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Mixed reactions to D.C.’s minimum wage hike

Ken Martin sells the newspaper Street Sense in Tenleytown on Wisconsin Avenue
Ken Martin sells the newspaper Street Sense in Tenleytown on Wisconsin Avenue. Photo credit: Kyla Jackson.

Jacqueline Davis shopped at a CVS in Tenleytown, where one-bedroom apartments can fetch $300,000 and single-family homes go for more than $1 million.

A longtime District resident, Davis, 66, worries for low-income residents who may not be able to afford staying in the city. She agrees with the D.C. City Council’s decision this summer to hike the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

“I feel very good about it,” Davis said.

In June, the City Council voted to raise the minimum wage from its current $11.50 to $15 an hour by 2020 for non-tipped workers. People interviewed this week in Tenleytown expressed mixed reactions to the increase, with some saying it’s necessary in a city where the cost of living is increasing and others saying they fear prices may go up as a result.

Victoria Alukpe, 21, a political science major at American University, said no one can survive on minimum wage. She feels the increase will help people match their pay checks with what they pay for.

“Everyone is working to survive,” Alukpe said.

Through her studies in political science, Alukpe has come to support the idea of a higher minimum wage, joining many District residents and workers who agree with the minimum wage increase.

D.C. living does come with a hefty price tag.

Zillow.com statistics note that the price for a one-bedroom home in D.C. in 2016 sold for an average $370,000. That’s been steadily on the rise and is expected to continue going up. Five years ago, the average one-bedroom cost $319,000.

Transit costs also add to a low-wage worker’s monthly bill. Metro riders can expect to pay $237 for a 28-day pass, according to the WMATA website.

Ken Martin, 62, a D.C. hat vendor who was offering the Street Sense newspaper outside CVS on Wisconsin Avenue, has a different take on the minimum wage.

“The whole thing is just wacko,” Martin said.

Martin disagrees with the minimum wage increase. He feels it will also raise the cost of living and minimum-wage workers won’t get ahead as promised.

“People just don’t do the math,” Martin said. “Everybody wants more money, but they don’t realize that more money is not enough money.”

 

 

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Environment at American U a priority

Organic Waste Bin
Organic Waste Bin
Jennie Yu uses an organic waste bin in the McKinley Building at American University. Photo credit Samaa Eldadah.

Four years away from its goal of “Climate Neutrality” but with some students skipping participation in its greening efforts, American University has pledged to continue its sustainability efforts on campus.

Students and staff  interviewed this week said the university’s commitment to environmental issues on campus including composting, recycling and the maintenance of a community garden makes it a leader in the nation.

The university “is doing a pretty good job,” said Liam Toohey, 35, who works at the Bender Library on campus.

In April, AU signed Second Nature’s Climate Commitment, a document that reaffirms the school’s goal of climate neutrality.  Second Nature assists colleges and universities nationwide with efforts to become more sustainable. The document emphasizes higher education’s role in sustainability.

Signatories “believe firmly in the power, potential, and imperative of higher education’s key role in shaping a sustainable society,” according to the document.

Five months earlier, AU joined more than 300 colleges and universities in signing the White House’s American Campuses Act on Climate agreement.

The Zero Waste Policy AU adopted in 2010 also prompted the establishment of AU’s Zero Waste Club, a group of students that takes initiative in reducing campus landfill waste, as their name explains, to zero. AU’s Zero Waste Policy has called for “reducing and diverting 100 percent of the university’s waste stream.”

Most buildings on campus, offer four different ways to dispose of materials. These include bins for organic waste, trash headed for landfills, glass and plastic recycling and paper.

But, not all students pay attention to the separate bins, and that may jeopardize whether composting materials–food waste, napkins and other biodegradable materials–are treated as environmentalists hope. In the past, the University has had issues finding a composting facility that accepts mixed materials from the bins.

“People need to pay attention,” to composting bins, said Fabiola Lizardi-Clemente,17.

Allie Goldsmith, 19, a barista at the Dav, a coffee shop in the School of International Service, noted that it has been going green for as long as she can remember, and said many students at SIS do a good job paying attention to environmental issues.

“People are more conscious here,” Goldsmith said.

A sign at the coffee shop read, “SAVE the WORLD, use a MUG! Take it ANYWHERE but please, please, PLEASE bring it back to the DAV.” Another sticker pasted at the shop said, “We proudly serve TAP WATER.”

Tucked behind the SIS building, down a narrow gravel pathway, is an herb and vegetable garden, an effort by AU’s Arboretum and Gardens team to promote consumption of locally grown produce.

The garden, according to Toohey, is open to all AU faculty, and is filled with herbs from “Stir-fry Thai Basil” to “Simply Salsa Cilantro.” Other plants include curly kale and blackberry bushes.

The School of International Service building, which is LEED-certified, is renowned on campus for being a “green place.” That means its better at reducing water and energy usage.

Other buildings, like the Kogod School of Business and the Mary Graydon Center, have green roofs, helping to cut down on water runoff and boost “energy efficiency,” according to the university’s website.