MAGNIFICENT MEADOWS Green Carpet FUNdraiser! JOIN the PARTY!

MAGNIFICENT MEADOWS FUNDRAISER
A Green Carpet Gathering

You've heard of the red carpet experience, this will be a green carpet experience!

DATE: Sunday, October 25, 2026
TIME: 3:00 PM - 5:30 PM
LOCATION: Woodlands Stewardship Education Center, Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, 5301 Walney Rd, Chantilly, VA 20120

JOIN THE PARTY!
LIMITED CAPACITY, book your tickets EARLY!

TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION of $49 to attend, but we eagerly and graciously accept any donations to support our mission and help meet our fundraising goal.

Climate Action NOW (CAN) 501c3 (EIN: 2679837) is a conservation nonprofit, celebrating nature-based climate solutions to boost biodiversity, improve soil health and water infiltration rates, cool temperatures, purify the air and maximize carbon drawdown!

We educate the public on environmental and nature-based climate solutions through FREE monthly film screenings, followed by a discussion with expert panelists, at Cinema Arts Theatres in Fairfax, Virginia, hosting more than 3.1K attendees since December 2023. Additionally, we promote and educate the public about native plants, invasive removal, mini meadows in our yards and the need for mega meadows on data center campuses.

To support our work, we are hosting our inaugural fundraiser, Sunday afternoon, October 25, 2026 and we'd love to see you there! Historically, program expenses — including film licensing fees, and theatre rental— have been covered personally by our volunteers. To continue providing highquality, accessible programming, we are seeking the support of those who share our commitment to environmental resilience.

GREEN CARPET GATHERING TIMELINE (tasty bites, beer & wine)

3:00-4:00 PM Networking with the experts, with various elected officials stopping by to say "Hi" and speak for a few minutes, across the hour.

4:00-5:00 PM Lively one hour panel discussion with the experts in the amphitheater about HOW TO remove sections of our monoculture lawns and make them more wild with native plants. Lots of audience questions.

5:00-5:30 PM Continued discussion about removing monoculture lawns and replacing with low-growing, biodiverse no-mow and follow-up networking / one-on-one conversations with experts.

EVENT SPONSORS: Meadows Farms, Trace, Total Wine, First Watch, Wegmans.

__

FEATURED GUESTS & EXPERTS:

JANE PITTMAN is an award winning director, cinematographer and editor based in Washington DC. Her new film Becoming Wild ... a meditation on beauty in the natural world has just been released and will be screened at the CANMFF in Fairfax, October 26, 2026. Her extensive repertoire of short films, feature documentaries and educational/training videos, has appeared on PBS and film festivals throughout the world. (Coming Back To The Hoop, In Your Hands, The Makeover, Not An Exit, Be Moved). Coming Back To The Hoop is in distribution with Random Media and was an official selection in over 40 film festivals world-wide, winning numerous awards. Jane’s films are also distributed nationally by Films Media Group, a distributor of social interest educational programming. With a master’s degree in music, Jane’s work follows a distinct rhythm, lending her films a unique artistic touch.

RUSSELL BAILEY is a prominent conservationist in Alexandria, Virginia, honored as the 2026 recipient of the Ellen Pickering Environmental Excellence Award. With decades of dedication to environmental stewardship, Bailey has significantly impacted local parks and city policies.

He has restored Beverley Park by removing invasive species, enabling native plants and wildlife to return. At Monticello Park, he has led volunteer projects to enhance habitats for migratory birds in partnership with the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance.

Bailey also plays a vital role in citywide initiatives through groups like the Tree Stewards and the Alexandria Beautification Commission, advocating for tree equity in underserved neighborhoods. His notable achievement includes reshaping the Taylor Run stream reconstruction plan to minimize ecological harm, earning unanimous City Council support.

His ability to mobilize volunteers and foster partnerships has strengthened Alexandria’s natural resources and community stewardship, benefiting both residents and wildlife.

ELAINE MILLS, trained as a Master Gardener with the Arlington/Alexandria unit of Virginia Cooperative Extension in 2012 and quickly discovered a special interest in sustainable landscaping with a focus on native plants. Since 2013, she has created fact sheets on “Tried & True Native Plants” that are a popular resource on the Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia website. In addition, she has developed website resources on sustainable landscaping, invasive plants and native alternatives, and caring for a native plants garden.

For the past fifteen years, Elaine has grown and photographed native plants, and she enjoys selecting pictures from her photo library to illustrate her articles, short videos, daily educational posts for MGNV social media, and public education presentations. Recordings of over 25 of her talks are available for viewing in the MGNV Master Gardener Virtual Classroom.

LIZ TRAIN is the Co-Coordinator of the Audubon at Home Program for Fairfax County and an Audubon at Home Ambassador. She is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist and Extension Master Gardener, actively volunteering in northern Virginia with organizations like the Fairfax County Park Authority and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Liz leads two Virginia Master Naturalist training cohorts annually and participates in training Extension Master Gardeners.

Motivated by her belief in everyone’s role in combating climate change, Liz focuses on creating healthy habitats for wildlife and improving the Chesapeake Bay watershed’s water, soil, and air quality. She resides in Fairfax County.

JOHN RUNGER, veteran, and landscape designer, Founder and Principal of New Earth Landscaping, DC.

REKHA DOLA is a dedicated member of the Fairfax Invasive Removal Alliance (FIRA), an organization committed to educating homeowners about the detrimental effects of invasive species on our ecosystem. FIRA also facilitates collaboration among neighborhood associations to combat invasive vegetation throughout Fairfax County.

With a longstanding passion for the environment and conservation, Rekha pursued a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and has accumulated nearly 15 years of experience in the consulting industry.

When she is not engaged in ecological restoration projects with the Fairfax Master Naturalists, Rekha actively participates in tree installation efforts alongside the Fairfax Tree Stewards.

Stay Tuned for more featured guests and experts!