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Whitehouse Announces Clean Energy Savings for All Americans Initiative
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On July 19, the Obama Administration
announced a new cross government partnership to increase access to solar energy and promote energy efficiency across the United States, and in particular, in low- and moderate-income communities.
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To celebrate Chesapeake Bay Awareness week, the Frederick County and City of Frederick Sustainability offices sponsored a 2 mile hike on Saturday June 11 through some brook trout headwaters along Little Tuscarora Creek. Jen Willoughby from the City shared the history of the Frederick Municipal Forest and Watershed, as well as efforts to protect the native brook trout in this area.
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More Great Work by Interns!
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Our spring semester Hood graduate student intern
Brad Goodman
put together research on E. coli bacteria and helped with the Stormwater Restoration Plan to reduce this pollutant. Brad will be finishing his Master's this summer! Thanks for your help and best wishes for the future!
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is a dynamic approach to long-range planning. We want to put in place the community's vision for a sustainable, high quality of life in Frederick County, Maryland, over the next 25 years. We plan to focus on:
Vibrant, healthy communities
Sustainable business growth
A strong agricultural economy
Tell us what kind of community Frederick should become!
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Not Red
by Linda Norris-Waldt
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Check out this month's Frederick Magazine where Sustainability Award winners and Shannon Moore share how businesses can find success in environmental stewardship!
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Homegrown Frederick Website
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The Frederick County Office of Economic Development has launched a new agricultural website
that serves farmers and citizens by promoting local agriculture and business in order to preserve the rich heritage of our County.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Frederick County Sustainability Commission Meetings
3rd Wednesdays
(July 20, August 17,
September 21)
3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
3rd Floor Meeting Room
Winchester Hall
Fox Haven
Learning Center
Mindful Eating
Mushroom Foraging
Coyote Hazing Training
Contemplative Photography
Mindfulness in Nature Youth Series
Fermented fruits - Foraging Series,
Mindfulness Retreat for Teens & More!
Paleo and Paleo-Vegan Picnic Fare with Heather Wurzer
Perfect Pickles
Independence from Pain with Dr. Amir Rashidian
Picnic & Party Fare with Common Market Staff
Be Free from Cravings with Megan Powell
Chicken Basics with Common Market Staff
Don't Take a Vacation from Your Health with Dr. Amir Rashidian
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Looking for a Green Professional?
Check out the searchable database at
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BUSINESS RESOURCES FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY& RENEWABLE ENERGY
Potomac Edison Business Rebate Programs
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IMPROVEMENTS
at HOME
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Energy Efficiency Financing for Homeowners
Potomac EdisonHome Energy Analyzer
Maryland Energy Administration
Compare Rates of Electricity Suppliers or Find Suppliers of Wind Power for Your Home (Read agreements carefully and understand variable rate offers!)
For Maryland Homes & Businesses. Save energy and money with rebates for natural gas equipment.
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Frederick County Office of Sustainability and Environmental Resources Staff
Shannon Moore
Manager
Darlene Bucciero
Project Manager IV
Suzanne Cliber
Green Homes Coordinator
Louisa McIver
Chesapeake Conservation
Corps Volunteer
Angelia Miller
Chesapeake Conservation
Corps Volunteer
Lisa Orr
Sustainability Program Coordinator
Matthew Witmer
Intern
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Chesapeake Conservation Corps volunteer Lia Miller (left) engages Thurmont Elementary students in a storm drain education project.
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This newsletter is full of information about the progress or other OSER projects and programs as well as the great accomplishments of our interns and volunteers.
Enjoy the newsletter and enjoy the summer!
Shannon Moore
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UPDATES from MCWA: Trout in the Classroom
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 Trout in the Classroom (TIC) is a national environmental education program where K-12 students raise trout from eggs in their classroom and then release the trout as fingerlings (juveniles) into coldwater streams. Through this program, students gain an understanding of watershed stewardship and environmental conservation and help support the future of local trout populations. In Frederick County, TIC is run through the Potomac-Patuxent Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
 In the springtime, the students take a field trip to a local park where they release their trout into coldwater streams and participate in other stream-related activities, including learning about water quality, stream habitat, macroinvertebrates, and fly fishing. These field trips rely on volunteers to help run the activities. OSER's two Chesapeake Conservation Corps volunteers, Angelia Miller and Louisa McIver, helped out at a few of these field trips where they led activities and assisted in trout releases. Click here for more information on TIC.
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STAFF UPDATE: What a Difference our Chesapeake Conservation Corps Volunteers Make!
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 Over the past year, our fantastic Chesapeake Conservation Corps (CCC) volunteers, Angelia Miller and Louisa McIver, have both worked independently and collaboratively on projects that help achieve OSER's mission.
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| | Angelia Miller |
At the start of her service year last fall, Angelia helped the office meet our stormwater permit requirement by performing illicit discharge inspections at local businesses around the county. These inspections help ensure that businesses are not directly dumping or allowing leaks into our storm drain system that conveys pollution directly to waterways. In April, she planted a riparian buffer of 300 native trees and shrubs at Pinecliff Park with the help of 50 Girl and Boy Scout volunteers. Lastly, just this past May, Angelia visited Thurmont Elementary School and Lewistown Elementary School to teach third, fourth, and fifth graders about stormwater and where pollution on sidewalks and streets ends up after storm events.
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| | | Louisa McIver | |
Louisa began her service year helping the County meet stormwater permit requirements by evaluating current litter problems and litter-control programs, and creating outreach materials on the environmental impacts of litter. In April, Louisa planted a riparian buffer of 300 native trees and shrubs on a farm in Walkersville with the help of Stream-link Education and 25 volunteers. Finally, Louisa has spent a large part of her year helping to establish a large-scale reforestation and conservation easement program. In this program, which will launch this coming fall, private landowners can have trees planted on their property at no cost to them and will be paid by the County to place an easement on the reforested area to permanently protect the trees.
Together, Louisa and Angelia conducted a rain garden workshop for local citizens during the Green Neighbor Forum at Hood College in March. They also aided in the production of the Stormwater Restoration Plan by modeling Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) allowances and reductions, and mapping the current conditions and Best Management Practices (BMPs) around the county. This Restoration Plan will help the County meet pollution reduction percentages set by the Maryland Department of the Environment. Using the modeling completed by Louisa and Angelia, OSER will be able to hypothesize how many BMPs will need to be installed in order to meet the reduction requirements.
After their CCC positions at OSER conclude at the end of August, both Louisa and Angelia plan to continue to work in the environmental field. OSER has been most grateful for their excellent contributions and service. We wish them both the best of luck!
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SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION:
2016 Sustainability Award Winners and more!
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On May 19, County Executive Jan Gardner recognized the recipients of the 2016 Sustainability Awards. The Frederick County Sustainability Commission selected Sustainability Award winners in the following categories: business, individual, nonprofit, and County employee. Awardees have made outstanding contributions to help Frederick County advance sustainability efforts and were selected based on demonstrated leadership, innovation and success in sustainability.
The 2016 Awardees are:
- Business: The Natural Fusion Hair Studio is the first salon in the state to recycle salon waste and is now Maryland's first Green Circle Salon. The owners have achieved a 95% reduction in their salon waste through the program.
- Individual: Rich Maranto created the Maryland Solar and Green Homes Tour and Green Drinks networking event. He has also been actively involved and played key roles in the Land and Cultural Preservation Fund, Citizens for the Preservation of Middletown Valley, the U.S. Green Building Council's Maryland Chapter, the American Solar Energy Society, and Frederick County's Sustainability Commission.
- Nonprofit: The Frederick Community Action Agency has administered the County's Weatherization Assistance Program since 1995. The Weatherization Program assists low income residents to reduce their energy consumption with measures they would likely not be able to complete without assistance.
- County Employee: Matthew Witmer volunteered with the County's Office of Sustainability and Environmental Resources to help develop restoration plans for local waterways that have been impaired due to excessive amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment. Matt often worked evenings and weekends to complete his work. His efforts have saved the County approximately $70,000 in avoided consultant costs.
Recognition certificates were also given to the AstraZeneca Frederick Manufacturing Center and Ginny Brace, long-time champion for Waterford Park.
The Commission offers a fond farewell to members Robert Black, Susan Weber, Mike Uecker, Chris Voell, and Chris May. A warm welcome to Rachel Armistead, John Ferri, and Elizabeth Peterson! The Commission will have elections at its next meeting on July 20 at 3 p.m. in Winchester Hall to select its next Chair and Vice Chair. Many thanks to Tom Anderson and Susan Weber for serving in these capacities! The Commission has been involved in the What's Next solid waste planning effort, Livable Frederick Comprehensive Plan, and will be developing policy recommendations for an environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) initiative.
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GREEN BUSINESS: e-End and Good Used Electronics Repurpose, Recycle, Protect, and Serve!
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What do the following have in common?
- A cash-strapped high school student with no personal computer or laptop
- The U.S. Secret Service with sensitive information on old cell phones
- A garage band without the right audio equipment
- Hospitals and banks with confidential info on old computers
- Households like yours with old electronics and computers taking up space in the attic
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| | | e-End President Steve Chafitz and Owner/CEO Arleen Chafitz | |
They all can get their needs met at 7118 Geoffrey Way, Unit E, right here in Frederick, where e-End and Good Used Electronics are co-located. e-Waste has become the fastest growing segment of the waste stream, with an EPA estimate of over 200 million old TVs, computers, cell phones and other electronics stored in US homes and offices. E-waste is particularly hazardous due to the harmful chemical elements such equipment contains -- lead, mercury, cadmium, barium, and many others. These harmful elements can pose hazards to human health and the environment if not disposed of properly.
Electronics pioneers Arleen Chafitz, owner and CEO of e-End, and husband Steve Chafitz, president, saw the need to address these problems and built these two businesses to do just that, and more. They help educate business owners who can be fined or even imprisoned if they don't protect Personal Identifiable Information left on old unsecured, equipment that is no longer being used. They help federal agencies by destroying hard drives, computers, monitors, weapons, and other sensitive equipment they don't want ending up in the wrong hands. And they can help you!
e-End accepts, data-sanitizes, repurposes, recycles or destroys all electronic equipment - basically anything that plugs in. Except for TVs and computer monitors, e-End accepts most equipment at no charge. TVs and CRTs contain up to 9 pounds of lead plus phosphor and other heavy metals. They are banned from landfills in most jurisdictions. Because monitors and TV's must be sent to a certified processor for proper recycling, e-End charges $25 to recycle a TV and $8 to recycle a CRT monitor to cover this cost. e-End makes no profit on recycling TVs' or monitors.
As an R2:2013, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 Certified recycler, e-End must follow strict procedures during the entire recycling process, including chain of custody of materials, environmental and public health, worker health and safety, and facility and data security. e-End has a Zero Landfill Policy for all material handled, so nothing will pose a risk to the health of the environment. None of the material that e-End processes is illegally exported. Your private information is a lot more secure if you recycle unwanted electronic devices through e-End, rather than donating them directly or leaving them unsecured in the trash or at the landfill.
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| | Computer equipment available at Good Used Electronics |
Now, back to that student and garage band. Because the highest level of recycling is reuse, e-End's IT specialists evaluate all items for possible refurbishment. Once all data has been sanitized, and any needed repairs are made, refurbished equipment is made available for donation to non-profits, or offered for sale through Good Used Electronics at an excellent value when compared to buying new. For example, laptops can be purchased for as little as $75, and desktop computers and LCD projectors start at just $30! LCD monitors start at $15.00. They also have a wide variety of refurbished audio equipment. Customers can return most purchased items within 14 days for any reason. Customers may return a PC, laptop, smartphone, or tablet or any other Certified Refurbished unit for repair, replacement, or refund within 90 days of the purchase date if the unit fails to operate due to hardware malfunction.
Any way you look at it, e-End and Good Used Electronics provide a great service for families, businesses nonprofits, and our government. For further information, visit eendusa.com and goodusedelectronics.com.
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MUNICIPAL SPOTLIGHT:
Burkittsville -- Small Village, Big Green Efforts!
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Burkittsville may be small (~55 households; pop. ~150) but it's been implementing significant green initiatives even before it joined the Sustainable Maryland Certified program in 2014. Early initiatives like Mayor Deborah Burgoyne's rain barrel distribution program, the gradual remodeling of Burkittsville's Little Red Green Barn for a visitors' center and town office, and its six year old Adopt-a-Road effort are now components of a much broader Sustainable Burkittsville Action Plan led by its nine-member Green Team.
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| | Neighbors Mayor Deb Burgoyne and Green Team Coordinator, Lisa Orr, are regular volunteers with Burkittsville's Adopt-a-Road |
The village hosts the Green Team's unique Sustainable Burkittsville website that includes an on-line Resource Center containing every resource a household might need to go green. The website also shares the Green Team's community survey results and Action Plan, current Green Team projects and initiatives, its quarterly newsletter, and blog entries.
Current and recent projects include a
Pump 'Em Out Challenge to promote regular pumping of septic systems, a
Scoop the Poop pet waste program, a
Food Forest and Backyard Produce Exchange, the production of Green Welcome Kits for new residents, and a Residential Energy Efficiency Program. Burkittsville partners with Frederick County's Green Homes Challenge for its Residential Energy Efficiency Program. Twenty-two percent of households are Certified Power Savers with 11 households having participated in either the Power Saver Retrofits or Potomac Edison Home Performance with Energy Star programs. In addition, 15% of households are Certified Green Leaders.
Burkittsville's Green Team was recently awarded a $25,000 grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust to develop a Green Street and Stormwater Master Plan. These funds will allow Burkittsville to hire an engineering firm with stormwater expertise to generate the Plan utilizing "Green Street" and stormwater best practices to address unfiltered stormwater run-off, water quality, basement flooding, degraded streams, driver and pedestrian safety, tourism appeal, light pollution, tree canopy, and pedestrian-friendly sidewalks.
Burkittsville has earned about two-thirds of the points it needs to be designated a Sustainable Maryland Certified municipality; it aims to complete certification by May 2017. For more information about Burkittsville's green efforts, visit www.SustainableBurkittsville.org or inquire via email.
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WATERSHED MANAGEMENT UPDATE:
Stormwater Ponds and Stream Restoration Projects
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| | Delauter Rd. ford at Fishing Creek |
In our spring newsletter, we wrote about two major restoration projects that OSER recently initiated in the Peter Pan Run and Potomac Direct watersheds: (1) The Villages of Urbana Pond Retrofit Project and (2) the Point of Rocks Stream Restoration and Pond Retrofit Project. These projects are currently in design. To further enhance our efforts to improve local water quality, we added three more stormwater pond retrofits to OSER's coffers of restoration projects. These stormwater ponds are owned and maintained by the County but were built prior to 2002 and not built to today's standards. They currently treat for water quantity but not quality. The reconstruction of these stormwater ponds will account for both in the Lower Monocacy River Watershed. These projects are in design with construction anticipated in the fall of 2017.
In addition to our stormwater pond and stream restoration projects, we are also enhancing a portion of Delauter Road. Delauter Road is a one-lane, gravel road with minimal drainage structures and ditches. The road crosses the left fork of Fishing Creek via a ford near Fishing Creek Road. The surface of the road washes off, gullies form in the road, and channels along the road erode out on a regular basis. The purpose of the project is to decrease the amount of road and culvert material that is washing into the stream and covering up fish habitat. The project will re-grade the existing gravel road to create a better drainage pattern and replace the old gravel bed with a Driving Surface Aggregate (DSA) mix that is designed for brook trout areas. This material is like gravel but it compresses to a better strength while still retaining porosity. The project will also decrease the concentration of flow by creating areas of washoff where water can flow in a sheet from the road rather than going into culverts. Old culverts will be replaced where washoff is not possible, and new culverts will be added with outfall protection in order to decrease flows and erosion. The end result will be a road that requires less costs for maintenance because less material will be washing off with every spring snowmelt and big storm. The project is partly funded by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and partly from Frederick County dollars. OSER worked with the Division of Public Works and engineers at Wilson T. Ballard to get the design work done. We are excited because the project will be going to construction this fall.
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RESIDENTIAL ENERGY: Few Power Saver Retrofit Slots Left!
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In our spring issue we announced that Frederick County received a $930,000 Empower Clean Energy Communities grant to continue the Power Saver Retrofits (PSR) program in 2016 and early 2017. This program, which aims to serve 150 households, is filling fast; 130 households have been approved for the program to date!
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| | PSR participant Elayne Hyman poses with her new HVAC unit along with Atlas Home Energy Solutions owners Mike Uecker and Matt Sera. |
A few slots still remain for moderate- and low-income Frederick County homeowners who want to reduce their energy bills. PSR participants receive, at no cost to them, a
The energy saving home improvements available through PSR include Attic and basement air sealing and insulation; duct testing and sealing; heating and cooling system (HVAC) tune-ups and upgrades to Energy Star® models; appliance and water heater upgrades to Energy Star® models and more! Applications are available here.
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The Frederick County Office of Sustainability and Environmental Resources advances practical solutions for protecting the environment, conserving energy, and living sustainably
in Frederick County.
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