Be Cool, Calm, and Prepared this Summer |
Dear Baltimore Office of Sustainability Friends,
We’re gearing up for summer with excitement, warmth, and cicadas in the air! Though temperatures are still comfortable, summertime warming comes with risks of extreme heat and flooding. It's also important to remember that many parts of our city are at even higher risk of extreme heat because of a history of environmental racism. The urban heat island effect is exacerbated in areas with fewer trees and green spaces -- which are often predominantly BIPOC and lower income neighborhood -- so we need to ensure our communities are prepared. For advice on staying cool and preparing for Code Red days, take a look at our newsletter’s Turtle Tip this month. Be sure to follow the Office of Emergency Management and our office on Facebook or Instagram where we share information on flood awareness and emergency preparedness. The MyCoast Maryland app is also live and read for use, so if you see flooding in the city, you can use the app to report it! The data collected will be used by both the City and State to understand and address future flooding.
May is also Mental Health Awareness month, and a very simple way to check in with yourself and practice mindfulness is to step outside and connect with nature. We hope some of the activities we've listed in this newsletter can help, whether it’s by riding your bike to work, reading a book outside, birdwatching in Patterson Park, or signing up for a Nature Nurtures workshop next month.
The warm May weather brings opportunities to connect with your communities, so get outside, take a deep breath, and have some fun! Also check out tonight's 4pm Sustainability Commission meeting for some enlightening conversation on water quality, transit equity, and environmental health.
Warmly,
Baltimore Office of Sustainability Staff
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North Ave Mission community members. Photo c/o North Ave Mission. |
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Located in central Baltimore’s Station North neighborhood, North Ave Mission has been providing food, clothing, shelter, and community to neighbors throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. In their own words: “North Ave Mission is a fellowship of unhoused and formerly unhoused people, those who are food and housing insecure, people who use drugs and people in recovery, people living with disability and mental illness, as well as those with lived experience, and their friends and supporters in Station North, Baltimore. We are LGBTQ+ and straight, youth and elders. We come together to hear and know that we are children of God. Centering the leadership and following the dreams and visions of those most impacted by structural racism and unjust systems, we walk together as we advocate for justice and dignity and care for our community.”
Together, the members of North Ave Mission started Red Shed Village, a shelter and support project, and also run Farm to Stoop, a weekly free market. Learn more about them in this recent article from Baltimore Magazine, and check out their joint fundraiser with the Black Church Food Security Network to bring food to those in need while supporting local growers.
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You don’t have to be a climate scientist or city planner to help improve the sustainability and resilience of Baltimore. Everyone has a story to tell about making Baltimore a stronger, fairer, and safer place for all of us. We’ve been collecting stories on our website, and we invite you to share yours with us by posting on social media with the hashtag #EveryStoryCounts and/or by emailing us.
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Wellness & Environmental Book Club for City Schools Students |
Since December 2020, our Office has been partnering with the Black Mental Health Alliance to lead a monthly Wellness & Environmental Book (WEB) Club for Baltimore City Public School students. Each month, we select books for Elementary, Middle, and High School students on a theme pertaining to mental health, wellness, and the environment. Our monthly workshops include read-alouds, group discussions, and mindfulness activities for students to strengthen connections between nature and mental health. Most books can be borrowed through Enoch Pratt's free, e-book platform, and we have created a google classroom with recordings of many of the books. Previous topics covered include "gratitude & communication," "meditation," "stress management," and "advocacy."
For the month of May, we are partnering with City Schools' Great Kids Farm to focus on gardening and healthy eating. Students will read Gabe and His Green Thumb by local author David Miller, and Great Kids Farm will provide free seedling kits and teach each student how to plant their own herbs! If you have Baltimore City Public School students interested in joining our next workshops, email Anika Richter at anika.richter@baltimorecity.gov.
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Nature Nurtures 2021 Workshop Series |
As part of a larger initiative to increase equitable access to nature in Baltimore City, our Cities Connecting Children to Nature team is hosting workshops for formal and informal educators, childcare providers, and health professionals. We hope to foster cross-sector communication and share the wealth of information that educators, childcare providers, and health experts each bring to the table in helping Baltimore’s children thrive. These workshops highlight the mental and physical health and academic benefits of spending time in nature, address barriers to nature access in Baltimore City, and expose residents to various local green spaces and practitioners.
The Nature Nurtures 2021 workshop series runs from mid-June to mid-July, and will include a combination of virtual and in-person, outdoor sessions. Some of the workshops include trauma-informed care trainings, forest bathing walks, professional developments on outdoor learning, nature yoga, a youth panel, and more! Find more information and registration links here, or contact Anika Richter at anika.richter@baltimorecity.gov with any questions.
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Ted Martello of TreeBaltimore leading a forest bathing session at the 2020 symposium. Photo c/o Allyson Washington. |
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Baltimore Beyond Plastic Backpack Drive Extended |
Our Office's high school intern team, organizing as Baltimore Beyond Plastic, is collecting donations of clean and gently used backpacks every weekend in May. Backpacks will be accepted at the composting stations at the Waverly Farmers Market (Saturdays, 400 E. 32nd Street) and JFX Farmers Market (Sundays, Saratoga & Holliday Streets) from 8am-12pm. The backpacks will be distributed as part of the Sustainable Survival Kits project that the team is developing to provide essential items to Baltimore's homeless population. Thanks to all who've donated so far! Please contact Abby Cocke at abby.cocke@baltimorecity.gov with questions or comments about this project.
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Sustainability Highlights |
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Art in the Right of Way toolkit cover c/o MICA. |
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Art in the Right of Way Toolkit |
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DME Re-Use Program flyer c/o DPW. |
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Durable Medical Equipment Re-Use Program Launch |
Mayor Brandon Scott and the City's Department of Public Works (DPW) launched a new waste diversion initiative with the MD Department of Aging called the Durable Medical Equipment Re-Use Program! The program provides free, durable medical equipment (DME) to any resident with an illness, injury, or disability, while simultaneously diverting a source of solid waste in the city. Equipment will include wheelchairs, crutches, canes, or walkers, and will be collected at two donation drop-off centers. Read more about the program and drop-off centers here.
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Books + Articles our Staff are Reading |
"That we cannot see all the way to the transformed society we need does not mean it is impossible. We will reach it by not one great leap but a long journey, step by step. If we see how impossible our current reality might have seemed 20 years ago -- that solar would be so cheap, that Scotland would get 97% of its electricity from renewables, that fossil fuel corporations would be in freefall -- we can trust that we could be moving toward an even more transformed and transformative future, and that it is not a set destination but, for better or worse, what we are making up as we go. Each shift makes more shifts possible. But only if we go actively toward the possibilities rather than passively into the collapse."
"Two scientific studies find the Paris climate goals could significantly reduce sea level rise by 2100 -- but also show scientists still grappling with how climate change will alter the world’s largest ice sheet."
"Anne Arundel County and Annapolis governments are moving to set up a “resilience authority,” hoping to attract money to prepare for hotter and longer heatwaves, more stormwater runoff and a rising sea brought on by climate change."
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Code Red Fact Sheet c/o Baltimore City Health Department. |
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Code Red Extreme Heat Season is here! |
Spanning May 15th-Sept 15th, Code Red Season encompasses the hottest days of the year. Code Red Alerts are made by the Baltimore City Health Department's Health Commissioner when there is a heat index of at least 105 degrees, and a Severe Code Red triggers additional city responses at a heat index of 110 degrees. Every year in Baltimore, there are a number of extreme heat-related deaths and 911calls/Emergency Department visits, so it is important to make sure you and your loved ones can stay cool this summer.
The Baltimore City Health Department's Code Red webpage has lots of great resources, including these tips for keeping your body temperature down:
- Drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol and caffeine
- Reduce outside activities and stay inside in air-conditioned locations
- Never leave children or pets alone in closed vehicles, even for short periods of time
- Check on older, sick, or frail neighbors who may need help responding to the heat
Watch out for signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke and call 911 if any of these symptoms occur or someone you know is having a heat-related emergency:
- Confusion
- Hot, dry, flushed skin or cool and clammy skin
- Lightheadedness
- Nausea
You can call 311 for extreme heat resources or to report concerns about a vulnerable neighbor. Those without electricity and AC, or those who are worried about AC-related utility bills, are particularly vulnerable. City residents who need energy assistance can apply through the state’s emergency assistance portal or call 1-800-332-6347. Older adults who need energy assistance can call 410-396-CARE (2273).
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We Love Feedback
Tell us what you want to hear! Do you have ideas on newsletter content? Or would you like to nominate an organization or person to be featured? Email us at sustainability@baltimorecity.gov.
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Our Mission
The Office of Sustainability develops and advocates for programs and policies that improve Baltimore's long-term environmental, social, and economic viability.
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417 E Fayette St, 8th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21202
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Lead Editor: Aubrey Germ, Climate and Resilience Planner
Newsletter Contributors: Bruna Attila, Coastal Resources Planner + Acting Floodplain Manager; Abby Cocke, Environmental Planner; Amy Gilder-Busatti, Environmental Planner; Kim Knox, Green Network Coordinator; Lisa McNeilly, Sustainability Director; Anika Richter, Youth Sustainability Coordinator; Lauryn Countess, Communications Intern; Sara Kaiser, Baltimore Public Allies Fellow; Brianne Martin, STATS Intern
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