Dear Friend
Season's Greetings! - Leadership Training in Sustainability Workshops - UMD Students Assist Green Teams - Salisbury Moves Forward on Stormwater
Our monthly sampling of news, resources, events and other items of interest from across the sustainability spectrum in Maryland.
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Leadership Training in Sustainability Workshop, College Park
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ON-LINE SUSTAINABILITY COURSE AT UMD
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Check out the new online class
Sustainable Community Development, offered by UMD's Environmental Finance Center and Institute for Governmental Service and Research. The class emphasizes sustainable community development for counties and municipalities in the State of Maryland. And for municipal residents of Maryland, the class provides an introduction to the EFC's Sustainable Maryland program.
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GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
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Charles County Forestry Grant ProgramDeadline: Rolling More infoCommunity Engagement & Restoration Mini-grantsDeadline: Rolling More infoPrince Georges County Weatherization Program Deadline: Rolling
Prince Georges County Raincheck Rebate
Deadline: Rolling More infoMEA Maryland Smart Energy Communities Grants - EXISTING COMMUNITIESDeadline: December 19 LinkMEA Maryland Smart Energy Communities Grants - NEW COMMUNITIESDeadline: January 26 LinkMEA Parking Lot Solar Canopy with Electric Vehicle ChargersDeadline: March 2 Link
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EVENTS CALENDAR
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3rd Annual Symposium on Environmental Justice and Environmental Health Disparities in MD and DC
Location: UMD, College Park
Dates: December 6-7
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Winter Solstice
December 21
Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) Annual Winter Conference
Location: Cambridge
Dates: January 7-9
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Growth and the Future of the Chesapeake Bay Conference
Location: Hood College, Frederick
Dates: January 13-14
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Beyond the Lawn: Landscaping with Nature workshop
Location: Westminster
Date: January 17
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Cultivate the Chesapeake Foodshed Annual Conference
Location: College Park
Dates: January 15-17
LinkLight after the Storm: Strategies for Revitalization after the Recession (workshop for local elected officials)
Location: Baltimore
Date: January 28 Link
New Partners for Smart Growth National Conference Location: Baltimore
Dates: January 29-31
LinkBethesda Green's Fields of Green Internship Fair
Location: Bethesda
Date: January 31
LinkLooking AheadMaryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Educators Annual ConferenceLocation: Ocean City
Dates: February 5-8
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ENVIRONMENTAL FINANCE CENTER WEST CONDUCTS LEADERSHIP TRAINING IN 3 MARYLAND REGIONS
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Hagerstown Mayor David Gysbert (right) participates in conversation mapping
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Sustainable Maryland hosted three regional Leadership Training in Sustainability workshops in Cambridge, College Park, and Hagerstown in November, which saw approximately 100 attendees from municipalities, counties, non-profits, and other organizations learn more about communicating sustainability to local stakeholders. Workshop facilitators Lauralee Barbaria and Sarah Diefendorf from the Environmental Finance Center West led attendees through various modules, including how to: frame the sustainability message; create compelling presentations; lead conversation mapping exercises that engage stakeholders; utilize the PESTEL (Political, Environmental, Social, Technology, Economic, and Legal) tool to identify and prioritize stakeholders; and lead a wind tunnel exercise that tests future scenarios. Sustainable Maryland plans to offer similar workshops to local Green Teams in 2015.
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UMD INTEGRATED LIFE SCIENCES STUDENTS ASSIST LOCAL SUSTAINABLE MARYLAND GREEN TEAMS
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This fall Sustainable Maryland again partnered UMD Integrated Life Sciences freshman, who are required to devote service-learning hours to local organizations, with two Sustainable Maryland Green Teams, in order to provide capacity-building to local sustainability projects. The Takoma Park Committee on the Environment/Green Team utilized ILS volunteers to inform attendees at the annual Takoma Park Street Festival about composting. ILS students stood at the trash stations at the festival to inform attendees about how to sort their garbage properly, and also spoke to attendees about their opinions on composting at the festival and composting in general. Click here to learn more about this project. ILS students also assisted the Mount Rainier Green Team with organizing the City's many sustainability initiatives into one cohesive section on its municipal website. Residents and visitors will be able to easily access information across a variety of topic areas and how they can access local, county and state programs.
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CITY OF SALISBURY CREATES STORMWATER UTILITY TO PROVIDE MUCH-NEEDED INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES
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The City of Salisbury's Council unanimously approved a stormwater utility to provide much-needed upgrades to the City's infrastructure. The action follows the May 2013 report by the UMD's Environmental Finance Center which identified $25 million in potential stormwater upgrades in the city, and recommended the formation of a utility and a fee structure. Tim Spies, historically the council's most conservative member, called his vote for the new fee, set to take effect on July 1, 2015, a "resounding yes." "This isn't a water tax," he said. "This is about what's washed into our waterways and into our drinking water. This is an economic imperative for us."
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MARYLAND SMART ENERGY COMMUNITIES GRANTS FOR NEW COMMUNITIES - DEADLINE JANUARY 26
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Communities that have yet tp participate in the Maryland Energy Adminstration's Smart Energy Communities grant program are encouraged to apply for 2015 grants before the Jan. 26 deadline. These can be used for energy efficiency, renewable energy and transportation fuel reduction projects, many of which can receive points towards Sustainable Maryland certification. More info
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOURS FROM SUSTAINABLE MARYLAND!
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View from Washington's Monument, Boonsboro
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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
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Mike Hunninghake
Program Manager
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