Today is America Recycles Day, promoting reduction and reuse of waste rather than landfilling or burning it. 

There are events planned locally and across the country - a Severn school, for instance, is staging a contest  to see who can build the biggest tower with catalogs and magazines collected for recycling.

While Maryland's counties and municipalities are recycling 39 percent of their solid waste, according to the state Department of the Environment, there's still room to do more.  Howard County, for instance, recently launched a pilot program to compost food scraps, one of the first localities on the East Coast to do it, though it's established in some West Coast communities already.  The county estimates that nearly a quarter of its waste now consists of food scraps.

Baltimore city's not ready to go there yet, but it did kick off a new foam recycling effort just this month, targeting another big waste component, by volume if not weight. City residents are invited to collect clean #6 polystyrene foam plates, cups, egg cartons and the like and bring them to the dropoff center at 2840 Sisson St. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. 

(Howard County family saves food scraps for composting.  Baltimore Sun photo by Barbara Haddock Taylor)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

"Take two walks and call me in the morning."  Could that be a new mantra from physicans for whatever ails us?

On Saturday, Nov. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., local pediatricians will be at Herring Run Park in Baltimore to promote nature and outdoor exercise as prescriptions for fending off chronic diseases like diabetes and obesity.  Among them will be Dr. Maria Brown, of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, whose nature-therapy effort was featured last year in the Baltimore Sun.

The event is sponsored by the Greater Baltimore Child and Nature Collaborative.  Free and open to the public, it will feature nature hikes, bicycling tours, a healthy cooking demonstration, wildlife expo and more. Those families or individuals who complete a prescribed set of activities are eligible for a free prize while supplies last.

(Dr. Maria Brown; 2010 Baltimore Sun photo by Barbara Haddock Taylor)

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Film maker Josh Fox will be on hand this evening (11/1) at the Enoch Pratt Free Library downtown for a free screening of his controversial documentary "Gasland" chronicling problems with "fracking," the widely used drilling technique for extracting natural gas.

The film, which came out in 2010, was nominated for an Oscar and won an Emmy and several other awards. The oil and gas industry contends the movie contains errors and distortions, assertions which Fox rebuts.

It will air at 6 p.m. in the 3rd floor Wheeler (no relation) auditorium at the library, 400 Cathedral Street.  Afterwards, there'll be a discussion led by Fox.  The event is sponsored by Baltimore Green Works.  For more information, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

With Halloween just around the corner, the Washington-based green group Environment America is sponsoring a spooky-themed cleanup of the Anacostia River on Saturday (Oct. 29), as well as a teach-in of sorts on the woes afflicting the Chesapeake Bay.

Volunteers will be picking up trash in Bladensburg Waterfront Park, 4601 Annapolis Road in Bladensburg, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Folks are encouraged to dress up in costumes, though also to wear clothes and boots they don't mind getting grungy.

Not one to miss a chance to talk policy, Environment America plans to use the event to tout "10 scary problems" plaguing the bay.  Among them:

- Chickens outnumber people 1,000 to 1 on Maryland's Eastern Shore, the group says, and poultry growers on the Delmarva Peninsula generate upwards of 1 billion pounds of manure annually;

- The "dead zone" that forms each summer in the bay, where fish and shellfish can't get enough oxygen in the water, stretched from Baltimore Harbor to the Potomac River, covering a third of the bay;

- The state has lost more than 75 percent of its wetlands

And so on.  Not sure whether they're scary, or just depressing.  The event's co-sponsored by the American Public Health Association, which is holding its annual meeting in DC over the weekend.

(Flotsam on the water at Bladensburg Waterfront Park, summer 2011)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, Events, Volunteer
        

The second annual Clean Energy Summit blows into B'more today, rescheduled and relocated here after the earthquake in August damaged the Bethesda hotel where it was supposed to be held.  That 'quake may have been an omen.

There'll be a lot of talk at the Hilton Inner Harbor on Friday about solar and wind power, electric vehicles, biofuels, public policy and more.  There's lots happening on those fronts, but plenty of uncertainty and uproar, too. 

Construction is under way on Maryland's first utility-scale solar array in Emmitsburg, for instance, and the state was recently recognized as one of the top 10 states in promoting energy efficiency.  But in Washington, cost-cutting pressures cast a shadow over funding for clean energy, and there's even talk among at least some Republican lawmakers of cutting off tax incentives for virutally all forms of energy, including solar and wind, nuclear and even at least some breaks for oil and gas. 

Despite the federal policy turmoil, more and more businesses and homeowners are looking for clean energy, installing more efficient lighting and solar arrays, among other things.  To help stoke that interest, the summit winds up Saturday with a free consumer show.

From 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the public has a chance to drive a Chevy Volt and learn more about solar hot water and photovoltaics, geothermal heating and cooling, the new generation of cleaner woodstoves and - perhaps most important of all - how to go about financing the upfront costs that can ultimately lead to lower utility bills.

For more info, go here.

(Wind turbines on Backbone Mountain near Oakland MD.  2010 Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

An autumn potpourri of things happening this weekend:

Trees: It's autumn, ideal time to plant a sapling. Baltimore County is having a big tree sale from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday.  The costs range from $20 - $30. The event will be held at the Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture, 1114 Shawan Road.  For details, go here. 

Stream cleanup: The Friends of Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park plan to clean up the stream that flows through the park's Winans Meadow, from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. There's plenty of debris to clear from the tropical storm flooding last month. Gloves will be provided. Meet at the parking lot of Winans Meadow at 4500 Franklintown Road, 21229. For additional information, call 410-566-2230.

Park reopening:  When you're done planting trees or clearing stream debris, why not head over to Robert E. Lee Park and check out the $6.1 million facelift it got while closed the past two years?  There's a new bridge, a new half-mile boardwalk across wetlands and a new dog park (though you'd better keep your pooch on leash, and clean up after him or her!)  It officially reopened today (Friday, Oct. 14), but there'll be activities Saturday as well.  On Lakeside Drive, near Falls Road.  For directions, go here.

(Walking dogs on at rehabilitated Robert E. Lee Park. Photo by Noah Scialom)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

A little housekeeping announcement: The hearing this evening in Annapolis on whether to cut back the catch of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay and elsewhere along the Atlantic coast has been moved to a new location.

The session, scheduled to run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., has been moved to Calvary United Methodist Church, 301 Rowe Boulevard. Plans had been to hold it in Department of Natural Resources headquarters, but I'm guessing the prospect of a big crowd prompted officials to seek larger meeting space.

With the Atlantic menhaden stock at a record low level after being overfished 32 of the last 54 years, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is weighing whether to clamp down. A decision may be made in November. The commission voted in August to seek public comment on a range of options, from doing nothing to cutting the catch by up to 45 percent.

Unless you're a fisherman, menhaden may not be on your radar. They're not on anybody's dinner table, but the oily fish is a prime food for striped bass, or rockfish, which is a favorite among anglers and restaurant patrons alike.  They also serve another vital ecological role in the bay, as filter feeders. 

Its lack of table appeal notwithstanding, the little fish have been heavily harvested over the years to provide feed for farm animals and farmed fish, and their oil's extracted and sold as a heart-healthy food supplement.

Cutting the menhaden catch is opposed by Virginia, home to the last large-scale commercial menhaden fishing fleet on the East Coast. Omega Protein's vessels operate out of Reedville, which almost entirely on the size of its menhaden catch has the second highest commercial fish landings of any port in the United States.

But cutting menhaden catches also could hurt Maryland's commercial fishermen, as it's caught for bait to  catch other fish and especially blue crabs.  The state's watermen aren't happy about the prospect of yet another restriction on their livelihood - ergo the likelihood of a big turnout tonight.

(AP file photo)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

So if the sun manages to stay out, this weekend promises to be a great one for solar enthusiasts, or for folks just curious about incorporating renewable energy and efficiency into their homes.

The Solar Decathlon runs through Sunday on the National Mall in Washington, where a house designed and built by University of Maryland College Park students and faculty holds a narrow lead in the international competition among 20 teams to create solar-powered houses that are affordable, energy efficient, attractive and easy to live in. 

The UM entry, WaterShed, which includes solar and a green roof, among other features, won the architecture contest Wednesday.  The overall winner in the weeklong Department of Energy contest will be declared on Saturday, Oct., but the entries are open for public viewing through Sunday.  For more, go here.

Meanwhile, solar buffs in western Maryland have put together a tour this weekend of 26 homes featuring solar energy or other green building techology.  Homes are open for inspection from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with the lineup varying each day.  For more, or a free guide, go to www.mdgoesgreen.org

Finally, if you'd like to do something with your hands, join the Friends of Patapsco Valley Heritage and Greenway on Saturday to help remove trash along Herbert Run in Arbutus.   Cleanup is from 9 a.m. to noon.  Meet in the parking lot behind the Arbutus volunteer fire station, 5200 Southwestern Boulevard.  To register, go to www.patapscoheritagegreenway.org/eventcal.html

(Baltimore Sun photo: Photovoltaic panels on roof of UM's WaterShed house, by Algerina Perna)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Who says drinking water is dull? "Dam Jam 2011" on Sunday Oct. 2 aims to change that.

The daylong celebration at Cromwell Valley Park of Baltimore's drinking water reservoirs features live music, food, historical reenactors, wildlife on display and activities for kids, plus t-shirts and tattoos.

What more could you ask for? Oh, yeah, and there'll be a guided tour of Loch Raven Dam, with background on the history and inner workings of the region's three reservoirs.

Musical acts include Mosno Al-Moseeki, the "3rd World Rocker," Feinwood Jammgrass and Jeremiah Clark, who performs "alt-country Americana." City and county employees and local conservation groups will be on hand to present info on the importance of the region's waterways and what people can do to protect them.

Cosponsored by the city of Baltimore, Baltimore County and the Towson Arts Collective, the event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 pm.

Admission is free, and attendees are urged to bring chairs, blankets and picnic baskets to spend the day. The park is at 2175 Cromwell Bridge Road. For more information call, 410-396-500 or email kurt.kocher@baltimorecity.gov

(Patuxent Publishing Photo: Loch Raven dam, by Brian Krista) 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

This weekend brings more attention to the Baltimore area's water ways, with some stream cleanups scheduled Saturday followed by a fun fund-raiser for the region's watershed watchdog.

Last Saturday marked the 26th annual International Coastal Cleaunup, with volunteers clearing beaches and stream banks of debris and trash. This Saturday (9/24), there are a few more pickups planned, including of Bread and Cheese Creek in eastern Baltimore County, and of Stony Run in Baltimore city as it flows past Wyman Park near the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus.

The Bread and Cheese cleanup is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. starting around 1401 North Point Road. Gloves and trash bags provided, as is lunch. E-mail clean_bread_and_cheese_creek@yahoo.com or call 410-285-1202 to sign up!

The city event organized by Friends of Stony Run goes from noon to 4 p.m., and includes tree planting as well as trash pickup. Trash bags provided, but bring gloves and wear long sleeves, pants and rugged shoes. Look for signs at Tudor Arms & Craycombe to take the path down to the site for tree planting. For the trash cleanup, enter by the Remington Avenue Bridge and work north.

That same afternoon (9/24), Blue Water Baltimore is having its 4th annual Trash Bash fund-raiser from noon to 5 p.m. at Nick's Fish House, 2600 Insulator Drive 21230. Cost is $55 and includes seafood, drinks, live music, silent auction and electric boat tours of the Middle Branch. For more, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Saturday (Sept. 17) brings the 26th annual International Coastal Cleanup, a worldwide event organized by the Ocean Conservancy, when volunteers haul trash and debris from streams and beaches.

Maryland has its share of pickups planned, and there'll be no shortage of debris this time, what with the winds and flooding we've had the past few weeks. The state's shoreline could use a good housecleaning. 

Fort Smallwood Park in Pasadena and Stony Run in Baltimore are among the local cleanups on tap. To find a site near you and sign up, go here.

(Volunteer picks up trash on shore at Middle Branch Park. 2010 Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Happy Park(ing) Day! For those not familiar with it, this is a day when artists, activists and creative business people transform curbside parking spaces into mini-parks and spaces for exhibiting art and socializing.

It was begun in 2005 in San Francisco by Rebar, an art and design studio there, but has gone global since. Last year, there were  more than 800 conversions in more than 180 cities in 30 countries on six continents. It's meant to get people thinking about "re-imagining the possibilities of the urban landscape," as Rebar's Matthew Passmore has been quoted.

Some Baltimore groups and businesses are getting in on the act. The Reservoir Hill Improvement Council is converting teachers' parking spaces at John Eager Howard Elementary School into a "composting kitchen," where students can learn how to build real and edible compost boxes. That's at 2100 Brookfield Ave. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The city's landscape architecture and design firms seem to seizing the opportunity to strut their stuff - or just to engage in a little Friday whimsy. They include:

Ayers Saint Gross, which will unveil a temporary "sculptural shade structure" made almost entirely from plastic bottles collected from the harbor and around the city. It'll be in a pair of adjoining parking spaces at the corner of Broadway and Thames Street in Fells Point. It'll be up from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

EDSA, Inc., which plans an exhibit exploring how society might adapt to apocalyptic events like earthquakes and hurricanes. Its spot will be on Commerce Street just north of Pratt Street, across from the Baltimore World Trade Center.

Floura Teeter, which will convert three spaces in front of its downtown office at 306 W. Franklin Street into an "urban garden designed to showcase sustainable food preparation using local, seasonal ingredients." This will be Floura Teeter's third Park(ing) Day observance.

Mahan Rykiel Associates, which is making two parking spaces in Hampden on the Avenue (832-836 West 36th Street) into a "pop-up, outdoor, dog friendly café." That'll be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more on Park(ing) Day, go here.

(Shannon Early blows bubbles into passing traffic while relaxing in Floura Teeter's greened parking spaces downtown. 2010 Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam.)

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

Hundreds of scientists, activists and government officials from around the world have gathered in Baltimore's Inner Harbor to compare notes on cleaning up the planet's troubled coastal waters.

From the Cheapeake Bay to the Seto Inland Sea in Japan, near-shore waters suffer similar insults - too many nutrients from sewage, fertilizer and air pollution, overfishing and habitat degradation.

What's quickly apparent from sitting in for a short while this morning on the four-day global summit is that progress in the uphill battle of restoring stressed and degraded ecosystems depends on one's perspective.

This 9th international conference on Environmental Management for Enclosed Coastal Seas (EMECS) has drawn a sizable contingent from Japan, and several speakers have touched on the devastation wrought earlier this year by the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck the island nation's northeastern coast.

Many conference participants got an up-close look at a much less disruptive natural calamity oer the weekend because they arrived in Baltimore just before Hurricane Irene reached here. Indeed, several sessions planned Sunday morning were postponed in anticipation of the storm.

The Inner Harbor got off light this time, compared with the flooding brought by Tropical Storm Isabel in 2003.  Indeed, at the conclusion of a talk outlining the challenges of managing coastal seas, Dr. Motoyuki Suzuki, chairman of Japan's Central Environmental Council, flashed up before-and-after photos of the Inner Harbor taken from the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel, where the summit is meeting. The images showed that the storm had not harmed any of the structures along the waterfront, prompting the speaker to say, "Beautiful!"

But the photo taken after the storm had passed showed a swath of caramel-colored water streaming out from Pier 6 by the concert pavilion - where the Jones Falls empties into the harbor.  Evidently the storm washed signfiicant amounts of dirt, harmful bacteria and probably other pollutants down storm drains into the falls and ultimately the Inner Harbor.

It's storm-water runoff like that - every time it rains, even lightly - that's one of the biggest hurdles to making the harbor fit for human contact.  Not the harm wrought by a a tsunami or a truly destructive hurricane, to be sure, but beneath the surface not exactly beautiful, either.

The conference, hosted by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the Maryland Department of the Environment, meets here through Wednesday.

(2006 Baltimore Sun photo by Robert Hamilton)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 2:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

What's a little rain and wind when you have toxic wastes eating a hole in your basement?

A tropical storm may be bearing down on us, but Baltimore city is NOT canceling its drop-off of household hazardous wastes Saturday (8/27) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute parking lot at Falls Road and Cold Spring Lane.  The event is run by the Department of Public Works Bureau of Solid Waste.

City residents can drop off oil-based paints, pesticides, herbicides, car and household batteries, drain cleaners, gasoline, pool chemicals and many other items. Latex paint can be dried up and the cans put out for regular trash collection.

Do NOT bring trash, acids, asbestos, ammunition, fire extinguishers, industrial or medical wastes, or radioactive materials, including smoke alarms with a radioactive symbol.

Residents must show proof of city residency - a driver's license, telephone bill or tax bill - and are asked to use the Cold Spring Lane entrance to the school parking lot. For more, go here.

(Baltimore Sun file photo)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The 2nd annual Charm City Garden Tour rolls out Saturday, Aug. 13, offering a chance to see some of Baltimore's lushest community gardens and sample some locally sourced refreshments at a post-tour garden party.

The tour begins and ends at the Whitelock Community Farm, which figured prominently in a recent Baltimore Sun story I wrote about the greening of Reservoir Hill. The farm is at 940 Whitelock Street, and the tour runs from 2 p.m to 5 p.m., with the garden party from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.  Stick around, and you can catch the open-air movie showing at Reservoir Hill's German Park at 8:30 p.m.

The event is sponsored by Community Greening Resource Network, the UME Baltimore City Master Gardeners and Parks & People Foundation.

A bus tour already is sold out, but space is still available for a bicycle tour covering the same route, which makes stops at gardens in Mount Washington and Park Heights as well as Reservoir Hill. The cost is $15 a head, and cyclists are required to bring their own bike and strongly encouraged to wear helmets.  To reserve a spot, email charmcitygardentour@gmail.com or call 410-448-5663 ext 128.

(Newington Avenue in Reservoir Hill. Baltimore Sun photo by Gabe Dinsmoor)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Update: Full story can be found here. 

A city official is defending allowing the Baltimore Grand Prix to cut down trees along the Inner Harbor race course, saying organizers have agreed to replace those trees nearly four times over, more than tripling the downtown's tree canopy in the process.

Beth Strommen, director of Baltimore's Office of Sustainability says she negotiated a deal with organizers of the Labor Day weekend street race, in which they got to cut down fewer than half the trees they originally wanted to remove to improve spectators' views of the racing.

Only 50 trees are to be cut down along the race course on West Pratt and Light streets, said Strommen - not the 136 that Lonnie Fisher, assistant Grand Prix general manager had told The Baltimore Sun on Monday.  Strommen, who spoke by telephone while vacationing in New Jersey, said she could not explain the discrepancy, but said she had confirmed the city's agreement with the race by phone Tuesday.

News of the tree cutting has upset some residents, who contend that it violates the city's forest conservation code (Article 7, Natural Resources) and is at odds with the city's sustainability plan, which calls for doubling Baltimore's tree canopy by 2037.  

Critics have begun circulating an online petition calling for a halt to any more race-related tree cutting until the plan is fully aired and each tree to be removed identified, as required by city code. Petition drafter Dave Troy contended in an email that the plan for cutting and replacing trees because of the race was "haphazard" and "shoved down the throat of the public without due process."

Strommen said the deal she'd negotiated with race organizers hasn't been announced yet because it has yet to be finalized, reviewed by city lawyers and signed.   But it calls for planting 59 replacement trees in the race corridor, she said, and another 135 trees are to be planted in already empty sidewalk "pits" for trees elsewhere in downtown. 

Continue reading "City: Grand Prix to plant many more trees than it cuts " »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (38)
        

Who says stream cleanups can only be done in spring and fall? The Jones Falls is due for a little tidying Saturday (July 16), organized by Baltimore Youth Environmental Response and the city's Office of Sustainability.

Volunteers are to meet at 1 p.m. at 1813 Falls Road, just outside Baltimore Bicycle Works. Bags, gloves and refreshments will be provided. And around 2:30 p.m., they'll wrap the cleanup to discuss future goals and activities for the youth-led environmental group. You can RSVP and learn more about RSVP on Facebook.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Hundreds of people flocked to the Maryland Department of the Environment yesterday, but not for the usual reasons.

Instead of applying for permits or responding to pollution violation notices, they were there for a more upbeat reason - to promote and learn about new ways to control pollution washing off city and suburban streets and parking lots.

More than 360 people registered for the department's first-ever "Clean Water Innovations Trade Show." Three dozen exhibitors were on hand to tout everything from green roofs and floating wetlands to the latest in storm-drain retrofits.

State Environment Secretary Robert M. Summers said the expo grew out of a forum on sustainability held by Gov. Martin O'Malley earlier this year. The state is applying new storm-water pollution control regulations on all new construction and redevelopment, and is beginning to require better controls in existing communities as well.

Summers asserted in remarks to the assembled vendors, local officials and others that the state is a leader in sustainable growth, in less-polluting development techniques and the green economy. But he also acknowledged "a lot of challenges going forward," including regulatory and technical hurdles.

The latter point was seconded by Erik Dalski of Highview Creations, which has installed green roofs in New York and Boston and is branching into Maryland and the Washington area now. One of the company's more interesting projects in these parts is a green roof planned for a new barn near Annapolis.

Dalski said there seems to be "a lot of red tape" here governing green infrastructure, and local officials he's met with still seem hesitant to try new things like green roofs.

Summers suggested such red-tape complaints ought to ease under a recent initiative announced by O'Malley to streamline regulations and "fast-track" permitting.

(Barry Chenkin, founder of Aquabarrel, discusses his products at Clean Water Innovations Trade Show at MDE headquarters. Photo by Jay Apperson, MDE's Office of Communications)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

When we talk about old-growth and virgin forests, we often think of the massive redwoods and sequoias out West. The eastern United States was heavily logged in the 19th and early 20th centuries, so that the trees we see in this part of the country today are relative youngsters - decades rather than centuries old.

But not everywhere. Remnants remain of the forests that practically blanketed the East when European settlers arrived. Some are on steep slopes, in deep ravines or other remote, hard-to-reach places. Others are relatively easy to get to.

One's right here in Maryland - about 40 majestic acres of largely untouched eastern hemlocks and white pines at Swallow Falls State Park, near Oakland in Garrett County.

Joan Maloof, a biology professor at Salisbury University, has made a career of studying trees and forests. She's passionate about old growth and is working now to develop a network for protecting them. She's written a first-person guide to some of these overlooked pockets of biodiversity and wonder.

Among the Ancients, Adventures in the Eastern Old-Growth Forests takes the reader to one stand in each state east of the Mississippi River. Maloof recounts their history and the people who've fought to preserve them, and she details their current condition. Some are pristine, others threatened and abused. Maloof reflects in her chapters on the values of forests.

"Imagine an organism that can live three times longer than the longest-lived human," she concludes in her chapter on Swallow Falls. "We need to recognize that in trees, and honor it."

She gets personal as well, describing how the old woods touch her and shape her own outlook on life. Her visit to Cook Forest State Park in southwest Pennsylvania, for instance, makes her imagine she's one of the seven dwarves in the cartoon classic "Snow White."

She writes: "...the chipmunks were scampering along beside me, the birds were chirping and hopping on the trail in front of me, and patches of moss were glowing green from teh slender beams of light that made their way through the canopy far overhead. I felt almost as if I had been drugged. I was so filled with joy I had a cheek-splitting grin on my face."

If you'd like to meet the author, Maloof will give a reading at the Barnes & Noble at 1819 Reisterstown Road in Pikesville on Wednesday (July 13) at 7 pm.  To hear her now, tune in here to listen to an interview public radio's Marc Steiner did with her recently.  And you can read more of Joan Maloof's insights and observations on her blog here.

(Cover photograph courtesy Ruka Press)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Sunday is the 9th annual Tour Dem Parks, the yearly bike ride through Baltimore’s parks and neighborhoods.

With the heat easing off, it's a great chance to enjoy the city's green gems, like Carroll, Leakin, Patterson, Clifton and Druid Hill parks. There's a choice of routes to match riders' abilities, from a 12-mile "family" jaunt up and down the Gwynns Falls Trail to the 64-mile Metric Century that's for serious road warriors indeed.

There are rest stops at Patterson, Herring Run, Druid Hill, and Leakin parks, with complimentary snacks, Gatorade and water, plus toilets or port-o-johns and even bike mechanics to help keep you rolling. And when you finish, there's a barbecue and live music at Carroll Park to wind down.

Cost is $20 for children 15 and younger, $40 per adult. Even though it's fun, it's also a fund-raiser, okay? The money goes to help gussy up the parks, print trail maps, create rain gardens and the like. For more on that, go here.

Rides start in Carroll Park, 1500 Washington Blvd, and run from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Go here to register in advance. If you'd rather not ride but want to be part of the scene, they're looking for volunteers to staff registration and rest stops.

(2008 Tour Dem Parks, Baltimore Sun photo by Algerina Perna)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

If you're like me, you probably have a few old or broken cell phones lying around your house - maybe even a 1980s dinosaur like the one pictured here. 

I could never bring myself to throw them away, figuring they'd just wind up in a landfill or even incinerated. So they're sitting on a shelf or in a box somewhere.

Now, here's a chance to get those unwanted phones recycled, and make a little cash in the process. From Friday (6/10) through Sunday (6/12), everyone who brings two old cell phones to Mondawmin Mall will be given a $10 gift card.  You can go green and get some green in exchange.

The event is sponsored by General Growth Properties, owner of Mondawmin and other area malls, in partnership with Cathy Allen, a West Baltimore resident who dubs herself the "Green Ambassador."  Among her efforts to green the urban environment, she's campaigning to plant trees in every public elementary school in the city.

Remember, you need to turn in TWO old cell phones to get a gift card. The swap will be taking place at Center Court at Mondawmin, 2401 Liberty Heights Ave. from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and from noon to 6 .m. Sunday.

For more, go here.

(Baltimore Sun photo by Barbara Haddock Taylor)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Capt. John Smith, the early English explorer, inspired waves of European settlement and centuries of human use of the Chesapeake Bay when he described its shores in 1606 as a "fruitfull and delightsome land." How abundant is the bay today, and what lessons are there in looking back?

On Wednesday, June 8, from 7 - 9 p.m. at the Village Learning Place in downtown Baltimore, Henry Miller of the Maryland Humanities Council will discuss the history of the Bay's use by humans. Miller is director of research for Maryland's state museum at St. Mary's City, the state's first English colony and seventeenth-century capital.

Miller's overview of human consumption of the bay is free and open to the public, and light food and refreshments will be served. The Village Learning Place is at 2521 St. Paul St. For more, go here.

(17th century-style shallop off Annapolis as it reenacts 1608 bay exploration of Capt. John Smith, 2007 Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston) 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

With study after study showing that Maryland's Smart Growth laws and policies have been ineffective at curbing sprawl, the O'Malley administration has a new-old remedy: a state development plan.

PlanMaryland, it's called. Drafted by the state Department of Planning, the 188-page document is meant to fulfill a 40-year-old law never acted upon that calls for the creation of a state growth plan.

It was released last month, and state planners are holding a series of "open-house" style forums this spring and summer to get public reaction. The next one is Thursday May 19, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Long Reach High School in Columbia, 6101 Old Dobbin Lane.

With upwards of 5.8 million people living on the state's 6.2 million acres, the population is projected to grow nearly 15 percent over the next 20 years, adding another 900,000 residents.

PlanMaryland doesn't propose any radical changes in direction - it calls for concentrating growth in towns, cities and "rural centers," whatever those are, where infrastructure already exists or is planned. It also calls for preserving environmentally sensitive and rural lands. Its third primary goal is more amorphous - "sustainability", defined as ensuring quality of life while preserving those natural and cultural resources that distinguish Maryland as a place.

The plan proposes a collaborative new planning effort for state and local governments to designate the places where they believe growth should occur and where land should be shielded from development. And it proposes tweaking state policies and funding formulas to better focus government spending on highways, schools and other infrastructure on those areas designated for growth.

Continue reading "Smart Growth redux: State airing new development plan" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

CHAI, the housing and community development agency for The Associated, the federation of Jewish organizations, will be offering a tour of its new green building in northwest Baltimore Tuesday May 17, along with discussions on incorporating sustainability in new and existing structures.

The building, at 5809 Park Heights Ave., has been awarded a silver LEED certificate by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

"See the Green @ CHAI" will be from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Ecologist and author Sandra Steingraber will be in town Wednesday May 18 to talk about her new book, Raising Elijah - Protecting Our Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis. 

Currently scholar in residence at Ithaca College in New York, Steingraber has explored in her writings the links between the environment and health.

Her first book, Living Downstream, An Ecologist's Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment, used her own experience as a cancer survivor to examine the environmental links to cancer.

In a later book, Having Faith: An Ecologist’s Journey to Motherhood, she tackles fetal toxicology in the context of her own pregnancy. She's the mother of two.

Her latest work, Raising Elijah, strives to connect parenting to public policy on the environment. She links many childhood health issues, such as asthma and developmental problems, to environmental factors, including air quality and chemical contamination.

She'll speak at 7 p.m. at the Enoch Pratt central library downtown. Her talk is part of the Sustainable Speakers series presented by the library in partnership with Baltimore Green Works. For more, go here.

(Photo by Dede Hatch, courtesy Sandra Steingraber)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It's spring, so there's something green to do every weekend, if not every day. Here are just a few:

BALTIMORE CITY - Roland Park is staging Seven Generations, its second annual weekend-long celebration of sustainability. On Saturday, May 14, there'll be a native plant sale, green expo and garden tour, among other things. Sunday features a "ciclovia" of pedaling, jogging or strolling down Roland Avenue from Northern Parkway to Cold Spring Lane.  Events start around 8 a.m. each day, and last into afternoon. Go here for more.

TOWSON - The Rotary Club of Towsontowne is staging an ECO-fest, a rain barrel and compost bin sale, on Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Towson United Methodist Church, 501 Hampton Lane.  Looks like it's going to rain, so better get a rain barrel while supplies last.  For more info, go here.

EASTERN SHORE - The 11th annual Great Worcester Herp Search needs volunteers Saturday to help scour the woods and fields for turtles, snakes, frogs and salamanders. Last year, searchers tallied 204 reptiles and amphibians, including box and snapping turtles and five-lined skinks.  The search kicks off 9 a.m. at Furnacetown off Route 12 near Snow Hill with a pre-hunt training session. Pack a lunch, sunscreen and rain gear, of course.  For directions, go here.

(Guiliana Cascio holds a box turtle found near Showell.  Photo courtesy Maryland Coastal Bays Program)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Want to know what's being done to make Baltimore more bicycle-friendly? This evening (Monday, April 18) is your chance to find out, and help get it in gear.

As part of Green Week, there'll be an update on bike-related activities at Johns Hopkins University's Homewood campus.  Nate Evans of Baltimore's Department of Transportation will present the latest on bike lanes and other bicycle improvements in the city.   May is the Bike Month Challenge, for instance. 

Alison Dewey of the League of American Cyclists also will talk about what it would take for Baltimore to gain "bicycle friendly" status under her group's rating system.  And there'll be a discussion about starting a bike-sharing program here like the one in DC.

The update will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Great Room at Levering Hall, between the west and south gates to Homewood campus. There's metered parking on Wyman Drive and $6 parking in the South garage. Bike parking, of course, is available on campus. Beverages and light refreshments will be served.

(Bicyclist commuting along Hanover Street. 2005 Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It's that time of year again.  The 8th annual Baltimore Green Week begins April 16 and runs through the 23rd.

The weeklong series of events, lectures and volunteer opportunities leading up to Earth Day is focused on sustainable living. It kicks off with Ecofest, an outdoor festival from noon to 5 p.m. April 16 in Druid Hill Park.

Yoga classes, bike rides around the reservoir and flower arranging lessons are among the activities offered by local producers and organizations. There'll also be food and activities for kids.

Ecofest and Green Week are put on by Baltimore Green Works.  For more, go here.

(Photo courtesy Baltimore Green Works)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

For those who like a bracing swim - or who were too chicken to take the Polar Bear Plunge right after New Year's - here's another, slightly less frigid, chance to wade in for a good cause.  Supporters of the Marshy Point Nature Center in Baltimore County are holding their 5th annual "Popsicle Plunge" on Saturday (March 5).

The waterfront park on Dundee and Saltpeter creeks encompasses nearly 500 acres of wetlands and woodlands, and it's a great place for hiking and bird-watching. The center at 7130 Marshy Point Road holds festivals, summer camps, weekend canoe trips, discover hikes and demonstrations, and every 5th grader in Baltimore County schools visits Marshy Point as part of the EcoTrekkers environmental education program.

Because the shoreline at Marshy Point is mostly marsh and protected wetlands, the plunge will actually be held on the beach in the Hammerman area of Gunpowder Falls State Park - across Dundee Creek. It costs $20 to register for the plunge, but you get a free T-shirt with just $40 in pledges, and there will be other prizes for costumes and the most pledges raised, as well as food, games, activities and exhibits.

The whole shebang kicks off at noon, with the plunge at 2 p.m. All proceeds benefit the Marshy Point Nature Center Council. For more information, contact Marshy Point Nature Center at 410-887-2817 or visit http://www.marshypoint.org for forms  And for directions to the plunge site at Gunpowder, go here.

(Photo courtesy Marshy Point Nature Center Council)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Remember when thousands of blackbirds mysteriously dropped from the sky in Arkansas on New Year's Eve? Here's a chance to help scientists understand what's happening with those and all the other birds across North America: join the annual Great Backyard Bird Count this week.

For four days starting Friday, Feb. 18, thousands of volunteers across the United States and Canada tally and report the birds they see and hear in the wild, in neighborhood parks or in their own backyards. The collective observations give ornithologists a "snapshot" of what's happening with bird populations.

Now in its 14th year, the count has detected ups and downs in some species.  For instance, American crows, once regularly among the top four or five most frequently reported species, have become less common since 2003, when West Nile virus spread across the US.  Scientists noted 50-75 percent drops in crow populations in states after the mosquito-borne disease hit.

Last year, nearly 100,000 reports were submitted toting up more than 11 million birds of 603 species.  American robins topped the list, at 1.8 million sighted.  The Canada goose was second, at around 750,000, with Snow goose, American crow and European starling rounding out the most commonly seen birds.  Joining the list for the first time last year was the Red-billed tropicbird, spied by some adventurous birders off the Pacific coast near San Diego.

Here in Maryland, citizen scientists spotted 220,539 birds of 138 different species.  Canada goose and Snow goose beat the robin hands down, with the Common grackle and Dark-eyed junco coming in third and fourth. In my backyard, I often spy a Northern cardinal or two, like the one pictured here.

It's easy to participate in the count, requiring as little as 15 minutes in a day.  And as the name suggests, you don't even have to leave the warmth of your house, just look out in your backyard.  The count is coordinated by the  Cornell University Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, and Bird Studies Canada.

To join in, or to learn more about previous bird counts, go here.

(Top, Canada geese take flight near Rappahannock River, 2009.  Baltimore Sun photo by Jerry Jackson. Middle, students watching for birds in Patterson Park, 2006, Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam.  Bottom, Northern cardinal, taken by Heather Taylor of Maryland, courtesy Great Backyard Bird Count)

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

Green may be the new black in pro football, at least for the next year, with the Green Bay Packers winning the Super Bowl Sunday. But even before the team from Wisconsin prevailed in Dallas, sports venues across the country have been trying to green themselves up - to save some money, of course, but maybe a little bit as well to burnish the image of excess that surrounds professional sports events.

Super Bowl XLV was played in the spanking new $650 million Cowboys Stadium, which by one account is one of the "top 10 green stadiums" in the country. Hard to imagine how such a mammoth place could be green, but according to SunRun, a home solar service company that rated the stadiums, the Dallas Cowboys' home is aiming to reduce its solid waste by 25 percent, its energy use by 20 percent and its water consumption by a million gallons annually.

M&T Bank Stadium, the home of our Baltimore Ravens, didn't make the cut for SunRun's top 10 green stadiums.   It doesn't have solar panels, like Seattle's Qwest Field, nor was it built to meet LEED energy and environmental standards, as was the Nationals' newish baseball stadium in Washington.

But M&T's working to reduce its environmental footprint nonetheless. Jeff Provenzano, director of football facilities for the Maryland Stadium Authority, says he's aiming to green up Baltimore's gridiron enough to earn LEED certification for energy-efficient and environmentally sensitive operations and management of an existing building - something he says no other existing NFL stadium has done to date.

"Green is the new buzzword in all aspects of what we do," Provenzano said. 

It's not easy to go green, when you're packing 70,000 people - about the population of Towson - into a stadium.  But working in partnership with the Ravens and the stadium's food and housekeeping vendors, Provenzano said they've managed to make major inroads in recycling the mountains of trash generated by every event, and to trim the facility's eye-popping electric bills.

"We do a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that most people don't realize or probably care about at the end of the day," he said.

Continue reading "Going green on the gridiron" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Hoping to do something about arguably the most degraded water body in the Chesapeake Bay, a coalition of waterfront businesses, environmental activists and others is holding a conference Feb. 5 on the state of Baltimore's harbor and what's needed to make it swimmable and fishable.

Alexandra Cousteau, granddaughter of the famed ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, will be the keynote speaker for the day-long session. Other luminaries expected include Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-MD.

But the published agenda indicates the session will go beyond glitz to plumb the reasons for the dismal condition of the lower Patapsco River and hear about efforts to restore other urban waters, in places like Boston, Philadelphia and Washington. There'll also be discussions of what it'll take to reduce trash and pollution here, and how to pay for it.

The conference is hosted by the Waterfront Partnership, which along with the National Aquarium put tiny floating wetlands in the Inner Harbor last summer to see if they can help restore fish habitat and water quality. The man-made marsh was the first tangible, if token, step in a campaign the partnership announced in the spring to make Baltimore's harbor fishable and swimmable by 2020.

It's no understatement to say it will be a huge challenge. The Patapsco and Back rivers earned a failing grade in the latest report card on the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.  The harbor itself is trash strewn and often unsanitary, with long-standing warnings against eating bottom-feeding fish caught there because of toxic contaminants in the muck on the harbor floor.  But undaunted advocates hope to change all that.

The conference runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Legg Mason building in Harbor East. It's open to the public, though advance registration is required. Go here to do that or for more info.

(Ducks swim amid floating trash near Canton, 2005 Baltimore Sun photo by Jed Kirschbaum)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 1:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Environmental groups have organized a daylong "Maryland Citizen's Conference" this Saturday (12/4) in Annapolis to press for more rapid development of wind energy projects off the state's Atlantic coast.

Anxious to break what they see as a logjam in developing wind energy in Maryland, activists want the next General Assembly to pass legislation requiring the state's electricity providers to sign long-term contracts agreeing to buy power from offshore projects.  They believe that the lack of such commitments are preventing developers from getting the financing they need to move ahead with putting turbines a dozen or so miles off Ocean City.

The conference comes as two land-based industrial wind projects in western Maryland are about to begin generating electricity.  But most proponents see the Outer Continental Shelf as a much more promising locale for generating significant amounts of electricity from steady offshore winds - not to mention possibly avoiding some of the nagging controversies over the impacts of mountaintop turbines on migratory bats and birds.

The conference is meant to build political pressure on the legislature a month before it convenes.  Scheduled speakers include leading green lawmakers, a wind developer, a union leader and a CEO from the Google-linked partnership that proposes to build transmission lines to bring mid-Atlantic offshore power to land.  Activists plan to march on the State House at the end. 

The session runs from 10 a.m. to 3:30 pm at the Westin Hotel, 100 Westgate Circle, Annapolis.  Admission is $15, $10 for students. For more, go here.

(Wind turbines off northern German island of Borkum, April 2010.  David Hecker/AFP/Getty Images)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Can developers and environmentalists find common ground over how this region can grow without adding to the Chesapeake Bay's woes?

It remains to be seen. Feelings are still raw after last winter's donnybrook in Annapolis over tightening state curbs on runoff from new development and redevelopment. And home builders and environmentalists are at odds over legislation hung up in Congress that would strengthen the federal government's hand in the bay restoration effort.

But the Home Builders Association of Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation have agreed, at least, to meet in a neutral corner and talk about it. The two are sponsoring a forum Wednesday (Nov. 17) entitled: "Where Do We Grow From Here? Bay Friendly Development in the 21st Century."

The subtitle of the forum promises a "civil but frank discourse on development, environment and the Bay."   One session will look at whether "nutrient neutral" development is possible.  Another talks about how to pay for the pollution controls and public infrastructure needed to encourage "smart" growth.

From the agenda, it looks like this is a session designed to find that common ground and forge agreement on how and where to grow.  I imagine the tone of this will be far different from a population "summit" held recently by Johns Hopkins' Center for a Livable Future.

"The big question is can we truly restore the Chesapeake Bay given the population projections for future growth?" asked Environment Maryland's Brad Heavner.  He said we have the scientific knowledge to do it, but it would take a lot of money and political will to reduce impacts of new development enough to offset the growing number of people.

Tom Horton, longtime bay writer and former Sun colleague, was even less hopeful.  He called it a "tall order" to think people would do what it takes to reduce the environmental impact of 17 million people in the six-state watershed by enough to restore the Chesapeake's water quality to what it was in the 1950s or '60s and to maintain it while the region grows.

Tough questions those, that lack easy answers.  At least folks are talking about them, while the real estate slump eases development pressure some. 

Wednesday's growth forum is from 8:15 a.m .to 3 p.m. at Martin's West, 6817 Dogwood Road.   Registration is $95, though discounts are available.  For more, go here or call 410-265-7400.

(Development along South Branch of the Patapsco River, 200 Baltimore Sun photo by David Hobby)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Residents in Harford, Washington and several Eastern Shore counties will be able to properly dispose of old and unwanted medications Saturday during the American Medicine Chest Challenge.

We've written before about the damage flushing drugs down the toilet causes to waterways. The folks behind the Medicine Chest Challenge are also concerned about prescription drug misuse and overdoses. Unsupervised medicine ingestions result in almost 60,000 children under age 5 going to the emergency room a year, according to otcsafety.org. Reducing the amount of drugs you keep in the house can help safeguard against such incidents.

Challenge hours are 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Go to americanmedicinechest.com to search for drop-off locations.

Photo by PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images

Posted by Kim Walker at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events, Recycling
        

You read that right. Usually, fisherfolk hold fishing tournaments and such when they want to raise dough for a good cause. Running for them is like, well, fish out of water.

But in a bid to broaden its reach, the Maryland chapter of Trout Unlimited is having a "Restoration Run" on Sunday, Nov. 14 to raise funds for repairing the Jones Falls and other degraded watersheds in the state.

Jay Boynton, the TU chapter's treasurer and a runner himself, said members thought a run would be a great way to bring some different people out and "expose them to something other than just fishing." In other words, anglers aren't the only ones who care about the health of our waters -- and here's a chance to show it.

The 5K race starts out at 8 a.m. at Meadowood Regional Park on Falls Road near its intersection with Greenspring Valley Road.  The course goes down Falls a bit before cutting over to Hillside Road and back north on Greenspring Avenue.   The Jones Falls, the initial object of the fund-raiser, will be just steps away.

Boynton said funds raised by the run are to go to stream restoration projects.  First on the chapter's list is a stretch of the Jones Falls with a channelized stream bank.  The group hopes to reestablish trout habitat there, partly because they like to catch (and release) trout, but also because trout, especially sensitive to pollution and habitat degradation, are a bellwether of stream health.

The run is open to the public.  Registration is $30 until Saturday (Nov. 6), then $35 next week and $40 on the day of the run.  To sign up, or to donate, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Leaves are falling, the weather's cooling.  Community groups are getting their last licks in on cleaning up local streams before winter sets in.

On Saturday, Oct. 30, from 8:45 a.m. to noon, volunteers are needed in Catonsville to clear litter, tires (where do they all come from?) and other junk from Bull Run, one of the many overlooked and (until now) neglected streams that flows into the Patapsco River, the most ailing tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. 

The Friends of Patapsco Valley and Heritage Greenway, which is organizing the cleanout, urges volunteers to wear waterproof boots, long pants and shirt (to protect from thorns) and bring work gloves, water and sunscreen.  Volunteers are to meet at the Catonsville Armory, 130 Mellor Avenue, before crossing the road to get at Bull Run.  Walk-ups welcome, but to sign up online, go here.

Next weekend, on Nov. 6, the cleanup shovel swings to the other side of Baltimore, as volunteers tackle Bread and Cheese Creek, a colorfully named but trash-strewn tributary of Back River, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

The area to be policed, from Merritt Boulevard to Plainfield Road. was cleaned out last fall (as pictured above), but litter, junk and shopping carts from nearby shopping centers have found their way into it again - necessitating another cleanout.  (This is why some more systemic approaches to litter need to be found - before volunteers burn out on the Sisyphean task of repeatedly removing tons of debris from their neighborhood streams, only to have to do it all over again in a year or two).

For more, go here. 

(Bread and Cheese Creek cleanup, September 2009.  Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Aiming to make a dent in the detritus fouling the Middle Branch, more than 2,000 volunteers are scheduled to swarm the neighborhoods bordering this tributary of the Patapsco River on Saturday.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is scheduled to join other city officials and the chairman of the newly formed Baltimore Water Alliance clean streets, alleys and gutters that drain into the Middle Branch.  Organizers report that 2,123 volunteers from 124 neighborhoods have signed up to participate.

Much more is needed, of course, to permanently reduce the torrent of trash littering the harbor.  But it'll be a good demonstration for the uninitiated of how what gets dropped in the streets can wind up in the water.  

The fall cleanup begins at 8 a.m. at the Rowing Club, 3001 Waterview Ave.

(Students and National Aquarium staff plant wetlands grasses along Middle Branch shore at Westport.  2010 Baltimore Sun photo by Jed Kirschbaum)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

On this day in 1860, Baltimore's Druid Hill Park was dedicated, making it the third oldest public park in the country.  

After serving as an encampment for Union troops during the Civil War, the former estate became a green magnet for generations of Baltimoreans to stroll, drive and play, acquiring a minaret-topped bandstand and conservatory.  The city's first public park is also home to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.

Festivities marking the park's anniversary concluded over the weekend, but it's not too late to enjoy its 745 acres of natural splendor - or to contribute to it by paying to plant a tree.  For more on the park and how to help green it, go here.

(Youngsters enjoying tennis lesson during Druid Hill Park's 150th anniversary festival.  Special to the Baltimore Sun by Colby Ware)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Ever stumble across some berries while hiking and wonder if they're edible? Well, Parks & People are holding a workshop this week to help.

Leda Meredith, author of "The Locavore's Handbook: The Busy Person's Guide to Eating Local on a Budget," will conduct an urban foraging tour of Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park on Thursday. She will teach participants to identify edible plants that grow in urban areas and provide some samples of foods made with wild ingredients.

Meet at 10 a.m. at the Orianda House (aka Crimea Mansion), 1901 Eagle Dr., Baltimore. There is a $5 suggested donation. RSVP to Alex Kraus at (410) 448-5663 ext. 119 or alexandra.kraus@parksandpeople.org.

Baltimore Sun file photo of Leakin Park hikers. 

Posted by Kim Walker at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Events, Food
        

It may be soggy now, but by Saturday it's supposed to be sunny and suitably fall-like for Farm Fest, a celebration of Maryland's agrarian heritage, with a farmer's market featuring local foods and beverages, games for kids and live music.

The afternoon event is a fund-raiser for 1000 Friends of Maryland, to underwrite the anti-sprawl group's "Keep Farmers Farming" campaign.  Tickets are $25 per person in advance, $35 at the door.  It's from noon to 5 p.m. at Prigel Family Creamery in Glen Arm.

For info, directions or tickets, go here. 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Environmental activists say they expect hundreds for a Chesapeake Bay cleanup rally Tuesday (9/28) evening at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

With federal and state officials mulling potentially costly and controversial new strategies for accelerating the bay restoration effort, activists hope to demonstrate public support for an aggressive cleanup schedule.  Speakers include city officials, heads of the National Aquarium and Maryland Science Center, the Waterfront Partnership, a business and civic group, as well as leaders of several environmental groups, including the Maryland Commission on Environmental Justice.

About 250 people have responded online that they intend to attend, said Tommy Landers, policy advocate for Environment Maryland, one of the groups sponsoring the rally, which begins at 6 p.m.

And if saving the bay isn't reason alone enough to turn out, there'll be a reception afterward at 7 p.m., featuring free food from Lebanese Taverna. The grub is provided courtesy of the Baltimore Water Alliance, the working name of the newly merged umbrella group for the Baltimore Harbor, Jones Falls, Herring Run and Gwynns Falls watershed associations, plus the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper.

To RSVP, or for directions and parking, go here.

(Rally in Annapolis in June pressing for stronger bay restoration efforts, Baltimore Sun photo by Jed Kirschbaum)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Old medicines sitting around the house are a health and safety hazard, and flushing them or tossing them in the trash is bad for the environment.

What to do? Take your unused or expired pills to one of 1,700 dropoff sites on Saturday that are primed to take prescription or over-the-counter medications and properly dispose of them.  No liquid meds, just pills or powders.

Getting rid of unused medications prevents intentional misuse or abuse, and it also guards against accidental poisoning of children and pets who may get into them.  Flushing them down the sink or toilet, or throwing them away, merely transfers the risk to the environment, as they may get into streams from wastewater treatment plants or seep out of landfills into ground water.  For more on how pharmaceuticals are showing up in the environment, go here.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is sponsoring the drug take-back, to be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Most, if not all, of the drop-off sites are police stations.  There are plenty throughout the Baltimore-Washington area.  For one near you, go here and enter your ZIP code (the city-state menu doesn't seem to be working).

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

If you're not a football addict, or can squeeze it in around game time, Baltimore's merging watershed groups are offering residents a chance Sunday to help restore the harbor by buyng - and planting - native trees, shrubs and plants.

The Baltimore Water Alliance, the working name the groups have adopted for now, is having a sale at the Herring Run Nursery, 6131 Hillen Road, 21239, from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday (9/26).  There'll be more than 100 different native trees, shrubs and plants to choose from, plus some perennials.  If you can't make it this weekend, there'll also be sales Oct. 9 and 24.

Proceeds help underwrite the operations of the new alliance, which brings together the Herring Run, Jones Falls and Gwynns Falls watershed associations, plus the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper.  Coupons worth $10 to $25 discounts on trees available.  For information on stock and coupons, go here.

(Black-eyed susan, 2009 Baltimore Sun photo by Karl Merton Ferron)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Buy local, Chesapeake Bay, Events, News, Urban Issues
        

The first weekend of fall brings yet another celebration/fundraiser for a local green group. 

This one's for the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, which for nearly 21 years has been working to preserve land and safeguard streams in the 450-square-mile watershed that furnishes 61 percent of the Baltimore region's drinking water.  The Gunpowder River drains portions of Carroll, Baltimore and Harford counties, and even a bit of York County, PA.

The conservancy's putting on "An Evening in the Woods" Saturday (9/25) from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Camp Puh'Tok in Monkton.  There'll be food, local wines, a silent auction and live music.  Tickets are $65 each.  For details, go here.

(Jericho Road covered bridge crossing Little Gunpowder Falls; 1995 Baltimore Sun photo by Algerina Perna)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Events, Parks, Volunteer
        

Here's your chance to get back to the beach -- or at least to help keep it clean and safe, wherever you live. 

Saturday (9/25) is the 25th annual International Coastal Cleanup, when hundreds of thousands of volunteers pick up millions of tons of trash and debris that's either on the shore - or destined to wash up there, after it gets dropped in a parking lot, street or vacant lot.

Last year, nearly 500,000 volunteers worldwide collected more than 7 million pounds of trash, according to the Ocean Conservancy, which coordinates the cleanup efforts of local environmental groups.  Here in Maryland, about 45,000 individual pieces of debris got rounded up.

There are about two dozen cleanups planned across Maryland, from Ocean City and Assateague Island to Antietam Creek near Hagerstown.  Ten of them are in the Baltimore area - three in the city, two in Baltimore County, three in the Annapolis area and one each in Harford and Howard counties.  The city cleanups are at Fort McHenry, Fells Point and the Jones Falls trailhead.

Not all are on the waterfront, you say?  That's because the bulk of the trash that winds up on our beaches starts out being dropped or dumped inland, then gets washed into a nearby storm drain or stream and on into the ocean or Chesapeake Bay.

The cleanup by the manmade wetland at Fort McHenry - already has all the volunteers it can handle.  But the rest, I'm told still could use some volunteers.  The weather promises to be fair.  To find and sign up for a cleanup near you, go here.

(Cleanup by Fort McHenry, 2009. Photo by Geri Schlenoff, state coordinator, Int'l Coastal Cleanup)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, Events, Parks, Volunteer
        

If you can get to Washington in the next few days, you'll get a chance to catch a striking photo exhibit on Capitol Hill depicting the Chesapeake Bay' s bounty and its troubles.

The International League of Conservation Photographers, in collaboration with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, staged a RAVE this summer (Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition), dispatching nine of its members across the bay watershed. A selection of their work - just 30 of the many pictures taken - are on display through Friday (Sept. 24).

The exhibit is free and open to the public, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., in the Rotunda of the Russell Senate office building, at Constitution Avenue and 1st Street Northeast.  For those who can't get there, a portion of the exhibit can be seen on the CBF website.

(Photo courtesy Krista Schlyer)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

If you're fascinated by - or even slightly curious about - snakes, turtles, and frogs, then slither, plod or jump on over to the Fairgrounds in Timonium this weekend to check out the Mid-Atlantic Reptile Show. 

Launched by reptile lover Tim Hoen - whose day job is as a lab technician at Johns Hopkins - the show put on by the MARS Preservation Fund is in its 18th year.  Proceeds go to purchase threatened rain forest in Costa Rica.  The website says nearly 3,000 acres have been bought so far.

There's a reception tonight (Friday), sponsored by Reptile Magazine, plus free lectures afterward.  Then, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,, captive-born reptiles and amphibians will be on display and for sale.  There'll also be books, souvenirs, supplies, educational exhibits, door prizes, raffles, artwork and facepainting.  And there'll be an auction Saturday to benefit Rainforest Conservation.

It's $9 for adults and $7 for their elders and children 6-12.  Kids under 5 are free (No mention of 5-year-olds - huh?)  For the true fan, there's a $13 weekend pass. And on Sunday, every kid accompanied by an adult get in free.  For more, go here.

(Asian Burmese Mountain Tortoise eating its greens; 2004 Baltimore Sun photo by Monica Lopossay)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Saturday (Sept. 18) is the third annual "Trash Bash," an afternoon of music, food and drink on the Middle Branch of the Patpapsco River.

It's to benefit the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper , the nonprofit environmental group, in its efforts to improve water quality in Baltimore's harbor.

The party's from noon to 5 p.m. at Nick's Fish House, 2600 Insulator Drive. Tickets are $75 per person, which includes seafood buffet, oyster bar, drinks, music, boat tours and waterfront views galore. There'll also be a silent auction.

For tickets, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Ever wondered what the city might look like if it didn't have so much asphalt? Well, tomorrow (Friday, Sept. 17) in a handfull of places around Baltimore, you can get an idea.

Activists, artists, landscape architects and just plain folks will be converting curbside parking spaces into pocket parks, complete with grass, plants - even a green roof in at least one case.

It's all part of PARK(ing) Day, an annual event intended to demonstrate the need for more urban open space. It began in San Francisco (of course) five years ago and has gone global since.

"The goal is really to show people what even just a little green space can do to the city," says Joan Floura, co-owner of Floura Teeter, a landscape architect firm in the 300 block W. Franklin Street that's camping out Friday in three spaces in front of the office.

There'll be grass, of course, and a small green roof outside Floura Teeter to show how they're made and how they soak up storm runoff. There'll be more than a bit of whimsy, too.

"We’re having croquet out in Fanklin Street," Floura says. "How many times a year can you do that?"

Continue reading "Parking spaces go green for a day" »

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You won't get them here, but you will if you hustle over to a "growshop" in Baltimore this evening (Sept. 13).

Halle Van der Gaag, director of the Jones Falls Watershed Association and Celeste Amato, director of Baltimore city's Cleaner Greener initiative, will talk about storm-water management and provide the aforementioned top 10 tips on making our streams, harbor and Bay cleaner.

The session, from 6 - 8 p.m., is at Puffs & Pastries, 830 W. 36th St. 21211. It's put on by Baltimore Green Works, Parks & People Foundation and the city's Department of Recreation and Parks.   (And thanks to Urbanite for the reminder to this forgetful blogger!)

For more information or to RSVP, contact Abby Cocke at 410.448.5663 x122 or abby.cocke@parksandpeople.org

(Rain barrel installation at St. John's College, Annapolis, 2009 Baltimore Sun photo by Algerina Perna)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, DIY, Events, News, Tips, Urban Issues, Volunteer
        

It looks like all the cars tearing around the Inner Harbor next Labor Day weekend won't be racing just for the checkered flag - some at least will be trying to outdo each other in hybrid and alternative-fueled road rockets.

The American LeMans Series plans to stage a race here the day before Charm City hosts its first IndyCar Grand Prix race, Don Markus reports today in The Baltimore Sun.

An official announcement is planned on Wednesday, but a spokesman for the racing organization confirmed it would be bringing its act here.

Some may wonder how a bunch of cars burning rubber and fuel can be all that "green." But the American LeMans Series, or ALMS, pits race teams against each other not just for speed, but for fuel efficiency.  Cars use one of five alternative fuels or energy sources, and compete for points on fuel efficiency.  As I reported last year, the US import of European Le Mans style racing went "green" in 2008, meeting criteria set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Department.

Of course, that'll be small comfort to those put out by the disruption of downtown traffic for the racing - or, for that matter, the yearlong street repairs already under way to prepare for the three-day event.   But hey, it's another excuse to give B'more's underused public transportation system a try, right?

(American Le Mans Series' 12 Hours of Sebring race March 20 in Sebring, Fla. Photo by Steve Nesius/Associated Press)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

You know school's just around the corner when crayon manufacturers start sending you press releases. Green beanies off to Katie Gerczynski, a 2nd-grader from Glen Burnie, who was chosen by Crayola to be part of its "Green Team," seen above.

Katie and nine others were tapped from among all the kids who entered Crayola's "How I Dream in Green" coloring contest last spring. Entrants were asked to draw their vision for making their homes, schools or communities greener.  Her offering was called "How I Can Make the Earth Smile."

The crayon maker honored Katie and the other kids this week by summoning them to its Easton, PA headquarters, where they were on hand for a dedication of the company's new 15-acre solar array. Crayola says the 26,000 panels should provide enough power to make 1 billion of the 3 billion crayons it produces annually. What about when the sun's not shining? Color me blue then.

(Photo courtesy Crayola)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It's mid-July - time to count dolphins!  What better excuse to head "downy oshun"?  If you're in Ocean City already or headed there for the weekend, join the National Aquarium's marine animal rescue staff on the beach Friday (7/16) morning for their annual tally of dolphins swimming by just beyond the breakers.

Teams of staff and volunteers will be stationed on the beach in Ocean City and at Assateague State Park.  Another team will be aboard a Coast Guard boat offshore.  Anyone who wants to help should be at the beach by 9 a.m., either at 40th or 130th streets.  Bring binoculars if you've got 'em.

The count is just a snapshot and far from scientific, but the aquarium says the data collected do help marine biologists learn about and keep track of the dolphin population that migrates along the mid-Atlantic coast.  It's also an opportunity for participants to learn more about these amazing animals.

Those of you stuck at home or work, don't despair.  You can still participate in the aquarium's dolphin count contest!  Just guess how many will be spotted tomorrow and text "count" and your figure to 30644 by 1 p.m. (message and data rates apply).   The three closest guesses each win a pair of free tickets to the aquarium. 

Last year, the total spotted was 344 dolphins, the most in over a decade, according to aquarium spokesperson Molly Sheehan. Official count and winners to be announced on the aquarium's blog.

(2007 photos courtesy National Aquarium)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

What could be better than bands, BBQ, beer and - oh, yeah - fresh berries? Those will be among the featured attractions at the 5th annual Native Berry Festival Sunday (July 11) at Herring Run Park, Belair Road at Shannon Drive.

Local will be the order of the day, with live music from area bands, Big Bad Wolfe barbecue, Brewer's Art beer, local wine, arts and crafts - and of course berries and plants for sale.

The event, from noon to 5 p.m. is free, though tasting the desserts prepared for the festival requires a "nominal donation." Participants also are encouraged to make their own dessert concoctions and bring them to enter in a contest.  Those who donate desserts get to join in the judging.

The shindig had been scheduled for Saturday, but got bumped to avoid possible thunderstorms that day.  So that should bring cooler, less humid weather, right?  Perfect for eating berries, and the rest!

(Blueberries from Moody Blues Farm in New Windsor, Baltimore Sun photo by Amy Davis)

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

Could the nation's oldest and largest civil rights group be going green?

The NAACP has announced it plans to unveil environmental priorities when its 101st annual convention begins Saturday (July 10) in Kansas City, Mo.   There'll be a workshop during the six-day gathering on the environmental and economic impacts of climate change on communities of color.  The group also is promising a "major announcement" on the Gulf coast.

 “Our communities are disproportionately affected by global climate change," said NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous (pictured above at last year's convention). "We envision advocating for a clean environment as a key part of a civil and human rights agenda."

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, the agency's first African-American leader, is expected to be on hand.  Convention go-ers also will be able to apply there for green jobs, as NAACP leaders intend to push "green enterprise," pairing economic development with environmental protection.

(2009 AP Photo)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The politicos are flocking to an Obama administration "listening session" in Annapolis this afternoon (6/25) on how to improve land and water conservation and strengthen Americans' connections with nature.  Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin and Gov. Martin O'Malley plan to be on hand for the four-hour gabfest - or at least to kick it off.

The pair are expected to join Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and other federal environmental officials to discuss ways government and private entities can enhance conservation and outdoors activities.  The session is the second in a nationwide series planned as part of "America's Great Outdoors" initiative, an Obama administration push begun last year. 

This one, though, is expected to focus on the Chesapeake Bay region, where the Obama administration's recently unveiled bay strategy includes a pledge to conserve 2 million more acres of land in the six-state watershed and add 300 more points of public access to the bay and its tributaries, a 40 percent increase.

The session will be at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase Street, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  It's open to the public, so feel free to go listen and share your thoughts.

(Brown pelicans at Smith Island, 2004 Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Environmental activists plan to link up -  literally, by joining hands - in protests against offshore oil drilling Saturday in Annapolis, Ocean City, Salisbury and Deal Island.

The "Hands Across the Sand" demonstrations are among hundreds being organized in the US and abroad to pressure elected officials against any expansion of offshore drilling and to promote "clean" energy and renewables.   In the U.S., nearly 700 rallies have been called in all 50 states. 

Protesters gathered on or near a shoreline plan to join hands for 15 minutes around noon - except for one protest set at 3:30 p.m. at Annapolis City Dock - and form lines, in that way symbolically "drawing a line in the sand" against oil and for alternative energy.  This type of protest against offshore drilling began in Florida earlier this year, even before the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blowout in April, according to organizers.

For info on the Maryland demonstrations, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders are slated to gather Tuesday in Baltimore to commit themselves to working toward a cleaner Chesapeake Bay and a greener Earth.

"We envision a time when faith communities throughout the Chesapeake region will have a deep appreciation of the sanctity of Earth," reads the website for Chesapaeke Covenant Community. "....Their children will be taught to love and cherish natural things ..  Their houses of worship will be models of energy efficiency. People of faith will protect the waters from pollution and seek ways to live with God's Creation."

The "Covenanting for Creation" is being hosted by the Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, who has emphasized "healing of the environment" since his consecration in 2008.  The ceremony is from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Bolton Street Synagogue, 212 W. Cold Spring Lane - on the banks of Stony Run.

To learn more or follow this effort, go here.

(2009 Baltimore Sun photo of Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, by Barbara Haddock Taylor)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, Events, Going Green
        

Obama administration officials are slated to come to Annapolis Friday to hear from the public on how to promote conservation and stewardship of the nation's lands and waters.

It's another in a series of "listening sessions" the administration is holding around the country on its "Great Outdoors Initiative," which aims to hear from Americans on how to protect those treasured places they love and how to work cooperatively to reconnect people to nature. 

The event will be from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase Street in Annapolis. Senior officials from the U.S. Interior and Agriculture departments (Ken Salazar taking a break from keeping his boot on BP's neck?) the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Council on Environmental Quality are scheduled to be there. 

Among those planning to give them an earful will be advocates for increasing public access to the Chesapeake Bay, and for preserving more of its special places.  For more on the Chesapeake Gateways network, go here.  For more from from conservation activists, go here.

(2007 Baltimore Sun photo, kayaking on the Eastern Shore, by Lloyd Fox)

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

For a different way to spend a summer Sunday - or something to do while waiting for the Ocean City traffic to clear - how about a leisurely tour of the scenic farms, parks, preserves and historic homes of the Eastern Shore?

The Eastern Shore Land Conservancy - celebrating its 20th anniversary this year - kicks off its summer tour series this Sunday (June 20) by providing directions to some choice spots in Talbot County - including ones rarely if ever open to the public. Don't know if the itinerary takes you to picturesque Neavitt (harbor seen at left), but there's a mix of historic homes and at least one park, all preserved through the conservancy's work.

"It’s a great opportunity to look past all of the development on the Eastern Shore and appreciate the rural areas that are thriving,” Rob Etgen, ESLC Executive Director, says on the group's website.

It's also a bit of a fund-raiser. The $25 ticket price covers all five tours, though, which are offered through the summer and into the fall.  Sites to be visited are open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Tours are self-guided, and tickets must be purchased before maps and directions are provided. To join the tour this Sunday, contact Jennifer Pollard at 443-480-0282. For later tours of Cecil, Queen Annes and Caroline, Dorchester and Kent counties, reach her at 410-827-9756 ext. 155 or go here.

(2007 Baltimore Sun photo, Neavitt MD by Barbara Haddock Taylor) 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 1:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Want to learn about living a more sustainable lifestyle? The Chesapeake Green Living Festival is headed to the Anne Arundel Fairground in Crownsville June 19 and 20 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ($8 for adults, $5 for seniors and kids) 

It's the first year for this regionlly focused consumer show. There will be exhibitors, how-to demonstrations and presentations that aims to focus on local environmental issues, businesses and non-profits from this area.

Expect to learn about renewable energy, green building, home products, gardening, bay restoration and community action, stormwater control, fishing, health and wellness, beauty and fashion, food, organic beer and wine, tourism, arts and crafts, books, recreation and socially responsible investing.

Organizers from City Dock Productions and Annapolis Green promise activities for kids, as well as food and drinks, will be available. And they hope to feed a marketplace for green commerce.

For more information, go to chesapeakegreenlivingfestival.com.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events
        

Sunday brings a major two-fer: the annual swim across the Chesapeake Bay, and the 23rd annual wade-in on the Patuxent River.

The "Great Chesapeake Bay Swim," as it's known, begins at 8 a.m. Sunday from Sandy Point State Park. Waves of swimmers - 600 in all - stroke 4.4 miles across the bay to the beach by Hemingway's Marina on the Eastern Shore.

The event began in the early 1980s and attracts swimmers from across the country. Proceeds raised from the event benefit the March of Dimes. It's too late to get in on the swim, but you can watch - though parking is limited, so plan on car-pooling or arriving early. For more, go here.

There's no pre-registration required for the Patuxent River Wade-In, another bay event with a long history.  Bernie Fowler, then a state senator representing Calvert County, began wading into the river on a June Sunday 23 years ago to demonstrate concern for cleaning up the river - the only bay tributary entirely in Maryland. 

Fowler and friends (which is basically anyone who shows up) join hands and walk out into the water until they can't see their feet anymore - a rustic version of the Secchi disk test of water clarity that scientists use.  Bernie recalls that in the '50s he could wade out into the river up to his chin and still see his toes as he netted crabs.  Visibility has gone from less than a foot when he started his wade-ins in the late '80s to nearly four feet in 1997, but has slid back to a little more than two feet of late.

Bernie, a record-setting runner at 86, says he still hopes to live long enough to see his toes in chin-deep water.  Another lion of the bay, though, and one of his frequent partners in the wade-in won't be there this time.  Tom Wisner, known to many as "the bard of the Chesapeake" (seen next to Bernie in the 1992 photo) died earlier this year of cancer.

The wade-in begins at 1 p.m. at King's Reach in the Jefferson Patterson Park, 10515 Mackall Road, St. Leonard's.  That's a bit south of Prince Frederick.  For more info, go here.

Whether you want to swim, wade or just watch, they're both great events that celebrate the richness of the waters that define our state.

(Baltimore Sun photos: 2008 bay swim, by Amy Davis; 1992 wade-in, by George Holsey)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Today's World Oceans Day, an annual celebration of the water bodies that cover 70 percent of the earth's surface. 

It's hard to enjoy a day "down the ocean," though, when you have to watch out for tar balls on the beach like this little girl has to at Gulf Shores, Alabama.  Never mind what they're doing to fish, oysters, pelicans and other wildlife that frequent the seas and shores.  The spreading oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico are a grim reminder of the oceans' vulnerability to degradation.

Barring some unanticipated shifts in the Gulf current or weather developments, our mid-Atlantic beaches are unlikely to be fouled by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, experts say.  All the more reason to enjoy and cherish what we have in our own backyard.

For example, the annual orgy of horseshoe crabs on Delaware beaches is winding down, but it's not too late to spot a few doing what they've done for eons - crawling out of the surf, laying millions of eggs in the sand and returning to the water.  They aren't as plentiful on Maryland beaches, but there are some hot spots.  Check here to see them. 

The University of Delaware's Bill Hall, who directs a volunteer census of the ancient crittters every spring, reports the horseshoe run this year has been a decent one - producing a bounty of eggs that should help to sustain the crab population while also feeding the migratory shorebirds that stop off on Delaware's beaches on their way to their summer nesting grounds.   It's too late to help out with this year's census, but think about joining the effort early next spring.

If you can't get to the beach today, the National Aquarium in Baltimore has a monthlong series of fun programs and events planned to take a local look at ocean health. For today's kickoff of "Beyond the Boardwalk," the aquarium asks visitors to wear blue in a demonstration of support.

(Photos: Reuters, The Baltimore Sun by Jerry Jackson)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

In collaboration with key partners across the Chesapeake area, Engaged Community Offshoots, Inc. (ECO) will host the Sowing Seeds Here and Now!: A Chesapeake Area Urban Farming Summit on Friday, June 18 at the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center.

The Sowing Seeds Here Now and Now! Summit promotes community-based urban farming because it:

* increases food security and the availability of healthy food,
* decreases unemployment by supplying meaningful green jobs,
* anchors vital resources and wealth in local communities, and
* is a key component in promoting public health and creating a sustainable, just, local food system.

The summit gathers innovative practitioners, farmers, scholars, for-profit and not-for-profit leaders, policy makers and agency directors to discuss specific strategies to help move the urban agriculture movement forward throughout the Chesapeake area.

Workshops sessions will include:

1.Urban Farming Hands-on Workshops (3 sessions: Urban Farm Design and Business Plan Basics, Community Composting, High Tunnel Construction)

2.Healthy People and the Environment Focus (3 sessions: Health, Environment, Equity)

3.Policy and Planning for Economic Development (3 sessions: Land Use, Incentives, Policy and Planning)

4.Investing in Social and Environmental Justice (3 sessions: Faith Communities, Youth, Food and Justice)

Successful case studies will be sprinkled throughout each session, blending the theory with on the ground realities and actionable intelligence. All participants will be able to mix and match which sessions they would like to participate within.

ECO is a nonprofit organization, whose mission is to involve people from all walks of life in healthy and sustainable living activities. Their work aims to reverse the effects of systemic poverty, racism, and environmental destruction through establishing and promoting social venture community-based businesses.

Visit the Sowing Seeds website for more information about the summit, including a detailed agenda and a list of speakers.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Events
        

For those of you who thought protesting at the local BP gas station was unfair to the local owner, who surely had no direct link to the spill in the Gulf of Mexico: There will be a protest at BP’s Washington headquarters Friday.

The protest is sponsored by Public Citizen, Environmental Justice and Green Job Advocate Allies, and other groups plan to attend and show BP executives the "outrage Americans everywhere are feeling by making a citizen’s arrest of BP CEO Tony Hayward."

The public interest and environmental groups plan to, in their words, list charges against the corporation, including worker safety and environmental violations, price-gouging, negligence and the inability to adequately respond to the mounting catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding communities. The charges will culminate in a finding of criminal negligence and the presentation of a prison jumpsuit fitted for Hayward.

The protest sounds a little showy, but the groups say it's intended to reflect the seriousness of the situation and draw attention to the nation's dependence on dirty fuel.

The protest is at noon Friday at BP, 1101 New York Ave. N.W., Washington.

Associated Press photo of workers cleaning the Louisiana coast

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

Mark your calendars now for this year’s Pile of Craft, presented by the Charm City Craft Mafia on June 26 at the Village Learning Place.

The craft fair will feature 40+ crafters selling their own housewares, stationery, screen printed and sewn apparel, jewelry, handbags, hats, knit items, woven scarves, plush toys, ceramics, comic books, prints, paintings and more.

Support handmade and local artists and meet them in person!

In addition to having the area's most unique shopping, Pile Of Craft will also feature DIY printmaking demonstrations from Baltimore Print Studios. They’ll also raffle a basket of donated items from craft vendors (proceeds will be donated to the VLP). Light fare and organic coffee will be provided by Red Emma’s.

Pile of Craft is a free event and is open to all ages.

June 26 10-5 p.m.
2640 St. Paul St.
Baltimore, MD 21218

For more information, visit www.charmcitycraftmafia.com.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 8:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events
        

A local group demanding a halt to off-shore oil drilling in the wake of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has a protest planned Saturday.  

The protestors would like to see more research into alternative energy. Some even want nationalization of the oil/energy industry because the believe that would mean tighter regulation and profits for taxpayers.

If you agree, line up for one hour beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday at the  BP Station at 33rd and Greenmount.
 
The same group held a picket line May 16 with about a dozen people. They said lots of people honked in support. They'd like you to bring signs that "express your outrage at corporate disregard for human life and the environment."

For more information call 410 308-1326 or 410 433-3269.

Anyone planning to go? Will you honk in protest of off-shore drilling?

AFP/Getty photo of booms in Gulf of Mexico

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Events
        

The next Critical Mass ride is on for Friday, with riders meeting before 7 p.m. at the Washington Monument in Mount Vernon and heading out on the hour.

There's a map of the route here: https://sites.google.com/site/baltimorecriticalmass/may-2010-ride

The route is about six miles and you don't need a bike. You can bring your skateboard and roller blades. And whistles, noise makers and costumes (that won't make you crash) are encouraged -- as are helmets, water bottles and bike lights and cheery attitudes.

If you've never heard of Critical Mass, these are rides where non-car people take to the streets to exert their right to be there -- and to have fun. No one is supposed to break traffic rules or cause road hazards, though a little disruption for attention's sake is the point.

I've seen more experienced riders do their best to keep an eye on less experienced riders, if you're concerned. They will stop in intersections to make sure everyone gets through okay.

These rides have developed all over the world. See a list here. In Baltimore, riders used to meet the last Friday of every month, but I don't think it's that regular now.

If you know more, let us know. If you go, tell us how it went.

Baltimore Sun file photo/Gene Sweeney Jr. 

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

Ever think of riding to work? This is the day to give it a try. Bike to Work Day is this Friday and if last year is any indication, there will be lots of two-wheeling going on.

More than 1,000 people registered in the region last year, up from 800 the year before, according to local sponsors the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. And given the attention to bike lanes, bike racks and legislation, perhaps there will be more this year?

This is the 13th year for the event in the region, and there will be rallies in at several locations from 7 a.m.-9 a.m.: 
Anne Arundel Co/Annapolis - City Dock, Annapolis
Baltimore City - War Memorial Plaza at City Hall (100 N. Holliday St.)
Baltimore County - Courthouse Square (400 Washington Ave., Towson)
Carroll County - Westminster
Harford County - Government Center (220 S. Main St., Bel Air)
Howard County - The Mall in Columbia (by Sears Service Center, 10300 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia)

Other events are planned at area universities and corporations. 

The event caps off the League of American Bicyclists' Nationak Bike Month and promotes a "clean commute."

If you want to register locally, click here. It can earn you a t-shirt and guide.

If you'd like more information, go click here.

And if you're still in the mood for some biking or bike watching, the BikeJam will come to Patterson Park on Sunday. There will be racing with pro riders, plus food, beer, kid activities and a bike and health expo.

There will also be a set of rides for the recreational riders. Click here for more information on those rides.

Baltimore Sun file photo of last year's ride/Lloyd Fox

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Events
        

Looks like the sun may peak out this weekend, which makes it a great time to explore the river on which Charm City was founded.

The Friends of the Patapsco Valley and Heritage Greenway are organizing a guided bike ride Saturday and guided paddle Sunday of a stretch of the Patapsco that flows through Baltimore's western suburbs on its way to the harbor and the Chesapeake Bay.

The bike ride starts at 10 a.m. and goes from Ellicott City to the BWI trail near Hanover and back again.  It's about 25 miles roundtrip and should take three to four hours, depending on how hard you pedal or how much you dawdle.  Organizers suggest folks who want to shorten the ride should carpool with another rider and leave one car near Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.   Each rider will get a local trail map.    Riders are to gather at 9:30 in Parking Lot A next to the Trolley Stop restaurant on Frederick Road in Oellla, just across the river from Old Ellilcott City.  Cost is free to members, with a $5 donation asked of non-members.   Registration is required, though, which you can do online here. 

On Sunday, the Friends are offering a guided paddle from noon to 3 p.m. , ranging upriver from the Daniels Dam then below it to the Old Frederick Road iron bridge.  Bring your own kayak or canoe, plus water shoes and PFD (life vest).  Water is two to four feet deep, with some mild Level 1 rapids below the dam.  A car will be available to shuttle paddlers back to the put-in at Daniels Dam.  This event also is free to members, $15 per person for others, adults only.   To register, go here.  

For more info on these or other Patapsco events, go here.

(Baltimore Sun file photo by Elizabeth Malby)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Dozens of area residents and business people filed into the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium Friday for the first day of the Solar & Wind Expo to get an idea of how much it would cost to install solar panels or wind turbines and how much it would save them on their utility bill.

The expo is the first kind, bringing together companies that offer all kinds of renewable energy for home or office, the sponsors said. They, the vendors and state officials on hand said they thought there was demand now that federal and state incentives and declining prices are making the switch affordable for many more people.

“The incentives for renewable energy have never been better,” said Malcolm Woolf, director of the Maryland Energy Administration. “We’ve seen exponential growth in the [state] program.”

Woolf said the state is getting 50-100 applications a month for solar, wind and geothermal grants, which are now backlogged as officials sort through which ones are for historic properties that require more paperwork. Much of the money comes from federal stimulus grants that will run out next year, but will partially be made up with money from utilities who will pay a fee for their carbon emissions.

He said the cost to install a major solar system on a typical suburban house was about $30,000, but could end up costing as little as $4,000 after federal, state and county tax credits and grants and selling energy credits to a utility. And the system could pay for itself with energy savings in five years.

That was good news to many who were trying to estimate what their costs would be for solar and wind systems.

“I’m excited to see what we could get,” said Barbara Lightner of York, Pa., who was especially interested in a backyard wind turbine. “We need to get away from Mideast oil.”

The expo will be in town until Sunday at the fairgrounds, with speeches and demonstration planned all weekend. And founder and executive director George Lopez expects it will be back next year, as well as in up to two other East Coast cities.

Wind turbine photo taken by me with my cell phone

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Categories: Events
        

No, this has nothing to do with Baltimore's professional football team. Loch Raven is one of the city's three drinking-water reservoirs, and it's going to be abuzz with activity this Saturday (May 8).

To cap off National Drinking Water Week, the city is inviting the public to come out and see where their water comes from. You can even walk out on the 82-foot high dam holding back some 23 billion gallons of water from the Gunpowder Falls and a batch of smaller creeks and streams.   

Engineers from Gannett-Fleming, the firm that managed a reconstruction of the dam completed five years ago, will be on hand to explain the mammoth $28.8 million overhaul. And there'll be opportunities to learn about the history of the Gunpowder valley and how the water system serving the city and surrounding counties operates. 

For you history buffs, this is the 100th anniversary of what we know as the region's modern water system - when the city began to disinfect the water and laid plans to build the dam at Loch Raven and a water treatment plant at Montebello.

Not far from the dam, in the Pines area on Loch Raven Drive, there'll be other activities, including exhibits of live local wildlife from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There'll also be demonstrations on fly fishing, and guided hikes through the forest surrounding the lake. 

And, if you're feeling really energetic, the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy could use some more volunteers to help plant trees around the reservoir on Saturday.  The group aims to get nearly 800 in the ground this season, adding to the more than 18,500 it's planted in the valley since the 1990s to help protect the water supply from pollution.  To take part, contact Peggy Perry at pperry@gunpowderfalls.org

Water rates may be going up again - that's another story - but at least some things about the water system are free.  This is one of them.  Plan on bringing a lunch, and wear hiking shoes.  Call 410-396-3500 for more information.

And if you can't get out to Loch Raven just north of the Beltway, take a stroll around scenic Lake Montebello at 3901 Hillen Road in northeast Baltimore.  To commemorate the system's centennial, the city has mounted a series of historical photographs depicting the construction of all these facilities.

To get to the dam, take Cromwell Bridge Road from the Beltway, then left on Loch Raven Drive just past Sanders Corner restaurant.  For the wildlife, fly-fishing and hikes keep driving up Loch Raven Drive past the dam about two miles.  For a map to Loch Raven, go here.  For Montebello, here.

(2005 Baltimore Sun photos by Christopher Assaf and David Hobby)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Can an urban garden like the one pictured above help bring blighted neighborhoods together,  impart some measure of hope or peace where little exists?  That's the question a group of community activists and Baltimore's chief arborist will tackle on Friday (May 7) during a daylong "urban revitalization expo." 

Organized by Civic Works, Baltimore's "urban service corps," the expo features some hands-on work completing a pathway through a rain garden, exhibits and presentations on the group's residential energy-upgrade efforts, plus film screenings and art installations.  

Discussing what impact community greening might have on urban violence will be representatives of Civic Works, BUILD, Historic East Baltimore Community Action Coalition and other community and nonprofit groups, plus Brian Henry, chief city arborist.   WYPR's Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast previewed this discussion on her show this morning, which you can listen to here.

The expo runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and includes breakfast.  The forum is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  All events - except for the rain garden work -- will be held at the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Community Center, 901 N. Milton Ave. on the third floor.  The rain garden to be fixed up is across the street.

(2003 Baltimore Sun photo by Algerina Perna, garden at Lafayette & Mosher)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 12:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Thought of putting solar panels on your house? Thought about a turbine for the office?

The Solar and Wind Expo 2010 is coming this Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to the Timonium Fairgrounds. Tickets are $12, or $10 if bought online. Kids under 12 are free and there are $2 discounts for taking the light rail. Moms with kids are free on Sunday, Mother's Day.

Organizers say you can come with a faint idea of what you want and leave with all information on what is appropriate for you home or business, how much it will cost, what incentives are available and what contractor is right for you.

There will be all kinds of speakers and vendors.

Wind and solar energy are becoming more mainstream as people look for ways to cut their utility bills and tread more lightly on the planet.

I reported in a story last year that more than 10,000 people around the country bought wind systems in 2008, in part because of federal and state incentives. The Maryland Energy Administration began accepting grant applications from residents for wind turbines in late 2007 under its Windswept program. The state provides up to $10,000 depending on the size of the turbine.

And earlier this year, I reported that U.S. solar electric capacity grew by 63 percent in 2008, triple the growth in 2005, according to the Interstate Renewable Energy Council. The Solar Energy Industries Association estimates up to 250,000 U.S. homes generate some solar energy. And half of people recently polled said they were thinking about solar power for a home or business.

The MEA also offers grants of up to $10,000 for solar-power systems, on top of a 30 percent federal tax break. From July to January of this year, records show 662 people applied around the state.

So, you thinking about panels or turbines or other energy conservation plans? Going to the expo?

Baltimore Sun file photo of a Glen Burnie resident with solar panels in his backyard/Kenneth K. Lam

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events
        

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

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Categories: Events
        

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)
        

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)
        

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)
        

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
        

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
        

It's that time of year again. Spring is upon us. Get out the gloves and the bags and help clean up the city.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s Spring Cleanup will happen Saturday, April 17, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Go outside and pick up some litter, clean an alley or get together with neighbors for a project.

City officials say community representatives should register now by calling 311. They'll bring containers for debris on a first-call basis. There won't be trucks available, but if you bag and stack the garbage at a designated location, the city will come by and pick it up on Monday, April 19 -- let the city know when you register where that site will be.

The Bureau of Solid Waste will also loan other supplies and tools. Have your community leaders ask about those, too.

Baltimore Sun file photo of the 2009 cleanup in Reservoir Hill

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

A coalition of 200 public health and environmental groups plan to rally outside of a conference of chemical execs Tuesday to draw attention to the issue of harmful chemicals in everyday products. 
 
The rally is slated for noon at the Pier Six Pavilion in the Inner Harbor, outside the hotel where the GlobalChem conference is happening.

The groups want the companies to adhere to some tougher rules and agree to more reporting about chemicals. Congress is about to consider  updating the Toxic Substances Control Act, which governs the chemicals and hasn't been updated since 1976.

The groups formed an organization called Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families to call for:

1) Safety information on all chemicals in use. The group says the chemical industry wants to prioritize just a few;

2) Reduction of the most dangerous chemicals now. The group says the industry wants more testing; and

3) Real-world analysis of chemical exposures to inform safety decisions. The group says now the law works as if people are exposed to one chemical and one source at a time.  
 
The group says the law now requires the Environmental Protection Agency to only test a few hundred of the 80,000 chemicals now in use. But they say health problems such as autism, cancer and reproductive disorders are linked to these chemicals and are on the rise.

Maryland PIRG, one of the lead organizations in the group, has been working to get harmful chemicals out of products, such as BPA in baby bottles and the flame retardant DecaBDE.  

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

Did you know that $1 out of every $11 you spend at the store, you spend on packaging you just throw away when you get home? Stop by the Whole Foods in Mt. Washington on April 11 and participate in Green Living Expert Diane MacEachern’s Trash-less Family Workshop to get the inside scoop on at least ten easy ways your family can trash less, save more, and feel great about being green. The workshop begins at 11 a.m.

Living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle is a real shortcut to saving money. Four simple green steps will save you $10 a day. And that's just the beginning. At 11:30, Ms. MacEachern’s Save $4,000/Year Going Green Workshop will showcase hidden opportunities that give your budget a breather while helping you be as eco as you want.

Attendees of each workshop will be entered to win a free autographed copy of the Big Green Purse:Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World.

Snacks will be provided and a booksigning will take place from noon-1 p.m.

About the Author

Diane MacEachern, is an award-winning entrepreneur and green expert who was recently named one of America's EcoHeroes by Glamour Magazine. When she is not blogging at www.dianesbiggreenpurse.com or talking green on Martha Stewart Living radio or Fox News, she might be providing advice, consumer guidance and workshops for many companies.

Both workshops are free, but seating is limited. Pregister at Customer Service or email molly.kushner@wholefoods.com.

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

Do we eat too much food without thinking about where it comes from?

The animal rights group Compassion Over Killing is trying to draw some attention to the issue and, at the same time, bring more vegan offerings to Baltimore. It's got some things planned:

COK is joining with Emily's Cafe and Deserts, at 4901 Springarden Dr. in north Baltimore, this Sunday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. in a benefit and free movie event. A portion of your breakfast or lunch bill will be donated to the group's efforts. The movie is Chicken Run.

Beforehand, from 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. COK is also hosting a "Dunkin' Cruelty Feed-In." They will ask Dunkin' Donuts at 25 Light Street to stop using milk and egg products. RSVP for this at info@cok.net or 301-891-2458.

Also, the group is working with other restaurants to up the number of vegan menu offering. One such place is Pizzazz Tuscan Grille, at 711 Eastern Ave. inside the Pier Five hotel. It's expanded its menu and is hosting an event on April 9 from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. to show it off and raise money for COK's efforts. The restaurant is offering 20 percent of your bill -- plus all the tips earned by our a COK bartender. Drink specials will include $5 martinis and two-for-one drinks.

Anyone been to these place? Enjoyed vegan offerings? Think Baltimore has good vegan, or vegetarian, options?

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Events, Food
        

Can the Chesapeake Bay be saved? If so, at what cost? What will we have to pay, and how much will we have to change in how we live, work and play? Do we care enough to do what's needed?

Those are the questions that keep playing over in my mind as I report on what many are calling a watershed year for North America's largest estuary.

After nearly three decades of trying, the multibillion-dollar effort to restore the Chesapeake has shown frustratingly little progress. An "immense protein factory" in H.L. Mencken's day, the bay's seafood bounty has dwindled amid "dead zones" that make it hard for oysters, crabs and fish to thrive. And it's not fit for humans to swim in some places, like Baltimore's harbor.

It's not all gloom and doom, though. Scientists say there are places around the bay where water quality is showing improvement. And there's a renewed push from the federal government and from state houses to ratchet up the cleanup efforts to build on those positive signs.

But that push comes at a time when recession has drained government coffers, making it hard to talk about spending more on saving the bay.  And there's pushback from farmers, developers and others being asked to do more or different to help.

So it's timely that on Saturday, there'll be a public forum in Annapolis looking at the choices we have for the future of the Chesapeake. Sponsored by the Annapolis Capital newspaper, "The Bay at a Crossroads" will feature state and federal environmental officials, including Maryland Environment Secretary Shari Wilson and the Environmental Protection Agency's bay "czar," Chuck Fox. Also speaking will be environmental advocates, including political scientist Howard Ernst, author of "Fight for the Bay."

You can read a great summary here of the bay's predicament and what's being done about it, by The Capital's Pamela Wood.

The forum begins at 10 a.m. It's at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase Street in Annapolis.  For directions and parking, go here. 

(Baltimore Sun file photo by Kenneth K. Lam)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events
        

Mark your calendars now for the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival on April 16-18 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds. More than 250 artisans will showcase their contemporary crafts and fine arts, including pottery, sculpture, glass, jewelry, fashion, furniture, home accessories, items for the garden and photography.

In addition to meeting the artisans, visitors will experience demonstrations by craftspeople working in metal, ceramics, and wood. Live music and activities for children enhance the festival a