The Chesapeake Network is a site for sharing resources, webinars, events, jobs, and more, hosted by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Join today to stay connected and up to date on watershed wide information.
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Friendly City Food Co-op & Sustainability Matters are hosting a free post-season meet & greet for commercial growers! Unload the stress of the growing season, and share challenges, solutions, and marketing thoughts. Find partners, mentors, and maybe even buyers for next season. All commercial growers, serious homesteaders, and those in grower-adjacent fields (buyers, lenders, agency…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
They all look the same without their leaves, don’t they? Join Sustainability Matters and the State Arboretum of Virginia (Blandy) for an approximately 90 minute guided walk and ID primer by Virginia State Foresters Matt Wolanski and Connor Goolsby and Blandy curator Carrie Whitacre. You’ll never mistake an oak for a walnut again, or a…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Sustainability Matters’ Making Trash Bloom project – native pollinator and wildlife habitat at landfills – is coming to Rapp! Join us and our host, Rappahannock County, to help seed Phase 1 of Making Trash Bloom Rapp and learn about the project and future plans. A sustainably sourced spread (with a Halloween theme) will be served…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Sustainability Matters’ Making Trash Bloom project – native pollinator and wildlife habitat at landfills – is coming to Fairfax County! Join us and Fairfax Department of Public Works to seed Phase 1 of Making Trash Bloom Fairfax and learn about the project and future plans. Sustainably sourced lunch (with a Halloween theme) will be served…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
You don’t need acres for an eco-friendly garden. From Sustainability Matters’ Sari Carp, learn how to grow pollinator-friendly native plants in small spaces: micromeadows, potted perennials, small-scale native trees and bushes, and vertical vines. Even a postage stamp or deck can become a pollinator oasis, where you and your family can enjoy watching wildlife all…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
You don’t need acres for an edible garden. From Sustainability Matters’ Sonia Zamborsky, learn how to grow your own food in small spaces: containers, raised beds, or that sunny patch by your front door. Even a postage stamp-sized yard or balcony can become an edible oasis for you and your family to enjoy. We’ll cover…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
The worst invasive insect in 150 years is mobbing the Mid-Atlantic. Spotted lanternfly has been colonizing Pennsylvania and Virginia for several years now, threatening crops, trees, and – with swarms of insects excreting buckets of sticky honeydew – human quality of life. Now, the polka-dotted invader is in New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Delaware, and New…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Weeds getting you down? It’s that time of year! (For some of us, it’s always that time of year.) Join us for a no-holds-barred discussion on environmentally responsible, realistic weed management. We’re warning you now: there’s no magic bullet, and you won’t achieve perfection. However, you can learn: Priorities: which weeds are worth going after?…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Composting doesn’t have to be hard, smelly, or (too) messy! Keep your food and garden waste out of the landfill and use it to feed your soil instead. Join us at the State Arboretum of Virginia (Blandy) for a workshop on composting basics, taught by our compost queen Deborah Abercrombie. There’ll be plenty of time…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Join conservation non-profit Sustainability Matters at the Friendly City Food Co-op (150 E Wolfe St Harrisonburg, VA 22802) to SWAP PLANTS!! Divide your perennials, start extra seedlings, and come see what others have. Bring seeds, garden books, and tools as well. All non-invasive plants welcome; please label everything! SCHEDULE: 1-2 pm EARLY ACCESS for Sustainability Matters…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
If you’ve always wanted to discuss gardening with an opossum, now is your time. Join Sustainability Matters and the adorable animal ambassadors of Blue Ridge Wildlife Center to learn how to manage your woods – or create a micro woodland if you don’t already have one – for the benefit of native wildlife and yourself….
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Learn how to grow and harvest your dinner straight from your garden, even on a very limited budget! Want to grow your own dinner, but not sure where to start? Get the secrets of success just in time for spring! Follow Sustainability Matters‘ favorite transplanted English gardener, Paula Brownlee, and her brave American sidekicks through…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Learn how to grow and harvest your dinner straight from your garden, even on a very limited budget! Want to grow your own dinner, but not sure where to start? Get the secrets of success just in time for spring! Follow Sustainability Matters‘ favorite transplanted English gardener, Paula Brownlee, and her brave American sidekicks through…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Learn how to grow and harvest your dinner straight from your garden, even on a very limited budget! Want to grow your own dinner, but not sure where to start? Get the secrets of success just in time for spring! Follow Sustainability Matters‘ favorite transplanted English gardener, Paula Brownlee, and her brave American sidekicks through…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Looking for a fun, eco-focused volunteer activity? Come work with Sustainability Matters! We’re a young, fast-growing non-profit, bringing conservation to unexpected places. Our volunteer opportunities are both online and in person (in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Northern Piedmont, and NoVA regions). Join us virtually for an overview of Sustainability Matters and what our volunteers do, tell…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Turfgrass is America’s #1 “crop”…yet has no ecological value whatsoever. Learn to landscape more sustainably, replacing your lawn with no-mow alternatives that offer food and beauty to pollinators, wildlife, you, and your family. This will be a virtual workshop, with time for Q & A. It’s free, but space is limited, and registration is required….
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Celebrate the culinary community and lifestyle of the Blue Ridge Demonstrations, cooking competitions, workshops, storytelling, and more await! Love locally sourced food and want to learn more about the “real food” movement? Be sure to put Blue Ridge Sprouts on your culinary calendar! This fun-filled, educational celebration for ages 8 to 80 will have attendees…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Thought about planting trees along your creek or putting in a livestock watering system, but put off by the expense? Join Sustainability Matters for a free webinar on how to get state (Virginia) and federal funding to cover most of the cost of improving your land. Funding is available for fencing, erosion control, tree planting,…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
They all look the same without their leaves, don’t they? Join Sustainability Matters and the State Arboretum of Virginia (Blandy) for an approximately 90 minute guided walk and ID primer by Virginia State Forester Matt Wolanski and Blandy curator Carrie Whitacre. You’ll never mistake an oak for a walnut again, or a spruce for a…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
On Halloween, you’ll have the opportunity to chat with the artists whose spooky work has been on display in the tasting room in October. This invitational exhibition, inspired by the fauna of Halloween and highlighting recycled materials, is presented by conservation nonprofit Sustainability Matters. It pays homage to two of the most traditional and misunderstood…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Learn the basics of herbal medicine using native plants, at the pilot plot for Sustainability Matters’ “Making Trash Bloom” project Herbalism at a landfill?! Yes! Join conservation nonprofit Sustainability Matters at our “Making Trash Bloom” project at the Shenandoah County Landfill, and learn the basics of herbal medicine using native perennials. The workshop will be…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Bring the kids to learn why you should care about native plants and pollinators that eat them Bring the kids to see the pilot plot for “Making Trash Bloom”, a partnership between conservation nonprofit Sustainability Matters and the Shenandoah County Landfill, and learn about why native plants and the pollinators that eat them matter so…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Make your own compost bin Compost bins don’t have to be expensive or hard to build. Learn how to make your own from “junk” you might just have lying around, and get to composting! Join conservation nonprofit Sustainability Matters and theCity of Winchester (VA) for this FREE virtual workshop. DIY Composter Building for the Clueless…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Composting doesn’t have to be hard, smelly, or (too) messy! Keep your food waste out of the landfill and use it to help your garden by turning it into soil-enriching compost. Join conservation nonprofit Sustainability Matters and the City of Winchester (VA) for a virtual workshop on composting basics. Composting for the Clueless is open…
added a new Announcement in Chesapeake Network
Our Earth Month auction is about experiences, not things. Each curated adventure is unique to Sustainability Matters, our friends, and our supporters. None is available commercially. We think this captures the spirit of our fledgling nonprofit: anchored in our community, and always excited to share knowledge and adventure. We hope you’ll bid generously on the…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Turfgrass is America’s #1 crop…yet has no ecological value whatsoever. Learn to landscape more sustainably, replacing your lawn with no-mow alternatives that offer food and beauty to pollinators, wildlife, you, and your family. This will be a virtual workshop, presented by conservation nonprofit Sustainability Matters. Registration is required through the Eventbrite ticket here. Upon registering,…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
This Earth Week, join us for a deep dive into the recycling industry. Find out why you can’t recycle many plastics or glass anymore, and what you can do to help the situation. Also learn what happens to that can or bottle after it arrives at the recycling center, why recycling rules vary among localities,…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Garden questions? Get personalized answers to all your horticultural dilemmas from Sustainability Matters’ Garden Gurus! Monthly on first Tuesdays throughout the growing season, the Gurus will be Zooming in to recommend the perfect tree to screen your neighbors or fill that tricky shaded spot, help revive your drooping bloomers, and figure out what’s gone wrong…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Garden questions? Get personalized answers to all your horticultural dilemmas from Sustainability Matters’ Garden Gurus! Monthly on first Tuesdays throughout the growing season, the Gurus will be Zooming in to recommend the perfect tree to screen your neighbors or fill that tricky shaded spot, help revive your drooping bloomers, and figure out what’s gone wrong…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Garden questions? Get personalized answers to all your horticultural dilemmas from Sustainability Matters’ Garden Gurus! Monthly on first Tuesdays throughout the growing season, the Gurus will be Zooming in to recommend the perfect tree to screen your neighbors or fill that tricky shaded spot, help revive your drooping bloomers, and figure out what’s gone wrong…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Garden questions? Get personalized answers to all your horticultural dilemmas from Sustainability Matters’ Garden Gurus! Monthly on first Tuesdays throughout the growing season, the Gurus will be Zooming in to recommend the perfect tree to screen your neighbors or fill that tricky shaded spot, help revive your drooping bloomers, and figure out what’s gone wrong…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Garden questions? Get personalized answers to all your horticultural dilemmas from Sustainability Matters’ Garden Gurus! Monthly on first Tuesdays throughout the growing season, the Gurus will be Zooming in to recommend the perfect tree to screen your neighbors or fill that tricky shaded spot, help revive your drooping bloomers, and figure out what’s gone wrong…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Garden questions? Get personalized answers to all your horticultural dilemmas from Sustainability Matters’ Garden Gurus! Monthly on first Tuesdays throughout the growing season, the Gurus will be Zooming in to recommend the perfect tree to screen your neighbors or fill that tricky shaded spot, help revive your drooping bloomers, and figure out what’s gone wrong…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Spend Earth Day with us at a virtual celebration of sustainable business. This is the real deal, with real success stories peppered with setbacks, and an honest examination of how environmental sustainability intersects with economic sustainability. It will also be a ton of fun, so have your chips and local beverage ready, and join us…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Demystify vegetable gardening in time for the 2021 season! About this Event Did you catch the gardening bug in 2020? But maybe that “victory garden” didn’t turn out quite as planned…or you’re even more ambitious for 2021. Get the secrets of success just in time for spring! Follow Sustainability Matters’ favorite transplanted English gardener, Paula…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Turfgrass is America’s #1 crop…yet has no ecological value whatsoever. Learn to landscape more sustainably, replacing your lawn with no-mow alternatives that offer food and beauty to pollinators, wildlife, you, and your family. This will be a virtual workshop, with time for Q & A. Presented by conservation nonprofit Sustainability Matters. Upon registering, you will be…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
The Town Council of Front Royal is responsible for destroying a vital riparian buffer and trout habitat along Happy Creek. They’re clear cutting and uprooting hundreds of native trees and razing the creek bed and banks – in a zone where occasional rising waters were effectively and naturally managed by the riparian buffer. Help us…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Celebrate the holidays online with your friendly local environmental organizations! Just in time to ID your Christmas tree, join Front Royal/Warren County Tree Stewards, the State Arboretum of Virginia, and Sustainability Matters for a free and festive Conifer ID & Holiday Party. Learn to tell the difference between fir, spruce, and pine and follow Assistant…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Join Sustainability Matters and the Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley to learn why riparian buffers – trees & natural plantings along the banks of waterways – are essential for clean water, erosion control, and wildlife habitat. We’ll be using Happy Creek in Front Royal, Virginia, as an example. ***Advance registration is required for the Zoom…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Hosted by Sustainability Matters Free Online Event REGISTER Thought about planting a pollinator meadow or riparian buffer, but daunted by the expense? Find out how to get state and federal programs to cover most of the cost of eco-friendly improvements to your land! There’s no minimum acreage required for several of the programs, and funding…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Presented by Sustainability Matters Hosted by Edith J. Carrier Arboretum at JMU and Sustainability Matters Online Event $15 Registration Turf grass is America’s #1 crop…yet has no ecological value whatsoever. Learn to landscape more sustainably, replacing your grass with no-mow alternatives that offer food and beauty to pollinators, wildlife, you, and your family. This will…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
On #NationalHoneybeeDay, hang with the bees for Sustainability Matters very first #HiveLive! Join everyone’s favorite schoolteachers, Amy & Jennifer, to meet the bees of Seven Bends State Park. Go inside the hives maintained by Shenandoah County Beekeepers. Meet the queen and get to know her social structure. There’ll be time for Q & A, and the event…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
A fundraiser for Sustainability Matters, hosted by Star in the Valley. Real wine. Real sheep. And for extra crunch, real Route 11 Potato Chips, paired with the wine! Support Sustainability Matters and celebrate Labor Day weekend from the comfort of your own home, at a virtual wine tasting. Join us via Zoom, with wine & chips…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
No garden? No problem! Learn to grow delicious edibles in containers. Sustainability Matters educators will cover soil, drainage, container size, type and placement. We’ll highlight the types of vegetables that do best in containers, when to plant them, and how to maintain your plants for the best harvest. Hosted by PEC at their Community Farm….
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Looking for a fun, conservation-based volunteer activity in 2020? Come work with Sustainability Matters! We’re a new, volunteer-driven non-profit, with a focus on conservation education and community building. Join us for a brief volunteer orientation in Blandy’s library before Not in Our Backyard: How to Fight Spotted Lanternfly. Get an overview of Sustainability Matters and…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Thought about planting a pollinator meadow or riparian buffer, but daunted by the expense? Find out how to get state and federal programs to cover most of the cost of eco-friendly improvements to your land! There’s no minimum acreage required for several of the programs, and funding is available for wildlife & pollinator habitat, tree…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Thought about planting trees along your creek or putting in a livestock watering system, but put off by the expense? Come find out how to get state and federal programs to cover most of the cost of improving your land! *** PLEASE NOTE: This workshop is geared at the agricultural community. Those who are not…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
2020 is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day! SAVE THE DATE to join Sustainability Matters and our official media partners, 92.5 WINC FM and the Northern Virginia Daily/Winchester Star, for the NSV’s largest Earth Day celebration. Free & family-friendly! #EarthDayShenandoah There’ll be: – a mega Community Plant Swap – Tesla Test Drives – free Tai…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Greener than Grass: a Sustainable Landscaping Workshop Presented by Sustainability Matters Saturday, March 21 | 9 AM – 12 NOON $30/Registration Edith J. Carrier Arboretum at JMU Turf grass is America’s #1 crop…yet has no ecological value whatsoever. Learn to landscape more sustainably, replacing your grass…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Get it before it gets your garden, orchard or vineyard! Spotted Lanternfly, arguably the worst invasive insect to enter Virginia in 150 years, has now spread from Frederick County to Clarke. It has the potential to threaten agricultural crops, forests, and home landscapes throughout Virginia. Learn how to ID, report sightings, and slow the spread…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Looking for a fun, conservation-based volunteer activity in 2020? Come work with Sustainability Matters! We’re a new, volunteer-driven non-profit, with a focus on conservation education and community building. Join us for a brief volunteer orientation after Environmental Trivia Night. Get an overview of Sustainability Matters and what our volunteers do, and tell us what interests…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Sustainability Matters and Fort Valley Nursery partner for the second year to offer a fun, educational, and deeply challenging evening of environmental trivia!! Bring your friends, and come test your knowledge of plants, bugs, birds, and environmental issues. All new questions for 2020. Trivia starts at 7 pm sharp, but Woodstock Garden Cafe inside the…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
Looking for a fun, conservation-based volunteer activity in 2020? Come work with Sustainability Matters! We’re a new, volunteer-driven non-profit, with a focus on conservation education and community building. Join us for a brief volunteer orientation after the Houseplant & Seed Swap. Get an overview of Sustainability Matters and what our volunteers do, and tell us…
added a new Event in Chesapeake Network
As winter gets annoying but the garden is still dormant, plan for spring and enjoy the indoor greenery. Join Sustainability Matters at Winchester Brew Works for a fabulous afternoon of Houseplant and Seed Swapping….and: – Brews (well, yeah…!) – Live Music from Sustainability Matters’ band, the Plant-Based Jam – Paint your own Plant Pots with…