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By Leda Huta, EcoWomen Co-Founder and Endangered Species Coalition Executive Director We had heard that other efforts to do something similar had sputtered out. But there wasn’t much to lose, except perhaps our pride. We organized the first event – the very first EcoHour – and invited our first speaker—Alisa Gravitz, CEO of Green America. We had no idea if anyone would show up. But 15 or so women did. Today, there are more than 5,000 women in the DC EcoWomen network, and 1,00

By Heidi Bishop As the new administration’s impact on energy policy unfolds, increased interest in pursuing “clean coal” technologies have likely put Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) more squarely on your radar. The new “America First Energy Plan” makes no mention of solar, wind, or other renewable energy resources but does state a commitment to “clean coal technology, and to reviving America’s coal industry, which has been hurting for too long.” For DC EcoWomen active in ene

By Manjyot Bhan I let out a cheer when Leonardo DiCaprio mentioned climate change during his Oscars acceptance speech. But concern about climate extends far beyond the red carpet. Religious leaders, military officials, mayors, governors, business executives, and leaders of the world’s nations are all speaking about the need to address the greenhouse gas emissions that threaten our environment and economies. Last December, world leaders reached a landmark climate agreement at

By Sonia Abdulbaki DC EcoWomen is a group with a mission “to provide an educational forum for women that empowers women to become leaders in the environmental community and the world.” Women. Environment. Community. Buford received a degree in journalism from Hampton University and then went on to acquire a master’s degree in law from the Georgetown University Law Center. Currently, she is a reporter for the Center for Public Integrity and formerly an energy reporter for Poli

By Sarah Peters Water is essential to life, as Congress understood in 1972 when amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, now known as the Clean Water Act, was passed with bipartisan support. We have made significant progress in the following decades, but serious issues remain such as summertime toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie and the chronic poor health of the Chesapeake Bay. Via nps.gov Until now, the Clean Water Act has not kept pace with the times – it was la

By Brianna Knoppow It’s a curious thing that only after Senator Frank Lautenberg died did his life’s work – to enact chemical reform legislation – finally start to pick up momentum. The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (S. 647) was introduced in March of 2015 and is ostensibly meant to modernize the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The TSCA is so toothless that of the approximately 85,000 chemicals produced, the EPA has tested 200 chemical

By Tamara Toles O’Laughlin I recently attended a briefing on the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) sponsored by the Ayres Law Group and it set my wonky heart ablaze. It featured panelists from advocacy, policy, economic, and legal backgrounds who vividly discussed the future of this calculation which is intended to bring environmental damages or externalities back into the conversation on federal enterprise regulation. While eating up the jargon and enjoying the jockeying between d

This water has weathered miles of travel. It may have been recycled and treated hundreds of times over; from a sink in New York City, down a river to a well in Delaware, through a drainpipe and to a spring in Maryland, to be treated and cycled until it finally reaches your faucet. Most of the time, you drink clean water without a moment’s thought. But it takes an incredible amount of work, upkeep, and regulation to ensure that the water you drink won’t make you sick. A potent

Getting Closer to the Heart of Life – An EcoWomen Success Story No matter how far down the path, you can always change course. You can always aim to get closer to the heart of your life. Abigail Daken currently works for the Energy Star program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but it took a long time, and many transitions, to get to where she is today. The Energy Star program is a vehicle for people who care about the planet to get the information they need

Below is a post by Ecowomen Board Member Beth Porter.  Beth serves on the Membership Committee for the DC EcoWomen’s Executive Board. She has a background in environmental advocacy, community outreach, and a passion for wildlife conservation. At the close of 2012, environmental policy in the United States looked less than promising. Disappointed in America’s involvement (or lack thereof) in the UN climate conference held in Qatar last November, many watched as yet another opp