You can make a difference and act on your environmental interests as a Sierra Club volunteer. We need any time you can spend or talent you can offer. Prince William County and now all of Loudoun County members are in the Great Falls Group, along with Fauquier and Fairfax Counties. With many different government political bodies and many different local issues involved, you can help guide the Group's work on any environmental issue (see https://www.sierraclub.org/virginia/great-falls/our-work). Contact Susan Bonney, Group Chair, at sbonney001@aol.com and let's talk!
Stream cleanup with former Fairfax County Supervisor Linda Smyth
Power for the People Virginia
A recent post from Ivy Main's blog on energy-related matters in Virginia:
Ivy Main, Renewable Energy Co-Chair for Sierra Club's Virginia Chapter
Volunteer Action for the Environment - Zero Waste Initiative
WHEN: Tuesday, March 15, 2022, 7-8 pm
WHERE: Virtual Meeting - Zoom link sent after RSVP - register here
DETAILS: For our Zero Waste Initiative, we are focusing on three topics:
Promoting composting
Preventing plastic pollution
Improving recycling
At this March meeting, we will have guest speaker Dr. Christopher White of Exponent, Inc. Dr. White is a Senior Managing Scientist at Exponent, and his talk is titled "Solutions to Plastic Waste." We will also discuss our preparation for our Earth Day events.
DETAILS: Join us for a discussion and Q&A on how to provide equitable, improved transit without displacing existing lower income communities. Hear Virginia leaders talk about challenges and potential solutions. Transit Equity Day is celebrated each February 4, the birthday of Rosa Parks -- who sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott that won a major victory in the struggle for racial justice by successfully integrating public transportation.
Today, we are still fighting for accessible and affordable public transit systems that create good jobs, don’t pollute our communities, and serve those who depend on transit the most.
SPONSORS: Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, Coalition for Smarter Growth, CASA Virginia, the Community Climate Collaborative, and Virginia Interfaith Power & Light.
Green Design and the Planning of Data Centers: The Experiences of Frankfurt (Germany) and Northern Virginia
DESCRIPTION: More and more, Northern Virginia’s climate and sustainability planning will rely on its approach to large-scale data centers. And as their planning, design, construction, and operations become greener, their reliability, and profitability should improve, too. Looking across the Atlantic to the eco-friendly design of data centers in cities like Frankfurt, Germany, is one way to advance this positive work.
At this webinar, Mr. Karsten Spengler, director of Arup Germany’s Advanced Building Engineering operations, will share how the Citibank data center in Frankfurt am Main was designed and built. He will be joined by Dr. Igor Cvetkovic, Virginia Tech, who will describe the work of his team and institute in developing energy-efficient and green design technologies for data centers in Northern Virginia.
SPONSORS: Northern Virginia Regional Commission, Virginia Tech, and Arup
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.
Fairfax County
Great Falls Group Members Recommend Priority CECAP Goals to the Deputy County Executive
After their December meeting with the Deputy County Executive Rachel Flynn, members of the Great Falls Group agreed that the myriad actions set out in the Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP) were important to reducing greenhouse gases in Fairfax County. However, they noted, CECAP lacked a priority list of where to start.
Ms. Flynn then asked the group to prioritize the top recommendations the group believes Fairfax County should follow in the near term to ensure it achieves its CECAP goals.
(See the January newsletter for a full discussion of the December meeting.)
On January 12 the group submitted their priority list to Ms. Flynn. In addition, Ann Bennett submitted recommendations to the Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council to meet the challenges of climate change.
The group would appreciate any assistance from members of the Great Falls Group in carrying out the CECAP effort. CECAP has great potential, but only if its action goals are correctly prioritized.
A New Waterside Buffer at Reston National Golf Course May Add Beauty, Ward Off Canada Geese
In spring 2021, Reston National Golf Course began planting a "riparian buffer" on its property at Links Pond. Riparian buffers are transitional areas between upland dry areas and water bodies, such as streams, rivers, lakes or ponds. Planting the area around Links Pond with trees, shrubs and wildflowers will help restore this site by reducing sediment and pollution, adding visual appeal and a food source for wildlife.
Buffers around water bodies discourage Canada geese. These birds prefer no vegetation around a pond as predators may hide there.
This is the fourth article in a series of environmental enhancements that have occurred last year at Reston National Golf Course. Projects for adding bird boxes, creating meadows and installing honey bee hives were covered in previous articles.
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Okays Plastic Bag Tax, May Adopt "Opt Out" to Transition to Renewable Energy
On January 18, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors narrowly adopted a plastic bag tax, joining Fairfax County, Arlington County, and the cities of Alexandria, Fredericksburg and Roanoke in choosing this antipollution measure. Prince William County is considering a similar tax for fiscal year 2023.
At the same meeting, Item 8 - a Review of Power Purchase Agreements and Community Choice Aggregation - was included on the Board's Consent Agenda. This item, if adopted, will facilitate Loudoun’s local transition to renewable energy.
Adopting Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) will broaden the mix of renewably generated electricity that can service Loudoun households and businesses, including data centers. The recommended program is Opt Out, by which consumers will automatically receive more renewables. Consumers can opt out by request.
Currently, data centers may enjoy a reduced rate for electricity, and it is not certain that the CCA rate will be competitive. Should Loudoun become the first Virginia jurisdiction to adopt CCA, Loudoun's data centers will have a chance to show how committed they are to renewables.
Prince William County
Prince William Land Use Proposals Threaten Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards, Water Quality, and Our Public Lands
Prince William County is considering several new land use proposals. If adopted, they would amount to the biggest land use changes in Prince William County in decades.
The Great Falls Group of Sierra Club has grave concerns about these proposals. We're especially concerned about their cumulative impacts on our goals of cutting greenhouse gas emissions, maintaining and upgrading water quality, and protecting our state and federal public lands.
A third (virtual) public meeting has been announced for February 3. Please consider signing up to voice your concerns about these proposals and the future of Prince William County.
