Content categorized as Environment

Our trees are dying where they stand

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

Earth Day

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

First day of spring

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

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.

How the climate emergency exacerbates homelessness

Kathryn McKelvey explores the connection between climate disasters and homelessness.

The danger of diesel

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

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.

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.  

Seeking Justice: Cory Booker talks housing, environment & employment for all

Street Sense Media Vendor Aida Peery interviews Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) about jobs, homelessness, the housing crisis, health care, incarceration and more.

Thousands left homeless in wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma

Houston, Texas Residents living in the homeless encampment under House’s U.S. 59 overpass got some good news recently when they received a temporary restraining order… Read more »

Oxon Run: A preview of things to come?

Jennifer McLaughlin shares her feelings on the closure of Oxon Run Park.

Homeless Artists Explore How Society Defines Poverty

Street Sense artists give their definitions of “Poor” and “Homeless”

“Women’s Rights are Human Rights” Anthem Brings Many Voices to Washington

The day after the inauguration, the Women’s March on Washington brought 500,000 demonstrators to the National Mall to affirm women’s rights and for many, to protest the new Trump administration.

The Rabbit and the Dinosaur

Vendor Michael Craig provides a lesson on environmental destruction through the story of a rabbit and a dinosaur.

I’m With Her – Because She’s With Us

Hillary Clinton will defend racial equality and if elected, says lawyer and community activist Aileen Johnson.

Community Organizers Appeal McMillan Park Zoning Decision

A development battle rages over the McMillan Sand Filtration Site at North Capitol Street.

Stein Campaign Responds to Voter Questions on Poverty

On Sept. 23, Street Sense began equal outreach to the Clinton, Johnson, Stein and Trump campaigns seeking response to the following four questions posed by the artists and vendors of our Writers Group. Despite an extended deadline of Oct. 19, only the Stein campaign chose to respond.

Buzzard Point Residents Air Environmental Concerns

Empower D.C. hosted an environmental brunch on Sept. 17 where activists and Southwest D.C. residents met to discuss the challenges facing Buzzard Point. Among these issues were fears about the environmental impact of redevelopment in the area and displacement. A new D.C. United Stadium is to be built in the Buzzard Point neighborhood.