General Assembly Preview

Join FACS and the Virginia Conservation Network this Saturday, December 3rd from 9am-12pm to learn about the significant environmental legislative action coming up in the 2023 General Assembly! Join our watch party for breakfast and see featured speakers projected on screen at Herndon Fortnightly Library, 768 Center St, Herndon, VA 20170. This is an opportunity to meet local conservationists and learn from statewide environmental experts about what is happening here in Fairfax! Can't attend in-person? Opt for an online ticket!

2023 Climate Solutions Kickoff

20s & 30s Circle

Are you or do you know a 20- or 30-something looking to connect with others on climate change topics?

Our 20s & 30s Circle will feature social gatherings like happy hours, coffee socials, and local hikes for this age group. Whether you are in a career transition, planning for the future in an uncertain world, or you just want to meet other climate-minded individuals, join us! Our first gathering is Wednesday, December 14th at Caboose Commons. Fill out this form to be added to our email list and for further details.

January Book Discussion

Join us on Wednesday, January 25th at 6pm via Zoom for a book discussion on Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The discussion will be led by FACS co-founder, Rev. Dr. Jean Wright. All are welcome to attend, no matter how much of the book you read. Visit this link for more info.

“Our indigenous herbalists say to pay attention when plants come to you; they’re bringing you something you need to learn.” - Robin Wall Kimmerer

Zero Waste: Building a Better Community

On Tuesday, January 17th from 7pm - 8:30pm FACS, EcoAction Arlington, Leaders in Energy, and Sierra Club Potomac River Group have teamed up to host the final installment of three webinars, Reimagining Our Waste Management System. Keep an eye out for further details! Did you miss Building a Circular Economy: Breaking the Produce-Consume-Dispose Paradigm? See the recording here. Our most recent Zero Waste installment, Beyond Recycling: Reduce, Reuse, Repair will be uploaded in the coming days.

MLK Day of Service

Save the date! FACS will host a Martin Luther King Day of Service on January 16th to remove invasive species from one of our local Fairfax parks. Keep an eye out for further details regarding time, location, and other logistics.

End-of-Year Giving

Our annual End-of-Year Giving Campaign is here, and we welcome your support! With only two staff members, FACS is leveraging our amazing volunteers across five jurisdictions to move local climate action forward. Donating to local climate non-profits like FACS is one of the easiest and most effective ways to take climate action. Help us deepen our work with another staff person and more programming -- your donations matter!

Fairfax County Hub Updates

Advocacy efforts are continuing strongly in Fairfax County: our dedicated teams have been meeting with Supervisors and School Board members. And we testified at the Board of Supervisors (BOS) about ways to improve waste management, which is a complex area. Franconia District had a house party with Supervisor Lusk! 

We’re building a Solar Solutions team! If you like understanding technical systems, or monitoring State efforts, or talking to people about solar installation benefits, please let Kris Rosenthal know! This is one of the fastest growing areas of carbon reduction, and a great way to benefit the common good.

We also rallied for the Regional Green House Gas Initiative in Arlington, along with many coalition members. Advocacy is all of this: talking to our neighbors about what matters, speaking with our government representatives, and getting public attention through rallies. All of it is part of the work.

Sign up for Fairfax updates if you are not already on our list. If you have any questions, please email kristin.rosenthal@gmail.com.

Arlington County Hub Updates

In November, we had an excellent discussion with our guest speaker, Bill Pugh, leader of the FACS Alexandria Hub, talking about climate change, smart growth and the environmental impacts of sprawl. We discussed some environmental implications of our community's proposed changes to zoning for housing.

In advocacy, we submitted comments to Arlington Public Schools, pressing APS to consider climate impacts as part of their facilities and operations plans. We also weighed in on Arlington’s public transit strategic plan. Further, we sent a letter of support to Arlington County leaders, applauding their transition electric landscaping equipment and their encouragement to the landscaping market.

Socially, 15 Hub-mates met for a very Happy Hour.

The Hub meets again on Wednesday, December 7th at 7pm. We’ll focus on how the Hub can support Arlington’s Tree Canopy Program to add vegetation across Arlington, particularly in our underserved communities. 

Sign up for Arlington updates if you are not already on our list. If you have any questions, please email info@faithforclimate.org.

City of Alexandria Hub Updates

The City of Alexandria is releasing a final draft of its Energy and Climate Change Action Plan this month, which will go to Council for approval later this winter. The FACS Alexandria hub anticipates drafting a letter of general support, urging timely adoption, implementation and prioritizing those actions that benefit our most vulnerable fellow residents and workers. In the meantime, we are reviewing the final draft. The Alexandria hub generally meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00pm via Zoom (this month's meeting will be Tuesday, Dec. 13th).

Sign up for Alexandria updates if you are not already on our list. If you have any questions, please email info@faithforclimate.org.

Join a Local Advocacy Hub!

Stay connected with local news, meeting reminders, advocacy opportunities and action alerts, community wins, and more!