Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment (ACE) was founded in 1978 by the Arlington County Department of Public Works as a Clean Community member of Keep America Beautiful. During the 1980s, the ACE started to address environmental issues beyond litter and began focusing its efforts on recycling. During the 1990's, ACE disaffiliated from Keep America Beautiful but continued to focus on litter and worked comfortably with the local business community. Read more about ACE's first 20 years. View a slide show celebrating our 30th Anniversary (21mb pdf).

Today, ACE remains a volunteer organization focusing on local environmental issues including green living, litter, and invasive plants, with additional programs in the areas of watershed resources and schoolyard education. Find ACE volunteer opportunities or support ACE.

Green Challenges

The ACE Green Living Challenge offers residents 25 fun and easy ways to make Arlington County cleaner and greener. Take the challenge today. Dominion Hills won the 2008 Green Neighborhood Challenge. Explore ways to green your neighborhood.

The Green Learning Challenge for Arlington schools brings together parents, teachers, students, and residents to share ideas on reducing school footprints, engaging sutdents in projects to protect the environment, and imbuing a lifelong sense of stewardship for our natural resources. View the acheivements of the 2008 Celebration of Green Learning slide show (12mb pdf).

ACE Gala and Honors

ACE's 30th anniversary gala, Hallowgreen, featured highlights of ACE's history (21mb pdf), stewardship awards, Eco-Horror displays (winning team is pictured with ACE board chair Phil Rizzi), our first silent auction, a costume contest, and dancing to live music. Photo gallery.

ACE has been selected to participate in the Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area, CFC #83504. Please remember ACE when you make your workplace pledge.

ACE was honored to be selected as "one of the best small charities in the Greater Washington region" in the 2007-08 Catalogue for Philanthropy.

• 2008 Annual Report (697kb pdf)
• Jobs at ACE
• Mission Statement
• Past Activities
• Year with ACE Photo Gallery