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Jennifer Carroll Foy Wants to be Virginia’s First Female Governor

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Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy has been working for change since childhood. Now in her run to become Virginia’s next Governor, she’s fighting for affordable healthcare, living wages, social equity, environmental issues, and more. 

Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy knew she wanted to play a part in social change since high school. Now this candidate for Virginia Governor and chief sponsor of the Equal Rights Amendment is ramping up her campaign, despite the challenges this year has brought. Even in the middle of a pandemic, election season doesn’t wait for anything; and although the coronavirus has put a damper on just about everything in life, the run for electing the next Governor is on. 

As delegate for the state’s second district, which includes Prince William and Stafford County, Carroll Foy says she’s running for governor because Virginians can’t wait for change any longer — and describes what it’s like running her campaign during a global pandemic. 

“I keep hearing the same type of stories,” Carroll Foy explains. “A woman has to travel fourteen miles to take her daughter to the local McDonald’s so she can do her homework. They don’t have access to the internet. [Then] I went to Portsmouth, and I shook the hands of men and women who work 40 hours a week and bring home $14,000 a year. So while some people are doing well in Virginia, not everyone is having the same opportunity to reach the middle class and thrive.”

PHOTO: Virginia Democrats Swearing In, via Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy

Carroll Foy started her years in public service when she joined the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) in high school. After the Supreme Court’s landmark decision to allow women to attend Virginia Military Institute (VMI), she knew she had to attend. Carroll Foy became one of the first women of color to graduate from the state military school. She then pursued a Master’s degree, and later earned a law degree from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law (TJSL). She’s been serving her community ever since.

“I have seen the historic inequalities — in our educational system, our healthcare system, our environment, our economy — up close and personal,” Carroll Foy said. “I’ve experienced many of them myself. So as a working mom of two two-year-olds, working two jobs while paying a second mortgage every month [in childcare costs], and struggling with student loan debt, I can identify and understand the everyday challenges that Virginia families face. I live with them, too.”

Since 2017, Carroll Foy has committed her time to service in the Virginia House of Delegates. Along with sponsoring the Equal Rights Amendment, she has fought to expand Medicaid to 400,000 Virginians while helping with the unemployment process. She’s worked to ensure small businesses are tended to, and that kids still have access to school lunches during COVID-19. But unlike other seasons, this election season has proved to be a challenge, and no candidate is untouched by the coronavirus crisis.

PHOTO: Jennifer Carroll Foy

“My challenges I’ve faced thus far, and in this election, have been the same challenges that my companions are facing. In 2020 and 2021, it’s a fact that we’re running during a pandemic, something that none of us have seen in our lifetimes,” she said. “Then we have the civil unrest and racial reckoning happening right now, and [I’m] trying to lead in that area; pass policies that address police reform and criminal justice reform, while also dismantling a lot of systems that need to be up-ended and rooted in equity. One of the things that VMI taught me was to never get distracted about what’s going on. I’ve been able to do that, because I am not running against anyone in this race for Governor — I’m running for the people of Virginia.” 

In her time as a public defender for the state of Virginia, Carroll Foy has fought for and accomplished many acts of service. She recalls one of her proudest achievements during her time as a delegate, and describes the hard fight it took to accomplish. 

“One of my proudest moments [was] passing the Equal Rights Amendment. I remember fishing the idea to other legislators, that we need to make women’s equality the number one issue in Virginia, and I was told no,” Carroll Foy said. “That was a dead issue that no one was talking about. Luckily, there are advocates like Eileen Davis, who helped galvanize the VA Ratify ERA, [an organization] which houses advocates throughout the Commonwealth and the country to energize voters on this issue, such as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. That became one of the top issues on voters’ minds going into the voting booth in 2019.”

PHOTO: Jennifer Carroll Foy

After bringing to light issues of equality for women, Carroll Foy wants to bring internet access to rural Southwest Virginia and help families get out of the lower class. She’s completely focused on her goal, and says she has always been ready to fight for Virginians and their families.

“I am honored to be in a position to change the face of leadership in Virginia,” Carroll Foy said. “I am also focused on ensuring I bring diverse, high paying jobs to every corner of the Commonwealth.”

She plans to fully fund the education system to prepare Virginia’s children with a world-class education. She also plans to expand infrastructure — such as broadband internet access — to every corner of the state to “finally end the digital divide.” 

“As Governor, I will be able to help lead those changes,” Carroll Foy said, “and set the direction for who we are as Virginians and what we stand for.”

Top Photo via Jennifer Carroll Foy

Game Of Drones

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Whether you care deeply about preserving our environment or just love honey, Culpeper shop and bee sanctuary La Bee Da Loca is an essential destination.

Tucked away in the quiet mountain town that is Culpeper, Virginia, you’ll find their very own version of Main Street. It looks every bit the postcard scene trapped in time, filled with local shops and locals enjoying the feeling of time slowing down for a moment. But look closer — something very special is hidden further down on this street, in a blink-and-you-might-miss-it kind of way.

Culpeper’s own bee sanctuary and bee-related shop, La Bee Da Loca, is owned and operated by local beekeeper Felecia Chavez. Chavez has long been a curious fan of nature, but it wasn’t until after she left the military as a member of the Red Cross that she decided to take a detour and do things her way.

“I saw what pesticides do to people, to our water, [and] I became an advocate at that time,” said Chavez. “If we don’t take care of Mother Earth, we’re going to be in sorry shape.”

Chavez’s personality and love of life is simply infectious – if you couldn’t already tell from the pun in the shop’s name. She struggled for a minute trying to figure out what to name the shop and sanctuary until her son, who is a tattoo artist in Fredericksburg and actually designed the logo himself, thought of it almost immediately.

“I said, ‘This is what I want to do’ and I need to find a name, a name that is going to get people to pay attention,” said Chavez. “My youngest son said, ‘Mom! I’ve got it!’ I [asked] what, [and he said] ‘La Bee Da Loca!’ I said, what, like the song?”

She admitted it took her a second, but once she got it, she fell in love. It’s a perfect name for a proprietor who rightfully prides herself on being the bee lady.

Having both a shop and bee sanctuary together has been the plan from the beginning. Chavez’s love of the little bouncy insect is apparent as we walk around the shop, up the stairs (which greet you with more inspirational puns, like “Bee Kind”), and into the “bee room.” She absolutely loves a good play on words with her little friends. While her favorite bee pun changes periodically, she was willing to share her favorite of the moment.

“‘You’ve got to bee crazy,’” said Chavez.

Chavez’s bee palace, if you will, is a popular spot in Culpeper. During our interview, she periodically excused herself to introduce guests who came to see the bees, taking the time to educate them on the importance of bees, how vital they are to the world, and to our ecosystem.

Doing this sort of educating is a huge reason why she wanted to open up La Bee Da Loca, and one of her favorite parts about the job is also one of the most important: educating children.

“The kids are so open, and they want to know,” said Chavez. “It gives me a chance to tell them how non-aggressive [bees] are. Then they’ll go home and tell mom and dad they went to this really cool shop and learned about bees. Then the antenna goes up, and maybe they’ll want to learn about it. So not only have I educated a child, now I’ve educated the adults.”

Chavez has also had the joy of experiencing Cuban bee culture with beekeepers from around the world. The Cuban approach to beekeeping is vastly different apparent from the way Americans approach it, with differences such as the fact that they do not use pesticides due to lack of access. This fact makes Cuba the only place you can obtain truly organic honey. Another interesting aspect of Cuban beekeeping that Chavez noted was the fact that women involved in the practice there were simply referred to as beekeepers — the fact that they were female made no difference.

“What I liked about being there is that they don’t see gender,” said Chavez. “I was a beekeeper. I wasn’t a woman beekeeper or a man beekeeper, I was just a beekeeper — and I knew what I was doing. That made such a big difference to me.”

She explained that her trip to Cuba was important not just because it gave her a chance to see the countryside, but also because it gave her the opportunity to meet other beekeepers, and share ideas. For Chavez, it was an irreplaceable and invaluable experience.

Her passion is undeniable — about bees, about educating to protect our world, and about her family. She began La Bee Da Loca not only as something to leave to her children and grandchildren, but also in honor of her sister.

“Before I opened the shop, I told my sister, who I was very close to, ‘This is what I wanted to do’,” said Chavez. “She was always the one who pushed me to open the shop. She was always calling, asking, ‘How are the bees?’ Unfortunately she died a couple months before we opened. So this was a way to honor her.”

Living in Richmond, two hours south of Culpeper, it’s hard to ignore the fact that many of us pride ourselves on working hard to do better for the planet and to live more sustainably in any way possible. Here in the city, it sometimes feels easy to relax and believe we have it all figured out. But I had to ask my newfound friend, the resident Bee Queen: what are we still missing?

“First of all, do you really need to kill all of your dandelions and your weeds in your yard using pesticides?” said Chavez. “Pesticides — they’re poisoning everything. Not only our food. Our water, our people — that is the worst thing. We don’t need to have that green, green lawn, [and] have everything eradicated to have the perfect world to live in. Why are we doing that? I don’t understand it.”

It goes without saying that La Bee Da Loca is one Virginia’s hidden gems. Not only is it simply adorable, it has pretty darn delicious honey. Best of all, it’s run by a passionate bee aficionado who doesn’t just want to see a better world — she is actively working to make it happen. Naturally, I had to ask her the most important question on all of our minds: What is the best way to eat honey?

“A finger,” said Chavez.

La Bee Da Loca is located at 236 E Davis St in Culpeper, VA. It’s open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10 to 5, and Sundays from 11 to 5.

Photos by Ash Griffith

What Makes The Impossible Whopper So Impossibly Good?

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We’ve got answers. Dig in, everyone.

On August 8, 2019, Burger King rolled out the Impossible Whopper at all of their locations nationwide. If you haven’t tried it yet, make your way to the nearest Burger King as soon as you finish reading this, because it’s impossibly, sinfully delicious — just like the real thing.

The Impossible Burger patty is 100 percent plant-based, but it’s not your ordinary vegetarian burger option. Impossible Foods used a scientific approach to create a meatless product that tastes, looks, smells, and even feels exactly like meat. Flame-grilled like the real deal, and with all of the same glorious toppings and sesame seed bun as the original, I’m confident that I would not be able to distinguish the Impossible Whopper from its beef counterpart, even without a blindfold. The sandwich can also easily be converted to a vegan option if you order it without the cheese and mayonnaise.

If you’re a vegetarian, you’ve probably tried all the usual burger substitutes: Veggie, black bean, quinoa, tofu, portobello mushroom. But they’re just not the same as a real burger, and often not even close. It makes sense; a black bean and a cow are two very different things. However, Impossible Foods went to the heart of the equation, and figured out the secret ingredient in meat that makes us love it so much: heme, an iron-containing molecule that is essential to all living things. In animals, heme is carried by proteins like hemoglobin and myoglobin. Since soy plants are living things too, they also have heme, and it’s carried by their legume hemoglobin.

So to create a vegan burger that tastes so impossibly good, Impossible Foods extracts the heme from legume hemoglobin in soy plants. And there you have it: plant meat!

Photo via Impossible Foods

But the Impossible Whopper is more than just delicious. It’s proof that vegetarianism is finally permeating mainstream American food culture; a feat that many people — my baby boomer dad, for example — swore would never happen in their lifetime. Impossible Foods was founded in California in 2011, and it’s understandably taken a while for them to build up their manufacturing base to a competitive level with beef burger production (a trillion-dollar global industry). But they’re getting there. According to analysts at Barclays, the alternative meat industry could reach $140 billion over the next decade.

In 2017, Impossible Foods started selling their Impossible Burger in regional chains like White Castle, Umami Burger, and Bareburger. Burger King is the first nationwide fast-food restaurant to carry their Impossible Burger product, and that’s what makes the Impossible Whopper such a big deal for America. You could already order an Impossible Burger at other nationwide casual dining chains like The Cheesecake Factory and Red Robin, but those are restaurants where you have to tip a server, so they’re less likely to be frequented by low-income Americans.

The issue of equal access that plagues vegetarianism is one that exists plainly here in Richmond. Before Burger King, Richmond residents could get an Impossible Burger at 821 Cafe, Carytown Burgers & Fries, or their local Kroger grocery store. But price is certainly a factor in who buys one at those places — the Impossible Burger at 821 cafe is $12, making it $3 more than their beef half-pounder option. At Carytown Burgers & Fries, subbing an Impossible Burger for the traditional beef patty tacks on an extra $5 to your total cost. With a suggested retail price of $5.59, Burger King is slinging the cheapest Impossible Burger in town.

Obviously, Burger King isn’t the place you would go in search of a gourmet burger, and that’s why the Impossible Whopper is a big step for the American vegetarian industry. Historically, going meatless has been a privilege of the middle and upper classes — those who can afford to opt for higher-end chains and independently-owned, boutique restaurants over fast food, or those who have the time in their day to prepare home-cooked meals.

Photo via Impossible Foods

Fast food restaurants are disproportionately patronized by minorities, the working class, and those who live at or below the poverty line. You’d be hard pressed to find a vegetarian option that’s not a salad at any mainstream fast food restaurant, and who would pick a bowl of lettuce over a burger at the end of a long, hard work day, knowing that’s all they’ll eat for the rest of the night?

With over 7,400 locations in the U.S., Burger King is also bringing an affordable meatless burger option to rural, low-income communities whose residents may have never even heard of the Impossible Burger before, let alone had the chance to try it. In small-town rural America, you’re unlikely to find a mom-and-pop diner or cheaply priced restaurant selling decent vegetarian items that aren’t just more sad-looking salads. But odds are, there’s a Burger King in town, or somewhere nearby. Burger King is making a pivotal move on the vegetarian frontier by providing exposure and access to meatless options in areas like these.

Obviously, the American food industry isn’t going to change overnight. It’s not like every person in the country is now going to buy an Impossible Whopper every single time they want fast food. But it’s a big step in the right direction. America’s infatuation with meat has always seemed like an impervious, immovable fixture in American food culture, and now Burger King and Impossible Foods are proving that we can slowly chip away at the unethical, unsustainable industries supporting mainstream eating habits.

Burger King plans to make the Impossible Whopper a permanent item on their menu by next year, but current availability is reportedly still part of a trial period, so get it while it’s hot, and drop us your review in the comments!

Top Photo via Impossible Foods

ACP Protesters Rally Outside Governor’s Mansion

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On a chilly Valentine’s Day morning, protesters gathered outside of the Governor’s office to oppose the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines. While there were only seven in attendance, they carried with them dozens of letters from those who oppose the pipelines, but were unable to travel to the capitol or take time off work.

Stacy Lovelace, co-organizer of the protest with Jessica Sims, addressed Northam directly in her opening remarks. ”Governor Northam has said he’d wait for the science. Well, the science has long confirmed that these pipelines are terrible,” Lovelace said. “Governor Northam has said that he backs the pipelines as long as they’re done responsibly and people’s land rights are taken into account. It’s obvious that this is not the case, that property rights are being trampled as well as the land, air quality, and water,  and that the [Department of Environmental Quality] and other state agencies have rubber stamped this process in the most irresponsible way possible.”

“I don’t know about y’all, but I’m tired of being insulted by this governor with ridiculous statements like these,” Lovelace went on to say. 

After the remarks, the group chanted and sang, before delivering a sachet of postcards and a letter, which asked the governor to take several concrete steps. They asked that construction preparations and the felling of trees cease until the state has finished its certification process for the pipeline. Along two sections of pipeline, construction workers have already begun clearing sites.

They asked that the citizen appointed State Water Control Board’s oversight be reinstated. They argued that this board was the body which legally ought to have oversight and not the politically appointed DEQ. They asked that public input to the Water Control Board be allowed before the already approved but delayed certification becomes effective.

They demanded that he bolster his opposition to offshore oil drilling by also opposing fracking. One protester pointed out the basic hypocrisy of opposing offshore drilling when it affects his own tidewater backyard, but supporting fracking which threatens the water wells, air quality, and backyards of the rest of Virginia.

They also demanded that Northam rescind a secret agreement reached between ACP and the McAuliffe administration. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in December, but only discovered after North Carolina announced they’d made a similar agreement. Under the memo, the pipeline companies agree to pay $57,850,000 for mitigation of unavoidable damage to the state’s water and forests. In return, critics say, the state has provided ACP with a liability shield that protects them from lawsuits.

Writing at Blue Virginia, environmental activist and lawyer Jon Sokolow accused the state of allowing Dominion Power to “buy their way out” of paying for damages caused by the pipeline.

“Terry McAuliffe gave Dominion a full and complete release from any and all damage to Virginia’s forests and water from the Atlantic Coast Pipeline,” he wrote.

Sokolow argues that North Carolina’s memo creates greater protections than Virginia’s because North Carolina reserved the right to sue pipeline operators for damages, while Virginia’s agreement does not.

As we’ve reported before, people in vulnerable rural communities are losing their livelihoods and homes to this pipeline. Under this memorandum, their communities could be devastated by a leak or spill, and have no legal recourse to sue for damages. Critics say that it’s no longer just the people directly in the path of the pipeline who are now in danger, but every community nearby or downriver.

Though small in number, the protesters sought to magnify the voices of those very communities. The letters they brought with them bore names and addresses from across the commonwealth. And they’re concerned about communities beyond their own, and beyond Virginia. Flint, Michigan and the threat the Dakota Access pipeline raised to native communities both weighed heavily on the minds of the protesters.

In her opening remarks, co-organizer Stacy Lovelace reminded the protesters that the land being stolen to build the pipelines “was stolen once before, from the indigenous peoples of those lands.”


Asked how long the protests would continue, Lovelace was blunt. “Until our demands are met, we’re not going away until the pipelines do.”

The protesters will reassemble on Wed., Feb. 28, at 10 AM behind the Governor’s office, and have said that their weekly protest will continue indefinitely until their demands are met.

Photos By: David Streever

This story has been corrected. Lovelace’s quote was attributed to Sims and Jon Sokolow and Governor McAuliffe’s names were misspelled, and the lede was updated to add the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

This Year’s RVA Environmental Film Festival to Educate and Entertain With Over 20 Films Around Town

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The 8th Annual Richmond Environmental Film Festival, which kicked off last night, has come around once again for its week-long showcase to raise awareness on environmental issues featuring local and national films at various venues across the city.  

Every year, the festival bolsters its lineup with an arsenal of films, providing breathtaking, in-depth examinations of the obstacles our environment faces, along with guest speakers, and environmentalist panels, all looking to accommodate a haven for discussion.

Founded in 2008 by the James River Film Society and revived by the Sierra Club in 2011, the festival has continued its relentless awareness outreach to the Richmond community, with presenters including the Enrichment Foundation, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Viridiant, and the Capital Region Land Conservancy.

Over 20 films have been selected for this year’s screenings including films on the Flint water crisis, to “Awake: A Dream From Standing Rock,” that captures the Sioux tribe’s peaceful protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, and “Jane,” a deep look inside the life of activist and conservationist Jane Goodall and her extensive work and interactions with chimpanzees. The film draws from never before seen footage from National Geographic archives a by Philip Glass. The film will be a double feature for the festival, first showing at the VCU Commons Theater at 3:30 pm on Tues., Feb. 6, and 4:45 pm on Sun., Feb. 11 at the Byrd Theater.  

 

Films will be screened all across Richmond venues including the University of Richmond Ukrop Auditorium, VCU Student Commons Theater, VCU Grace Street Theater, WCVE Studios, Chesterfield public libraries, The Visual Arts Center, The Byrd Theatre, and The Science Museum of Virginia.

On Sunday, the RVA Environmental Film Festival Committee will announce the winners of the Virginia Environmental Film awards and screen their films at The Byrd Theatre at 3:05 PM.

The film festival will run until Sun. Feb. 18, you can see the full rundown of films, times, speakers and places here. 

 

 

 

Final bay grass update: Live long and prosper

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After almost six months of sweat, tears, and conscientious underwater gardening, our bay grasses, as part of the Chesapeake Bay foundation’s Grasses for the Masses program, made a new and more appropriate home on a beautiful shore off the Rappahannock river, a small and seemingly untouched area of forest with the stillest water I’ve ever seen.

Our previous planting date was scheduled for Chickahominy Park but prior weekend’s torrential downpour made it impossible to plant. Though I understood that I would have to be physically planting on the shore, I didn’t realize how big of a deal flooding is until I was in the water myself. Instead of Chickahominy, we decided on the Port Royal planting – a historic yet small town north of Richmond in Caroline County, and a brand new site arranged by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for this year’s planting.

But before anything, last Thursday, I collected the equipment from the RVA Mag office where most of the sweat and tears were shed because our AC had gone out earlier that morning. It took about five trips to the car and hoping that no one noticed me toss gallons of water from the window off the third floor. (Sorry, but not sorry?)

In order for everything to remain alive and well for the hour-long road trip, we left a little water in the pans with wet paper towels on top and loaded the larger aquarium, the lamps, the water pump, and my bucket into the back of my car. After stopping for the obligatory road trip snack, we hit the road at 4 – the planting was expected to run from 5PM to 7PM, to ensure low tide.

Arriving at the planting almost had me thinking that we weren’t in the right place. One of the final turns was into a small neighborhood, and eventually the road turned to gravel where there was a small dirt parking lot where we all had to meet. To our right was a house that looked like it was plucked out of 1804, on acres of land. To our right was the CBF set-up and the rest of the lovely grass growers, where we met up with Grassroots Coordinator Blair Blanchette, who you might recognize from the other updates. As growers kept trickling into the parking lot, Blanchette explained what the plan would be: return our equipment to designated bins and load our grasses into the back of a van that’ll be drive down as far as possible to the shore, and that we’d be walking and following the truck through a mile-long path.


The first Bay Grass Update photo – Seeds and stems

“This is the quietest planting group ever!” Blanchette would say a couple of times. This was one of the smaller plantings and seemed to be going rather smoothly. Other plantings this season weren’t just larger but experienced some obstacles like heavy rain and field trip rescheduling.

The group of about 15 to 20 growers were donned in water shoes, hats, and sunglasses and all of us had traveled some distance. One grower traveled two hours to make the planting. I mean, I know people who don’t have the energy to recycle, so we were clearly among people who really cared about service to the environment. I feel that like explained why they were all so friendly, if a bit quiet.

Blanchette reviewed with us the exact purpose behind going through these months taking care of our grasses every single day – after settling into routine, even I had forgotten exactly what the benefits were. Over the months what we really grew were habitats for underwater life, food for those critters, shoreline protection, a way of restoring the grasses that have declined through the years, as well as a way to mitigate climate change.

Bay Grass Update #6 – Eye Of The Storm

Wow. We did that!

After reviewing basic safety procedures, we set off down the road and into the woods. The shore we were headed towards is part of the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge, which seemed successful at its job due to the large amount of bugs so weird and loud they sounded like they were playing the kazoo. The surrounding area was so peaceful and clean, we would have felt as if we were the first to explore this portion of the river if a path hadn’t been cleared for us already.

Blanchette backed her van as close as she could down the path, but it was up to us to bring the rest of the stuff down to the actual shore. After the walk and carrying stuff down the hill in 90 degree weather, everyone was pretty eager to get into the water.

Blanchette gave out long bamboo sticks to each grower for two reasons: one was to push your bin of grasses down to the enclosure, and the other was to mark the spot where you planted so others wouldn’t step on top of it. I could tell easily who were the experienced growers – one of them got a stick and hopped right into the water towards the enclosure, dragging her grasses alongside her.


Bay Grass Update #8 – encouraging growth = eventual empty nest syndrome

Inspired by this confident grass grower, I hopped in and worked my way through the shallow water – it was about knee-deep but we had to crouch down to plant. We put our sticks down into a spot of our choosing, and following the lead of the experienced growers, I dug a hole around the stick with my hands. If you’re not a huge fan of nature, I don’t think this is something you’ll enjoy, but you should do it anyway because you need to get over it and broaden your horizons.

Then, I double checked with Blanchette for the next step because it seemed a little weird.

“So I just put my hands right in the grass and pick it up and stick it in the water,” I said, a little skeptical. Blanchette explained that yes, I was to stick my hands in the soil and would need to rip the roots, which was actually a good thing. Heavy root formation is indicative of good, healthy grass, even if it felt like I was committing a crime by pulling them apart. But I proudly kissed them goodbye and buried them in the quicksand-esque river sediment that was going to swallow me whole if I didn’t get moving soon.

The last step was cleaning the pans and the larger container. If you remember, we had a swampy, smelly algae situation over the past couple months. It’s sorta-kinda like never cleaning a fish aquarium. Our aquarium wouldn’t be as bad as a fish’s, but it was still home to soil and organic matter, which is not what we want to leave Blanchette with after she’s been so helpful and excited. So we all put a little vinegar in the tubs, grabbed some steel wool, and scrubbed away.

The process was surprisingly quick and painless. The water wasn’t cold, the people were kind, and being able to end the process in such a unique and hands-on way was such an exciting experience, save the quicksand-like texture of the bottom of the river that I was sure was going to take me.


Bay Grass Update #13: Into the wild

Everyone left whenever they were done, so we ended up walking the mile back alone, admiring the open landscape and running from the kazoo-bugs.

Even if the process of maintaining the aquariums became a bit frustrating at times, particularly because it was in our office and not our own homes, the planting was a satisfying end to a very important project initiative from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Through the concerted effort of the CBF, the state of the bay has improved slowly but surely.

According to the CBF’s health index, the Chesapeake currently gets a grade of C minus. This takes into account the state of pollution, habitat quality/quantity (our grasses), and fisheries. So while you might be stoked to get a C on an exam, it’s very far from where the CBF says they want to be, and it’ll never be what it once was hundreds of years ago.

But Grasses for the Masses is an extremely important part of improving the overall health of the Bay, and not the only way that you can participate. As you might’ve noticed, the presidential administration isn’t too keen on environmental protection. Work from the CBF, volunteers, and just regular people who want to get involved, can help ensure that we don’t actually go backwards.


Bay grass update #14: Into the Rappahannock (for real this time)

Best case scenario, I hope you’ll consider participating in Grasses for the Masses in the future if you have the ability to. There’s nothing like physically planting grass to help drive home the value and importance of the effort of just one person.

The CBF has other programs and initiatives you can get involved in too. But if you don’t do anything else, stop leaving your cigarette butts and beer cans all over Texas Beach and Belle Isle. Please. It makes me and the Earth cry real tears.

Sincerely,

Verified Grass Queen