Fairfax County’s farmers markets are going plastic-free this month.
Starting tomorrow (Wednesday) through July 28, visitors to the Fairfax County Park Authority’s farmers markets are encouraged to bring reusable shopping bags in support of Plastic Free July, a global initiative fighting plastic pollution.
The average Dominion Energy Virginia residential customer will soon see a charge of about $4.50 dropped from their bills. The fee was being collected to recover costs through the state’s participation in the regional carbon market.
On Monday, the State Corporation Commission, which regulates Virginia’s utilities, approved a request from Dominion to stop tacking the fee on customer’s bills to recoup the costs the utility racked up through participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which Virginia is no longer a part of.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Wednesday that the state will no longer follow car emissions standards set by California, despite his party’s failure to repeal or roll back a 2021 Democratic law that tied Virginia to those regulations.
The move tees up what could be another legal fight over Republican leaders’ efforts to undo climate change-related measures Democrats passed when they had full control of state government a few years ago.
A group of Katherine Johnson Middle School students has proposed a new design for Fairfax Circle that they hope will be more environmentally friendly.
Several eighth graders presented their ideas to the Fairfax City Council on May 28 for addressing issues such as flooding, runoff, and pollution, which they argue will help to reduce the city’s impact on surrounding ecosystems, such as the Chesapeake Bay.
Fairfax County staff are seeking additional funding to hire more personnel who could help expedite ongoing and future flood mitigation projects across the county.
However, with the county facing increasing financial challenges, worsened by inflation and reduced commercial tax revenue, some members of the Board of Supervisors said at a recent land use committee meeting that they are reluctant to commit to expanding the budget’s list of indefinite expenditures.
Fairfax County’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) is working to develop a new 20-year plan for managing solid waste.
The county produces roughly 1.2 million tons of trash every year, processing about 630,000 tons as municipal solid waste (MSW). Currently, about 43.9% of waste is diverted from incineration. However, the county adopted a Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP) that set a goal of 90% diversion by 2040.
The Spring Hill Rec Center in McLean is now being partly powered by the sun.
The Fairfax County Park Authority announced today (Thursday) that it has turned on a new, 307-kilowatt solar panel array on the roofs of the recreation center’s gym and indoor swimming pool at 1239 Spring Hill Road.
In Fairfax County, sheep mow lawns, beekeepers remove misplaced swarms and gardeners teach the community.
The Town of Vienna will feature organizations that do all that and more at its annual Green Expo at the Vienna Community Center (120 Cherry Street SE). Sponsored by the town’s Conservation and Sustainability Commission, the expo is set for 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 18 — four days before Earth Day.
(Updated 4/17) Fairfax County is moving forward with a new ordinance change that would step up the preservation of mature trees, shorelines and wetlands.
The change is part of bringing Fairfax County in line with state revisions to the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Arena Designation and Management Regulations that were adopted by the State Water Control Board.
The county’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services launched a solar panel recycling program last week, expanding upon its November 2022 pilot program.
Daniel Brooks, an environmental services specialist at the county’s Solid Waste Management Program, said this new program falls under their electronic recycling program, which focuses on prevention.
