Our supervisors need to hear from everyone who uses parks before the budget hearings start on April 12.
Make your voice heard now!
Why your voice is so urgently needed:
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is seeking feedback on the annual budget. The current budget proposal shows our parks getting far less money than they need to stay healthy and truly benefit all Fairfax County residents.
As a voter and a supporter of our parks, please speak up by writing an email to your supervisor! Find your supervisor here. Thank you to our friends at the Audubon Naturalist Society for composing this call to action.
Volunteer Night for the Environment Presents "Inspiring Families and Youth with Environmental Actions"
WHEN: Wed., April 27, 7-8:15 pm WHERE: Online meeting - register here DETAILS:Come and join a conversation with ClimateMama’s Executive Director Harriet Shugarman at the Volunteer Night for the Environment. She is a professor, author, writer, economist and climate policy advisor. She will talk about several environmental themes, which include:
How to maintain our own hope and that of our children
A list of practical actions families can take to tackle developing a zero waste lifestyle in the face of the climate crisis
Ideas for helping children follow their passions in pursuit of a livable, just, and sustainable world.
How environmental groups have successfully joined with youth and families to grow new volunteers for the future
Help with Adopt-A-Highway Clean-Up Earth Day Weekend
WHEN: Saturday, April 23; 9-11 am
WHERE: Jones Branch Drive between Westpark Drive & International Drive, Tysons Corner, VA
DETAILS: Sierra Club/Great Falls Group will pick up litter and debris on 1.32 miles of Jones Branch Drive, Tysons Corner (home of McLean Hilton). Come out for great exercise outdoors, meet and mingle with other Club members, and help clean up a roadway! Litter bags will be provided. Click here to register and for more information.
WHERE: Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St. SE., Vienna, VA 22180 IN PERSON
DETAILS: Featuring tips for a zero waste lifestyle, purchasing local organic products, creating sustainable gardens, recycling, and the latest in electric vehicles, and more. The Vienna Green Expo is a FREE place to see local/regional earth-friendly exhibitors showing how to achieve a green lifestyle. The Great Falls Group will have a table there.
SPONSOR: Town of Vienna's Conservation and Sustainability Commission
Join the Earth Day/Arbor Day Celebration at UUCF WHEN: Saturday, April 30, 10 am-2 pm WHERE: United Universalist Congregation of Fairfax, 2709 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton, VA. DETAILS: No registrantion necessary. All are welcome. The program includes a delicious plant-based luncheon (no charge). Presentation by Charles Smith on "The Healing Power of Nature." Tree plantings 11:15 am and 1:00 pm. Indoors, N95 or KN95 masks required. The Great Falls Group will have a table there. RSVP for lunch to ActForClimateToday@gmail.com SPONSOR: UUCF Act for Climate Today! Committee CONTACT: ActForClimateToday@gmail.com
Act! Reviews the Lives of Farmed Animals and the Pursuit of Personhood
Part I of Revisioning our Relationship to Animals and Food
WHEN: Wednesday, April 6; 7:30-8:30 pm WHERE: RSVP HERE for Zoom Link
DETAILS: A presentation by Act for Climate Today! Do you know how many farmed animals are killed for food in this country each year or what protections these animals have under our laws? Do you know that animals in general are viewed as property in our legal system, and typically are considered to have the same value as a table, a car, or any other piece of tangible property? Animal Outlook attorney Will Lowrey will update us on what is happening in our legal system regarding our fellow members of the interconnected web! CONTACT: ActForClimateToday@gmail.com SPONSORS: Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions; 350Fairfax; NOVA Chapter, The Climate Reality Project; Food and Climate Working Group
WHEN: Thursday, April 7; 7-8 PM WHERE: Online DETAILS: The Mountain Valley Pipeline and its Southgate extension puts at risk communities, water resources, and ecosystems. Years of dedicated work have led to many victories, especially over the past six months: vacated permits, delayed authorizations, and an increasing likelihood that the project will be canceled. Come look to the future of the fight and gather for a dynamic online rally. The rally will bring together community leaders from Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina to share how victories have been achieved, what it will take to stop this disastrous pipeline, and how you can help.
DESCRIPTION: Drive Electric Earth Day is a national campaign to share information about electric vehicles throughout the month of April.
In addition to being better for the environment, electric vehicles are more fun to drive, more convenient to fuel and less expensive to operate than gasoline vehicles. RSVP for an in-person or online event to experience driving electric!
CONTACT: Click here for more information and to register.
“Solutions to Plastics Waste” was the topic at the March Zero Waste Meeting
Dr. Christopher White’s presentation on “Solutions to Plastic Waste and an active Q&A segment were the highlights of the Great Falls Group Zero Waste Volunteer Action Night in March. Dr. White is a Senior Managing Scientist at Exponent, Inc.
Dr. White provided a broad overview of climate change and the public perception of it. He discussed severe weather events and a rating system developed by Bloomberg to identify climate risk and business risk.
He highlighted the importance of the recent UN Environment Assembly treaty on ending single-use plastics, the most significant treaty after the Paris Accord. Plastics produce lower carbon footprints when compared to other materials such as glass but are difficult to decompose primarily due to the way they are constructed for durability. Future steps require corporate strategy for sustainability. Consumers’ and investors’ voices and choices do have huge impacts on producers’ behavior and outcomes. The next Zero Waste action night will be on Zoom April 27 (see article in this newsltter for the details).
The Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination Conducted a Webinar on March 31 Entitled “How We Experience Light”
Under the Carbon-Free Fairfax (CFF) banner, the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination (OEEC) conducted a webinar, “How We Experience Light,” on March 31. While the webinar took place too late to be reported on in this issue, the Great Falls Group reminds our readers that it’s vital to reduce greenhouse gases in the production or use of light.
For example, we can leverage light to save energy by:
Orienting a building to accept more sunlight in winter to warm the interior
Using overhangs or other shadings during summer to block heat gain
Designing a light well into a building, which brings in daylight while acting as a return air shaft
Installing “light shelves,” either internal or external, to redirect daylight to the ceiling
There are many other design and technology measures that county residents can explore to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions!
Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District Native Seedling Sale
The seedling sale pickup will be Friday, April 1, 9am-4pm and Saturday, April 2, 9am-12pm at Sleepy Hollow Bath and Racquet Club, 3516 Sleepy Hollow Road, Falls Church VA 22044. Any seedlings not collected at pickup will be donated to a reforestation project in Fairfax County. Seedlings must be purchased in advance - no-day-of-sales purchases or extras will be offered.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Passes Bamboo Ordinance
At a second hearing of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on March 22, the running bamboo ordinance passed, under the County Code's Chapter 119, "Grass or Lawn Area Vegetation." The maximum fine of $3000 a year for non-compliance authorized by the Virginia Assembly in Jan 2018 was reduced to $2000. Supervisor Walkinshaw warned that this may not be enough of a deterrent, that bamboo owners may opt to just do nothing since often the cost of removing an infestation greatly exceeds the penalty, even at $3000. Supervisor McKay said that if this proves to be the case, the ordinance may need to be further amended. Also, the ordinance as passed has dropped the requirement that a bamboo owner install a trench and barrier to contain the bamboo. The new ordinance will take effect January 1, 2023.
Virginia Chapter
SC Virginia Chapter Is in Search of Two New Chairs!
Are you looking for a way to contribute to the Sierra Club's Virginia Chapter but aren’t sure what to do? Our Virginia Chapter is looking for two new leaders: theMembership Chair and the Fundraising Chair.
The Chapter Membership Chair works with the membership chairs of the individual groups to share ideas and plan strategies for recruiting new members. The Fundraising Chair works with staff and other volunteers to help plan and coordinate fundraising campaigns and events.
These are two very important positions in the leadership of our chapter that we would like to fill as soon as possible. If you might be interested in volunteering as Membership or Fundraising Chair, please contact either Ralph Grove (ralph.grove@gmail.com) or Kate West (kate.west@sierraclub.org). These positions are open to all Sierra Club members.
