March 2020 Great Falls Group Cascade
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Sierra Club’s Great Falls Group (GFG) is continuing its pipeline and volunteer night activities. A documentary on Loudoun
County data centers’ energy impact will debut March 5, and planning is progressing on a Data Center Forum. GFG member partnerships with environmental groups at Loudoun
County Public Schools are off to a strong start. The Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP) working groups should be receiving documentation to be reviewed this month. Finally, the two NOVA Sierra Club groups are looking at Group name and boundary changes.
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Significant Events Calendar
Mar. 4
- Community Meeting on Transco and Virginia Gas Pipelines (Warrenton)
Mar. 7 -
Virginia General Assembly Session Adjourns
Mar. 11
- Volunteer Action Night for the Environment (Fairfax)
Mar. 12 - 22
- D.C. Environmental Film Festival
Apr. 22
- Earth Day
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Proposed Partnership with Loudoun County High School Environmental Clubs
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GFG is excited about teaming up with Loudoun County Public Schools to partner with their environmental groups. The first meeting will be at Briar Woods High School, 22525 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148 later in March where a Sierra Club GFG member who is an environmental engineer will talk about his career path, job experience, and local activities. Sierra Club members' participation is needed for future events.
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Data Centers
Regarding GFG’s efforts targeting the outsize energy footprint of Loudoun County data centers, a new documentary on the topic,
Streaming Dirty
,
will be released on BBC iPlayer and YouTube on March 5, and footage of some of our GFG activists may appear in it. Also, a Data Center Forum is being planned for late April in Loudoun County; watch for more details in the next
Cascade
.
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The second Task Force meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 31, 2020. If events go according to plan, the CECAP Task Force will distribute information they want reviewed by the CECAP Focus Group representatives, likely around March 17.
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Volunteer Action Night for the Environment (Fairfax)
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WHEN:
Wed.,
March 11
, 6:30-8:30 pm
DETAILS:
Join us in working to combat climate change. Activities include a campaign to confront the energy challenges posed by Loudoun County's massive data centers, and fighting oil and gas pipelines in Virginia. Come be part of the solutions!
RSVP
SPONSOR:
Sierra Club/Great Falls Group
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April 22, 2020 will be the
50
th
anniversary of Earth Day
.
GFG is looking for presentation topics or activities that our members and community can take part in during the month of April to celebrate this special day. If you have any suggestions, please send them to Norbert at
norbertsierra@aol.com.
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Image source: Earthday.org
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Community Meeting on Transco and Virginia Gas Pipelines (Warrenton)
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WHEN:
Wed., March 4, 6:30-8:30 pm
DETAILS:
Join us for a community information session about two natural gas projects proposed in Fauquier and Prince William County. Transco is a 7.7-mile pipeline expansion that received federal approval despite community concerns about limited review and public input concerning environmental threats. Virginia Natural Gas Pipeline is currently seeking approval for another 9.5 miles of new pipeline in Fauquier and Prince William. Come learn what residents can do to take action.
RSVP
SPONSORS:
Piedmont Environmental Council, Fauquier Climate Change Group, Food and Water Action, Virginia Chapter Sierra Club, Sierra Club/Great Falls Group
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Photo credit: Clem Murray
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Supreme Court Hearing on Atlantic Coast Pipeline
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On February 24, the Supreme Court held a hearing about a permit granted by the U.S Forest Service giving the ACP pipeline a right-of-way to cross federal lands beneath the Appalachian trail. In a December 2018 decision, the Fourth Circuit stripped the pipeline of that permit. A decision in the case is not expected until late sping.
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Update on Transco and Other Pipeline Activity
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Roughly 20 people met February 12 in the Pat White Center at Ben Lomond in oppositon to the Transco pipeline project. The presentation had some detailed information regarding the proposed Virginia Natural Gas Header Project. Overall it was a great crowd that seemed genuinely interested in stopping these projects.
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Helping the Program Chair
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Would you like to help create GFG events that offer ways to enjoy nature, inform the public and inspire action? Consider aiding us with program development. There are many ways you can help: booking a speaker or event, choosing a date, or putting a notice in the local media. This is a great chance to help GFG with its programs, be part of a team, and meet new friends. If you're interested in lending a hand, please contact Catherine Carver at
ccarver37@gmail.com.
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Wildlands and Wilderness Team
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The national Sierra Club Wildlands and Wilderness Team is a high-functioning, well-organized Grassroots Network Team that is seeking to add two or three new members. Virtual meetings link group members across the land, with subgroup topics ranging from forest stewardship to legislation, to social media.
If you are interested in joining the Wilderness and Wetlands team, see the information here.
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D.C. Environmental Film Festival March 12-22
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The Environmental Film Festival in the nation’s capital is the world’s premier showcase of environmentally themed films.
Each March it presents over 100 films, and many are free.
See
Norbert
for more information, to travel to D.C. together, or to attend a wrap-up session afterwards to share your film attendance experiences.
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WHEN
: Seedling packages for native trees and shrubs will be available for pickup in April.
DESCRIPTION
: This annual seedling sale by Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District makes low-cost bare-root native shrub and tree seedlings available to Northern Virginia residents.
They are sold out for this year, but
often have extra seedlings for sale on the pick-up days (April 17 and 18)
. If the seedlings you want are available, they will be sold for $2 a "stem" on a first-come, first-served basis.
SPONSOR
: Fairfax County
Trees and shrubs help cleanse water, prevent soil erosion, provide habitat, cool our climate, and clean our air, according to the Conservation District. They suggest that you consider adding native trees and shrubs to your community today!
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Recent Letters to the Editor
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Recent Letters to the Editor (LTE) by GFG members
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Ways to Stay in Touch with GFG
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Send comments or questions to the
editor
.
Thank you!
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