taalib-din uqdah never expected to be an environmental activist — not in his wildest dreams. he was the kid who loved going to gas stations just to “stick my head out the back of the window and smell the gasoline.”

nowadays, uqdah is no fan of petrol — especially in public transit. the 70-year-old business owner, community activist, and washington, d.c., native is spearheading efforts to overhaul the renovation of the washington metropolitan area transit authority’s (wmata) northern bus garage in ward 4 of the city. in january, those efforts paid off when wmata announced that the northern bus garage will reopen with an all-electric bus fleet in 2027 — the first entirely electric, zero-emission garage in the city.

the commitment to an all-electric bus fleet represents a culmination of years of advocacy and community organizing. when wmata announced the renovation in 2018, the agency’s fleet management plan included buses running on compressed natural gas, standard diesel, “clean diesel” and hybrid fuels.
wmata considered all but standard diesel to be “clean fuel,” but even hybrid fuels contribute to the climate crisis. battery-powered electric buses provide more sustainable benefits by eliminating the use of fossil fuels, improving air quality, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and lowering noise pollution.

the bus renovation debate

located on a large lot between d.c.’s sixteenth street heights and petworth neighborhoods, the northern bus garage — also known as the northern bus barn — is surrounded by residential homes and retail businesses on 14th street. the facility has been operational since 1906, first as a barn for electric streetcars and later for traditional buses.

by 2018, the bus garage was in need of repair. rather than locate a new lot, wmata chose to renovate the garage for convenience and proximity to a high ridership corridor. they planned to demolish everything but the garage’s historic facade on 14th street and construct a mixed-use development to house over 200 buses and about 50,000 square feet of space for commercial space. the garage was set to include infrastructure for 175 electric buses — but wmata didn’t have these buses, or any plan to make the switch to electric.

many community members weren’t sold on the plan. some wanted the bus garage gone completely. some wanted it redeveloped into a grocery store or affordable housing. others wanted it to house electric buses. residents living near the garage brought up noise pollution and health concerns, such as asthma, which they say trace back to the diesel fumes of the buses.

uqdah, who has lived near the bus garage since 1984, immediately took interest in the project. he saw it as an important factor in the community’s quality of life, and he created the northern bus barn neighbors to organize community members against wmata’s plan to bring gas and diesel buses back to the garage. red signs began popping up in residents’ yards proclaiming, “no! bus diesel fumes”

diesel in the air

uqdah was especially concerned about diesel particulate matter, a part of exhaust that contains gas and soot particles, and nitrogen oxide emissions from diesel-powered vehicles. air pollution from diesel exhaust has long been linked to adverse health effects including asthma, neuroinflammation, cardiovascular disease and lung cancer, even in particle-filtered exhaust. in 2012, the world health organization classified diesel engine exhaust as “carcinogenic to humans” for causing an increased risk of lung cancer.

new research shows that exposure to diesel exhaust for even brief periods of time may cause cognitive impairment as well by disrupting the connectivity between brain regions.

and the impacts of air pollution disproportionately affect minority communities. in d.c. — which the american lung association gave a “c” rating for particle pollution last year — black residents are 126% more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer than white residents as of 2021. 

ward 4 councilmember janeese lewis george cited this disparity in her remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the northern bus garage in january.

“when we talk about reducing diesel fumes in our neighborhoods, we know that it is both an environmental justice issue and a racial justice issue,” the councilmember said. in ward 4, the area lewis george represents, about 45% of the population is black.

uqdah and other community members have expressed their views in public meetings with wmata since 2019, with nearly 100 people sending messages to the wmata board about bus electrification at one meeting in october of 2020. many of those messages urged wmata not to reopen the garage unless the bus fleet would be fully electrified, often noting health concerns.

“i live in this neighborhood. my children have asthma. adding more diesel buses is a huge threat to our health and the environmental pollution is a terrible, terrible thing,” said resident blythe emigholz of sixteenth street heights. 

“we are very concerned. we’ve been making our voices clear at meetings, but it seems like there’s no response to the environmental concerns that have been voiced by these neighbors.”

a greener future

councilmember lewis george became involved in the advocacy as she was knocking doors on the 2020 campaign trail, hearing similar stories from countless ward 4 residents. once elected, she began pushing for bus electrification on the d.c. city council.

wmata got on board in june 2021, approving a plan to shift to a zero-emission electric bus fleet over the next 20 years. their aim was to replace the existing gas and diesel buses by 2045 in accordance with the 2018 clean energy d.c. act – the northern bus garage was set to house 150 of these electric buses. it was a step in the right direction, but many in the community were not satisfied with the far-off date. 

“two and a half decades is far too long to wait for public transit that aligns with our region’s sustainability goals and the urgent reality of climate change,” said lewis george.

city officials and community members continued negotiating, and in january 2023, wmata announced that the northern bus garage fleet would be entirely electric by 2027 — 18 years sooner than the initial date. the garage will feature rooftop solar panels that are expected to generate 726,000 kwh/year, electric vehicle charging stations for parking, and a leed platinum rating.

at the groundbreaking ceremony on january 25, councilmember lewis george acknowledged the efforts of community activists like uqdah and thanked them for pushing the initiative through. 

“an all zero-emission bus garage is a monumental step towards a sustainable future as we confront the urgent reality of climate change in our city, in our country, and across the world,” said lewis george. 

“this northern bus barn will make wmata, as it always has been, and dc, as it always has been… a national leader in providing green public transit that does right by our communities and by our planet.”

the electrification of the bus garage is just one piece in a community revitalization project that uqdah hopes will bring more business and affordable housing to the sixteenth street heights and ward 4 communities.

washington – surrounded by a dozen electric buses and a few other electric vehicles outside the department of transportation building wednesday, secretary of transportation pete buttigieg called on congress to fund electric vehicle initiatives—especially in polluted and low-income communities. 

consumers have been turning to electric vehicles as they reduce fuel costs and carbon emissions. in 2020, 1.1 million battery-powered passenger vehicles were on u.s. roads, according to the international energy agency. the industry has also expanded beyond passenger vehicles to battery-powered motorcycles, buses, delivery and garbage trucks, buttigieg said. 

“the question is: how do we make sure that evs are accessible to all americans?” buttigieg said. “especially those who would benefit the most from the fuel savings, which includes people in underserved parts of cities and in rural areas?”

malina sandhu, business development director for lion electric co. –– a zero-emissions electric school bus manufacturer –– said making electric vehicles affordable is an equity issue. 

“when electric cars came out, they were expensive,” she said. “and people thought evs were only for higher (income) demographics.” 

according to sandhu, low-income communities, communities of color and residents living in polluted neighborhoods near highways and airports need evs the most because they live with noise and air pollution, but charging infrastructure for evs is often not found in these communities. 

lion electric co. is working to bring its school buses to diverse communities, sandhu said.

but jackie piero, vice president of policy at nuvve corp., which develops charging stations, said electric school buses cost three times more than current buses.

the bipartisan infrastructure bill before congress includes a $7.5 billion investment in electric vehicle charging and more than $10 billion for zero and low-emission buses. if passed, this money would bolster the country’s ev infrastructure to be internationally competitive, and it would connect more americans with evs. 

orville thomas, lion electric lobbyist, said federal funding from the bill is key to getting electric buses into more communities. 

“that is going to help communities get to a point in a post-covid world where they have the ability to spend,” thomas said. “and not in a program that says, ‘okay, you (school districts) pay for it first and then we (the federal government) will pay you back,’ but a program that says, ‘we’ll make it easy for you on the regulatory side and we’re giving you the funding to get buses into communities and full of children.’” 

with additional funding, lion electric can also expand its supply chain, bringing down the cost of its buses, he said. 

“everything right now is just a matter of money,” thomas said. “because the more that they fund, the more that we can get ready to do.”

driving an electric vehicle plays a critical role in reducing carbon dioxide emissions, but the impact of this reduction gets diminished if the electricity comes from fossil fuels. the sources of electricity used to power your car must be green too and several choices are available to make that happen.

it all comes down to this: how can you ensure that you are maximizing the amount of electricity that comes from renewable sources used to charge your vehicle?

the two highest contributors of u.s. greenhouse gas emissions in 2016 were transportation and electricity production, according to the u.s. environmental protection agency. in illinois, 40% of the state’s electricity is produced by coal and natural gas—only 7% is produced by wind and solar, reports the u.s. department of energy. fortunately, some power companies offer green energy options for your power. and there are steps you can take to maximize the percentage of renewable sources for your electricity. how you do that depends first on where you live.

“if we’re talking just in a single area, or we’re talking about across the u.s., there’s a difference. that’s because the u.s. is broken up into these different interconnections,” said jordan schnell, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of earth and planetary sciences at northwestern university. “basically, depending on where you are, that’s your regional mix of electricity. the chicago area is different from the rest of illinois. if you live in central illinois, you go into a different mix than you do if you live in the chicagoland area. these are called interconnections.”

schnell uses mathematical models to study air quality issues and said that the most obvious way to ensure utilizing renewable electricity for a car is to live in a region that already produces a large amount of its electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar. illinois’ neighbor iowa is the heaviest producer of wind energy, and wind turbines dot the landscape along i-55 in illinois.

“the pacific northwest has a lot of hydroelectric and california is really ramping up its solar,” schnell said. “[in] west virginia, they get over 90% of their electricity from coal. unless you put a solar farm on your house, you’re not going to be getting clean energy.”

since moving may not be an option for most people, consider bringing the options home. the most significant opportunity is to contact your electricity provider. schnell said that the company should be able to provide a breakdown of the times when they incorporate the most renewable energy. most often this occurs during the day—a time often associated with when people use the most electricity or the peak load. electric companies typically charge more for electricity during this peak load period, but this is the best time to recharge your electric vehicle to maximize renewable sources.

“that’s when the electricity demand is higher,” schnell said. “so, all these generating sources are online, potentially. at nighttime, the demand is quite a bit lower, so that is picked up by the base load electricity supply which is predominately fossil fuels in most locations. so, the timing is the big thing. generally, it’s better to not charge during the evening. it’s better to charge during the day because there’s cleaner sources during the day.”

in illinois, your electricity provider is most likely commonwealth edison company (comed), which is a subsidiary of exelon corporation. comed provides electricity to 70% of illinois residents, including 4 million in the northern part of the state. in the 12 months ending in september 2018, 60% of the electricity provided to comed’s customers came from coal and natural gas, according to their environmental disclosure report—4% came from wind, hydro, and solar. nuclear power plants produce the rest. comed did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the sources of electricity provided to illinois residents.

direct energy, a subsidiary of u.k.-based centrica, provides power to roughly 67,000 illinois residents. amanda parrish, public relations manager, did not say exactly how much of the company’s electricity mix is made from renewable sources but reiterated that you are more likely to have access to these sources during the day.

“solar is clearly only producing during the day,” she said via email. “wind can blow at all hours, but in certain places we get the most at night. biomass can be used anytime.” although biomass is identified as a renewable source of energy, it does release some carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when it is burned to produce fuel.

the illinois power agency act, created in 2007, requires all large investor-owned electric utilities to produce 25% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025. for the energy year 2019—which ends in may—these companies are required to source 14.5% of their electricity from renewables, and the percentage required increases incrementally up to 2025.

the best method to ensure that your electric vehicle is charged by renewable energy is to take production out of the hands of energy companies and produce the energy yourself.

“some people can get solar power installed at their home,” said marc geller, vice president and co-founder of plug in america, via email. the advocacy group provides consumer information such as installing photovoltaics on homes to power vehicles. “in that case their car could be effectively 100% solar powered.”

producing solar energy at home guarantees that your electricity is made by renewable sources and storing it in a home battery system means you can charge your vehicle via renewable energy at any time. the installation costs and amount of energy produced can vary based on location and installation company, but installing solar panels at home puts the control in the hands of the consumer.

“you could make your own electricity and store it in this battery,” schnell said. “even though you don’t have your car at home during the day where the sun is actually generating the electricity, you can sell it back to the grid or you can store it in your battery. then you can charge it at night from all the solar you generated throughout the day. it depends on where you live and how much you drive—northern illinois is not great for solar—but it can do a significant amount.”

illinois shines offers renewable energy credits (rec) to owners of approved solar panels, and these credits can be sold to utilities to help offset the cost of solar panel installation. comed offers several rebates and tax incentives to install solar panels at home. additionally, solar cooperatives are growing in popularity, allowing a group of individuals to share the cost of solar panel installation and to distribute solar energy among its members, effectively bypassing electricity companies.

regardless of how you power your electrical car, it offers a positive benefit. the electricity is getting more renewable overall and represents the clean future of the transportation system. according to the union of concerned scientists’ ev emissions tool, electric vehicles in randomly selected illinois zip codes release approximately 46% less of carbon dioxide equivalent (co2e) compared to gasoline vehicles.

“electricity in most of the u.s. is already cleaner than gasoline,” geller said. “and it’s getting more renewable every year everywhere.”

it’s necessary to focus on resilience if we want to build a sustainable world. a system that lasts has to be resilient to stress. the problem is, most people know the word, but don’t understand what resilience consists of in this context. through case studies such as this one, i want to offer listeners a chance to understand the climate fight from the inside out. this isn’t a government issue, it isn’t a community issue. it’s everyone’s challenge, and i’m telling stories of resilience to showcase everyone who helps. 

george washington university students ellen wang and jacob samuels talk to erik belmont from the district department of transportation about dc’s new electric bus fleet and to electric vehicle experts about the future of transportation in america. they learn about the benefits, drawbacks, and challenges of electric bus programs. even though there are a lot of hurdles to overcome, through making this video they discover that electric vehicles are indeed the ride of the future. 

my dad clearly felt the same way. he would get this resigned look when preparing to call someone, postponing as long as possible, and finally holding the phone pensively. in an ever changing world, i took my dad’s phone-phobia as a given.

except now my dad makes a lot of phone calls. and he answers them, too. 

he’s not a scientist, but understands evidence, and climate change. he’s a true alaskan—a cultural geographer by training, but also a gardener, a sailor, and a woodsman. he knows and cares for the land on which he lives. and caring a lot about something can push someone to do scary things.

now he is on the phone talking about heat pumps. 

not just heat pumps. he spends a lot of time on the landline (no smart phones for him yet) talking about electric vehicles, too, and committee meetings, fundraising, and our town’s potential to become a national leader on local sustainability. 

my dad is one of three founders of renewable juneau, which advocates for climate sanity, economic vitality, and quality of life for alaska’s capital city. born in 2016, renewable juneau supports local, renewable energy, and disseminates practical information about sustainability in juneau, providing workshops and brochures such as “renewable juneau’s guide to heat pumps in juneau” and “renewable juneau’s brief guide to buying a used nissan leaf.” such guides are welcomed, and evs are booming; the number of evs in juneau more than doubled in 2017, to over 200.  this gives my hometown, with around 30,000 residents, one of the nation’s highest per capita rates of ev ownership.

but renewable juneau is more than an ev advocate. it is serving as a catalyst for an ambitious local aim: 80% renewable energy in juneau by 2045. 

“juneau can choose to take local climate action and improve our economy at the same time,” my dad explains. “we can use our abundant rainfall and hydroelectricity to shift away from fossil fuels for heating our homes and powering our cars.” 

my dad’s organization believes that juneau is poised to take national leadership on cutting fossil fuel use. perched between the mountains and ice fields of coastal southeast alaska and the sea, the city is already powered by local, fish-friendly hydropower. “we’ve had 100% renewable electricity for a hundred years,” renewable juneau’s website proudly declares.  but my father emphasizes the need for improvement:  “folks purchase fossil fuels for much of our town’s transportation and heating needs, which is why we have been advocating for the renewable energy strategy.” 

juneau’s isolation, with no road access, makes the costs of bringing fuel into the city high—$140 million a year to import fossil fuels, according to the strategy. so not only does the strategy make sense environmentally, it also makes economic sense. renewable juneau has advocated for the strategy by rallying local businesses to sign on as clean energy supporters. the group’s original goal was “80 for 80”—80 businesses supporting an 80 percent renewable energy future. shortly after calling for partners, they were at 105 businesses and counting. in a city juneau’s size, that represents a significant portion of the local economy. clean energy supporters span juneau’s unique economy; commercial fishing vessels are listed alongside premier architecture and engineering firms, and law firms, medical centers and wilderness tour companies intermix with plumbers and bars. despite their different niches, all acknowledge the importance of weaning juneau from fossil fuels. 

even through i am now studying on the other side of the country, i stay abreast of the call for local government action back home. it would be hard not to—most phone conversations with my mother these days feature her slightly bemused observations (“your dad’s off to another meeting” or “he’s been talking on the phone all morning”), followed by an update on supportive businesses or recalcitrant assembly members. it seems that for every two steps forward there’s a icy slide backwards, but despite frustrating days and phone calls that go in unexpected directions, my dad keeps educating folks about heat pumps and evs, and continues gathering support.

the momentum is working. in january, a key city committee approved the strategy, moving it on to the full assembly. despite earlier concerns from several members over possible economic impacts, committee recommendation was unanimous. another step forward.

juneau is a small city; reducing its fossil fuel use hardly makes a shift on a national graph of hydrocarbon consumption. “but as alaska’s capital, and as host to a million cruise ship visitors annually, we have the potential to have a large impact nationally,” my dad emphasizes.

i take inspiration from the people in my hometown who have a vision of a fossil fuel free future, and who have the guts to work and make the phone calls and spread the conviction that will make it happen. these men and women know that focusing on the hydropower with which southeast alaska has been blessed is the economically healthy option, and they are not ashamed to dream that juneau could be a national leader in and example for sustainable success.

my dad just called: “the assembly adopted the strategy tonight — it was unanimous!” he’s overjoyed. he knows that many trying days and phone calls await as our town makes the strategy a reality and becomes an 80% renewable capital city, but this good fight is won. i heard the twinkle in his eyes even over the phone as he recounted the victory, and i am proud to be his daughter. 

here are the top five interesting updates in federal sustainability we heard about at greengov:

1. the general services administration (gsa) just issued a proposal request to have solar roofs installed on 18 federal buildings throughout the national capital region.

the photovoltaic array on top of the u.s. department of energy headquarters. (source: national renewable energy laboratory, u.s. department of energy)

this is part of the capital solar challenge that has federal agencies competing to see whose buildings can become most efficient. if approved, gsa will enter a power purchase agreement contract with a single contractor to purchase electricity generated from these photovoltaic systems for a base period of ten years.

this is awesome because a large capital investment from a buyer such as the government gives the renewable energy sector leverage to expand and extend further opportunities in solar to other agencies, big companies, and small businesses alike. with solar the second fastest growing energy sector, this is great news for the climate.

2.the u.s. navy has an all-electric ship, the uss zumwalt ddg 1000.

 
the zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer ddg 1000 is floated out of dry dock at the general dynamics bath iron works shipyard. the ship, the first of three zumwalt-class destroyers, will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces and operate as part of joint and combined expeditionary forces. the lead ship and class are named in honor of former chief of naval operations adm. elmo r. “bud” zumwalt jr., who served as chief of naval operations from 1970-1974. (source: u.s. navy, photo courtesy of general dynamics)

the uss zumwalt’s microgrid generates and distributes electrical energy everywhere in the ship, so its propellers and drive shafts are turned by electric motors instead of being directly attached to combustion engines. this could pave the way for future integration of biogas and other renewable energy sources in military vessels and vehicles. hopefully these electrical systems and energy efficiency innovations will then trickle down into the next generation of civilian electric vehicles.

3. by 2022, the u.s. aims to become the first nation in the world to produce plug-in electric vehicles (evs) that are as cheap and convenient as gas vehicles.

 
an all-electric nissan leaf charging at an event in washington, d.c. (source: national renewable energy laboratory, department of energy)

the ev-everywhere challenge, announced by president obama in march 2012, calls for collaboration between the private sector, the federal government, states and communities, national laboratories, universities, nongovernmental organizations, and individual consumers to modernize the grid, increase charger accessibility, and generate larger demand for evs and ev infrastructure.

4. federal agencies are required to buy eco-friendly bio-based products such as hand soap derived from soybeans, furniture from sunflower hull wood or disposable spoons from potatoes.

 
soy-based products. (source: united soybean board)

where purchases exceed more than $10,000 per fiscal year, federal agencies are required to give preference to the products with the highest percentage of bio-based content (these items can be made with biodegradable plastics and adhesives, construction materials, paper, plastics, plant and vegetable inks, and more). this green purchasing program, in substituting bio-based products for fossil energy-based products, will increase demand for domestic crops and feedstock. because there are less synthetic chemicals involved in the production, consumption and disposal of these items, they’re a lot better for the environment.

5. retrofitting in one gsa building on the virgin islands is going to create net-zero energy consumption and save $500,000 in the first year.

christiansted, st. croix, us virgin islands. facing north. photo taken on the slopes of recovery hill. (source: jason p. heym)

as part of the deep retrofit challenge, gsa went into a 19-year energy savings performance contract with schneider electric to upgrade the almeric christian federal building. they upgraded the building’s chilled water and automated energy metering systems, made improvements to interior and exterior lighting, heating and cooling systems to maximize efficiency, and added solar photovoltaic panels. these changes will result in a savings of 962,916 kilowatt hours per year, which provides enough energy for 100 percent of the building’s baseline usage.

in order to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk. the u.s. government is making strides to lead by example, as shown by these, and more recent federal sustainability initiatives. to see more on the greengov symposium, visit the event website. 

(photo at top: kathleen merrigan, far right, moderates a q&a on executive order 13693 with christy goldfuss, managing director for the white house council on environmental quality, and kate brandt, federal chief sustainability officer for the council on environmental quality. merrigan is the executive director of sustainability at the george washington university. / source: eleanor davis/gwu)