The Cylburn Arboretum is celebrating its reopening and the grand opening of the Vollmer Center, a green education center, on the grounds, Saturday, starting at 11 a.m.

The arboretum, 4915 Greenspring Ave., will host lots of dignitaries including U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

The free events, from 12:30 p.m.-5 p.m., include activities for the family, exhibits, and demonstrations.  The Nature Museum will be open and food will be available. William Moss, environmental education and urban garden expert from Chicago, will talk about urban gardening and lead workshops.

It's supposed to be a nice warm day, too.

Photo courtesy of Cylburn Arboretum

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Events
        

Head over to Spoutwood Farm this weekend for the 19th Annual May Day Fairie Festival in Glen Rock, PA (a 45 minute drive from Baltimore). The festival began years ago as a party for friends of Rob and Lucy Wood – the owners of Spoutwood. It has since grown into a popular springtime affair that attracts thousands of visitors from across the U.S. Festivities begin today, April 30th, from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and continue through Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

This year’s festival will celebrate the beginning of spring with performances by musicians, dancers, storytellers, and children’s activities, including appearances by the Green Man, the Mossmen, Sweet Pea, and others. More than 70 arts and crafts vendors will feature green crafts, handmade clothing, candles, instruments, toys, soaps, and herbals. Participants may join in maypole dancing and wand and garland making workshops.

Admission is $15 for people over 12, $5 for people 12 and under, and free for those 2 and under. A three-day pass is available for a reduced price of $30. If you’re feeling ambitious, offer to volunteer and you’ll be given a 2-hour job assignment; upon completion, your admission fee will be refunded.

For more information, visit www.spoutwood.org.

Image courtesy of Spoutwood Farm.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The massive and continuing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico from a deepwater exploration well a week ago is fueling opposition from Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin to President Obama’s proposal to explore for oil and natural gas off the Atlantic Coast.

(Here's the latest story on that spill.)

Cardin and fellow Democratic Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski voiced opposition to drilling off the East Coast when Obama made the announcement last month, and Cardin took to the Senate floor yesterday with pictures of the Gulf scene to say the risk did not seem worth it.

“Deepwater Horizon is considered to be the most technologically advanced offshore oil rig in the world,” Cardin said of the Gulf rig. “Six hundred million dollars was spent to construct this so that it would be safe. My point is, it exploded and cost people their lives, and it’s created an environmental disaster.”

A spokeswoman for the Maryland delegation’s lone Republican, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, said the congressman continues to give the drilling qualified support. But Lisa Wright said that the support was contingent revenue sharing with the states. That money would be used to minimize potential impacts to the environment from accidents such as the one off the coast of Louisiana, she said.

Heather Molino, a spokeswoman for Rep. C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger said, "The congressman is still analyzing Obama's off shore drilling proposal and still believes we need energy independence. But accidents like the one in the Gulf remind us how important it is that we take into account the potential environmental impact of any potential drilling off the coast."

A spokesman for Gov. Martin O’Malley said the governor was also concerned about the explosion and said that further review of the risks and potential benefits is needed before the federal government proceeds. Rick Abruzzese, the spokesman said the governor will be sending a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Monday to further express his views.

What's your view on drilling off the East Coast in light of the accident in the Gulf?

NASA Earth Observatory Image of oil spill from AFP/Getty Images

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 6:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: News
        

In case you thought the government doesn't do enough to police polluters around the Chesapeake Bay, the Environmental Protection Agency has pulled together a handy-dandy online display of all the enforcement actions it's taken in the six-state watershed, plus some beyond in the even broader airshed that affects the bay.

The agency's plotted on a map and listed 10 civil judicial settlements it's reached and 36 administrative orders it's issued to alleged bay polluters since 2009.  And there are 28 Superfund cleanups of toxic contamination thrown in for good measure. 

The feds say they've collected more than $7 million in penalties and required polluters to spend $731 million in cleanup and new equipment so far.  The effort has stopped the flow of 2,100 pounds of nutrients into the bay, plus 82 million pounds of sediment.  In addition, the air pollution enforcement actions have halted emissions of 16 million pounds of nitrogen oxides, which could drift over the watershed and deposit more nutrients in the bay.

To see the map and database, go here.  Click on the links in the database, and you can get a summary of each case. To learn more about EPA's bay enforcement strategy, go here.

Keep in mind, the states bear the lion's share of responsibility for enforcing federal environmental laws.  It would be great to see a similarly user-friendly rundown of those cases.   The  Maryland Department of the Environment does put out monthly listings of enforcement actions, plus news releases highlighting certain cases, which you can see here.  And for the state's overall enforcement activity, you can review MDE's 2009 annual report here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Want to help a local park and acquire a new taste at the same time? Try the 11th annual Garlic Mustard Challenge Sunday (May 2) at Patapsco Valley State Park in Baltimore County. 

The event features individual and team contests, plus non-competitive pulling of garlic mustard, the herb imported from Europe long ago that has proven incredibly invasive. Volunteers get together every spring to curb the weed's spread and have some fun in the process. Over the past decade, they've yanked more than four tons, but there'll be plenty more to find on Sunday.

Besides weed-pulling, there'll be a "chef challenge," where cooks compete to produce tasty dishes including garlic mustard. And there'll be a poster contest for kids, educational exhibits about the Patapsco Valley ecosystem and its history, live music, scavenger hunt, bubble-gum blowing (?) and more.

You must register by Friday to enter the mustard-pulling or cooking contests. To do so, go here.

It's from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the Avalon/Glen Artney Area of the Patapsco Valley State Park. Entrance is off US Route 1 at 5120 South Street in Halethorpe. Go to Pavilion 104.  For more about this or other park-related activities, go here.

(2008 Baltimore Sun photos: Patapsco Challenge, by Algerina Perna; garlic mustard, by Chiaki Kawajiri)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Offshore wind in Maryland could get a boost from the Obama administration's approval of the controversial Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound, proponents seem to think.

While wind may be looking up, prospects for drilling for oil and gas off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts aren't helped by news that the oil leak off Louisiana's coast from the destroyed Deepwater Horizon platform is five times worse than previously thought.  The Coast Guard says 5,000 barrels of oil may be escaping daily into the water, and it's looking to try to burn off the fuel before it can reach the sensitive wetlands along the coast.

The Interior Department's Minerals Management Service is still a ways from being prepared to invite developers to show interest in placing wind turbines off Ocean City or Assateague Island.  But Maryland's Department of Natural Resources is busily scouting out where the best spots are to catch the wind -- also,  where there might be conflicts with birds and other marine life, with fishermen and ships.  

DNR held open houses earlier this month to lay out what it's found out already and to seek comment.  If you missed them, you can still see what was presented.  The posters are viewable online, just click here and scroll down.  Of particular interest are the maps, slides 17 through 20. DNR hopes to post all its information in an online coastal atlas in June.

One of the natural features to be avoided likely would be cold-water corals such as sea whip that grow on the bottom off OC.  Charter fishing Capt. Monty Hawkins first told me about them, and he has narrated a video essay describing the bottom features and their value as fish habitat, which you can see below. 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Obama administration's approval today of the nation's first offshore wind farm off Cape Cod in Massachusetts gives impetus to efforts to put turbines off Ocean City and elsewhere along the Atlantic coast, proponents say.  But the controversial Cape Wind project, hotly debated for nine years, is likely to face court challenges from opponents.

Read my story in The Baltimore Sun tomorrow for more.

(AP photo of turbines off southeast England coast)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, Climate change, News
        

The Baltimore-Washington doesn’t have the cleanest air in the nation, but made some improvements since last year, according to new rankings from the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2010 report.

The rankings find that a decade’s worth of clean-up efforts, which include emissions reductions at coal-fired plants and a transition to cleaner diesel fuels, have made the nation’s air better in general. That helped this area reduce its levels of smog and soot.

The report says, however, that more than half the U.S. population suffers pollution levels that are often dangerous. Some cities, mostly in California, had dirtier air than in last year’s report.

 “State of the Air 2010 proves with hard data that cleaning up air pollution produces healthier air,” said Mary H. Partridge, the American Lung Association’s national board chair, in a statement. “However, more needs to be done. We are working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on additional measures that will require even greater clean up of power plants. We are also calling for additional funding to install equipment to clean up the 20 million dirty diesel vehicles currently on the road polluting U.S. cities every day.”

The Baltimore-Washington area had the 16th worst air by ozone, or smog. And it had the 18th worst by short-term particle pollution, or soot. Air pollution data was collected in 2006-2008 around the nation.

Those with heart or lung disease, children and older adults are most likely to be affected by the particle pollution, according to the lung association. Some will develop irritated airways, coughing and difficulty breathing, and some may suffer heart attacks or even premature death. The smog irritate lungs and causes problems such as wheezing, coughing and asthma.

The Phoenix metropolitan was No. 1 for cities most-polluted by year-round particle levels. Bakersfield, Calif., had the most days of unhealthy short-term particle pollution. Los Angeles was the worst city for smog.

The Baltimore-Washington area had improvements in short-term level of particle pollution and smog, according to the report.

The lung association is urging the federal government to consider tighter limits on outdoor air pollution from coal plants and cars as part of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 2010. 

Baltimore Sun file photo of Brandon Shores Power Plant, which recently installed scrubbers/Kenneth K. Lam 

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: News
        

The oil-drilling rig that that blew up and sank last week off the coast of Louisiana continues to leak about 1,000 barrels of crude daily into the Gulf of Mexico.

In the above satellite photo, released by NASA, the slick of oil from the leak can be seen as a bright metallic glint in the water.  The rig was about 50 miles from the shore. For more images, go here. As of late Tuesday, nearly 50,000 gallons of oil water had been collected and nearly 15,000 gallons of dispersant sprayed on the water.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano pledged a full investigation of the cause of the April 21 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform, which left 11 missing and three critically injured.  This has been described as an extremely rare occurrence, but it remains to be seen what impact this disaster has on the Obama administration's recently announced plans to expand exploration for oil and gas off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, including off Maryland.

For more on the spill and cleanup efforts, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

With prospects for a Senate climate bill under a cloud, the Obama administration has turned up the heat.  The Environmental Protection Agency says in a new report that there is "clear evidence" that human activities are altering the Earth's atmosphere and that climate is changing.

The EPA report lays out 24 "indicators" showing that climate is already shifting, most of them spotting trends in the United States.  Greenhouse gas emissions have increased 14 percent in the United States from 1990 to 2008.

Among the highlights: 

- Seven of the 10 warmest years on record in the continental US have occurred since 1990;

- Sea level rise has doubled its pace over the long term average since 1993;

- Six of the 10 most active hurricane seasons have occurred since the mid-1990s.

- Eight of the top 10 years for "extreme one-day precipitation events" (aka deluges or blizzards) have occurrred since 1990.

- The sea surface temperature has increased, with average temperatures in the past three decades higher than at any time since large-scale measurements began over a century ago.

- The average length of the growing season in the lower 48 states has grown by about two weeks since the beginning of the last century; much of the increase has occurred in the last 30 years.

- Birds in North America (like these brown pelicans at Barren Island in the Chesapeake Bay) have shifted their wintering grounds northward by about 35 miles since 1966, with a few moving hundreds of miles.  Birds also have shifted inland from the coasts, another indication of warming interior temperatures. 

- Though snow varies from year to year, the amount of North America covered by white stuff any given year was significantly lower, on average, from 2000 to 2008, than it was during the 1970s.

For more on the report, go here.

Meanwhile, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., told Agence France-Presse that the climate bill he and Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., have been working on is not dead just because Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, has withdrawn his support the measure. (Kerry in left of picture, Lieberman middle, Graham, right)

Graham reportedly pulled out to protest plans by the Senate's Democratic leaders to take up immigration reform before the climate bill.  Some fear climate legislation may be doomed this year unless the Senate takes it up before becoming embroiled in a debate over confirming President Obama's next pick for the Supreme Court.

(Baltimore Sun photos 2006 heat wave, Karl Merton Ferron; 2003 geese, Algerina Perna. 2009 Senators, AP)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Underwater grasses made robust gains in the Chesapeake Bay last year, scientists report, reaching their greatest extent in seven years.  But the submerged vegetation, which provides shelter and food for fish and crabs and helps clear the water, is still less than half what it once was.

Reporting on the results of an annual aerial survey, Maryland and Virginia scientists say bay grasses spread across 12 percent more of the Chesapeake's bottom, covering a total of 85,899 acres.  That's the best it's been since 2002, though it's only 46 percent of the extent experts say would reflect a healthy bay.

For the first time since 2001, grasses spread in all regions of the bay, scientists say. The healthiest crop grew in less salty waters from the Bay Bridge north, where it nearly reached its restoration goal.  The area was dominated by massive grass beds in the Susquehanna Flats.  Big increases were seen in the Northeast and Sassafras rivers and in the bay just north of the bridge.  But grasses decreased in the Bush and Magothy rivers.

Lee Karrh with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources said in a statement that the grass gains in fresher waters seemed to be driven by reductions in nutrient pollution entering the bay.

In the mid-Bay, bottom vegetation increased by 15 percent overall, but gains along the Eastern Shore were offset by declines on the Western Shore, scientists say.   Widgeon grass expanded its reach in the Honga River and Pocomoke and Tangier sounds, while eelgrass continued to come back in Tangier.  Sharp declines occurred, though, in the Severn River and in Piscataway Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River.

The biggest gains happened in the lower bay, where grasses expanded 15 percent overall, researchers report.  Bob Orth with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science said in a statement that eelgrass there seems to be rebounding from its die-off five years ago, but it has yet to come back around Smith Island and in several other spots.

The bay grass gains were reported by the Chesapeake Bay Program, the partnership of federal and state governments working to restore the estuary.  Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley wasted no time hailing the results, issuing his own press release saying the expansion was  "an encouraging sign that our pollution control efforts are working."

For more detailed results, go here and here.

(Photo and graph, Chesapeake Bay Program)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 3:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Big on other continents for a long while, electric bikes haven't caught on here -- yet.

But a local entrepreneur wants to change that. Ray Carrier has opened Green Rider LLC, at 714 Broadway in Fells Point. He is selling electric bikes, some that are folding, as well as electric scooters.

The bikes, which sell for a little over $1,000 to around $2,500, use batteries that plug into any socket. Riders can peddle when they want and use electricity when they need to go uphill or keep up with traffic. They can go up to 20 mph, which means they are still classified as a bike under federal rules.

Officials say they could probably hold a charge for a week.

Carrier said they could overcome some of the issues that we have with regular bikes in Baltimore. They can better keep up with traffic, at least downtown where drivers have to go a bit slower. That means less passing, which is one of the scary parts of biking. The scooters go a bit faster.

The electricity also means you don't have to sweat, so you can ride to work and not need a shower.

Carrier said he became interested in the electric bike years ago on a trip to China to visit his wife's family. He was almost run over by one of the bikes because he said they were so quiet.

There are an estimated 11 million e-bikes on the roads in China, according to data provided by Carrier and his suppliers. In Europe, about 500,000 have been sold, or 10 percent of the bike market in 2008. In the United States, there have been about 30,000 e-bikes sold in 2008, or about a quarter of one percent of all bike sales.  

Carrier got a loan from the Abell Foundation and opened up about a year ago selling electric scooters. He moved across the street to his current location and began selling electric bikes only recently when he met Dave Knutsen, who supplies the Pedego bikes.

He invisions delivery people using the bikes to bring us our pizzas and other food. He also would like to see low-income people who can't afford a car get a bike. And, of course, he'd like to see the big biking community in Baltimore get on board, as well as the green-minded folks who would like to get out of their cars for their commute.

Councilman Kraft came by the store today and seemed interested in using a bike to get to City Hall from his Patterson Park home. But he noted that the city still needs some more bike lanes. The city continues to work on the master plan for bikes that has already produced some bike lanes around town. But Kraft said money is an issue and so are logistics. How do city officials find room for bike lanes on already crowded street and how do they separate the lanes?

In any case, Carrier believes the city and its residents could benefit environmentally, physically and economically from these bikes. No one else in Baltimore sells them, but there are about 20 other retailers around the nation.

Once there is a critical mass of electric bikes -- and more importantly, electric cars -- we could expect to see charging stations cropping up around Baltimore and the rest of the country, according to Mahi Reddy, CEO of SemaConnect, which provides the stations. He says that sales of the cars will jump in the next five years as major manufacturers come out with there electric modesl. There is also federal infrastructure grant money available.

So, anyone interested? Is Baltimore ready for this? If you're not ready to commit, Carrier says he plans to start renting the bikes, too.

Photos courtesy of Green Rider

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Urban Issues
        

B'More Green reader Erin sent in some photos of birds hanging out in on a roof near her house. She suspected they were vultures and wondered what they were doing in the city.

I sent them to the guy in charge of the Audubon Society's annual bird count, where volunteers head out all over the country at Christmas time to, well, count birds. Over time, the information helps understand how different birds are doing and where they are doing it.

Geoff LeBaron definitely knows how to ID his birds. 

He says they are, indeed, Black Vultures, and they are common birds in the Baltimore area. So, kudos to Erin for calling that one.

LeBaron also said they often roost and/or perch on buildings, "and are quite content in city environs as well in the countryside."
 
City dwellers often feed the birds bread (even though other experts have told B'More Green that bread isn't good birds because it lacks nutrition they need), as well as bird feed. But LeBaron said he doubted anyone was feeding the vulture because they eat carrion. That's dead animal.

There could be a source of food nearby, he said, especially if the building where they are perched "is near the waterfront or a roadway or some other area where there could be carrion available, which is why they’re hanging out on the building." In Baltimore City you're pretty much never far from the water, and dead varmint.

 The vultures like rooftops for roosting overnight, too, because they stay warmer than some other areas, he said.

So there you have it. Vultures in Baltimore.

Photos courtesy of Erin

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Urban Issues
        

The Princeton Review's Guide to 286 Green Colleges is out and it includes several schools in Maryland. 

Officials there say they "recognize that there is a rising interest among students in attending colleges that practice, teach, and support environmentally responsible choices."

They talked to 16,000 college applicants and their parents for their 2009 College Hopes & Worries Survey, and found 66 percent of respondents wanted information on a college's commitment to the environment. A quarter said the information would help them decide where to attend.

The U.S. Green Building Council, the group that rates buildings as green with its LEED certification, partnered on the college ratings. So the ratings were focused largely on design and construction on sustainable infrastructure.

Maryland did pretty well, with eight green campuses: Frostburg State University; Goucher College; Johns Hopkins University; Salisbury University; St. Mary’s College of Maryland; Towson University;
University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and University of Maryland, College Park.

Bigger states had far more, such as California, New York and Massachusetts. But several states had only one and some states were missing.

Anyone out there choose a school for its green attributes? How important is this?

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

The Maryland animals rights group Compassion Over Killing kicks off its Maryland VegWeek this Saturday with pledges from local officials to go vegetarian for the week.

The goal of the event is to highlight the benefits of forgoing meat. But the week will also offer lots of freebies, such as cooking demonstrations, and discounts at area restaurants, such as Brick Oven Pizza on S. Broadway and Van Gough Cafe on S. Ann.

“Every time we choose vegetarian foods, we’re helping build a kinder, cleaner, and healthier world,” says Compassion Over Killing Executive Director Erica Meier. “And Maryland VegWeek highlights these benefits as well as the increasing availability of meat-free foods in restaurants and grocery stores in and around Maryland.”

For more info on events, go to marylandvegweek.com.

If you're looking for more places that serve vegetarian foods, check out The Sun's list of veggie restaurants.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Food
        

During a recent trip to the mall, I realized that my lifelong devotion to new clothing had become extinct. “When did this happen?” I asked myself. Seems I was always up for shopping sales at Benetton or Anthropologie and scouring the Nordstrom rack for a good deal. I looked down at the shoes, jeans, and shirt I was wearing and recalled where each item was purchased while summing up what I paid in total.

My shopping companion and I strolled through the new luxury wing at the Towson Mall where, just for kicks, I tried on a $700 trench coat at Burberry that was so crisp and gorgeous I didn’t want to take it off. But I did, and walked out of the store feeling like I’d conquered a small battle. With unabashed pride, I proclaimed that “everything I’m wearing I purchased at a thrift of consignment shop – this entire outfit cost me around $45!” The best part was that I loved what I was wearing – stylish, well-constructed clothing that didn’t cost les yeux de la tete (as the French would say).

If you’re a B’More Green reader, you’ve most likely already come to the conclusion that shopping for used clothing is green and saves green. You’re probably also aware of the environmental impact of clothing, as in 900 million items of clothing are sent to a landfill each year in the U.S. And while more folks are recycling their clothing now more than ever, current stats claim that the average American purchases only 10 pounds of recycled clothing a year, which isn’t a lot. What can you do to increase that statistic? Aside from avoiding the mall, you can shop at thrift stores and consignment shops – Baltimore has a ton.

And, if you’re up for the challenge, clean out your closet and take your unwanted items to the upcoming Baltimore Clothing Stop & Swap, which will travel around Baltimore City from April to mid-May. The swap will provide an outlet for the public to donate, trade, or take clothing and accessories. In addition to donating items, you are asked to provide details about each accessory or piece of clothing, such as who wore it, and when and where it was bought and worn. In place of price tags, these “histories” are attached to each article to give them an identity and to encourage people to reconsider the ways in which they value clothing and accessories.

For more information about the clothing swap, including dates, times, and locations, visit the Baltimore Sun’s Find Local page. Donations may be for any size, age, gender, etc. and should be recently laundered and unstained. Go get your green on.

Image courtesy of the New York Times.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 9:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

If you haven't heard, the globe is warming. And if you haven't heard, there will be a big rally in support of climate legislation in Washington Sunday from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on the National Mall.

Sponsors at the Earth Day Network are aiming for a rally like the one on the first Earth Day 40 years ago when 20 million people came out in support of a cleaner and healthier planet.

This year, there will be speakers including Rev. Jesse Jackson, the film director James Cameron, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Olympic gold medalist Billy Demong, producer Trudie Styler, author Margaret Atwood, NFL player and television personality Dhani Jones and environmental photographer Sebastian Copeland.

There will also be live music from Sting, John Legend, The Roots, Jimmy Cliff, Passion Pit, Bob Weir, Willie Colón, Joss Stone, Robert Randolph, Patrick Stump, Mavis Staples, Booker T, Honor Society and Tao Rodriguez-Seeger.

The sponsors would like you to RSVP (right side of page). And if you can't go, you can watch a live stream at www.EarthDay.org. There are also some free buses, including one from Baltimore, if you need. They will go to RFK Stadium and you can take the Metro or a shuttle from there. If you drive, they'd like you to park at RFK.

If you want to volunteer, email volunteer@earthday.org to sign up.

So anyone going? Please report back here about what it was like. Send pictures and we can post them.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Climate change
        

In honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, which is today, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake plan to plant some trees.

They're joining the city Recreation & Parks and city schools officials, as well as Project H.E.A.R., Horticultural Environmental Awareness Raising, at 1 p.m.  (tree planting starts at in the morning) at Dickey Hill Elementary School, 5025 Dickey Hill Rd.

The idea is to bring together students and volunteers for a mass tree planting at several city schools. Under a Rec & Parks, there's a program called TreeBaltimore that has been working on improving the tree canopy all around the city.

Participating schools include Dickey Hill, Barclay, Northwood, Moravia Park and Walter P. Carter elementary schools and Mergenthaler Vocational Technical and Western High schools.

So, what are you doing for Earth Day? There's a list of events here.

Baltimore Sun file photo of trees in Druid Hill Park/Karl Merton Ferron

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

Can Baltimore's funky harbor be made swimmable and fishable in a decade?  That's the goal of the Waterfront Partnership, a business group that unveiled its "healthy harbor initiative" on the eve of Earth Day. The strategy calls for deploying a small floating wetland to see if it'll soak up nutrients that feed fish-killing algae blooms every spring.  It also talks of "leading by example" by reducing fertilizer use and capturing rain water in cisterns.

The city's business, governmental and nonprofit elite turned out for the plan's unveiling in a festive ceremony on the 27th floor observation deck of the World Trade Center overlooking the Inner Harbor.  Many encouraging words were exchanged.  Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake showed up to declare: "Together we can make Baltimore's harbor clean and healthy."  There was light-hearted talk of the city hosting a triathlon in 2020, with the swimming leg staged in the harbor.

That's a tall order for a body of water the city's health department now advises the public to stay out of.  Michael Hankin, chairman of the business group and CEO of Brown Advisory, noted that the city's waterfront has enjoyed a renaissance that now draws thousands of visitors and residents.  But he said the unsavory quality of the harbor's water, fouled as it is by sewage leaks and rain-washed street runoff, is the "big elephant in the room."  It's time to change that, he said, trying out a new slogan:  "It's our city; let's act like it."

Maryland Environment Secretary Shari Wilson (pictured above, with communications director Dawn Stoltzfus) ticked off "lots of reasons we have hope" the harbor can be made a wholesome place to recreate in the next 10 years. 

She noted that the state plans to upgrade the Patapsco and Back River sewage treatment plants in the next few years, and that the state plans to give the city strict new marching orders in the next year to reduce its storm-water runoff.   The state will also order a cleanup of the trash littering the waterfront within the next two to three years, she said.  "It's all good news today," Wilson said.

Unmentioned amid the optimism was the price tag for a cleaner harbor.  After the announcement, city Public Works Director David Scott said his staff figures Baltimore will have to spend around $12 million in the first year after the state issues a new storm-water cleanup plan to the city.  The cost will approach $30 million a year after that for at least the next couple years.

This is money the city just doesn't have right now.  As it grapples to close a $121 million budget gap now, it's threatening to cut back on its current inadequate efforts to sweep city streets and keep trash out of the harbor unless it can raise more revenues.   Scott said City Hall intends to seek a storm-water fee in the next year or two to help cover the costs of a cleaner harbor. But without the fee and tax increases the mayor is seeking this year and a storm-water fee in future, he acknowledged, the city may not be able to afford its share of the costs of a cleaner harbor.

"We are facing serious budget impacts at a time when investment is needed most," Scott said.  

Will taxpayers step up to make the investment?  Will residents of both the city and Baltimore County make the changes in their neighborhood habits to curb the trash and filth and green the entire watershed, from Owings Mills to the harbor promenade?   If so, this could be remembered as the beginning of a remarkable turnaround.  If not, it'll be another moment of meaningless blather.  Government can't do it all - but it needs to lead.  Ten years may seem like a long time to get there, though not to turn around a problem decades in the making.

To see the plan, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Earth Day is one of those "learning" opportunities that comes around once a year, and schools and educators are taking full advantage of it.

Toward that end, Maryland Public Television is airing a documentary, "Growing Greener Schools," at 4:30 p.m. Thursday (with a rebroadcast for early risers at 4 a.m. Friday).  The show looks at how environmentally oriented curriculums and green buildings are changing students, families and communities.  

The film treats this as a nationwide phenomenon, but features Patuxent Elementary School in Upper Marlboro, one of more than 260 public, private and parochial "green" schools in Maryland.  The film also quotes Bronwyn Mitchell (pictured at right), executive director of the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education, which has been promoting green learning since 1985.

For more on the documentary and the movement, check out the website Growing Greener Schools.  For those who'd rather watch it with a bunch of like-minded folks, there'll be a special showing at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the University of Maryland University College Marriott Inn in College Park.  As seating there is limited, RSVPs are requested to pcambell@umuc.edu

Meanwhile, more than 1,400 teachers worldwide - including more than 30 in Maryland - have pledged to go paperless on Earth Day. They'll neither make nor take assignments on paper that day. Tip of the hat to Shelly Blake-Plock, a high school teacher in Bel Air, for letting us know. You can read her blog post about it here and see the list of teachers here.

What's your school doing for Earth Day?  How 'green' is it the rest of the year?

(2008 photo of Envirothon, 2009 photo of Bronwyn Mitchell, by The Baltimore Sun's Barbara Haddock Taylor)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Looking for a stylish way to reduce your carbon footprint? Check out the new spring line of eco-friendly Simple Shoes, now available at Ma Petite Shoe in Hampden.

The Simple BIO.D collection features biodegradable soles and incorporates rubber, plastic and EVA (foaming materials) that are manufactured using EcoPure, an organic compound that will eventually eat away at the bonds holding these materials together. This allows the mid-soles and outsoles of the styles, when exposed to the moisture and heat typical of landfills, to biodegrade in 20 years as opposed to the industry average of 1,000 years.

“When we first heard about the concept of biodegradable shoes, we were intrigued. When we learned more about the technology, that it wasn’t just hype, we immediately wished that all shoes had biodegradable features,” says Susanna Siger, owner of Ma Petite Shoe. She adds, “This is terrific timing as it coincides with Earth Day on April 22nd.”

Simple Shoes are available in both men’s and women’s styles. For women, there is the “D-Kay” eco-sneaker in Swedish blue with hot pink detailing. For Men, the “D-Solve” comes in Mecca-orange with brown and white detailing. Both styles sport an urban, street-savvy sneaker look and are environmentally engineered with 100% certified organic cotton linings, 100% certified cotton jersey and certified suede uppers.

Simple Shoes is based in Santa Barbara, California, and is committed to “making shoes for a happy planet.” Ma Petite Shoe is located at 832 West 36th Street and is open seven days a week. For more information, check out their web site at www.mapetiteshoe.com or call 410-235-3442.

Image courtesy of Simple Shoes.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Never let it be said the purple and black won't go green. Some Baltimore Ravens plan to tackle trash - and not just talk it - along the Gwynns Falls Trail on Earth Day Thursday.

Members and staff of the city's pro football team will be among about 100 volunteers expected to take part in landscaping, tree removal and other cleanup activities along the trail. 

The trail runs 15 miles along the stream of the same name through West and Southwest Baltimore before emptying into the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River within sight of M&T Bank Stadium, where the Ravens play.  Some volunteers will board canoes to remove litter from a lake along the trail. The bank, a partner in the cleanup, will contribute about 50 volunteers to the effort.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, flexing her own green commitment, is expected to join the volunteers.  The trail blitz is being coordinated by the nonprofit Parks & People Foundation.

(Cyclists ride Gwynns Falls Trail tunnel under Carrollton Viaduct; 2008 Baltimore Sun photo by Algerina Perna)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

There's a price to be paid for neglect, as anyone can tell you.  On Monday, local, state and federal officials  unveiled an ambitious plan for restoring the Anacostia River, which flows from the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., past the U.S. Capitol.   The Anacostia is sometimes referred to as the "forgotten" or "other" river because of the attention lavished on the much larger Potomac into which it empties. It flows through some of the District's most blighted neighborhoods.

The plan, drawn up by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, lays out more than 3,000 projects to be undertaken over the next 10 years to tackle the trash, sewage and storm-water runoff polluting the river.  The estimated cost:  $1.7 billion - none of it budgeted so far.

Among the first tasks will be to put the Anacostia on a "trash diet," making it the first water body on the East Coast and one of only a few in the nation with a mandate for communities along its banks to halt the flow of garbage and debris into it.

That leaves one wondering when Baltimore Harbor will get its own "trash diet." Like the Anacostia, it is littered with so much plastic, foam, paper and other debris that the state and federal governments have officially declared its waters "impaired" by refuse. 

The harbor has no cleanup plan - yet - though a group of waterfront businesses is launching this week a campaign to make the harbor swimmable and fishable in 10 years.  They're proposing to start by putting some floating wetlands in the bulkheaded Inner Harbor.  But the full scope of what's needed to clean up the harbor, and the cost of fixing decades of neglect here, has yet to be confronted by anyone in authority.

(Photo: Associated Press)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

This just in from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. ... Can you help plant trees?

Help celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on Sunday, April 25, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. by helping plant over 1,000 native trees and shrubs at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Holly Beach Farm located near the Bay Bridge in Annapolis. The vegetation will filter pollution and sediment coming from adjacent farm fields. Suitable for adults, families, youth and community groups. Bring shovels, work gloves, insect repellent, and a water bottle/lunch. Registration is required. To sign up send your complete contact information to Marcy Damon at 443-482-2156 or email MDRestoration@cbf.org

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 4:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Volunteer
        

Planting a tree does a whole lot of things for the environment -- from cleaning the air and water to reducing summer air temperatures and buffering noise.

The city has a mission to get more trees planted. And here are some opportunities to go get a free tree, or volunteer to help plant some.  

Here's a list of events this week, courtesy of TreeBaltimore and the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks:

FREE Tree Giveaway Eddie's of Roland Park
Tuesday, April 20            
5113 Roland Ave.
410-396-7900
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Help grow Baltimore's tree canopy. TreeBaltimore will be giving away 50 trees to city residents at Eddie's Supermarket.
 
Earth Day Celebration & FREE Tree Giveaway
Thursday, April 22       
Dickey Hill Elementary School
5025 Dickey Hill Road
410-396-7900
3:30 p.m.- 5 p.m.
The Department of Recreation and Park's TreeBaltimore, the BCPPS, Enterprise Rental, Herring Run and Jones Falls Watershed Associations and the Green Ambassador will plant trees at Dickey Hill Elementary, Moravia Elementary, Northwood Elementary and Barclay Elementary. FREE trees will be available at Dickey Hill Elementary School.
 
TreeBaltimore, Office of Sustainability and Holistic Life
Thursday, April 22
Druid Hill Park
410-396-7900
3:30 p.m.
The Department of Recreation and Park's TreeBaltimore, students from the Holistic Life Foundation and the City's Sustainability Initiative will partner on the 2nd annual Earth Day by planting trees in Druid Hill Park.
 
Earth Day with the Greater Baltimore Leadership Association
Friday, April 23rd            
Druid Hill Park
410-396-7900
9:30 a.m. - noon
The Department of Recreation and Park's TreeBaltimore and the Greater Baltimore Leadership Association will plant trees in Druid Hill Park with local schools including St. Ignatius Loyola grade school and the Antioch School.

Photo courtesy of TreeBaltimore

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Events
        

Apologies for the late notice, but there's a workshop Monday (4/19) afternoon in Baltimore on "community noise." That's the racket in urban and suburban areas that can disrupt sleep and peace of mind, even health.  If you're stressed by aircraft, traffic or other commotion in your neighborhood, this session may well be worth your time. 

From 1:30 until 5:00 PM, experts from the Institute of Noise Control Engineering and the Acoustical Society of America will be on hand to discuss the problem and ways to address it in the Atlantic Room of the Baltimore Marriot Waterfront Hotel, 700 Aliceanna Street.   It's free and open to the public, which is invited to come and express its views about the issue and the adequacy of state and local noise ordinances.  For directions, go here.

(1996 Baltimore Sun file photo by Lloyd Fox)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Maryland Public Television is focusing on the Chesapeake Bay all week, starting tonight (April 18), with a series of documentaries and other programs delving into and soaring over North America's largest estuary.

There'll be looks at skipjacks and watermen, farmers and food, plus an aerial tour of the bay. And it'll be capped off on April 25 with a "volunteer-a-thon," encouraging viewers for a change to give of their time and energy, not just their money.  With the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this week, there'll also be some other green programming sprinkled in, including a look at the life of Rachel Carson.

At MPT's Chesapeake Bay Week website, you can also share your own bay memories, pick up conservation tips and more.  For the complete Chesapeake Bay Week lineup, go here.

(2002 photo of Labor Day skipjack race from Deal Island, by Doug Kapustin for The Baltimore Sun)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

In celebration of Earth Day, the Jones Falls Watershed Association in partnership with Tree Baltimore, Volunteer Maryland, Greater Homewood Community Corporation and the students and teachers of the Barclay School will host a tree planting on Thursday, April 22, from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Barclay School.

The group will be planting more than 22 new trees on the grounds of the school to enhance an ongoing school yard greening project. Volunteers are making a difference by cleaning up the environment, building an environmental stewardship ethic among students, and strengthening community ties between the school community and neighborhood residents.

This partnership project is a result of a broad public/private effort, with each organization and agency playing a role to make this and other greening initiatives happen. This was a site where the Maryland Port Administration removed blacktop to hard surfaces that contributed to pollution to streams like the Jones Falls, and replanted grass. The Parks and People Foundation previously installed raised vegetable gardens and planted trees. The school has an active greening committee made up of faculty, students, neighbors and staff support from the Greater Homewood VISTA program.

Project funds have been provided by Tree Baltimore, The Chesapeake Bay Trust and Constellation Energy.

About the Partners

The Jones Falls Watershed Association works to protect and restore the health and beauty of the Jones Falls Watershed through restoration, monitoring, advocacy, and citizen awareness. More information can be found on www.jonesfalls.org or by calling 410.366.3037.

TreeBaltimore is part of the Mayor’s Greener Baltimore initiative that seeks to double Baltimore’s tree canopy from 20 to 40 percent within 30 years. With this initiative, Baltimore joins the ranks of cities across the country that are aggressively working toward building a sustainable urban forest. For more information on TreeBaltimore, visit www.baltimorecity.gov/government/recnparks.

The Greater Homewood Community Corporation (GHCC) set a goal of planting at least 40 trees in each of 40 neighborhoods in north central Baltimore, for a total of 1,600 trees in honor of their 40th anniversary. GHCC will plant in city parks, on school grounds, on private property, and along neighborhood streets with the help of residents, community organizations, schools, and businesses. Since 1969, GHCC has been rooted in strengthening neighborhoods, and is committed to the growth of a cleaner and greener future. For more information, visit GHCC’s website.

Image courtesy of GHCC.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

A Glen Burnie man with a passion for solar has found there are limits to where he can catch the sun's rays.

As I reported today in The Baltimore Sun, the Maryland Department of the Environment has rejected Robert Bruninga's application for a wetland permit so he can build a floating pier in Marley Creek and lay photovoltaic panels on it.

Bruninga, a self-described "born-again solar junkie," intended to deploy 8 kilowatts' worth of panels on the pier and on a boat he planned to build and tie up there. He figures that would be enough - when the sun is shining - to offset the electricity his household uses.   He wants to put them on a pier because the tall trees on his lot shade his roof and almost all of his  yard, undermining the potential for generating power on land.

But the state said nope, citing regulations that require all structures built out over the water to be "water-dependent."  MDE spokesman Jay Apperson said that state officials are reviewing the regulations to see if any changes might be warranted to allow the kinds of project Bruninga wants to build, but for now they have to enforce the rules as they are.  They're meant to protect the state's waters from landside encroachment - building houses, restaurants and the like out over the water.

Bruninga, senior engineer in the satellite laboratory at the Naval Academy, doesn't blame the bureaucrats for turning down his bright idea.  He says he understands the need to limit what goes on piers, but he's hoping they'll find a way to make an exception for it in the future. 

Meanwhile, he'll keep driving his solar-enhanced plug-in Prius and touting the benefits of solar to all who'll listen.  He's put together a Web site detailing his solar "conversion" and his pier plan, which you can see here.

(Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Despite a head start on the rest of Maryland's utilities, Baltimore Gas & Electric is falling short in promoting energy efficiency among its customers, says a new report.

The Maryland PIRG Foundation says BGE is likely to achieve only 52 percent of the energy savings it needs to by 2011 under the state's EmPOWER Maryland law.  The 2008 law calls for a 15 percent reduction in energy use statewide by 2015, with utilities responsible for two-thirds of the savings and the state on the hook for the other 5 percent cutback.

“The good news is that BGE’s energy efficiency programs are up and running,” Maryland PIRG State Director Johanna Neumann said in a statement. “The bad news is that BGE was slow to get started and its plans fall far short of the energy savings Marylanders desperately need.”

BGE's actually begun promoting energy efficiency ahead of the state's other utilities, but MaryPIRG's analysis suggests those efforts are not enough to get to the goal.  By 2015, BGE is likely to have achieved only 63 percent of the savings it needs, the report says.  Other utilities, though behind BGE in ramping up their efforts, appear to have plans that would achieve more savings - but MaryPIRG says none are currently planning to do enough to get to the goal.

BGE thinks MaryPIRG is being a tad harsh.  Mark Case, a senior vice president of the utiility, says the company deserves credit for launching its energy-efficiency programs within weeks of when the state Public Service Commission approved them.  Residential customers have been flocking to them since, he says, particularly those aimed at curbing air conditioning bills in summer. Businesses were slow last year to jump in because of the grim economy, he says, but there's signs of more interest now.

Case does agree that the state's energy-saving goal won't be reached without some radical boost in effort.  That "game changer," he contends, is BGE's Smart Grid plan, which would enable the utility to give its customers real-time information on their energy consumption.  A pilot program the utility tried shows customers are likely to cut back if they're more aware of how much energy they're using and what it's costing them.  The PSC is still studying the proposal.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

With the Chesapeake Bay's blue crab population in better shape than it's been in more than a decade, some are suggesting it's time to change the way the fishery is managed to help the crabbers now.

As I reported in The Baltimore Sun, the annual winter dredge survey of crabs suggests their number has increased by 60 percent in the past year, and the number of young crabs doubled.  Scientists estimate there are 658 million crabs now baywide - a level not reached since 1997.

Maryland's crabbers already have seen evidence of the growing abundance, as fisheries officials estimate the catch last year increased, even with the restrictions still in place.  But catching more crabs does not necessarily put more bread on the table of crabbers, as they often find the prices they're offered at dockside plummet when the crabs are most plentiful.  Last year, there were days watermen didn't even go out because they couldn't find a buyer for their catch or couldn't get a high enough price to make it worth the expense, said Larry W. Simns, president of the Maryland Watermen's Association.

The Environmental Defense Fund, a Washington-basd conservation group, is trying to sell watermen on a different way for their business to be regulated. Instead of having their daily catch limited or the number of days they can work limited, the group suggests crabbers would do better if they had a guaranteed quota of crabs they could catch at a pace and schedule of their own choosing.  With "catch shares," they could time their harvest to take advantage of when market prices were higher.  The only restriction would be that they couldn't exceed their assigned quota.

State fisheries officials say they're looking at the idea, as does the head of Maryland's watermen's association.  Catch shares are already being used to regulate the red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the fund's Tom Grasso.  The group took a group of watermen to the Gulf last winter to see for themselves how it was working.

With the blue crab population in the Bay in better shape, Grasso says, it's a great time to see if something can't be done to buoy the fortunes of the region's crabbers.  

"This is an example of how collaboration between government and industry can lead to success in restoring a population,'' Grasso says.  "I think we should build on that collaboration and figure out how to stabilize the way the fishery is run on behalf of the watermen, giving them more predictability, so there aren't instances where they have to not fish to make a living."

Given the distrust and animosity watermen have for the state Department of Natural Resources over the crab cutbacks and over changes in oyster management, it may take some doing to convince them to try a new regulatory scheme.  But simply relaxing the current restrictions won't necessarily put more money in watermen's pockets, Grasso points out, and scientists warn that could well put the crab population in jeopardy again. The fund is planning a series of meetings with watermen around the bay this spring and summer to explore the idea. 

There's an article on catch shares in the current issue of the Bay Journal, which you can read here.

(Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

John Robshaw handmade paper wrapped colored pencils.

In honor of this year’s Earth Day, local Barnes & Noble stores will be offering a series of eco-friendly items in their gift department. So get your green on and check out these great gift ideas:

For writers: Durable handmade blank journals filled with handmade, recycled papers.

For artists: Colored pencils made from recycled products (from Nepal) and regular pencils made from recycled newspapers.

For the office: Cute pen and pencil containers and storage boxes made from woven recycled newspapers.

For everything: Carryalls for storing your change, iPod, phone, camera and other items, made from recycled juice pouches. They’re also offering a wide selection of reusable totes from designers like Jeff Fisher, Jonathan Adler, and Sarah Wilkins, and Vera Bradley.

Image courtesy of Barnes & Noble.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

With the General Assembly in its final day, green lobbyists are breathing a bit easier after managing to salvage funding in the budget for some key environmental programs, though they lost on at least one budget struggle and suffered through some bruising legislative debates.

And in a year when tight money discouraged many new initiatives, a few "smart-growth" measures appear to be going down to the wire.

First, the budget, which received final approval over the weekend.  It contains the $20 million for the Chesapeake Bay Trust Fund that Gov. Martin O'Malley had originally requested. This fund, which is supposed to be spent on curbing polluted runoff from developed land and farms, had been sharply curtailed by the Senate, but lawmakers reconsidered their trim.

Likewise, the state's ability to buy parkland was restored after the Senate reversed its decision to strip the administration's ability to borrow to pay for land acquisitions. Farmland preservation got a similar reprieve.

Those and other late-session twists buoyed environmental lobbyists' spirits in the closing days, as they had been bracing for what seemed like a disastrous 90 days in Annapolis.

"Basically, two weeks ago we were ready to declare the Senate a dead zone," said Jen Brock-Cancellieri, deputy director for the Maryland League of Conservation Voters.

Of course, the greens' victories were mostly of a rearguard nature -- mainly in preventing worse cuts, not in expanding spending to improve the environment. The Bay Trust Fund is a case in point - it was supposed to be $50 million a year when the legislature approved it in 2008, but it's never come close.

"We're disappointed that it wasn't fully funded," Brock-Cancellieri said.  "But given the economic times we understand cuts have to be made."  Environmental lobbyists were just hoping their causes didn't suffer a larger share, and repeatedly pushed the message that spending on the environment was an investment in green jobs.

That argument didn't always carry the day, though. Funds raised by the state's auction of carbon-dioxide emission permits to Maryland power plants are going to help poor families pay their utility bills through 2012, rather than to help them lower their bills permanently.  Most of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative funds were supposed to get spent after 2011 on insulation, new water heaters, light bulbs and other energy-saving home improvements.

That's a bitter pill for those who'd hoped Maryland would blaze a clearer trail to a green economy.  Peter Van Buren, head of Terra Logos, an energy audit firm, called the diversion of funds from energy efficiency incentives to ratepayer relief "shortsighted."   It may prevent the state from achieving the energy conservation goals it had set two years ago, he warned, and it likely will stifle the creation of "green jobs" installing insulation, solar water heaters and the like.

Another piece of the governor's alternative energy package hangs in the balance, as House and Senate negotiate over differences in their bills to require the state's power companies to boost the amount of solar energy they supply.  Opponents had warned it would force utility customers to pay higher bills.

Likewise going down to the wire is an administration bill to extend and expand the historic tax credit for rehabilitating older buildings so it can be used to build or redevelop in other "smart growth" areas.   And a bill to tighten penalties for oyster poaching was hung up in the House after the Senate tacked a one-year ban on establishing new oyster sanctuaries - a blow to the administration's effort to chart a new course in managing the bay's once-plentiful bivalves.

Other bills getting squeezed by time are bills to weigh global warming and smart-growth impacts before funding future state transportation projects, and a bill to give farmers a break from the state's estate tax, so they'd be less likely to sell out to developers.

A few things had been taken care of long ago, such as a bill passed in February to ban the plasticizer bisphenol-A in baby bottles and cups out of concern for its potential to impact toddlers' health and development.  Likewise, a potential donnybrook over relaxing the state's storm-water pollution law before it could take effect was resolved last week with approval of emergency regulations - though not without dividing environmental activists over the wisdom and necessity of giving any breaks to developers.

UPDATE:  By a vote of 31-14, the Senate just passed the bill requring smart growth and global warming be considered in funding future transportation projects.  It had previously passed the House.

(Baltimore Sun file photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Don't look now, but dragons have returned to the harbor.  Dragon boats, that is - long, sleek canoes powered through the water by 20 people paddling in unison, with a "drummer" on the bow and a steersman standing aft.   

Begun in China over 5,000 years ago, dragon-boat racing has spread worldwide as a sport.  Baltimore is the setting for charity races every other year, but a group of enthusiasts got together in 2008 to make it an annual activity.  The Baltimore Dragon Boat Club is beginning its second full year this spring. 

Bright and early Sunday morning, club members gathered at the Living Classrooms Foundation at South Caroline and Lancaster streets to put a pair of the 41-foot boats in the water and take them for their first paddle of the year.  The water was frigid but calm as glass, and the harbor virtually empty as the two boats set out.  They graciously let me ride along, sitting up front in the drummer's usual spot - where I shot the photos you see here.  It was quite a ride!

"It's a great sport," club president John Pezzulla says.  Members range in age from 12 to 60 and are almost as diverse in their physical abilities.  It's a great upper body and cardio workout in one of the most scenic settings imaginable - the harbor.  The Pride of Baltimore II passed near us as we paddled out past Domino Sugar.   

While the paddling is good exercise, Pezzulla explains, the sport is all about "working together as a team."  To get those synchronized strokes down, they practice two or three times a week in preparation for races here and in cities across North America.  They have fun while working up a sweat, singing and chanting to the rhythm of their movement - all the while heeding the shouted instructions of the steersman.

The Baltimore club is hosting its own dragon-boat competition here on June 19.  They welcome new members, and are assembling a crew of breast-cancer survivors this year to race as a team - as have clubs in other cities. For details on the club, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It's report card time for the Chesapeake Bay, and the annual assessment for another set of bay tributaries shows a bit of improvement over last year's dismal scores.

Last week, the Chesapeake Bay Program's bay barometer showed some modest gains for the Chesapeake that were no cause for great celebration.  Over the weekend, a similarly sobering report came out for the West and Rhode rivers south of Annapolis.

The levels of fish-sustaining dissolved oxygen in the rivers increased slightly, while the levels of water-fouling nutrients declined, according to the report card issued by the West/Rhode Riverkeeper.  Stream health, a measure of the diversity of fish and other aquatic life found, also gained a little ground.

But by other measures, the West and Rhode are still faltering, according to the riverkeeper's assessment.  Water clarity and underwater grasses were virtually rock bottom, and though last year there were no fish kills reported on the rivers, algae levels remained high.   And of 14 sites sampled in the rivers for disease-causing bacteria, 10 had elevated levels at least once last summer, while one spot registered unsafe readings half the time.  To see report cards for 2009 and 2008, go here.

Chris Trumbauer, the West/Rhode Riverkeeper, sounded a cautious note about the slight gains seen.  Many of the nutrients that foul the rivers are carried down the western Shore from the Susquehanna River, he said, and the mighty river's flow last year was down 25 percent from the year before.   That could explain the slight improvements in nutrients and dissolved oxygen, since they are linked.   There is no clear explanation for the increased signs of aquatic life found, Trumbauer wrote in an email.   But then again, only one river, the West, was sampled.

"Once again," the report concludes, "the collective data in this report show that the West and Rhode Rivers are not 'making the grade' for most of our measured indicators of water quality....Our rivers and the Bay have been in poor condition for decades.  We have made some progress over the years, only to give back those gains as population and development have increased."

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

The weekend was perfect for spring cleaning - sunny and cool - so lots of folks turned out to pluck trash from Maryland's streams and Baltimore's streets.

On Saturday morning, I connected with an enthusiastic young group tidying up a tributary of the Jones Falls that flows across the top of Druid Hill Park.   Seen at right, Kim Anderson of Columbia pulls a cord entangled with leaves from the stream bed, while Jack Obermaier of Baltimore probes for other debris and Davey Rogner of Silver Spring lugs a bag-full of trash downstream.

Most of the crew cleaning the Druid Hill stream were local.  But some, like Rogner, had stopped off in Baltimore to take part in Project Clean Stream as they walk across America picking up the trash that festoons our highways.

Rogner, Alexander and Jeff Chen, also of Columbia, are part of Pick Up America, a trek from Assateague Island to San Francisco Bay aimed at getting society to reduce its plastic waste.  Since setting out from Assateague on March 20, the group figures it  has rounded up more than 15,000 pounds of refuse - and got another 1,150 pounds out of the Jones Falls tributary.

"What we're finding is like a reflection of our society - our disposable culture," says Chen, 23.  He says he got the idea for a trash walk across America after hiking in Yosemite National Park a few years ago with a friend and being disturbed by all the discarded water bottles and other trash along the trail.

They're trying to do more than beautify our highways, though.  The larger aim is to raise public awareness about litter and how it's fostered by a throwaway culture of disposable packaging.   As he and others fished black plastic bags from the stream, Rogner lamented the death of a bill in Annapolis that would have levied a nickel fee on all plastic merchandise bags across the state.  If only he could bring the legislators down to the stream to show them where those bags end up, he said.  That, and empty beer cans and bottles, foam cups and chip bags - not to mention discarded auto parts, broken mirrors and even a dead chicken in a shoebox, picked up off the highway in the heart of poultry country outside Salisbury.

More than 150 sites across the state  were targeted for cleanup over the weekend.   In The Baltimore Sun on Sunday, Susan Reimer documented the massive amounts of trash pulled out of Bread and Cheese Creek in Dundalk. 

Some cleanups took place out of sight of the water.  In Waverly, a neighborhood shaken by two fatal shootings in the past week, accounting and finance students from Morgan State University and the University of Maryland College Park teamed up to pick up loads of trash that otherwise would wind up in storm drains, the Jones Falls and the harbor.  The cleanup was organized by the tax and auditing firm KPMG, which supports student groups on both campuses.

In the picture at left, Linda Guan, a UM sophomore from Clarksburg. amd Tina Cheng, a soph from Gaithersburg, worked in tandem in a vacant lot off Greenmount.  

Below, students from Morgan State gathered for a celebratory group pic after finishing their cleanup just before noon.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Mark your calendars for Earthsave Baltimore’s 5th Annual Earth Friendly Food Choices on May 1, featuring presentations by T. Colin Campbell and Bruce Friedrich. A volunteer-led nonprofit, Earthsave Baltimore helps people make healthier, earth-friendly food choices by promoting a shift toward a whole foods, plant-centered diet.

Dr. Campbell, who directed the China Study, will discuss his theory, based on a lifetime of research, that animal products cause more cancers than does any chemical carcinogen. After Dr. Campbell, attend animal protection advocate Bruce Friedrich’s lecture about the impact our food choices have on the environment and our health. Friedrich, who was named by Details magazine as one of the most influential young men in this country, will share his vision of the importance of veganism and animal rights.

The Earth Friendly Food Choices event will take place from 5:30-9 p.m. at the Women’s Club of Catonsville. Light refreshments are included. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Advance registration is encouraged. To buy tickets online, visit www. EarthsaveBaltimore.org or send a check/money order to “Earthsave”, 517 Talbott Ave., Lutherville, MD, 21093.

Image courtesy of Bruce Friedrich.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Events
        

Spring means flowers, showers - and cleaning.

But with the weather so nice lately, who wants to be stuck indoors cleaning their house? Get outside this weekend and join your neighbors in tidying up a nearby waterway.  Thousands will be doing just that on Saturday morning as part of Project Clean Stream.

What began 30 years ago as a local cleanup of the Jones Falls has spread to cover more than 150 sites across central Maryland and the Eastern Shore.  Last year, more than 2,600 volunteers pulled more than 320,000 pounds of trash and debris from area streams - a new record, according to the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, which coordinates the annual event.   

Something tells me, though, that there won't be any shortage of stuff to get removed this year, since every rain washes new stuff into storm drains and the nearest body of water.

So if you love the water (and who doesn't?), get out there and show it.  Gloves and trash bags are provided, but you'll want to wear boots or old shoes and long pants. 

And if it's convenient, bring a rake or some other tool to help fish things out of the water or streamside brush. You'll get plenty of fresh air, exercise, cameraderie and good feelings from uncluttering your neighborhood stream. 

To join a stream cleanup near you, go here or contact Vickie Stinson at 410-377-6270 or vstinson@acb-online.org  One of my favorites is the colorfully named Bread and Cheese Creek in Dundalk, but there's sure to be a waterway near you that could use some freshening up.  In the city, there's the Gwynns Falls, Herring Run and Jones Falls.  

And if you can't make it to a Saturday morning cleanup, there are one or two Sunday as well, along the Patapsco River in the Catonsville-Ellicott City area.  Go here for details.

(2008 Baltimore Sun photos by Kim Hairston and Monica Lopossay; )

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, Events, Going Green, News, Volunteer
        

Half-empty food packages are wasteful and harming consumers and the environment, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The non-profit advocacy group is calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and state attorneys general to crack down on what's known as "Slack Fill.” That's the extra space that is inside your Hamburger Helper or Ginger Snaps where there is no food.

Sometimes food settles, so there is a little extra space. But the group says manufacturers are adding a lot of extra space so consumers think they are getting more product -- something they wouldn't do if consumers could see inside the packages. 

The groups says it's a form of deception that is also a big environmental waste. Not only is there all that extra packaging, but it takes two shipping containers to move food that should only require one. And this could be illegal. There are federal regulations meant to restrict the amount of slack fill to the amount that helps protect the product inside or where there is settling.

“It would be disheartening, even shocking, if it weren’t so commonplace,” said Michael F. Jacobson, the group's executive director, in a statement.  “But as consumers we’ve almost come to expect that our food packages will be half full of food and half full of air.  Slack fill is just one trick that food marketers employ to make us thing we’re getting more for our money than we are.”

So, have you noticed extra space in your products lately?

Photo courtesy of Center for Science in the Public Interest

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Products
        

Maryland may have some of the greenest environmental laws in the nation, but a Washington-based think tank suggests the Chesapeake Bay is not getting the full benefit of those because of weak enforcement. 

In a report commissioned by the Abell Foundation, the Center for Progressive Reform says the Maryland Department of the Environment is "drastically underfunded," unable to inspect as frequently the growing number of businesses, sewage plants, farms and construction sites it must monitor for water pollution.

It calls on the legislature to open up the pursestrings to keep from strangling the watchdog - for the sake of the state's waters, and the health of the people who use them.

But the report also faults MDE for not doing more with what it has, arguing the agency should be levying stiffer penalties to deter polluters and trying harder to physically inspect more facilities, to keep them honest.

Plus, the report says the state could let citizens help by not blocking environmental groups from suing alleged polluters. 

There's a story about it in The Baltimore Sun, which you can read here.

MDE officials acknowledge they're short of funds and staff, but maintain nonetheless that they're doing a better job enforcing the past few years. They say they see no need to hit polluters with bigger fines, that compliance is good and getting better.   There's a backlog of cases to be brought by the attorney general's office, but it's smaller than it was - and it's the result of more aggressive enforcement, officials argue, not settling or dropping so many cases.

And they deny they're always against letting environmental groups haul businesses into court for alleged violations.  They left the door open just last week, they point out, for citizens to join a federal lawsuit MDE filed against Mirant Mid-Atlantic over pollution from a coal-ash landfill the Atlanta-based power company has in Prince George's County.

The report's findings echo complaints the Waterkeeper Alliance have made recently about MDE's water pollution enforcement.

Citing MDE's fiscal constraints and other alleged shortcomings, the environmental group petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency late last year to strip the state of the authority to enforce the Clean Water Act.

An EPA spokesman said federal officials are studying the group's allegations, but have no response yet.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

More than 100 students at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville will try their hands today at saving the Chesapeake Bay.  They'll sit down at computers, pretend they're farmers, developers, watermen and policy makers and see if they can figure out how to restore this national treasure without putting themselves out of business in the process.  It's all in good fun, but with a serious educational purpose.

It's a showcase for the university's Bay Game, an interactive role-playing computer simulation that's programmed to track the health of the Chesapeake while responding to the actions of the people who live on the water and make a living within its 64,000-square mile watershed. 

"I'm trying to educate the students here," said David Smith, a professor of environmental science who played a major role in the game's development.  "I want them to be environmentally literate people."  The bay's a complex place, he said, where natural and social forces interact.  Through playing the game, Smith said, "I want them to learn a more sophisticated approach and be attuned to the complexity."

The game is the product of more than a year's collaboration among faculty from 11 departments in eight different schools.  It divides the bay up into seven different watersheds, generally tracking major river tributaries.  Programmers have keyed in 51,000 mathematical equations to model the impacts of nutrients fouling the bay's water, government incentives to curb the pollution and fishing pressure and regulations, among other things. 

Players make choices about how they'll pursue their livelihoods and what they'll do for the bay, and then watch the results of their decisions play out in a series of turns over a 20-year time frame. As the screen shot at right shows, they'll be able to watch the dead zone grow or shrink in the bay, depending on what they do.

Sounds deadly serious, but it's meant to be entertaining - kind of like saving your Sim City from hurricanes, aliens or volcanoes - albeit with an educational purpose.  (As a U.Va. grad from the '70s, I'm jealous - the computers I worked with then were no fun at all.  They were big mainframes programmed with punch tape, with a maddening habit of freezing up if you slipped up keying in your logic routines. That's one reason I wound up in journalism instead of engineering.) 

Helping the students play their roles today as growers, fishermen and the like will be some real ones.  They've been invited by the university to come try out the game and educate the participants about the choices and challenges they face in real life.

Also on hand will be Philippe Cousteau, environmental activist, TV correspondent and grandson of the famed undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau.  An environmental design and marketing firm the younger Cousteau has co-founded, Azure Worldwide, has partnered with the university to develop a version of the game targeting youngsters in grades K-12.

"Games are really a great tool for education," Cousteau said in a recent interview.  "People need to understand the long-term impacts of their behavior," he added, though those typically are hard to see before it's too late. After trying his hand ad a farmer and waterman, Cousteau said the game is "kind of addictive" and it becomes apparent after playing awhile that the only way to improve the bay and not ruin your own livelihood is for everyone to collaborate.

"That's the hopeful side," Cousteau said.  "People really get it that if we don't work together on this problem, we won't fix it."

For more on the game, go here.  Maybe after playing the students will understand why their elders have made such a hash of the bay to date.  Or, just maybe, they'll find a way to do what's eluded everyone else so far, and we could learn from them.

(Photos by Dan Addison courtesy of the University of Virginia)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

In light of the mining accident in West Virginia, where 25 miners are confirmed dead, some may wonder about the state of mining in Maryland.

The industry is far, far smaller than in the biggest coal producing states in the country, including West Virginia and Wyoming. And it’s far smaller than it was in Maryland during the heydey in the early 20th century.

But there is still coal mining in the most western part of the state that has gotten more attention as energy prices have gone up. There are 35 mines in Garrett and Allegany counties. Two are deep mines and the rest are surface mines.

And there have been accidents. The number of fatalities in the last decade – 3 – is dwarfed by this one recent accident in West Virginia, according to data from the Maryland Department of the Environment.

That doesn’t mean it’s not a dirty and dangerous business.

Many others have been hurt in accidents that are typical of a construction site, according to a database maintained by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration. Tri-Star Mining Inc., owner of the mine where two miners died in 2007 – the most recent fatal accident – also logs a half dozen other accidents in recent years where miners missed days of work.

In the accident that killed two workers, a 125-foot-high rock wall in an open-pit mine near Barton collapsed and buried the miners working on heavy equipment in the trench. It took three days of digging and blasting through rubble to find the bodies.

Tighter safety regulation and increased mechanization over the years has made the business a little safer. As for cleaner, serious environmental and health violations in the mines in Maryland last year totaled 5, according to MDE. Fines totaled $30,900. That’s down from 126 violations and $3.7 million in penalties in 2006.

Baltimore Sun file photo of a coal mine near Frostburg/Doug Kapustin

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: News
        

A annual report from the EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program on the health of the bay and its 64,000-mile watershed was released today and it shows modest improvements.

Work has been underway for 25 years, and the slow rate of progress has frustrated many officials, residents and environmentalists. That may be why Jeffrey Lape, director of the Chesapeake Bay Program, downplayed the progress a bit.

"In my letter in last year’s Bay Barometer, I affirmed 'the need to take bolder actions and involve a wider network to achieve sharp improvements' in the bay’s health," Lape wrote in the report's introduction. "While the 2009 Bay Barometer shows slight progress toward our health and restoration goals, the truth is that the Chesapeake Bay is still degraded. However, the 'bolder actions' and 'wider network' have begun to take shape, and I look to the future with enthusiasm."

He pointed to new short-term goals on nitrogen and phosphorus to speed cleanup and increase accountability. And he also noted an executive order from President Obama on Chesapeake Bay Restoration and Protection.

Specifically, the report said the overall health of the bay averaged 45 percent based on goals for water quality, habitats and lower food web, and fish and shellfish abundance -- a 6 percent increase from 2008. Dissolved oxygen was down, but water clarity, underwater bay grasses and  bottom-dwelling species were up.

On restoration and protection efforts, the Bay Program partnership achieved 64 percent of its goals to reduce pollution, restore habitats, manage fisheries, protect watersheds and foster stewardship. But increases in population in the watershed and the people's activities meant many improvements were offset.

In total, however, pollution reduction efforts were up and reductions in nutrients in wastewater were down. But there wasn't much progress on agricultural runoff and air pollution control goals. Oyster habitat restoration was up and so were the planting of forest buffers. Bay education in area schools also increased.

The report offers some steps that everyone can take to help improve the health of the bay: Don’t fertilize your lawn because that adds to nutrient pollution; pick up dog waste to keep bacteria out of the bay; use a phosphate-free dishwasher detergent to reduce phosphorus in wastewater; drive less to reduce emissions; plant native trees, shrubs and wildflowers to filter pollution and attract wildlife; install a rain barrel or rain garden to collect and absorb runoff; volunteer to clean up a stream, creek or river in your community.

Photos of bay crabs and bay grasses courtesy of the Chesapeake Bay Program

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay
        

Celebrate the beginning of another explosively fruitful growing season in Baltimore City. On Friday, April 16th, 2010 The Baltimore Urban Agricultural Task Force will host its second annual Urb Ag Gala at 2640 Space (2640 St. Paul Street, 21218) from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Come out and enjoy delicious, live, and local food, music, art and storytelling as well as a wealth of gardening information and resources.

The Gala will enable those intrigued by the "growing" movement to become more involved, get growers and eaters and those in between fired up for the 2010 season, and make a statement about the inspiring and practical effects that producing food locally can have on individuals, families, communities, and the state of our planet at large.

The Baltimore Urban Agricultural Task Force is a growing coalition of farmers, students, professionals, artists, parents, and concerned citizens. The passion of its members is a common one: locally produced food. The Task Force is finding ways to strengthen communities in Baltimore through agricultural projects and environmental education.

Interested in volunteering for this event? Please email Thao at thaowowwow@gmail.com

A $10 donation is being requested.
Urb Ag Gala will be a waste neutral event.
Contact: urbaggala@gmail.com
http://baltimoreurbanag.org/content/urb-ag-gala

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Water temperatures are increasing in streams and rivers around the country and that is having a huge impact on the dependent ecosystems, according to new research from ecologists and hydrologists from the University of Maryland and elsewhere.  

The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, documents the statistically significant long-term rise in 20 major U.S. streams and rivers, including the Potomac in Maryland and others such as  the Colorado, Delaware and Hudson.

The annual mean rise was .02-.14°F a year. The water temperature increases also correlated to air temperature increases. And increases were more rapid in urban areas. There was a 3°F increase since 1939 in the Patuxent River, said David Secor of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Chesapeake Biological Laboratory.

“Warming waters can impact the basic ecological processes taking place in our nation’s rivers and streams,” said Sujay Kaushal of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and lead author of the study. “Long-term temperature increases can impact aquatic biodiversity, biological productivity, and the cycling of contaminants through the ecosystem.”

The researchers believe development and global warming are a "one-two punch" particularly in the urban areas and are having a huge impact on ecosystem health. In the city there are "urban heat island effects” from all the buildings, roads, concrete and asphalt. 

The waterways could be helped by conserving riparian forests, reducing impervious surfaces, adopting “green” infrastructure practices and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, they researchers said.

Associated Press photo of the Potomac River

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 3:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Climate change
        

Like to shop? Want to learn about composting and container farming? Interested in community gardening? Here's an event for you. 

The Mount Washington Whole Foods store, at 1330 Smith Ave., will donate 5 percent of net sales today to the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks' City Farms Program, which operate eight community gardens for about 500 families.

And if you can get out to the store, managers are also offering some events to coincide with the day: 

+Children’s Story Time, 10 a.m.: Learn gardening tips from Winnie the Pooh. Each child will receive a potted vegetable to take home and plant.

+Container Gardening Workshop, 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.: Learn how to create small gardens even without a yard. A lucky winner will take home the container garden from each demonstration.

+Kitchen Composting, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.: Learn how to transform kitchen scraps into rich compost. Worms, vegetable scraps and containers will be provided.

And if you're interested in those community gardens run by Baltimore City Farms, they are located in Clifton Park, DeWees Park, Carroll Park, Druid Hill Park, Leakin Park, Patterson Park, Roosevelt Park and Cimiglia Park at Fort Holabird. More space is planned at Heath and Charles Streets in South Baltimore and at Rock Rose Park near TV Hill. Rent is $30 per year. Email Coleen McCarty for more information at coleen.mccarty@baltimorecity.gov.

Baltimore Sun file photo of tomatoes grown in a city garden/Karl Merton Ferron

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Events
        

The dispute over Maryland's new storm-water pollution limits finally gets its day in Annapolis - or will it get two?

Sen. Paul G. Pinsky, the Prince George's County Democrat who presides over a joint legislative committee that reviews regulations, has relented and scheduled a hearing Tuesday on changes to the storm-water curbs that have been sought by developers and local officials. 

Pinsky had refused to act on emergency changes to the storm-water regulations proposed by the state Department of the Environment unless he had a chance to "tweak" them.  The changes had been hammered out in closed-door negotiations among builders, local officials and representatives of a couple environmental groups.  They would "grandfather" an unknown number of development projects from having to meet the stringent new runoff controls and allow local officials to grant waivers from some requirements for redevelopment projects.  Developers had argued it was costly and unfair to change the requirements on projects already in the works, while local officials said they feared redevelopment would dry up if expected to curb runoff as much as the new rules required.

Representatives of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and 1000 Friends of Maryland agreed to those changes, after managing to limit their sweep. But the deal riled other environmentalists, who oppose any weakening of the state's requirements.  Storm-water runoff from developed land is a significant and growing source of pollution to the Chesapeake Bay, they point out.

If the joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review fails to approve the emergency regulations by Thursday, the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee stands ready to go ahead at 1 p.m. that day with a hearing on a bill, HB1125, that would make similar changes via legislation.  The House overwhelmingly passed the bill after Pinsky stalled action on the rules changes.

The Tuesday hearing will begin at 4 p.m. in the joint committee hearing room.  Unlike the House hearing on the storm-water bill, proponents and opponents alike will get a chance to testify.  What happens after that will determine whether the dispute is settled with regulatory changes -- or it carries on into the General Assembly's final days, as proponents seek to force action in the Senate.

(Baltimore Sun file photo)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

We got a copy of "Dishing Up Maryland" in the mail, and in the spirit of the book, we want to give it away to a reader with the best local recipe.

That means a recipe that incorporates the most local foods, that is the most creative use of local foods or that has such a wonderful story behind it that we can't resist. It's spring, and a seasonal recipe would be nice, but we won't hold you to that.

If you missed the story about the book, Lucie L. Snodgrass collected recipes from around the state, incorporating local foods such as crabs, oysters, watermelon and other produce. There are some pretty good looking photos in there of the food, too.

So, do you have a recipe handed down from generation to generation? Have you made up your own dish with local foods? Send us the recipe and tell us the story behind it.

We'll pick a winner, publish your recipe and story and send you the book -- then you'll have to report back on what you made and how you liked it.

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

The government just came out with its new fuel effeciency standards: an average 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. They are 10 mpg higher than current standards, but is the government moving fast enough (or too fast)?

My car now gets about 35 mpg. So did my last car, bought in 1991.

The move will also raise the cost of cars, according to this Associated Press story, though consumers will make up that and a lot more in fuel over the life of the vehicle. The story says consumer will pay $434 extra in 2012 and $926 extra in 2016, but the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation estimate savings on gas at more than $3,000.

Improvements are expected in engines, transmissions and tires. And more hybrids and electric cars are expected to be in the mix, such as Nissan Leafs and Chevrolet Volts.

Environmentalist seem pleased. And so do car makers, who didn't like the state-by-state approach on standards that was evolving. What about you?

Also, what do you make of another government announcement on effeciency: for water heaters, pool heaters and gas fireplaces. The Department of Energy says the standards will save consumer $10 billion and prevent up to 164 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emmissions over the next three decades. Thats the equivalent to taking 46 million cars off the road for a year.

The standards will decrease energy use in large electric storage water heaters by 47 percent and by more than 30 percent in large gas water heaters.  They will go into effect in 2015, while the standards for pool heaters and gas fireplaces will apply in 2013. 

AP photo of the Leaf

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: News
        

This year’s White House Easter Egg Roll is slated for April 5, 2010. The theme, “Ready, Set, Go!” promotes health and wellness – part of the First Lady’s “Let’s Move!” initiative to combat childhood obesity. Live music, sports, cooking stations, storytelling, and Easter egg rolling will all be featured on the South Lawn for children aged 12 years and younger. And in an effort to go green, the Egg Roll will feature environmentally friendly FSC-certified hardwood eggs decorated with vegetable-based dyes and signed by Barack and Michelle. These special edition 2010 souvenir eggs will be available for purchase online at the National Park Foundation website. The White House is also using Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) ceritifed products in the packaging for the eggs. Go green!

For more information visit The White House website.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Paper Mate has sent me a set of pens and pencils the company claims are biodegradable.

The company says many of the components are made from a corn-based material that biodegrades in soil or compost in about a year. A diagram on the package (which is recyclable) indicates that about half the components still have to be trashed, including the grip and the ink refill, but that's a 50 percent drop from your regular pen.

A set of two pens is $3.59 on Amazon. But it also looks like OfficeDepot, Staples and other office supply shops carry them.

There are two comments on the Amazon site, and both seem to have a concern about the their ability to biodegrate. It seems they won't degrate in a landfill but will in a composter -- so they must need other elements such as air and sun.

Anyone tried these pens? If not, I'll pass them around the office for use and then collect them to bury it in my yard and report back. (In a year.)

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