Friends, amazing things are growing!

In the aftermath of Virginia’s hottest June on record, we at Sustainability Matters are recognizing the importance of our work more than ever. And other folks are, too! Our Executive Director was recently invited to the White House to attend the first-ever Summit on Environmental Justice in Action (look out for more about that in our next newsletter!), and we’re busy preparing for another top-secret opportunity in the nation’s capital next month. Keep an eye on our social media and your inbox over the next few weeks for more info!

In the meantime, we’re happy to provide you with the following updates on Making Trash Bloom, EcologiGALs, and Guardians of the Green:

Making More Trash Bloom in Rappahannock County

Two years after the initial seeding of our Making Trash Bloom test plots at the Rappahannock County landfill, we’ve seeded another meadow there! County leaders are thrilled with our native meadows’ ability to provide wildlife habitat and prevent erosion on steep landfill slopes. So thrilled, in fact, that after the county replaced the landfill leachate pond with tanks, leaving a 2-acre patch of bare ground, County Administrator Garrey Curry decided to seed it, not with turf grass, but with our native seed mix. This is a huge win for our Making Trash Bloom project! 

Two weeks ago, county leaders, community members, and longtime Sustainability Matters supporters came out to celebrate this milestone and help seed the new meadow area. 

The Rappahannock News came out to cover the seeding. Read about it here!

EcologiGALs and Guardians of the Green 

We’re halfway through the summer, and so far more than 70 Fairfax County teenagers have participated in EcologiGALs & Guardians of the Green, the environmental science program we’re running at two community centers. We’ve led students into creeks and forests, taught them to identify the skulls of local fauna, and taken them on a field trip to Earth Sangha, a local ecological restoration organization and native plant nursery. In our girls-only EcologiGALs sessions, we’re working to reduce gender disparities in the sciences by introducing teen girls to college mentors and discussing topics including selecting a college science program, completing applications, and finding internships.

At the program’s midway point, we’re thrilled that one student has already told us she wants to pursue a career in wildlife biology. And another student told us, “If you were my biology teachers, I would have gotten an A!”

We’re looking forward to engaging more students throughout the rest of the summer, introducing them to our adult female mentors, and taking them on additional field trips, including to our Making Trash Bloom site at the Fairfax I-66 transfer station, where we’ll lead hands-on plant science research. Stay tuned for a full program recap later this summer!

ICYMI Socials

Eco-Friendly Ways to Beat the Heat
This summer has been a scorcher, so here’s a few ways to keep your home cool without cranking the AC 🏡

Virginia’s New Official State Pollinator
If you missed it, Virginia just named the European Honey Bee the state’s official pollinator. 

Coffee Ground Mosquito Repellent
Use your leftover coffee grounds as an all natural mosquito repellent.

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