dc archives - planet forward - 克罗地亚vs加拿大让球 //www.getitdoneaz.com/tag/dc/ inspiring stories to 2022年卡塔尔世界杯官网 tue, 28 feb 2023 18:46:20 +0000 en-us hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 d.c. city council passes legislation to halt ivory market //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/ivory-legislation-dc/ tue, 16 jun 2020 21:18:02 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/d-c-city-council-passes-legislation-to-halt-ivory-market/ the elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn prohibition act, first proposed in 2015, was passed after a push from investigative work and grassroots organizing.

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the district of columbia’s city council has passed a law to ban the sale of elephant ivory and rhino horn after recent investigations have shown the city to be a flourishing market for ivory goods.

the sale of ivory and rhino horn endangers at-risk animal populations. an estimated 97 elephants are killed for their tusks daily. according to the great elephant census, there was a 30% loss of african savannah elephants over the seven-year period of 2007 to 2014. while rhinoceros populations have grown in the last decade due to the implementation of protections, the international rhino foundation estimates 900 rhinos, roughly 3% of the total population, were killed in 2018.

kate dylewsky, senior policy advisor at the animal welfare institute, suggests it was due time for the district to join the 11 states who previously have passed similar legislation to halt the sale of ivory goods.

“i think it has become increasingly apparent over these years that it is incumbent upon d.c., as a major metropolitan area, to act on this issue, particularly because other large markets for these wildlife products, like new york, for example, have been shut down due to successful legislation,” she said. “the ivory market has migrated to the remaining locations where it can flourish and that includes d.c. so, you know, it was the right moment for the council to say this is something we need to tackle.”

dylewsky also credits the investigatory work done in recent years for bringing details about the ivory market in the district to light. while the federal endangered species act protects from ivory sale and transport between states, a flourishing ivory market continued within the city. a 2017 report by the wildlife monitoring organization traffic reported that the city had more ivory for sale than the five other major cities surveyed, including new york and los angeles. 

in 2019, a humane society investigation found ivory for sale at several local antique stores and vendors at the georgetown flea market. these ivory goods included a full engraved task valued at $600,000 and a multi-figure game board valued at $48,000. yet, the true price of these products is actually far higher: the international rangers federation reports that 269 rangers were killed across africa between 2012 and 2018, primarily by poachers who profit off the sale of animal parts.

this passing of the elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn prohibition act is a long-sought victory for activists and environmentalists, such as dc voters for animals founder max broad. councilmember mary cheh introduced the bill for the first time in 2015.

“mary cheh is great on these issues, but she can’t do it alone,” broad said. “so, when nobody else is championing the policy, then the bill… even though it didn’t have any opposition… the bills couldn’t move forward. so that’s where getting up grassroots support really made a difference.”

for broad, amassing grassroots support included standing on the streets and collecting signatures in dc’s ward 6, the ward represented by judiciary committee chair councilmember charles allen. in previous proposals, the bill had been sent to the judiciary committee before dying in council sessions. in november of last year, broad and leaders of other animal rights ngos led a “tweetstorm” with the intent to further draw councilmember allen’s attention. supporters, including international nonprofits and d.c. residents, participated in the storm which received more than 11,000 twitter impressions, according to broad.

following the tweetstorm, representatives from organizations such as the animal welfare institute, humane society, and dc environmental network met with judiciary committee staff to address technical aspects of the legislation. 

“when it came down to it, it was really just about grassroots support of individual volunteers in the district that care about these issues tweeting about it and writing their councilmember that they care about these issues and then it was a matter of the coalition of ngos coming together and unifying our voice in support of this,” broad said.

when asked whether the presence of this legislation in the district will simply push the ivory and rhino horn market elsewhere, dylewsky said this fear is not worth the risk of stalling progress.

“i think it certainly has impetus for us to continue this work elsewhere and for us to continue to do that research and analysis to identify other hotspots that may emerge for sales,” she said. “but at a certain point, i think, you reach this tipping point where sellers of these wildlife products no longer find it profitable, or find it too much trouble to continue, to keep them in stock, to continue to offer them to buyers. and i think the combination of the federal regulations from 2016 that prevent nearly all import, export, and interstate commerce of ivory, combined with the 11 states and now the district of columbia that have now passed state-level legislation restricting these sales — i would like to believe that we are very close to that tipping point.”

dylewsky is hopeful that the passage of the bill will set a precedent for action on similar issues within the district in the future.

“i think there’s a lot of appetite for expanding upon humane legislation and i think the more bills, like this one, that pass and are implemented successfully and produce good results, the easier it is to make an argument that d.c. should be emerging as a leader in humane legislation and that this is something that really fits with the culture of our city,” she said.

the elephant ivory and rhinocerous horn prohibition act was signed by mayor muriel bowser on april 27, 2020. it has been sent to congress for final approval, with a projected law date of september 10, 2020.

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just a river? //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/just-a-river/ thu, 02 may 2019 04:42:41 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/just-a-river/ an artistic exploration of social themes concerning the d.c. waterfront, the anacostia river, and the overall gentrification of d.c.

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this idea — an artistic exploration of social themes concerning the d.c. waterfront, the anacostia river, and the overall gentrification of d.c. — came to me because i felt like i could not truly express myself through a blog or video. i wanted to create a doorway to a conversation, and i chose to do this through visually appealing mediums. please see my project below, and see the foreword included in my project for more information:

more than a river?

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is there hope for food justice in an urbanizing city? //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/food-justice-urbanizing-city/ thu, 20 dec 2018 16:32:09 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/is-there-hope-for-food-justice-in-an-urbanizing-city/ at the heart of d.c. sits an urban oasis: k street farms. here, a hard-fought battle for food justice is being fought for the known food desert that is southeast d.c.

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in the heart of northwest d.c., sits the k street farm, an urban oasis. after 8 years of serving the area in providing a place of community, biodiversity, and vitality the farm is being displaced due to rapid urbanization in the city. as the historical populations the farm has served are also pushed out, dc greens, the organization behind the k street farm, plans to continue the fight for food justice in southeast d.c. see below to experience the full story:

is there hope for food justice in an urbanizing city?

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dc pledges to bring solar to thousands //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/dc-pledges-to-bring-solar-to-thousands-0/ tue, 21 feb 2017 19:41:31 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/dc-pledges-to-bring-solar-to-thousands/ dc council is planning to bring solar energy to 100,000 low-income households.

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dc council is planning to bring solar energy to 100,000 low-income households. by bringing solar energy to low-income areas, it improves the conditions of the area and helps the environment. 

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public funds for the dc metro //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/public-funds-for-the-dc-metro/ fri, 17 feb 2017 15:04:30 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/public-funds-for-the-dc-metro/ by increasing public funds used for dc metro, we can significantly cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. 

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by increasing public funds used for dc metro, we can significantly cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. 

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love and carrots //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/love-and-carrots/ thu, 31 mar 2016 20:48:27 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/love-and-carrots/ i spoke to one of love and carrots' gardeners, leigh prezkop, and asked her both about what love and carrots does and how they plan on impacting urban sustainability.

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pf_storyfest_badge_v4_03-15-16_alsmall-03.png i spoke to one of love and carrots’ gardeners, leigh prezkop, and asked her both about what love and carrots does and how they plan on impacting urban sustainability. the company is a for-profit business that helps transform dc area properties into beautiful produce and herb gardens. they work with yards as well as creating rooftop gardens and gardens for restaurants.

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11th street bridge park //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/11th-street-bridge-park/ thu, 31 mar 2016 20:31:06 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/11th-street-bridge-park/ pf_storyfest_badge_finalist.pngthe 11th street bridge park is a unique development project that is focused on the community and the preservation of the anacostia river.

 

 

 

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dc urbangreens //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/dc-urbangreens/ thu, 31 mar 2016 20:01:42 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/dc-urbangreens/ pf_storyfest_badge_v4_03-15-16_alsmall-03.pngthis details the work of dc urbangreens and how its greenhouse farm aims to grow food to support the local community.

 

 

 

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dc streetcar: washington’s answer to a surging urban population //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/dc-streetcar-washingtons-answer-to-a-surging-urban-population/ thu, 31 mar 2016 17:27:12 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/dc-streetcar-washingtons-answer-to-a-surging-urban-population/ pf_storyfest_badge_finalist.pngtopic: the brand new washington dc streetcar. built by the district department of transportation earlier this year, the dc streetcar is an innovative new way to deal with the rising population of the city. it is providing residents with a new way to commute to work and enjoy the restaurants and nightlife on h street. all while getting hundreds of cars off the roads.

 

]]> green screen: the outlaw plastic bag //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/the-outlaw-plastic-bag/ wed, 03 feb 2016 18:30:04 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/green-screen-the-outlaw-plastic-bag/ check out the pilot to planet forward's new web series, green screen!

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check out the pilot to planet forward’s new web series, green screen! we try to make sense of the leading issues in the sustainability space, with some kicks and giggles along the way. this week’s episode is about plastic bags: they’re the new moonshine; everybody’s outlawing them. hawaii has a ban, california’s considering one, and washington, d.c., has had some success reducing the amount of plastic we waste with a 5-cent bag tax. but why bags? and is there another way? 

thanks to students tim palmieri and megan varner for the inspiration for our premiere green screen. do you have a great story to tell about the environment or sustainable cities? share it and maybe you’ll launch our next green screen. and by the way, if you haven’t heard of storyfest, make sure you read about how to enter your piece in that, too.

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