WASA Discusses Changes to Lead Pipe Replacement at Woodridge Civic Association Meeting

Below is a detailed update provided by a neighbor, "Woodridge Laura", on WASA's presentation at last night's Woodridge Civic Association meeting.

WASA continues to explore changes to the Lead Service Replacement (LSR) program. In a joint meeting with the Woodridge Civic Association Tuesday night, WASA General Manager Jerry Johnson presented WASA's case:

- According to WASA's monitoring, DC water lead levels have remained under the EPA's "action alert level" of 15ppb since 2005, due to the addition of orthophosphate, a chemical that coats pipes and prevents lead leaching.

- Full LSR does improve lead levels, but but only a small portion of homeowners (2,128 out of 14,620 so far) have opted to pay for replacement on their property line. Other than cost, Johnson offered no opinions on why homeowner participation in full LSR has been so low.

- Partial LSR (replacing only the part on city property) has positive, but relatively minimal effects on lead level reduction.

For these reasons, WASA is considering a number of changes to the LSR program, which would be complete by 2016 if they continue at the current pace.

Changes could include replacing lines only when DDOT is also planning to repave roads, or replacing lines only when WASA is approaching a separate infrastructure project that involves existing lead pipes.

WASA will base its decision on the data they've already gathered about lead levels, homeowner participation in the LSR program, public comments gathered during community meetings like this one, and the relative importance of other projects that require funding from WASA.

Johnson said if the LSR schedule changed, the program would ramp down, not stop completely. Homeowners who have already agreed to a full service replacement with WASA should expect their contracts to be honored.

Residents asked about the safety of orthophosphate, and if lead lines are concentrated in any particular neighborhoods of the city. Johnson said there is no evidence of risks of orthophosphate, saying that phosphates have been routinely added to canned sodas for years, to prevent aluminum leaching. (And as everyone knows, soda is great for your health.) Johnson said lead pipes are relatively dispersed throughout DC, with slightly higher concentrations in older neighborhoods in Northwest and Capitol Hill, and the fewest amount in Southwest.

In response to recent news coverage about spikes in lead levels following partial LSR, Johnson maintains that WASA educates those homeowners who have partial replacement on the recommended schedule of flushing and cleaning faucet filters, through the signage WASA mails or leaves on residents' doors.

In comments following the presentation, Johnson said he was personally proposing a 8.5% increase in WASA's consumer rates to go into effect this October, and a 12% increase in 2009. He did not indicate when these increases could become official.

WASA's Board of Directors will hold a public hearing on the LSR program May 1, 2008 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Council of Governments office, 777 North Capitol Street NE.

Volleyball with Your Neighbors at Turkey Thicket - Tuesdays and Thursdays

What: Amateur, adult volleyball - no particular skill level required; no leagues, just good exercise and neighborly fun!

When: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7-8:30 p.m. (Thursdays were added for the summer, but will continue if attendance stays up)

Where: Turkey Thicket Rec Center, 1100 Michigan Avenue, NE in the main gym

Feds Attempt to Seize Problem Woodridge Home

In addition to the details surrounding Odell and Margaret Hale's house at 1923 Rhode Island Avenue NE, longtime neighborhood activist Martha Kinter Ward is quoted and Janice Booker's redevolpment plans along the businees corridor are mentioned in the WaPo article:

The modest 1 1/2 -story residence with the steep stairway and iron railings has been the scene of numerous episodes of drug use, drug sales and prostitution in the past seven years, court records show, so many that police filled 24 pages describing the house's history for a federal judge. Police have searched 1923 Rhode Island Ave. NE six times since 2000 -- four times in the past nine months -- and in each visit have reported finding a combination of cocaine, heroin, guns and prostitutes. In each visit, they said, they also typically found some crimes in progress and have brought charges against the house's owner, Odell Hale, or some of his fellow residents, resulting in numerous convictions.

Woodridge neighbors complain that the house is a base for street-level drug sales day and night, and say that women who appear to be prostitutes, some of whom apparently live in the house's basement, frequently offer their services along the busy avenue in front of the property.

Now, police and federal prosecutors say they are abandoning their regular crime-fighting strategy concerning 1923 Rhode Island. The U.S. Attorney's Office is asking a federal judge to let them seize the property in order to eliminate the nuisance the house has long been.

Authorities say they are concerned about the impact of the house and its activities on the surrounding Woodridge neighborhood, particularly the children. The St. Francis de Sales Grammar School and adjoining convent are a block away, as are a neighborhood playground and the Langdon Park recreation center. Children congregate in the afternoons at the 7-Eleven store a few yards from the property's entrance.

"Since at least April 2000, the defendant property has come to the attention of law enforcement and police authorities because of a shooting on the front porch, drug sales and drug use in the house, related disorderly conduct and residents' activities with prostitutes. . . . For many years, law enforcement officers have undertaken to curb this abuse and nuisance at the defendant property," prosecutors Barry Weigand and William Cowden wrote of the repeated searches and arrests.

The prosecutors said the arrests and pending charges aren't making much of a dent in the activities in the house. They wrote: "Standard law enforcement techniques have not sufficed to cause Mr. Hale to stop using, and allowing the defendant property to be used unlawfully."

....

To neighbors of Woodridge, that sounds a lot better than the seemingly futile police raids at 1923 Rhode Island Ave. Relying on warrants signed by D.C. Superior Court judges, police have searched the house on June 6, 2000; Aug. 23, 2003; Nov. 24, 2006; Dec. 6, 2006; April 20, 2007; and May 25, 2007. In the course of those searches, police have arrested 15 people at the house on various charges, including Hale on charges of assault with a deadly weapon.

Each time police sought to search the house, they provided to a judge "evidence that a person at or inside 1923 Rhode Island Avenue NE had unlawfully distributed a controlled substance, usually cocaine, to a confidential police informant or special police employee," the prosecutors stated.

To get permission to seize the property from its owners, prosecutors now have to go to federal court. U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman is the judge who will rule on whether Hale will have to forfeit his property. Hale listed the property for sale in early June, and a Metro Real Estate for-sale sign remains in the front of the property.

» Watch ABC7's report
» Read Ofc. Maslona's affidavit
» Read the court documents

Two Decade Fight Over Waste Transfer Station in Brentwood

For nearly two decades, Ruth J. Wilson and other activists in Brentwood have asked the District to close the trash transfer station at 1220 W Street, NE.

Opponents of the trash transfer station say it represents "environmental racism" against the mostly black, working-class neighborhood in which it is located.

» Express-Free Ride, 7/25/07
» WaPo, 7/25/07
» WaPo, 6/13/04
» CityPaper history on the deal that brought the Home Depot and Giant to Brentwood, and how the community thought the development would be an ally in the fight against the Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI) trash-transfer facility, 6/7/02

Hands Across Ward 5 - Saturday, July 21st

What: Hands Across Ward 5 - Community Service Information Fair

When: Saturday, July 21st, 2007, 10am-4pm

Where: Trinidad Recreation Center, 1310 Childress Street, NE

Etc.: Sponsored by the DHS DC Fatherhood Initiative Network, this event is meant to connect DC services with the citizens. Also in attendance/available: DPR, DOES, health screenings, HIV testing, literacy and financial labs, and food and activities for the kids.

SMD 5A-11 Community Walk & Cleanup - Saturday, July 21st

What: Join Commissioner Janae Grant on a community walk to promote health, neighborhood cleanliness, and neighbor interaction in SMD 5A-11

When: Saturday, July 21st, 2007 at 8am (last on for the season)

Where: Meet outside 2900 Newton Street, NE and walk up Newton Street to Taft and back

For the Ladies: Teasing Your Way to Fitness

Tuesday's Express had a fitness feature on what may be Ward 5's sexiest way to tone up: The P Spot.

Located at 210 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, The P Spot offers ladies a creative and invigorating way to stay fit:

Incorporating striptease moves into workouts is nothing new, but this offers more toning than any Carmen Electra DVD. "Before it's a pole class, before it's a strip class, it's a fitness class," says Michaela Brown, a 2003 Georgetown grad, who calls out moves throughout the hour-long session like the head cheerleader of sexy.

» PoleFit: 101 is offered Mondays through Thursdays and on Saturdays, and costs $21.15 per class. Five- and 10-class passes are available at discounted rates.
» More details at Express FreeRide
» The P Spot site

SMD 5A-11 Neighborhood Walk & Cleanup

What: Join Commissioner Janae Grant on a community walk to promote health, neighborhood cleanliness, and neighbor interaction in SMD 5A-11

When: Saturday, June 23rd, 2007 at 8am (rain date: July 14th, 2007)

Where: Meet outside 2900 Newton Street, NE and walk up Newton Street to Taft and back

City Pulls Contract with President Inn; WUSA9 Gets Points for Good Deed

From WUSA9:

The new director of the District’s Emergency Management Agency, Darrel Darnell says that he will no longer be sending displaced families to the President Inn.

Darnell’s decision Monday came after he viewed on the WUSA9.com our exclusive 9NEWS NOW report with a hidden camera that disclosed deplorable conditions inside the rooms where DC families and tourists to Washington had been placed.

The unsuspecting tourists began posting their comments on web pages that rated the hotels and motels in the Washington area.

After staying at the New York Avenue motel [1600 New York Avenue, NE], they complained of rats, bed bugs, soiled linen and carpets.

Our camera also showed cigarette burns and evidence that fires had been set and a bathroom door kicked in. There was human hair in the bed and bathroom.

One woman from Oregon claims she became ill with scabies after staying at the President Inn.

Monday, Darnell’s office confirmed the Inn has a contract to provide up to 25 beds on a temporary emergency basis to homeless families at a cost of up to $75,000 per year. The contract ends at the end of September.

In another move the city’s Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Office sent a team of inspectors to the President Inn Monday. They were looking for construction, fire, plumbing and electrical code violations.

DC Councilman Kwame Brown, after seeing our original report on 9NEWS NOW Sunday night at 11 p.m., said Monday "No family should be placed in conditions like that."

» Bruce Johnson's original report (5.7.07) and video....Ewwww. I can understand how tourists could be duped, but the DC government? Seriously?

Community Computer Sale & Recycling - Saturday and Sunday

Community Computer Sale
Join us at our upcoming Community Computer Sale on Saturday, April 21st, 2007, 10-2pm at Kennedy Rec Center (1401 7th Street NW, 202.671.4794). Hosted by United Planning Organization Head Start Program and Per Scholas.

Computers will be available for $230 & $330!

Per Scholas is a non-profit organization with a rich 12-year history of offering affordable technology to low-income families and financially challenged schools and community-based organizations. We are headquartered in Bronx, NY with offices in Miami and Baltimore. For the past two years, Per Scholas has partnered with the Head Start Program in various cities to reach out to families without home computers and technology-deprived schools, day care centers and after school programs.

Beyond the New York City area, we have co-hosted outreach events in Baltimore, Miami, Pittsburgh, Toledo, Wilmington, & Washington, DC. This is our third time in DC. Learn more about our threefold technology programs at www.perscholas.org.

Please spread the word about this event. We do not require proof of income nor applications. Instead, we ask community organizations serving financially challenged populations to share the information with their staff and the families they serve. These computers also ideal for organizations setting up classrooms and tech labs. We highly recommend placing advance orders at 866.907.1758 - although walk-ins are welcome.

Should there be any questions, please contact me (Angela Tyler) at 410.230.1819.

Angela Tyler
Marketing Director/Consultant
Per Scholas - Affordable computers year-round!
410.230.1819 / 866.907.1758

- - -

Household Hazardous Waste, E-Cycling Collection
The DC Department of Public Works will hold its annual spring Household Hazardous Waste and E-Cycling collection event Saturday, April 21, 2007, 9am-3pm at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre parking lot at 16th and Kennedy Streets, NW. This drop-off service is free and open to all District residents.

DC residents can bring items including leftover cleaning and gardening chemicals, small quantities of gasoline, pesticides and poisons, mercury thermometers, varnish, solvents, spent batteries of all kinds, roofing tar, chemistry sets, automotive fluids, even asbestos floor tiles to the collection site for environmentally safe disposal.

Additionally, an electronics recycler will be onsite to take end-of-life consumer electronics including computers, computer monitors and other accessories, televisions, and office equipment. These machines will be broken down into their component parts (plastic, glass, toxic/heavy metals) and recycled or disposed of safely.

Items that will not be accepted during the Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Recycling Collection include ammunition, bulk trash, wooden TV consoles, propane tanks, microwave ovens, air conditioners and other appliances, as well as radioactive or medical wastes.

For more information on household hazardous waste, visit the DPW site.

- - -

Computer Recycling
Bring your old and unwanted computers and computer-related equipment to Freedom Plaza (13th and E Streets, NW) on Sunday, April 22nd, 2007, 11am-3pm, and the Environmental Protection Agency will recycle them for free in a manner that is safe for the environment.

Safely recycling and reusing computer equipment helps keep substances like lead and mercury from harming people or the environment.

Encourage your family, friends, schools, religious institutions, and other community organizations to do the same. We will take donations of computers, laptops, monitors, keyboards, scanners, mice, and other related computer equipment.

More information is available at www.epa.gov/oei/recycling.

Food & Friends to Deliver 10 Millionth Meal - Tuesday April 17th

Join Special Guest, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty,

and Food & Friends' Clients, Volunteers, Board, Staff and Supporters

as we Commemorate our 10 Millionth Meal!

Mayor Fenty will Package Food & Friends' 10 Millionth Meal

and Deliver it to a Food & Friends Client

Tuesday, April 17
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Food & Friends
219 Riggs Road, NE
Shuttle Service Available from Fort Totten Metro Station

Breakfast will be Provided

RSVP by this Friday, April 13

Providence Hospital Community Health Fair - Wednesday, March 28th

What: Providence Hospital is hosting its 5th annual community health fair

When: Wednesday March 28th, 2007, 12:30-4:00pm

Where: Providence Hospital's Carroll Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 1150 Varnum Street, NE

Etc: In celebration of National Nutrition Month, National Kidney Month, and National Social Workers' Month, the fair will have over 40 representatives from local and regional health organizations. The American Kidney Fund will sponsor a free kidney screening. For additional information please call 202.269.7100.

Brookland's Primal Fitness Featured in Express

Primal Fitness, located at 903 Girard Street, NE, is featured in today's Express "Fit" insert. You can also view the article on the FreeRide blog.

Primal Fitness describes it's brand of training:

Primal Fitness combines the proven fitness methods of CrossFit with the functional fitness gained by practice in Parkour - essentially obstacle coursing through your everyday environment - to develop skills to overcome any obstacle using only the natural movements of the human body. Classes can include weight training, conditioning, rope climbing, medicine ball throwing, box jumping, vaulting, and a host of other fun, functional fitness!

Norovirus at CUA

No fun - it's been determined that norovirus is behind the recent surge in gastrointestinal "issues" at CUA (I tried really hard to avoid any puns there...oh well). Those of us off campus, but in contact with CUA students at the Metro and in the neighborhood, should take extra precautions as well.

DC/World AIDS Day 2006 - TODAY

Visit Fight HIV in DC for more information, not just today, but every day. AIDS in DC also has a comprehensive collection of HIV/AIDS resources.

Also check out the The Living HIV Quilt site on washingtonpost.com, including today's article on a grassroots effort to distribute 30,000 free condoms "in targeted District neighborhoods."

Finally, support organizations like the Whitman-Walker Clinic or Food & Friends by donating or volunteering - at the very least by Shopping for Life on Saturday, December 2, 2006.

Alley Cat Allies Community Meeting - Wednesday, August 23rd

Our neighbors were kind enough to arrange for Alley Cat Allies to handle the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) of the family of feral kittens (and momma) that appeared in our shed not long after we moved in last year. My biggest fear was that our small colony (6-8, give or take) would quickly become it's own sovereign nation of feral cats. Months later, I'm happy to report that all the kitties are still around, sans additions.

While stray and feral cats are not what most folks would consider ideal - we have three very domestic and spoiled felines of our own, so of course I wish everyone had a home - they are a reality in our urban landscape. And you simply cannot turn a feral cat into a snuggly lap warmer. Our colony - along with a few other strays - is fed daily from at least two backyards and seems to be quite content romping around the block, particularly between our yard and the neighbors'. I urge you to attend this meeting and/or support Alley Cat Allies in any way you can. Also see the National Feral Cat Day site (October 16th this year) for additional information.

What: A free community meeting hosted by Alley Cat Allies. Learn what differentiates a feral cat from other domesticated cats. Hear about non-lethal, humane, and effective means of controlling stray and feral cat populations. See what a humane trap looks like. Learn about available spay/neuter resources in the DC area. Come voice your concerns and learn more about what you can do to help your neighborhood cats.

When: Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006 at 7pm

Where: Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Avenue, NW (Georgia Avenue and Upshur Street).

Etc.: For more information about this and other neighborhood cat programs, contact MCATdc@alleycat.org.

DC Environmental Network Mayoral Candidates Forum - Thursday, August 3rd, 1-3pm

What better time to attend an environmentally geared Mayoral Candidates Forum than in globally warmed 100°+ temperatures? Well, perhaps June 29th, but I'm guessing it just wasn't hot enough for Fenty, Cropp, and Johns (in all fairness, Fenty did show up just in time for the last question of the evening).

But enough about my disappointment with a few of the contenders the first time around; let's just hope they don't squander this second chance:

OPEN TO ALL!
D.C. Environmental Network to hold Mayoral and Council Chair CANDIDATES FORUMS @ Friends of the Earth

District of Columbia environmental organizations, individuals and activists will hold Mayoral and Council Chair Candidates Forums in August to highlight key issues in the recently released DC Environmental Agenda. Candidates will have an opportunity to present their environmental vision for the District to residents and explain their thoughts on issues that most directly impact the environmental health of our communities.

MAKE-UP Forum for Mayoral Candidates FORUM
DATE: Thursday, August 3, 2006
PARTICIPANTS SO FAR: Linda Cropp, Marie Johns, Adrian Fenty
TIME: 1:00 TO 3:00 PM
PLACE: FRIENDS OF THE EARTH, 1717 Massachusetts Avenue NW #600 (Dupont Circle Metro - South Exit)

Council Chair/At-Large Council Candidates FORUM
DATE: Thursday, August 17, 2006
PARTICIPANTS SO FAR: Phil Mendelson, Kathy Patterson
TIME: 12 TO 1:30 PM
PLACE: FRIENDS OF THE EARTH, 1717 Massachusetts Avenue NW #600 (Dupont Circle Metro - South Exit)

Please remember to bring a picture ID to get in the building!

About the DC Environmental Agenda
In 1999, twelve District environmental organizations created the first ever Environmental Agenda for the District of Columbia. This agenda was a collaborative effort of citizen activists to chart a course for environmental protection. It recognized that a new Mayor and Council would have an opportunity to reverse some of the negative trends of years past and promote working towards a more livable city for all residents. It made recommendations, for action and drew upon the collective wisdom of many District environmental leaders as well as successful initiatives in other parts of the country.

Today in 2006, the Summit Fund of Washington and over 30 environmental, health, faith, citizen and civic organizations are answering a call to action by participating in creating a new environmental agenda for the District. This new agenda will build on the successes of the past six years and will set a new standard of environmental excellence for the District.

Together, these proposals will chart a course toward excellence in the provision of city services and the protection of public health. As we believed in 1999, restoration of environmental quality in the District is a pro-business, pro-economic growth platform that more and more public officials are starting to embrace and act on.

For more information please contact Chris Weiss at 202.222.0746.

Environmental Community Mayoral Forum Thursday, June 29th

I know it's been circulating around the local interwebs, but I wanted to give credit to a neighbor from Friends of the Earth who passed this info along to me. Thanks, neighbor!

D.C. Environmental Network

American Rivers - Anacostia Coordinating Council - Anacostia Watershed Society Audubon Naturalist Society - Beyond Pesticides - Bluewater Network - Casey Trees Endowment Fund - Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Center for Food Safety - Chesapeake Climate Action Network - Clean Water Action - Coalition for Smarter Growth - Container Recycling Institute - DC Environmental Education Consortium - DC Fiscal Policy Institute - DC Smart Schools - DC Statehood Green Party - Friends of the Earth - Global Green - Green Spaces for DC - Howard Environmental Law Society - Institute for Local Self Reliance - No DC Taxes for Baseball - Safer Neighborhoods Campaign - Sierra Club - Washington Area Bicyclist Association - Washington Parks and People - Washington Regional Network - Watts Branch Alliance - Wholeness for Humanity

D.C. ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNTIY TO HOLD MAYORAL CANDIDATES FORUM AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY

Who: Michael Brown, Chairman Linda Cropp, Councilmember Adrian Fenty, and Chris Otten

What: District of Columbia environmental organizations, individuals and activists to hold a Mayoral Forum featuring issues highlighted in the soon to be released DC Environmental Agenda. Candidates will have an opportunity to present their environmental vision for the District to residents and explain their thoughts on issues that most directly impact the environmental health of our communities. Organizations that are interested in tabling at the event should contact the Washington Area Bicyclist Association / WABA.

When: Thursday, June 29, 2006, 6:30-9:00pm

Where: Cramton Auditorium, Howard University, 2455 6th Street NW (The Howard University Office of Parking and Shuttle Operations will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Howard University/Shaw Metro Station)
Free valet bike parking will be available at the forum courtesy of WABA.

Why: In 1999, twelve District environmental organizations created the first ever Environmental Agenda for the District of Columbia. This agenda was a collaborative effort of citizen activists to chart a course for environmental protection. It recognized that a new Mayor and Council would have an opportunity to reverse some of the negative trends of years past and promote working towards a more livable city for all residents. It made recommendations, for action and drew upon the collective wisdom of many District environmental leaders as well as successful initiatives in other parts of the country.

Today in 2006, the Summit Fund of Washington and over 30 environmental, health, faith, citizen and civic organizations are answering a call to action by participating in creating a new environmental agenda for the District. This new agenda will build on the successes of the past six years and will set a new standard of environmental excellence for the District. A preview of some of the focus areas include:

· Clean Rivers - While some progress has been made cleaning up the Anacostia River, Potomac River and Rock Creek, much work still needs to be done. Recommendations will include doing more to effectively manage stormwater and increase efforts to find funding for important repairs to our aging infrastructure.
· Safe Drinking Water - With efforts to decrease the amount of lead in our drinking water under way, recommendations will focus on making sure we avoid a future drinking water crisis.
· Solid Waste - Making sure real progress is made in implementing both curbside and commercial recycling efforts will be an agenda focus. Ways in which the District can expand and enhance other successful solid waste programs will be highlighted.
· Public Health - With the increased prevalence of toxic chemicals in our communities and bodies the public health section will focus on implementing a biomonitoring program that will test for toxics in people. A first step towards developing effective policies that will protect District residents.
· Protection of Parks and Trees - Although significant progress has been made, we still have much to do to reverse 30 years of tree canopy loss. Recommendations focus on the development of comprehensive strategies and management systems to plant and care for trees on both public and private property.
· Transportation - Creating Complete Streets: DC transportation planning, design and construction should result in streets that are designed with bicyclists, pedestrians and transit users in mind. The use of alternative modes of transportation should be encouraged through changes in parking and tax policy, and zoning regulations.
· Green Schools - Greening D.C.’s schools and making sure our children have a safe place to learn and grow will be a focus.
· Global Warming - A new and significant addition will be global warming recommendations for candidates about local solutions such as clean car legislation.
· Smart Growth Platform - Directing the region’s growth near metro stations, reinvesting in parks and public spaces, implementing the Comprehensive Housing Strategy and increased support for walking, bicycling and transit will be incorporated.
· Homeland Security - Implementing policies that stop terrorists from having the tools to create chemical and other environmental threats that could potentially kill thousands in our region will be an important element.
· Food Safety and Security - Promoting greater food nutrition education, bringing local healthy food to school cafeterias, securing markets for local producers, and increasing the availability of fresh produce to lower-income neighborhoods is the focus of our recommendations in this section.
· Budget Transparency - Recommendations to make the DC government’s budget process more accessible and transparent.

Together, these proposals will chart a course toward excellence in the provision of city services and the protection of public health. As we believed in 1999, restoration of environmental quality in the District is a pro-business, pro-economic growth platform that more and more public officials are starting to embrace and act on.

I've also been alerted that both Marie Johns and Vincent Orange may be able to attend. Finally, I'm available to attend a forum; personally, I want to hear what Johns has to say. At the same time, I look forward to the amusement Orange's environmental platform would bring...I envision something along the lines of, "I brought you a Home Depot [insert pat on back]. Only in Ward 5 can you purchase their sustainable wood and lead-free pipes....What about that Giant? They have three organic cereals! And no trees were hurt in the process of plastering my campaign swag across the District...."