Want to get in on green action in Fairfax? There are so many roads to take if you want to get involved in cleaning up your community! Here are three of our favorite roads that lead to a cleaner and greener Fairfax. 

Route 1: Contact your county supervisor (and look them up here)– they’ve got all the details in your area and may even have a cleanup planned!

Route 2: Find your local community center by putting your address into this map. Oftentimes, they host their own cleanup or know a group that puts one on. 

Route 3: Know of any “Friends of” Organizations? We have a few listed on our website. These groups get down and dirty when it comes to getting Fairfax Clean and Green.

No matter what road you take, there will be a green impact!

Ever struggle to remember your reusable bags? #SAME. We have a fool-proof way to never be caught empty handed (or worse, hands full of plastic!!) again. 

Step 1: Keep your reusable bags in your car if you drive to the grocery stores; or, keep your bags near your keys if you walk!

Step 2: Load up your groceries into your swag bags, then get them ready for the journey home. 

Step 3: After unloading your groceries at home, hang your empty bags on the door so you remember to take them out to your car next time you go out! Or, keep near the door for your next walk to the store.

Welcome to the 2022 Virginia General Assembly Periodic Updates!

The legislative outlook may be a little different this year, but there are reasons to be optimistic. Waste reduction legislation has been gaining traction around the country and we have a few bills to follow here in Virginia!  

But,  this email is going to get you primed for the next 60 days, and remind you about how you can get ahold of your legislator, how you can tweet at them, as needed, remind you about our legislative tracker that is usually reserved for bills having to do with litter and recycling, but honestly we are always interested in the big picture of Virginia’s environment, and believe that everything is connected–Economy, Environment, Equity, and Environmental Health! 

Of Note: you may have a new Senator or Delegate since the election to make sure you know who your elected official is by checking here.

Our friends at Virginia Grassroots have a great list of all the legislators’ twitter handles and email addresses so that you can ping them as needed. Don’t forget to thank them when they vote for or champion GOOD legislation!  Save this link, although we will try to remember to put it in all our missives. 

Speaking of good legislation–there are 3 EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) bills, a bottle bill, some good energy efficiency enabling legislation, some quality wildlife corridor legislation and funding opportunities and more but we’ll start laying those out in future emails once they are all assigned to committees, and we know more about them, because honestly, it is like drinking from a firehose. 

Let’s go right to a bill being heard TOMORROW!

We are a little curious/concerned about this bill (SB 250) because we are a county with an aging “Waste To Energy” facility, “Ash generated by incinerators and energy recovery facilities (also known as INCINERATORS THAT BURN YOUR TRASH SO IT SEEMS LIKE IT JUST DISAPPEARS INSTEAD OF TURNING IT INTO TOXIC ASH AND GAS)  that are subject to this section shall be exempted from the annual fees assessed under this section.”

This bill also increases the fee for a composting facility from $1,200 to $5,500. Do we really want to make it somehow cheaper to burn trash and organics, and more expensive for localities to compost, because it’s already basically commercially impossible due to the lack of affordable land for a facility in Northern VA, as well as ENDLESS HOA restrictions about simple backyard composters. We are in the game of reducing barriers and increasing access to solid waste disposal. This bill will be heard in The Senate Agriculture Committee (committee members linked here–save for future reference–this is a busy committee for enviro stuff!)  tomorrow (1/18/22) so please do contact Senator Surovell to ask him about it! 

As we add more bills into our “support” and “not support” list,  plus some more that we are watching, they will be up on our LitterFreeVA.org page and bills will be added and updated on a once they are assigned to committee.  We’re a little short staffed this year so if you want real time information on all the bills at any moment, you’ll want to go right to the source–The General Assembly Website. 

Finally there is the provocative appointment of former and brief EPA administrator, Andrew Wheeler, Coal and Plastic schill for Former President Trump as the Commonwealth’s Secretary of Natural and HIstoric Resources. We got to encounter Mr Wheeler here in Fairfax when he turned up at the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors public hearing on the $.05 bag fee and tried to talk up his “good work” while at EPA (video.)  Needless to say, we and some of our friends on the Board of Supervisors were not impressed.  Mr Wheeler’s resume tells us all we need to know about how he would protect our natural and historic resources but we’d like to remind you that cabinet appointments at that level still need to be voted on by the legislature, so please call your Delegate and your Senator and let them know that Virginia’s billion dollar+ industries of fishing, hiking, farming,  agritourism and more,  as well as our historic tourism are worth more to us than Mr Wheeler’s relationships with big polluters.  

Oh, and Virginia trying to get out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative? That  is a whole other email and blog post,  but luckily that looks like it will take a court order so we have some time with that one. Suffice it to say though–we do not want to leave RGGI!

But, here’s the thing– We need to be playing offense at the same time we’re playing defense. There’s a thing in hockey where you pull your goalie out and have them play offense in order to have more skaters on the ice but that leaves your goal untended. We can’t be distracted by the big things like Andrew Wheeler and RGGI,  and some of the other egregious threats to the environment, and not pay attention to the things happening quietly, right under our noses.

Eyes on the prize, friends, and the prize is Virginia. It is Virginia’s environment, business climate, school system, and its recent movement toward human and civil rights, increasing the minimum wage so people can afford to work and live and contribute to the Commonwealth,  and all the work that we all have done in the last several years to move Virginia forward in so many areas, not just environmental–because it is all connected! 

And finally, we’ll leave you with this thought, on this important day of commitment to Civil Rights, and Public Service, and beg not for something as banal as donations or shares or clicks, but that you pay attention this year and really stay on your elected officials at the local level, state level and national level because who knows what our communities, our state, our country, our climate, our world– will look like in the next 5 years if we don’t:

“Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name, and with the means which he helps to supply, because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject.” John Stuart Mill, 1867

Stay healthy, sustainable, and loud.  

Deep down in the ocean, it’s not only microplastics piling up (~63% of seafloor dirt is plastic). BIG pieces of plastic, along with other trash, used to stay where it fell. It now can move due to human activities and pile up in odd, and important, places. A study out of the University of Barcelona found a shocking amount of trash piling up on a submarine bridge in the Messina Strait, between Sicily and Italy. Scientists estimate three billion metric tons of waste could accumulate in this area over the next thirty years!

Literally tons of plastic accumulating isn’t just a problem at far away lands. The Chesapeake Bay keeps 94% of microplastics that enter the Bay in the Bay, according to a model done by researchers from Pennsylvania State University and the Virginia Institute of Marine science. A “sink” of plastic, or a place where plastic is held, is the opposite of a “source”, where plastic would be introduced into the natural environment. The Chesapeake Bay as a sink of plastic pollution means plastic accumulates over time in this important natural resource.

What’s more, the results naming the Chesapeake Bay as a plastic sink are based off modeling. Science models inform what we could expect in the future. While it may seem odd to place power in a possibility, modeling methods are a frequently used to begin to answer and understand big, elusive phenomenon. Think of it as a forecast of likely scenarios—its better to estimate future possibilities than have no clue what they future holds at all! This makes models a powerful tool in preparedness and necessary for decision making.

The ocean’s deep dark pollution is no secret! Plastic is universal in its harm to aquatic ecosystems, both near (Chesapeake Bay) and far (Messina Strait).

Loudoun County may be up next for a plastic bag fee in Virginia (see here and here)!

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will vote in January whether to adopt the bag ordinance, which would produce a potential revenue of $275,000 to $340,000 in 2023 for things like environmental cleanup, education programs to reduce environmental waste, mitigating pollution and litter, or providing reusable bags to recipients of benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program in the county.

As we may already know, bag fees are an equitable, economically viable, environmentally friendly and safe (re: human health) way to reduce plastic pollution. Take a look at our bag bill busting resource for talking points that counter common misconceptions used as support against a bag bill.

From these talking points, we’re reminded 1) bag bills are a user fee, not a tax, since at any time you can elect out of it, and 2) plastic bag fees reduce plastic pollution in a way that does not disproportionately harm vulnerable communities, such as low income or BIPOC communities.

Fingers crossed for Loudoun County! Passing a bag bill would be a great way to kick off the new year in a green way.

A UK based team that promotes positive climate goals this holiday season has many tips to spruce up your holiday in a green way!

With three weeks until the end of the year, Clean Fairfax has three things to do for a delightful and sustainable holiday. Check out our tips below, it’s as easy as one-two-tree!

It’s business as usual for streams, like us, to be facing a lot of stress; from new developments, changes in climate, introduction of chemicals, extraction for drinking water/ irrigation, the list of stressors seems endless and dire. Good news can be found at a local, Fairfax County stream, Old Courthouse Spring Branch (Spring Branch) in Difficult Run Watershed. This stream is near Tysons Corner, right off of Leesburge Pike. If you’ve ever taken a walk at Ragland Road Park, or even been around Best Buy in Tysons, you’ve been along this stream!

Old Courthouse Spring Branch is looking good! Why, you may ask? Old Courthouse Spring Branch’s stream restoration is complete; this means the stream is new and improved with upgrades. The restoration area has engineering solutions including big boulders to protect the stream from erosion and woven blankets keep things stable by stopping land from washing away during floods. All these improvements serve various purposes, but overall SLOW DOWN and stabilize the stream. [Fun fact, streams with rocky bends and additional vegetation slow water down and reduce destructive and dangerous flows.]

Spring Branch’s meandering bends and yellow blooms this fall added a glowing haze around the once degraded stream bed. As of a few years ago, however, walking along this stream was not an enjoyable or very pleasant experience. Meandering by the stream you may have wondered if the stream was actually a dumpster (Photo 1a&b). Litter in all its ugly glory was the star of the show at Old Courthouse Spring Branch. The stark transformation from dumpster to dreamy made us ask the question, “where the litter that previously afflicted the stream go?” Changing how water moves through a stream wouldn’t necessarily change the amount of a pollutant, like plastic, in a stream. But plastics now move differently and we wondered how they now moved and where litter is now at? Pollution doesn’t disappear from restoration, so we put on our boots and bustled down Spring Branch.

Hiking along the stream bed, we found the picture perfect upgrades to the stream do not completely solve all Spring Branch’s problems. Alleviate some stress in the stream? YES! But to solve stream stress? Nope. The stream’s slower flows are still moving litter, most notably plastics, and dropping them off at different pit stops (Photos 2-4). Improvements have, however, decreased the amount of litter being trapped in certain spots in the stream. For example, we have side by side pictures of the Spring Branch in 2017 and 2021 below (before and after restoration, respectively). We see less litter is being trapped in the log jam along the stream.

What’s more, with the stream’s upgrades other changes downstream are happening. During restoration in April, we found a water snake hanging out under stream debris that had built up from flooding. Today, almost 6 months later, we see more debris has built up and now traps more litter. 

Old Courthouse Spring Branch’s glow up is complete, but the perfect, unicorn solution has yet to be found to solve all its stress. Next time you’re in the area, consider checking out the newly restored stream and let us know what you think!

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 a treat for wildlife, but consider that pumpkins can also attract nuisance pests as well– don’t be surprised if squirrels or raccoons come for a snack. You can make a bird feeder from this quick guide; this craft will keep the snack for the birds! What’s more, some zoos feed pumpkins to their cute creatures. Keep your pumpkins out of the trash–they’re a treat.

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 alternative costume solutions are out there so we aren’t part of the pollution. From using what you already have in your closet, buying second hand, or making a costume yourself, there are many possibilities when it comes to our Halloween ensemble. 

If you already have a costume, or aren’t planning on dressing up, consider diving into the dark side of Halloween. Our favorite chocolates often have ingredients (e.g. palm oil) that contribute to deforestation and climate change. We can consider alternative brands or candy options to make our treats less tricky. Check out the Sierra Club’s article from 2019 for rainforest safe Halloween candy options. Have a sustainable and spooky Halloween celebration!

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 our aquatic plants and animals.

How much isn’t the only factor impacting stream health; what is in our waterways can be just as important to keeping the Chesapeake Bay, rivers, and creeks healthy. How do we know what’s in our water? We can look at things, such as the saltiness and cloudiness of a creek, to tell us something about our water. Maybe there’s road salt being used? Maybe there’s construction in the area? Changes in the landscape cause changes in the water and corresponding plants and animals that rely on healthy rivers for survival.

Many agencies and partners go out to streams and track these kinds of changes to inform water management. For example, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Fairfax County recently released their ten-year (2007-2018) study of local streams to assess stream health and stability.

Clean Fairfax’s own research has found plastic pollution to be prevalent in Fairfax county streams, particularly single-use plastic bags and plastic water bottles. We can tackle the trash in our waterways by advocating for the environment with policy changes. How can you advocate? You can put on your scientist hat and investigate your local stream. Voice your questions and concerns from your observations to your own municipal government or ask your district supervisor what initiatives they have in place to ensure a healthy Chesapeake Bay, rivers and creeks.