Electrify Your Home with Rebates and Incentives: A Carbon-Free Fairfax Webinar
WHEN: Thursday, March 7 at 6 PM ET WHERE: The webinar will be livestreamed on Fairfax County’sYouTube channelas well as OEEC’s Facebook Page. No registration required. It will also be immediately available on YouTube to watch the replay after the livestream.Be sure to tune in at 6 p.m. on March 7. CONTACT: For questions about this event, please email carbonfreefairfax@fairfaxcounty.gov
DESCRIPTION:
Tax time is here. Did you know:
There are tax credits available now to homeowners who are making energy efficiency and electrification upgrades.
There are additional programs to reduce your upfront costs.
By making these upgrades you can lower your energy bill, conserve energy, reduce your carbon footprint, and make your home healthier and more comfortable.
Tune in to learn about the tax credits and rebates as well as Residential Energy Conservation Programs available through Dominion Energy. The livestream event is being hosted by the Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination (OEEC), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy and Honeywell Smart Energy.
Together, they will answer common questions about how to take advantage of these federal tax credits and rebates as well as the Energy Conservation Programs, how much you can save, and what projects qualify. More Details
FCPS Awarded $16 Million for Electric School Buses
by Ariya Lee
As part of the EPA’s first Clean School Bus Program, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) was awarded $16,590,000 on Jan. 8 to purchase 42 electric school buses to improve air quality and advance environmental justice.“We’ve set a goal by 2035 to fully electrify [our school buses],” FCPS School Board Chair Karl Frisch said.
“We have one of the larger school bus fleets in the country with more than 1600 buses.
Electric school bus
Image credit: Ariya Lee
We have 18 already in the system with more on the way, plus the 42. We should be nearing a hundred soon.”
The 18 electric school buses currently in the fleet were funded with grants from Dominion Energy and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
"The biggest reason is to improve the air for the students and the faculty on the bus route and the surrounding neighborhood [and] to reduce the carbon gasses that the diesel buses produce,” FCPS Coordinator III of Fleet Operations Ron Edwards said.
Based on recommendations from the Joint Environmental Taskforce (JET), FCPS has agreed to carbon neutrality by 2040, and to transition to zero-carbon alternatives for student transportation, such as school buses, by 2035. Transitioning the county’s buses from diesel to electric will be a major part of meeting this goal.
Ariya Lee is a 9th grader at Chantilly High School.
Letter to the Editor
Progress is being made on the transition to electric school buses in Fairfax County
By Robin Olsen
While it will take continued dedication to the effort, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) continues to make progress on transitioning its fleet of school buses to electric. Electric school buses have benefits for drivers and students, particularly as it relates to the elimination of tailpipe pollution from the diesel gas used to run the school buses at present and a much quieter operation for drivers and students. FCPS has used a variety of grant programs to get a start on their electric school
Electric School bus with Robin Olsen, Ron Edwards (FCPS), Paul D'Andrade (FCPS)
Image credit: Robert Jordan, FACS
bus fleet of 28 buses. The school district was recently announced the winner of a $16.69 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus program,
which will allow for the purchase of 42 more electric school buses.
As a member of the Great Falls Group Sierra Club, working in partnership with a group of local volunteers with the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS), I have been able to advocate for this progress in recent months through testimony with our legislators in Richmond as well as the FCPS School Board. I commend FCPS on their progress to date and encourage their efforts to build on this in the future.
Sierra Tabling at Town of Vienna’s Green Expo
WHEN: Thursday, April 18; 7- 9 PM
WHERE: Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St SE, Vienna, VA 22180
DESCRIPTION: The Great Falls Group will set up a table at the Vienna Green Expo to
present Sierra Club's activities and environment protection efforts. We are looking for volunteers to prepare and man the table. The Vienna Green Expo educates the public about the environment and sustainability by showcasing local and regional, environmentally friendly organizations, products, services and practices. The Great Falls Group has been participating in the Expo since its inauguration.
SPONSORS: Town of Vienna Conservation & Sustainability Commission; Sierra VA Chapter Great Falls Group.
Volunteering is good for the environment!
We have new opportunities for volunteers in the Sierra Club Great Falls Group. See nine ideas here to find some that are a fit for you. Local volunteering for the environment helps you and your community by:
Cutting down on emissions by traveling close to home
Giving you a sense of belonging in your own community
Opening you socially to more people in your area
Supporting local projects and people
Teaching you more about your community and other ways to help.
The personal connections you can gain from volunteering locally canopen you up to a wide range of advantages.
Not only will you make new friends but you’ll also be able to develop relationships in the long-term for as long as you live in the area. You learn more about what’s going on in your area, like events, groups and clubs, and more.
For the GFG weekly environmental events email, join thelistserv here and select subscribe (or unsubscribe).
The MeetUp group for Sierra Club Potomac Region Outings (SCPRO) is a special activities section of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. The group organizes hikes and other events in Virginia, DC and Maryland. No Sierra Club membership is necessary to participate. SCPRO welcomes all people on a variety of outdoor adventures, nature walks, conservation outings, and exploration of our natural and regional history. Join SCPRO MeetUp here
Power for the People Virginia
A recent post from Ivy Main's blog on energy-related matters in Virginia.
