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A full listing of our events can always be found by visiting our virtual calendar.
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Around the Watershed...
Click below to view pictures of environmental education in action with Maryland students from Sparks Elementary in Baltimore County and Greenbelt Nursery School!
Featured Video |
Home-Scale Permaculture Design Course Starting Saturday, Sept. 15 through Sunday, Sept. 16
(first of six weekends) Cromwell Valley Park, Towson, MD
Learn ethical principles and practical skills for producing your own needs from local natural resources by mimicking natural ecosystems.
Topics include energy efficient site planning for house, gardens, orchard, woodlot and wildlife habitat; farm animal forage systems; beneficial microclimate; urban strategies for food and energy production; sustainable community economics and food security.
Earn your Permaculture Design Apprentice Certificate. Six Weekends. Sliding scale $1,000 - $1,200. Register by August 15 to get the $100 early bird discount! Group discount available. Click here for details and to register online. For more information call 410-357-9523 or email [email protected].
Co-sponsored by Heathcote Community, School of Living, and Chesapeake Education, Arts and Research Society (CHEARS).
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Greetings!
Ecosystems such as streams, rivers, inland and coastal wetlands, grasslands, and forests provide numerous gifts that fundamentally support human health and well-being. In turn, we (humans) need to give back to these ecosystems by seeking to understand the complex nature of ecological systems and to protect and enhance their inherent gifts. Ecological Stewardship is a holistic approach to understanding, managing and reducing the impact we have and taking part in restoring and regenerating relationships connected to our environment. We also have the responsibility to protect these gifts for future generations to learn and live in balance with all species that inhabit the Earth. CHEARS offers plenty of opportunities for you to give back to our ecosystem - check out our happenings in this eNewsletter and on our virtual calendar.
Peace and understanding,
Kim Walsh "Our choices at all levels individual, community, corporate and government affect nature. And they affect us". --David Suzuki |
8th Annual Green Man Festival
Photo Blog by Eric Zhang
This year's Green Man Festival was a great success! Eric Zhang, photographer and Greenbelt resident, captured many great moments from this event in pictures and song. To see more, visit the blog celebrating Greenbelt's 75th anniversary. |
Greenbelt Food Forest:
Project Update: Phase I
The Greenbelt Food Forest is designing and planning for planting in the Fall! This past spring, we worked with our partners on two major events: rain garden installation during Earth Day Celebration and a Water Quality Monitoring Workshop.
Check out our Phase I Photo Journal below!
Thank you to our partners in this phase of the project: - City of Greenbelt Public Works - Camp Fire USA - Citizens to Conserve and Restore Indian Creek (CCRIC) - Ancestral Knowledge - Green ACES - Chesapeake Bay Trust |
A Thank You from GCAN...
Making strides in our community and throughout the Chesapeake region
Each month, GCAN attends and supports a variety of causes in our area and beyond with our environment in mind. Thank you to all of our members and friends who support us in our mission to educate and influence policy. Spring and summer have been action-packed so far, and July is no exception. This month, the Greenbelt Barter Network and other groups will meet again to continue discussions and planning. The Workshop Committee will reconvene this summer for a planning meeting, and GCAN Monthly Meetings will resume in September. Please refer to the GCAN Events Calendar for details about these happenings and more. |
TapRoots in Greenbelt Middle School
Saying YES! to ecological stewardship this summer
On June 30th TapRoots provided a container gardening workshop for 20 families in Franklin Park! A special shout out goes to Lucy Duff, Concetta Laskey, Kim Wash, and the staff at Franklin Park Apartments for making this event a success! Pictures will be available on TapRoots social media pages, so be sure to Follow us on Twitter @TapRoots, Like us on Facebook, and visit our website for updates .
| Jay and Breenan gardening at Springhill Lake |
After the 4th of July celebration, TapRoots will launch the Young Ecological Stewards (YES!) program at the Springhill Lake Garden Outdoor Classroom, a Three Sisters Demonstration Gardens site. Middle school students will help develop the garden site to function as an outdoor classroom and participate in a six-week experiential learning program where environmental educators and scientists will lead specialized workshops on design, water quality monitoring, forest exploration, primitive skills and nature arts.
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Three Sisters Demonstration Gardens
Gardening techniques, growing healthy food, and more
Come out to meet Lucy, Maggie, Tony, and other Greenbelt friends for relaxing, fun activities outside.
There are also a variety of special events and workshops planned each month, so keep up with the Gardens Calendar for updates.
Cleaning out your garage? Do you have extra garden tools? Contact Lucy, 301-577-2350 to donate your old or unused equipment!
Saturday, July 7 (9:00-11:00 AM) ~ Monthly work-and-play day! Huge zucchini, blooming herbs, and still more bamboo, with netting to discourage deer visitors. Join us or contact Lucy, 301-577-2350, for more information. Details...
Community Center Garden ~ 15 Crescent Road
Thursdays in July (6:30 PM-8:30 PM) ~ Thursday Dinner and Dessert
Too hot to cook? Tired after work? Exercise and rejuvenate together with free shared solar cooked veggie burgers, corn, and fresh fruit and salad for volunteers at the garden! Cool off by watering the garden - and yourself! Join us or contact Maggie for more information. Details...
Springhill Lake Community Center ~ 6101 Cherrywood Lane Wednesdays in July (7:00 PM- 8:00 PM) ~ Work-and-Play Garden Days! Volunteers of all ages are welcome to tend to the beds, finish placing mulch for pathways, and pick some healthy snacks each Wednesday this summer. Join us or contact Tony for more information. Details...
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Creating fun ways to learn about ecology and the environment
The Chestory Legacy Group meets twice yearly to continue Tom Wisner's legacy. The Chestory Archive, located at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, MD, has much of Tom's writings, art work and educational materials. These materials are now also available on the Chesapeake Environmental Literacy website. This resource will assist teachers in meeting Maryland's new environmental literacy standards....Read more
Bay Babies is now available! A delightful children's book about the Bay written by Cathy Green and illustrated by the late Mary Beth Harry. Proceeds from the sale will go toward the Mary Beth Harry Student Scholarship through the Arts Council of Calvert County.
Singing the Chesapeake This new children's song book and accompanying CD, "Singing the Chesapeake", with songs by Tom, his son Mark Wisner, and Teresa Whitaker, is scheduled to be completed this year. We are planning events this fall in various schools to celebrate this long awaited publication.
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