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 free and are hosted on Microsoft Teams. In-person Green Breakfasts are hosted at local restaurants, and the cost is $15 (cash only) at the door. All Green Breakfasts begin at 9 am.

To receive updates about Green Breakfast events, please sign up for the Green Breakfast newsletter. Questions? Email NVSWCD.

November 14 Green Breakfast:

Dark Skies: Light to Protect the Night

Did you know that outdoor lighting choices at home can impact everything from bird migration to your own sleep quality? While light pollution is common on the East Coast, it is also uniquely fixable. Tammy Schwab with the Fairfax County Park Authority will talk about the environmental consequences of artificial light and provide easy, actionable steps for individuals and communities to reduce light pollution while maintaining safety. Learn how you can help restore natural darkness to your neighborhood.

Click here to join the November Green Breakfast.

Past Green Breakfasts

You can view our Green Breakfast YouTube playlist here or scroll down for a list of past events.

September 2026: Love Your Lawn: Create a Healthy Yard that Protects Water Quality, Supports Wildlife, and Looks Good, too!  

Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners from Fairfax and Green Spring Gardens along with NVSWCD's Scott Baron shared ways to make your yard, including your lawn, more sustainable. Certified Master Gardeners discussed Home Turf, a Virginia Healthy Lawns program, as well as ideas and programs to increase the biodiversity and beauty of your yard with lawn alternatives. Click here to view the slides from the first presentation and here for the slides from the second presentation.

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

• The Problem with Plastic and the Realities of Recycling. Jen Cole, Clean Fairfax. July 2026.
• Water Supply and Reuse. Greg Prelewicz, Fairfax Water. May 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 2024.
• 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.