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Sustainable Maryland Update
May 2020
 

50% of Maryland Towns Are Now in the SM Program! /
Welcome Aboard Upper Marlboro! /
Assistance with Zoom, WebEx Meetings for Green Teams /
Neighborhood Safari Game / 
USDA Urban Ag & Composting Grants 
 
Our monthly sampling of news, resources, events and other items of interest from across the sustainability spectrum in Maryland. 

A sign of the times - Capital Crescent Trail, Bethesda

FUNDING
OPPORTUNITIES
WEBINAR AND EVENT CALENDAR


***Please contact event organizers to ensure the program has not been canceled***
 

Webinar Series: Tree Fund

Local Stories: Short Films from the DC Environmental Film Festival

Webinar: Impactful Placemaking/Keeping Elements in Park Design and Stewardship
Date: May 19

Film Screening -
The Story of Plastic
Date: May 21

Virtual - Maryland Municipal League Summer Conference
Dates: June 29-30

Webinar - Renewable Energy Options for Small Businesses and Congregations
Date: May 21

Webinar - Residential Energy Tips to Lower Costs
Date: May 21

Webinar - Designing Cities Amid Urban Migration, Demographic Shift and a Disappearing Middle Class
Date: May 21

SM Virtual Happy Hour
Date: May 22
Zoom info TBA

Webinar: Mid-Atlantic PACE Alliance
Date: May 26

Webinar - Protecting Communities through Sustainable Agriculture
Date: May 26
Info

Webinar - Clean Water Enforcement
Date: May 28
 
 
 
Looking Ahead
 
 
Webinar - Beyond the Pollinator Garden: How to Make the Greatest Impact for Bees and Butterflies
Date: June 21

Trolley Trail Day
Date: June 13
Locations: College Park, Riverdale Park, Hyattsville

National Public Health Law Conference
Dates: Sept. 16-18
Location: Baltimore

Design DC 2020
Dates: Sept. 21-23
Location: Wash. DC

National Drive Electric Poolesville Day
Date: September 26

Maryland Clean Energy Summit
Date: October 20
Location: College Park
 
 
 
SUSTAINABLE MARYLAND COMMUNITIES IN THE NEWS


Middletown streetscape project on pace for June wrap-up


Annapolis Resilience Finance Authority becomes law


New life planned for old Mount Rainier building


Hyattsville to give $1 million in pandemic relief to struggling businesses, residents in need


Downtown Frostburg hosts virtual annual Arts Walk


Storm sediment finds new use in Havre de Grace


Berlin discusses raising stormwater utility fees


Salisbury now offering emergency homeless camp


Free milk coming to downtown Hagerstown







WE'RE HALFWAY THERE - 50% OF MARYLAND TOWNS NOW IN THE SM PROGRAM ! I S YOUR TOWN ONE OF THEM?
    
We know this is rough time for many folks. Here is a brief update full of hope and a perhaps a small dose of normalcy: 
 
We are pleased to announce Upper Marlboro has become the 79th municipality to register with the SM program, which now engages with 50% of Maryland's 157 incorporated towns and cities.
 
Upper Marlboro is the county seat of Prince George's County. The Town has an active Historical Committee, which produced an excellent Walking Driving Tour Guide, and recently  joined the County's Pet Waste Management initiative, which will provide pet waste stations and outreach materials for residents.
 
This is a real tipping point for the SM program. We now work with registered municipalities in every one of the 21 Maryland's counties that have municipalities (Howard and Baltimore Counties do not have municipalities).   

Green Teams have been organized from Friendsville in Garrett County to Ocean City on the lower Eastern Shore. In central Maryland, we are pleased to report that 25 of Prince George's County's 27 towns and cities are registered or certified with the SM program.  
 
In the nine years since the program was started, these small towns and big cities combined have conducted thousands of unique sustainability actions to help green their communities. We look forward to 2021 and celebrating our 10th anniversary working with so many Green Teams across the state! 
 
Is your town is ready to join the SM community? Learn more here.   
   
ARTICLE: KENTLANDS IN GAITHERSBURG - "LIVING IN A NEW URBANIST COMMUNITY IN THE SOCIAL DISTANCING ERA" (FROM PUBLIC SQUARE: A CNU JOURNAL)
"Traditional neighborhood development (TND) has offered an alternative model for suburban growth starting in the late 20th century and continuing today. Kentlands in Gaithersburg, Maryland, is one of the oldest of these developments. Like most TNDs, it has a strong sense of community - a quality that has helped during the coronavirus lockdown." 
 
Read more  
 
SM VIRTUAL HAPPY HOURS
 
Thanks to everyone who has joined us for four SM Happy Hours in April and May. It's been great way for folks to unwind at the end of the week, and also share challenges, strategies and projects with colleagues.  
 
Some interesting projects and resources from recent Happy Hours include:
  • Plant an Extra Row: encourage home gardeners to plant an extra row of veggies to donate to a local food bank.
Our next SM Happy Hour will be Friday, May 22 at 4:00pm. Stay tuned for Zoom details. 
 
GREEN GAME IDEA: NEIGHBORHOOD SAFARI
As we are all hunkering down and venturing out with just our households, here's a perfect activity for you and yours to enjoy. This green game idea - Neighborhood Safari - comes from the folks at Parkside GREEN, a new community-based Green Team at Parkside Condos in Bethesda: 
 
The way it works: Create visual placards that relate to the wildlife, nature and environment of your community or neighborhood. Number the placards, and place them in locations throughout the neighborhood for you/your household to locate. Make sure they are within view of sidewalk areas so that players can easily spot them.  
 
To play the game, players have a walk through the neighborhood, locate each placard,and then sign and check it off on the game card. Green Teams can collect entries via email and raffle off prizes. This is a great fun and educational activity for all ages.
 
Let us know if you bring the Safari to your neighborhood! 
 
USDA GRANTS: URBAN AGRICULTURE / COMMUNITY COMPOSTING
 
#1 - Innovative Urban Agriculture & Innovative Production:  
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of $3 million for grants that support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production projects through two categories, Planning Projects and Implementation Projects.  
    
USDA is making available $1 million for Planning Projects that initiate or expand efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools and other stakeholders in urban areas and suburbs. Projects may target areas of food access, education, business and start-up costs for new farmers and development of policies related needs of urban production.
 
USDA is also making available $2 million for Implementation Projects that accelerate existing and emerging models of urban, indoor and other agricultural practices that serve multiple farmers. Projects will improve local food access and collaborate with partner organizations and may support infrastructure needs, emerging technologies, educational endeavors and urban farming policy implementation. Webinar on June 3; deadline July 6. 
 
#2 - Composting:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of $900,000 for local governments to host a Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CCFWR) pilot project for fiscal year (FY) 2020. The cooperative agreements will support projects that develop and test strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans.  
 
Cooperative agreements support projects led by local governments that: 1) generate compost; 2) increase access to compost for agricultural producers; 3) reduce reliance on/limit use of, fertilizer; 4) improve soil quality; 5) encourage waste management and permaculture business development; 6) increase rainwater absorption; 7) reduce municipal food waste; and 8) divert food waste from landfills.  
 
Priority will be given to projects that anticipate or demonstrate economic benefits; incorporate plans to make compost easily accessible to farmers, including community gardeners; integrate other food waste strategies; and collaborate with multiple partners. Webinar on June 4, deadline is July 26. 
 
Information about both grant opportunities can be found here.  
 
SM STAFF OFFERING ZOOM, WEBEX TUTORIAL FOR GREEN TEAMS
SM staff are offering tutorials on Zoom and WebEx platforms for Green Teams who need assistance transitioning their meetings to online. Please contact Mike at mikeh75@umd.edu if you wish to receive assistance. Also,
check out the Public Information and Engagement (PIE) Solutions Catalog courtesy of our partners at Sustainable Jersey. This is a list of almost 100 platforms and tools to help keep your citizens engaged and municipal functions up and running.    
 
QUOTE
 
"The immediate crisis of COVID-19 and the looming climate crisis both call for stronger, not weaker, environmental policies. Just as COVID-19 has laid bare the race and class inequities in American society, the pollution that causes climate change and its now-apparent negative effects (extreme storm events, heat waves, wildfires, etc.) hurt people with low incomes and communities of color first and worst."
 
- Lois DeBacker, Managing Director of Environment Program, The Kresge Foundation 
    

Sustainable Maryland is an initiative of the Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland. It is a free and voluntary program designed to help Maryland communities choose a direction for their sustainability efforts, improve access to resources needed to implement action, and recognize their accomplishments. Our sponsors include the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Maryland Municipal League. For more information about how your municipality can register in the Sustainable Maryland program, plus customized Green Team training and access to student resources that are available to provide consultancy services for municipal planning, please contact 301-405-7956 or mikeh75@umd.edu   

Mike Hunninghake
Program Manager 
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