The House has passed a bill to shift $2 billion in economic stimulus money to the Cash for Clunkers program, and Senate officials are likely to pass a measure next week, according to an update in the Washington Post. Officials say the government will continue to honor the deals during the weekend.

It's not clear if members of Congress will seek to up the mileage requirements or make other changes mid-stream. That would only add confusion to a program that has created a significant backlog of paperwork from dealers. Some in government worry the clunkers will be destroyed before buyers are approved for the program.

In any case, if you're still interested in getting a car with better mileage, go test driving this weekend.

END UPDATE

Cash for Clunkers hit a bump late yesterday -- the program is out of money. Government officials say they will honor the offer through today. After that, they can't say.

The Washington Post story says lawmakers are meeting today to discuss ways to keep the popular program going.  

The government had been offering up to $4,500 rebates to people who traded in their old gas guzzlers for more fuel efficient cars. The program was aimed at boosting car sales and the economy, as well as helping the environment.

Hopefully, some of you got the deal? Any plan to go test drive a new hybrid in expectation the program will be revived?

If you're looking for the details, go to the government's cars.gov.

AP photo of Hyundai Motor Co.'s first hybrid car, the Avante LPI, unvieled this month

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: News
        

Local artist and reader Diane Getty has shared a couple of pictures of her homemade green dolls and we've shared them on our new site for Local Treehuggers. I'm hoping they inspire others to share some more projects.

We aren't picky. Any backyard or rooftop thing that's a little bit green. A compost pile. Or an art project.

Above is Saint Alchema. Diane made her and surrounded her with trash she found in Riverside Park. She's spinning all  the thrash into gold. There are other recycled materials, too, such as an old wig and record. Diane has another doll on the site, as well, if you're interested.

Baltimore Sun photo of Saint Alchema/Meredith Cohn

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

The New York Times' Green Inc. blog reports that six universities are planning to participate in a pilot program this fall involving the Kindle, the electronic box that allows you to download newspapers and books.

They expect it to help them save paper, as well as some freshman backs that would have taken the brunt of the load of heavy books.

One reader said he didn't think that using a plastic gadget filled with batteries, polymers and resins is so environmental. But printing all those books, which seem to get outdated after each semester, can't be so green either.

So, is it a good idea? Should we all be reading our books -- and our Baltimore Sun -- on a Kindle? Do you have one or want one?

AP photo of the Kindle DX  

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: News
        

I just read Meredith’s post, and thought “I bet I can find some wonderful handcrafted oddities made from VHS tapes, CD cases, and old wood.” With an Indian Touch makes the most precious desk calendars out of recycled CD cases and Little Wisdoms uses old pieces of wood to create poetic hand-painted profundities (as she calls them). Crafter Juanita Canzoneri’s “treasure pouch,” which was crocheted from VHS tapes of Deep Space Nine episodes, is particularly inspiring. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any great uses for Styrofoam peanuts, but I’m working on it.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 5:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: DIY
        

I'm just back from a few days off to move to my new house in South Baltimore. We're talking about ways to clean green and we're talking about getting a rain barrel. But more immediately,  we're looking for tips on what to do with all the stuff we don't want.

We've gone to Goodwill with clothes and kitchen stuff, to the Book Escape with books (there's also the Book Thing that gives away books), Sound Garden with CDs and Second Chance for a little give and take. And we plan to take our old running shoes to Falls Road Running Store or Holabird Sports.

We're also recycling a lot of cardboard!

But what do we do with the foam peanuts used in packaging? What about compact disk cases? VHS tapes? Old wood and metal? Suggestions welcome.

AP photo of cardboard being recycled

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Tips
        

A group of advocates and experts is warning that pesticide pollution from farm fields and households is contributing to the Chesapeake Bay's decline, and may well be linked to declines in frogs across the region and intersex fish seen in the Potomac River.

In a report released today, the group calls on federal, state and local government to accelerate research into what threats pesticide contamination may pose to the bay, and to step up efforts to reduce such toxic pollution.

"The thing that alarms us the most are the endocrine disruptors and the findings that have come out about intersex fish and frogs with reproductive problems,'' said Robert SanGeorge, director of the Pesticides and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Project. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that mimic the natural hormones in humans or animals and can disrupt their growth and reproduction. 

The project is a partnership between the Maryland Pesticides Network and the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. The group's warning and recommendations are the product of two years' study, in consultation with scientists, public health experts, government officials, watermen, environmentalists, farmers and pest management industries.

The report comes as federal and state governments attempt to jump-start the 26-year-old effort to restore the bay.  The multi-state bay campaign has focused mainly on reducing nutrient pollution from sewage, farm and lawn fertilizer, power plants and vehicles.  But the report argues that not enough attention is being paid to the potential harm being done by pesticides, primarily herbicides that wash off farm fields but also the many household products with a plethora of chemical ingredients that are washed down sewers.

"There's no smoking gun," SanGeorge says, acknowledging the lack of conclusive research showing toxic chemicals in the bay and its tributaries are harming fish and wildlife and bay grasses.  But he points to studies suggesting problems and "enormous data gaps" that need to be filled.

Researchers suspect pesticides in the Potomac, for instance, may be causing the development of "intersex" fish, with both male and female reproductive organs.   They have yet to find clear evidence of such a link however.   Likewise, researchers have raised concerns about the impact on frogs and fish of low levels of the weed-killer atrazine found in water samples across the bay region.  That connection also is still being studied and debated.

"We know there are some gaps in the data and our understanding of the effects," said Greg Allen, a scientist in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay office.   One area deserving further study, he suggested, is the impact on spawning fish and frogs in springtime, when herbicides freshly applied to farm fields at planting time tend to show up in greater concentrations in nearby streams.

While officials have gone to great lengths to figure the amounts of nutrient pollution entering the bay from all sources, there are no similar catalogs of pesticide use in the region.   The report urges required reporting of some uses, but largely calls for voluntary measures and incentives to encourage less use of pesticides and potentially toxic chemicals.

Jeff Lape, director of EPA's bay program office, acknowledged the report and said in an email that government agencies would continue to work "to promote sensible alternatives and other options that will reduce the input of pesticides to the bay." 

To read the report, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Ocean City ranks among the safest beaches in the United States because of the cleanliness of the water, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The Washington-based environmental group gave Maryland's Atlantic resort a five-star rating for having relatively clean water and testing often enough to provide assurance people won't be swimming in human or animal waste.

"Ocean City actually does well year after year," said Nancy Stoner, do-director of the NRDC's water programs. "It’s got clean water, and it’s well monitored and they let people know there’s a problem there. So that’s great."

Rehoboth and Dewey beaches in Delaware and Virginia Beach garnered four stars in the NRDC's 19th annual report evaluating the water quality at US beaches. Among Maryland's Chesapeake Bay beaches, Sandy Point and Point Lookout also got four stars each. Stoner said those beaches would have ranked higher if they tested more often than once a week.

Overall, Maryland's 71 coastal and bay beaches ranked 8th nationwide for their water quality in the NRDC survey. The group does not evaluate beaches on rivers. Just 2 percent of water samples taken at the state's coastal beaches, on average, showed evidence of contamination with human or animal waste that made them unsafe for swimming.

Nationwide, 7 percent of beach water samples failed government standards. Maryland beaches were closed 61 days last year, down from 243 days the year before. Nationwide, there were 20,000 beach closings or no-swimming advisories because of pollution.

Closings are typically prompted by rainfall washing sewage or animal waste into the water. Swimming in contaminated water can result in stomach upsets, skin rashes or even more serious illnesses. Stoner said last year's nationwide beach water quality was not as bad as it had been in prior years, but said the improvement stemmed from two factors - less rainfall in some regions, and less testing, because government agencies ran short of money.

"Lack of rainfall isn’t a permanent solution," she said.

To see how Maryland's beaches rate, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: News
        

On a typical summer evening, I sit on my front porch with a cool drink and watch the world go by. It’s a blissful way to unwind after a long day at work. Unfortunately this quiet, daily ritual is almost always interrupted by mosquitoes, who cunningly light and sting me on the arm or ankle before I can stop them. And of course, while I’m tending to the first bite, I get bitten again.

In an effort to preserve my peace, I recently purchased some odorless OFF bug repellant which works well, but smells like chemicals and makes me sneeze. So, off with the OFF. Instead, I found a recipe for organic bug repellent at www.diylife.com. Though it isn’t waterproof and needs to be re-applied regularly, this all-natural repellent has a pleasant smell and is just as effective as OFF at deterring mosquitoes. Enjoy!

Materials and Tools:

•1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
•1/3 cup witch hazel (or cheap vodka)
•5 drops of citronella or eucalyptus essential oil
•Spray bottle
•Funnel

Directions:
•Using the funnel, pour all the liquid ingredients into the spray bottle.
•Shake the bottle to mix the liquids.

Image courtesy of naturegirl78

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 2:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: DIY, Tips
        

Looking for a "green" college to attend (or to send your pride & joy)? The Princeton Review, the college prep outfit, has named 15 schools to its "2010 Green Rating Honor Roll."

It doesn't garner as much media attention as the annual ranking of top party schools, but it's worth a look for those who want something besides a hangover with that oh-so-expensive diploma.

None of the greenest schools is in Maryland - the closest to Baltimore would be Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. Harvard and Yale make the green grade, but so do Georgia Tech and a number of less posh institutions. One curious note - East Coast schools dominate the honor roll; I would have thought there'd be more out West.

The ranking, prepared in conjunction with ecoAmerica, a nonprofit environmental group, features eight private and seven public schools.

Here's the full list, in alphabetical order:

Arizona State University, Tempe AZ

Bates College, Lewiston ME

Binghamton University (State University of New York at Binghamton)

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor ME

Colorado College, Colorado Springs CO

Dickinson College, Carlisle PA

Evergreen State College, Olympia WA

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA

Harvard College, Cambridge MA

Middlebury College, Middlebury VT

Northeastern University, Boston MA

University of California, Berkeley CA

University of New Hampshire, Durham NH

University of Washington, Seattle WA

Yale Univeristy, New Haven CT

Schools were rated on campus living, their curriculum and overall institutional commitment to sustainability. Scoring looked at a school's energy use, recycling, food, buildings and transportation, environmental studies degrees and course offerings and campus commitment to greenhouse gas reduction.

And here's a tip if you or your offspring want to have a good time while going green -- Arizona State, which boasts the first-in-the-nation School of Sustainability, also made the top party schools list, at No. 20.  For profiles of the green campuses, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Tips
        

Baltimore's longtime scourge of childhood lead poisoning continues to ease, but hundreds of young children each year still are being unwittingly exposed to a toxic metal that can cause lasting learning and behavioral problems. 

That's the upshot of the latest report from the Maryland Department of the Environment. In 2008, 468 children in Baltimore city were found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood, down from 624 the year before. That drop continues a decline that dates back at least to 1999, when the city recorded 2,902 lead-poisoned children, according to the city's health department.

Just 2.5 percent of children tested in the city had elevated lead levels last year, the state reports, down from 3.5 percent in 2007.

That's good news, because even tiny amounts of lead in young children can cause neurological problems that can hamper learning and trigger aggressive behavior; larger doses can lead to mental retardation. Youngsters get poisoned mainly by ingesting lead dust from deteriorating paint -- a particular problem in Baltimore, with its older housing stock. Most of the 713 Maryland children found last year to have elevated lead levels lived in the city.

State law attempts to regulate children's lead exposure in rental housing, but 62 percent of the youngsters found to have problems live in owner-occupied homes, according to the state.

And while lead poisoning is less of a threat outside the city, there were upticks in the number of youngsters testing positive for lead in Carroll, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s and Washington counties, noted the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning.  Ruth Ann Norton, the advocacy group’s executive director, said that cities and counties alike must do more to deal with lead hazards in their housing stock, including owner-occupied homes.

For more, go here and here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: News, Urban Issues
        

The fish-stressing "dead zone" in the Chesapeake Bay is bigger than predicted this summer, scientists say.

Just about a month ago, University of Michigan scientists had forecast that the amount of oxygen-starved water in the Chesapeake should be much lower than average for the troubled estuary.  University of Maryland scientists had followed with similar predictions that the bay's ''dead zone'' -- where dissolved oxygen levels in the water are too low for fish to breathe comfortably, if at all -- was likely to be one of the smallest ever measured.

The scientists had based their predictions on below-normal flows in late spring of the Susquehanna River, which supplies half of the fresh water entering the bay.  Though it rained a lot in Maryland and Virginia in May and June, it had been relatively dry in the Susquehanna's drainage basin in New York and Pennsylvania.

But based on water sampling conducted every two weeks since May, University of Maryland scientists hve found that the volume of water with little or no oxygen in it has exceeded the forecast -- increasing from below-average in late May to above normal for June and remaining about average for this month, even as rains locally subsided.

Bill Dennison, vice president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, said it appears that the wet spring in Maryland and Virginia washed more water-fouling nutrients into the bay from farms, lawns and streets, essentially making up for the decreased runoff from Pennsylvania and New York.

"We're not going to have a terrible year -- but not the great year we would have expected," Dennison said.  He said he and other researchers were "humbled" by the sampling results, since in prior years the amount of nutrients washed into the bay from the Susquehanna had dictated water quality conditions for the summer. Below is Dennison's graph showing the volume of "hypoxic" water, where oxygen levels are low enough to stress fish and shellfish.

Bill HypoxicVolume20092

News that the bay's dead zone is larger than predicted comes amid reports that the nation's largest dead zone, in the Gulf of Mexico, has proven to be smaller but more severe than forecast.

Scientists who sampled water in the Gulf recently found the area where oxygen levels were low enough to stress or even suffocate fish and shrimp extended across about 3,000 square miles - huge, but much less than predicted, or than has typically been seen.  Don Scavia of University of Michigan and others had predicted the dead zone would stretch to 7,450 or 8,450 square miles this year, well above the 6,000 square mile average of recent years.

Nancy Rabalais, of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, who has been measuring the Gulf's dead zone for 25 years, said reduced flows from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers and strong winds apparently combined to compress the dead zone.   But Rabalais said oxygen deprivation was severe in places where it did occur, extending up from the depths to near the surface.  For more on the Gulf's dead zone, go here.

Federal environmental officials said today that they were working with states and other federal agencies to tackle the dead zones that plague the Gulf, the bay and roughly 200 other spots along the nation's coasts. 

"It's possible to restore oceans to a healthy condition," said Jane Lubchenko, a marine ecologist appointed by President Obama to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "But doing so requires reducing pollution from land and being good stewards of the ocean." 

(Graph by Jacob Goodwin, Chesapeake Bay Program)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 2:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay
        

Continuing their campaign to highlight unresolved pollution problems at the Sparrows Point steel-making complex, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper have scheduled a "town hall" meeting in Edgemere on Tuesday, July 28.

Nearly two months ago, CBF and the Waterkeeper formally notified state and federal environmental agencies and the current and former owners of the steel mill of their intent to sue in federal court to force cleanup of lonstanding pollution problems there. Bethlehem Steel Corp. signed a consent decree to clean up in 1997, and subsequent owners have agreed as well, but progress lags.

The meeting will be from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the North Point Fire Hall, 7500 North Point Road. For more on the threatened lawsuit, go here, here and here.

Meanwhile, some residents are continuing their attempts to organize a class-action lawsuit seeking to collect damages for the pollution they've been exposed to. Russell Donnelly told my colleague Mary Gail Hare that about 50 people have agreed so far to join a lawsuit. The group has extended to September the deadline for signing up. For more information, go here and here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Events
        

A federal scientist calls "very troublesome" the state budget cut eliminating funds to monitor algal blooms in the Chesapeake Bay.

Robert E. Magnien, director of sponsored ocean research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, writes in an email that the elimination of state funding for phytoplankton or algae monitoring is a "double-whammy of sorts" because the states and the Environmental Protection Agency also have proposed cutting funding for such monitoring baywide.

As I reported in The Baltimore Sun, the $220,000 in algae monitoring funds were eliminated as part of a $281 million spending reduction across all state agencies.  State Natural Resources Secretary John R. Griffin said the effort was considered expendable because the multi-state bay program was in the process of revamping its monitoring efforts, and this was deemed a low priority. 

The EPA bay program office has proposed reducing monitoring of water quality in the main bay, while doing more sampling in the upper reaches of rivers and streams flowing into the bay. But bay scientists have opposed that, arguing it would reduce their ability to tell how the bay is doing.  The algae bloom sampling is one of the elements of annual bay health report cards issued by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

Magnien, who once oversaw bay monitoring for Maryland DNR, also disagrees.  

"Harmful algal blooms have increased dramatically in Chesapeake Bay since the 1980s and constitute one of the largest threats to both public and ecosystem health," he writes.  "This doesn't seem like a good time to be unplugging a critically ill 'patient' from its monitoring system."

To learn more about harmful algal blooms, and to see where they've been spotted in the bay, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, News
        

Have you been to Fallingwater, the The famous Frank Lloyd Wright house in Mill Run, Pa.? Like playing with LEGOs? Want to use LEGOs to recreate Fallingwater in your house?

LEGO is now selling Fallingwater sets, as part of its architecture series that also includes Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum, New York's Empire State Building and Chicago's Sears Tower. 

The Fallingwater set is 811 pieces. It's 6x7x10 inches. 

You can buy the set at the Fallingwater museum store or at fallingwatermuseumstore.org.

Doesn't look like designers planned for any actual water to run under the toy house. But hey, LEGOs are plastic, so maybe you could figure something out.

Photo courtesy of the Western Pennsylvania Conservency

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Products
        

Kelsey Donegan (known formally as Ms. Donegan by her Furman L. Templeton Elementary School students) is the heart and hands behind Spouting Oxygen, a collection of “forgotten items” that have been “brought back to life in small packages of handmade goodness.” Kelsey’s journals, sketchbooks, clutches, and bags are one-of-a-kind and made with recycled and/or salvaged materials. Kelsey also authors the blog Charm City Art Room, where she writes about her experiences as an elementary school art teacher, and maintains her web site www.sproutingoxygen.com where she highlights current promotions (like her scrap paper matchbooks that are free with any purchase) and offers customers the option for custom order books. Seems to me that altogether, Sprouting Oxygen is one great big package of handmade goodness. Wouldn’t you agree?

Images courtesy of the artist.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Shopping
        

Time.com writes this week about a study that shows lower IQs in babies whose moms were exposed to polluted air.

I often wonder when I'm running along busy Fort Avenue to Fort McHenry if the exhaust is makes the exercise not worth it. I'm sure that not a good thing, but the story says adults have some coping mechanisms. Babies, particularly when they are fetuses, do not.

The story reports on a study in the journal Pediatrics that links mothers' exposure to high levels of environmental pollutants while pregnant to a four-point drop in children's IQ scores by age 5. They said that can be significant.

The researchers also point out that we know how to reduce pollution from cars and factories and are in many cases. Perhaps we should be doing more?

Associated Press file photo in Kansas

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 2:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Air Pollution
        

Ilya is paying social calls along the Susquehanna River, it seems. The National Aquarium confirmed another sighting on Wednesday in Perryville.

Town Commissioner Gary Tennis spotted the marine mammal from Florida, the aquarium reports, and took the pictures you see here.

The aquarium also provided a helpful aerial photo you can see below that shows where the sightings have occurred. I'm not sure if the "unconfirmed" sighting July 20 on the map is the same one aquarium folks had told me about -- of a novice sailor being startled when what she thought was a manatee surfaced next to her boat.  If so, I'd thought that happened Sunday, instead of Monday.

The aquarium says it and the Coast Guard plan to monitor the manatee's movements to ensure its safety.  They ask that boaters in the upper Chesapeake Bay be alert and slow down, especially when in the vicinity of recent sightings.

Any more sightings of manatees (or dolphins or other large marine animals) please call the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police stranding hotline, 1-800-628-9944.  Also, let us know here at B'more Green, and we'll share any info, pics or video.  But please, don't get too close, for the animals' sake.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 5:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Make your way to Waverly on Sunday to see Waverly Pastoral , an art exhibition featuring work that explores natural spaces in urban environments. The event will include Liz Donadio’s large-scale photographs documenting discrete pockets of greenery in Waverly, as well as Clarissa Gregory’s sculptural forest installation made from scavenged materials. Combined, these installations offer viewers a poetic situation of half reality and half fantasy.

Waverly Pastoral will be held in Tinges Commons – a community garden and contemporary public art space on the southeast corner of Frisby and 33rd streets. Organic food from the garden will be served.

All in all, this event should be a great opportunity for neighborhood residents and the public e to learn more about the Waverly’s potential for sustainable green projects.

Festivities will run from 4-8 p.m. For more information, contact Graham Coreil-Allen at detourne@gmail.com.

Image courtesy of Graham Coreil-Allen

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events
        

The government plans to unveil details of its "cash for clunkers" program tomorrow, according to a story by Eileen Ambrose in today's Sun.

The program aims to help the troubled car makers and the environment. Those who buy between July and Nov. 1 (or until the government's $1 billion runs out) will get up to $4,500 from the dealer for trading in their old cars and trucks for new ones.

Details on what cars and what dealers will be posted tomorrow on www.cars.gov. The info may not be complete right away. Local officials say most dealers are participating, even if they aren't listed.

Clunkers need to have a combined fuel economy rating of 18 miles per gallon or less, which some critics say won't prompt too much buying. And the cash declines depending on the value of your trade-in.

What do you think? Will you trade in your car or truck? What are you going to get?

Baltimore Sun photo of Chevy Aveo at Anderson Automotive in Baltimore/Jed Kirschbaum

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: News
        

Forget those little bottles of shampoo and a fresh set of towels every day. Waste is out and green is in at the local hotel. I wrote a story for the Sunday Travel section about the trend in Baltimore and around the country. You can see a preview here.

They are going beyond asking you to reuse your towels. They are saving energy and water in more ways, using recycled carpet and building materials, added solar lights and green roofs and wearing uniforms made from old soda bottles.

The hotel owners see a chance to save money -- and to market themselves. Surveys show people care if their hotels are wasteful. Some hotels are certainly more green than others, but here are a few in Baltimore that have taken some steps.

The Green Hotels Association also has a list of members nationwide who have taken some steps.

If you have a favorite green hotel here or elsewhere, let us know.

Baltimore Sun photo of Fairfield Inn, the city's first LEED certified hotel/Jed Kirschbaum

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Going Green
        

Holding the line on fishing restrictions will pay off in rebuilding summer flounder, bluefish and other fish stocks along the mid-Atlantic coast, says a new study by an environmental group.

With Congress being urged by some recreational fishing groups to make the federal fishery management law more "flexible," the Pew Environment Group produced a report today that says catch restrictions meant to rebuild four depleted mid-Atlantic fish stocks will pay off in higher catches later on, and more money in the pockets of those who depend on recreational and commercial fishng for a livelihood.

The report estimates catches would be 24 to 48 percent higher by now if the four fish stocks had been rebuilt by 2007, worth $570 million a year in increased income, sales and jobs for fishermen as well as operators of bait and tackle shops, motels and restaurants.

Some anglers have chafed at catch limits imposed on summer flounder and other stocks, and have argued that federal fisheries managers need to have more flexibility to respond to the latest scientific evidence of fish abudnance and reproduction. Lawmakers in New Jersey and New York have introduced legislation to that effect, arguing that "outdated federal rules" are stifling the once-thriving fishing industry.  For more on the legislation, go here. 

But the move has drawn fire from conservationists and split fishing groups, who argue that relaxing catch limits before a fish population has clearly recovered could have catastrophic long-term economic and environmental consequences.  And they're pointing to the successful restoration from the brink of collapse of striped bass, better known here in Maryland as rockfish.

Carl Safina, marine ecologist and conservation advocate, recalled how striped bass nearly disappeared in the 1980s from the Chesapeake Bay and mid-Atlantic waters because fisheries managers dithered as commercial fishermen resisted drastic catch restrctions    The fish declined so precipitously that Maryland imposed a complete catch moratorium in 1980, and other states then followed with tight restrictions.  But the stock recovered quickly, enabling Maryland to lift its moratorium after just five years.

"You simply cannot have good fishing if the fish don't recover," Safina said. "And they won't recover if we don't let them recover."

(1997 Baltimore Sun photo by Algerina Perna)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: News
        

The National Aquarium in Baltimore has looked to all corners of the place in order to meet their conservation mission -- and that includes the bathrooms.

The aquarium has started installing sinks and toilets that need no electricity. No toilets or sinks need electricity, you may be saying to yourself right now. But those nice sanitary ones that flush and turn on and off themselves do. And with 1.4 million visitors a year, who wants to touch anything in those bathrooms!

These new toilets and sinks run on capacitors that recharge every time they are used. The charge lasts for the next 5-10 uses, according to Bill Kline, the aquarium's facilites project manager. He said it may not save that much energy, but it means they don't have to toss so many of the batteries they had been using.

The toilets are made by a company called Toto USA Inc. and cost about $500 a piece, so the aquarium will roll them out over time in the 11 public bathrooms.

The aquarium has a bunch of other projects that they believe will help them cut down on energy use. It has something called variable freqency drives that mean the pumps they use on the fish tanks don't have to be running all the time. It has censor lights on staff rooms so they turn off when no one is using them. And it has compact fluorescent light bulbs that take far less from the grid than regular bulbs.

The aquarium recycles tons of stuff, uses biodegradable bags in the gift shop and biodegradable plates and napkins in the cafeteria. The coffee served is grown in a sustainable way. The vehicle fleet is carbon neutral. The dolphin show bleachers and the bridge between piers are made from recycled materials. Officials also arrange for area cleanups.

So, next time you're at the aquarium, think about the planet while you're flushing.  

Baltimore Sun photo of Bill Kline using the sink/Lloyd Fox

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Going Green
        

Here's an ultrabrief clip from the National Aquarium providing a close-up look of the manatee sighted in a Havre de Grace marina on Saturday.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay
        

Earth Friendly Products is running a promotion on Facebook and plans to give away products to 10 winners. You can get the details here, but it involves becoming a fan and telling them why you like their stuff.

The giveaway includes: ECOS laundry detergent, Wave Auto Diswashing Gel, Oxo-Brite Non-chlorine bleach, Eco Breeze fabric refreshener, and Dishmate Hand Diswahing Detergent.

I haven't used any of these specific products, so I can't say how they work. But if you like them, you can throw your name in the hat. 

Sometimes free stuff is nice, even if it means scrubbing your dishes.

The dealine is Aug. 1.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 5:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Products
        

If you are, may you feel like showing off?

We'd like to share your pictures of your green projects -- no matter how big or small. You can go to our Local Treehugger site and drop them in, along with something about it.

We'd like pictures of gardens, compost piles, solar panels, tankless waterheaters, bird feeders,  you name it. The picture above is of chickens that live in a backyard in Hamilton.

Baltimore Sun file photo/Algerina Perna

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Going Green
        

After a couple close encounters with people over the weekend near Havre de Grace, the visiting Florida manatee named Ilya seems to have grown shy. No new sightings have been reported the past couple days. according to Jennifer Dittmar, coordinator of the marine animal rescue program at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

That's just as well. Manatees, slow-moving and favoring shallow inshore waters, are prone to being run over by powerboats. In fact, that's how biologists in Florida were able to identify this upper Chesapeake Bay visitor - Ilya had distinctive scarring on his tail from wounds received years earlier - presumably from an outboard propeller. Such collisions with boats rank among the marine mammals' chief threats to survival.

Wayne Bowie, manager of the Penns Beach Marina in Havre de Grace, says the manatee appeared in good health while grazing on bay grasses by the dock Saturday afternoon.

Bowie said he didn't believe the boater who first informed him there was a manatee in the marina. He'd seen manatees before in Florida, but just didn't think they would travel this far north. Once he eyeballed it himself, Bowie said, he knew it wasn't from around here.

"It sat in the marina and just kind of popped up every few minutes to take a breath of air, and ate some seaweed," the marina manager said. Police, the aquarium and the state natural resources department were called, and pretty soon, a crowd of 25 or 30 people had gathered to watch the manatee pull up some of the bay grasses that seem to be flourishing in the upper bay these days - a sign of recovering water quality there.

Bowie said his 30-year-old son even reached down and touched the manatee. "It was just too tempting," he said of the docile "sea cow," a nickname given manatees. Experts, however, caution against getting too close to them -- not because they're dangerous, but because humans are potentially dangerous to them. If they get too accustomed to being around people, they may venture more often into boat-infested waters, putting themselves at risk.

This animal seems already to be unafraid of getting close to people - all the more reason to go slow on the water and be on the lookout.

Meanwhile, Robert Bonde, a biologist with the Sirenia Project at the U.S. Geological Survey's Florida Integrated Science Center in Gainesville, reports that the population there is generally doing "quite well." He says there's even talk of "weaning" them from the strict protection afforded by the federal Endangered Species Act, but experts are still trying to figure out what would be needed to safeguard their survival if that were to happen.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay
        

Mark your calendars: On July 27, Baltimore Green Works will host a series on capacity building for community organizations called GROWSHOPS (Growing, Restoring, Organizing Workshops). The series is intended to educate small non-profits and community organizations on how to build a board of directors, event planning, marketing and more.

Baltimore Green Works has sponsored Ecofest and Baltimore Green Week. Just recently, they started offereing more free and low-cost year-round programing that promotes sustainable ways of living, including the Ecoball and the Sustainable Speaker Series.

GROWSHOPS are free, but an RSVP is required. For more information, go to www.baltimoregreenworks.com/events.

Image courtesy of Baltimore Green Works

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 1:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

If you are wishing there were more trees, but would like a little help with the cost of planting, the state has a couple of programs for you. Officials are offering coupons for individuals and grants to groups: 

A state group called The Maryland Urban and Community Forest Committee is now taking grant applications for public land plantings and educational projects. They're handing out awards up to $1,500 to towns, homeowner associations, parks, schools and other groups that plant trees.

The applications can be downloaded and are due by Sept. 15. Future grant deadlines are in February and June. They need to be signed by a local Forestry Board member. Call you local Forestry Office for help with that. Or contact Wanda MacLachlan at 410-531-5973 or at wtm@umd.edu. 

And for individuals, the state is offering $25 discount coupons for native trees costing $50 or more in an effort to get private citizens to plant 50,000 new tress by 2010. There is information about the tree program www.trees.maryland.gov. There's also tree planting advice there.

With an eye on the goal, the state also wants people to register their trees -- and calculate their benefits.

Baltimore Sun file photo of ginkgo biloba tree outside of the Sun's Calvert Street offices/Algerina Perna

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Going Green
        

The city is looking for someone -- like a contractor or company of some sort -- to buy the large stock of wood its accumulated.

The thousands of tons of wood comes from tree trimmings and branches downed in storms and there is only so much mulch Baltimore can make from it.

The city has run out of room and will for the first time take bids for the pile, 30 feet high in places, at Camp Small, an old Civil War campsite better known as the "stump dump" to residents who go pick up wood for fires and projects.

Small pieces are still free for residents who want go to the facility on Cold Spring Lane just west of I-83 and pick them up.

So, if you have use for an extremely large pile of wood, or are able to recycle it or make energy from it, the Department of General Services and the Department of Recreation and Parks wants to hear from you.

Contact Paul Skorochod of the DGS Energy Division at 410-545-6071. The deadline for bids is July 29.

Baltimore Sun photo of fallen tree branch during storm in Owings Mills/Gene Sweeney Jr.  

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: News
        

The Army is expanding efforts to identify its carbon "bootprint" to 11 more military bases around  the U.S., including Aberdeen Proving Ground.

The service is using software provided by a California firm to quantify and track greenhouse gas emissions from base activities and utility purchases, according to a news release from the firm, Enviance.  The Army's move comes a little over a year after it first began trying to track and manage climate-warming emissions at Fort Collins in Colorado, using the Carlsbad company's software.  The effort was prompted by a 2007 presidential executive order requiring federal agencies to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

Brass are learning that shrinking the Army's carbon footprint can have military benefits, in addition to reducing environmental impacts and curbing energy costs from fossil fuel use.

"By reducing requirements for re-supply, we are able to reduce the number of convoys, a primary target for ambushes taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan, for example," said Tad Davis, deputy assistant Army secretary for environment, safety and occupational health.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: News
        

Planning on doing some laundry this weekend? A few readers have requested a DIY laundry detergent recipe, which I promptly found at www.suite101.com. Similar to the DIY dish detergent recipe, the ingredients here are simple:

-3.1 oz bar Ivory soap (Ivory is chosen because it's all natural. You may use a soap of your choice)
-1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
-1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
-Water

Tools needed:

-5 Gallon container
-Knife or grater
-Pot large enough to hold 5 cups of water
-Long stirring stick/spoon (for 5 gallon container)

Instructions:

Shave the soap into small strips and place in the pot with 5 cups of water. Bring the water just shy of a boil and stir until the soap is completely melted. When the soap is just about melted, pour 3 gallons of hot water into the 5-gallon container and let it sit until the soap in the pot is totally melted. Once all of the soap shavings are melted, pour the mixture into the 5-gallon container and stir.

Once the soap and water are thoroughly stirred, add the 1/2 cup pf washing soda and stir until dissolved. Once the washing soda is dissolved, pour in the cup of borax and stir again until dissolved.

Optional: Essential Oils for fragrance. If you like fragrant detergent, now is when you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oils.

Recipe courtesy of Suite 101

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: DIY
        

If you're headed downey ocean today, you may catch officials and volunteers out for the 12th annual dolphin count. Lead by the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the group will spend a few hours watching the water and filing out data sheets.

Counters will be fanning out along the beaches of Ocean City and Assateague Island. Others will ride in a boat.

The count helps marine specialists to compile long-term information about dolphin populations, reproduction rates and ocean health. They will also be able to keep tabs on the abundance of prey and the overall health of the coastal ecosystem.

Officials say because of the counts they now know bottlenose dolphins use state waters to migrate, breed and feed. The information also led to dolphins being listed as "depleted" by the National Marine Fisheries Service in 1993, after about half the population, or at least 750 dolphins, died in 1987 and 1988.  The designation means the animals are in jeopardy of declining to a point where they may not recover -- and it's similar to the Endangered Species Act designations of threatened or endangered.

Other East Coast groups are undertaking similar counts to determine the health of the overall habitat.

Stay tuned for the final report. And in the meantime, the aquarium's blog asks you to take a guess at how many dolphins they count. The best guess wins tickets to the aquarium. Text “dolphin” and your guess to 30644 by 1 p.m. today.

Bottlenose dolphin swims off the coast of Ocean City/courtesy of the National Aquarium

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: News
        

Wal-Mart used to be the target of just about every labor and evironmental group for big-footing over everything in the way of its profits. But more recently, the company has been using its size to force changes on the retail industry -- and much of America.

Today, the company says it's taking another big step by forming a labeling system over the next few years that will tell consumers about a product's environmental and social sustainability. The New York Times has a story today about the program, being presented to suppliers today.

To form the index, the company employed environmentalists, academics and suppliers. Wal-Mart wants the other big retails, such as Costco and Target, to also use the index (something suppliers may demand, so they don't have to deal with multiple labels.)

Wal-Mart expects manufacturers to begin making more eco-friendly products because of the labels, a move that could reduce energy consumption and save money that will be needed to create for the new index.

The retail giant has pushed environmentalism on the masses in smaller doses in the past, by selling only concentrated detergent that uses less plastic for bottles and compact flourescent light bulbs.

Think this much larger effort will work? Will people change their shopping habits when they know more about what went into making the products?

Getty Images photo

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: News
        

With Baltimore's historic switch this week to once-a-week trash pickup, from twice a week, the biggest worry seems to be that there will be more piles of trash on the corners. And conversely, if the city starts enforcing the laws concerning trash, mostly law-abiding and tax-paying residents fear they will get the tickets.

Everyone may be tired of this trashy subject by now, but I had a change to talk to the head of code enforcement and he gave me the run down on what residents are most likely to get cited for doing. Thought I'd pass on the info.

Officially, Baltimore City law says you need to put your trash out no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before your scheduled pick up. Trash needs to be in a can with a lid. Households are allowed 96 gallons of trash, or about three cans. Those can need to be returned to your property, not left on the sidewalk, even if you have to drag it through your house to your backyard.

But, much of this isn't likely to get you cited, according to Eric Booker, assistant commissioner of code enforcement inspection at the Baltimore Housing Authority.

Unless someone calls about the mess you've made in front of your house, any of his 60 officers aren't likely to come to your house, especially on trash day. They're in other neighborhoods looking for people who put trash out on the corners in bags. Bags, especially those out overnight in a big pile, are what feed the rat population.

"I'm looking for that," Booker told me. "If I get a call that there is a violation, I have to cite it, but I'm not hunting for someone with a can in front of the house. But if you pile trash on the corner, I will catch you." 

So, if you put your trash out on trash day and it doesn't all fit with the lid, or your neighbors put a bag in your can, you probably won't get a ticket. If you leave your can in front of your house instead of getting it to your backyard, you probably won't get a ticket. Probably.

Booker is after the corner piles. And he's not afraid to go all CSI and figure out who made the trash. See the video. And if you're going to go to all the trouble of shredding all your mail and all other distinguishing items, then you may as well use that energy to buy a can and use it.  

Putting your trash bag on the corner can get your $150 in fines: one $50 fine for not using a can, one $50 fine for trash accumulation and one $50 fine for putting trash out on the wrong day.

Booker says putting the trash out on the corner does not help the collectors. It sends a message that this is where trash goes all the time. It's also not fair to the person who lives there.

There is a grace period of 90 days on citations, but just for putting your trash out on the wrong day or putting out more than 96 gallons. You still need to use a can.

Booker understands there will be "growing pains." And residents are allowed to appeal a citation. Last year, the officers issued 33,000 of them. (No count for how many were won on appeal.)  

And he's sorry about the lost and broken cans and lids. But suggests zip ties to connect them, or chaining them to the fence. Or, as his granddad did, use a piece of plywood as a lid with a brick to hold it down. "It doesn't have to be sexy. Get creative."

One more thing about the cans: Use a liner in your trash can. Tie it closed. The collectors will grab only the bag and not the can if you do that.

And lastly, Booker says, "Please recycle. It can reduce trash by 70-80 percent."

Baltimore Sun photo/Jed Kirschbaum

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

The Wailers Band toddler t-shirt by Sweet Peptia, You ComPlate Me friendship necklaces by The Broken Plate.

Bring your old T-shirts to Artscape this weekend. Local crafter Sweet Pepita, who makes one-of-a-kind clothing from recycled and organic fabrics, will be waiting with open arms to take them off of your hands and use them in future projects.

If you have any dishes you no longer need (even if they're a little bashed up) bring them along too. The Broken Plate Pendant Company will take whatever you've got and turn it into unquestionably gorgeous jewelry.

Both vendors will be located in the DIY section.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 4:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events
        

The New York Times is reporting that Baltimore's own Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, now the principal deputy commissioner of food and drugs, is pushing to tack onto the health bill in Congress a provision to restrict antibiotics in livestock.

Antibiotic is used commonly in livestock to promote growth and cut down on illnesses. But Sharfstein says the use in cows, pigs and chickens leads to treatment resistent bacteria in humans. Farmers shouldn't be able to use them without supervision from a veterinarian, he said.

There was a hearing yesterday on the proposal by Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-N.Y., and chairwoman of the Rules Committee. Her measure would ban seven classes of antibiotics important to human health from being used in animals, according to the Times. Other antibiotics would be resticted to therapeutic uses and some prevention uses.

Prospects for the proposal weren't totally clear. Though some supporters, including the American Medical Association and the Pew Environment Group, say they are improving.

Seem like a good move?

AP Photo

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: News
        

A company called New Energy Technologies, Inc. said this month that it will begin testing a prototype for generating electricity from cars and light trucks driving through the parking lot of a Burger King in New Jersey.

The company said its engineers built something called MotionPower, and if it works, eventually the power generator could make electricity from cars driving through all kinds of busy intersections, toll booths and parking lots. (If you'd like to see how it works, check out the video after the jump.)

The technology captures kenetic energy in a similar way that hybrid cars do, according to the company. And with some 250 million cars on the road every day, that's a lot of opportunity to make energy -- enough to light a half million homes.

The Burger King in Hillside, N.J., with 150,000 cars visiting a year, will be the first guinea pig.

The company is also developing something called SolarWindow that is a coating on glass surfaces that act like the world's smallest solar panels.  

Of course, allowing people to generate energy while driving to the local fast food restaurant won't do much for the obesity epidemic.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Going Green
        

At last year's Hampdenfest, the Baltimore Etsy Street Team held a successful craft supply drive for Art with a Heart, Inc. They've decided to do it again at one of their largest group venues, and "America's largest free art festival" ArtScape.

So help them help Art with a Heart, Inc. carry out its mission by bringing craft supply items to one of the BEST artists at Artscape. As a "thank you" for your donation, BEST is offering a 10 percent discount off a single item purchased at Artscape from one its artists. You may bring any unused craft (or office) supplies or gift card to the BEST tent at ArtScape or to any of their participating artists at ArtScape to receive the discount. One discount per person, and the offer is only valid on purchases made at Artscape on July 17-19.

Participating BEST Members:

BlockPartyPress
DandelionBlu
ElisaShereJewelry
greenstarstudio
JenMenkhaus
JennyJen42
JillPopowichDesigns
SweetPepita
TheBrokenPlate
TigerLillyShop
Yummy & Company

Items they are looking for include markers, glue, erasers, pencils, tape, Mod Podge, paint brushes, single hole punchers, scissors, aluminum foil, disposable/plastic bowls, clay, tag board/poster board, thread and more.

All donations will go to Art with a Heart, Inc. Art with a Heart, Inc. provides art activities to disadvantaged families and children, and to people with developmental and physical challenges, at local shelters, senior centers, public schools and community centers.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 4:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events
        

This is a list that TreeHugger.com put together last month, but I thought it was kinda fun taking-a-break-from-work reading.

It's all about the celebrities with the greenest homes -- and not just the ones who drive a hybrid and think that offsets the five houses they own.

The greenies include Johnny Depp, who has an estate that runs on solar-hydrogen power and Julie Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall, who have a retractable roof that simulates airflow and negates the need for air conditioning.

Darryl Hannah, who has a solar-powered converted stagecoach house. There are others, too. Try and guess. Think Pirates of the Caribbean, Battlestar Galactica and Pretty Woman.

Has it become downright trendy to go green? Will fans follow suit, if possible on their non-celebrity budgets? Do compact flourescent lightbulbs count?

AP photo of Johnny Depp

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

Today was the first day of the city's new trash program (if you don't count yesterday, when there was no pick up in some neighborhoods for the first time in 40 years.)

And like yesterday, there seem to be no early problems. Though, not everyone seemed to have gotten the message. Every few houses in the alleys of Wyman Park -- where I met up with a city trash crew -- didn't have trash out for pick up. We didn't know if they didn't get the news, if they were out of town or just didn't have trash. You can read my early account here.

A good percentage did seem to know about the changes: Once a week trash pick up, down from twice a week, and once a week recycling pick up, up from twice a month.

The city says once everyone gets on board, the program will be more efficient, will encourage more recycling and will free up crews to respond to 311 calls about messy alleys.

The crew I followed was worried that it would mean a lot more trash would accumulate for them to get. They already know the changes mean longer routes and days for them because they got longer routes to free up those alley sweepers.

They were also concerned people would pile up garbage outside of the cans with lids. That means more rats, maggots and oppossums to deal with. (They city can fine residents who do that, though officials didn't seem like they were targeting residents who put out lid-less cans on trash morning. It's the people who leave it out over night in a vulnerable bag that officials say they are most concerned about.)

Officials do plan to monitor compliance and the effectiveness of the new program. They're also looking into supplying cans to homes, maybe even with bar codes so they know where they belong. It's a work in progress. Let them know if you have a problem at 311.

And if you don't know your day for trash and recycling pick up, type your name into the city's map.

Baltimore Sun photo of Reggie Ware (left) and Terrance Perry/Jed Kirschbaum

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: News
        

Custom Pet Portrait by Fuzzy Mug, Supernatural Wrap Skirt by The Garbologist's Wife, Cascading Hydrangea Petals Necklace by Tigerlilly Shop.

While you’re in the mindset of buying local, don’t forget to check out one of the best links to local crafters – the Shop Local feature on Etsy. Shop Local contains 10 pages of the most recently updated Etsy shops from crafters in and around Baltimore.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 5:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Shopping
        

For the past couple of years, the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission has enouraged people around the state to show their support for local farms and the environment by buying local foods. The annual Buy Local Challenge begins this Saturday.

Participants can be counted by taking a pledge to eat one thing from a local farm every day of Buy Local week. Or they just make an extra effort to buy local produce during the week at one of the state's many farmers' markets. So far, 293 people have signed up, and several area counties, including Anne Arundel, Howard and Harford, have signed on.

Supporters say buying local provides consumers with fresh food. And it helps the environment because less fuel is used to transport the food. They also say if every household in the state purchased $12 worth of farm products for eight weeks, or the summer season, more than $200 million would be put back into the farmers' pockets.

If you need some ideas on what to do with local food, here are some tips and recipes.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Events
        

City trash crews begin their new schedule this week, and today, it seemed most people got the message.

Trash collection has been basically the same for four decades -- twice a week. But from now on collection will be once a week, Tuesday through Friday, depending on where you live. Those who have had Monday pickup mostly followed the rules and didn't put out the trash.

There were some who did in the four neighborhoods I visited this morning. But those people may be the one who put out their bags no matter what day it is, in cans or just bags -- nevermind the rats they feed.

City officials insist that picking up trash only once a week will help. They say crews that had been picking up recyclables one week and cleaning alleys the next. But now those crews will be on full-time alley duty. So if you call 311 and complain about a big mess near your house, hopefully, the turn around time for cleanup will be much faster.

In addition to collecting trash once a week, crews will also pickup recycling once a week, up from twice a month. Recycling has been on the upswing since the city started single stream crub-side, and city officials hope this will lead to even more recycling and less trash in the landfills. 

Certainly, the changes won't fix everything. And it may, as some residents fear, lead to some more trouble spots. We'll see over time.

In the meantime, city officials say they are "not focused on" ticketing residents who put out their trash cans the morning of pickup without lids, another concern of those who fear their lids will disappear or be broken by trash crews. While they still want everyone to use cans with lids to cut down on rats, they are really focused on those who put out bags of trash the night or day before trash pickup.

You can read today's story here. And I'll report back tomorrow how Day 1 of actual trash pickup goes. I'll be out with the trash crews at 7 a.m.!

For more information on trash and recycling and a map of the new pickup days, go to baltimorecity.gov.

Baltimore Sun photo of 1800 block of E. Fairmount St./Jed Kirschbaum

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: News
        

I know a lot of people are worried about this new one-a-week trash-recycling system of Baltimore's. But they're going ahead with it, so let's all try and get our trash cans and recycling bins out on the right days. 

The new One Plus One system starts next Tuesday, so there will NOT be regular trash pick up on Monday.

The city sent out postcards alerting residents of their new days for trash and recycling pick-up. If you didn't get a card and don't know your days, call 311 or go to cleanergreenerbaltimore.org and type your address into the map. This map shows collection days by quadrant.

And in review, you need a trash can with a lid -- many readers have suggested chaining the lids to the can or to the fence to keep them from disappearing. The city says they will fine you if you don't have a can. You can have up to three 32-gallon cans. They are not planning on supplying them, however.

If there is a holiday during the week, the city will come on Saturday to get the trash so residents won't have to wait a whole other week for pick-up.

Recycling is unlimited. Residents can use any bin that is labelled for recycling, a paper bag, twine or the city's yellow bins. They do not plan to give these away, but if you want one, the city sells them at various locations around Baltimore, including the Herring Run Watershed Association on Belair Road, Eddies on Eager Street, Spoons on Cross Street and the Women's Industrial Exchange on Charles Street.

You'll need a check or cash -- the 18 gallon bin is $5 and the 25-gallon bin is $12. See a complete list of places to get the bins at cleanergreenerbaltimore.org.

City officials acknowledge this will be a big change for everyone. But they're hoping you'll do your part.  

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: News
        

If you're looking for a nice place outside the city to spend a weekend afternoon in the woods or water, my dog Dizzy recommends Downs Park in Pasadena. He took me and my husband, Doug, there this week. As you can see from the photos, Dizzy especially liked the water part.

We played on the dog beach with Dizzy's new Grriggles neoprene toy given to him by his friend at Unleashed, Jill Rosen. he also enjoyed saying hello to the other dogs on the beach.

After splashing in the surf for a while, we hiked for about an hour on a trail through the woods. We saw lots of birds and a family of deer.

In all, there are five miles of paved and natural trails in the park. There also are ballfields, a children's playground and a pier. Hours are 7 a.m. to dusk, except Tuesday, when the park is closed.

If you're closer to Annapolis, Dizzy also enjoys Quiet Waters Park. Same hours. Six miles of trails, plus canoe and kayak rental.

Both parks are $5 per car to enter.

Just an idea.

Baltimore Sun photos of Dizzy/Doug Beizer

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

If you’re not already familiar with Aliza Sollins’ blog, The Baltimore DIY Squad, then you are most certainly in for a treat. A student at the University of Baltimore, Aliza is somewhat of a green living aficionado who has an impressive amount of expertise in all things DIY, particularly as they exist in Charm City. The Baltimore DIY Squad contains project tutorials, links to events and web sites of interest, interviews, images, recipes and more. A few of my favorite posts so far include Aliza’s recipe for sauerkraut; Things I Learned This Weekend; and an illustrated tutorial on making strawberry jam with local berries from Larriland Farms.

Image courtesy of Aliza Sollins

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 3:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: DIY
        

Hybrids may be fuel-sippers, but they can go fast, too.   Pictured above is the GZ09, a gas-electric speedster scheduled to race in the American Le Mans Series' Northeast Grand Prix in Lime Rock, CT next Saturday, July 18.

Developed by Corsa Motorsports out of Salt Lake City, it's the greenest of a new generation of race cars that are being developed to maximize fuel efficiency while still delivering plenty of get up and go.  The American Le Mans Series racing circuit is promoting a "race within a race" for its cars, handing out points and a prize for the greenest as well as the fastest car on its tracks.  I wrote a feature recently for The Baltimore Sun about the greening of motor sports, which you can read here.

This baby boasts an E10-fueled 4.0 liter V8 with an "on-board lithium-ion energy storage system," which heightens its fuel efficiency by capturing the energy generated whenever the car brakes.  The dashboard, pictured here, is slightly more complicated than your standard street hybrid, but what did you expect?

If you want to see it up close before it races, it'll be on display from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday in Washington, D.C. outside the Department of Energy, at the intersection of L'Enfant Plaza and Independence Ave SW.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Last night, with the help of a high-pressure water sprayer, Domino’s and GreenGraffiti went on an overnight mission, "blasting" 220 Domino's Pizza logos onto sidewalks in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York City. GreenGraffiti cleans part of the sidewalk and leaves the ads behind.

Domino’s is one of the first companies to launch this kind of ad campaign – even though it is technically environmentally-friendly, it could also prove to be a little controversial. (The company says that for each liter it uses for ads it invests in a water harvesting project that provides one liter of clean drinking water in the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil.) In an effort to entice consumers, Domino’s is offering a $15 gift card to the first 250 people to email pr@dominos.com and submit a photo of them with a GreenGraffiti sidewalk Domino’s logo.

Of course, this does not yet apply to us Baltimoreans, but it could at some point in the future. Would you be OK with Domino’s logos on Charm City sidewalks? Read more here.

(Image courtesy of Domino's and Green Graffiti)

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

 I did a post a little while back about donating your shoes for a good cause, instead of throwing them away. From the response, I thought it was worth letting everyone know that there's a drive going on now.

Holabird Sports, Comfort One Shoes and Finish Line are all participating in a Souls4Souls event to collect gently used shoes and donations. The shoes will go to victims of natural disasters and those living in extreme poverty.

The group estimates that some 1.5 billion unused shoes are just sitting in people's closets.

So, dig them out and get to Holabird at 9220 Pulaski Highway, or at the area Comfort One Shoes or Finish Line shops. Here's a list of all area places to drop off shoes. 

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Tips
        

Thinking about installing solar panels on your house or business? Maryland Solar Solutions and bluehouse are offering a free seminar called "How to fire the electric company and produce my own clean energy needs -- and get the government to pay for up to half of it!"

They will talk about how the panels work, how much they cost and much in federal and state tax breaks you can get. Maryland Solar Solutions, in Reisterstown, sells panels and does energy audits. Bluehouse, in Towson, sells environmentally friendly housewares.

The classes will be held at bluehouse. They're located in the Shops at Kenilworth in Towson, 872 Kenilworth Dr. Colette Hayward, the owner of Maryland Solar Solutions will give the talks beginning this Saturday, July 11 from 3 p.m.-4 p.m. and Tuesday, July 14 from 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Additional seminars will be held 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 8; 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Aug. 11; 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 19; 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Sept. 21; 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 10; 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Oct. 12.

For going, you'll get info, light refreshments and a 10 percent discount on stuff at bluehouse.

RSVP at 443-218-2620 or mssicontact@marylandsolarsolutions.com with the date of the seminar you'd like to attend. You can also go to marylandsolarsolitions.com or bluehouselife.com for more info.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Products
        

While the federal government is busily trying to shovel economic stimulus money out of Washington, it seems there's a countermove that could put a crimp in efforts to reduce farm-related pollution of the Chesapeake Bay.

Environmentalists say a Senate subcommittee cut $250 million from a federal farm conservation program that offers farmers technical and financial help to do a better job of keeping poultry and other farm animal manure from washing into nearby streams.

The spending cut was among a batch sought by the Obama administration. If the cut to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) stands, it could reduce payments to Maryland farmers by $2 million, according to an analysis by the Environmental Working Group. The neighboring bay states of Pennsylvania and Virginia, with even more farms, stand to lose more than $3 million each. 

The cuts are potentially significant because until recently, at least, federal and state officials had relied on such financial incentives rather than regulations to get farmers to reduce polluted runoff from their fields and feedlots.  The EQIP program pays up to 75 percent of the cost of some conservation improvements.

Congress last year authorized a major boost in farm conservation spending nationwide, with $188 million earmarked for bay states over the next five years in the 2008 farm bill and tens of millions more available to bay region farmers through national farm conservation programs like EQIP.  Even with the increase, officials had said it would not be enough to pay for all the conservation improvements needed to curb nutrient pollution and sediment runoff from bay region farms. 

Environmentalists fought the Bush administration to keep it from blocking the increase in farm conservation funds, only to find the Obama administration now also seeking to trim them.

"We understand the administration's goal is to cut the deficit, but programs that help drive private investment in public benefits – like cleaner water, cleaner air and improved habitat for wildlife – are a great deal for taxpayers,” Sara Hopper, director of agricultural policy for the Environmental Defense Fund said in a press release.

The Senate panel did refuse to go along with the rest of the $600 million in farm conservation spending cuts that had bene sought by the Obama administration. But a House appropriations panel has made a similar $270 million cut in EQIP funding, and the full House is expected to vote soon on a spending bill including that cut, according to EDF.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

If commercial dish detergents that contain phosphates do indeed end up being banned, it may be worth making your own natural cleaning product, especially considering that current eco-friendly brands like EcoVer and Seventh Generation are so costly.

I pulled the following recipe for natural dishwasher/scouring powder from The New Homemaker. The ingredients are simple and pretty affordable – according to the author you’ll end up saving around 14 cents a load (when compared to a brand like Cascade). On the subject of whether or this detergent cleans as well as commercial brands, opinions are varied. Though the recipe recommends using citrus essential oils, some folks swear by tea tree and peppermint oils. Either way, this may require a little experimentation but it seems worth a try.

In a plastic container with a firmly fitting lid, mix:
1 cup borax (20-Mule-Team Borax, available in any supermarket)
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup citric acid (available in brewing stores among other places--if you haven't tracked it down yet but must try this formula, use two packets of Lemonade-Flavored Kool-Aid, ONLY lemon, or you'll dye your dishwasher! and ONLY unsweetened Kool-Aid!)
30 drops citrus essential oil--lemon, grapefruit, orange, tangerine, or a mixture

Put all of it in the container, shake it up.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: DIY
        

Phosphate-free dishwasher detergents may help restore the Chesapeake Bay, but there could be a price to pay -- dirtier dishes.

Maryland is one of 14 states that are banning sales of dishwasher detergents containing phosphates next July, and Congress is considering extending the ban nationwide.  State lawmakers are yanking phosphate dishwasher detergents from store shelves to protect the environment -- the phosphorus in standard detergents spurs growths of algae, which can suck the oxygen out of water that fish need to survive.  And the bay is choking on an overdose of nutrients, including phosphorus.

But some consumers have complained that the new phosphate-free detergents don't get their dishes as clean as the old standbys.  In Spokane, Washington, where phosphate products were banned last year, some housewives becames so upset with their dirty dishes that they began driving across the state line to Idaho to buy the outlawed dirt-fighting blends.

Now comes Consumer Reports to say the greener dishwasher detergents generally don't work as well as the phosphate soaps.  "In our tough tests, five of seven phosphate-free dishwasher detergents left lots of baked-on food," the magazine reports in its August issue.  The rankings are available only to subscribers, but you can read the magazine's general comments on dishwasher detergents, with mentions of some individual products, here.

(I've found the same thing, though admittedly without the rigorous testing.  I spied Palmolive Eco in my supermarket several weeks ago and decided to give it a try.  We found bits of dry cereal still clinging to the bowls when the dishwasher finished its work - an inconvenience that seemed to end when we switched back to a phosphate gel.)

Not all phosphate-free detergents flunked Consumer Reports' tests.  Method Smarty Dish tablets did pretty well, for instance, though not with cleaning pots.  The key may be the enzymes used in lieu of phosphates, the editors suggest.

But your options in buying phosphate-free detergents right now are still pretty limited.  That's the reason, says Brian Sansoni of the Soap and Detergent Association, that the industry lobbied Maryland lawmakers a year ago to delay their phosphate ban by six months, from Jan. 1 to July 1 of next year.  The major detergent manufacturers said they needed more time to develop and market greener products.

What to do for now, then, if you care about the environment but can't stand spots or grit on your dishes when you take them out of the dishwasher?

"It's most certainly a quandary for people," acknowledges Celia Kuperszmid-Lehrman, deputy home editor for Consumer Reports.  She suggests taking greater care in loading the dishwasher - making sure dishes are not stacked on top of each other or too close together.  

She also recommends using rinse agents if the dishwasher is equipped to dispense them; many folks like me skip them because they seem an unnecessary expense, but Kuperszmid-Lehrman says they actually do help keep food from sticking to dishes.

Tempting as it may be, she cautions, don't pre-wash bowls and plates before putting them in the dishwasher.  "That wastes an enormous amount of water," she said, thousands of gallons a year. 

The same advice applies for those who wonder if it wouldn't be greener just to scrub plates and silverware by hand in the sink.  A dishwasher uses five to 10 gallons of water - maybe 15 if it's an older model -  to clean a load, Kuperszmid-Lehrman points out.  But the standard kitchen faucet spits out 2.5 gallons a minute, so you'd use more water washing dishes by hand if you left the faucet run as little as five or six minutes. 

"Dishwashers are quite an efficient use of resources,'' she said.  Meanwhile, detergent manufacturers are still working on developing green dish cleaners, so maybe they'll find more suitable substitutes for the scum-fighting power of phosphates.

Has anyone else discovered this dirty little secret about green dishwasher detergents? Or is it much ado about nothing?  Are a few gritty dishes a small price to pay for cleaner water? 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

On the subject of pet waste being toxic for the environment, not only is it necessary to consider how diligently you clean up after your dogs and cats, but also how often they may be coming into contact with toxic substances. For example, did you know that clumping clay litter contains carcinogenic silica dust that can clog your cat’s lungs? Plus, the sodium bentonite that acts as a clumping agent is poisonous, as cats ingest it each time they groom themselves.

One solution: newspaper litter. In about 45 minutes, you can make your own 2-3 week supply using little more than newspaper, warm water, and baking soda. Here is the full tutorial. And, to read more about what other environmental toxins may be affecting your fur baby, visit Pets for the Environment – a great site that contains helpful information for how to create a healthy environment for pets and people.

(Photo by me)

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: DIY
        

When looking for culprits to blame for the Chesapeake Bay's foul shape, it's tempting to point fingers at smelly sewage treatment plants, or at farmers whose flocks or herds of animals produce highly visible, not to mention odoriferous, mounds of manure.

But before pointing fingers, maybe we should look a little closer to home. Household pets, particularly the legions of dogs taken for walks every day, collectively are a significant source of water pollution, experts say, and even a threat to human health.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation issued a report today highlighting the ways in which pollution and bacteria put humans at risk when they swim in the bay or its tributaries, when they eat locally caught fish or when they drink water from wells.  I wrote a story about it for The Baltimore Sun.

The report cites the usual suspects for much of the pollution that is linked to disease-causing bacteria, harmful algal blooms and toxic substances in the water.  It points to farm animal waste, for instance, as a likely source of nitrates getting into ground water and people's wells on the Eastern Shore and in southeastern Pennsylvania.

But it's another story in urban and suburban areas.  According to a state study, pet waste is the leading source of bacteria found in a stretch of the Severn River where a few years earlier a Crownsville man acquired a life-threatening bacterial infection after swimming with a mild scrape on his leg. 

The 2008 state study estimated that 69 percent of the bacteria found in the water came from pets, with wildlife contributing about 24 percent, livestock and humans just three percent each.  And the report noted that about 41 percent of the dog owners in the area admitted they do not pick up after their pets most of the time.

So, fellow dog owners, ask yourselves, how diligently do you clean up after your four-footed companions?  Do you scoop the poop?  Put it in the trash, bury it or even flush it down your own toilet?  That's what expert say you ought to be dong with it. 

Mind you, I'm not perfect.  We have two dogs at my house, and we do pick up after them when we go for walks.  We take at least a couple plastic grocery bags along, and the bagged business winds up in a trash can along our route, or occasionally back at home - which state officials say is okay. 

(As an aside, this is one argument for not banning plastic bags from supermarkets - though I imagine some enterprising soul could market disposable doggie-doo mitts.)

But we aren't doing the right thing routinely with our dogs' droppings in our own yard. Usually, we simply remove the offending deposit from footpaths and redeposit it along the back fence, away from the house.  But state officails say it really shouldn't be left in the open, even in a wooded area.  The next rain will break it up and carry at least some of the bacteria and excess nutrients into the nearest storm drain, and ultimately the local stream.  

So I guess I'll bring along a bag or a shovel when I make the backyard sweeps from now on.   Let me know if you have any better ideas.   We'll be doing the bay, and our neighbors, a big favor by doing something with that doo-doo.  If we want clean water, we have to take responsibility for what we can do. 

For more on pet waste's impact on the bay, go here.

AP photo

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

There was a great feature in The New York Times magazine Sunday on Will Allen and his Growing Power group trying to bring good food to the inner city through urban farming.  

An interesting example of the group's ingenuity -- raising tilapia and perch in tanks and recycling the wastewater through watercress beds.  Worm ranching, too, to help revitalize nutrient-poor urban soil.  You can read the piece here, and find out more about Growing Power here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green, News, Urban Issues
        

I visited Damariscotta, Maine, this weekend. It's a small coastal town where the green living culture is alive and well. Around here, folks seem to believe firmly in supporting local agriculture and local artists. It seems that everyone has a wonderful awareness of what the earth has to offer them. The shops are difficult to resist as they are full of organic treats, local art, recycled and handmade goods. After the local 4th of July parade on Saturday, I went browsing down the main street and happened upon Milo in Maine, a company based in Portland that produces handmade shirts for men, women, kids and babies. I couldn't resist purchasing one of their silver jellyfish tees, which is printed on the softest organic cotton I've ever worn.
And, to accompany my new T-shirt, I splurged on a Sea Bag tote made from recyled sails. Each one is designed and inspired from a sail and has hand-spliced rope handles. They are also machine washable and incredibly durable. I guess I just wanted to brag a little about my weekend and also share my excitement over discovering such a lively and prolific craft culture here in Maine. If you have a chance this summer or maybe even in the fall, take a breather from Baltimore and make your way up to Damariscotta. I promise that you'll love it.

Photo courtesy of Milo in Maine

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 9:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Shopping
        

As we enter the peak watermelon-eating season, it turns out someone has figured out a new use for all the juicy red fruit that doesn't get slurped down over the Independence Day holiday weekend - fuel to run your car!

According to Inside Science News Service, scientists at the Agricultural Research Service in Lane, Okla., have been processing watermelons to extract their lycopene and citrulline, two substances believed to boost heart health.  A chemist there, Wayne Fish, figured out that the juice left over after that extraction was rich in sugars that could be fermented into ethanol.  He estimated that a 20-pound melon would yield about seven-tenths of a pound of ethanol.

If you think that's an awful waste for a tasty food, consider this - an awful lot of watermelons never make it to those cookouts.  Though farmers harvested 4 billion pounds of melons in 2007, the news service reports, they left 800 million pounds in the fields with external blemishes or deformities that made them hard to sell.

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

The Maryland Science Center plans to begin reinforcing its southside of the building Monday in anticipation of building a green roof that eventually will be open to for public viewing. 

Details aren't totally worked out, but the center is working with Tecta America Corp. on planning and construction. The roof will be adjacent to the museum's observatory and will take up more than 4,000 square feet of roof space.

When the roof is done, the Science Center will join a bunch of others in the area with green roofs, including the Baltimore Hilton Convention Center Hotel and Sinai Hospital, which opened a whole eco-friendly expansion yesterday. 

Green roofs, while a bit costly to install because of their weight, pay off in energy efficiency down the road, supporters say. They also help the roof last longer, provide a sound barrier and cut down on stormwater runoff.

And aren't they nice to look at?

Baltimore Sun file photo of the Maryland Science Center

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Going Green
        

CNN's goinggreen blog has an entry today on the new digital topographical map created by NASA and Japan. It's the most complete map to date.

The map was built from 1.3 million images taken by NASA's Terra satellite. CNN says the images were taken by a Japanese imaging instrument called the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, or ASTER.

The map covers 99 percent of the planet's land mass, adding steep terrains and deserts not on other maps. See some more ASTER pics here.

ASTER imagry of the globe courtesy of NASA

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: News
        

Sun reporter Jill Rosen reported today on Unleashed about the city's ongoing efforts to establish off-leash hours for dogs in city parks. There's no resolution, but Parks & Rec Head Wanda Durden said she's working on it.

The issue came up after the city passed new animal control laws that included a $1,000 fine for dogs caught off leash anywhere in the city except the Canton Dog Park. Dog owners rallied and won the council's support for lowering the fine to $200 and a pledge to establish off-leash hours.

Durden says the communities around parks in Riverside, Wyman Park, Herring Run and Patterson Park -- the parks deemed appropriately big to handle dog hours -- will have to decide what times are good and where in the parks to allow the dogs. She's thinking 5 a.m.-10 a.m. and again at 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Other cities including New York have similar rules.

But some neighbors are firmly opposed to off-leash dogs and others say their dogs need some exercise. Community meeting, expected soon, are likely to be lively.

Think there will ever be a resolution?

Baltimore Sun file photo of the Canton Dog Park

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: News
        

The new once-a-week trash and recycling schedules begin Tuesday, July 14, and Baltimore officials are trying to get the word out.

This is the biggest change to collections in decades, and Public Works Director David E. Scott said workers are going door-to-door, making calls and sending out postcards to every address in Baltimore City to remind people about One Plus One, the new program.

The city has provided a map for residents to look up their new recycling and trash days. You can type your address in the top right-hand corner.

And just as another reminder, trash must be in a can with a lid. The fine is $50 for putting your garbage out in just a bag. And recycling can be put out in a city tub or any clearly marked plastic bin, cardboard box or paper bag. No plastic bags.

Baltimore Sun file photo of Mayor Dixon taking up the trash/Amy Davis

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)
Categories: Tips
        

California finally won its battle for permission to regulate climate changing auto emissions. The EPA granted a waiver allowing the state to proceed with its own plan. Washignton and 13 other states -- including Maryland -- have moved to follow suit.

Those states will start curbing emissions in the next year or two, and the rest of the country will join them in 2012 because of an agreement worked out among the federal and state governments, auto makers and environmentalists.

By 2016, everyone will be on the same page. The national miles per gallon average for cars and light trucks will be 35.5.

What will it mean? Environmentalist estimate that the limits will cut Maryland's global warming pollution by about the same amount as removing 4.5 million cars from the road for a year. Nationally, the standards are expected to reduce oil consumption by 1.8 billion barrels from 2012-2016 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 900 million metric tons.

Read the full story on the EPA's annoucement here.

Baltimore Sun file photo of Baltimore area traffic/Lloyd Fox

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: News