Prince George’s County has paused plans for a data center at the former Landover Mall site in Landover, MD, following strong community opposition. On Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, County Executive Aisha Braveboy ordered a temporary halt to all data center permitting. The move came after a public meeting where hundreds protested the proposed development.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Party for Socialism and Liberation – Washington DC (@psldc) Tuesday, Sept. 16, the County Council issued a joint statement announcing a separate resolution to temporarily suspend the review of future data center proposals until the Qualified Data Center Task Force delivers its recommendations. The Council noted that a 2021 law allowed the Landover project to move forward without Council review. However, they emphasized current leadership’s commitment to ensuring greater transparency in future decisions. “The proposed resolution reflects a commitment to ensuring residents have confidence that...

Four Black churches in California’s Bay Area are transforming into resilience hubs with EV charging infrastructure. According to Inside Climate News (ICN), the goal of this initiative is to boost financial sustainability and attract investment in underserved communities. Glad Tidings International in Hayward, Twenty-Third Avenue Church in Oakland, The Way Christian Center in Berkeley, and University AME Zion (UAMEZ) in Palo Alto are part of the initiative, led by environmental justice nonprofit Green the Church (GTC) and cleantech firm Gemini Energy Solutions. These resilience hubs will equip churches with clean energy and provide shelter and necessities — including electricity and air conditioning — during disasters like wildfires , power outages, or extreme weather, ICN reports. Gemini Energy Solutions, founded by Anthony Kinslow, Ph.D., leads project management and community outreach. GTC, led by Rev. Ambrose Carroll, mobilizes clergy and works with their in-house “green team.”...

A program is underway to grow the number of Black women in the clean energy sector. Diamond Spratling, founder of Girl + Environment, is a climate and social justice leader who has made tackling environmental issues her life’s work. Much of her work focuses specifically on how environmental injustice disproportionately impacts Black, brown, and Indigenous communities. Spratling herself was impacted by a BioLab explosion while residing in Atlanta. According to The Bitter Southerner, Spratling’s upbringing in industrial Detroit and Southwest Atlanta has familiarized her with how industry, environment, and public health affect the quality of life for people of color. In 2019, she examined environmental policies and recognized that Black women’s participation was lacking, according to Essence. “Why weren’t we in these rooms?” Spratling questioned, per Essence. Girl + Environment That same year, Spratling launched Girl + Environment, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free resources and...

HBCUs are set to play a bigger role in the fight against climate change thanks to a new pilot program that blends funding, training, and hands-on experience. Atlanta-based Southface Institute, in partnership with the Sustain Our Future Foundation (SOFF), has launched Building Improvement Toolkits (BIT) for Resilient HBCUs, a program designed to strengthen sustainability efforts at five Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports. The program, per the outlet, provides a variety of resources to help schools address climate change on campus and in surrounding communities. That includes technical support, $150,000 in grant funding per school, and the creation of student fellowships focused on sustainability. According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, each participating HBCU will host 25 paid student fellows who will conduct building audits and recommend ways to conserve energy, water, and waste. The program also incorporates training and...