Volunteer Action for the Environment - Zero Waste Initiative
WHEN: Tues., March 15, 7-8 pm
WHERE: Virtual meeting. with 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 as 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 how we are preparing for our Earth Day events.
Great Falls Group Letter Urges Prince William Supervisors to Consider Pitfalls in Land Use Changes
A seven-page letter from the Sierra Club Great Falls Group to the Prince William Board of Supervisors asks them to consider the full ramifications of allowing three changes to important land-use decisions. The first change involves the Digital Gateway, an amendment to Prince William’s comprehensive plan that would convert 2139 acres along Pageland Lane by the National Battlefield Park to industrial uses. The other two involve the Data Center Zone Overlay, an effort to allow data centers to expand into the rural areas of the county, and a county-led Comprehensive Plan update which will dismantle the county's Rural Area. The update would allow development on land that was designated as protected 20 years ago.
As the letter points out, there are already serious concerns about the county's lack of a climate plan to address water quality, energy demands, and transportation in the area. All of these would be hit hard by the development of more data centers in the area.
The letter concludes
We ask that you seriously consider the questions and concerns we have raised about the long-term environmental and climate impacts of the proposed land use changes. At a time when the deleterious effects of the climate crisis are at our doorsteps, you have an existential choice to make about the future of Prince William County. We look forward to working with you on these critically important issues.
Please reach out to the Prince William County supervisors to let them know you are very concerned about these land-use decisions.
DETAILS: Scott McDonald, Recycling Program Manager for Prince William County Department of Public Works, will discuss steps being taken in Prince William County to reduce waste right now, along with future plans to drive down waste even more.
The U.S. produces an immense amount of waste—we generate over 30 percent of the planet's waste even though we make up just 4 percent of the population. Only about one-third of U.S. waste is recycled or composted. Making matters worse, for decades, the U.S. exported waste plastics and metals to China. But China has dramatically reduced its purchases of U.S. recyclable materials, making it more difficult to market some plastic and paper materials.
Scott MacDonald is responsible for overseeing the County’s waste reduction programs. He has 31 years’ experience working in recycling and solid waste management field. Before working for Prince William County, Mr. MacDonald managed solid waste and recycling programs for Arlington and Loudoun counties.
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
Sierra Club Great Falls Group Continues to Advocate for Policies and Programs to Cut Greenhouse Gases
The team from the Great Falls Group (GFG) who participated in the process of developing Fairfax County's Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP) met with Rachel Flynn, the Deputiy County Executive. They viewed the Board of Supervisors' Environmental Committee meeting from February 15 where the members of the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination (OEEC) detailed activities they plan to undertake to implement CECAP.
The GFG team was mostly disappointed by OEEC’s planned activities which appear to focus only on a public outreach and education campaign over the next 18 months. The plan OEEC presented did not involve programs or activities that would lead directly to reductions in greenhouse gases.
On the other hand the GFG was glad to hear Committee Chair Daniel Storck, who is the Mount Vernon District Supervisor, state OEEC needs to engage more with the low-income and diverse communities in the county. OEEC noted that the General Assembly has declined to implement much environmental legislation.
The GFG team will continue to advocate to the Supervisors, OEEC, and the Deputy County Executive for more GHG reduction policy and programs to be initiated by the OEEC now. The team advises that these initiatives be carried out under the close review of the Supervisors and Deputy County Executive. The team will also continue to advocate for the nine high priority recommendations that it submitted to the Deputy County Executive last month.
Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District Native Seedling Sale
Sales open March 1, 2022 at 10 am! Go online (link is below) to see what’s offered and place your order. Each $15 package contains six seedlings. They often sell out in the first week.
The 2022 bare-root seedling sale features shrubs and small trees which are valuable to native bees, birds and other pollinators. What's more, they bear gorgeous flowers and fruits, and display beautiful colors.
The plants in each package clean our water and air, prevent soil erosion, provide valuable habitat, and add beauty to your property.
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 Hold a Hearing on a Bamboo Ordinance
In 2017, the Virginia General Assembly granted authority to all jurisdictions in the state to control running bamboo.
On February 22, 2022, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on adopting a running bamboo ordinance. The county's draft ordinance, still under discussion, would amend the County Code's Chapter 119, "Grass or Lawn Area Vegetation." It would require property owners to contain running bamboo on their property and would permit the county to impose civil penalties on property owners who allow running bamboo to spread to adjacent properties or any public right-of-way.
During the hearing seven speakers were in favor of the ordinance, and one indicated that running bamboo could be easily managed and had some benefits such as carbon sequestration and combatting soil erosion. Some supervisors expressed concerns including how to determine whether a landowner is responsible for bamboo that apparently came from someone else's yard, how to best contain the bamboo, the cost of the fines and how to administer them. A hearing was set for March 22 to address these concerns.
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.
