depicts half dome in Yosemite and the other depicts a waterfall.

DC attorney general focusing more on environmental issues

D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine participated in an event with The Sierra Club to tout his offices work with the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and lead hazard enforcement.

A 2015 photo of the Barry Farm public housing community.

Barry Farm residents fear displacement as housing authority reconfigures plans for decade-old redevelopment

A handful of residents of Barry Farm, a public housing complex in Anacostia, breathed a sigh of relief earlier this year when plans to demolish and redevelop the neighborhood were sent back for revision.

Traveling exhibit visualizes redlining and systemic inequality

“Undesign the Redline” is an interactive look at how the effects of discriminatory selling practices present in the 1930s housing market still affect low-income neighborhoods today. The Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND) featured the exhibit as the centerpiece of its annual meeting and housing expo this year and in its downtown D.C. office throughout June.

DC Council examines city’s bathroom shortage

The D.C. Council Committee on Transportation and the Environment held a public hearing Jan. 10 to discuss Bill 22-0223, the Public Restroom Facilities Installation and Promotion Act of 2017. The bill seeks to increase access to restrooms in downtown neighborhoods where they are scarce. Community representatives testified to the benefit such an initiative would have for tourists, residents, and the homeless alike.