Friends,

Thanks to everyone who came out for our January general meeting last week and especially to Janine Gaspari, from Delegate Mark Keam’s office, and Karen Campblin, co-director of Green New Deal Virginia, for their insight into major climate legislation in Virginia this General Assembly session. We learned so much!

If you didn’t make it last Thursday, here’s what you missed:

2020 General Assembly

The 2020 Virginia General Assembly session started on Wednesday! Both houses will see a lot of good environmental legislation (and some not so good) over the next 60 days. We are watching several bills and will send out alerts via email, Facebook, and Twitter when we hear these bills are scheduled for committee hearings.

Our major priorities are HB77, the Green New Deal Act, and five plastic bag bills—four in the Senate (SB11, SB26, SB193, SB198) and one in the House (HB534).

But these are definitely not the only bills worth watching. Solar Freedom is cool. So is this Clean School Bus Grant Fund bill. And also this Virginia Council on Environmental Justice bill. And Senator Petersen’s campaign finance bill. And then there’s the prohibition on balloon releases. And that’s just from 10 minutes poking around on LIS (i.e., Virginia’s Legislative Information System—check it out!).

Again, we will send out action alerts when exciting bills are scheduled for committee hearings. Keep an eye on your inbox.

Fossil Free Fairfax

On Wednesday night, 350 Fairfax co-chair Helene Shore brought our #FossilFreeFairfax message to the Environmental Quality Advisory Council, the body that advises the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on various environmental and climate issues.

And in three weeks—on January 28—we’ll be delivering our stack of more than 3,000 Fossil Free Fairfax petitions to the Board of Supervisors.

Mark your calendars for January 28, 4:30 p.m., at the Fairfax County Government Center. 350 Fairfax will be at the new Board of Supervisors’ first public hearing in force to deliver our petitions and the message that we need bold, fast action to reverse climate change at every level of government. Fairfax County is the largest county in Virginia and among the most populous in the country. We should be leading on climate.

Community-Wide Energy and Climate Action Plan

District focus groups for Fairfax County’s CECAP kicked off this week, and they are open to the public. The Providence and Mason District Focus Groups meet on Tuesday, January 14. Find out more about the focus groups here and contact your supervisor if you'd like to participate.

The CECAP will ultimately be developed and approved by the CECAP Task Force, in part based on input from the focus groups. The first meeting of the Task Force is scheduled for January 24, and 350 Fairfax will be represented in its membership. We will report back on developments at our general meetings. Find out more about the CECAP Task Force here.

Upcoming Events

Keam-Petersen Town Hall. January 11, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Vienna Town Council Chambers, 127 Center St S, Vienna. Delegate Mark Keam and Senator Chap Petersen hold their annual town hall. Show up to let them know you support HB77, the Green New Deal Act.

Mount Vernon District Legislative Town Hall. January 18, 9 to 11 a.m., Walt Whitman Middle School, 2500 Parkers Lane, Alexandria. Delegates and senators representing the Mount Vernon District in the General Assembly are holding a mid-session town hall in January. Show up to express support for HB77, the Green New Deal Act.

Saving the Planet, One Forkful at a Time Luncheon Series. January 19, 12:45 p.m., UUCF Program Building, 2709 Hunter Mill Rd, Oakton. Join the UUCF Climate Action Group for an information session with Dr. Vanita Rahman, MD, about the interplay between the foods we eat and climate change. This is the first in a four-part luncheon series on the theme of “Saving the Planet, One Forkful at a Time.” The program will include a light plant-based luncheon prepared by the Climate Action Group. For more information, contact [email protected].

Board of Supervisors Public Hearing. January 28, 4:30 p.m., Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Pkwy, Fairfax. 350 Fairfax will be delivering #FossilFreeFairfax petitions to the Board of Supervisors at this public hearing before the full board. If you are interested in speaking in support of Fossil Free Fairfax before the board, please email us at [email protected]

350 Fairfax February General Meeting. February 6, 7:30 to 9 p.m., Blueberry Hill Common House, 9701 Farmside Place, Vienna, VA. Save the date!! The February meeting will be awesome, and you should definitely plan to attend. Details coming soon.

Stay warm!

Julie