Welcome!

by Chris Weiss, Director, DC Environmental Network

DC Environmental Network:

I would like to welcome you to our new DC Environmental Network website. Over the next six months i am hoping to evolve this site to be a tool for Metro Washington region environmentalists to share information about their campaigns and reach out to the broader environmental community. I have nested a blog on the main page to help bring fresh content on many issues. Our current line up of contributors include:

• Cori Lombard, Natural Resources Defense Council – Cori will be writing about Anacostia River restoration issues.
• Councilmember Mary Cheh, DC Council- Mary will be writing about the Council’s exciting work to green the District.
• Brent Blackwelder, President emeritus, Friends of the Earth – Brent will be sharing his vast experience and passion on many environmental issues of concern to the region and planet.
• Jennifer Chavez, Attorney, Earthjustice – Jennifer will be sharing why litigation is an important tool for advocacy on behalf of area watersheds including the Chesapeake Bay, Anacostia River, Potomac River and Rock Creek.
• Mark Buscaino, Executive Director, Casey Trees – Mark will be sharing how important trees are to restoring rivers, cleaning up our air and fighting global warming.
• Ed Lazere, Executive Director, DC Fiscal Policy Institute – Ed will be talking about how important it is to expand our coalitions beyond the traditional environmental community in order to effect change. He will also use his extensive budget expertise to help us define the funding issues of our time.
• Maria Fyodorova, Environmental Communications Consultant - Maria will challenge the environmental community to look inward and come up with ways to increase our legitimacy and credibility.

Our website will try and show the face of the local environmental community. I am hoping you will help in developing our site more with your creative suggestions and engagement.

SPECIAL INVITATION: I want to invite you to an upcoming DC Environmental Network Luncheon on “How Green is the District’s Development Future” this Thursday the 29th at noon at Friends of the Earth, 1100 15th Street NW, 11th floor.  The face of our neighborhoods could change for the worse unless the environmental community gets involved in shaping how new development projects are planned. Badly planned developments can pollute our rivers and air, destroy marshlands and trees and contribute to global warming. Well planned developments can grow our city, protect our environment and improve our quality of life.  I believe this is an issue of critical importance to all metro based environmentalists.

Hope to see you on Thursday.