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PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 CONTACT: Doxie McCoy (EOM) 202.727.9691; doxie.mccoy@dc.gov Donna Henry (DDOE) 202.299.3338; donna.henry@dc.gov (Sustainable DC) Tanya Stern (OP) 202.442.7635; tanya.stern@dc.gov (Sustainable DC)
Broaden and diversify the Districts economy and the range of available employment and business opportunities for residents; Reduce disparities related to income, health, employment and education across the city; and Ensure a high quality of life and a clean environment for our residents, workers, and visitors.
In the spring of 2012, Mayor Gray released his Vision for a Sustainable DC to make the District the most sustainable city in the nation by 2032. Based on suggestions from the public and the recommendations of working groups, the vision laid out ambitious goals and targets for nine areas related to sustainability. These were then used as the foundation for the full Sustainable DC Plan. Actions in the Sustainable DC Plan to help improve the District within the next generation include: Coordinating targeted workforce-development strategies and education programs to create jobs and foster business growth in the green economy; Building 1,000 more renewable-energy systems and enabling residents and businesses across the city to more easily invest in shared renewable facilities; Modernizing all of the Districts public school buildings to at least the LEED Gold standard under the U.S. Green Building Councils LEED system and expanding sustainability-education efforts citywide. Controlling pollution caused by stormwater runoff with 2,000,000 more square feet of green roofs and a healthy tree canopy over 40 percent of the city; Completing 37 miles of streetcar network and 100 miles of citywide bike lanes; Establishing facilities to accept residential and commercial compost; and Providing tens of millions of dollars in innovative financing to promote private-sector energy- and water-efficiency retrofits; and
The Sustainable DC Plan is based on the work of the numerous District government agencies, dedicated stakeholders, more than 700 people who participated in the working groups, and thousands more who submitted ideas online and at more than 180 public meetings and events. The Sustainable DC plan is the playbook that the District city government, private sector, and residents working together will use to move from Mayor Grays Vision for a Sustainable DC to a reality, said Harriet Tregoning, Director of the D.C. Office of Planning and co-leader of the Mayors Sustainable DC Initiative. It will ensure that sustainability remains an important factor in our decision-making as a city and will change the way we do business here. Keith Anderson, Acting Director of the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) and Sustainable DC coleader, added, The potential for the Sustainable DC Plan to improve the health of our people and the quality of our environment while simultaneously growing the economy, creating jobs, and reducing social inequity is nothing short of remarkable. Sustainability is about achieving multiple benefits with every dollar spent and every action undertaken. A copy of the Sustainable DC Plan is available at www.sustainable.dc.gov/finalplan. For information on Mayor Grays Sustainable DC initiative, visit www.sustainable.dc.gov. ### Follow Mayor Gray on Facebook and Twitter!
Follow Mayor Gray on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/MayorVinceGray and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MayorGray