Knox Presbyterian Church, located at 7416 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church received a I-495 Express Lane Grant from Transurban and Fluor, contractors for the express lanes, the church announced last week. Knox, already recognized nationally by the Presbyterian Church USA as an Earth Care Congregation, has used the grant to install rain barrels and begin to landscape the grounds with native plants.

The rain barrels are a part of the Northern Virginia Rain Barrel Program; a program that provides plants with natural water and protects the Chesapeake Bay from chemicals that may be in the runoff from rain. With the stated goal of the grant to educate both church and community members on creation care and environmental stewardship, Knox has involved a diverse community of workers including neighborhood youth on this project. The project is still being implemented with completion expected in the summer of 2015.