Hunter Mill

Dr. Eric Goplerud has a successful history organizing interfaith organizations focused on energy efficiency, conservation, and resiliency, and centered mostly on low-income and disadvantaged citizens. Since founding the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS) in 2011, he has facilitated its growth to more than 3,000 activists from 225 congregations throughout Northern Virginia.

Dr. Goplerud has served in a variety of leadership positions related to the environment. He serves as a member of the Fairfax Environmental Quality Advisory Council, represented FACS on the Communitywide Energy and Climate Action Plan, and served as Fairfax County’s representative on the Air and Climate Public Advisory Commission for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. He frequently testifies before federal, state, and local elected officials on energy and climate matters. 

Dr. Goplerun works to sustain activists in the hard, often discouraging work of climate advocacy. He originated FACS’ Advocacy Teams to train members to promote ethical climate policies and magnify voices of marginalized communities in meetings with elected officials. His leadership and FACS’ volunteer advocates helped convince Fairfax County to adopt its first operational energy strategy, create a climate office, invest $9 million in Greenhouse Gases reduction projects, commit to zero waste in county and school operations, and staff K-12 environmental education programs. 

At the state level, FACS successfully advocated for legislation supporting solar energy, taxing single-use plastic bags, Electric Vehicle sales standards and rebates, stronger building energy efficiency standards, and green banks. Locally, Dr. Goplerud has written the climate, energy and transportation chapter and the solid waste management chapters of the Reston Association State of the Environment Report for the past three years.