Help get the word out in newsletters, Facebook, Nextdoor, etc.
Do you belong to any groups that put out newsletters? Are you on Facebook or a member of any Facebook group, and have you heard of Nextdoor.com, where people link up to others in their physical neighborhood? If so, please copy and paste the simple articles which we will be providing in these approximately-monthly updates. The first article is below, with a picture that you can also use. You can also link to it online here.
We are particularly eager for people to use their connections to reach groups that are not already hooked into the environmental movement. Think big – social groups, churches, political groups, workplaces, civic associations, etc.
Garden center outreach
More volunteers are needed to go talk to garden centers this winter. We are in the process of developing our strategy, but it will be simple and friendly, and we will provide you with all you need to be comfortable doing this. Email plantnovanatives@gmail.com if you can help.
Upcoming screenings of Hometown Habitat (Could you plan a screening of your own?)
11/16 7:30 pm Friends of Dyke Marsh Huntley Meadows Park Visitor Center. Click here for details.
2/19/2017 2 pm
Herndon Environmental Network
Herndon Community Center. 814 Ferndale Ave, Herndon
Model weed ordinance – feedback needed
Many jurisdictions and homeowners associations have rules to address abandoned properties, but they were written before there was a general awareness of the concept of a designed native plant garden or meadow. After a great deal of research, we have come up with a draft of a model ordinance and need feedback from the community before proposing it to the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. Please take a look by clicking here. Send your comments to Corey Miles cmiles@novaregion.org.
Webmaster needed
Leslie Ashman, our very creative web person, has moved out of the area, so we are in need of one or more volunteer to take over. Leslie can provide initial training to anyone who has time and who possesses these attributes:
· Comfortable learning a new computer software package, figuring it out and troubleshooting. The platform is GoDaddy (a Windows program) and is straightforward enough.
· Interested in web design with an eye for graphics (ie pleasing to the eye) and ease of navigability (for engaging – and not frustrating – user interaction).
· Able to write short descriptions well, in an appealing, informative, and laconic way.
No need to be modest – there are many of you out there!
Big January 24 Steering Committee meeting
The campaign’s role is to connect as many groups as possible to synergistically market the native plant/home habitat concept. Everyone is welcome to attend our Steering Committee meetings, but those in a leadership position within their own organizations may be most interested in attending the ones that are less operational and more about planning our overall strategy. The next such meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 24 (snow date January 31). (Our next regular meeting is on December 13. We always post the meetings on our calendar.)
10 am, 3040 Williams Drive, Suite 200, Fairfax.
Places of Worship connect Stewardship of the Earth to faith
Showing short segments of Hometown Habitat is the ideal way to quickly convert people into native plant enthusiasts, and faith communities are a very effective place to do it. Herndon Friends Meeting launched the movement in September by holding an interfaith gathering attended by members of seven other faith communities. Twenty-five minutes of Hometown Habitat, a little discussion, and a few cookies were all that was needed to inspire everyone to take the concept back to their own communities, which we hope will host their own interfaith forums and multiply our efforts.
Do you belong to or have connections in a faith community? Check out the ready-to-go plan for faith communities on our website. http://www.plantnovanatives.org/faith-communities.html
This month’s newsletter article – Why Plant Native Plants?
Do you want to save the environment? Start by planting native plants, at your own home or workplace.
The future of songbirds, frogs, and all the other wildlife we love is dependent on our making room for their habitat on our properties. The crucial first step for creating habitat is to use native plants, because most of the caterpillars and insects that larger wildlife need to eat can only themselves eat the native plants with which they evolved over the millennia. They are incapable of surviving in a landscape dominated by turf grass or other plants that were introduced from other parts of the world, which are increasingly dominating our land.
Do you also want a beautiful property with little maintenance required? Native plants are the ones for you! There are hundreds of native species to choose between, all of them adapted to our particular growing conditions and therefore requiring no fertilizer or pesticides, and watering only until established. Many are familiar to any gardener - phlox, dogwood, redbud, and black-eyed Susan are examples.
All the information you need to get started in Northern Virginia can be found at www.plantnovanatives.org.
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