NVSWCD facilitates a bi-monthly gathering to discuss environmental topics in a casual setting on a Saturday morning. Attendees include agency representatives, interested citizens and community members, students, lawmakers, members of the business community and representatives of local non-profits. Six green breakfasts are held each year. Virtual Green Breakfasts are hosted on Microsoft Teams. All Green Breakfasts begin at 9 am.

2026 Green Breakfast Schedule 

• January 10, 2026 - Virtual! Data Centers in Northern Virginia, with Julie Bolthouse, Piedmont Environmental Council.
• March 14, 2026 - In-Person! Grow Local: Strengthening our Food Systems through Local Production, with Stacey Evers, NVSWCD and Anna Ricklin, Fairfax County Health Department.
• May 9, 2026 - Virtual! Water Supply and Reuse, with Greg Prelewicz, Fairfax Water.
• July 11, 2026 - Virtual! The Problem with Plastic and the Realities of Recycling. Jen Cole, Executive Director, Clean Fairfax.
• September 12, 2026 - In-Person!
• November 14, 2026 - Virtual!

To receive updates about Green Breakfast speakers or join us at an upcoming Green Breakfast, please register for the Green Breakfast newsletter. Please direct questions to NVSWCD.

You can view our Green Breakfast YouTube playlist here or scroll down to view our past Green Breakfasts.

Past Green Breakfasts

The Problem with Plastic and the Realities of Recycling. (July 2026) 

Join Jen Cole, Executive Director of Clean Fairfax, for a look at the long-term impacts of single use plastic, why recycling fails, and policy level changes that could curb the plastic problem.

Past Green Breakfast topics and speakers (click on title to view recording):

• Water Supply and Reuse. Greg Prelewicz, Fairfax Water. July 2026.
• Grow Local: Strengthening our Food Systems through Local Production. Stacey Evers, NVSWCD, and Anna Ricklin, Fairfax County Health Department. March 2026 (in-person).
• Data Centers in Northern Virginia. Julie Bolthouse, Piedmont Environmental Council. January 2026.
• Fairfax County's Energy Programs. Rama Mitry and Maggie Beetstra, Fairfax County Office of Environment and Energy Coordination. November 2025.
• Invasive Plants: Tools for Taking Action. Wendy Cohen and Rekha Dolas, Fairfax Invasives Removal Alliance. September 2025 (in-person).
• Mapping a Conservation Vision for Northern Virginia. Matt Gerhart, Northern Virginia Conservation Trust. July 2025.
• Sustain Fairfax. Sara Girello, Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination. March 2025 (in-person).
• Does This Animal Need Help? Dr. Carolyn Wilder, Wildlife Rescue League. January 2025.
• Native Bees Need Native Flowers. Sam Droege, Wildlife Biologist, USGS. November 2025.
• Zooming Through Nature. Dr. David Luther, Associate Professor of Biology at George Mason University. September 2024.
• Trapa bispinosa: Invasive Water Chestnut. Dr. Nancy Rybicki, Aquatic Plant Ecologist and Affiliate Professor at George Mason University, Ryan McIntyre, GMU graduate student, and Sophia Wood, Urban Conservation Specialist at NVSWCD. July 2024.
• The Importance of Native Trees. Dr. Jim McGlone, retired Urban Forest Conservationist. May 2024.
• Knockout Natives Sam Hoadley, Manager of Horticultural Research, Mt. Cuba Center. March 2024.
• Conserve Energy, Save Money, and Take Climate Action with OEEC. Neely Law, Senior Planner, Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination. January 2024
• Managing Deer on an Urban Landscape: Partnerships as a Pathway to Success. Jordan Green, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources; Bill Browning, Arlington Regional Master Naturalists; and Dr. Katherine Edwards, Wildlife Management Specialist, Fairfax County Police Department. November 2023.
• Healthy Plate, Healthy Planet. Dr. Maryam Dadkhah, Registered Dietician and Nutritionist at EatWellGuru LLC. May 2023.
• Living with Black Bears in Virginia. Fairfax Master Naturalists. March 2023.
• Bringing Conservation to Unexpected Places. Dr. Sari Carp, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Sustainability Matters. November 2022.
• Joint Environmental Task Force. Dan Storck, Mount Vernon District Supervisor; Elaine Tholen, FCPS School Board Member - Dranesville; Karl Frisch, FCPS School Board Member - Providence. September 2022.
• Coexisting with Beavers: A Dam Worthy Challenge. Alison Zak, Human-Beaver Coexistence Fund. May 2022.
• Fairfax County Salt Management Strategy. Martin Hurd, MS4 Program Coordinator, DPWES Stormwater Planning Division. March 2022.
• Plant NOVA Trees Campaign. Margaret Fisher, Outreach Coordinator with Plant NOVA Natives. September 2021.
• Invasive Management Area: Ecology, Species, and Volunteer Management Training. Patricia Greenberg, Ecologist. May 2021.
• Fairfax County's Watershed Monitoring Programs. Shannon Curtis, Chief of Fairfax County's Watershed Assessment Branch. March 2021.
• Valuing Our Urban Forests. Dr. Jim McGlone, Urban Forest Conservationist with the Virginia Department of Forestry. January 2021.
• Northern Virginia Purple Martin Initiative. Michael Bishop, Founder. November 2020.
• Young Conservation Leaders. Carolyn Rohr (The Danger of Microplastics), Nimesh Rudra (Water Quality in Accotink Creek and Effect of Microhabitats on Insect Biodiversity in Northern Virginia), Cynthia Ma (The Efficacy of Different Erosion Prevention Methods), and Becca Jeffries (Water Quality and Buffered Stream Banks: What's the Connection?). October 2020.
• Greener at Home. Jen Cole, Clean Fairfax Council Executive Director. July 2020.
• Fairfax County's MS4 Program. Heather Ambrose, MS5 Program Coordinator with Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services Stormwater Planning Division. May 2020.