The Climate Divide Hola Cultura

D.C. has been in the midst of a development boom fueled by rising demand for market rate housing and a need for more affordable housing. This has come at a cost for the District’s trees. In the first episode of season 3, we see how the tree protection nonprofit Casey Trees qualifies the state of the city’s trees in their annual Report Card and take a look at a bill that attempts to make changes to D.C.’s tree preservation laws. Music (all tracks provided by Blue Dot Sessions)HeatherThrea...

Earlier this week, residents, advocates and officials testified at a D.C. Council hearing about the impact Mayor Muriel Bowser’s recently proposed budget will have on local climate programs. This week’s episode covers concerns that the budget will defund climate equity programs that aim to make home energy upgrades more affordable for low and moderate income households. We’ll also share highlights from one fair that aims to inform residents about numerous electric appliances and the dif...

This week, we’re featuring an interview with Brenda Richardson, the coordinator for the Anacostia Parks & Community Collaborative, which focuses on making the Anacostia River and surrounding natural areas more accessible for residents in Wards 7 and 8. In this conversation, Richardson discusses her concerns about flooding and extreme heat, the impacts of D.C.’s tighter budget and how she informs residents about climate change and resilience. Music (all tracks provided by Blue Dot Ses...

The National Park Service owns most of the District’s parkland. How does this unique predicament affect our parks and green spaces? In this episode, host Marcelo Jauregui-Volpe speaks with Rachel Clark, the lead author of a report that explored the challenges and inequities that arise due to the Park Service’s management of D.C.’s parks and its D.C. maintenance backlog surpassing $1 billion. The episode also includes an update on plans to rehabilitate the Rock Creek Park Golf Course, a Park S...

Some cities around the U.S. are responding to the growing threat of more extreme heat and intense storms with resilience hubs equipped with backup energy and offering supplies and information for residents during a disaster. In this season finale, we cover the District’s first resilience hub at the FH Faunteroy Community Enrichment Center in the Deanwood neighborhood. The second part of the episode will feature an interview with Dr. Sacoby Wilson, the director of the Center for Community...

In this third season of “The Climate Divide,” we’ll focus on the solutions various people and groups are coming up with to ensure that D.C. and its residents are more sustainable and resilient in the face of climate change. The interviews and stories covered will discuss how tree cover, park access, and electrifying our homes and transportation will impact the residents in the District that are most vulnerable to various environmental and health hazards. New episodes coming April 25th. M...