A Look Back: SM 2019 Annual Report /
Send Us Your 50th Anniversary Earth Day Events!
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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Maryland's Chesapeake and Coastal Grants Gateway
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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EVENTS CALENDAR
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Watershed Stewards Academy Annual Conference
Date: Feb. 22
Location: Annapolis
Native Plants Workshop
Date: Feb. 22
Location: Mt. Rainier
Taking Nature Black
Date: Feb. 27
Location: Chevy Chase
Invasive Tree ID and Removal Workshop
Date: Feb. 29
Location: Upper Marlboro
Rooting DC
Date: Feb. 29
Location: DC
Looking Ahead
DHCD Sustainable Communities Grant Workshop
Date: Landover
Location: March 5
Montgomery County Energy Summit
Dates: April 1-2
Location: Silver Spring
Bowie Green Expo
Date: April 18
Chestertown Earth Day Festival
Date: April 19
Location: Chestertown
Earth Day
50th Anniversary - April 2020
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SUSTAINABLE MARYLAND COMMUNITIES IN THE NEWS
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Annapolis, ground zero for sea level rise, has a plan to fight climate change
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SM 2019 ANNUAL REPORT: BY THE NUMBERS
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- 76 SM-registered municipalities (49% of Maryland's towns and cities)
- 38 SM-certified municipalities
- 9 SM Green Team trainings
- 3 full-day Leadership Training workshops (topic: Community Energy Efficiency)
- 2 county-wide Summits (Montgomery & Prince George's Counties)
Some notable or innovative projects recognized last year included:
- Annapolis: installed over 55,000 solar panels (~80 acres) which provides enough energy to power around 2,500 homes, and is one of the largest solar projects built on a capped landfill in the country.
- Brentwood: hosts its annual Pollinator Fest in conjunction with national pollinator week.
- Bowie: hosts its annual Bowie Green Expo at Kenhill Center, with over 50 green vendors and businesses were in attendance, as well as 400 expo-goers.
- Capitol Heights: Green Team promoted a series of healthy living clinics that educated residents about the importance of exercise and fitness.
- College Park: adopted a Complete and Green Streets Policy and Plan.
- Colmar Manor: has two community gardens, with all of the 36 beds in the two gardens cultivated, and a waiting list for more raised beds.
- Edmonston: installed two electric charging stations for vehicles, which are available to the public and to the Town for its fleet of electric vehicles.
- Frederick: partnered with Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts to build and maintain trails in the City's 7,500-acre Watershed.
- Gaithersburg: a Historic Preservation Element was adopted as part of the 2018 Master Plan update cycle.
- Havre de Grace: installed level two ChargePoint Electric Vehicle Charging Stations at David Craig Park.
- Hyattsville: purchased a Chevrolet Bolt All-Electric CUV, and converted it into a fully marked police patrol vehicle. This is first of its kind in the US.
- Middletown: observed 2018 as the "Year of Sustainability" through a year-long series of speakers and events, and has continued with a Green Lecture Series.
- New Carrollton: the City Council adopted a Sustainable Purchasing Policy.
- Ocean City: initiated a "Strawless Summer" to end plastic pollution, which focused on reducing plastic straw consumption by soliciting pledges to not use plastic straws.
- Salisbury: a new solar coop, Nexamp, provides Salisbury residents the option to subscribe to a community solar farm and lower their Delmarva Power electricity costs.
- Thurmont: adopted a Residential Clustering Ordinance, which allows developers to construct residential homes on smaller lots, without increasing the density of the homes. The remaining square footage not utilized for the homes must be set aside for environmental uses such as forestation, storm water management, or approved open space.
Learn more about these and other municipal sustainability projects across the state here.
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WORKSHOP: BUILDING ENERGY MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIES FOR ENGINEERS AND FACILITY MANAGERS, FEBRUARY 19-20
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Attention DPW and Facilities Managers: This
two-day course focuses on basic energy management strategies, including evaluating energy bills, establishing building energy baselines and various performance metrics; developing facility benchmarks utilizing Portfolio Manager.
This course has been pre-approved for incentives provided by Pepco and Baltimore Gas & Electric that are available to contractors and building operation personnel, who will be eligible to receive a cash rebate of 80% of enrollment costs per course. Sponsored by Energy Management Association.
Information and registration
here
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SEND US YOUR EARTH DAY 50th ANNIVERSARY EVENTS!
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Is your town, county or organization hosting an Earth Day event for the 50th anniversay in 2020? If so, please send us a link, and we'll make sure we post it in the March newsletter and SM website and Facebook. Email to
mikeh75@umd.edu
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QUOTE
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"Cities and communities can be re-built, but extinction is forever."
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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 mikeh75@umd.edu
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Mike Hunninghake
Program Manager
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