TWO SM GRANTS THIS SPRING:

PEPCO AND DELMARVA POWER (NEW!)

The Sustainable Maryland program is announcing two grant opportunities this spring:

Pepco Sustainable Communities Grants

SM is now in our 4th year of managing these grants. Municipalities and non-profits in the Pepco service area (Montgomery County, Prince George's County and Washington, DC) are eligible to receive $125,000 in funding for Environmental Stewardship and Community Resilience projects. Application deadline is July 16.

Click here for the Request for Proposal and to register for the overview webinar on May 7.

Delmarva Power Sustainable Communities-NEW! SM is pleased to announce that we will now also be administering these established grants for Exelon. Municipalities and non-profits in the Delmarva Power service area (parts of Maryland's Eastern Shore and Cecil and Harford Counties, and the state of Delaware) are eligible to receive $35,000 in funding for Environmental Stewardship and Community Resilience projects. Application deadline is July 16.

Click here for the Request for Proposal and to register for the informational webinar on May 14.

For more information about SM grants contact SMGrants@umd.edu

SM 2024 ANNUAL REPORT

The Sustainable Maryland program greatly expanded its support for local governments in 2024 with the launch of our new SM Action Grants. These grants, available to SM-registered and certified municipalities, are designed to fund a variety of sustainability projects, empowering communities to implement meaningful, on-the-ground solutions. We also inaugurated a series of sustainability walking tours, offering Green Teams and elected officials practical, replicable and inspiring examples of projects they can implement in their towns.

2024 by the numbers: 

• 91 SM-registered municipalities (59% of Maryland's towns and cities) 
• 51 SM-certified municipalities
• 13th annual SM certification awards
• 4 Sustainability Walking Tours
• 1 SM Leadership Training (Accessing Climate/Energy Funding)
• 1 Sustainability Summit for Homeowners Associations (City of Gaithersburg)
• 2,500 Black-eyed Susan seed packets distributed

Click here to learn more.

SPRING ECO-EVENTS IN SM TOWNS AND CITIES

Check out some eco-events across the region this spring:

April:

Gaithersburg Green Month Info

Bowie Earth Month Info

Rockville Earth Month Info

April 19:

Hyattsville Arbor Day Celebration Info

Laurel Earth Day Cleanup Info

April 22: Mount Airy Earth Day Nature Walk Info

April 25:

Middletown Arbor Day Tree Planting Info

North Beach Earth Dasy Celebration Info

University Park Arbor Day Info

April 26:

Montgomery County Green Fest Info

Takoma Park Earth Day Celebration Info

Chestertown Earth Day Festival (Info)/ River Arts Festival (Info)

April 27: Boonsboro Earth Day/Arbor Day Celebration

May 31: University Park Meadow Day Info

SM SPRING VIRTUAL HAPPY HOUR, APRIL 25

Join the SM Team for one of our quarterly virtual Happy Hours this year. Share what's inspiring you, or perhaps confounding you; learn about upcoming SM and other events and opportunities; and get feedback from a supportive group of your peers.

All are welcome - Green Team members, local elected officials, government staff, state and nonprofit representatives, and engaged citizens. Register below to receive a zoom link:

Friday, April 25, 4:00pm, register

We hope to see you there!

URBAN FORESTRY CAREERS CAMP AT UMD, JULY 13-19

Explore your future career in the exciting and growing field of Urban Forestry. Come spend a week on Maryland's flagship campus in College Park and experience hands-on learning with industry professionals and experts in many forestry-related fields.



Be one of 40 high school students selected to spend a week at the University of Maryland with other like-minded students from across the state.

The one-week camp will be held from July 13-19. For more information and application form, click here.

RESIDING IN RURAL COMMUNITIES:

A SUSTAINABLE GROWTH WORKSHOP FROM ESLC - APRIL 22

Join the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy for an insightful event: Residing in Rural Communities, on April 22, 9am-3pm, at Chesapeake College.

Discover how value-per-acre data can pave the way for innovative solutions to the growing housing crisis and shed light on the return on investment for land use for local governments. Guest Speaker: Edward Erfurt, Director of Community Action at Strong Towns

Lunch will be provided.

For more information and to register click here.