A Year in Review: VCN’s 2023 Annual Report
Thanks to highly coordinated efforts and despite political headwinds, VCN — in our role as the strategic facilitator of our 150+ Network Partners — was successful in holding onto major environmental and climate policy successes from the last few years while celebrating historic investments in conservation funding through the budget.
Our Annual Report reviews Virginia Conservation Network’s work from Spring 2022 to Winter 2023. While it feels almost impossible to cover everything we worked on last year in only a few pages, we did our best to squeeze in the highlights, including:
- our strategy to advance conservation initiatives year-round,
- our policy gains and challenges through the General Assembly session and beyond,
- our Network Partner engagement events,
- and more.
As we sent this annual report to the printer, we learned of the tragic loss of our Clean Energy & Climate Justice Policy Manager, Shawn Soares, on May 4th, 2023. Shawn was committed to devoting his career to bettering the Commonwealth and was a rising star in the climate movement. We are dedicating this annual report to him and are committed to working in his honor moving forward.
Read more of our recent updates from our blog:
Opinion: The James is healthier today, but our work isn’t finished
Virginia should boldly recommit to the collaborative, multistate effort and vision of a renewed Chesapeake Bay Agreement. In an Op-Ed, VCN highlights how our beloved local waters depend on the Chesapeake Bay Agreement to improve water quality.
How to Celebrate Great Outdoors Month
Virginians show us how they celebrate Great Outdoors Month by sharing photos through our Conservation Photo Contest.
Kicking Off Our Third Annual Summer Speaker Series!
The Summer Speaker Series is organized by Virginia Conservation Network's environmental advocacy fellows for our Partners' interns and fellows aimed at building knowledge relevant to young professionals working in the environmental field.
Electric Vehicles in Virginia Fact Sheet
Synapse Energy Economics released a fact sheet evaluating the impact of electric vehicles on Virginia's electricity rates from 2011 to 2021, concluding that EVs lowered rates for both EV-owners and non-EV owners.
Report: Assessing Benefits of Distributed Solar in Virginia
VCU's Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment (ISEE) and Wilder School Center for Public Policy released a report updating a 2020 study on the economic benefits of installing 2,500 MW of distributed solar capacity in Virginia, and whether the state is on track to meet this goal.
Welcome Aboard: Meet Our 2024 Summer Fellows!
The Virginia Conservation Network is happy to announce our 2024 summer fellows in our Environmental Advocacy Fellowship Program.