On February 23 and February 25, Fairfax County Wants to Hear from You on Energy and Transportation

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Did you know, 68 percent of Fairfax County residents believe that individual citizens should do more to address climate change? Climate change is a global problem, but it also stands to impact us locally and we have a responsibility to address it head on. In response, Fairfax County has created a Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan, or CECAP. 

The facts can be hard to swallow: climate change is expected to alter the geographic reach, seasonal distribution, and abundance of disease vectors, like mosquitoes and ticks. Infectious diseases that were once considered tropical or subtropical may become commonplace in our region. On top of that, the economic sector most at risk due to climate change is agriculture. For each degree Celsius our global thermostat increases, there will be a 5 to 15 percent decrease in overall crop production. As supply decreases, and demand remains the same or increases, the price of food could very well rise. 

The good news is no action is too small to make a difference. From changing a light bulb, to choosing to drive an electric vehicle, to weatherizing a home or business, we can all participate in climate action in multiple ways according to our means and abilities. There is no guarantee that our individual actions will directly alter our experience of climate change here in Fairfax County in the short term, but inaction is not an option if we want to see positive change here and elsewhere in our region in the long term. The CECAP is our path forward – a roadmap for our community, showing us the many ways we can start to address climate change locally. 

Please learn more about climate action in Fairfax County. Later this month, online surveys will be available, and the county will host two public meetings to gather community input on climate change mitigation strategies and actions.

February 23, 2021: Virtual public meeting on energy issues. Join via WebEx.

February 25, 2021: Virtual public meeting on transportation, development, and waste issues. Join via WebEx.

Engage with Fairfax County’s Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan

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The Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination is currently working with county residents and stakeholders to develop the first-ever Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan, or CECAP. Here is some information about this initiative and why it matters.

It’s a fact: 97 percent of climate scientists agree that human-driven climate change is taking place now. Climate change occurs when greenhouse gases build up in our atmosphere and trap heat that might otherwise escape, causing shifts in global temperatures and weather patterns over time. In the United States, and in Fairfax County specifically, the two greatest sources of greenhouse gas emissions are the burning of fossil fuels to provide electricity for buildings, and the burning of fossil fuels by vehicles on our roads.

Fairfax County is not immune to the effects of climate change, we already experience stronger storms related to climatic shifts. A single severe storm in 2019 cost Fairfax County taxpayers $14 million. That is money that could have been spent on other county services, programs, and projects. Extreme weather events pose a risk to life and property as well. Many residents stand to lose personal property and real estate as the result of flooding and other weather impacts.

While there are limits to what the Fairfax County government can do to address climate change locally, individual residents can make a major difference. More than 95 percent of local greenhouse gas emissions come from sources other than local government operations – like energy use at home, business operations, and cars and trucks on our roads. The CECAP will define actions we can each take to be a part of the solution.

You can learn more about climate action in Fairfax County. Later this month, online surveys will be available, and the county will host public meetings to gather community input on climate change mitigation strategies and actions. FMN will share more information about opportunities for you to participate in the coming weeks.

RVA Environmental Film Festival – February 12-26, 2021

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Friday, February 12, 2021, 6:15 pm to Friday, February 26, 2021, 8:15 pm
All films are free but require advance registration for each one.
Includes winning films produced by filmmakers from the Old Dominion. That showtime is February 14, 2021, 4:05 to 5:20 pm. Register here.

The Richmond Environmental Film Festival (RVA EFF) showcases films that raise awareness of environmental issues relevant to the Richmond region, our nation, and our planet. There are national, international and Virginia produced films about Africa, the Mexican border wall, and the rising water challenging the military in Tidewater, Virginia, among others.

Broadcasting Live Every Other Tuesday: The Circular Economy Show

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Five Universal Policy Goals to Enable a Circular Economy at Scale

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

8 am EST 

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is excited to announce the return of The Circular Economy Show — where guest speakers join live to discuss circular economy solutions to global challenges. The show will be broadcast live at 15.00 GMT (8 am EST) every other Tuesday on the EMF YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter channels. Join them on February 2, when speakers from the World Bank and Inter IKEA will discuss universal circular economy policy goals.

Learn more here

Attend CECAP Energy and Transportation Subgroup Meetings, Jan 27 and 28

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CECAP Energy Subgroup – January 27, 2021

1/27/2021 6:00 pm – 1/27/2021 8:00 pm

The Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP) Working Group subgroup on energy will meet on January 27, 2021 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM electronically via WebEx. At this meeting, the subgroup will continue the brainstorming discussion begun in early December regarding various emission reduction strategies.

Members of the public can access the WebEx meeting by clicking this link and entering meeting number 179 566 7793, and pass code 520676. Join by phone: 1-415-655-0001 and enter access code: 179 566 7793.

Please note, this meeting will be recorded pursuant to Virginia Freedom of Information Act (VFOIA) requirements. The recording of this meeting will be posted publicly on this website.

MEETING MATERIALS

Please click here to view the meeting agenda.

Please click here to view the strategy discussion starters. The purpose of this document is to provide background information and a starting list of sector-specific strategies to guide and inform sector-specific discussions.

CECAP Transportation and Development Subgroup – January 28, 2021

1/28/2021 6:00 pm – 1/28/2021 8:00 pm

The Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP) Working Group subgroup on transportation, development, and waste will meet on January 28, 2021 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM electronically via WebEx. At this meeting, the subgroup will continue the brainstorming discussion begun in early December regarding various emission reduction strategies.

Members of the public can access the WebEx meeting by clicking this link and entering meeting number 179 820 1268, and pass code 976488. Join by phone: 1-415-655-0001 and enter access code: 179 820 1268.

Please note, this meeting will be recorded pursuant to Virginia Freedom of Information Act (VFOIA) requirements. The recording of this meeting will be posted publicly on this website.

MEETING MATERIALS

Please click here to view the meeting agenda.

Please click here to view the strategy discussion starters. The purpose of this document is to provide background information and a starting list of sector-specific strategies to guide and inform sector-specific discussions.

Taking Nature Black Conference, February 23rd- 27th

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Online Tuesday, February 23 – Saturday, February 27, 2021
Register here.

Taking Nature Black is an event, an opportunity, a time to pause for the cause. It’s a regional and national environmental lovefest. And it’s a Black healing, welcoming, organizing, celebrating, networking space. The theme is Call and Response: Elevating our Stories, Naturally! This year the stories are elevated chautauqua-style, so be on the lookout for speakers, creators, innovators, scientists, educators, musicians, artists, and entertainers telling their stories about everything from climate change to environmental justice and environmental joy in creative ways. Brought to you by Audubon Naturalist Society.

Full conference schedule here.

City Nature Challenge, April 30th – May 3rd

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Photo from City Nature Challenge

Invented by citizen science staff at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (Lila Higgins) and California Academy of Sciences (Alison Young). The City Nature Challenge is an international effort for people to find and document plants and wildlife in cities across the globe. It’s a bioblitz-style competition where cities are in a contest against each other to see who can make the most observations of nature, who can find the most species, and who can engage the most people.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers made some modifications to City Nature Challenge 2020 to help keep everyone safe. Firstly, CNC 2020 pivoted to be a collaboration rather than a competition. Instead, they wanted to embrace the healing power of nature and encourage the celebratory aspect of the CNC. This allowed people to safely document biodiversity in whatever way they could, even from the safety of their own homes. They urged all participants to carefully follow public health guidelines provided by their local governments, as they are changed in real-time. Individual safety and public health were and will be their utmost priority. The decision as to whether CNC 2021 will be a competition or collaboration will be announced in 2021.

The observation period for the City Nature Challenge will take place April 30th through May 3rd. Then during May 4-9, observations can still be uploaded to iNaturalist and identified. The global results will be announced on Monday, May 10. Please join the project on iNaturalist which will automatically collect all of the relevant observations during those 4 days.

For the DC metropolitan area (including DC and parts of MD, VA, and WV), we’ll have monthly meetings to coordinate our activities and foster new collaborations. Any organizations or individuals who want to play a role in encouraging and supporting participation anywhere in the metro area are invited to join these calls. January 29 will specifically be a call for anyone new to the City Nature Challenge, so please invite others who may be interested to join.

This year, all calls will take place on Fridays from 11 am to noon.

Call dates for organizers:
Jan 22: meeting for returning organizers
Jan 29: first time organizers (if you haven’t participated in the City Nature Challenge before, this will orient you)
Feb 19: monthly meeting for all CNC organizers
Mar 19: monthly meeting for all CNC organizers
Apr 16: monthly meeting for all CNC organizers
May 21: post-CNC debrief call for all CNC organizers

The January 29th meeting will be recorded, so it won’t be too late to get involved! For more information join https://groups.google.com/g/dc-area-citynaturechallenge.

National Council for Science & the Environment and Project Drawdown 2021 Virtual Conference, Jan 5-9

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Science & Solutions for a Planet under Pressure

Co-hosted by the National Council for Science & the Environment (NCSE) and Project Drawdown

January 5-9, 2021

The NCSE Drawdown 2021 Conference is bringing together leaders, research partners, scientists, decision-makers and friends from across the globe to share their science and solutions to the world’s most pressing global challenges. This joint conference will:

  • focus on the physical and social realities of climate change and the way this impacts people, ecosystems, markets and the places people live; and 
  • how implementing climate solutions produces positive co-benefits to society, the economy, and the planet.

Read more about the themes, schedule, and speakers, and register (the last two days are free!)

For Fairfax Master Naturalists: This opportunity is posted to the Continuing Education Calendar.

Stop Mowing, Start Growing! Webinar, February 6th

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Photo courtesy of Virginia Native Plant Society

3rd Annual Native Plant Symposium Webinar for Beginners
Saturday, February 6, 2021
9am – Noon
Registration fee $5
Register here.

Create a beautiful yard, save time and money, improve water quality, AND build habitat for pollinators and birds. The keynote speaker is Alonso Abugattas, The Capital Naturalist on social media and the Natural Resources Manager for Arlington County. He will speak on The Interconnectedness of Nature.

Breakout Sessions Topics
Establishing and Maintaining Meadows
Natives for the Suburban Yard
Trees: Reestablishing the Cornerstone of Our Ecosystem
Waterfront Properties and Native Plants
Natives for Small Properties
Introduction to Soils
Site Assessment and Design

View the full schedule here.

Winter Wildlife Festival, January 28th-31st

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Join the City of Virginia Beach for a month-long celebration of coastal wildlife and nature culminating January 28-31! They’re going the distance this year and presenting virtual and in-person components to ensure a safe, yet engaging experience for all.

See all the festival highlights here.
Virtual workshops are here.