WASHINGTON – Emphasizing the effects of global warming, business and political change makers are sounding the alarm with climate-conscious solutions in hand.
Energy solution financier D.C. Green Bank plans to invest $3 million in energy-efficient improvements for a new affordable apartment unit on Congress Street in NoMa.
D.C. Green Bank, which receives funding from the district, will install multiple upgrades, including energy-efficient windows and appliances as well as Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems.
“This project will provide affordable, healthy, and sustainable housing opportunities for lower-income district residents,” D.C. Green Bank CEO Trisha Miller said in a statement.
Financing for energy-efficient upgrades has been gaining traction across multiple U.S. cities.
Madison, Wisconsin, received a $20 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to invest in energy-efficiency upgrades in affordable housing in early January under the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. Similar strides have been made in Michigan and Pittsburgh.
“This is good news for affordable units, as upgrades like these mean savings for years for residents,” said Ward 6 council member Charles Allen in a newsletter referring to the deal.
Allen, a strong advocate for climate action, introduced two climate-based bills to the D.C. Council, which held hearings on both bills last week.
“We need to give a formal platform to young people on climate policy,” Allen said in a statement. “Young people will live with the damage done to the environment the longest. They’ve got skin in the game, but too often we aren’t asking them to speak up in a meaningful way.”
Allen’s Solar Shade Expansion Amendment Act of 2025 would assess 20 sites across the district for solar panel installations. The proposed bill would implement solar canopies – devices that hold up solar panels – in parks and public spaces to increase shade.
The other bill would start a youth climate council, allowing students from middle school to college to offer their opinions on legislation and work with the district’s Commission on Climate Change and Resiliency.
“That’s so cool,” said Howard University TV and film major Lou Taylor. “I definitely think finding other sources of power, like solar power, is going to be really important and get us away from all the natural resources that we’re burning through.”
Although these initiatives received support, some worry they are not enough to improve the impacts of global warming.
Senior international affairs student Micaiah Simmons said she feels hopeless against climate change, because of the ecological harm done by large companies and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“It’s so much that we could do, but there’s so many corporations, for example ChatGPT, and their contributions to global warming,” Simmons said. “And, in that sense, there’s not much we can do.”
AI contributes to environmental harm through its energy-intensive data centers.
These centers consume vast amounts of raw materials, including “rare earth elements” needed for microchips. Their constant use along with the mining of these materials is detrimental to the state of the environment.
As programs, like ChatGPT, are further ingrained into modern society, Simmons said moving away from AI is “seemingly impossible.” She hopes companies look at renewable energy sources for future use.
“If you have the resources available, you should invest in clean energy.”
Azia Ross is a reporter for HUNewsService.com.
