GHG Emissions, Sourcing Renewables  -  November 3, 2020

Fairfax County task force recommends carbon neutrality for government, school district

A task force developed in a collaboration between the Fairfax County Government and Fairfax County Public Schools in Northern Virginia is advocating for the county’s adoption of a goal to achieve carbon neutrality in its government and school operations by 2040.

The Joint Environmental Task Force (JET) announced this goal, along with a target for zero waste by 2030, as it presented a report to relevant boards within the county government. In its recommendations, the task force outlined its suggested goal that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the Fairfax County Park Authority, the Fairfax County Regional Housing Authority and the Fairfax County School Board commit to being carbon neutral by 2040.

The JET also emphasized that the local Fairfax County Connector bus fleet should be transitioned to electric or other non-carbon emitting models by 2030 and that the school district bus fleet should transition by 2035. It also suggested that all non-bus fleet vehicles with electric alternatives should transition by 2035.

“Whether it is transitioning our diesel bus fleets to all electric or making sure major facility renovations and new construction projects are designed to be net-zero, the JET’s ambitious goals and recommendations send a powerful message that our county and school system are committed to doing what it takes to protect our environment and address the threat of climate change,” Karl Frisch, a member of the Providence District School Board, said in a statement.

The JET was originally created in April 2019 as an assembly of members from the community, School Board and Board of Supervisors to identify ways in which the county government and schools could advance its energy efficiency and sustainability programs.