District Reaches Key Milestone in Sustainable DC Implementation

CONTACT: Nicole Goines, DOEE: [email protected], 202-536-7666

2024 Sustainable DC Progress Report Marks Halfway Point to Make DC the Healthiest, Greenest, Most Livable City

Washington, DC - Today, the Bowser Administration, through the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), published a key progress report highlighting the District's achievements on the Sustainable DC, Clean Energy DC, and Climate Ready DC plans. This year's report marks the halfway point toward reaching the environmental, economic, and equity goals first outlined in the original Sustainable DC Plan in 2013.

"Sustainable DC is one of the District's most recognizable plans and covers a broad swath of important topics, from climate, to food, to nature, and more," said DOEE Director Richard Jackson. "It has stood the test of time as the District has actively implemented and reported progress on Sustainable DC for the past 10 years. I'm proud of the work our agency, our sister agencies, and our community partners have done toward our sustainability goals. We are excited to build on this momentum and realize the vision of making DC the healthiest, greenest, most livable city for all residents by 2032."

The 2024 report reflects on the sustainability accomplishments over the past 10 years, including growing Capital Bikeshare so more than 80% of the District's population is within a quarter mile of a station, reaching a pace of 10,000 or more trees planted per year, establishing the Affordable Housing Retrofit Accelerator to support affordable housing with reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and establishing programs and building out infrastructure to increase community resilience to flooding and extreme heat. It also captures the major initiatives achieved last calendar year, from launching a curbside composting pilot, to establishing partnerships to create the Green Trades DC Program for green job training, to breaking ground on the first new recreation facility in Ward 8 in 20 years.

For the second year in a row, the Sustainable DC progress report includes the Clean Energy DC and Climate Ready DC progress reports as well. All three plans are undergoing updates to align with the most up-to-date science, chart the bold path needed to meet our sustainability goals, and ensure the transition to a carbon neutral and climate resilient future is done equitably.

More information on the District's sustainability progress is available at sustainable.dc.gov/progress.