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December 2021 Newsletter
Plastic Bag Fee Starts January 1
In September, with the encouragement of EcoAction Arlington and the 1,500 signers of our petition, the Arlington County Board joined Fairfax County and Alexandria in adopting a plastic bag tax. Starting January 1, grocery stores, drugstores, and convenience stores in Arlington will charge a five-cent fee for single-use plastic bags at their check-out counters.
Remember to Compost Your Food Waste
Enjoy the holiday leftovers, but don’t forget to compost any food scraps through the County’s curbside collection of organic waste and food scraps. Fats, oils, and grease, which clog sewer pipes when washed down the drain, can also be composted. For information on how to compost correctly, visit the County’s food scraps collection website or view this video.
Weigh In on County Budget Priorities
Arlington County is accepting public input on its budget priorities for the Fiscal Year 2023 (which starts July 1, 2022) through December 20. In October, EcoAction Arlington sent a letter to the County Board asking them to declare a Climate Emergency and prioritize funding for the creation of a Chief Climate Change and Sustainability Officer position; expanded staffing and funding for the Arlington Initiative to Rethink Energy (AIRE) and other programs that would advance the County’s climate goals; and maintaining, protecting, and expanding Arlington’s Public Open Spaces and preserving its Natural Capital. You can support these goals and make your priorities clear for Arlington, by filling out the survey form and using the comment section to stress the importance of prioritizing actions that address climate change and other environmental challenges to ensure a sustainable, healthy, and prosperous community. 
Stand Up for Continued Environmental Progress at the General Assembly
The General Assembly made notable progress putting Virginia on a path to clean energy, vehicle fuel efficiency, and managing plastic pollution, but still more needs to be done to give Arlington the authority and resources we need to improve and electrify buildings, bolster public transit and shift to electric vehicles, reduce plastic pollution, and to protect and expand the tree canopy and other natural resources. Learn how citizen advocacy can play an important part in advancing legislation to support these efforts and to protect the progress made to date at FACS Advocacy Day Workshop.
Getting to Carbon Neutrality: Creating a Pathway to Carbon Neutral Buildings
Thursday, January 6
7-8:30 p.m.
In this webinar, the final in the three-part Getting to Carbon Neutrality series, industry and policy experts will offer insights on how to transform our built environment to equitably decarbonize our homes and offices. 
The EcoAdvocate is compiled by the EcoAction Arlington Advocacy Committee.
EcoAction Arlington's mission is to promote stewardship of our natural resources and practical solutions for a sustainable community. The EcoAction Advocacy Committee engages in public discussion and promotes civic engagement among its members to influence government action to support its mission. EcoAction Arlington is a non-profit and non-partisan organization.