DC is ahead of some sustainability goals — and not slowing down anytime soon

The District has more trees, more bike share options and fewer carbon emissions than it had 10 years ago.

Along the Anacostia River, Oana Leahu Aluas is excited to talk about the progress D.C. has made in its 20 year goal to become more environmentally sustainable.

“We’re doing well on a lot of fronts,” said Leahu-Aluas of the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment.

Sustainable D.C. was launched 10 years ago, setting environmental goals to be reached by 2033. And Leahu-Aluas is smiling, knowing D.C. is ahead of schedule in many areas.

“Last year, Capitol Bikeshare had its biggest ridership in all of its history,” Leahu-Aluas said. “And we’ll see if that gets outdone this year.”

Another benchmark is the number of trees across the city.

“We do plant more than 10,000 trees every year,” Leahu-Aluas said. “And we also want to make sure that those trees are planted in the areas where they’re needed most. So areas without a lot of shade currently, areas where there’s extreme heat, a lot of asphalt really creating that urban heat island effect.”

And the District isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

“We’ve also gotten more funding coming in to plant more trees in specifically those types of areas,” Leahu-Aluas said.

With clear effects of climate change in the news as the death toll after Hurricane Helene climbs, it’s a reminder of how important sustainability efforts are.

“If you look at the climate section of our sustainable D.C. progress report, you’ll see accomplishments in areas like through our flood smart homes program, how people can get assessments to learn what they would need to install to make sure their homes are more flood proof,” Leahu-Aluas said.

While most of the goals in the Sustainable D.C. plan are on track, there are some areas where the District is behind schedule, like what we do with our trash. Leahu-Aluas says that’s where residents and businesses can help.

“We’re trying to recycle or compost 80% of the waste we generate away from landfills and incinerators. And right now we’re closer to 30%.”

Leahu-Aluas says one way people can help is by participating in programs, like the curbside compost collection program. Local farmers’ markets often have compost collection sites available to visitors, with more options on the way.

“There soon will be sites all around the city where people can drop off their compost 24-7,” Leahu-Aluas said. “And businesses can certainly initiate better recycling and composting programs as well. So that’s a place where people can really help.”

As for the big goal for D.C. and the entire U.S., reducing carbon emissions, the District is on track to reduce carbon emissions by 60% by the year 2030, three years ahead of schedule.