Mark Your Calendar For: Activist Nights: Every Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Dyke Marsh Bird Walk: Every Sunday morning in Alexandria at 8 am. Meet Me On A Sunday: Weekly special events at Potomac Overlook Park in Arlington, 1:30 pm Container Gardening and Composting Basics: Sat 6/20, 10:30 am, Barrett Library in Alexandria "Whoo's in the Forest?" Goodnight Walk: Fri 6/26, 7:30 pm, Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale Waterwise Gardening: Sat 6/27, 10:30 am, Fairlington Community Center in Arlington Going In-Seine: Sat 6/27, 3 pm, Mason Neck State Park in Lorton Kayak/Canoe Adventure: Sat 7/4, 9 am, Mason Neck State Park in Lorton Tree Identification Hike: Sun 7/12, 3 pm, Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale Dragonflies: Sun 7/19, 9 am, Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria Poetry Sketch Walk: Sat 8/15, 10 am, Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria Monarch and More: Sun 8/16, 1 pm, Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale "Mystery Snail" Citizen Science: Sun 8/16, 9 am, Mason Neck State Park in Lorton |
Mount Vernon Sierran -- Summer 2015
In this issue:
Cutting Carbon in Arlington: Arlington's ambitious Community Energy Plan celebrates its second birthday this month. How's it going so far? Read More
Steps Toward a Metro Station at Potomac Yard: Officials are considering several scenarios for a new Metro stop in Alexandria. The Mount Vernon Groups weighs in with its favorite. Read More
Meatless Monday--Join the Challenge! It's simple. It's delicious. It combats climate change. And in summer, with so many amazing fruits and vegetables available, it's the perfect time to take the plunge. Make 2015 the year you go meatless on Mondays. Read More
Electric Buses Come of Age: Officials in Alexandria and Arlington got to test-ride electric buses earlier this week. Are they coming soon to a bus route near you? Read More
10% Electric Bike discount for Sierra Club Members!
Sierra Club members can receive a 10% discount on the purchase of an electric bike from HybridPedals, a retail electric bike store in Arlington.
Located at 925-A N. Jackson Street (near GMU’s Arlington campus and the corner of Wilson Blvd & 10th St.), HybridPedals offers a wide range of electric bikes from EasyMotion, Pedego, Velomini, and other manufacturers.
Show your Sierra Club membership card and tell them the Mount Vernon Group of the Sierra Club sent you! Lost your card? Email Rick Keller at rkeller49@verizon.net to get a purchase certificate. (Note it may take up to a week for the certificate to be emailed to you.) Happy pedalling!
Do the Light Switch!
The Arlington Initiative to Reduce Energy (AIRE) team will be exchanging 60w equivalent LED bulbs for incandescent bulbs at a number of locations in Arlington this summer. These 12w LEDs (60w equivalent) are 75-80% more efficient than their 60w incandescent counterparts. They last approximately 25000 hours versus 1000 hours for the old bulbs. LEDs also may be disposed of in regular trash, as opposed to CFLs which must be treated as hazardous waste due to mercury content. It's a $7 value you receive for free! One per household, while supplies last. (And if you're not sure about the aesthetics of LED bulbs, check out this article from a past issue of the Sierran. LEDs have come a long way, baby!)
Know Your Poison Ivy!
Garden season is in full swing--and you, like your neighbors, may be out weeding and removing English ivy and other invasives from your yard. Did you know that a plant that really loves climate change is poison ivy? It not
only thrives, but can be even more toxic, thanks to the increased carbon in the
air. Birds love the berries, and so often spread it everywhere. Think you know
what it looks like? Can you tell it from
other vines? The Arlington Regional
Master Naturalists and Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia provided this quick quiz to their members. Take a look – the
itching you save may be yours!
The Mount Vernon Sierran is published quarterly by the Mount Vernon Group of the Sierra Club's Virginia Chapter. Content contained in the newsletter expresses the opinions of the authors and does not necessarily reflect any official Group position or campaign. Questions or comments? Email Mary Kadera, the newsletter editor, at Mount.Vernon.Group@sierraclub.org.
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