Upcoming Webinar Series

NVRC is pleased to invite you to join us for these free webinars on topics of interest in the Northern Virginia region.

Sustainably Revitalizing Degraded Watersheds: ?The Story of Neckarinsel and How Creative Design, Integrated Planning & Culture Are Helping to Restore the Neckar River

When: Monday, June 24, 2024 || 12:00pm – 1:15pm (EST)

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QoWemXlAQC2TepQLL87yyQ#/registration

The Neckarinsel lies in the middle of a severely degraded segment of the Neckar River, in Stuttgart, Germany. The island is enveloped and isolated by polluted water, commercially used canal locks, truck- and car-bearing bridges. ?But the river is recovering in part through a revitalization of the island. The Neckarinsel’s revival is being driven by a unique and entrepreneurial grassroots effort that has cultivated various social, artistic, culinary, as well as environmental initiatives. Since 2022, with support from the German Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and in partnerships with the Verband Region Stuttgart (Stuttgart regional government), a unique urban planning experiment is underway that will fuse landscape design, water treatment, pedestrian access, culture, cuisine and digital outreach. The present outcomes suggest a sustainable pathway for recovery and a potential model for the renewal of other U.S. watersheds, especially in Northern Virginia.

Please join the NVRC and the Verband Region Stuttgart on June 24, 2024, 12:00pm – 1:15pm for a presentation of the story of Neckarinsel, and the regeneration of a severely degraded section of the Neckar River watershed through innovative design, planning and culture. ?

How Northern Virginia's Ties to Europe Boost and Sustain The Local Economy and Environment - And What More Can Be Done

When: Wednesday, June 26, 2024 || 12:00pm – 1:15pm (EST)

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WpKCExfcTWax0kMuFPjyeg#/registration

The transatlantic economy is the most interconnected, robust, and resilient commercial artery in the?world. The $8.7 trillion transatlantic economy employs over 16 million workers in mutually on-shored jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. Ties are particularly thick in foreign direct investment (FDI), portfolio investment, banking claims, trade and affiliate sales in goods and services, digital links, energy, mutual R&D investment, patent cooperation, technology flows, and sales of knowledge-intensive services.

The transatlantic economy has special effects on Virginia in general and Northern Virginia in particular. Six of the ten largest foreign investors in Northern Virginia are from Europe (the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands). Together, these six countries invest approximately $4.0 billion into 570 foreign-owned establishments creating approximately 30,000 jobs – predominantly in the science, technical services and information sectors. ?

Moreover, the United States currently accounts for over 53% of the world’s operational hyperscale infrastructure, measured by critical IT load. More than one-third of U.S. hyperscale capacity is in the Commonwealth of Virginia, which has far more hyperscale data center capacity than either China or all of Europe. Furthermore, European companies are the leading source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the U.S. energy sector, much of it in renewable energies. The union of these dynamics, plus that of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, has the potential to affect further the mutually beneficial adoption of sustainable energy and related technologies.

Please join the NVRC and Johns Hopkins University’s Foreign Policy Institute for a webinar that will explore the dynamic of economic engagement between the US and Europe and its effects on Virginia and Northern Virginia. ??