October is here and the stores are already displaying their Halloween wares. This year, consider greening up your Halloween. Decorations: Use natural items like small gourds and pumpkins, or upcycle old decorations by checking out what local second-hand shops have to offer. Costumes: Reuse is the green way to go. Consider buying second-hand items at …

Clean your plate: children in India/Africa are starving! Many of us heard this injunction growing up. Insufficient food is a huge problem in many countries, but even here in Fairfax County 44,000 residents receive help from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) because they are unable on their own to get enough food to eat. …

Is your organization planning speakers and events for the year? Consider having Clean Fairfax come share ideas about environmental stewardship and urban sustainability: WHAT WE CAN BE DOING INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY TO KEEP FAIRFAX COUNTY CLEAN AND GREEN. Clean Fairfax presentations are interactive and can run anywhere from a 20 minute introductory session to a …

In response to the environmental and economic devastation caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, Clean Fairfax is posting this call to action. If you or someone you know can help with the recovery from this hurricane season, the Small Business Association (SBA) has paid positions and FEMA has mostly volunteer positions.  Deployments are up to …

A successful recycling program is a constant balancing act of supply and demand. It depends not only on input—people choosing to recycle and recycling appropriately— but also on output, a market for the recycled materials. Ironically, China’s move to go green, a proposal to improve its air quality problem by stopping the import of a number of …

Solar energy not only contributes to environmental sustainability, but also makes economic sense from a statewide perspective. While our national government continues to tout the need to support the coal industry, solar is slowly making some inroads in the Virginia energy system. As our Solar Report Card shows, however, both lukewarm state policies and insufficient …

As children head back to school, it is easy for parents to get into what I call the “fast and furious” mode, particularly when it comes to packing lunches. Although the school year pace often feels frenetic, we all want our children to get the healthiest food. That may take some careful thinking. Now is …

The Inside Scoop                Owner: Daniel Azar Opened for business: 2/14/2014 The Inside Scoop, a local food truck selling organic homemade ice cream and treats, made some eco-friendly changes after participating in Clean Fairfax’s SpringFest, an annual celebration of Earth Day that encourages sustainable practices. According to owner Daniel Azar, …

As I distribute reusable produce and tote bags at the Fairfax County Farmers Markets during National Farmers Market Week, I often get asked about why Fairfax County has not banned plastic bags or taxed their use like many other jurisdictions around the world. The first problem is that many people are not aware of the …

Going into Fairfax County streams to monitor and cleanup the horrific litter problem. Seeing the headlines about the long-range environmental impact of climate change. Watching webinars on the devastating effects of marine debris on wildlife. It’s enough to turn me into an eco-witch, i.e. one who constantly finds fault with individuals and businesses who are not …