Our grassroots efforts have been keeping the climate conversation alive in Harrisonburg since 2008.
Action
From showing up at rallies to promoting solar energy, CAAV volunteers continuously take a stand for climate change resilience in our community and beyond.
Advocacy
Support for climate-saavy legislators and legislation that reduces our use of fossil fuels is critical to our mission.
News + Events
Stay informed by signing up to receive our regular roundup of climate-related news drawn from a wide range of reliable sources. Subscribe to our Community Events calendar of local environment-related programs.
Top photo by Matt Schmachtenberg for JMU’s The Breeze
Bulletin Board
Things going on we want you to know about!
Jonathan Scott’s Power Trip on PBS Premiere: 11/16/2020 | Available until 12/16/2020 “Property Brothers co-host and home-renovation expert Jonathan Scott journeys all across the U.S. to uncover why clean, renewable energy isn’t available to all.” Runtime: 1:23. Watch it here.
Join Solar United Neighbors for a viewing and Q&A session with panelists from the film on December 10 @ 7PM. Register here.
Apply To Become A Member Of EPSAC
As chair of Climate Action Alliance of the Valley, I thank the Harrisonburg City Council members for their unanimous approval of the resolution to pursue a 100% renewable energy goal for the city’s electric grid by 2035. …
Read Jo Anne St. Clair’s Letter to the Editor in the Daily News-Record on December 1, 2020, about contributing to the City’s environmental work by joining its Environmental Performance Standards Advisory Committee (EPSAC), here.
One Minute for Earth – Giving the Planet a Voice on November 3
Earth Day Every Day Harrisonburg collaborated with CAAV to bring you encouragement and motivation to VOTE for Earth-friendly candidates in this fall’s election. Find the series of one minute videos made by your fellow community members on Earth Day Every Day Harrisonburg’s Facebook page: One Minute for Earth. Check them out to get inspired!
The 50 by 25 campaign is calling for the City to take action on climate change, increase renewable energy, and make home energy costs affordable through energy efficiency programs. It has succeeded in seeing through the unanimous passage of “Resolution in Favor of Harrisonburg’s Transition to Renewable Energy by 2035” by Harrisonburg City Council on November 10, 2020. More here from WHSV.
Learn about the effort here. Sign the petition here.
Tom Benevento has an opinion piece in the February 28, 2020, edition of the Daily News-Record about the importance of this effort. Tom discusses the campaign in an episode of the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement’s podcast Democracy Matters on October 16 here. See him talk about the passage of the resolution with Bob Corso on WHSV’s 1 on 1 on November 13, 2020, here.
At their June 16, 2020, meeting, the steering committee of the Climate Action Alliance of the Valley voted unanimously in favor of supporting Black Lives Matter with this resolution:
Resolved that the Climate Action Alliance of the Valley stands in support of Black Lives Matter, that we support a redirection of tax dollars away from policies that enable police brutality, and toward policies that meet community needs and link environmental and social justice.
Check out all the solar installations counted so far in Harrisonburg for the 2019 Harrisonburg Solar Census. If you have solar, be counted!
Daily News-Record, December 1, 2020Letters to the Editor: Jo Anne St. Clair As chair of Climate Action Alliance of the Valley, I thank the Harrisonburg City Council members for their unanimous approval of the resolution to pursue a 100% renewable energy goal for the city’s electric grid by 2035. Council member Richard Baugh worked with …
Politics and Policy President-elect Joe Biden, eager to elevate climate change issues throughout his administration, is already drafting orders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and seeking nominees who will embed climate policy across the government. Climate policy experts say they expect Biden’s team to focus on five Trump rollbacks in particular: on clean cars, clean …
Please join us to beautify downtown Harrisonburg. Rain or Shine. Touchless check-in. Families welcome. We will be set up outside Pale Fire Brewery, 217 N. Liberty St. We will provide trash bags, safety vests and guidance on where to go. Participants should wear masks, social distance, dress appropriately with proper footwear and protective gloves. Bring …
Click on image for a printable trifold version of this page.
Driven mainly by carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, Earth’s climate is changing.
Evidence from diverse sources confirms climate change.
Atmospheric temperature reconstructions show that current warming is unprecedented within the span of human civilization.
Oceans are warming.
Glaciers are melting.
Sea level is rising.
The Arctic ice cap is shrinking, the ice is thinning, and its nature is changing.
Although East Antarctic ice is increasing, West Antarctic ice is decreasing much faster.
Weather is getting more extreme.
Ecosystems are changing more rapidly.
Evidence for the role of CO2 as the main cause of climate change is very strong.
Earth’s temperature is stabilized and regulated by the greenhouse effect.
The major greenhouse gases (GHGs) are CO2 and water vapor.
Water vapor is responsible for 50% of the greenhouse effect, but its life in the atmosphere is short because it condenses as rain and snow. CO2 is directly responsible for 20% of the greenhouse effect, but its indirect effect is much larger. Because it does not condense, it stays in the atmosphere for a very long time, thereby influencing the water vapor content and regulating Earth’s temperature. It is Earth’s thermostat.
The level of CO2 in the atmosphere is increasing because of the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas).
Satellites show a reduction in outgoing (i.e., cooling) radiation leaving Earth at the wave-lengths associated with CO2 and other GHGs.
Land-based sensors show an increase in incoming (i.e., warming) radiation from CO2 and other GHGs consistent with their increased concentration in the atmosphere.
We must release less each year tostabilize Earth’s climate.
Compost your kitchen scraps at the downtown community Compost Drop-off bins! Drop-offs can be made anytime year round at the bins’ permanent spot on the edge of the gravel parking lot at S. Liberty and Warren Streets within sight of the Turner Pavilion and Municipal Building. See images below.
Drop off compostables here at your convenience.
Anyone is welcome to drop off kitchen scraps to these 65-gallon Black Bear Composting bins at anytime. Your compostables can be dumped directly from another container or placed in a paper bag, paper box (remove any plastic tape and/or plastic labels) or BPI-certified compostable “plastic” bag.
Compostable bags to line containers, for ease of collecting your scraps, are available at the bins site.
