The City of Alexandria is working to motivate the community to take actions that make our City more sustainable.  This includes ongoing educational opportunities to increase awareness of environmental challenges and provide recommendations for adoptable daily sustainable practices for residents, businesses, and City staff.  Please check back for updates on educational opportunities and valuable resources.

ECO-CITY ACADEMY

Please check back soon for dates and sign-up information. The next session will be fall of 2022. 

Who are Eco-City Ambassadors?

Eco-City Ambassadors are empowered residents who have been trained through the Eco-City Academy on sustainability practices applicable to Alexandria.

The Academy will focus on the City’s Environmental Action Plan (EAP), i.e., sustainability actions that the City commits to and staff who are working to complete these actions. Participants also learn about individual actions residents and businesses can take.

What does an Eco-City Ambassador do?

• Become an early adopter of different sustainability actions and measure their success
• Network successes and challenges with the Sustainability Coordinator and other Eco-City ambassadors at regular intervals (a few times a year)
• Participate in site visits (e.g., solar panel installations, green buildings, stormwater and stream restoration areas)
• Commit time to promote sustainability practices within your home, community, and workplace

Who will facilitate the Eco-City Academy?

The Eco-City Academy program will be facilitated by the City’s Office of Environmental Quality with participation from other City staff working on sustainability issues.

Climate Resilience Hub

Climate Resilience Hubs are community institutions that help educate residents about extreme weather preparedness and other impacts of climate change.

In 2020, Alexandria Library applied for and was awarded the Resilient Communities: Libraries Respond to Climate Change grant, a pilot program of the American Library Association. Through the grant, Alexandria Library joined the CREW Hub Network.

As a Hub, Alexandria Library dedicates materials, events, and space to talk about our environmental impact, what we can do, and ways to support one another. Library buildings will continue to be a place for people to seek relief from extreme weather.

Alexandria Library's Climate Resilience Hub is located at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch, 717 Queen St. Alexandria, VA 22314.

See upcoming sustainability programming hosted by the Alexandria Library on their events page. 

CHECKOUT A THERMAL CAMERA AT ALEXANDRIA LIBRARIES

Checkout a Thermal Camera Kit: Alexandria libraries provide residents with the opportunity to check out Thermal Camera Kits, which help residents identify hot and cold spots in one's home where energy savings opportunities may be possible. Alexandria Library customers can reserve a camera just like a book through the library catalog, and it will be shipped to your local library branch for pick up. Learn more about how to use the thermal camera.

ENERGY MASTERS

Energy Masters is an award-winning program that conserves energy and water, helps our community’s neediest families reduce their utility expenses, provides conservation education to encourage behavior change, and benefits our planet by reducing carbon emissions. Energy Masters volunteers, after receiving specialized training, deliver hands-on conservation upgrades and community education in affordable housing communities in Northern Virginia. The City of Alexandria and Arlington County collaborate on this effort. 

RESOURCES FOR YOUTH

Download the field guide (114 pages) and the field journal (114 pages), both developed by and used with permission by Fairfax County, Virginia. The field guide includes educational information on plants and animals and the field journal includes activities to help youth learn more about the environment and space for their unique observations. Please contact the Watershed Education and Outreach section at watersheds@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-324-5500, TTY 711 for more information.

SUSTAINABILITY PLEDGE

Concerned about the Climate Emergency? Interested in learning how you can do your part to protect the environment?  The Alexandria City Council unanimously adopted a resolution declaring a climate emergency, recognizing that climate change poses a grave threat to everyone in Alexandria and around the world. Take the  Sustainability Pledge now!  

You can email your signed Sustainability Pledge to Eco-CityAlexandria@alexandriava.gov