EcoAction Arlington
Solutions for a Sustainable Lifestyle
EcoAction Arlington recently sent a letter to the County Board supporting, but describing its concerns, with proposed plans to change residential zoning throughout the County to allow small-scale 2 to 8 units residential buildings (aka Missing Middle) in lots currently zoned for single-family residences. Higher density housing is more environmentally friendly as it increases energy …
Arlington County needs to do more to meet the challenges of the rapidly unfolding climate crisis.
Would you like Arlington County to do more to assist residents and businesses with reducing waste and the heavy carbon footprint that it represents? Do you have ideas on how to expand opportunities to reduce, reuse, and repair? Are you frustrated with trying to navigate existing recycling programs or finding ways to recycle hard-to-recycle metals, …
Transitioning from fossil fuels (e.g., goal and natural gas) to low-carbon sources of electricity is essential for reaching carbon neutrality. While much of the energy purchased from electric utilities is currently derived from fossil fuels, this will be reduced significantly during the lifespan of many of our investments in vehicles, appliances, and building heating and …
Business as usual is not an option. I look to County Board members to do everything within your power to take action to prevent the worst impacts of climate change and help build a sustainable and livable future for my family and future generations.
The PenPlace Project, Amazon’s HQ2 complex, demonstrates outstanding elements of sustainable design and has the potential to become the first commercial zero carbon building in Arlington, helping to normalize advanced practices in sustainable design and construction essential to achieve the County’s goal for carbon neutrality. Ask Amazon to commit to achieving Zero Carbon Certification and …
Citizen voices can sway our state legislators and now is the time to stand up for climate action, protection of our air, water, and open spaces, and environmental justice. EcoAction Arlington is joining forces with Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions Arlington Hub and the Potomac River Group of the Sierra Club to amplify Arlington voices …
In September, with the encouragement of EcoAction Arlington and the 1,500 signers of our petition, the Arlington County Board joined Fairfax County and Alexandria in adopting a plastic bag tax. Starting January 1, grocery stores, drugstores, and convenience stores in Arlington will begin to charge a five-cent fee for single-use plastic bags at their check-out counters. …
Several development projects are currently under review through the Site Plan Review Process, giving residents an opportunity to advocate for building designs consistent with the County’s carbon neutrality goal. See Demystifying Public Participation in County Development for more details of the community engagement process.
The world is experiencing a climate crisis and EcoAction Arlington urges the County Board to declare a climate emergency, develop a robust Climate Action Plan, and use its guidance to the County Manager for the FY 2023 Budget to put the County on a clear path to addressing this crisis. Communities around the world are …
The Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC) community input window for Wendy’s Site – 2025Clarendon Boulevard is closing on Thursday, September 16. The April 2021 LEED/Sustainabilitydocuments (combined) for this 16-story residential building indicate a commitment to LEED Gold,including 5 additional possible points for Annual Energy Use and Efficient Hot Water Distribution.These kinds of energy credits are …
Read the candidates responses to questions on key environmental challenges and attend the Environmental Candidates forum on October 20 — On November 2, Virginians will go to the polls to elect their Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and representatives to the House of Delegates. Arlington voters will also fill one seat each for the County …
A successful launch of this program will depend on residents enthusiastically embracing the effort. You can help by: For those living in a multifamily building, you can drop off food scraps at the Earth Products Recycling Yard in Shirlington (4300 29th Street S.), the Columbia Pike Farmers Market on Sundays or MOM’s Organic Market. You …
Curbside food scrap collection will reduce the residential waste stream going to the Waste-to-Energy facility by 20 percent (wet food scraps don’t burn well) and increase the countywide recycling rate to about 55 percent. These organic materials will be turned into compost and some will be returned to Arlington to be used to enrich soil …
The county’s new Food Scraps Collection program is simple. To give you an idea of size, here is a photo of the food scrap pail and a box of 150 compostable 2-gallon bags (purchased online) next to a beer can. Most anything that grows (and rots) can be included but don’t be fooled by containers …
EcoAction Arlington thanked the County Board for their Earth Day gift to Arlington. In adopting the FY22 budget, the County Board directed the County Manager to develop recommendations to coordinate a “whole of government” approach to achieving Arlington’s Climate Change and Sustainability goals. EcoAction Arlington is gratified that the Board sent a list of inspiring …
With buildings accounting for about 60 percent of Arlington’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, electrification–elimination of onsite combustion of fossil fuels, primarily natural gas–in homes and commercial and residential buildings is essential to achieving the Community Energy Plan (CEP) goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. As progress toward the county’s goal for shifting to electricity from …
By Stephen D’Alessio, EcoAction Arlington Volunteer The COVID-19 crisis has thrown environmentalist concerns completely off. The pandemic has drastically altered how governments at national and local levels are ordering their priorities as they rush to deal with the economic and health impacts of the disease. As a result, environmentalists are tackling older issues in a …
