Still hanging on to those Halloween pumpkins? Think green when it comes to disposal. Instead of throwing pumpkins in the trash, there are many fun ways to extend their life. Compost them at a local facility, or bury them in your backyard! Not ready to say goodbye quite yet? You can turn your pumpkin into …

If you still don’t have a Halloween costume ready for this weekend, think green when it comes to your last minute getup. This article dives into 1) how Americans will spend $3.32 billion on costumes this year, 2) how many of these costumes are “disposable” and made primarily of plastic, and 3) what kinds of …

In a recent study, a few *sus* (i.e. suspicious) findings were came to light (your modern slang update). Water use in cities is going down (>25%), even as the population gets larger (>40%). This is great news for the environment! Limiting how much water we use is important to maintaining healthy flows and habitat for …

How to help the environment: 1) push to increase funding for water infrastructure in the Chesapeake Bay and 2) dive into environmental initiatives and issues in Virginia.  Hey Bay, (Chesapeake) Bay Water infrastructure includes water supply, flood management, proper sewage and drainage systems, and coastal restoration infrastructure. Investing in this infrastructure, according to Chesapeake Bay …

This month is National Water Quality Month and when it comes to water, quality is the new clean. How do we know if water has “good” quality? Water quality is determined by looking at different characteristics of water, such as cloudiness (turbidity) or saltiness (salinity). By looking at certain characteristics, we are able to judge …

ePlastic bags trapped in debris on local, Fairfax County streambank. Photo credit: Emily FoppeA plastic bag fee ordinance will be discussed at a public hearing on September 14 at 4:30 PM in the Board Auditorium of the Fairfax County Government Center. While this legislation is framed as a tax, the ordinance would be more similar …

We’re here to set the recycling record straight before diving too deep in bag bills and other single-use plastic legislation. Goldilocks would affirm finding the metaphorical bed that is just right to take on plastic pollution takes much consideration. Here, we consider the three primary kinds of recycling exist– upcycling, recycling and downcycling. Upcycling involves …

Pointing Fingers at Plastic The push to stop transforming fossil fuels to plastic has not received the attention it deserves. We easily point fingers (and rightfully so) at the transportation sector as a contributor to climate change; in response, there’s a push for solar energy and electric vehicles as preferential climate change solutions. Climate solutions …

Plastic water bottles often seem more convenient and safe than tap water, but this is not true. Oftentimes, we turn to bottled water because it’s 1) more “pure”, or tastier, and 2) more convenient than what comes from the tap. Let’s dive into it.  First, what does it mean to be “purer” and does bottled …

Imperfect is perfectly fine as far as the environment is concerned and some progress is better than no progress at all! So join us in committing to Plastic Free July to do our small part in reducing our environmental impact. Eliminating single-use plastics in your daily life can be as simple as utilizing a reusable …