On June 10, 2021 EcoAction Arlington celebrated our living world with our Third Annual EcoExtravaganza. 95 people tuned into Zoom to participate virtually. This year’s focus was on biophilia and the ways we love our living world. The event culminated the 2020-2021 Love Our Living World series which consisted of five events exploring and celebrating biophilia: Biophilia Live!, Biophilia at Your Table, Biophilia in Your Home, Biophilia in Your Community and the EcoExtravaganza.
Jill Barker, EcoAction Arlington Board Chair, started the evening off with a land acknowledgement.
“Let us take a moment to acknowledge that this event is taking place in Arlington on the land traditionally occupied by the Nacotchtank peoples, members of the Potawomak federation. Let us also acknowledge that the Arlington county board recently approved a new park name, Zitkala Sa, to honor an indigenous rights activist woman who lived in Arlington in the early 1900s.“
Jenn Yates, the Master of Ceremonies for the evening, did an outstanding and impeccable job of keeping the information and the entertainment flowing all evening.
WE SHOWED OUR LOVE WITH:
DINNER
Busboys and Poets curated special three-course vegetarian dinner options that were either delivered or picked up to enjoy that evening. You could enjoy your meal from the comfort of your home without having to go out in the pouring rain that evening. Everything came in eco-friendly, sustainable packaging.
SUSTAINABILITY
Patrick Bonisteel, the Vision Preserver (VP) of Training and Development at Busboys and Poets spoke about the restaurant’s sustainability practices. Busboys and Poets is a Straw Free Arlington partner. Straw Free Arlington aims to reduce our reliance on single-use plastics in our dining community, empower residents to choose eco-friendly restaurants and engage restaurants in protecting their local environmental community.
LEADERS
Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti and Congressman Don Beyer gave welcoming remarks that highlighted the progress being made in Arlington towards being Carbon Neutral by 2050.
THANKS
Senator Barbara Favola, Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Arlington County Board Member Katie Cristol, and Arlington County Board Member Libby Garvey extended their appreciation and thanks to the community.
LEARNING
Jason Samenow, editor and writer covering weather and climate for The Washington Post, spoke about Extreme weather in Washington, D.C.: How has it changed and what does the future hold? It was an engaging and informative talk featuring many illuminating charts.
TRIVIA
Attendees enjoyed competing in a trivia game with Crowdpurr. The questions were culled from our previous events in the series. The lucky winner received a compost bin.
PRIZES
Two raffles were awarded during the evening. One for Scout and Cellar wines and a goodie bag from Trader Joe’s plus a $50 gift certificate to Masons and Green.
SHARING
All the different ways we love our living world.
REFLECTING
On the events in the series that led up to the night in a series of four videos highlighting the events. You may view the videos on our Youtube channel. Here is a preview highlighting our kickoff event.
The EcoExtravaganza was such a success due to the hard work and contributions of many people from the volunteers, to the staff, the speakers, the sponsors and the attendees. The funds that were raised will go directly to our work planting trees, helping to improve energy efficiency in homes throughout Arlington and Alexandria, promoting sustainable restaurant policies, and keeping our parks and waterways free of debris.
We look forward to convening in person in 2022 at the Fourth Annual EcoExtravaganza.
