Fairfax News, February 2021​

Here’s your source of February news for the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions’ (FACS) Fairfax Hub.

FACS NEWS

Back in January, we said “Happy New Year!” and hit the ground running. In addition to launching a social media toolkit to highlight four of our top #FairfaxToZero advocacy priorities, we sent two separate action alerts for state legislation (one to support the ban on single-use Styrofoam and one to support automatic updates of Virginia’s building codes). We held an Advocacy team meeting in mid-January, and we invite you to join the next one! It will take place on Wednesday, February 10 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. Please contact Natalie Cain if you’d like the Zoom link.

So what is going on at the county level?

FAIRFAX COUNTY’S BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

The Environmental Committee Meeting will be held Tuesday, February 2 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. The meeting will be streamed online, televised on Channel 16, and available to view on demand. View the meeting agenda and materials.

FAIRFAX COUNTY’S CECAP

Under Fairfax County’s Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination (OEEC), the Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP) is focused on developing strategies to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the county.

• Late in January, the CECAP Working Group met and reviewed the following strategies:
  • Increase renewable energy in grid mix.
  • Increase production of onsite renewable energy.
  • Increase energy supply from renewable natural gas (RNG), hydrogen, and power-to-gas.
  • Reduce the amount of waste generated and divert waste from landfills and incinerators.
  • Responsibly manage all waste streams Forestry and Land Use.
    Support preservation and expansion of quality natural resources.
• In February, the CECAP will promote public education and engagement through published articles, social media, informative videos, online public surveys, virtual public meetings, and more. As an outreach partner for the CECAP, FACS will be helping to disseminate this helpful information so that we can chip away at pre-conceived notions regarding climate action and encourage individuals and faith communities to stay involved in meaningful and impactful change.

FAIRFAX COUNTY’S CARP

FACS Board Member Philip Bane is participating in the Community Advisory Group for Fairfax County’s community-wide planning process for a Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (CARP). The work involves providing input on climate risk/vulnerabilities as well as climate adaptation and resilience strategies.