6 minute read
Our Earth
OUREARTH
The Informer Introduces Our Earth
Dear readers,
Welcome to the newest section in the Washington Informer’s weekly paper! My name is Kayla, and I joined the paper in June to cover climate change, environmental issues, and sustainability in the DMV. I’m excited about the Informer’s launch of this section as a go-to spot for information about how the environment impacts our community and what people in the DMV are doing about it.
Some of the stories you might find here in the coming weeks will focus on global happenings, like the international Conference of Parties taking place in Egypt starting this week, or federal changes like the impacts of the major climate bill Congress passed in August. But more often than not, we’ll be focusing on the environment right here in the D.C. area.
Environmental issues in every category—from toxic pollution to climate-related flooding and heat waves—have disproportionate impacts on Black Americans. In the District, southeast neighborhoods experience far higher rates of air pollution and lower numbers of air-cleansing trees than Whiter neighborhoods in Northwest. Almost half the land zoned for industrial use in D.C. is clustered around historically-Black neighborhoods in Ward 5.
But the decades-long fight against environmental racism has picked up steam in recent years, led by Black, Brown, and Indigenous activists. We plan on spotlighting local voices fighting for environmental justice, green space, food equity, and more. We’ll continue covering issues like lead pipes, air pollution, and flooding while following local government efforts to solve these problems.
Most of all, we want to hear from you: what questions or concerns about our local environment would you like the Informer to look into? Please reach out at kbenjamin@washingtoninformer. com.
Cheers, Kayla & the rest of the WI Team
5 County Executive Angela Alsobrooks emphasized the curbside composting program’s twin goals: providing extra trash services for residents and pushing environmental sustainability. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
The Program Tackles Climate Change, Landfill Overuse, and Residents’ Calls for More Trash Pickup Services
Kayla Benjamin WI Contributing Writer
After more than three years in the pilot program phase, Prince George’s County launched curbside compost pickup countywide last week. Every home using county trash services— more than 175,000 households— should receive a new outdoor cart and a smaller indoor pail for composting by the end of next year.
“I know that the idea of composting may be a new one to some of our residents,” County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said at a press conference to announce the launch on October 3. “I can tell you that composting is important because it strengthens the local economy, it reduces waste, it combats the impacts of climate change, and it protects our environment.”
When buried in a landfill, food scraps and other organic waste release high amounts of methane—a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide. Composting addresses both climate change and landfill overflow. In addition, some of the composted material is repurposed into a soil additive for improving plant and lawn growth, which the county sells for revenue.
Alsobrooks also touted the expanded curbside program as an environmentally-conscious solution to a problem Prince George’s residents have raised: limited trash collection services. The county switched from a twice-weekly garbage pickup to oncea-week in 2016, matching the services provided in nearby Maryland counties and in D.C., a change that sparked a backlash. Earlier this year, Prince George’s added bulk trash pickup to the waste collection services provided.
“Our residents have been asking for additional days for waste collection, and the truth of the matter is, this is not an issue that we will resolve by simply putting more trucks on the road to haul more trash to our landfills,” Alsobrooks said. “We cannot afford to go backwards in terms of waste collection.”
According to a recent Waste Characterization Study, food and other organic waste makes up more than a third of materials found in Prince George’s landfill. Not all residents have been sending their scraps there, though—more than 20,000 Prince George’s households had already opted into the county’s pilot program for curbside composting.
“I think it will make a big difference,” said Betty Wise, an Upper Marlboro resident who was an early joiner of the pilot program. “You know, I noticed that when I put out my green bin, on the regular trash day I only have like one or two kitchen-size bags to put out. So I'm putting out less trash, which means if everybody does that, the landfills won't fill up as quickly.”
Wise said some of her neighbors have expressed hesitation about joining the program, mostly citing concerns about smells or vermin. To solve that problem, she said she keeps her small compost pail—provided by the county—in her fridge with a compostable liner bag. When the bag fills up, she moves it to her freezer. The
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OUR EARTH
Spotlighting Black Environmentalists: A Q&A with Wesley Wiggins
Kayla Benjamin WI Contributing Writer
At 22 years old, Wesley Wiggins already spends a lot of time thinking about his own legacy. He is a seventh-generation Washingtonian from Douglass, a neighborhood in the southeast. Wiggins graduated from Princeton University in May 2021. Now he’s back in D.C. working with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Creating Resilient Water Utilities Initiative as a fellow with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. Earlier this fall, Wiggins led a presentation on climate resilience for individuals and communities as his final project through Black Millennials for Flint’s DC Environmental Griots program.
Kayla Benjamin: Tell me a little bit about your family and growing up here in the District.
Wesley Wiggins: My family has been in DC for a really long time. I can't chart the journey exactly, but if I’m remembering correctly, from what my parents have told me, post-escaping slavery, this is kind of where my ancestors went, and planted their roots. And then we've been here ever since.
I live right in between Congress Heights metro and the Southern Avenue station. My mom, dad, and my three sisters lived basically in the same neighborhood our whole lives. There's a community center near my house called THEARC, and I have a lot of fond memories there.
And I just got into a lot of D.C. programs growing up. And then by the time I got to high school, I was really into the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. I spent a lot of time volunteering there.
KB: What got you interested in the museum—were you into science before that?
WW: I think I've always had a fascination with science. I had a rock collection when I was younger; my parents got me a science kit. I was always a very curious child. And I think a lot of it was science fairs.
So by the time I got to high school at BASIS DC, a Public Charter School in northwest, I got the core sciences like biology, chemistry, physics. And I really gravitated towards biology and then really gravitated towards ecology. And then I learned about climate change.
KB: Did you know then that you wanted to keep going with the science stuff after high school?
WW: Yeah, I went to Princeton University, and I majored in geoscience and minored in environmental studies. I think the really interesting thing about my time at Princeton is that I wrote my college application essay about how
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5Wesley Wiggins leads a training on climate resilience at MLK Library on October 22. ability. (Kayla Benjamin/The Washington Informer)
Vacuum Leaf Collection Program
How to Prepare for Leaf Vacuum Collection:
• Check the DPW website to confirm your area’s leaf collection dates;
• Move vehicles from curb lanes to help ease the leaf vacuum collection process;
• Rake leaves to the curbside or tree box at the front of the residence the Sunday before the scheduled leaf collection date;
• Remove all cans, bottles, sticks, toys and debris from your piles of leaves—these items can damage equipment and prevent safe and proper collection
For more information, please visit dpw.dc.gov/service/leaf-collection.
