November 2025 EcoUpdate Monthly Newsletter

	November 4 Is Election Day If you haven’t already, please vote. Elections matter and your vote matters. You can read where the local candidates stand on the environment here.The polls are open until 7 PM. For more information on rank choice voting and to find your polling place, visit the Arlington County website.

	Spring 2026 Planting Season Is Now Open! Help us grow the tree canopy in our community, by putting roots in the ground and planting trees on your private property. Apply now online through January 14, 2026. Quantities are limited. Apply early to increase your chance of receiving your preferred tree species. More Info & Apply

	November 17 Climate Cafe @7PM Join EcoAction Arlington’s Outreach Committee for its inaugural Climate Cafe! We’ll come together online to discuss environmental topics and build connections with community members. The topic this month is a climate-conscious holiday season! Registration is required for the Zoom link.Register

Farewell Kara and Jennie. Welcome to the team Eden!  We say good-bye to Kara Simon, Program Manager and Jennie Swisher, Development Coordinator as they move on to their next endeavors. We wish them well and thank them for their dedicated service to our environment. We’ll see you out in the community caring for our environment!	Eden is excited to join EcoAction Arlington as the Communication and Outreach Assistant. Eden has a background in urban forestry and an MS from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and a BS from West Virginia University. Before joining EcoAction, Eden was an urban forester in Washington, DC. She looks forward to working with the community to create a more equitable Arlington!

Stormwater presentation at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on October 5.	Presentation on our work to the Arlington Access Program, participants marking a storm drain.

ABA SEER service project in Arlingon Mill on October 14 where they picked up 40 bags of trash, a shopping cart, and tires! Thank you for helping take care of our environment.	Elenor Hodges, Executive Director, joined a  group that gathered on Saturday October 11 to read “The Pledge,” a poem created at a March for Science action summit in 2018. Click on the image above to listen.

In January 2025, Kai Park completed his Eagle Scout project in partnership with EcoAction Arlington. Along with a group of volunteers he organized, they photographed and documented the locations and appearance of all recently planted trees, and then created a database.This will establish an infrastructure for keeping track of planted trees, as well as provide a baseline data set to build off of in future.

SUSTAINABILITY TIP

Join Arlington’s GetGreen Challenge this November!  Take green actions for prizes and bragging rights as Arlington’s greenest neighborhood! Thank you to all participating civic associations! Donaldson Run Lyon Park Ashton Heights Shirlington Arlington Forest Langston BoulevardDon’t see your neighborhood? No worries! You can join in the fun as part of the larger ‘Team Arlington,’ and make sure to tell your civic association to sign up for future challenges!So how does it work? Take small, everyday green actions and earn your team leaves for prizes and bragging rights as Arlington’s greenest neighborhood!Thank you to the participating civic associations for showing what Arlington neighborhoods can do together to create a cleaner, greener community

Find more tips for the fall on The GetGreen Arlington app with climate action challenges, carbon footprint reduction tips, and local community engagement opportunities.

AROUND ARLINGTON Environmentally Focused Community Events

11/08 |After a three-year hiatus, Bikes for the World is back at the Arlington County “Environmental Collection and Recycling Event” (ECARE) accepting donations of unwanted bicycles, bike parts & accessories, along with portable sewing machines. The Fall ECARE will be held Saturday, November 8, 8:30AM-3PM, at 1426 N Quincy St. A $10/bike contribution is suggested to defray a share of expenses in getting items to a qualified charitable destination. A receipt good for tax purposes will be available. For further info, visit www.bikesfortheworld.org, call 703-740-7856 or write keith@bikesfortheworld.org. At ECARE, the County will be accepting computers and electronics, along with household hazardous materials (HHM) and scrap metal, for recycling or safe disposal.

11/13 |Lay of the Land: NVCT’s Year in Review Thursday, November 13th 7:00-8:00PM Virtual (Zoom), NVCT’s Nearby Nature Network series continues with our first ever Lay of the Land! This virtual meeting will provide updates on what NVCT has been working on this past year, and what the high priority goals are for the trust in the coming year. The presentation will be followed by a short Q&A. RSVP to receive the Zoom link.

11/13 | Get the Low Down on the Low Residential Study – Arlington is evaluating how to limit impervious surfaces on lots in low-density residential neighborhoods. Impervious surface increases the risk of flooding and extreme heat. Limiting it could support Arlington’s goals to improve stormwater management and create more space for trees. The first phase of community engagement for the Low Residential Study is open through the winter. The study team is working to develop a shared understanding of the issues, gather feedback from the community, and begin evaluating policy options in the spring or summer of 2026. Learn more at arlingtonva.us/lowresidentialstudy or join County staff at the open house on 11/13 from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Trades Center Conference room.

11/19 | PostClassical Ensemble is presenting a program titled “The Pale Blue Dot: A Musical Voyage Inspired by Nature” The natural world is the only reason humanity exists and has a place in the universe. Microbes, fungi, plants, and animals provide us with everything we need to survive. Beyond this, nature is also a source of awe, wonder, and inspiration. Yet the natural world is at a breaking point, and it’s not able to absorb our impacts anymore. Through music, this program explores the journey from wild, pristine landscapes to a degraded world—and finally to the rebirth of nature and a celebration of its resilience. Friends of EcoAction Arlington receive 18% off tickets with code BLUEDOT18 on the website.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Our local Sierra Club group has established a minigrant program to award up to $500 to groups proposing a local project on environmental sustainability including planting natives. If interested send an email to both Paul Kaplowitz at pkaplowi@gmail.com and Barbara Swart at barbara@helmets.org.

STAND is a nonprofit that connects students to opportunities that inspire environmental stewardship, community projects and research publication to art and writing and also provide a forum to express their findings and perspectives. Students in high school or college can also bring a STAND chapter to their school and become a STAND Student Ambassador. If interested, visit joinstand.org and browse the volunteer opportunities, visit the activities page and take policy action, learn about new topics and apply for the ambassador program in the internships section!

To Go Green, a DC-based startup on a mission to reduce single-use waste from takeout and delivery, has launched its reusable container service at CHĪKO in Shirlington, an award-winning Asian fusion  restaurant. New customers of To Go Green can use code GOGREEN for 10% off their first delivery order. To learn more or place an order, visit www.togogreen.eco.

Support Our Work  EcoAction Arlington is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that works to educate, advocate, and act to create a sustainable community by improving our natural environment, encouraging environmentally friendly behaviors, ensuring environmental justice, and addressing the climate crisis. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website or signed up for one of our events/programs.

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