April 1, 2022
Dear Neighbor,

Earth Day was first held on April 22, 1970 and it now includes a wide range of events globally. This year's theme is Invest in Our Planet. As individuals, we have the simple yet effective power to make our voices heard through our choices, our civic actions, and our personal interactions. What each of us does, and how we do it, has a huge ripple effect on our ecosystems, and on the pace of corporate and government action.

As we head into Earth Month and look forward to Earth Day on April 22, below are a number of earth focused events that are family friendly and some helpful resources that will educate and inform on some of the programs and initiatives available in Fairfax County.

You can find the following Providence District updates below in this newsletter:
  • Earth Focused Events
  • Resources

With gratitude,
Supervisor Dalia Palchik
Earth Focused Events
Drive Electric Earth Day

Drive Electric Earth Day is a national campaign to share information about electric vehicles throughout the month of April. In addition to being better for the environment, electric vehicles are more fun to drive, more convenient to fuel and less expensive to operate than gasoline vehicles. RSVP here for an in-person or online event to experience driving electric!
Invasive Plant Removal

If you are just coming out of hibernation, you will be surprised to see the amount of invasive plant removal from the wooded area of the Park. Over the course of the winter, 120+ volunteers worked on clearing the invasive plants and introducing new native plants and we still have more to do. If you would like to help, bring your gloves and come join the Greater Oakton Community Association (GOCA) on Saturday, April 2 for the sessions starting at 9am or 1pm. Please click on this link to register because spaces are limited. Also, check out the GOCA website for details about future sessions.  
2022 Potomac Watershed Cleanup Accotink Creek Watershed

Join Friends of Accotink Creek in partnership with the Alice Ferguson Foundation and Project Clean Stream to get trash out of our waterways during the Annual Potomac Watershed Cleanup. You are invited to help at one, two, or as many cleanups as you like!

Are you a leader? Take charge of one or more of our cleanup sites, by registering and directing volunteers. We provide supplies for the day of the cleanup, including trash bags, gloves, and sign-in sheets.

My team and I have registered to clean up at the Barkley Dr. bridge location. Click here to sign-up as a volunteer, get more information about cleanup locations, times, and dates.
The Lives of Farmed Animals and the Pursuit of Personhood
Part I of Revisioning our Relationship to Animals and Food

A presentation by Act for Climate Today! Do you know how many farmed animals are killed for food in this country each year or what protections these animals have under our laws? What does animal farming have to do with climate change? Animal Outlook attorney, Will Lowrey, will answer these questions and provide updates on what is happening in our legal system regarding our fellow members of the interconnected web! 

When: Wednesday, April 6 from 7:30pm to 8:30pm
Where: RSVP here for Zoom link
HomeWise Virtual Q&A

Do you have questions about how to make DIY energy- and water-saving improvements to your home? Sign up to speak with a Fairfax County HomeWise volunteer, one-on-one on April 7 between 7pm and 8:30pm. This is your chance to share your personal questions and concerns and to have a conversation that will help move you toward a more efficient, cost-effective, comfortable home environment, completely free of charge. Learn more and sign up here.
Pine Ridge Park Cleanup

Help keep trash and debris out of waterways that flow into the Chesapeake Bay. The Nature Conservancy is once again partnering with the Fairfax County Park Authority in Northern Virginia for a watershed cleanup. This spring cleaning event will remove tires, plastic bottles, cans and other debris from local waterways, preventing trash from reaching the nation’s largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay. For more information and to register, click here.

When: Saturday, April 9, 8am - 10am; 10am - 12pm
  • 25 volunteers needed for each time slot
Where: Pine Ridge Park, 3401 Woodburn Road
Sustainable Shop Local Market at the PARC

Celebrate Earth Day this spring at Celebrate Fairfax's April 9th Shop Local Saturday Market from noon to 5pm. As a special way to celebrate the Earth this spring, the market will feature a special outdoor pop-up with interactive demonstrations and workshops provided by Vander, Fairfax County Master Gardeners, Tysons Creamery, and more!
HomeWise Webinar: Outdoor Water Conservation

April showers bring May flowers, but what if it doesn't rain much? How can you use water in gardens and around the outside of your home in a responsible way? How can you cut costs due to outdoor water use as the summer approaches? Join Fairfax County HomeWise volunteers for a 60-minute webinar on outdoor water conservation on April 19 from 6pm to 7pm for answers to these questions and more. Learn more and sign up here.
Providence Walk and Talk

Join us for a walking tour of East Blake Lane Park on April 22 at 1pm where we will have the opportunity to learn about the foliage and the natural resources in our community. Just as important as learning about our parks, we will also be picking up litter, giving them the care they deserve, and learning how to properly maintain them. I hope you can join us and we'll see you at the Providence Community Center.
One Dark Hour

The Fairfax County Park Authority is encouraging participation in the first annual One Dark Hour event on April 22 which will be the kickoff to the celebration of International Dark Sky Awareness Week. The Park Authority is committed to raising awareness to the importance of dark skies as our region continues to grow and urbanize. Dark skies are important to wildlife and plant resources that we all depend on for a healthy ecosystem with clean air and water. Dark skies do not demand that we get rid of all the lights, only to have light where and when it is needed. 

To participate in One Dark Hour, simply turn off your outdoor lights between 9pm and 10pm on Friday, April 22. We encourage you to tell your neighbors to magnify the effect. As more people participate each year, we hope to see a demonstration of the power of collective action.

While the lights are out, please look up at the sky and see what you might have been missing. It takes up to 15 minutes for our eyes to become adapted to the dark after looking at the glare of a light. So be patient and wait for the stars to appear.
Earth Day Drum Circle

Celebrate Earth Day with a drum circle in honor of Mother Earth. Bring your drums, flutes, and percussion instruments, and plan on co-creating rhythms that honor the earth and creation. Instruments will be available for use during the event. For more event details and to register, click here.

When: Friday, April 22, 7pm to 9pm
Where: Unity of Fairfax, 2854 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton
Adopt-A-Highway Clean-Up Earth Day Weekend

Sierra Club/Great Falls Group will pick up litter and debris on 1.32 miles of Jones Branch Drive, Tysons Corner (home of McLean Hilton). Come out for great exercise outdoors, meet and mingle with other Club members, and help clean up a roadway! Litter bags will be provided. Click here to register.

When: Saturday, April 23 from 9am to 11am
Where: Jones Branch Drive between Westpark Drive & International Drive, Tysons Corner, VA
SPONSOR: Sierra Club/Great Falls Group

For more information, you can contact Patricia Leslie at 202-316-0584 or patricialeighleslie@yahoo.com with "AAHiway" in the subject line.
Earth Daze

Earth Daze will feature all day Ask Me Anything on environmental topics (such as gardening, recycling, composting, beekeeping, etc), beer, wine and cider tastings, sustainable pop-up shop, plant sale, and tentatively an animal adoption event, a small farmers market and fun and sustainable arts and crafts for kids.
When: Sunday, April 24
Where: Aslin Brewing, 767 Elden St. Herndon VA 20170

If your interested in signing up as a vendor for this event, click here.
Green Expo

Featuring tips for a zero waste lifestyle, purchasing local organic products, creating sustainable gardens, recycling, and the latest in electric vehicles, and more. The Vienna Green Expo is a FREE place to see local/regional earth-friendly exhibitors showing how to achieve a green lifestyle.

When: Thursday, April 28 from 7pm to 9pm
Where: Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St SE., Vienna
Sponsor: Town of Vienna's Conservation and Sustainability Commission

For more information you can contact: pjmesswein56@gmail.com
Resources
Remember Your Reusable Shopping Bags

We've all forgotten to bring our reusable bags to the grocery store once or twice. CleanFairfax has outlined some ways to help us remember to bring out bags which you can read here.
Apply To Be The Next EQAC Student Member

Fairfax County's Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC) is seeking a student representative for the 2022-2023 school year! Any current sophomore or junior in good standing in Fairfax County who is interested is encouraged to apply. EQAC makes recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding county environmental protection and enhancement. Monthly meetings address issues on a range of topics including water quality, air quality, land use, transportation, solid waste, climate change, energy, hazardous materials, and noise, light and visual pollution. Learn more and apply by May 4, 2022.
Carbon-Free Fairfax

Carbon-Free Fairfax is primarily a public education and outreach initiative to help Fairfax County realize a healthy, sustainable, and economically prosperous future without local greenhouse gas emissions. Drawing inspiration from the Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP), Carbon-Free Fairfax is a broad greenhouse gas reduction initiative that enables county residents, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and other key stakeholders to decrease their emissions through education, outreach, and engagement opportunities.

To read about upcoming Carbon-Free Fairfax events, educational campaigns, and other, related community engagement efforts from the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination, please click here. If you have questions about Carbon-Free Fairfax, please email here.
Periodic Native Plant Sales

Native plants are also available at most local garden centers (but rarely at big box stores). Be sure to ask for plants by their scientific name, as there are non-native versions of many popular plants. Look for the red NOVA Natives stickers placed on plant signs by volunteers at these garden centers. Native plants are the basis of the ecosystem and are essential for our songbirds, frogs, butterflies, etc. Click here to access the Native Plant Sales calendar.
Tree Rescuers Volunteer Program

Does it make you sad to see trees smothered by vines? You can do something about it! This is a very easy volunteer opportunity. All you need to do (after watching the video and reading the instructions) is walk around counting trees at risk from invasive vines, drop off brochures for the landowners to alert them to the problem and report back to Plant NOVA Natives. Read more about the program here.
Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD): Hands-On Conservation

NVSWCD promotes soil and water conservation, promotes hands-on conservation, provides technical expertise, and help prevent pollution, reduce runoff and protect our streams and rivers. To learn more about their programs and hands-on conservation, visit here.
Contact Us
We want to hear from you! Please reach out to us with questions, comments or just to say hello. Please feel free to email us with events you would like to be included in my newsletter.

Phone: (703) 560-6946 | Email: Providence@fairfaxcounty.gov