Now that Halloween is over, the upcoming holiday season has already begun to blossom in stores nationwide, and with that comes the inevitability of gift giving. Every year around this time, I make a promise to myself that I will not wait until the last minute to do my holiday crafting of gifts. Maybe you're the same way, and if you are, here is a perfect opportunity to keep that promise:

Local mosaic artist Cinder Hypki is hosting a mosaic workshop at her studio in Upper Fells Point tomorrow, November 7, from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. During this one-day intensive workshop, Cinder will teach participants the tools of the trade, the materials, and the basic concepts of mosaic art. Cinder has plenty of ready-to-go projects from which to choose, or you can bring your own materials with you. The cost for the workshop is $65 (quite a deal!) and it includes a continental breakfast. Just be sure to bring your own lunch.

And, if you happen to miss this workshop, no need to worry because Cinder will be hosting a holiday mosaic workshop on December 5th.

TO REGISTER: 410-961-7816 or cinderart@mac.com. To read more, visit Cinder’s web site.

'Starry Night' mosaic by Cinder Hypki. Image courtesy of the artist.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 1:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It's one thing to talk about what's wrong with the Chesapeake Bay and why it's worth preserving, but it really helps to see what you're talking about. In this video, produced by What's Up, a lifestyle and entertainment magazine in Annapolis, Derek Rodgers, a graduate student studying environmental science at Towson University, shares some insights on the bay's values and its woes.

If anyone else has done videos about the bay or local environmental issues they'd like to share, please send us links.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay
        

There's a lot of talk these days about what it'll take to restore the Chesapeake Bay, and farming is in a bit of a hot spot. A group concerned about the environmental impacts of "industrialized" farming plans to hash the topic out at a seminar on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Jarrettsville.

The event, sponsored by Peach Bottom Concerned Citizens Group, features environmental activists, a pair of farmers as well as a former chicken grower, and a state legislator, Del. Wayne Norman, R-Harford County. The seminar runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Jarrettsville Gardens, 3825 Federal Hill Road, Jarrettsville.

The session is free, with lunch provided, but those interested in attending are asked to phone ahead to reserve space (and food?). Call Maria at 717-456-5800.

(2002 Baltimore Sun photo by David Hobby)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The leaves may be falling like mad, but it's not too late to plant another tree. Weekend arborists who show up Saturday morning (Nov. 7) at DeWees Park in North Baltimore can pick up a free seedling, courtesy of a new partnership between the city and Constellation Energy. Red oak, willow oak, redbud and river birch can be had for the asking.

The power company has pledged to kick in $300,000 over the next three years to help increase Baltimore's tree canopy through plantings and tree maintenance in neighborhoods and at schools. TreeBaltimore, as the effort is known, is part of Mayor Sheila Dixon's Cleaner, Greener Baltimore initiative. It aims to double the city's tree canopy within 30 years.

The tree planting/giveaway takes place from 9 a.m. to noon, with a ceremony at the outset celebrating Constellation's partnership. The park is at 5501 Ivanhoe Avenue, 21212.  For more, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Maryland Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin joined 10 other Democrats today in voting to send a climate-change bill to the full Senate for debate.

Despite a boycott by Republican lawmakers, Cardin and other Democrats controlling the Environment and Public Works Committee finished marking up the bill and voted 11 to 1 to report it to the floor. 

Its official title is Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, but besides promoting alternative and renewable fuels it promotes a "cap and trade" scheme for curbing emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other so-called greenhouse gases that scientists say are changing the planet's climate.

Cardin, who's said to be weighing attending the United Nations climate-change treaty talks in Copenhagen, Denmark in December, called the legislation good for the country, for the world, and even for Maryland.  The state is a leader, the senator said, in developing alternative and renewable fuels.  (He might get some argument from advocates of wind power.)

Despite the committee's quick action, it's considered highly unlikely that Congress can tackle and pass the complex energy and environmental legislation in time for the climate talks in Denmark that begin Dec. 7.   Still, Cardin said in a statement his office released that other countries won't commit to curbing their greenhouse gases unless they see that Congress is serious.  The committee vote was essential to demonstrate "that the Senate is making progress," he said.

"We have an urgent responsibility to act," Cardin said, adding that if action is not taken, there could be irreversible catastrophic climate change that could jeopardize the availability yof water, food and fuel for all.  "We will face a world that's less diverse, less beautiful and less secure," he concluded.

(2009 Baltimore Sun photo by Jed Kirschbaum)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: News
        

We B'More Green bloggers got this message below from reader Deanna. Anyone have ideas?

Now that my attention has turned to Thanksgiving and Christmas, I started taking inventory of my current stock of items. I have been storing away old Xmas cards for 10 years now. Online search consistently show St. Judes Ranch as a place to donate these cards. I would rather donate them to a local charity if at all possible. Do you know of any who can use them?

Fellow B'More Green blogger Christy Zuccarini offered this:

You might consider donating your cards to Art With a Heart -- they're a local nonprofit that provides interactive, hands-on activities to disadvantaged families and children, and to people with developmental and physical challenges. Many of the arts and crafts they make they end up selling for profit. You can email them at info@artwithaheart.net.

Anyone else know of a local charity?

Shutterfly launches 'support a cause' holiday cards/Associated Press

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Tips
        

Plan your escape now to the lush tropics of Alejuela, Costa Rica for the eighth annual Winter Rejuvenation Yoga Retreat at Pura Vida Wellness, led by Baltimore’s own Joseph Roberson (known around town as Yoga Joe). Founder and owner of Sanctuary Yoga, Joe is a lifelong artist and yoga practitioner. This year, he’ll be joined by another local, Ashley Litecky of Deep Green Wellness. Together Joe and Ashley will lead this seven day retreat which includes yoga classes, jungle meditations, holistic nourishment classes, personal mantras, devotional singing, healing with greens and grains, and much more.

On Sunday, November 8, Joe and Ashley will host an information session about the retreat from 2:00-3:30pm at Sanctuary Yoga in Baltimore. For more information visit www.sanctuaryyogacenter.com and click on Costa Rica Retreat OR call Joseph Roberson at 443.919.1290.

Image courtesy of Sanctuary Yoga

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Republican Robert McDonnell's election as governor of Virginia on Tuesday has some worrying it could spell trouble for cooperation among states and federal government to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.

Mark Rozell, a professor of public policy at George Mason University in Northern Virginia, was quoted in a story by the Capital News Service suggesting that a conservative Republican administration in Richmond could undo Virginia's recent cooperation with Democrat-controlled Annapolis and the Obama administration in Washington on adopting stronger environmental regulations and spending more to restore the bay.

Neither McDonnell nor his Democratic opponent Creigh Deeds spoke much about the bay during the campaign, it seems. But the Capital News Service reports that McDonnell mentioned the watermen's plight in his victory speech Tuesday night, though he didn't elaborate.

McDonnell's campaign Web site portrays him as a strong supporter of the bay and the environment. It says he supported several bay initiatives, including a tax refund for contributions toward restoring the Chesapeake and a ban on ban on phosphate diswasher detergent.

"Bob McDonnell is committed to working with the other Chesapeake Bay states to continue responsible policies to protect and improve the health of the Bay," his campaign site says, "including making every effort to meet the goals for the nutrient reduction outlined in the Chesapeake Bay agreement signed in 2000."

There's no mention, though, of going beyond the 2000 agreement, which all states now acknowledge they won't fulfill by next year's deadline.

(Associated Press photo)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

First the national press casts a harsh spotlight on Baltimore for its pollution - now it's the Bay.

National Geographic Traveler included the Chesapeake Bay for the first time in its sixth annual ranking of the world's "great places." Heady stuff, to get mentioned alongside iconic spots like the Galapagos, Yellowstone and Venice. Unfortunately, the bay and environs get tagged in the November-December cover story as a great place in big trouble.

"Local historic sites are well preserved, but shopping centers and subdivisions obliterate local character," says the travel mag, based on a survey of 437 "well-traveled experts" in sustainable tourism.

Here's what one of the experts had to say: "One of America's iconic landscapes, but the bay is dying, both as a natural ecosystem and as a cultural landscape. Almost all indicators of the Bay's health are negative. Is it any wonder, given the rampant sprawl, agricultural runoff, and booming population growth in the watershed?

"Maryland has done a relatively better job than Virginia," the unnamed expert added, "due to its aggressive land-preservation program and smart growth policies, but both are lacking."

For more, if you can stand it, go here. 

(2008 Baltimore Sun photo by Jed Kirschbaum)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Here's a listing where you don't want to be No. 1.  Forbes.com, which is fond of doing lists, has come up with "America's most toxic cities."  The business news site has ranked the nation's 40 largest metro areas by the dirtiness of their air and water, the number of places spewing toxic pollution and the number of Superfund hazardous waste dumps.

Atlanta earns the dubious distinction as forbes.com's most toxic city.  It lacks the smokestack industries one might typically associate with pollution, but the sprawl capital of America has some of the worst air quality, thanks to all the motor vehicles cruising its spaghetti bowl of pavement.

Following Atlanta are Detroit, Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Los Angeles.

Where's Baltimore? It ranks 32nd on the forbes.com list.  But that doesn't mean Charm City is all that clean, because oddly the list is in reverse order, with cleanest on top and dirtiest at the bottom.  When the list of 40 is flipped to rank the most toxic first, B'more comes in 9th. Not such a green showing. 

One has to wonder if forbes.com hasn't piled on a bit, though.  It lists 37 Superfund sites in Baltimore, when the Environmental Protection Agency only counts 11 in the city. The total doubles when the suburbs are included, but that's still well short of the figure used in the rankings.

But hey, look on the bright side.  Baltimore is only slightly worse than Portland, Oregon (#31, or 10th most toxic) often regarded as one of the crunchiest green places in the country.

Seem like a fair ranking to you?  Or a bad hit?

(2007 Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Help youth program, remember a fallen cyclist.

The Tour de Greater Homewood this Sunday from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. will honor John R. Yates, a cyclist who died in a hit-and-run accident at Maryland and Lafayette avenues in August.

Ogranizated by the Greater Homewood Community Corporation, the ride will benefit its  youth programs, for which Yates advocated. There is a suggested donation of $10 for ride participants.

For more details about the tour, including route information go to www.greaterhomewood.org.

Yates joined the GHCC's board of directors in 2004 and served as Secretary. Jack also worked as an educational consultant at the Abell Foundation, and later served as a mentor for Lake Clifton High School’s Educational Opportunities Program, where he counseled graduates of the Baraka School, of "Boys of Baraka" fame. 

The GHCC says its mission is to help neighborhoods in north central Baltimore City to become safer, better places to live. It serves 48 neighborhoods with a combined total of approximately 70,000 residents, or nearly 10 percent of Baltimore City’s population.

Baltimore Sun photo of a "ghost bike" installed in memory of Yates/Barbara Haddock Taylor

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Events
        

Our colleagues at the Picture of Health blog are reporting that the big beef recall includes Maryland.

Fairbanks Farms has voluntarily recalled about a million pounds of beef that was sold at Trader Joe's, Giant and BJ's.

New York beef manufacturer Fairbanks Farms has issued a voluntary recall of a little more than half a million pounds of ground beef. The recall affects states from Maine to North Carolina. Someone has already died in New Hampshire and others were sickened in other states after eating the beef contaminated with the bacteria E.coli.

The products include ground beef, meatloaf and meatball mix. They call sell-by dates from Sept. 19-28. Here are the details from Fairbanks Farms. And here's a list of the products from the USDA.

If you have doubts, call the store where you bought the meat. Or just pitch it.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: News
        

Emily’s Café and Desserts is now officially open. Located on Springarden Drive, Emily’s is Baltimore’s first vegan dessert company manufacturing with 100% wind power. “My goal with this business is to make great tasting desserts that everyone will know and love,” says owner and founder Emily Mainquist. She adds, “The way that I look at it is for every vegan dessert eaten that is one less dessert that has eggs and dairy in it.”

A lifelong love of baking and stalwart dedication to veganism is behind every “cruelty-free” cookie, cake, doughnut, pizza, and pretzel rod at Emily’s. The cookies, for example, contain no animal ingredients, and are sweetened with evaporated cane juice and organic Blue Agave. They’re also cholesterol-free.

Until now, Emily’s Desserts have been available on her web site, at Whole Foods, Roots Market, and Wegmans. But at the new brick-and-mortar location, customers can enjoy a vegan breakfast and/or lunch before filling their bellies with delectable cakes and cookies. The menu includes vegan pancakes, tofu scramble, soy yogurt, lentil burgers, grilled cheese, and much more. So go pay her a visit and see for yourself how Emily’s Desserts is baking the world a better place one cookie at a time.

Image courtesy of Emily's Desserts

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Washington Post has a story today about the climate bill that is winding through the Senate right now. And the chances of passage are not looking so good because Democrats are split and Republicans are largely opposing the measure.

The the House version that has already passed, this bill is likely to include a cap and trade provision that allows a certain amount of carbon dioxide and those who do not or can't comply with limits can buy credits from those who are complying.

The Dems have even thrown in an incentive to get Republican support: expedited approval of new nuclear power plants. That, the Post says, may not be enough.

Meanwhile, the New York Times had a story Sunday about how new technology to cut emission may be best suited not for coal plants, often seen as the main offender, but for other kinds of plants. At coal plants, the story says, the carbon dioxide is mixed with other pollution and it's tough to separate them.

Engineers and policymakers say it may be easier to capture the carbon dioxide at oil refineries, chemical plants, cement factories and ethanol plants because their emissions are purer. 

Baltimore Sun file photo of Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant in Southern Maryland

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: News
        

Trick-or-treat with reusable bags or containers. A cloth grocery tote will work just fine, or even a pillowcase (hey, the larger the container, the more room there is for candy).

If you’ve outgrown knocking on doors, and are planning to throw a party this Halloween, be sure to use recyclable tableware and homemade decorations. Buy locally harvested pumpkins and apples for carving and bobbing. And if you don’t already compost, now is a great time to start.

Make your own costume. If you don’t feel like sewing or cutting cardboard, visit your nearest thrift store or consignment shop for fun pieces. A friend of mine, who is dressing up as a “nerd” this year, found the most heinous (and reasonably priced) pair of pants at GBMC’s Nearly New Sale (which ends on Saturday at 1pm).

Hand out eco-friendly treats. Purchase your candy from a local shop and/or be sure it’s at least organic.

Walk if you can. Carry an extra bag for trash, and pick up any candy/costume litter you see along the way.

Have fun!

Image courtesy of Lizette Greco

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The state has found that Worcester County's commissioners violated Maryland's open-meetings law when they decided last spring behind closed doors to consolidate county departments - a move that led to the firing of 11 planners and inspectors amid controversy over the county's plans for development along the coastal bays near Ocean City.

The shakeup came as environmentalists expressed alarm over proposed zoning changes in Worcester that would allow more residential and commercial development in some sensitive areas bordering the state's coastal bays. The string of fragile lagoons along Maryland's Atlantic shore are in better shape overall than the Chesapeake Bay, but their health is slipping amid growing pollution, University of Maryland scientists have found.

County commissioners defended the staff reorganization, which eliminated Worcester's planning department, as a budget-trimming move.  But in response to a complaint by the Assateague Coastal Trust, the state's open meetings compliance board declared that the commissioner were not legally entitled to go into executive session on May 26 to talk about it. Their closed-door deliberations also roamed beyond the personnel matters they had cited as their reason for excluding the public, the board found. The county commissioners later voted in an open session on June 2 to affirm the decision they'd made in private earlier.

Kathy Phillips, the coastal trust's executive director, issued a statement saying she wasn't surprised by the state's findings, delivered to her in an Oct. 27 letter. "It is unfortunate that our elected officials felt they did not have to be accountable to the law," Phillips said, "and worse, they did not understand their actions behind closed doors should have been conducted in the light of sunshine."

For more on the coastal bays, go here and here.

(Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: News
        

About a year ago, Governor O’Malley launched the Marylanders Plant Trees program, with a goal of planting 50,000 trees by 2010. Approximately 22,000 trees have already been planted as a result of the program, and to encourage folks to continue participating, the State is offering $25 coupons, available at www.green.maryland.gov, for the purchase of native trees costing $50 or more at over 70 participating nurseries. If you're not into the actual planting part, but would like to contribute in some way, you can request that TREE-Mendous Maryland plant a tree for you through their Gift of Trees program.

Also, as a part of their 40 Trees in 40 Neighborhoods initiative, Greater Homewood Community Corporation has partnered with the Jones Falls Watershed Association, Tree Baltimore, Parks and People, and Herring Run Nursery to facilitate the plating of at least 1,600 trees in north central Baltimore neighborhoods. If you are looking for ways to increase the tree canopy in your neighborhood, would like assistance with a tree planting, a residential tree giveaway, or navigating the resources provided by the City, contact Audrey Stevens at astevens@greaterhomewood.org or visit GHCC's web site for more information about the initiative - many of the trees they have available for planting are FREE!

Image courtesy of Greater Homewood Community Corporation

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

A small group of environmentalists, developers and government officials have taken the first step in what could be a long journey toward rethinking how Maryland should grow over the next century.

That's right: 100 years, not just five, 10 or even 30. Inspired by reports of success with a similarly long-range visioning exercise for the Seattle area, representatives of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Home Builders Association of Maryland and nine other groups pledged Wednesday to launch the "Maryland 100-year Horizon Parntership."

By taking such a long-range view, says John Kortecamp, executive vice president of the home builders, the Maryland group hopes to get past the NIMBYism (aka "not in my backyard") that always seem to bog down efforts to develop more compact, walkable communities in the state.

Participants in the "Cascade Agenda," as the Seattle-area effort is called, explained at a conference at Martin's West on Wednesday that it has succeeded in building consensus among developers, environmentalists and government officials there about halting the loss of forest and farmland to suburban sprawl by building up cities and towns.

Gene Duvernoy, president of the Cascade Land Conservancy and one of the founders of the Seattle effort, said looking at long-range projections of how the region's population would continue to mushroom prompted environmentalists to realize that the keys to conserving Washington's natural resources lay in providing affordable housing and sustainable employment opportunities for the newcomers. It also won agreement that existing cities and towns need additional money to make themselves more attractive in order to ease the pressure to develop beyond the region's growth boundaries.

"It was a sloppy process," Duvernoy recalled, with lots of false turns and reverses. It took thousands of hours of talks, but the effort has gained traction, he said, in large part because it is based on using market-based incentives to conserve forests and farms rather than more government land-use regulations.

Continue reading "Taking the long view on Maryland's future" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Local artist Emily Li Mandri describes her designs as in your face. “There’s nothing subtle about them. They’re meant to make a statement. An art statement,” she says. Known around town as Natty Paint, Emily’s line of hand painted, silkscreened shirts and hoodies has been going strong for almost two years now. She sells at craft shows, local boutiques, and has done a healthy handful of commissions for places like Shine Collective and Bikram Yoga.

When Emily launched Natty Paint, she did it with an eye towards being eco-conscious; using water-based inks and products from American Apparel. Now she’s taken it a step further by producing a vintage line of silkscreened vests, sweaters, dresses, and sweatshirts. And while we may all agree that shopping at thrift stores, consignment shops, and vintage boutiques is inherently more sustainable than buying new, rebuilding a forgotten item into a fresh and wearable piece is indeed an impressive statement in and of itself.

Want your own one-of-a-kind Natty Paint work of art? Visit Emily's web site or, buy online at her Etsy shop.

Images courtesy of the artist

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events, Fashion, Shopping
        

Baltimore Gas & Electric will get $200 million in federal stimulus dollars as part of $3.4 billion in national 'smart grid' funding, according to a story in The Sun today by Washington correspondent Paul West.  

The company will use the money, one of the largest grants in the country from the Department of Energy, to install advanced power meters in customers' homes.

That will allow better management of electricity. Customers could use less electricity in peak times and slow the rate of consumption overall.

BGE will invest $251 million in the effort initially and $2.6 billion during the life of the project.

The overall goal of 100 similar contracts is to speed transition to what the Obama administration is calling "the largest single grid modernization investment in U.S. history."

Are you already on board with this program?

Associated Press photo of a "smart" meter

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: News