It's spoOoOky season and this month we're highlighting a Baltimore non-profit that's working to conserve some of our creepiest, crawliest fellow Marylanders - the Maryland Zoo! You may know the Maryland Zoo for its exotic and native wildlife exhibits, but the Zoo is also responsible for important sustainability and conservation work in Baltimore and the surrounding region. In 2021, the Zoo phased out single-use plastics across all the campus concession stands, vending machines, and the gift shop. In addition to being plastic-free, the Zoo is working to become a zero-waste facility and has started using fully recyclable or compostable products at Zoo events. And it's not just food that gets composted - animal waste is collected and taken to a special facility that converts it to biofuel. Since the biofuel program started earlier this year, the Zoo has composted almost 60 tons of waste, creating clean energy and reducing the amount of methane released into the air. The Zoo has also worked to promote EV usage across the campus, including through the purchase of new electric shuttles in 2021 to move visitors across the Zoo grounds. During the growing season, the Zoo's Sustainability Garden provides veggies that help feed the animals. And, throughout the year, Zoo staff and volunteers participate in community tree plantings, trash pick-ups, and invasive plant removal events. 

Zoo staff and volunteers also contribute to conservation efforts through research on Maryland's native fauna like the Bog Turtle (our other Community Spotlightee of the month!). The Bog Turtle is North America's smallest turtle, with a typical length of fewer than 4 inches, and is a critically endangered species due to the loss of its wetland habitat to development. Zoo staff work with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to monitor the state's bog turtle populations and study the health and genetics of bog turtles to understand the risks these turtles face. Thank you Maryland Zoo for all of your important work!

In September 2023, Baltimore City staff joined 23 other cities from the Caribbean, North America, and Latin America as part of the first-ever Cities Forward meeting in Mexico City, Mexico. Team members from Sustainability and the Mayor's Office represented Baltimore during the inspiring, 3-day event. Cali, Columbia, Baltimore's city pair, shared progress they have made on their 'ecobarrios' or eco-neighborhoods program which weaves ecological benefits in communities citywide. Similar challenges are faced in Baltimore and Cali including extreme heat, public safety, and the stigmas both cities strive to overcome as places with complex histories. In the coming months, a formal sister city relationship with Cali will be pursued, making it our first sister city in South America! The learning and exchange has just begun, so stay tuned for future updates.

Student activists are pushing back against big polluters — and winning -- NPR

"'People think Curtis Bay is a dangerous place. It's not. It's just we're surrounded by dangerous things,' says Taysia Thompson, 17. Taysia is part of a group of student activists fighting against a very different kind of danger in their neighborhood: air pollution and climate change."

In Baltimore, yellow buses are going green -- Grist 

“'This is a really big deal for Baltimore city,' Lynette Washington, then the chief operating officer for Baltimore City Schools, told the crowd at Holabird. 'While there have been other school districts that have been doing electric buses, we haven’t had the opportunity to do it, because of access to resources. For us to have this access, and be able to participate in this type of initiative, it’s a big deal for Baltimore City'...City officials estimate that the 25 new buses will avoid over 6,000 gallons of diesel and 145 tons of CO2 per year."

Did you know you can recycle old textiles including clothes, sheets, and curtains? Baltimore City's Department of Public Works now accepts textiles at the 5 residential drop-off centers in the city. Acceptable items include clothing (including nylons and stockings), all kinds of footwear, accessories like gloves, ties, hats, and bags, and linens including bath, bed, and curtains. Items don't need to be clean or functional to be dropped off but must be dry. They will then be sorted and either recycled or donated to the City's thrift partners. For a full list of accepted materials and information on drop-off locations, check out DPW's website on textile recycling.

Another option for clothes you just don't want to let go of yet is visible mending. It wasn't until recent history that throwing textiles away instead of mending became common practice. In Japan, visible mending is known as Sashiko and has been practiced for at least 300 years. In addition to the sustainability benefits these methods have, the result is a unique piece of art and the power to bring new life to those favorite, comfortable pieces of clothing it feels impossible to let go of. For more information on supplies you need to get started (there aren't many!), check out this NPR piece with lots of pictures and information to inspire you. Happy mending!