EcoAction Arlington Tree Planting Program

📅 Application Deadline: July 15

Want to add a native tree to your property? EcoAction Arlington is accepting applications for its Fall 2026 Tree Planting Program. All private property in Arlington—including single-family homes, townhouses, condos, and places of worship—is eligible.

🌱 Free native tree planting
🏡 Open to a variety of property types
🌳 Help expand Arlington's tree canopy and improve local ecosystems

👉 Apply online through our website based on your neighborhood.

📅 Application Deadline: August 17

Help inspire climate action in your community! EcoAmbassadors serve as local sustainability leaders by educating neighbors and promoting programs that support healthier, more livable communities.

Focus areas include:

⚡ Energy conservation and electrification
🚶 Multi-modal transportation
♻️ Waste reduction and sustainability
🏘️ Community outreach and education

After completing training, participants commit to annual volunteer service and ongoing sustainability education.

👉 More info

📅 July 5 | 9:00 am – 11:00 am

📍 Gravelly Point Park
12 Mt Vernon Trail, Arlington, VA 22202

Join Potomac Riverkeeper Network and The Friends of Mount Vernon Trail to remove trash around Gravelly Point left over after 4th of July celebrations. 

🌊 Protect the Potomac River
🚮 Remove litter and debris
🤝 Volunteer alongside fellow community members

🚗 Parking Note: The lot is only accessible when traveling northbound on the George Washington Parkway.

👉 Register here

📅 June 16 | 7:00 pm
💻 Virtual Event

Interested in learning how to map trees using your phone? Join Chris Ehlich, Dick Christenson, and Steve Geiger for the first part of this two-part interactive class. Participants will learn how to create a tree map using either an iPhone or Android device before joining a hands-on mapping exercise later in the month at Lyon Park.

📱 Learn tree mapping basics
🌿 Use mobile technology for environmental projects
📍 Prepare for the in-person mapping exercise on June 21

👉Register here

📅 July 7, 14, 21 & 28 | 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

📍 Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library – Story Room
5005 Duke St, Alexandria, VA 22304

Get the dirt on vermicomposting through hands-on scientific exploration! Using a real worm composting bin, children will discover how worms help recycle Earth's natural resources.

🐛 Explore composting up close
🔬 Learn through hands-on science
📚 Designed for ages 6–10

👉 Register here

📅 July 11 | 9:00 am – 11:30 am

📍 Potomac Overlook Regional Park
2845 N. Marcey Road, Arlington, VA, at the covered picnic facility next to the parking lot.

Help restore native habitats by removing invasive plants and supporting the growth of native species.

🌳 Protect local forests and wildlife
🦋 Improve habitat for pollinators
🧤 Tools and training provided
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family-friendly (ages 9 and up)

Participants are encouraged to wear long sleeves, long pants, and bring a reusable water bottle.

👉 Register here

👉 More events

📅 July 13 | 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm

💻 Virtual Event

Plastic pollution is a global environmental crisis, but everyone can play an important role in documenting and combating it. Join us for a conversation with Jace Tunnell, Director of Community Engagement at Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University and founder of Nurdle Patrol, a citizen science initiative tracking plastic pellet pollution around the world.

In a relaxed interview hosted by Susan Hinton, Chair of the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Plastic Pollution Prevention Committee and member of the Sierra Club Grassroots Network Single-Use Plastic Plus sub-team we'll explore:

🐟 Threats to marine ecosystems
🔍 Citizen science and environmental advocacy
🌎 Global pollution tracking efforts
📊 How volunteers can contribute to research

You'll also have the opportunity to ask questions and learn how your observations can contribute to a growing worldwide effort to better understand, and ultimately reduce, plastic pollution.

👉 Register here

📅 July 15 | 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

📍 Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
717 Queen St, Alexandria, VA 22314

Discover how artists are using creativity to raise awareness about plastic pollution and inspire environmental action.

🖌️ Art meets environmental advocacy
♻️ Learn about plastic pollution through a new lens
🌎 Explore creative approaches to change

👉 Register here

📅 July 16 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

💻 Virtual Event

Interested in solar energy? Learn how solar technology works, explore financing options, and hear from experts at Fairfax County's Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination.

⚡ Solar technology basics
💰 Financing and cost considerations
🏠 Benefits for homes and small businesses
🌞 Learn about the Capital Area Switch Together Program

Fairfax residency not required.

👉 Register here

📅 July 27 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

💻 Virtual Event

⚽ A data center developer is looking to expand the current 1970s era data center into a hyperscale data center (Vienna Cloud), directly next to a soccer field and 150 feet from residents.
😕​​This is the first test of our protective data center zoning ordinance. Will our current rules protect residents? Not via the current proposal
👉 Register for this zoom call to learn how to stop this massive new data center

📅 July 29 | 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

💻 Virtual Event

Meet Alexandria's Natural Resource Managers and learn more about the land, water, plants, and wildlife that help make the city thrive.

🌿 Learn about local conservation efforts
🐦 Explore Alexandria's natural resources
🤝 Connect with environmental professionals

👉 More info

WHEN: Every month, dates vary

WHERE: In every jurisdiction – virtual and in-person

Have you ever attended a meeting of your local environmental commission? Meetings are public and it can be a great way to learn about what is going on in your community. Commissions often consider issues of concern and welcome public comment. Click on the links below to find out more about your local commissions. Meeting schedules are provided on the linked websites. The agenda for an upcoming meeting is usually posted several days in advance of the meeting.  

Alexandria Environmental Policy Commission

Arlington Climate Change, Energy and Environment Commission

Arlington Energy Committee

Arlington Forestry and Natural Resources Commission

Falls Church Environmental Sustainability Council

The MeetUp group for Sierra Club Potomac Region Outings (SCPRO) is a special activities section of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. The group organizes hikes and other events in Virginia, DC and Maryland. No Sierra Club membership is necessary to participate. SCPRO welcomes all people on a variety of outdoor adventures, nature walks, conservation outings, and exploration of our natural and regional history. Join SCPRO MeetUp here.