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Sustainable Maryland Update
September 2016



SM STUDENT VOLUNTEER PROFILE /
STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT / DATA & METRICS TRAINING IN  NOVEMBER / VISIT SM AT MML CONFERENCE 
 
Our monthly sampling of news, resources, events and other items of interest from across the sustainability spectrum in Maryland.  
SM-certified Poolesville just installed new electric vehicle charging stations around town.
Let us know if your town is planning to rev up its EV infrastructure.
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES


Outreach and Restoration Grants Program
(Chesapeake Bay Trust)
Deadline: September 28
More info


Charles County Forestry Grant Program (Chesapeake Bay Trust)
Deadline: Rolling
More info


Community Engagement & Restoration Mini-grants (Chesapeake Bay Trust)
Deadline: Rolling
More info


Prince Georges County Weatherization Program  
Deadline: Rolling   


Prince Georges County Raincheck Rebate  (Chesapeake Bay Trust)
Deadline: Rolling
More info



EVENTS CALENDAR



Mermaid's Kiss Oyster Fest 2016 
Date: September 29 
Location: Baltimore 
 

Urban Agriculture and the Next Farm Bill 
Date: September 30
Location: Washington, DC


Reclaiming Vacant Properties
Dates: September 28-30 
Location: Baltimore
Looking Ahead

Montgomery County Ag Reserve Bike Tour
Date: October 2 
Location: Poolesville 
 

Maryland Municipal League Fall Conference
Dates: October 13-15
Location: Solomon's Island (featuring the Sustainable Maryland Certified awards ceremony)
Link
American Planning Association - MD/DE Chapter
Regional Planning Conference 
Dates: October 14-16 
Location: Towson 
 

Behavior, Energy, and Climate Change Conference
Dates: October 20-22
Location: Baltimore
 

TEDx MidAtlantic 
Dates: October 21-22
Location: Washington DC
 

Cities Alive: Annual Green Roof & Wall Conference
Dates: November 1-4 
Location: Washington DC 
 

USGBC Maryland's Engineering Green Maryland 2016
Date: November 2
Location: Baltimore 
SM VOLUNTEER PROFILE: BEN ZIMMITTI
Student volunteer Ben Zimmitti enjoying his study abroad experience in Germany

Hello! If you are reading this, you most likely have some interest in sustainability. If you are anything like me you most likely also have a hard time wrapping your head around what "sustainability" really is. 

This question led me to the Environmental Finance Center's Sustainable Maryland program at University of Maryland. My name is Ben Zimmitti and I am a rising Junior at UMD studying Agricultural and Resource Economics. Over the course of the past year I have had the distinct pleasure of volunteering with Sustainable Maryland.

During my time with SM I was involved with many different projects. I worked to enhance the program's website, paying particular attention to their website of sustainable happenings around the state. This past spring, I helped to review several municipalities' applications for the 2017 certification and re-certification process. 
 
I came to see the potential in sustainability to draw together communities. Whether it be county fairs offering native plant sales, or municipal parking lots used to sell locally grown food, sustainability reaches across differences and builds coalitions.

Overall, by providing experience beyond the definitions and history in textbooks, volunteering with Sustainable Maryland offered me the chance to develop the nuanced perspective that no matter the policies and practices, sustainability starts from the ground up in communities of all shapes and sizes. 
 
BUILDING SUSTAINABLE PLACES: Student Spotlight Project!
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. 
 
This month's student project spotlight, Lillia Damalouji, selected an abandoned site in Prince Frederick, Maryland where a historic 
school once stood. Her sustainable redevelopment proposal for this site incorporated the cradle-to-cradle design method, integrated renewable energy, and emphasized the importance of diversity. Lillia's project recommendations honored the historic site while implementing many necessary mixed-use facilities in order to maintain a sense of place. Ultimately, this type of redevelopment project will not only promote economic growth and bring together the community, but will serve as an outstanding sustainable model for future development sites in Calvert County. 
 
To learn more about Lillia's redevelopment project please check out her blog and video.   

SUSTAINABLE MARYLAND AWARDS CEREMONY AT MML FALL CONFERENCE, OCT. 14
We're looking forward to our annual Sustainable Maryland Certified awards ceremony at the Maryland Municipal League's Fall Conference. SM will have an exhibit table at the conference, so make sure you stop by and learn about how your municipality can join the ranks of the Sustainable Maryland community! 
SAVE THE DATE! SUSTAINABLE MARYLAND LEADERSHIP TRAINING ON DATA AND METRICS IN NOVEMBER
Join us for our annual Leadership Training to learn about the importance of capturing and utilizing data in your town's sustainability projects.



3 DATES / 3 LOCATIONS - SAME GREAT PROGRAM!
 
Monday, November 14, 9:00am - 4:00pm 
Location: Cambridge Public Safety Building, Cambridge

Wednesday, November 16, 9:00am - 4:00pm
Location: Hyattsville City Hall, Hyattsville

Thursday, November 17, 9:00am - 4:00pm
Location: University System of Maryland at Hagerstown

Agenda and registration coming soon... 
 
QUOTE
"The young, free to act on their initiative, can lead their elders in the direction of the unknown... The children, the young, must ask the questions that we would never think to ask, but enough trust must be re-established so that the elders will be permitted to work with them on the answers."

- Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist and author
 
   

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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