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Sustainable Maryland Update
January 2017


 
WEDNESDAY WEBINARS ARE BACK IN THE NEW YEAR /
STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT HIGHLIGHT 
   
Our monthly sampling of news, resources, events and other items of interest from across the sustainability spectrum in Maryland.  
Burnside Bridge, Antietam Battlefield, Sharpsburg (Photo: Eric Reed)
Winter is a great time to go for a hike. Find a state park near you!
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
EVENTS CALENDAR
 

Maryland General Assembly Session Opening
Date: January 11
Location: Annapolis
Link

Cultivate the Chesapeake Foodshed Conference
Dates: January 12-14
Location: Hyattsville
Link

Introduction to Beekeeping Short Course
Dates: January 22 & 29
Location: Cockeysville
Link

Bethesda Green's Fields of Green Internship Fair
Date: Feb. 9
Location: Bethesda
Link

National Bike Summit
Dates: March 6-9
Location: Washington, DC
Link

3rd Annual Montgomery County Energy Summit
Date: April 5
Location: Silver Spring
Link

Bowie Green Expo
Date: April 8
Location: Kenhill Center, Bowie
Link

Our Full Events Calendar




SUSTAINABLE MARYLAND MUNICIPALITIES IN THE NEWS
 
  
Mayor Jake Day Announces Salisbury Receives Sustainable Maryland Certification
 

























WEDNESDAY WEBINARS ON SUSTAINABILITY ARE BACK IN 2017
Our first Wednesday Webinar in 2017 will be Growing Your Town's Tree Canopy on February 8

Registration is open for our Wednesday Webinars on Sustainability. Topics scheduled so far include ( click on the link for more information and to register):

Wednesday, Feb. 8 - Growing Your Town's Tree Canopy
Wednesday, Feb. 15 - Community-Based Mosquito Control Program
Wednesday, Feb. 22 - How to Organize a Green Expo
Wednesday, March 1 - Maryland Green Schools  
 
Wednesday, March 8 - Green Streets in Gaithersburg
Wednesday, March 15 - SM Certification & Re-Certification in 2017    
 
Join us to learn more about these sustainability topics and how your Green Team can start working on these projects in the new year!

UMD STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT HIGHLIGHT:
A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW

In the spring 2016 course - People, Places and Profit: Building Sustainable Places - undergraduate students were encouraged to find ways to make a difference in communities they care about through a semester long blog and video project. Students selected public places that were special to them and developed a plan to make that place more sustainable. 
 
Tatiane Lemos
This month's student project spotlight, Tatiane Lemos, selected Berwyn Park in Prince George's County as a place poised for more inclusive engagement. While Berwyn Park provides a very pleasant entertaining area for children and teens, it lacks accessibility and infrastructure dedicated to the adults and elderly, excluding them from the Park life. In order to include all age ranges in the Park life, Tatiane proposed the construction of sidewalks on the perimeter of the park and pathways, giving accessibility to all the parks infrastructure. She also suggested the creation of an outdoor gym and more equipped picnic areas (with structure to receive food trucks in festivities' days). Tatiane's vision of renewal for Berwyn Park would transform the space into a place where people from all ages can go and find fitting activities to do, in order to enjoy the benefits of open green spaces.
 
For more information on Tatiane's re-development recommendations please check out her blog . Or contact her directly at tatianecrl@yahoo.com.br        
  
MARYLAND SMART ENERGY COMMUNITIES GRANTS DEADLINE FOR NEW COMMUNITIES IS FEBRUARY 16
Does your town or city have energy efficiency, renewable energy, or transportation fuel reduction projects you would like to initiate but lack the funding? An excellent opportunity to make these projects a reality is the Maryland Smart Energy Communities (MSEC) grants.

MSEC_Logo
Applications for BOTH NEW and EXISTING communities are due by February 16.


Learn More    
 
Questions? Email mikeh75@umd.edu or call 301-405-7956 for assistance. 
   
CHECK OUT THE PRESENTATIONS & INFORMATION FROM OUR RECENT SUSTAINABILITY METRICS LEADERSHIP TRAININGS

40 people attended our Leadership Training on Sustainability Metrics in Hyattsville  
 
The full slate of presentations and information resources from our November 2016 "Sustainability Metrics: Measuring What Matters" workshops can be found here.
  
 
QUOTE
"The Paris Agreement cannot be stopped as the global energy transition cannot be stopped. The world is forging ahead, and the smart money is on clean energy. Who would be against this unstoppable global trend? Who would like to be left behind?" 

- Miguel Arias CaƱete, Spanish head of the European Commission
 
 
   

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 Town Creek Foundation, 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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