80% of actions now underway with an additional 15% complete
WASHINGTON, DC – April 20, 2016 — On Monday night, the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) and National Geographic Society kicked off Earth week with “The Birds and the Bees,” an evening of environmental short films. At the event, DOEE released the 2016 Sustainable DC Progress Report. Sustainable DC is the District of Columbia’s sustainability plan to transform DC into the healthiest, greenest, most livable city in the country. Besides topics such as clean energy, sustainable transportation, and access to healthy food, the 2016 Progress Report included several significant achievements for the District’s wildlife.
Most notable of these achievements was the hatching of two eaglets at the U.S. National Arboretum in March 2016, the first time in nearly 70 years a pair of mated eagles nested at the site. The eaglets’ hatching and early lives have been watched by hundreds of thousands of viewers on the DC Eagle Cam, stimulating new interest in wildlife by District residents. This year was also the first time in more than a century that ravens have been spotted nesting in the District. Wildlife returning to the District to mate is a positive indicator that the District’s waterways and habitat are improving.
Public investment in wildlife and habitat preservation over the past year was unprecedented. DOEE developed a comprehensive update to the District’s State Wildlife Action Plan, completed the remedial investigation stage of the agency’s ongoing project to clean up the Anacostia River, and organized Canopy 3000, a public-private partnership to plant an additional 3,000 trees beyond normal annual planting.
The 2016 Sustainable DC Progress Report states that 80 percent of the 143 actions in the plan are now underway with an additional 15 percent completed. Major achievements include the opening of the long-anticipated H/Benning streetcar line, the creation of a new food policy council, and the purchase of 46 megawatts of wind energy that—along with a 11.4 megawatt solar installation—will power between 35 and 40 percent of District Government buildings, saving taxpayers $40 million over the next 20 years.
The Sustainable DC Plan was originally released in 2013 and is the result of the participation of thousands of residents. More information is available at sustainable.dc.gov.
CONTACT: Julia Robey Christian, PIO, (202) 741-0842 desk, (202) 450-7878 cell, [email protected]
