Climate Crisis Forum

*See the livestream recording, highlights, and photos on our event recap.

“Whether you live next to a data center, whether the transmission line is going to take your property via eminent domain, whether utility rates are going to double by 2030, whether you’re going to breathe the dirty diesel, or whether your water quality is going to be impacted, you all need to show up. That’s what will move the needle.”

— Elena Schlossberg, Executive Director, Coalition to Protect Prince William

On Sunday, October 5th, over 180 advocates and community leaders joined us in person or tuned in to the livestream to unpack one of Virginia’s most pressing issues: what the data center boom means for our electric bills, communities, and natural environment. This was our 9th Climate Crisis Forum and the first focused on the consequences of Virginia’s rapid data center expansion.

PANEL 1: DATA CENTERS & YOUR ELECTRIC BILL

• Elena Schlossberg, Executive Director, Coalition to Protect Prince William County
• Ivy Main, Author, Virginia Mercury

PANEL 2: ENVIRONMENTAL & COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPACTS

• Jim Purekal, Director, Advanced Energy United
• Dr. Luis Ortiz, Assistant Professor of Climate Applications, George Mason University | Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences
• Ann Bennett, Data Centers & Land Use Chair, Sierra Club

*See photos, highlights, and the recording on our event recap.

This was our 8th annual Climate Crisis Forum and our first focused on Green Schools for Sustainable Communities.

This event featured two dynamic panel discussions:

• Northern Virginia Superintendents: How their districts are leading efforts in sustainability, energy efficiency, and climate education and how the community can support further action.
  • Dr. Michelle Reid, Fairfax County Public Schools
  • Dr. Francisco Durán, Arlington Public Schools
  • Dr. Aaron Spence, Loudoun County Public Schools
  • Dr. Peter Noonan, Falls Church City Public Schools

• Student Climate Activists: Young leaders voicing why climate action matters to them and how their school districts can help them reach their goals.
  • Naya Chopra, Arlington Public Schools
  • Brooks Frandsen, Loudoun County Public Schools
  • Ariya Lee, Fairfax County Public Schools
  • Phineas Wolf, Alexandria City Public Schools
  • Emily Marrow, Falls Church City Public Schools

FACS held its 7th annual Climate Crisis Forum with the theme "Climate Change is a Health Emergency!"

Panelists

• Dr. Fan Tait, Former Chief Medical Officer at American Academy of Pediatrics
• Dr. Neelu Tummala, ENT Physician & Co-Director of the Climate Health Institute at George Washington University
• Dr. Samantha Ahdoot, Pediatrician at Pediatric Associates of Alexandria in Virginia
• Bobby Scott, MD Candidate at Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Medicine

Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS)'s Sixth Annual Virginia Climate Crisis Forum: Our Children’s Future discussed climate solutions needed to safeguard our families’ futures.

Panelists

• Jeff McKay, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair and Virginia Association of Counties President
• Matt de Ferranti, Arlington County Board of Supervisors Chair
• Ann Wheeler, Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chair

Guest speakers included Senior Staff Attorney Nate Bellinger from Our Children’s Trust, the world’s only non-profit public interest law firm dedicated exclusively to securing the legal rights of youth to a healthy atmosphere and safe climate, based on the best available science.

Moderator: Andrea McGimsey, Previous FACS Executive Director

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed dramatic health inequities, highlighting underlying conditions that threaten the health and well-being of communities of color and low-income communities. Join the discussion of roadblocks and opportunities for energy
efficiency and renewable energy for low-income communities in Virginia.

Panelists

• Chase Counts, Senior
  Director of Operations, Community Housing Partners
• Harrison Godfrey, Executive Director, Virginia
  Advanced Energy Economy
• Charniele Herring, Virginia House of Delegates Majority Leader (D)
• Trieste Lockwood, Senior Policy Advisor to Governor Ralph S. Northam.

Moderator: Shyamali Hauth, FACS Vice Chair

Join people of faith and community members across Virginia to engage in a deep conversation about environmental justice. As we work together to repair our damaged climate, we must make sure that everyone most impacted – including low-income people, people of color, the vulnerable, and those on the frontlines – is part of every solution.

Panelists

• Karla Bruce, Chief Equity Officer, Fairfax County
• Karen Campblin, Co-chair of Green New Deal Virginia; Transportation and Smart Growth Co-chair of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club; and Environmental and Climate Justice Chair of the Virginia NAACP State Conference
• Andrea Miller, Organizer for the Virginia Poor People’s Campaign and Executive Director of People Demanding Action
• Dawone Robinson, Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Director of Energy Affordability for the Natural Resources Defense Council
• Rev. Paul Wilson, Pastor of Union Hill Baptist Church and Union Grove Baptist Church
• Melody Zhang, Climate Justice Campaign Coordinator at Sojourners and Co-Chair of Young Evangelicals for Climate Action

Moderators

• William Barber, III, Strategic Partnerships Associate at The Climate Reality Project
• Karenna Gore, Founding Director of the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary

Co-sponsored by Virginia Interfaith Power & Light; Interfaith Power & Light (DC, MD, NoVA); and Virginia Poor People's Campaign.

The planet is getting hotter, and we must take action. Since 1970, the number of days above 95 degrees in the Washington, DC-area have increased by 8.8 days. Five government and community leaders, including Virginia Senator Tim Kaine and Fairfax County Supervisor Dan Storch, discuss solutions to climate change.

Panelists

• Tim Kaine, Virginia Senator
• Dan Storch, Fairfax County Supervisor
• Samantha Ahdoot, MD, chair and co-founder, Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action
• Major General Rick Devereaux, USAF (Ret.), U.S. Air Force Advisory Board, Center for Climate and National Security
• Corey Stewart, Chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors and Republican Nominee for the U.S. Senate

Moderator: Rev. Dr. Jean Wright, FACS Co-Founder

Keynote Speaker: Candidate Ralph Northam

FACS also held a webinar with Generra Peck, then-Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Ed Gillespie’s Policy Director

Panelists

• Brian Moran, Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security
• Pat Hynes, Chairman of Fairfax County School Board
• John Foust, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors