Earth Day

Girl Scouts Build Garden to Feed Animals

By Katie Pyzyk

Girl Scouts build garden for AWLA Girl Scouts build garden for AWLA

Earth Day apparently isn’t just for humans. The animals at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington (2650 Arlington Mill Drive) in Shirlington will be getting a special treat in recognition of the day.

Girl Scout Troop 1251 from Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in Falls Church has been helping to construct a “small companion animal garden” at the shelter. Animals at the shelter including rabbits, guinea pigs and birds will soon be able to munch on the fresh, organic produce that will be grown in the garden.

The scouts will put the final touches on the garden on Monday, which is Earth Day. At that time, they will finish planting the produce such as cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, parsley and carrots.

Morning Notes

By Katie Pyzyk

Free doggy bags

National Volunteer Week Begins Sunday — The week to honor the thousands of volunteers who serve their communities begins this Sunday, April 21, and runs through Saturday, April 27. County Board Chair Walter Tejada is scheduled to speak at an event on Sunday to thank Arlington volunteers. Opportunities to help out around the county can be found on the Volunteer Arlington website.

Teen Summer Job Expo — On Saturday, April 20, teens and their families can attend an expo to learn about jobs, internships and community service opportunities that are available during the summer. The free event takes place at Washington-Lee High School (1301 N. Stafford Street) from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. More info can be found online.

Arlington Celebrates Earth Day — Earth Day is on Monday (April 22) and there are a number of green events going on around the county to celebrate. Tomorrow, April 20, is the E-CARE recycling event at Thomas Jefferson Middle School (125 S. Old Glebe Road) and Sunday is the Green Living Expo and Community Earth Week Fair at George Mason Founders Hall (3351 Fairfax Drive). Information about these events and others throughout next week can be found online.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Westover Farmers Market Approved — The County Board on Saturday unanimously approved a use permit for the proposed Westover Farmers Market. The market will operate on Sundays starting on May 6. [Arlington County]

Complaints About Parking Meters at New Park — The Arlington Soccer Association has raised concerns about parking meters at the recently-opened Long Bridge Park. It’s expensive for parents and referees to park their cars in the Long Bridge Park lot, Arlington County Board members were told over the weekend. Board members asked county staff to study the impacts of allowing free parking on Saturdays. [Sun Gazette]

‘Earth Day Every Day’ in Arlington — Sunday might have been the nationally-recognized environmental awareness day known as Earth Day, but to the county government “every day is Earth Day in Arlington.” In a press release, the county touted some recent environmental initiatives, including obtaining LEED Silver certification for Fire Station No. 3, reducing county government electric and natural gas use by 3 percent, and work in progress to install 153 energy-efficient LED streetlights along Columbia Pike. [Arlington County]

Flickr pool photo by Alex

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

The Gangs of Arlington — As of 2011 there were 10 active street gangs in Arlington. According to a speaker at a panel discussion held earlier this week, the gangs often try to recruit youths who have recently immigrated to the country. Arlington, however, has an extensive gang prevention program that limits the influence of gangs within the county. [Washington Examiner]

National Drug Take-Back Day — The Arlington County Police Department will be participating in National Drug Take-Back Day next weekend. From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, police will be collecting “expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs” — no questions asked — in an effort to prevent possible abuse and theft. Collection stations will be set up at fire stations 1, 8 and 9. [Arlington County Police]

Earth Day Twitter Chat Today — The Arlington County Department of Environmental Services is hosting a live Twitter chat on the topic of “green gardening” from noon to 1:00 p.m. today. “Join us and get answers to all of your questions related to landscaping and lawn care, native plants, and water conservation,” the county said in an email. One participant who submits a question will be randomly selected to receive a free rain barrel. [Facebook, Twitter]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Free Coffee for Earth Day — To celebrate Earth Day, Starbucks is offering a free coffee or tea to anybody who brings a reusable mug or tumbler. Caribou Coffee, which has locations in Shirlington and Crystal City, is also offering free coffee for those who bring reusable drinkware. [Starbucks, Shirlington Village Blogspot]

Ballston Recognized for Environmental Efforts — Ballston has been named one of the top 10 “green” neighborhoods in the Washington area by real estate listing service MRIS. [Prince of Petworth]

Lawsuit May Be Filed to Stop Mark Center Moves — Rep. Jim Moran is urging Virginia officials to sue the federal government after the Department of Defense’s inspector general found big potential traffic problems with the new Mark Center in Alexandria. According to the inspector general’s report, the Army misled local officials about traffic issues at the site. A lawsuit could keep hundreds or even thousands of jobs in Arlington while improvements are made to the Mark Center’s transportation infrastructure. [Washington Examiner]

Post Tackles Twilight Convention — In an amusing but sadly photo-less write-up of last weekend’s Twilight fan convention at the Sheraton National Hotel on Columbia Pike, a Washington Post reporter discovers that most die-hard Twilight convention-goers are 25 to 50 year-old women. There are, however, a few male fans, who may or may not have been more interested in the female fans than in the movie itself. [Washington Post]

Shirlington Village Trades Escalator for Stairs — Eschewing the normal progression of technology, Shirlington Village has completed a project that removed an escalator and replaced it with a set of stairs. [Shirlington Village Blog]

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99

http://www.flickr.com/photos/74104660@N00/5639010401/in/pool-arlnow#/photos/74104660@N00/5639010401/in/pool-1412700@N22/

Celebrate Earth Day With Capital Bikeshare

By ARLnow.com

This Friday is Earth Day, and the folks from Bike Arlington and Capital Bikeshare will be celebrating by showing off one of the new Bikeshare stations in Rosslyn.

The event is being held at the Bikeshare station at Fort Myer Drive and Wilson Boulevard. From 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Bikeshare representatives will be demonstrating how the system works and giving away bike maps, CaBi schwag and one-day membership coupons.

The three other locations where Bikeshare stations were installed this weekend are North Lynn Street and 19th Street, North Pierce Street and Clarendon Boulevard, and North Rhodes and 16th Street North.

Flickr pool photo by Chris Reed

Earth Day Events

By ARLnow.com

There are a number of ways to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in Arlington tomorrow. Below are some that don’t require access to the Pentagon.

From 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., a new rain garden and public plaza will be unveiled in Rosslyn. The temporary park was built on the site of a stalled skyscraper project at North Moore Street and Wilson Boulevard. Learn more about the project from the press release, after the jump.

Big Wheel Bikes in Lyon Village (3119 Lee Highway) is holding an unveiling for a new line of electric bikes from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. There will be free food, drinks and live entertainment, and attendees will be able to test-ride the bikes on the nearby Custis Trail.

Disney’s new nature documentary “Oceans” will be playing tomorrow at the AMC Courthouse theater starting at 10:00 a.m.

Bus Boys and Poets in Shirlington (4251 Campbell Avenue), together with the Earth Day Network, is celebrating the occasion with an extended happy hour featuring earth-friendly cocktails. The “Green Hour” is taking place from 5:00 to 11:00 p.m.

There are also a couple of Earth Day events this weekend. See our events calendar for more.

Pool photo by GlitrVamp

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To Do This Weekend: Earth Day Edition

By ARLnow.com

Earth Day is coming up on Thursday and there’s plenty to do this weekend to celebrate. Unfortunately, everything seems to be happening on Saturday, so hopefully you have a fast-but-fuel-efficient car to get you from place to place.

Rain Garden Creation — From 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, volunteers will transform an empty construction site in Rosslyn into a beautiful urban space and rain garden. Volunteers will plant, paint, and install furniture at the site on North Monroe Street and Wilson Boulevard. The temporary urban green space will open on Earth Day.

Arlington County Community Energy Town Hall — The Arlington County government wants citizen input on energy issues in the community. Attendees receive a free compact fluorescent light bulb. The meeting is happening from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Washington-Lee High School Commons Room (1301 North Stafford Street).

E-CARE Recycling Event — Being held between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson Middle School (125 South Old Glebe Road), this event lets residents recycle bikes, small metal items, shoes, eyeglasses, books, and durable medical equipment. Household hazardous materials will also be accepted but, unlike the last E-CARE event, electronics will not be collected due to space restrictions.

Family Earth Day Event — From the comments section. This event is happening at the Arlington Arts Center from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

See more weekend events in our events calendar. White you’re there, be sure to check out two very worthy fundraisers this weekend: Saturday’s Pooches on the Patio fundraiser for Doorways Women and Families, and Sunday’s Walk to End Violence Against Girls and Women.