Dear Neighbor,

This weekend, I hope you’ll join me and thousands of other Fairfax County residents in celebrating Earth Day.

Whether you plan to attend the Earth Day Festival at Sully Historic Site this Saturday, join a neighborhood cleanup, or just spend time enjoying nature, this Earth Day weekend is an excellent time to appreciate the natural world and consider ways to protect it.

There are several Earth Day events happening in the Braddock District on Saturday, April 20:

• I will be at the Burke Farmers Market (5671 Roberts Parkway, Burke) ringing the bell to open up the market at 8:00 a.m. This location has 78 vendors and does not allow pets except for service animals. Get more market details or check out the vendors on Fairfax County Park Authority's website.
• The Long Branch Stream Valley Park Volunteer Team will be having its annual spring Park Cleanup and Scavenger Hunt from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. at the Canterbury Woods Swim and Tennis Club (6101 Southampton Drive, Annandale). Sign up today!
• The Kings Park West Civic Association's Road Raiders will host an Earth Day Clean-Up from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. at Lakeside Park (5216 Pommeroy Drive, Fairfax) and Royal Lake Park (5344 Gainsborough Drive, Fairfax). They will clean the lower watershed for Crooked Creek, Shane's Creek, and the surrounding Royal Lake environment. For more information, contact parks@kpwca.org.

More Earth Day events around the County can be found in the articles below.

Environmental and Energy Plan + Incentives

Did you know Fairfax County is doing its part for the environment and your tax dollars by implementing a Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP)? CECAP defines energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction goals for County facilities and the private sector. To help meet them, the County is investing in solar panels on County buildings, more energy-efficient equipment, and EV vehicles. In the long term, these energy efficiency measures are expected to save the County millions of dollars on utility bills.

To help residents make the switch, the County is incentivizing residents and businesses through these programs:

• Energy Conservation Assistance Program provides qualified homeowners’ associations, places of worship, and nonprofit organizations 50% matching grants for energy conservation projects.
• Green Business Partners is a business network established last year to benefit businesses that take the initiative to reduce their carbon footprint.
• Charge-Up Fairfax is a pilot program providing technical and financial assistance to community associations seeking to install EV chargers for their EV-owning residents and guests.
• The Solarize VA & Capital Area Solar Switch programs provide residents with technical assistance and discounted prices on solar panels from vetted installers.

When these incentives are paired with federal and public utility incentives, you may find that these upgrades are much more affordable!

To learn more about opportunities to reduce your carbon footprint, visit the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination’s website!

Yours in service,

Supervisor James R. Walkinshaw

Please share this newsletter with your friends and neighbors. If this email was forwarded to you, consider subscribing to receive Braddock District news and updates.

Continue reading below for more information on:

• Earth Day Events in Fairfax
• Market at Canterbury Woods
• Car Seat Saturday at West Springfield District Station
• ECHO Shredding Event
• BDC's Annual Legislative Review
• Intern in the Braddock District
• NOVA Ceramics Department Pottery Sale
• 2024 Paving/Restriping Proposals

Earth Day Events in Fairfax

Earth Day Fairfax 2024

Discover how you can make an impact on family, community, and planetary health through fun, hands-on activities, games, and live music and educational entertainment. Engage your senses with craft beer and tasty local cuisine, visit with your favorite furry farm friends, take the obstacle course challenge and more!

The event will be on Saturday, April 20, from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Sully Historic Site (3650 Historic Sully Way, Chantilly).

Admission is free; parking is $10/vehicle. More information is available on the Fairfax County Park Authority’s website.

Eileen Garnett Civic Space Earth Day Celebration

Are you looking to learn more about being a good friend to our planet? Then join the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development Community Revitalization Section and Fairfax County Park Authority for their Eileen Garnett Civic Space Earth Day Celebration!

This one-day event features County experts, kids' activities, and food trucks on Saturday, April 27, from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Annandale Pop-Up Park (7200 Columbia Pike, Annandale). More information is available on Eventbrite.

Earth Daze

Clean Fairfax is excited for their annual Earth Daze event on Sunday, April 28, from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Aslin Beer Company (767 Elden Street, Herndon) for a family-friendly fun day!

Activities include:

• Sustainability Workshops
• Face Painting
• Axe Throwing
• Rock Wall
• Inflatable Obstacle Course
• Live DJ
• Local Makers and Creator Market

Market at Canterbury Woods

Shop at the 4th Annual Canterbury Woods Market on Saturday, April 20, from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Canterbury Woods Pool (5101 Southampton Drive, Annandale).

There will be over 30 local vendors selling everything from candles, jewelry, and recycled crafts to pottery, knitted goods, self-defense tools, and more! You will also find an all-day food truck AND an outdoor game area for all ages!

Visit Canterbury Woods’ website for more information. Contact brocatofam@gmail.com with questions.

Car Seat Saturday at West Springfield District Station

Get your child’s car seat inspected on Saturday, April 20, from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the West Springfield District Station (6140 Rolling Road, Springfield). No appointment is needed.

Car seats will be inspected on a first-come, first-served basis. When you arrive, go into the lobby, and you will be given further directions. All car seat inspections/installations will be conducted by a certified Child Passenger Safety technician. Be sure to install the child safety seat yourself so the inspection can be performed. The seat will be properly re-installed, if necessary, and you will learn how to install the seat properly in the future.

Reach out to MPO Tony Capizzi at (703) 277-2363 or email anthony.capizzi@fairfaxcounty.gov if you have questions. Car seat inspections are also available, by appointment, every Tuesday from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. Call the station at (703) 644-7377, and press zero to make an appointment for those days. 

ECHO Shredding Event

ECHO will host a combined shredding and electronic recycling event, and food donation drive on Saturday, April 20, from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the Kirkwood Presbyterian Church (8336 Carrleigh Parkway, Springfield). The event will end early if the donation trucks fill up before 2:00 p.m.

You can bring paper documents you want to shred, old electronics you want to recycle, and food donations for ECHO's food pantry.

Find out more about ECHO or this event on ECHO's website.

Contact Kathleen Pester at kpesterhomes@gmail.com or (703) 868-4352 for questions about the event.

BDC's Annual Legislative Review

Supervisor Walkinshaw and the Braddock District Council invite you to attend the annual Legislative Review on Tuesday, April 23, from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at Braddock Hall (9002 Burke Lake Road) to hear your elected representatives discuss the General Assembly's 2024 Session.

Confirmed attendees include:

• Senator Dave Marsden (District 35)
• Delegate Vivian Watts (District 14)
• Senator Stella Pekarsky (District 36)

Intern in the Braddock District

The deadline to submit an application to intern in the Office of Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw is tomorrow, April 19, at 5:00 p.m. Send a resume (including two references) to braddock@fairfaxcounty.gov.

The office is seeking an Intern for Summer 2024 to aid the Braddock District office. Rising college freshmen through Class of 2024 college graduates (or those between 18-23) who reside in the Braddock District are encouraged to apply.

The internship description can be found here.

NOVA Ceramics Department Pottery Sale

The Art Department at Northern Virginia Community College will be hosting a Pottery Sale on Wednesday, April 24, from 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. on the patio of the Campus Student Services & Police (CA) building at the Northern Virginia Community College’s Annandale Campus (8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale). View campus map.

Everything for sale is handcrafted by students or faculty at the college and all proceeds benefit NOVA's Ceramics Program. Free parking is available for customers. For more information, contact Virginia Pates at vpates@nvcc.edu.

2024 Paving/Restriping Proposals

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) held Braddock District's virtual meeting to discuss proposals for the 2024 Paving and Restriping Program last week. The meeting covered VDOT's process for determining what roads to pave, proposed bike lane installations, and crosswalk improvements.

Proposals in Braddock include:

• Bike lanes on Heming Avenue between Heming Place and Braddock Road
• Crosswalk improvements at Heming Avenue and Hogarth Street
• Crosswalk improvements at Heming Avenue and Elgar Street
• Crosswalk improvements at Heming Avenue and Axton Street

The deadline to submit public comments on these proposals is Thursday, April 25.

More information about the 2024 Paving and Restriping Program can be found on FCDOT's website. You can also view VDOT's map of the 2024 projects.