EcoAction Arlington
Solutions for a Sustainable Lifestyle
This virtual event is co-sponsored by Defensores de la Cuenca, the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, Leaders in Energy, Northern Virginia Conservation Trust (NVCT), Potomac River Keeper Network, Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ, and the Sierra Club Potomac River Group. Jennifer Fioretti is Arlington County’s Assistant County Manager for Climate Policy in the County Manager’s Office. …
Addressing the climate and other environmental crises requires urgent and transformational changes at the global, national, state and local levels. With time running out to make the necessary changes to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis, this year’s elections could well decide our collective future. Know where the candidates stand before you cast …
Multi-family residents can now divert their food scraps to produce compost for healthy soil. The Solid Waste Bureau has recently launched a pilot program to collect food scraps and food-soiled paper from bins located throughout Arlington. The bins work with the Bigbelly Smart Compost app and are located at National Landing (Crystal Dr. and 18th …
Elections Matter: Vote in the Democratic Primary for County Board Candidates On June 18, Arlington Democrats will choose their candidate to run for County Board member (early voting is already underway). With the climate crisis one of the most pressing issues the County Board must address in coming years, EcoAction Arlington and Faith Alliance for …
Arlington’s School Board plays an essential role in setting school policy that promote academic excellence and the overall well-being of students, but it should also be a key driver to ensure that its facilities and operations align with County goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and promotes broad environmental sustainability …
Read EcoAction Arlington’s letter on the Draft Solid Waste Master Plan/Zero Waste Plan ACTION ALERTSend an email to the Arlington County Board asking them to commit to a more ambitious Zero Waste effort to reduce the climate impact of our waste stream Arlington County is poised to adopt a new 20-year Solid Waste Management Plan …
The County Board started the year on a positive note, advancing the transition of ART buses from polluting fossil-gas buses to zero emission battery electric buses with an agreement to order 8 battery electric buses and foregoing a proposed hydrogen bus pilot. Our letters and advocacy helped make this possible. Decarbonizing our transit fleet is …
With the new ART Operations and Maintenance Facility, designed for battery electric buses (BEBs), moving toward completion in 2025, Arlington should commit to purchasing these buses for all new buses. With short routes, a small area, temperate climate, and steady improvements in battery technology, Arlington is well suited for these buses. Yet, the Arlington County …
It’s the start of a new school year! It’s time to buy clothes and supplies. It’s time to pack lunches and it’s time to commute to and from school. Buying brand new school supplies every year creates a lot of waste. There are a lot of small changes you can make to reduce your environmental …
Read the Arlington County Board Candidates responses to environmental questions that concern the community
“There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all (very high confidence).” IPPC report, March 20, 2023 Arlington County’s response to the unfolding climate crisis, as reflected in the FY 2024 Proposed Budget, appears to be a backtracking from its commitments made last year and fails to …
EcoAction Arlington, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions Arlington Hub, and the Sierra Club Potomac River Group have recently sent two joint letters to the Arlington School Board and the APS Superintendent asking for firm commitments to carbon neutrality, including making ACC all electric for key systems, to protect our children’s future and to offer inspiration and experiential learning for students who may one day work in green economy jobs.
EcoAction Arlington recently sent a letter to the County Board supporting, but describing its concerns, with proposed plans to change residential zoning throughout the County to allow small-scale 2 to 8 units residential buildings (aka Missing Middle) in lots currently zoned for single-family residences. Higher density housing is more environmentally friendly as it increases energy …
Would you like Arlington County to do more to assist residents and businesses with reducing waste and the heavy carbon footprint that it represents? Do you have ideas on how to expand opportunities to reduce, reuse, and repair? Are you frustrated with trying to navigate existing recycling programs or finding ways to recycle hard-to-recycle metals, …
The PenPlace Project, Amazon’s HQ2 complex, demonstrates outstanding elements of sustainable design and has the potential to become the first commercial zero carbon building in Arlington, helping to normalize advanced practices in sustainable design and construction essential to achieve the County’s goal for carbon neutrality. Ask Amazon to commit to achieving Zero Carbon Certification and …
The county’s new Food Scraps Collection program is simple. To give you an idea of size, here is a photo of the food scrap pail and a box of 150 compostable 2-gallon bags (purchased online) next to a beer can. Most anything that grows (and rots) can be included but don’t be fooled by containers …
Join us at the Green Home and Garden Tour on Sunday, June 7th The tour will include a mixture of new green homes, green renovations, and watershed-friendly gardens from Arlington County’s’ Green Home Choice‘ and’ StormwaterWise Landscapes‘ programs. Join us to … Tour local green homes and environmentally-friendly gardens. Talk with local residents about their experiences greening their homes …
It’s true! You, too, can go car-free in Arlington and here’s how … Arlington County’s Car-Free Diet has produced a new 5-part video series, ‘œThe Scoop: Car Free in Arlington County‘ to show you how. Each entertaining 2-minute video covers a separate topic related to riding the bus in Arlington, from how to plan your …
Did you know that you can play a role in monitoring the health of streams in Arlington? It’s true! With a little training, thanks to Arlington County’s macroinvertebrate monitoring program, you too can become a stream monitor. So, what does a stream monitor do? Stream monitors visit a monitoring site three times a year with …
Volunteers and partners with the Arlington Energy Masters program gathered at Key Elementary School on Saturday to celebrate newly certified and re-certified Energy Masters volunteers. The program trains a corps of volunteers who become experts in energy efficiency in apartments in affordable housing buildings. The 2013-2014 volunteers provided 147 families living in The Berkeley and …
Did you know that you, your school, place of work or worship, or other group can adopt a street in Arlington? It’s true, and it’s very easy to do! EcoAction Arlington has proudly adopted a section of Columbia Pike and has worked with Gunston Middle School to adopt a section of roadway as well. So, …
Earlier this fall, a team of 6th grade students from Guston Middle School in South Arlington joined EcoAction Arlington’s executive director, Elenor Hodges, to conduct their first cleanup of their newly adopted street. Under the guidance of their teacher, Luz Chamorrow, the students adopted a section of roadway near their school and we’ve captured that …
