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Sustainable Maryland Update
June 2017


  Ramping Up Pet West Management in Prince George's County /  Styrofoam Recycling Initiative / $500K in Energy Efficiency Grants for MD Smart Energy Communities   
       
Our monthly sampling of news, resources, events and other items of interest from across the sustainability spectrum in Maryland. 

SM staff are working on Pet Waste Management with seven municipalities in Prince George's County, including the team from Fairmount Heights
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
NEW!
Prince George's County TNI Clean Energy Grants
Deadline: rolling
More info

NEW!
Prince George's County Energy STAR Certification & Green Leasing Program
Deadline: rolling
More info

Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Rebate Program 2.0
(Maryland Energy Administration)
Deadline: June 30, 2020
  More info

Water Infrastructure and Innovation Act Loan Program
Deadline: July 6, 2018
More info

Maryland Smart Energy Communities Grants
Deadline: October 10
More info
Contact SM staff for assistance with applications

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 Weatherization Program  
Deadline: Rolling   

Prince Georges County Raincheck Rebate  (Chesapeake Bay Trust)
Deadline: Rolling
More info


2017 SUSTAINABLE MARYLAND ANNUAL REPORT

Check out our   2017 Annual Report with info on certified municipalities, SM events and initiatives, and more!


EVENTS CALENDAR


Colmar Manor Sustainability Workshop
Date: June 9
Location: Colmar Manor
Link

Maryland Municipal League Summer Convention
Dates: June 10-13
Location: Ocean City
Link
Stop by the SM exhibit at booth #724 on Main Street
Old Line State Summit (Historic Preservation)
Date: June 15-16 
Location: UMD-College Park 
Link 
 
Montgomery County Heritage Days
Dates: June 23 & 24
Locations: countywide
Link

Green Housekeeping Workshop
Date: June 27
Location: Laurel
Link

SM Webinar - Community Solar
Date: June 27
Link

One Montgomery Green Gala
Date: June 28
Location: Brookside Gardens, Wheaton
Link
Includes annual MD Green Registry Awards


Looking Ahead


Talbot County Fair
Dates: July 12-14
Location: Easton
Link

College Park Sustainability Expo
Date: July 14
Location: College Park
Link 

Harford County Farm Fair
Dates: July 23-28
Location: Bel Air
SUSTAINABLE MARYLAND COMMUNITIES IN THE NEWS


Money doesn't always grow on trees, so Edmonston found ways to turn its streets green
 More

Riverdale Park Station Getting More Bikeshare Stations
 More

Ocean City Plans to Address Flooding
 More












SM STAFF RAMPING UP PET WASTE MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY
Seat Pleasant staff and council members examining locations for pet waste stations


Colmar Manor Mayor Sadara Barrow with newly arrived pet waste stations and signage

Installation of 70 new pet waste stations in Berwyn Heights, Capitol heights, Colmar Manor, Fairmount Heights, Forest Heights, Hyattsville, and Seat Pleasant will augment the 60 stations installed in six municipalities last year. A steady flow of municipality-branded communications will also reach residents over the course of the coming year, including pre- and post-surveys to gauge awareness and behavior change on this issue. SM staff hope to work with a new group of municipalities next year, so please email mikeh75@umd.edu to let us know if your town would be interested in participating in this initiative.
 
$500,000 AVAILABLE FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROJECTS FROM MARYLAND SMART ENERGY COMMUNITIES GRANTS
 
Funding for the Maryland Smart Energy Communities (MSEC) program for the fiscal year 2019 is now available. The budget is intended to be $500,000 to be divided between new communities and existing MSEC communities. In the Fiscal Year 2019, funding Is ONLY available for energy-efficiency projects. SM staff assist the Maryland Energy Administration with these grants. If your municipality has never applied for these grants, please contact us immediately at mikeh75@umd.edu or 301-405-7956 to discuss possible projects for an application. First time applicants have an advantage in receiving funding. Application deadline is October 10.  
MUNICIPALITIES CAN HELP CREATE A STYROFOAM COLLECTION/RECYCLING NETWORK ACROSS MARYLAND
Expanded polystyrene (EPS), also known as Styrofoam, is used in many industries including construction, packing consumer products and food packaging. It currently is not permitted in the recycling stream of most jurisdictions, and typically is sent to the landfill. Due to its inert nature, it does not decompose, and, because of its low density, it takes up more landfill space than materials of a similar mass. 
 
There are numerous companies that can recycle this material and convert it to a range of products. Currently, demand for post-consumer recovery of EPS far outweighs the supply of this material. Lack of awareness and infrastructure to support the collection of EPS has been cited as a significant barrier to expanding the collection of EPS products. This includes collection of this material and transport to a site where it can be densified into a compact material for shipment to a re-purposing operation.    
EPS drop-off center 

There are several vendors selling this equipment and a range of densification approaches based on hydraulic, auguring, and thermal principles (Foodservice Packaging Institute,  http://www.fpi.org/recyclefoam ). An area such as the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area has the potential to collect sufficient EPS to warrant development of an EPS collection and densification center.

Potential partners could include local municipalities, private vendors, and the EPS Industry Alliance located in Crofton, MD. Sasic Styrofoam collection facilities can be purchased for as little as $1,500-$2,000. 

Please contact SM at mikeh75@umd or 301-405-7956 for more information if your Green Team, town or county is interested in hosting an EPS collection site. 
   
STOP BY THE SM BOOTH AT MARYLAND MUNICIPAL LEAGUE CONVENTION IN OCEAN CITY, JUNE 10-13

Attendees of the annual Maryland Municipal League Summer Convention in Ocean City (June 10-13) should make sure you stop by the Sustainable Maryland booth (#724 on the Main Street exhibit area) to learn how your community can register with Sustainable Maryland, ask staff last minute questions about your 2018 certification application, or learn more about what other SM communities are doing to advance sustainability projects in their communities. See you there!
   
SM WEBINAR - COMMUNITY SOLAR, JUNE 27, 2PM
 
What does Community Solar mean for your community? Now that community solar projects are open for new subscribers, find out how it works, what it means for your constituents, and how it impacts our local environment.  

Learn more about Community Solar at our webinar on Wednesday, June 27, 2:00-3:00pm.

 
Presenters: 
Gary Skulnik - CEO of Neighborhood Sun
Jay Carlis -  Executive VP, Community Energy Solar
 
Gary Skulnik is a long time advocate and entrepreneur in Maryland pushing for clean energy solutions to climate change and environmental challenges. He founded and now runs Neighborhood Sun, the state's only community solar company. Before that, he co-founded and ran Clean Currents, a leading green energy provider in Maryland.
Jay Carlis co-manages solar project and business development for Community Energy Solar in the Eastern US. He led the execut ion of Community Energy's 180MW of PPAs with Amazon Web Services. Jay has been with Community Energy for over ten years and has over fifteen years' experience in the clean energy and environmental fields.  
 
QUOTE
 
"We fail to measure the full consequences of the choices we make. We have to reclaim our own destiny by measuring what really matters to our future, starting with a decision to reduce the global warming pollution."

--Al Gore, former U.S. Vice President, speaking at University of Maryland 2018 commencement 
 

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   

Mike Hunninghake
Program Manager 
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