Thank you for supporting SB737 / HB1520 /
Welcome aboard La Plata and Pittsville /
Recap: Route 1 Corridor Green Team Summit
Our monthly sampling of news, resources, events and other items of interest from across the sustainability spectrum in Maryland.
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FUNDING
OPPORTUNITIES
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Anne Arundel Forestry and Forested Land Protection
Deadline: March 26
More info
EarthShare Energy Grants Deadline: May 1
Montgomery County Green Bank
More info
Montgomery County Energy Efficiency Program
More info
Prince George's County Sustainable Energy grants
More info
Prince George's County Green Energy Loan program
More info
Maryland Urban & Community Forestry Grants
(Maryland DNR)
Deadline: semi-annual
More info
Charles County Forestry Grant Program
(Chesapeake Bay Trust)
Deadline: Rolling
More info
Community Engagement & Restoration Mini-grants
(Chesapeake Bay Trust)
Deadline: Rolling
More info
Prince Georges County Raincheck Rebate
(Chesapeake Bay Trust)
Deadline: Rolling
More info
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NEWS AROUND MD
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Maryland bill spells out specific measures to fight climate change
Smart ponds creating a splash in stormwater control
Climate study predicts extent of heavier rains on Eastern Shore
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SUSTAINABLE MARYLAND COMMUNITIES IN THE NEWS
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La Plata proclaimed Maryland's first Bird City
Takoma Park debates getting to net zero carbon emissions by 2035
Frederick County hires new Director of Livable Frederick
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF SB0737 / HB1520!
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Sustainable Maryland Green Teams, Local Elected Officials, and Supportive Stakeholders, we need your help!
The Maryland General Assembly is considering a bill that would fund the Sustainable Maryland program and help provide local governments' additional education, technical assistance, and financial resources necessary to implement and adopt sustainability practices.
The bill passed the Senate 45-0, but has not yet passed the House. Due to the COVID-19 situation, the Legislature convened early, but will resume in May for an emergency session. We do not currently know if they will take up the bill at that time.
In the meantime, with your support, we hope to grow the capacity of local governments and empower local action to realize statewide environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Please reach out to your delegates and let them know that you support the Sustainable Maryland Program Fund (
SB0737
/
HB1520
).
Help ensure that communities have the education, technical assistance, and financial resources necessary to improve our quality of life and make the State of Maryland more sustainable.
Maryland General Assembly -
And thank you to all the mayors, municipal staff, council members and Green Teams who have written letters and testified on behalf of these bills!
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WELCOME ABOARD LA PLATA AND PITTSVILLE
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Welcome aboard to the Town of
La Plata (Charles County) and the Town of
Pittsville (Wicomico County), our 77th and 78th municipalities to join the Sustainable Maryland program.
We'll be working with both towns in the coming months to organize and train their new Green Teams and to develop Action Plans for their communities.
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HIGHLIGHTS: ROUTE ONE CORRIDOR GREEN TEAM SUMMIT
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Route One Green Team Summit, Colmar Manor Community Center
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Fourteen towns were represented at the
Route One Corridor Green Team Summit last month. This informative and inspiring event, hosted by Sustainable Maryland and the Town of Colmar Manor, offered attendees a forum for sharing their current projects and offering a wish list of multi-municipal and regional projects for the region. A clear standout was the desire for expanded composting, including a new regional composting facility that could be shared by corridor municipalities. Other hot topics included: community choice aggregation for renewable energy; electric vehicle charging stations; pollinator corridors; a County Climate Action Plan, and much more. Attendees suggested, and SM agreed, that this will become an annual event. We look forward to supporting the work of these communities.
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WEBINAR: FUNDING AND FINANCING STRATEGIES FOR INTEGRATED HAZARD MITIGATION AND WATER RESOURCES PLANS, MAY 27
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 In light of increasing development and ever-changing future conditions, increasingly stressed infrastructure, and growing financial pressures, integrating hazard mitigation and water quality-focused resource management is becoming more important to the success of water systems and other public-serving entities. While finance and budgeting is often considered a last step in developing a project or program, incorporating a financing strategy early on can help ensure long-term project success. This webinar will provide strategies for incorporating funding and financial strategies into integrated plans and explore various solutions for how communities can pay for water resource project.
Speakers:
Matthew Konfirst, Physical Scientist, US EPA Region 3 State & Watershed Partnerships Section (3WD31)
Brandy Espinola, Sustainability & Resiliency Program Manager, UMD-Environmental Finance Center
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QUOTE
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"Climate change is not a hypothetical crisis. It is a present crisis, and it will be the task of our lifetime to reverse this trend."
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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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