Yesterday Greater Greater Washington did an excellent post on Councilmember Yvette Alexander's support of the "bag bill". They also gave Congress Heights on the Rise a really cool shoutout. THANKS!

Click HERE to read the post.

Excerpts:

Councilmember Yvette Alexander appeared on Thursday's Kojo Nnamdi show to discuss her support for the Anacostia Cleanup and Protection Act (the "bag bill"). She pushed back against claims that the bill would harm poor residents, citing its many protections for needy residents including free bags that the Department of the Environment will distribute. Alexander also said that the bill's sponsors were investigating ways to help food stamp recipients, who can't use their federal allocations to buy the bags directly. Alexander also refuted the idea that poor communities don't care about the environment:

No matter what your income, and no one is more concerned than me, but it does not excuse you from being environmentally conscious and responsible. It's an education piece. I want to educate each and every one of my constituents and they need to be responsible. We cannot keep making excuses and trying to shift away from the real issue. You know, we do have residents that are low-income. We do have residents who are struggling out here. But this is also the time to educate and empower them, and I think this is one initiative to do that.

On River East suppport:

Ultimately, the bill seems to bend over backwards to minimize every possible impact on the needy. It's sad that Covenant is choosing to argue that protecting the river isn't worth even the very minimal impacts under this most accommodating bill, while other food organizations like Bread For the City are trying to constructively address any flaws and help the hungry and the environment at the same time. Local blogs in River East have also announced their support, including the excellent and increasingly influential Congress Heights On the Rise .