Melissa Holzberg, a sophomore majoring in political communication, is The Hatchet’s contributing opinions editor.
In case you missed it, here’s the best and worst news from around campus and the District this week.
Thumbs up:
Chicago may be “the windy city,” but the District may give it a run for its money. A wind farm will now power 35 percent of D.C. government buildings, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Wednesday.
The District purchased a wind farm in southwestern Pennsylvania in a deal that will provide 125,000 MW hours of electricity each year, making this deal the largest wind power energy deal any U.S. city has ever entered.
At a press conference on Wednesday, city officials estimated the city will save $45 million over the next two decades. The deal will also remove about 100,000 tons of carbon pollution from the year – a step towards D.C.’s goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2032.
Luckily, GW is in line with D.C.’s goals to be the greenest city in the U.S. Campus-wide sustainability efforts include GW’s target to be “waste-free” by 2020, as well as their goal of cutting greenhouse-gas emissions by 80 percent before 2040. And last summer GW entered into a 20-year pledge to derive half of its energy from solar power.
It’s encouraging that the GW community isn’t alone in its efforts to go green. With the help and commitment of the city, too, D.C. is well on its way to becoming a more eco-friendly place.
Thumbs down:
The derailment of a Metro train on Aug. 6 between the Smithsonian and Federal Triangle Stops could have been avoided, Metro officials revealed this week.
Routine testing in early July found a track flaw that could have that section to be immediately shut down, Metro officials said. The repair was never made, and the train derailment last week occurred at the exact location of the flaw.
Problems with the Metro have been nonstop this summer, and have likely left some D.C. residents and students reluctant to rely on it.
In June, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that Metro had failed to correctly repair protective sleeves over cables. This repair was supposed to stop another fatal smoke error, like the one on Jan. 12 at the L’Enfant Plaza Metro stop. Metro also had toremove 280 cars that were found to have asbestos late last month.
Metrorail is the second largest rail system in the country, with 91 stations and covering 118 miles. As a system that services both residents, commuters and students, officials must prioritize the safety of passengers above all else.