Fellow animal rights and social justice activist and funder Alissa Hauser, recently told me about Liberate Philanthropy, “a new blog series curated by Justice Funders to re-imagine and practice philanthropy free of its current constraints — the accumulation and privatization of wealth, and the centralization of power and control — to one that redistributes wealth, democratizes power and shifts economic control to communities.” Love this notion. Can’t wait to read more.

I'm thrilled to share news of my friend Huda Asfour's new album, Kouni, which just launched this month! Check it out!

I am deeply inspired by the Earth Guardians and Our Children’s Trust who are in the process of suing the government for failing to safeguard the climate for future generations. These youth have successfully done it before in Washington state, and, to the consternation of the current federal administration, on October 29, 2018, Juliana v. United States is set to go to trial.

While I was recently looking into installing a rain barrel to the gutter system on my house, I came across the DC Rain Barrel rebate incentive program. As of January 4, 2018, District homeowners who install rain barrels are eligible for a rebate based on the volume of stormwater that is captured and stored from rooftops. Rebates are issued as a direct reimbursement to homeowners at a rate of $2 per gallon captured. For example, a 50-gallon rain barrel would yield a $100 rebate after installation. I’m psyched to install a rain barrel system on my property!

This link leads to go-go music. Recently, I listened to an episode of the NPR show, 1A, called "Conserving the Culture of Chocolate Cities." DC was majority black when I was a kid and now has a pronounced vanilla swirl, so that title caught my attention. It inspired me to share some some funky DC music. This track is by Slim.