Bike to Work Week

May 13th to May 19th, 2024

Bike to Work Week is an annual event celebrated across the United States each May to encourage and celebrate bicycling to work (or anywhere!) and to promote public awareness of bicycling as a healthy alternative to driving, bicycle infrastructure, and bike safety.

Our office will be tabling at the Campus Center on May 14th and May 15th from 8:00am - 9:30am for Bike to Work Week!

Register for Bike to Work Week here.

The Freezer Is Your Friend: Tips and Recipes to Save Money and Reduce Food Waste

With food prices soaring, the UMB Office of Sustainability and Yes Chef! offer helpful tips and recipes to save money and reduce food waste.

Read the Elm article here.

UMB Campus Tree Inventory

Check out our new campus tree inventory that shows the locations of nearly 1,000 trees on campus. Trees are categorized by their general type (i.e. maple, oak, cherry, etc.). You can see how many native, non-native, and invasive species we have across campus.

See the Campus Tree Inventory here.

Compost in Your Workplace

Are you interested in composting in your workplace?

Here are our recommended 4 steps:

1. Rotate responsibilities with coworkers volunteering on a weekly basis
2. Put the compost bin in a shared space (ex. the kitchen freezer)
3. Know the UMB compost guidelines and only put accepted materials in the bin
4. Deposit the food waste in one of our 24/7 drop off locations when full

Email us at sustainability@umaryland.edu if you have any questions or need signs for your workspace.

May Creative Prompts

Prompts:

1. Create a catchy phrase that gets people excited to recycle or compost!
2. Tell us why protecting natural resources is important to you.
3. Write a poem about how summer makes you feel.
4. Describe the sounds you hear when visiting your favorite green space.

Creative Prompt Submission #1

In response to prompt #1: "What does the promise of spring mean to me?"

"To me, the promise of spring means growth and renewal. It’s an opportunity to find inspiration in my surroundings if I’ve been feeling stagnant or stuck in place."

- Angela Ober, Senior Sustainability and Effectiveness Specialist

Creative Prompt Submission #2

In response to prompt #4: "Write an acrostic poem using the word Earth."

EARTH

Environmental

Action

Requires

Thoughtful

Habits

- From an anonymous submitter

Flower Mart at Mount Vernon Place

Friday-Saturday, May 3-4, 11:00am to 8:00pm

Mount Vernon Place & Washington Monument, 699 North Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201

Celebrate the beginning of spring at the Mount Vernon Place Conservancy’s Flower Mart, Baltimore’s oldest free public festival and home to the iconic lemon stick! The springtime celebration takes place in Mount Vernon surrounding the Washington Monument with vendors lining the streets. 

Drop-in Art Making: Honoring Change

Saturdays in May, 11:00am to 1:00pm

The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201

Join us at the Walters for free art-making activities! Change can be difficult for many reasons, but growth cannot happen without it. People throughout history have used banners to share messages advocating or announcing important changes. At Drop-in Art Making, you can create your own banner to honor a change that helped you grow. All ages are welcome.

Cylburn Market Day

Saturday, May 11, 8:00am to 2:00pm

Cylburn Arboretum, 4915 Greenspring Ave, Baltimore, MD 21209

Saturday, May 11 is our free, family friendly, public festival (8am-2pm). Parking on-site is $10. We have plant vendors, gift vendors, nonprofit/family activity vendors and food vendors. Market Day is an opportunity for those interested in expanding their knowledge of plants, flowers, trees, herbs, and other flora that grow in Maryland’s soils to make purchases and talk to horticultural experts.