DCEN Announcements: October 1, 2020
We need you to testify October 9th at 11:00!
Not diverting waste from landfill and incineration hurts the health and wellbeing of DC residents. It hurts DC wildlife too!
Public Roundtable: Tell the DC Council how you feel about DC DPW having some of the worst recycling rates in the region!
DC Environmental Network:

On October 9th at 11:00, we need environmentalists like you, who care about our health, our neighborhoods, and our most vulnerable residents, to testify at a DC Council Public Roundtable on Waste Management and Agency Operations at the Department of Public Works. 

From the hearing notice of the Committee on Transportation & the Environment:

"The primary purpose of the roundtable is for the Committee to discuss waste management at the Department of Public Works. In 2013, the District set a Zero Waste goal of diverting 80% of its waste away from incineration or landfill by 2032. In the ensuing years, the District’s waste diversion rate has remained stagnant, and many statutorily required waste diversion initiatives have not been implemented. Recent reporting suggests that the District has been charging rates at its waste management facilities insufficient to cover operating costs, which cuts into resources that could be going toward the District’s waste diversion efforts. This roundtable will provide an opportunity for the Committee to learn about DPW’s objectives for waste diversion and how they are incorporated into the Agency’s strategic planning. In addition, the Committee will discuss how operations across DPW have been affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Public Health Emergency."

For the last 2-3 decades the District has been dropping the ball when it comes to recycling in our nation's capital city. We recently wrote Mayor Bowser a letter about mismanagement and policy failures at the DC Department of Public Works that are polluting our air, hurting our wellbeing, and costing taxpayers millions of dollars.

Now we are going to take our message to the DC Council. We hope we can get another ten advocates to participate in the hearing. If you are interested, sign-up to testify. Then join us for a meeting next Tuesday, October 6th at 3:00 PM, and we will help you finish writing your testimony.

The hearing is a week from tomorrow. Hope to hear from you soon!

Chris Weiss, Executive Director, DC Environmental Network
Are you coming to the DPW Hearing Testimony Preparation Meeting?
LOCATION
RSVP and we will send you ZOOM meeting links!

DATE AND TIME
10/06/20 3:00pm - 10/06/20 4:30pm

This meeting will be designed to help those who want to testify develop their testimony and learn more about local environmental priorities.
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Climate Crisis Advocacy & Education!
We are all working together to make sure Washington, DC never looks like this!
Come meet the new Office of People's Counsel Environment & Climate Attorney, Sarah Kogel-Smucker!
On October 8th at 2:00 PM, join event sponsors, DC Environmental Network, Sierra Club - DC Chapter, and the Office of People's Counsel, for a special meet and greet with Sarah Kogel-Smucker.

Sarah Kogel-Smucker is the Office of the People’s Counsel’s (“OPC”) Environment and Climate Attorney. This newly-created position allows OPC to enhance its robust advocacy on behalf of utility ratepayers and in support of the District’s climate change and sustainability goals.

Prior to this position, Sarah served as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia focusing on clean energy and climate change litigation and rulemaking. Her matters include opposing Trump Administration rollbacks of the Clean Power Plan, Clean Car Standards and the regulation of hydrofluorocarbons. She previously spent nearly ten years working at the New York City Law Department’s Environmental Division. In that position, she was the primary counsel for the development of A Stronger More Resilient New York, New York City’s comprehensive plan to rebuild from Hurricane Sandy, and was lead counsel for development of the $338 million dollar East Side Coastal Resiliency Project. She taught graduate-level Environmental Impact Assessment at the Pratt Institute School of Architecture and co-taught a Green Cities clinic at Harvard Law School. Prior to law school, Sarah worked at environmental non-profit organizations advocating on New York State environmental issues. Sarah received a J.D., magna cum laude, from Boston College Law School and a B.A. from Grinnell College.  

All are welcome! You must register.
Are you coming to meet Sarah?
LOCATION
RSVP and we will send you ZOOM meeting links!

DATE AND TIME
10/08/20 2:00pm - 10/08/20 3:00pm

I'll be there!
Maybe
I can't make it