SM header
Sustainable Maryland Update
March 2015
Dear Friend

 
Frederick County Green Team Summit, March 25 / SGA Is Looking For
a Few Good Leaders /
SM Certification Office Hours / Walk This Way: Two New Books about Benefits of Walking and Walkable Communities

Our monthly sampling of news, resources, events and other items of interest from across the sustainability spectrum in Maryland.  
SM staff organized a tour last month for Ashoka U. conference attendees of the Sustainable Maryland Certified Town of Edmonston, including the non-profit ECO City Farms
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
EVENTS CALENDAR


Dynamic Governance-Group Decision Making Workshops
Dates: March 10, 17, 31, April 7 
Location:
Takoma Park 
Link

National Bike Summit
Dates: March 10-12 
Location:
Washington, DC 
Link

Davidsonville Green Expo
Date: March 14 
Location:
Davidsonville
Link

Maryland Bike Symposium
Date: March 17
Location:
Annapolis
Link

Maryland Farmers Market Conference
Date:
March 17
Location:
Annapolis
Link

Frederick County Green Team Summit
Date: March 25
Location: Frederick 
REGISTER

Montgomery County Green Fest
Date: March 28
Location: Silver Spring
Link

Environmental Showcase of Annapolis Film Festival
Date: March 28
Location: Annapolis
Link

Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference
Dates: March 30-31
Location: Baltimore
Link



Looking Ahead

Project Clean Stream
Date:
April 11
Locations:
All across MD
Link

Cultivating Sustainable Communities conference

Dates: April 24-25
Location: College Park
Link

National Sustainable Materials Management Summit
Dates: May 12-13
Location: UMD College Park
Link

Local Leaders Council - Policy Forum 2015: Growing the New Economy 
Dates: May 31-June 1 
Location: Washington, DC
Link




ON-LINE SUSTAINABILITY COURSE AT UMD


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.
 
FREDERICK COUNTY GREEN TEAM SUMMIT, MARCH 25
Carroll Creek Greenway, City of Frederick 
Sustainable Maryland is pleased to invite you (are you a Frederick County elected official, municipal or county staffer, Green Team member, non-profit or engaged citizen?) to attend the first

Frederick County Green Team Summit


Where: Municipal Office Annex, 140 West Patrick Street, Frederick 
When: Wednesday, March 25, 6:00 - 9:00pm
Cost: FREE!

Overview:  
This program will offer a unique opportunity for Frederick County Green Teams (as well as any interested elected officials, municipal staff and residents from the County) to learn more about sustainability initiatives in neighboring municipalities; share best practices and identify common challenges; and access resources for local projects.

Check out this recent article about Frederick County Green Teams in action!

AGENDA

6:00 - 6:25pm:    Networking/Light Refreshments

6:25 - 6:30pm:     Welcome/Introductions

6:30 - 7:05pm:     Flash Updates: What Are You Doing in Your Community?

  • Community updates
  • Highlight #1 recent sustainability project and #1 "wish list" sustainability project

7:05 - 7:35pm:     Sustainability Resources for Frederick County Municipalities  

7:35 - 8:35pm:     Speed Dating for Sustainability (Connect with Resource Providers)

8:35 - 9:00pm:     Report Out: What are Common Challenges? / Wrap Up

Light refreshments will be provided.

SM CERTIFICATION OFFICE HOURS - MARCH 23, MARCH 26
Takoma Park Green Team, accepting certification award in 2014
Touch base with Sustainable Maryland staff on Monday, March 23 at 10:00am or Thursday, March 26 at 2:00pm to ask questions about your town's certification process and an update on our soon-to-be launched new website. Do you have your Priority Actions? Does your Buy Local campaign meet our requirements? How can you get points for joining or promoting Maryland Green Registry? Do you need a model Pet Waste Ordinance or Green Purchasing Policy?

To join the conversation, call 1-800-503-2899 and enter 346101025#

ATTENTION GREEN TEAMS & ELECTED OFFICIALS: SMART GROWTH AMERICA IS LOOKING FOR LOCAL LEADERS IN MD
Are you an innovative local leader interested in smart growth or do you know someone who is? Join Smart Growth America's Local Leaders Council, a national nonpartisan network of 230+ elected and appointed decision makers in municipal and county government who share a passion for building great communities through smart growth strategies. 

 

Included in membership is access to the Maryland Chapter , which provides a forum for local leaders in the state to network, engage in peer-to-peer learning, and gain access to policy tools and other resources such as regular workshops on topics such as communicating smart growth, complete streets, and downtown revitalization. Membership is free - Join now

 

Membership includes complimentary registration to Policy Forum 2015: Growing the New Economy May 31- June 1. This exclusive event will respond directly to the challenges and interests of leaders who are seeking to reinvigorate downtowns and main streets and build healthier, more vibrant neighborhoods. Special tracks will include building robust downtowns, expanding housing choice, and designing healthy neighborhoods. Questions? Contact Sarah Absetz at 202-207-3355 x144.

 

EFC IS TWEETING! FOLLOW THE ENVIRONMENTAL FINANCE CENTER AT UMD ON TWITTER
The Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland is now on Twitter! Follow EFC at www.twitter.com/EFCUMD

WALK THIS WAY: TWO NEW NEW AND NOTABLE BOOKS ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF WALKABLE COMMUNITIES
SM staff heard author Kevin Klinkenberg speak about his new book Why I Walk: Taking a Step in the Right Direction at last month's New Partners for Smart Growth conference in Baltimore. By focusing directly on the real, measurable advantages of choosing to be a pedestrian, Why I Walk makes a convincing case for ending our love affair with the automobile.

We also enjoyed this recently published book: The Last Great Walk: The True Story of a 1909 Walk from New York to San Francisco, and Why It Matters Today. Using the framework of Edward Weston's little-known but fascinating walk from NYC to San Francisco, this book investigates exactly what we lost when we turned away from foot travel, and what we could potentially regain with America's new embrace of pedestrianism.
Order copies of both at your local bookseller.
 
QUOTE
"Walking is man's best medicine."
 
- Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine    

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 [email protected]   

Mike Hunninghake
Program Manager 
Like us on Facebook
Town Creek Logo for SMC   epa logo