Farmers Markets Adapt to COVID /
Salisbury Green Team Profiled on TV /
Landover Hills' New Sustainability Resources Page /
Clever COVID Adaptations /
Our monthly sampling of news, resources, events and other items of interest from across the sustainability spectrum in Maryland.
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In response to COVID-19, Easton created a drive-thru farmers market
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FUNDING
OPPORTUNITIES
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Montgomery County Energy Efficiency Program
More info
Prince George's County Sustainable Energy grants
More info
Prince George's County Green Energy Loan program
Maryland Urban & Community Forestry Grants
(Maryland DNR)
Deadline: semi-annual
Charles County Forestry Grant Program
(Chesapeake Bay Trust)
Deadline: Rolling
Community Engagement & Restoration Mini-grants
(Chesapeake Bay Trust)
Deadline: Rolling
Prince Georges County Raincheck Rebate
(Chesapeake Bay Trust)
Deadline: Rolling
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WEBINAR AND EVENT CALENDAR
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***Please contact event organizers to ensure the program has not been canceled or postponed***
Webinar Series: Tree Fund
Local Stories: Short Films from the DC Environmental Film Festival
Info
Howard County Conservancy Summer 2020 Climate & Sustainability Webinar Series
Dates: June 17-Aug 26
Virtual - ACEEE Hot Water Forum
Dates: July 21-29
Info
Climate Change Resiliency through the Power of Nature
Date: July 22
Info
Looking Ahead
Virtual - ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficient Buildings
Dates: Aug. 17-21
National Public Health Law Conference
Dates: Sept. 16-18
Location: Baltimore
Design DC 2020
Dates: Sept. 21-23
Location: Wash. DC
Swimmable Fishable Summit
Date: September 23
Location: Baltimore
Maryland Clean Energy Summit
Date: October 20
Location: College Park
Maryland Clean Energy Summit
Date: Oct. 19
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IN THE NEWS
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"Sunny Day" Flooding on the Rise along the Chesapeake
New Outdoor Workspace for the Public Opens in College Park
How You Can Support Black-owned Businesses on Route One in Prince George's County
Maryland Department of Environment Helps Convert Motor Fleets to Cleaner Fuels
ShoreRivers receives Maryland Green Center Designation
Oyster Garden Aid Water Quality
New Pop-Up Picnic Parks in North Bethesda Encourage Eating Outdoors
Giant Foods Rolls Out Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
$1 Billion Salomon Farming Industry Launches on Maryland's Eastern Shore
Local Planners Pan Hogan's Proposal to Widen Beltway, I-270
Maryland Energy Administration Announces Funding for 14 Microgrid Projects
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FARMERS MARKETS ARE ADAPTING TO COVID-19 WITH SPECIAL GUIDELINES AND SUPPORT FROM MUNICIPALITIES
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Farmers markets have become critical frontline resources during the pandemic to ensure food security in communities.
Most markets are operating under special guidelines, including
Havre de Grace and
Greenbelt. The market in
Easton has transitioned to a 100% drive-thru format. You will be able to drive up to the various vendors, make your selections, pay, and receive your order through your vehicle window. Riverdale Park has offered residents
Farmers Market Dollars to spend at their market.
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SALISBURY GREEN TEAM PROFILED ON LOCAL TV NEWS
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The
Salisbury Green Team was profiled on local ABC47 news recently, highlighting their Sustainable Maryland certification and their local green business certification program.
Check out the 2 minute segment here.
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LANDOVER HILLS' NEW SUSTAINABILITY RESOURCES WEBPAGE
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SM student project assistant Emma Lipsky designed a new sustainability resources webpage for the Town of Landover Hills. Emma worked with Mayor Jeffrey Schomisch and Town Manager Kathy Tavel to include local, county, and state resources that residents should be aware of, including local pet waste stations, county stormwater incentives and state energy rebates.
Check out the new page
here
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Four SM student project assistants are hard at work this summer designing sustainability resources pages for other towns. Let us know if your town is interested in this technical assistance from the SM program and UMD students.
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FROM GRIST: WHY DETROIT RESIDENTS PUSHED BACK ON TREE PLANTINGS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES
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As environmental advocates, how do we make sure that we first do no harm? We listen, we learn, and then we do better.
"A landmark report conducted by University of Michigan environmental sociologist Dorceta Taylor in 2014 warned of the
'arrogance' of white environmentalists
when they introduce green initiatives to black and brown communities. One black environmental professional Taylor interviewed for the report, Elliot Payne, described experiences where green groups 'presumed to know what's best' for communities of color without including them in the decision-making and planning processes."
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CLEVER COVID SOLUTIONS FROM THE MUNICIPAL FRONT LINES
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Over the last few months we have heard from many Green Teams and municipal staff about ways they have adapted to the pandemic. From a quick switch to Zoom calls for public meetings, to splitting Public Works crews into multiple isolated teams, towns and cities have come up with new policies and programs to help residents and businesses cope with the disruption. Here are a just few:
- The City of Annapolis has created "business recovery zones" by closing streets and condoning off parking spaces on a regular basis for diners and shoppers to practice physical distancing.
- To support local businesses, the Town of Mount Airy relocated park benches for use by Main Street restaurants in adjacent municipal parking lots.
- The City of College Park is providing Small Business Assistance grants of up to $15,000.
- To address food insecurity, the Town of Riverdale Park created a Bountiful Buckets program, which allows residents of multifamily dwelling to grow vegetables on their patio or balcony.'
And in DC, taking contactless delivery to the next level, a local market has employed
mobile robots to deliver groceries along the sidewalks in Ward 8:
Let us know what your innovative ideas have emerged in your community in the last several months.
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CHESTERTOWN COUNCIL VOTES TO SUPPORT FEDERAL CLIMATE CHANGE LEGISLATION
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The Chestertown Council voted to endorse the bipartisan Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2019 (H.R. 763) at the Chestertown Mayor and Council meeting on May 18
th
. Their vote is a vote to create a systemic shift in our culture through putting a fee on carbon and transferring the proceeds of those fees to households as a dividend to promote the transition to renewable energy.
H.R. 763 is active now in the U.S. House of Representatives and has 81 co-sponsors.
Cherstertown's Council endorsement joins endorsements from 110 other local governments, 658 businesses, 6 tribal entities, 105 faith groups, 14 colleges (including Washington College), and 174 non-profits.
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SEVEN SM MUNICIPALITIES RECEIVE GREEN STREETS,GREEN JOBS, GREEN TOWNS GRANTS FROM CHESAPEAKE BAY TRUST
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 Seven SM-certified towns recently received Green Street, Green Jobs, Green Towns grants from the Chesapeake Bay Trust. Funded projects include Greening the Washington College Campus: Inaugural Stormwater Retrofits in Chestertown; Green Street Engineered Design: A Story of Art and Water in Mount Rainier; and North Seton Avenue Green Street Conceptual Plan in Emmitsburg. Check out these and other projects here.
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QUOTE
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"This pandemic has shown that our fate is inextricably linked to nature's fate. If governments invest now in the protection of nature, we not only help protect our health, we also protect our precious biodiversity, our climate, and our economies - half of the world's GDP is dependent on nature."
- Dr. Enric Sala, Explorer in Residence, National Geographic Society
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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 [email protected]
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Mike Hunninghake
Program Manager
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