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.

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

• January 13, 2024 - Conserve Energy, Save Money, and Take Climate Action with OEEC with Neely Law, Senior Planner, Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination.
• March 9, 2024 - Knockout Natives with guest speaker Sam Hoadley, Manager of Horticultural Research, Mt. Cuba Center.
• May 11, 2024 - The Importance of Native Trees with Jim McGlone, retired Urban Forest Conservationist
• July 13, 2024 - Trapa bispinosa with Nancy Rybicki, Affiliate Professor at George Mason University; Ryan McIntyre, George Mason University graduate student; and Sophia Wood, Urban Conservation Specialist at NVSWCD.
• September 14, 2024 - Zooming Through Nature: The Wildlife Costs of Modern Transportation with Dr. David Luther, Associate Professor at George Mason University.
• November 9, 2024 - Speaker TBA

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

Past Green Breakfasts

Trapa bispinosa: Invasive Water Chestnut (July 2024)

Trapa bispinosa is a new species of water chestnut found in freshwater ponds and lakes, and Fairfax County is ground zero for the spread of this invasive aquatic plant. Join Dr. Nancy Rybicki, aquatic plant ecologist and affiliate professor at GMU, Ryan McIntyre, GMU graduate student, and Sophia Wood, Urban Conservation Specialist at NVSWCD, to learn about this floating invasive that was first discovered in the Potomac River in 2014.

Past Green Breakfast topics and speakers include:

• The Importance of Native Trees. Dr.Jim McGlone, retired Urban Forest Conservationist. July 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.