You will want to read this newsletter – it is all good news!!

Our MFE member Kara Menfi wants us to know that Cville100 is hosting a special event to discuss the first VA Climate Assessment Presentation on Tuesday June 16 from 6:30pm-8pm. You can attend in person (The Jefferson School, 233 4th Street NW) or online.The event will highlight Special Guest Speaker, Dr. P. J. Ruess, Virginia Climate Center, George Mason University, one of the Coordinating Authors of the 1st comprehensive Virginia Climate Assessment, published in November 2025. This assessment is a landmark report that provides a baseline of science-based insights into Virginia’s changing climate and its impact on communities, infrastructure, and the economy.

The Community Conference Room at the Jefferson School has a seating capacity for 30 people.PLEASE RSVP at this link and choose your attendance preference (in person or on Zoom). Questions can be addressed to us at cville100.climate@gmail.com.

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Looking for environmental volunteer opportunities?

– Join Rivanna Conservation Alliance’s Monthly Invasive Management Workdays

Tuesday, June 9 at Darden Towe Park and Saturday, June 13 at Riverview Park
10am – 12pm (both workdays) Help restore our native forests by managing invasive plants

– Litter Cleanup

Help clean up this small park right along the Rivanna River!Sunday, June 14 9am – 11am at Brook Hill Park (3009 Old Rio Mills Rd Earlysville)

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A win for rooftop solar in Virginia!
from Ting Waymouth, Chesapeake Climate Action Network :

This winter, you and over 500 other CCAN action takers signed onto a comment to Virginia’s State Corporation Commission (SCC) asking them to reject Dominion’s proposal that would have undermined rooftop solar in Virginia. We’re writing now to let you know that the SCC released a decision ruling against Dominion, and that Virginia’s net metering program will largely be preserved! Our victories here include that Dominion will not be able to shorten our netting intervals from 12 months to just 30 minutes, will continue crediting solar at the retail rate, and will not reduce the 6% net metering cap. We know that having more solar benefits everyone, not just people who can install solar panels on their roofs. Keeping net metering means more solar, and therefore more local jobs, cleaner air, increased grid reliability, and less need for polluting, expensive methane gas infrastructure.

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Governor Spanberger announces $23 million investment by MSolar in Mount Jackson

Governor Abigail Spanberger announced today that MSolar Manufacturing — a Virginia-based startup specializing in the production of premium-grade solar panels — will invest $23,775,000 to establish a vertically integrated solar manufacturing facility in Shenandoah County. The 56,000-square-foot facility in Mount Jackson will produce high-efficiency solar modules designed for large-scale energy projects, creating 150 new jobs in the region. to read the full article go to: Solar Panels

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Virginia ban on plastic foam containers takes full effect July 1

All Virginia food vendors must stop using expanded polystyrene food containers, a material similar to Styrofoam, by July 1 as part of a 2021 law. The ban on the containers takes effect into two phases. Food vendors with 20 or more locations in the state had to stop using the containers by July 1, 2025. All other food vendors must do the same before July 1, 2026. read the rest at: Plastic foam containers

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Dominion Energy opens solar facility at Ivy Landfill

Last month, Dominion Energy’s newest solar facility went online, producing enough to power 750 homes at its peak. Read more at: Solar @ Ivy Facility

For the planet,
Ellie Syverud, editor