ANS testifies on FY23 DC Environment Budget

On April 12th, ANS submitted testimony on Washington, DC’s FY23 budget for the Department of Energy and Environment. We focused on the following key issues:  Enact the Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) faster   Transition to Cleaner Source of Building Fuel  Continued funding for Solar for All Program  Funding and support… Continue reading

Introducing: Ward 8 Water Watchers at Oxon Run!

Thanks to a Community Stormwater Solutions grant from the DC Department of Energy and Environment and the Chesapeake Bay Trust, last year ANS began a new partnership with food justice and community wellness experts, The Green Scheme and DC Greens. This partnership created the Ward 8 Water Watchers, a coalition… Continue reading

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Weakens Drinking Water Protection

Chris Koerner testifies in favor of stronger drinking water protections during the June 22, 2021 Board of Supervisors Public Hearing on Agritourism Protections in Fairfax County’s “Residential-Conservation” zoned areas around the Occoquan Reservior were weakened on June 22 when the Board of Supervisors voted 7-2 in favor of by-right agritourism… Continue reading

Help us say “no” degrading Fairfax County’s drinking water!

Photo from the Montgomery planning office via the American Planning Association. UPDATE AS OF JUNE 23, 2021 We are incredibly disappointed to report that protections in Fairfax County’s “Residential-Conservation” zoned areas around the Occoquan Reservior were weakened on June 22 when the Board of Supervisors voted 7-2 in favor of… Continue reading

Take Action: Tell DC Mayor Bowser to Get Plastic Bottles Out of Our Water!

Plastic bottles are everywhere. They’re strewn across the streets of our neighborhoods, filling up gutters and alleyways. They’re all over the city’s parks and green spaces, and make it difficult to enjoy nature. Perhaps most visibly, they fill up our waterways, the end point for a large portion of litter.… Continue reading

ANS Opposes MAGLEV Project: TAKE ACTION by May 24!

*Special blog post credits goes out to ANS volunteers Frank Sanford and Debra Street.* Have you heard of the MAGLEV project? The Super Conductor Magnetic Levitation Train (SC MAGLEV) is the acronym for a high speed (300 mph) train that has been proposed between Washington and Baltimore, with eventual expansion… Continue reading

ANS Testifies at DC Council Performance Oversight Hearings

It seems like just yesterday that we were in the middle of last year’s budget process in Washington, DC. Once again we find ourselves balancing our city-wide checkbook, but this time in preparation for the 2022 fiscal year. Before DC’s proposed budget is released though, the DC Council holds performance… Continue reading

My Stream Monitoring Experience with ANS

Alison Trackman is a volunteer with ANS’s Water Quality Monitoring program.  This is her fourth year participating in the program.  Alison is a junior at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. It is hard to imagine that observing bugs living in a stream can tell you anything about the health of the… Continue reading

Troubled Waters

In my last post, we explored Washington DC’s sewer system history and what plans DC Water has for sewer restoration. In this post, let’s look a little deeper at a few of our sites with high “dry day” bacteria levels and what might be the causes of those spikes. As… Continue reading

Healthier Streams for Healthier Communities

Our world is interconnected. Our health is directly related to the health of the world around us. Humans are 60% water and the health of our water has a direct impact on our own health. The Embark Richmond Highway redevelopment presents an opportunity to protect and restore our environment while… Continue reading