May 12, 2026 Environmental Committee - May 12, 2026

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Fairfax County Board Committees 1h 11m 5 speakers 4 agenda items transcribed 1 day ago official recording ↗

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What climate‑action progress and sustainability highlights were presented at the start of the meeting?

Rachna Sizemore Heizer 0:04

All right, good afternoon everyone. I know we've had a probably one of our most densely um filled days, but we are here for our final committee meeting. Oh well full committee meeting. This is our final committee of the full board, of the whole. Um so I will do my best to uh get us through this uh efficiently and effectively. Um you all should before we turn to the solid waste management update, um you all should have received the staff report um on climate action progress um and the highlights as well as you have in front of you the um climate action snapshot for spring of twenty twenty six. Uh I wanna just first of all j thank John Morrell um and his whole team. Thank you, John No more hiding in the back there, but uh we appreciate you putting this together.

Rachna Sizemore Heizer 1:01

Um I will give a few highlights and then if you have questions for John, we're not gonna he's not gonna do a full presentation today, but if you had any questions on the report that you received. Um and you know, for me the dashboard really helps us communicate the way um and to learn uh what's happening. It includes our tree canopy filters uh to assess heat islands. There's always something new and exciting, as well as some tangible benefits on the um on facilities and our landscapes. Um a few highlights on meaningful progress on the county side, because we have the county side and the community side. On the county side, um We have some s considerations for sustainability and a resilient trees initiative.

Rachna Sizemore Heizer 1:44

I know there's been a lot of talk. and a lot of groups working uh with our trees, with planting and with um rescuing uh shall we say our trees and so uh there's some additions to the policy plan on that. Our savings so nine county facilities have achieved six hundred and sixty thousand dollars and more in avoided utility costs in twenty twenty five, which is exciting. It's exceeded the total savings target by a hundred and twenty five percent. So progress, as we said in the last committee, should be celebrated. Um we're excited to celebrate that. It's not something we do alone, but the pieces we do I think are really important to point out. And we have nearly doubled our facilities with rooftop solar by the end of we will have by the end of this year.

Rachna Sizemore Heizer 2:30

So Small steps forward, um, but all moving uh appropriately in the right direction. We also uh saw some achievements in the community. And um that is something we track as well. Number one, our greenhouse gas emissions are down twenty eight percent over the last twenty years. roughly twenty years and um our transportation emissions, which are the number one emitter of greenhouse gases were down by fourteen percent. Ha are down fourteen percent since two thousand five. Um so there's definitely movement in that direction and as we continue to work not just as a county but as a region, nationally, go globally, uh we are and continue to do our little bit to help. And appreciate that we do what the community does as something that is

Rachna Sizemore Heizer 3:16

not as cost neutral or free of cost to the county, so everything we can encourage and incentivize is much appreciated. Uh and we have approximately seven thousand solar installations in the county to date of non county buildings. So um really exciting to see that continue move forward. Um and also some areas that decrease the burden on our county residents. So first of all we have our flood mitigation assistance program, the F MAP. Um and the conservation assistance program, the CAP, because we love our um our our projects. Um and the first year we dis dispersed uh is dispersed an average of three thousand three hundred and sixty four dollars per applicant for floodproofing. So yay, as Chris says it, you know, um I think all the little things that really help us um in the county help both address the needs going forward but also mitigate impacts um from the past.

Rachna Sizemore Heizer 4:14

And then finally, um switched together and solarize Virginia, uh which have been promoted by the county, increased in uptake with seven hundred and seventy one residential solar applications filed in the second half of last year.