DETAILS: Rev. Dr. Jean Wright will lead a virtual Forest Bathing session (absorbing the forest atmosphere) and discuss what is involved in a “Free and responsible search for truth and meaning.”
SPONSOR: Act for Climate Today! (ACT!) Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax
Legislative Advocacy Webinar
WHEN: Thursday, December 15; 6-7 PM
WHERE: Online
DETAILS: Grassroots community voices are critical to making effective change. Join the Sierra Club/Virginia Chapter for an educational webinar to discuss how we can influence the state legislature through grassroots action. We’ll go over our priorities for the 2023 General Assembly session, the state of climate progress in Virginia, and more.
Fairfax County’s Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC) Public Comment Meeting
WHEN: Wednesday, January 11; 7:15 PM
WHERE: Fairfax County Government Center, Conference Room 9 & 10 (12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035)
DESCRIPTION: The Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC) is appointed by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to advise on environmental matters. The public is encouraged to attend EQAC’s public comment meeting to share views on the state of the environment and to identify environmental issues of concern applicable to Fairfax County. EQAC welcomes in-person, written, and/or video testimony. Please limit comments to three minutes in length.
Quiet Clean NOVA, a grass roots citizens' group founded in February 2021 by Joan Lowy (Vienna) to ban or restrict gas-powered leaf blowers, has been meeting via Zoom every month to date. At first they invited speakers from communities who had banned or were attempting to ban these noisy filthy engines. Then they focused on forming their own strategies:
1) Meeting with legislators, county supervisors, and town councils; 2) reaching out to the public both on the social media and at local events like Farmers markets where we provide information and copies of our change.org petition; and 3) asking large landowners and HOAs to switch from gas to electric leaf blowers, and hopefully also lawn mowers, chain saws, etc., to help create a market for electric equipment and to lead communities by good example.
Avoid FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and Join our Sierra Club GFG MeetUp
When warmer weather is here Great Falls Group will gather for nature walks and clean ups and share volunteer opportunities like staffing the compost table at a farmers’ market. In October we met at Scott’s Run Nature Preserve in Fairfax County for a trash clean-up event. Pictured here are the results the Hobson family found and captured in trash bags from Fairfax County Park Authority. An FCPA volunteer led the clean up and scheduled pick up of our trash bags. The park and Potomac River were beautiful and we had a great time.
GFG announces our events in a weekly email listserv and on our Meetup.com group. Join MeetUp.com free and you can browse for events in your interests. With your interest in the environment, at GFG MeetUps you have the chance to have a good time and meet people you're compatible with. We welcome your ideas for in-person events. We will work for these to be outside and to welcome all ages. MeetUp is a great way to try new things.
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
Recent post from Ivy Main's blog on energy-related matters in Virginia.
Prince William BOCS Approves Digital Gateway with No Protections
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) voted to approve the Prince William Digital Gateway Comprehensive Plan Amendment by a vote of 5-2 on November 2, 2022. In a public hearing that ran all night and past the breakfast hour, it was clear the BOCS had made up its mind before the public testified. With no substantive changes to enhance visual protections or buffers for Manassas National Battlefield Park and Conway Robinson State Park or environmental protections for drinking water and wildlife, they approved a massive data center project in what will no longer be the rural area of Prince William County. With the build out of 27 million square feet of data centers and without requirements for them to be powered by renewable energy, the ratepayers and taxpayers can expect to bear the burden of future infrastructure costs. The region can also expect increases in carbon emissions, already up 19% in Prince William. Many thanks to all who wrote or testified against the Prince William Digital Gateway.
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 Ralph Grove (ralph.grove@gmail.com). These positions are open to all Sierra Club members.
