📅 Nov 4, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

📍 Fairlington Community Center, Room 118, 3308 S Stafford St, Arlington, VA, 22206

Your voice matters! Join us for a discussion and community letter-writing party to share your thoughts with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) about the proposed Dominion Energy–NextEra Energy merger. Virginia is at an important crossroads when it comes to our energy future. The SCC is reviewing the proposed $67 billion acquisition of Dominion Energy by NextEra Energy. Virginia residents have an opportunity to submit written comments directly to the Commission. Written comments are currently due November 9, 2026.

What we'll do:

• Learn a little about the proposed merger and the SCC review process

• Talk about clean energy issues that matter to Virginia residents and communities

• The potential expansion of natural gas generation with this merger

• Help each other make our comments clear, personal, and based on the issues we care about

• Making sure Dominion—not communities and the environment—bear the costs of new energy infrastructure

• Pizza and drinks provided

You don't need to be an expert on energy policy or know how to write a formal letter. We will have information and ideas available to help you get started. Most importantly, your comment should reflect your own experiences, concerns, and views. Drop in or stay as long as you like.

Bring your laptop if possible or come ready to write! Paper, pens, and information about submitting comments will be available. The SCC case number is PUR-2026-00112. You can also submit an individual written comment directly through the SCC's website. Link to comment form if you are not able to attend.

Come learn. Come write. Make your voice heard. Eat pizza. 

➡️Register here

📅 Oct 3, 8:30 am – 1:00 pm
📍 217 Gordon Road, Falls Church, VA 22046

This once-a-year event allows City of Falls Church residents (proof of residency required) to drop off:

🔧 Household items

• Gas-powered lawn equipment (no large ride-on or commercial mowers)

• Working household tools

• Working small appliances

☢️ Hazardous household waste

• Household cleaners

• Automotive fluids

• Herbicides and pesticides

• Oil-based or latex paints

• Fluorescent bulbs

• Petroleum-based products

💻 Electronics

• Computer monitors

• Laptops and desktops

• TVs

• Printers and toners

📄 Paper shredding

• Up to three boxes

🚲 Other items

• Bicycles

• Clothing and accessories such as belts and purses

• Textiles such as bed sheets, towels, and curtains

• Clean scrap cloth

• Small kitchen appliances in good working order

➡️ More info

📅 Oct 3, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
📍 Community Center, 223 Little Falls St., Kenneth R. Burnett Building, Falls Church, VA 22046

Join us for a city-wide clean-up! Help keep The Little City beautiful and our waterways clean.

Perfect for families, groups, and individuals who want to make a difference! Be sure to wear clothes that can get dirty and closed-toe shoes. All cleanup gear will be provided. No registration required.

➡️ More info

📅 Oct 4, 1:00 – 4:00 pm
📍 Lindsay Lexus, 1725 Kenwood Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22302

Stop by the EV Ride and Drive and get behind the wheel of the latest EVs from Cadillac, Lexus, and Volvo. Visit the City of Alexandria's table to learn more about how we're making it easier to get around the city in an EV!

🚲 Trek will also be there with e-bikes to test ride.

➡️ Register here

📅 Oct 6, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

 📍Shirlington Library, Campbell Room, 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, Virginia 22206

Learn about the scientific and social concepts associated with renewable and non-renewable energy and the environment. This presentation from GMU Professor Dr. Harold A. Geller will provide an overview of the physical concept of energy as well as the scientific thoughts and processes. Dr. Geller's talk will examine both the non-renewable and renewable sources of energy in use today. We'll also learn about viable alternatives for the future and touch on energy conservation and how the use of energy on this planet has a synergism with the issues of pollution and climate change.

➡️Register here

📅 October 7, 11:00 am – 1:30 pm
📍John Carlyle Square, 300 John Carlyle St, Alexandria, VA 22314

Visit the EV Ride and Drive and test drive an EV from Hyundai. City of Alexandria staff will be available to answer your questions about how we're making it easier to get around the city in an EV!

➡️ Register here

📅 Oct 10, 12:00 pm

 📍950 South Picket St, Alexandria VA 22206

Join us for our Alexandria stop on Virginia’s March for a Moratorium - one of the stops of a broader two-week series of events across the Commonwealth calling for a statewide pause on new data center development. 

Communities are raising concerns about the rapid expansion of data centers and their potential impacts on:

🌳 Land and the environment
⚡ Electricity demand and the power grid
💧 Water resources
🏘️ Nearby neighborhoods and quality of life
🔎 Transparency and community involvement

This rally and brief march will take place just outside of Plaza 500, the site of an approved (but not yet built) data center campus that the Bren Mar community has been fighting for four years. From its proximity to residences and metro, to cross-jurisdictional impacts, to its environmental harms, to lack of transparency, the Plaza 500 data center is a poster child for why we need more statewide protections in place. 

➡️ Register here

📅 Oct 13, 7:00–8:00 pm
💻 Virtual Event

Could your balcony become a mini power plant?

EcoAmbassadors will explain recent Virginia legislation that has approved balcony solar panels and how you can take advantage of this new energy option. As an apartment dweller it might feel like you can’t be a part of the renewable energy movement even if you want to be. 

Join local EcoAmbassadors to learn:

☀️ How balcony solar works
🏢 What it could mean for apartment and condo residents
⚡ How the new Virginia legislation makes balcony solar possible
💡 What you need to know before getting started
🌱 How you could generate some of your own clean electricity

Please register to attend this virtual event. Contact mzimmerman@alexlibraryva.org for more information.

➡️More info

📅 Oct 13, 7:00 – 8:00 pm
💻 Virtual Event

Feeling a draft? Paying too much to heat or cool your home? Come learn some simple fixes that can make your home more comfortable while helping reduce wasted energy.

This free, hands-on workshop will show you how to find and fix some of the most common sources of energy loss around your home.

🛠️ You'll learn how to:

• 🔎 Find drafts and air leaks

• 🧰 Use caulking and weatherstripping

• 🏠 Understand the basics of home insulation

• 💡 Identify simple energy-saving improvements

• 🌡️ Improve comfort and reduce energy waste

And this isn't just a sit-and-listen workshop! You'll get hands-on practice with demonstrations and activities designed to help you feel confident making simple improvements at home.

🎁 BONUS: Everyone goes home with a FREE energy-efficiency kit!

You'll leave with practical skills, useful resources, and materials you can put to work right away.

🌱 Small improvements can make a big difference. Come learn how to make your home more comfortable, efficient, and energy-smart!

➡️More info

📅 Oct 17, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
📍 Columbia Island Marina / LBJ Grove, George Washington Memorial Pkwy., Arlington, VA 22202
Ready to get your hands dirty for the Potomac? 🌎Join the Potomac Riverkeeper Network for a MEGA Trash Bash to help remove plastic pollution and other litter from the river and surrounding trails. 

WHAT TO EXPECT:

♻️ Help remove trash and plastic pollution
🌿 Clean up the river's shoreline and nearby trails
🤝 Meet other people who care about our waterways
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Volunteers of all ages are welcome
🙌 No experience necessary!

🛶 WANT TO GET ON THE WATER?

Paddling is optional! Bring your own kayak and help collect trash from the water, or reserve one of the limited kayaks available for rent. 🛶 Kayak rental: $10/person

Whether you're picking up trash along the shoreline or paddling out to reach hard-to-access areas, every piece of litter you remove is one less piece of pollution in the Potomac. 🌊 Two hours. One river. A MEGA difference.

➡️Register here, free but required

📅 Oct 22, 6:15 – 8:45 pm

📍 Van Metre Hall, George Mason University’s Arlington Campus, 3351 Fairfax Dr, Arlington, VA 22201

🚇 Metro accessible via the Virginia Square–GMU station on the Orange Line

📺 Can’t join in person? Grab a ticket and tune in virtually! Those in Northern Virginia and the greater Join Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS) for the 10th annual Climate Crisis Forum as Virginia-based experts and community leaders examine the public health consequences of extreme heat and explore local solutions in Northern Virginia. Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related mortality in the United States, and the risks are not felt equally. Neighborhoods with fewer trees, more pavement and buildings, and less access to green space can experience significantly higher temperatures, creating “urban heat islands” that can increase heat-related illness and place the greatest burden on residents with the fewest resources to stay safe and cool. In response, FACS partnered with George Mason University’s Virginia Climate Center to launch the Urban Heat Island Mapping Project, an environmental justice initiative to map temperature disparities in Northern Virginia. For the first phase this summer, over 80 citizen scientists collected data across Fairfax County, Arlington County, and the City of Alexandria.

➡️Register here

📅 Oct 27, 2:00 - 6:00 p.m.

📍4800 Brenman Park Dr, Alexandria, VA 22304

Get hands-on experience with electric leaf blowers from various suppliers before the gas-powered leaf blower ban goes into effect November 17, 2026.

For more information, visit the City's Energy Awareness Month page at https://www.alexandriava.gov/eco-city-alexandria/energy-awareness-month.

➡️More info

📅  Oct 29, 2026, 2:00 - 3:00  pm

💻 Virtual Event

Join the City of Alexandria and Deborah Buelow, AIA & WELL AP of Cedar Architecture to hear lessons learned in the field for passive house design and construction. For more information and to register for the webinar, visit https://www.alexandriava.gov/eco-city-alexandria/energy-awareness-month.

➡️Register here

📅Oct 26, 7:00 pm

💻 Virtual Event

🧪 What do nonstick pans, electronics, carpeting, and plastics have in common? PFAS.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—better known as PFAS or “forever chemicals”—are often discussed separately from plastic pollution. But the two issues are much more connected than you might think. Some plastics, known as fluoropolymers, are themselves PFAS. These chemicals are used in products ranging from nonstick cookware and carpeting to paints, coatings, batteries, electronics, tubing, and cabling. PFAS can also be used during the manufacturing of plastics, potentially leaving chemical residues in the finished materials. PFAS are extremely persistent, making them difficult to remove once they enter the environment. At the same time, replacing them in products and manufacturing processes can be challenging because of their unique performance characteristics.

Join this informative webinar to explore:

🔬 Why are PFAS used in plastics and manufacturing?
🛍️ Where might we encounter PFAS in everyday products?
🌊 What are the environmental concerns?
♻️ Why is replacing PFAS so difficult?
💡 What alternatives could move us toward safer materials?

Come learn about the hidden connection between two major environmental challenges—and what it could take to reduce our reliance on these persistent chemicals.

🌱 The future of plastics doesn't have to be forever.

➡️Register here

📅Oct 28, 1:00 pm

💻 Virtual Event

🐝🦋 NO BEES, NO BUTTERFLIES… NO FOOD?

🌼 Why Pollinators Matter More Than You Think

Bees aren't the only ones doing the work. Wasps, butterflies, beetles, flies, and ants all play important roles in pollinating plants—and that tiny work has enormous consequences for our food system.

This session takes a closer look at wild bees, honey bees, and butterflies and the growing threats they face. Habitat loss, climate change, disease, and other pressures all play a role in why pollinators are disappearing. But one of the biggest concerns is the widespread use of insecticides, which can harm the very insects that help our plants reproduce. For some crops that depend heavily on insect pollinators, production losses could reach up to 90% if those pollinators disappear.

➡️Register here

📅 Nov 4, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

💻 Virtual Event

Join the Switch Together team, Rewiring America, and Solar United Neighbors to learn about heat pumps, and ask questions about the switch together heat pump program.

➡️Register here

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.