Arlington’s tree canopy may be on a slight upswing, according to county officials.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean there are more trees in the community.
environment
The first update in five years to Arlington’s Green Building Incentive Program is likely to have more stringent rules but also more pathways for developers to meet them.
The Arlington government in 1999 began providing incentives for developers willing to go beyond minimum requirements in environmentally friendly design. The program was updated in 2014 and again in 2020.
Extra emphasis on road safety, environmental resiliency and facilities upgrades is included in the final draft of Arlington’s latest 10-year Capital Improvement Plan.
The Arlington County Board yesterday (Tuesday) approved a $4.5 billion Fiscal Year 2025-2034 CIP, outlining planned investment in county infrastructure and assets. Changes between the original proposal presented in May and the final draft include:
The Paris Olympics start later this month and tomorrow (Saturday) in Arlington, a new competition will emerge: the Grabber Olympics, for Northern Virginia’s litter-picker-uppers.
The inaugural event will begin at 11 a.m. by the Clarendon Metro station for a two-hour community cleanup with volunteer nonprofit NOVA Cleanups, sister of District Cleanups. Anyone is welcome to sign up and participate.
Arlington plans to develop a new tool to encourage energy-efficiency upgrades among disadvantaged communities.
The Arlington County Board last week approved a $980,350 grant award from the Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Grant Program at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With the money, the county plans to build a tool to model green improvements in building types common to low-income disadvantaged communities (LIDACs).
Go to Nearly $1M EPA grant to fund efficiency upgrades in disadvantaged parts of Arlington
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A new recycling facility and more food scraps collection could be coming to Arlington as the county revamps its waste-reduction strategy.
A proposed Solid Waste Management Plan seeking to divert 90% of Arlington waste away from landfills and incineration by 2038 is slated to go before the Arlington County Board on Saturday. Replacing the current plan adopted in 2004, the new document would guide initiatives in Arlington for the next two decades.
Arlington Public Schools is set to add several new all-electric school buses to its fleet next year.
Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that Arlington is among 18 Virginia school districts awarded the 2023 Clean School Bus rebate to purchase five new all-electric (or low-emission) buses.
The D.C. area’s council of governments wants to get at least half of the region covered in trees.
After years of shrinking tree cover, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) adopted a goal earlier this month of maintaining a minimum canopy of at least 50% throughout the D.C. area. It is calling on local governments including Arlington to commit to a similar goal.
Arlington is receiving nearly $300,000 in federal funds to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay.
The money is part of a much larger $206 million federal grant given to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Chesapeake Bay Trust to help protect and restore the largest estuary in the U.S.
This spring, tackle cleaning out that junk drawer full of electronics or the garage with leftover paint and old lightbulbs.
Next month marks the return of Arlington County’s Environmental Collection and Recycling Event (E-CARE). On Saturday, March 23, residents can safely dispose of old electronics and household hazardous materials.
As restoration work continues at Sparrow Pond, one trail will close as another opens.
The Washington & Old Dominion Trail will be closed for six to seven weeks starting in mid-to-late February, per an Arlington County webpage.
In 2025, Arlington County will embark on a major project to rehabilitate the Gulf Branch stream.
Planning for the project began in 2019. The project was paused during the pandemic due to budget constraints but remained in focus due to the stream’s poor conditions today.
Go to County seeks public input as Gulf Branch restoration project design nears completion
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