Electric vehicle owners, you have some new places to plug in in downtown Baltimore. The city just made it easier to get around without worrying about running out of juice, unveiling nine new EV charging stations in municipal parking garages.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake arrived at a ribbon-cutting in the Baltimore Street garage near City Hall driving a candy-apple red Chevrolet Volt, which she rated "a nice ride."  With cameras trained on her, she plugged the charging cable into the car without a hitch.

Declaring that Baltimore aims to support the budding electric-vehicle industry, Rawlings-Blake said  the city plans to acquire 50 more charging stations in the coming year to make it even easier for commuters and residents to have EVs in the city without fear of running out of power.

The nine chargers, each capable of handling two vehicles simultaneously, were installed with a $134,000 grant from the Maryland Energy Administration. The city is providing the electricity for free - about $1.50 per 10-hour charge, according to Ted Atwood, director of General Services - but drivers still have to pay to park.

"The people most likely to use these would be commuters worried about running out of juice before they get home," said Tiffany James of the city parking authority.  But she noted that they also make it possible for residents who don't have off-street parking to own an EV. 

The chargers were made by Coulomb Technologies and are part of the ChargePoint Network.  EV owners can locate available charging stations in city garages and elsewhere by consulting the online network. A ChargePoint card is needed to plug in, but those without one can call a number listed on the station to get signed up and connected on the spot.

Atwood said city workers are test-driving a pair of Volts to see if it makes sense to add EVs to the municipal vehicle fleet. The city is looking for ways to trim its fuel bill, he said, which runs upwards of $15 million a year.

Following is a list of city garages with EV chargers:

Continue reading "EV chargers debut in B'more city garages" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:39 AM | 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)
        

Urban farming's the rage these days, at least in some green circles. If you're wondering how to get in on it, there's an all-day workshop Thursday (Sept. 15), with hands-on training, lectures and tours of existing farms in Baltimore.

The free event open to anyone is organized by The Greenhorns, a national nonprofit promoting urban farming.  Besides the health aspects of raising nutritious local produce, the session will focus in part on how productive green space can reclaim the former industrial sites known as brownfields that pepper the city. Baltimore has at least 1,000 brownfields comprising 2,500 acres, according to the group. The city’s Office of Sustainability is aiming to convert 10 acres of city-owned vacant lots into farmland though competitive grant giving.

Visits are planned to Five Seeds Farm in the Belair-Edison neighborhood and Real Food Farm in Clifton Park in Northeast Baltimore. Partners for the event include the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, The Radix Ecological Sustainability Center, Maryland Institute College of Art and the Baltimore Free School.

For details. go here.

(Real Food Farm, 2010 Baltimore Sun photo by Barbara Haddock Taylor)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Solar power's catching on bigtime on campus.

The University of Maryland College Park has one of the largest solar arrays in the Baltimore-Washington region, with more than 2,600 photovoltaic panels on the roof of its Severn Building. 

It's expected to generate about 792 MWh of electricity in the first year.  That's enough to power 872 homes for one month, and avoids 408 tons of CO2 emissions that would come from burning fossil fuels to get the same amount of juice.

The array is owned by Washington Gas Energy Services, which spent $2 million on the facility installed by Standard Solar.  The project was underwritten in part with a $630,000 state grant, and the university contracted to buy the electricity.

It's one of 16 solar projects supported by the Maryland Energy Administration under its Project Sunburst grant program. Officials say nine of those have been completed so far, providing 5.2 megawatts' worth of solar generating capacity.

(Photo courtesy Maryland Energy Administration)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Climate change, Going Green, News
        

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)
        

How convenient is it to go green? Ask Royal Farms, the Baltimore-based convenience store chain.

The comany's 5,000-square-foot store in Dover, PA is the first Royal Farms to earn LEED certification, the vanguard of a corporate pledge to certify all of their eligible stores under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council. Company officials celebrated the certification earlier this week.

From the outside, the Dover store, pictured above, doesn't appear any different than a traditional building.  Yet for what Royal Farms' consultant described as a "nominal" cost, the Dover store's designed and built to achieve 21 percent energy savings and use 42 percent less water, among other advantages. Any extra costs to go green were primarily for obtaining the LEED rating and should be easily made up by the operational savings, says Neal Fiorelli, managing partner of Lorax Partnerships of Columbia, the chain's consultant. 

Royal Farms says it has 20 stores that have applied for LEED certification, including a store on Charles Street in Baltimore expected to open later this year. Meanwhile, visitors to the Dover, PA store can pick up a brochure and maybe even get a quick tour to learn about its green features.

(Photo provided by Lorax Partnerships)  

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

Looking for some colorful and environmentally friendly plants for your garden or lawn? Now there's a handy online guide to native plants in the Chesapeake Bay region.

With the Native Plant Center, you can search for native plants by name, type, sun exposure, soil texture and moisture - even look for native plants that match the characteristics of popular non-native plants.  The site also features a "geo-locator" so you can identify what plants are suited to your particular location.

Replacing portions of your lawn with native plants suited to local conditions helps local water quality and the bay by reducing the need for fertilizers and pesticides, which can wash into nearby storm drains and streams when it rains. They also cut down on the need for watering.

The online uses the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's native plant database, which is associated with its print publication, Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  Other partners in the online portal are the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and Image Matters, a software consulting firm based in Leesburg, VA.  

(Photo: Asclepias tuberosa, or butterflyweed.  U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 3:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

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)
        

Homeowners, if you've ever thought about ditching your messy, polluting gasoline-powered lawnmower, here's your chance: Swap it for a cleaner, deeply discounted new battery-powered job.

On Saturday (6/11), consumers can turn in their old gas-powered mowers for a marked-down rechargeable Black & Decker mower.  Buyers get 31 percent off the $379 sticker price for an 18-inch, 36-volt model and 33 percent off the $429 ticket for one with a 19-inch blade and a removable battery.

The swap will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at Cardinal Shehan School, 5407 Loch Raven Boulevard. But don't procrastinate - only 200 mowers will be on hand to sell.

Why go to the trouble? Because more than 17 million gallons of gas get spilled each year nationwide refueling lawn and garden equipment. Some of that winds up in the nearest water way, and some gets into the air, adding to our region's choking summer smog.  Even the gas that gets in the tank pollutes: a single 3.5-horsepower gas mower emits as much smog-forming exhaust as a new car driven 340 miles.

And if you let the mulching mower mulch and leave off bagging the grass clippings, you can have a healthy lawn without needing to fertilize as much - another help for stressed local streams and the Chesapeake Bay. That's why the city of Baltimore and the local watershed group Blue Water Baltimore have teamed up to co-sponsor B&D's mower swap. For more, go here.

(Old mowers being turned in for new electric ones. 2010 Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

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)
        

Maryland has become the first state in the nation to embrace a green construction code, which green building advocates hope will pave the way (so to speak) for much more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly structures.

Gov. Martin O'Malley signed into law legislation passed this year by the General Assembly authorizing the application of the International Green Construction Code on all commercial buildings and residential buildings more than three stories high.

HB972, sponsored by Del. Dana Stein, D-Baltimore County, authorizes the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to adopt the code, and it enables local governments to do so as well.

In a year when lawmakers chose to study rather than act on most major environmental issues, the construction code measure is hailed by Stuart Kaplow, chairman of the US Green Building Council Maryland, as "the most significant environmental legislation adopted in Maryland this year." He called it "pro-business and pro-environment"

Proponents say the green construction code is likely to expand energy-efficient and environmentally friendly building practices.  It is faster, cheaper and easier to follow, they say, than the USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system, which puts off some developers because of the costs and delays in getting third-party certification of the green features in a building's design and construction.

Why do green buildings matter?  According to the USGBC, buildings account for 40% of US energy consumption, 39% of CO2 emissions and 13% water consumption. Building them greener can reduce energy use by up to 50%, CO2 emissions by as much as 39% and potable water use 40%.

(Construction cranes, 2008 Baltimore Sun photo by Doug Kapustin)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Students at the University of Maryland have jumped on a nationwide bandwagon to ban bottled water sales on campus, it seems.

The Washington Post reports that student government groups on the College Park campus have yielded to the pressure and now serve tapwater in pitchers at their meetings and events.    Other schools around the country also are cutting out on the bottled beverage. According to the Post, Goucher College in Baltimore apparently has gone halfway, removing bottles from dining halls and other campus eateries while still offering them at the bookstore and in vending machines.

The rap against bottled water is waste - that Americans are burning up resources and generating mountains of plastic debris for a drink they could easily get from a faucet or fountain somewhere. Of course, the bottles can be recycled, but many aren't, and there's still the energy consumed producing and transporting them.

But some are suggesting it's not an open-and-shut case.  Bottled water helps fight obesity, some say, by offering youthful consumers a more healthful choice than sugar-laden soft drinks in vending machines and at snack bars. That's certainly how the International Bottled Water Association sees it, with a spokesman calling its members' beverage "a healthy, legal product."

There's also the convenience factor - could it be there aren't as many water fountains as there used to be?  And some activists worry that making a fuss about bottled water could alienate the public and lose goodwill for action on other environmental issues arguably of greater importance.

What's your take? Time to dump the throwaway drinks, or is this a diversion from bigger problems? Do you drink bottled water, or carry your own?

(Bottled water on sale in Florida supermarket.  Photo by Tina Russell, Orlando Sentinel)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Some of B'more Green's readers recently have posted comments critical of electric vehicles, pointing out that they draw their energy from the electric grid, which in these parts gets half its power from burning coal.

Yes, coal-burning power plants are a major source of greenhouse gases. But does that automatically make an EV worse for the climate than an internal combustion engine?

Nope, according to The Energy Blog. After walking through the details, the blog concludes that burning gasoline produces 21 to 58 percent more carbon dioxide than getting the same amount of energy from the electric grid for a car of similar shape and size.

The Energy Blog is written by an alternative energy advocate.  But read the blogger's post  here to judge for yourself if it makes the case or not. 

As a native West Virginian, I'm well aware there are other environmental issues around coal, including the impacts on streams and forests of mountaintop mining.  And though the recession has dampened the demand on our electric grid, there still are issues we need to resolve about ensuring its adequacy for future demand.

But when comparing solely which type of vehicle produces more climate-warming emissions, it appears EVs come out ahead of gas-powered cars and trucks.

(Photo courtesy SemaConnect)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Green Week has begun in Baltimore, and it's already sprouting some interesting activities.

On Wednesday, students, parents, staff and volunteers started a "vertical garden" at Kennedy Krieger High School, planting seeds in soil-filled pouches hanging on a chain-link fence. It's a great way to grow in a small urban space.

Woolly Pocket provided a grant and the pouches, while local gardening outfit Baltimore Contained provided technical assistance. If you'd like to see vertical gardening demonstrated, there'll be another chance on Sunday, April 17, from 2-4 p.m. at the school, 3825 Greenspring Ave.

Today (Thursday, April 14), there's a multidisciplinary art exhibition, entitled " Regeneration," focused on the theme of balancing the needs of people, the economy and the environment. Fifteen local artists will present works on various media, some using reclaimed building materials. Appropriately, the exhibit is at Second Chances, which sells salvaged materials, at 1400 Warner St., south of M&T Bank Stadium. It's from 5 to 10:30 pm. and free. Curated by Jason Meyer.

For more Green Week events, go here.

(Photo courtesy Baltimore Green Works)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

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)
        

With turf grass arguably Maryland's largest crop these days, there are growing calls for city and suburban dwellers to do their part to help restore the Chesapeake Bay by cutting back on fertilizing their lawns.

Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md, joined environmental activists and the head of Baltimore's Waterfront Partnership at the harbor's edge in Fells Point today to push for passage of state and federal government action to reduce pollution from urban and suburban fertilizer.

"All of us can do a better job in how we manage our particular lawns," Cardin said during the press conference, which was staged next to a rectangular patch of grass jutting out into the harbor.  But Cardin added that government has a role to play in helping citizens and communities do what they need to do.

Noting that Maryland has 1.3 million acres of turf grass, Megan Cronin of Environment Maryland urged the state Senate to approve legislation that would regulate the nutrient content of lawn fertilizer and how it is to be applied.  The group released a report on lawn fertilizer, which you can read here.

More than a fifth of Maryland's land in the bay watershed is covered in grass, and in metro areas it's even more.  About a third of Anne Arundel County is turf, according to Chris Trumbauer, a county councilman and the West/Rhode Riverkeeper.

In Baltimore, the business-led Waterfront Partnership is pledging to do its part for cleaning up the Inner Harbor by changing how it tends the patches of green stretching from Fells Point around to Federal Hill. The group plans to limit the amount of nitrogen put down to green up those urban lawns, for instance, and cut back on fertilizing at all in sensitive areas closest to the water, said Laurie Schwartz, the group's executive director.

While supporting state and local action, Cardin also said he hoped his fellow senators would join him in opposing cuts in federal funding for the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce its "pollution diet' for the bay. 

The House cuts in federal spending this year "would be devastating to the Chesapeake Bay," Cardin said of the rider adopted at the behest of a Virginia congressman to keep EPA from going forward with its diet, or total maximum daily load, for nutrients polluting the bay.

The Maryland senator pointed out that the bay reauthorization bill he sponsored, which failed to pass last year, would have provided extra federal funds to help communities deal with runoff of fertilizer and other pollutants.  Cardin said with the GOP in control of the House and seemingly intent on blocking EPA action on the bay and a number of other environmental regulations, "It's going to be tough to pass anything."

Continue reading "Going less green on lawns to help the Bay" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

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)
        

The University of Maryland is going solar, installing more than 2,600 photovoltaic panels on one of its buildings near the College Park campus.

The 631-kilowatt system is to be placed on the roof of the Severn building, a multi-purpose structure less than a mile from the campus.  It will be installed by Standard Solar Inc. of Rockville, and owned and operated by Washington Gas Energy Services. UM has agreed to buy the electricity generated by the solar panels - about 792 megawatt-hours annually - under a 20-year contract.

University officials say it will be one of the biggest solar installations in the state, though it's dwarfed by the 2.1-megawatt solar "farm" being built at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.  Spice maker McCormick & Co. already has 1 megawatts' worth of solar panels on two of its buildings in Hunt Valley, and poultry producer Perdue announced recently it was putting 5,000 solar panels capable of generating up to 1.1 megawatts of electricity at its Salisbury headquarters.

Even if it's not so huge after all, the solar panels at College Park should reduce the campus carbon footprint by more than 600 tons a year, university officials estimate, or about as many greenhouse gas emissions as you'd get from burning 64,000 gallons of gasoline annually.

The College Park project was made possible by a grant from the Maryland Energy Administration. Under Project Sunburst, MEA provided grants to subsidize 18 different solar installations on school, university and government buildings. Funding for the grants, which provide rebates of $1,000 per kilowatt-DC of photovoltaic capacity installed, came from federal stimulus funds.

State officials said when announcing the grants last year that the 9.9 megawatts' capacity from those projects would roughly triple the solar generating capacity on Maryland's electric grid. Other big Sunburst projects to come include 750-kilowatt systems atop Baltimore's Convention Center and at Anne Arundel Community College.

(Solar panels atop McCormick manufacturing plant in Hunt Valley, 2010. Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Do Marylanders want their government to focus for now on creating jobs over cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay? Or do they think water pollution is a serious problem that will need more government regulation - and maybe some more of taxpayers' money - to reduce?

Those are the seemingly conflicting messages that emerge from a pair of public opinion surveys done in recent weeks - one at the behest of the state's builders, the other at the bidding of a state-funded environmental grant-making group.

More than four out of five Maryland voters want the O'Malley administration to put a higher priority on creating jobs than on restoring the bay, according to the poll done in January by Gonzales Research & Marketing Inc. of Annapolis for the Maryland State Builders Association.

According to the same telephone survey of 802 registered voters, more than half - 57 percent - say economic growth should be the state's main focus, even if it means the environment suffers in the process.  And a slim majority - 53 percent - say they're not willing to pay a penny more for bay cleanup and restoration.

On the other hand, in a late December telephone poll of 1,005 Marylanders, 64 percent rated water pollution in rivers, streams and the bay as a very serious problem.  The survey was done by OpinionWorks, also of Annapolis, on behalf of the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

In that poll, nearly three-quarters, or 71 percent, said they think government regulation will be needed to address it.   Seventy-three percent back the concept, at least, of the "pollution diet" that the Environmental Protection Agency has imposed on bay states.

Continue reading "Dueling polls: 'Stick to jobs,' or 'save the Bay'?" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

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)
        

Is Baltimore a throwaway community?   There's a ranking out of the least wasteful cities in the US of A, and good ol' Baltimore comes in 16th. We're behind the usually crunchy places like San Francisco, Seattle and Portland, but also trailing New York and Pittsburgh, even Dallas and Orlando.

The ranking - which I saw on Mother Nature Network - is the second done by Nalgene, the reusable drink bottle maker, and Baltimore actually dropped four places since 2009, when we were judged 12th least wasteful.  Guess we're getting worse.

Or rather, should I say, when we judged ourselves - because the rankings are based on a survey in which about 150 residents from each of the 25 cities rated were asked to score themselves on 23 different behaviors and practices that are either wasteful or frugal.

Here's some of the things our city's participants in the survey say we don't do:

- hanging clothes out to dry when possible

- limiting showers to five minutes

- composting fruit and veggie scraps

- turning off the water when brushing teeth.

Of course, some of the top cities have a head start on establishing social norms around some of these behaviors.  San Francisco, for instance, has the nation's strictest recycling law, it seems, which has sparked a big jump in residents composting their food scraps.

Continue reading "How wasteful are we, really?" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 1:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

The long wait is over.  Chevy Volts are starting to roll into Baltimore.  Randy Schilling of Catonsville recently became one of the first - if not numero uno - in the area to get the plug-in car that's "more car than electric," as the Detroit carmaker's ad pitch goes.   So far, he says he's loving it.

Schilling, 36, took delivery of his "cybermetallic" gray Volt last week from a dealer in Fredericksburg, Va.  He needed the gasoline engine to get it home - the driving range of the battery is about 50 miles under ideal conditions, less in cold weather like we have now.  

Since then, though, he reports he's been able to rely on battery power for the bulk of his driving around town and for getting to and from work at Fort Meade, where he's commander of a military police detachment.

"She has been definitely turning heads and getting me lots of smiles and thumbs up while I am driving," he emailed me this week.

Volts are trickling into the Washington area as they roll off the assembly line, and dealers told me in November they had waiting lists.  Schilling says he lucked out - a buyer ahead of him from Florida backed out, enabling him to join the ranks of pioneers in what he predicts will be a revolution in the electrification of transportation. 

"At some point in time we've got to start easing our dependence on foreign oil," said Schilling, who's been to Iraq.  And he says his commitment to going electric has only grown with the recent rise in gasoline prices to around $3 a gallon.

What's nice about the Volt, he says, is it's more than a gas-sipper - it's fun to drive.  He traded in a Lexus RX400 hybrid for it.  "It doesn't drive like a hybrid,"  he says. "Driving on pure electric, it just takes off."

He paid nearly $43,700 for his Volt, a sticker price larded with options, including heated leather seats.  A year from now, he can take a $7,500 credit on his federal income taxes.  He's also eligible for a state tax credit of up to $2,000.

Price aside, Schilling says he believes electric cars are here to stay.  "I'm sure this is going to kick off a major trend," he says.  "Once people can see .. it's not pokey, they 'll catch on."

That's not to say he wouldn't be willing to pay less to be a pioneer.  The all-electric Nissan Leaf sells for about $10,000 less fully loaded, but it's been slower to make its way to the East Coast.  "Maybe I'll buy a Leaf next year," Schilling said.

Continue reading "B'more goes electric, with a Volt" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

As we start a new year, it's worth looking back at the big news of the past year - if only because many of those developments will resonate through 2011 and for years to come.

So here's my list of the top 10 green stories of 2010:

1)  Gulf oil spill: The catastrophic explosion, fire and blowout of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig off Louisiana's coast took 11 lives and earned a spot in history as the nation's worst oil spill, gushing from April 20 until mid-July. Short-term, the impacts were not as bad as many had feared, as much of the oil dispersed, but the long-term ecological effects won't be known for some time. The disaster also prompted the Obama administration to reverse course and drop plans to expand offshore oil drilling in the Gulf and elsewhere - something that's likely to be challenged with the Republican takeover of the House in Congress.

2) Congress shuns climate action, EPA steps in:  While inaction rarely gets the same headlines, the decision last summer by the Senate's leaders to pull the plug on climate and energy legislation ranks, if not outranks, the Gulf oil spill in significance.  Where politicians feared to tread, however, the Environmental Protection Agency plunged ahead.  EPA at year's end announced initial requirements for limiting emissions from power plants.  Efforts are brewing in Congress, though, from Republicans and some Democrats to strip EPA of its authority - or funding - to follow through.

3) Bay gets pollution diet, crabs rebound:  The Environmental Protection Agency finished the year by putting the Chesapeake Bay on a "pollution diet," requiring 20 to 25 percent reductions in the amounts of phosphorus, nitrogen and sediment getting into the estuary from its 64,000-square-mile watershed.  It remains to be seen, though, how much state and local governments will do in the coming year, as they struggle with budget gaps and sluggish economies.  Meanwhile, the bay's iconic crustaceans staged a second straight year of strong recovery from near collapse, with the annual winter survey showing a 60 percent increase in the crab population over the previous year, to a level not seen since the late 1990s. 

4) Wind gets a push offshore, and lawsuits on land:  The prospects for giant turbines eventually catching the sea breezes off the US East Coast grew last year, with pushes from the Obama administration and from states like Maryland.  The Interior Department set up a "fast track" approval for offshore wind leases, and in November invited bids for placing turbines a dozen or more miles off Ocean City.  The state's first two industrial wind projects got built on Backbone Mountain in Garrett County, but conservationists filed suit alleging the turbines would harm endangered bats.

5) Baltimore greens up, slowly:  The city took steps last year - however haltingly - to make itself a greener, more sustainable place.  After years of debate over plastic shopping bags, City Council acted to curb their littering by imposing a "partial ban" - allowing supermarkets and other stores to keep using the flimsy throwaway sacks as long as they encouraged their customers to recycle or shop with re-usable bags.  The city got its first food "czar," Holly Freishtat, to encourage more healthful eating among city dwellers.   And municipal officials also quietly issued green building standards last summer, after sitting on them for a year to mull over developers' concerns that they'd stifle urban revitalization.  Stuart Kaplow, president of the local chapter of the US Green Building Council, calls the city's 2007 green building law, nor fully in effect, a "game changer." 

Continue reading "Looking back - and ahead" »

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

The frigid weather this winter will bring higher utility bills to many Maryland households, but residents can now apply for low-cost loans to beef up their homes' insulation and heating systems.

The Maryland Clean Energy Center this week launched the Maryland Home Energy Loan Program, under which qualified applicants can borrow up to $20,000 to plug air leaks, seal ducts and replace aging furnaces, among other things.

To qualify, a resident first must get a home energy audit. The loans need not be secured by the applicant's home. The interest rate is 6.99 percent - which the center says is half what commercial banks charge on most unsecured loans.

The loan program, offered in partnership with the Maryland Energy Administration, is underwritten with federal stimulus funds. It's aimed at helping the state achieve its twin goals of reducing energy use 15 percent by 2015 and of cutting carbon-dioxide emissions 25 percent by 2020.

To apply or learn more, go here.  Or call 301-738-6280 or email loans@mdcleanenergy.org

(Energy auditor checking for drafts in Lauraville home.  Baltimore Sun photo by Amy Davis)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

By now, it seems, a lot of workplaces have gotten into recycling, at least of paper. One office in West Baltimore, though, has taken the plunge into composting - turning coffee grounds, food scraps, paper and other biodegradable refuse into plant food.

A handfull of workers at the Bon Secours of Maryland Foundation started this summer by collecting office paper and old grounds from their West Fulton Street building and combining them with grass clippings and leaves in a compost bin at a nearby community garden run by Operation Reachout-Southwest, a resident-led grassroots organization.

But before long, the initiative of the "Clean and Green" crew spread.  Other staffers began bringing in scraps from the previous night's dinner, old produce and paper and other refuse from home.   Some say they're now composting at home as well.

"Co-workers who at first thought we were crazy started saying, 'I didn't know it was that easy,'" says Erika McClammy, the foundation's director of housing and neighborhood revitalization and head of the effort to raise employees' green awareness.

"I was surprised at how man things we use can go back to the earth,'' says Latera Wallace, a Bon Secours employee.  "I spend so much money every year buying topsoil and mulch for my mother who gardens, when I could have saved money by creating compost just from things around the house."

Continue reading "Composting takes root in West B'more" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

A St. Mary's County grade school's getting a high-tech, green present this month - solar energy panels to help light up the classrooms and inspire young minds.

School and county officials are to hold a "groundbreaking" Dec. 13 for installation of the 500 kilowatt system at George Washington Carver Elementary School in Great Mills.  The 2,200 photovoltaic panels are expected to generate 667,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity in the first year - which is about 80 percent of the power the school uses, according to a release from Standard Solar, the Rockville-based company involved in the project.

Solar energy's got a reputation for being pricey up front, and this system's worth an estimated $2.5 million, according to a release from the county school system.  It's costing the county virtually nothing to install, though, thanks to a $500,000 grant from the Maryland Energy Administration and a power purchase agreement under which the capital costs are paid back over 15 years.   School officials say they'll be paying below current market rates for the electricity generated by the panels, so overall it'll save county taxpayers money.  The state grant, by the way, is part of MEA's Project Sunburst, which is using federal stimulus funds to put solar energy systems on public buildings.

It's another pioneering step from a school system that's getting comfortable with going green.   Last year, St. Mary's opened a new school in California appropriately dubbed Evergreen Elementary, which features photovoltaic panels, a small wind turbine, a green roof and two large cisterns for capturing rain water to flush the toilets.  Building the school to Gold LEED standards wasn't just for show, either - school officials said they would use the green features as teaching tools throughout the curriculum.

In like educational fashion, there'll be a real-time monitoring system put in the lobby of Carver so students, teachers, parents and staff can track the school's energy use and see how the solar system is performing.  What a bright idea!

(Solar array atop Rockville Arena, installed by Standard Solar; photo courtesy Standard Solar)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Talk about racing for the green! It seems 83 Ellicott City residents jumped at the chance to win a free rain garden this fall, and 20 lucky winners saw them installed rapid-fire - not in 80 seconds, as the time-lapse video above depicts, but in just 10 days.

As Erica Goldman explains in Chesapeake Quarterly's BayBlog, the "win a rain garden" contest was staged by Howard County as part of a larger effort to demonstrate that doing a lot of stormwater retrofits, bioretention cells (aka rain gardens), and stream restoration projects in one small watershed could have a noticeable effect on water quality. All the entrants lived around Red Hill Branch, which drains into the Patuxent River.

Funding for the contest came from the county and the state's Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund. The rain garden installations were overseen by Amanda Rockler of the Maryland Sea Grant extension program, with help from county engineers and experts from the nonprofit Center for Watershed Protection in Ellicott City.

Twenty rain gardens are a start, but thousands upon thousands are needed to help the Chesapeake Bay.  It'll be interesting to see if this contest spurs a new suburban lawn ethic, with homeowners vying to outdo each other in putting in the biggest, greenest rain garden on the cul de sac.

Video by Joe King, by permission Maryland Sea Grant.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

For over 90 years, Cole Roofing Company has been, well, building roofs. They’re experts in restorations, re-roofs and repairs and nowadays they offer a multitude of green roofing options because they believe in sustainability. In their words, “We believe the push to go green isn’t just a trend. It’s here to stay.”

That’s why they’re giving away a free vegetated or solar integrated roof to one local nonprofit organization, and a $5,000 donation to another. Contestants have posted videos and written proposals on the Green Roof Giveaway website in an effort to convince the world (and Cole) why they deserve a new roof. From November 16 – December 17, the public (that means you) will vote for a winner.

“Beyond honoring area non-profits, a mission of our Green Roof Giveaway is to educate the public on today’s different green roofing solutions. Many people are unaware of the environmentally friendly roofing options available today. Average consumers may be confused or have misconceptions about vegetated, solar roofs and more. We’d like to dispel myths and misinformation and give you the facts on green roofs. After all, an educated consumer is a powerful consume,” according to Cole.

Local contenders include Federal Hill Main Street, Inc., St. John’s United Methodist Church, People’s Homesteading Group, City Neighbors Hamilton, Baltimore Free Farm, Village Learning Place, and many more.

To vote for your favorite, visit http://greenroofgiveaway.com/nominees/.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Going Green
        

As sailors will tell you, you can't be in a hurry if you're relying on the wind to get you places.  The same is true with developing offshore wind energy.  Don't expect to see tiny turbines spinning far out to sea when you're at Ocean City next summer, or for several more years at least.

There was a predictable hurrah (which this newspaper helped fan, because it was news, after all) when the federal government announced Monday that it is opening up the Atlantic Ocean off Maryland's coast for bids from potential developers of offshore wind power projects. 

Gov. Martin O'Malley, who's made offshore wind a centerpiece of his administration's energy policy, issued a statement calling the federal announcement "another step forward for Maryland's new economy."  He'll no doubt tout offshore wind again when he speaks later today at Towson University about his vision for creating a "new economy" in Maryland that relies heavily on "green" jobs like building, running and maintaining wind turbines.

To be sure, there are likely to be jobs created in Maryland when - or if - wind takes off in a big way.  The O'Malley administration cites a recent projection that 4,000 manufacturing and construction jobs would be created during the development of a one-gigawatt "wind farm" off Ocean City, with another 800 permanent jobs dedicated to running and maintaining the more than 300 massive turbines that would need to be erected.

But though we could certainly use them in the current slump, those jobs are not just around the corner.  Unless the regulatory process picks up speed, it will be a few years yet before any offshore wind project gains all the necessary approvals to move forward in Maryland, much less breaks ground, or water, or whatever.  NRG Bluewater Wind, the company proposing to put wind turbines off Delaware's coast, said in August that the shakeup in the federal Minerals Management Service since the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has delayed the permits it needs to move ahead, and postponed that project by two years.   It's now not expecting to start generating any electricity from offshore breezes until 2016.  And Maryland's offshore development is trailing Delaware's. 

Continue reading "Get set to wait on offshore wind" »

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

The end is near for getting federal rebates from $25 to $500 if you buy an energy-efficient appliance.

The federal "Cash for Appliances" program wraps up here Nov. 12, Maryland officials have announced.

Nearly 90 percent of the $5.4 million in stimulus funds allocated to the state has been doled out, The Baltimore Sun's Liz Kay reports. Marylanders have put in for rebates on more than 14,000 clothes washers, 3,500 refrigerators and nearly 3,000 central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps, according to the Maryland Energy Administration.

There's still a week to get in on the rebates. Select Energy Star room air condioners yield $25 each, refrigerators $50, clothes washers $100, hot-water heaters $300 and heat pumps or central air, $500. For details and to apply, go to the MEA's website.   Customers of Allegheny Power, BGE, Delmarva, Pepco or SMECO also can get rebate forms from their utility's website.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Here's another reason to think twice about all the candy handed out and consumed around Halloween.  Not just that it's unhealthy to eat too many sweets, but some chocolate is bad for its producers as well.  Turns out a lot of the cocoa that goes into our chocolate comes from farms where children are forced to work. 

Although many chocolate companies pledged nearly a decade ago to end abusive farming practices in West Africa, source of 70 percent of the world's cocoa, a recent report by Tulane University’s Payson Center for International Development says problems continue.  The practices are spotlighted in a new documentary, "The Dark Side of Chocolate."

So while most of the little bananas and goblins going door-to-door this weekend will gladly take whatever treats are offered, there'll be some out there handing back treats of their own.  They'll be giving the homes they visit "fair trade" chocolate, meant to raise public awareness of the forced child labor and environmental degradation that is reportedly widespread in cocoa farming.

Under pressure from activists, chocolate manufacturer Green & Black’s, which is owned by Cadbury, and ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s pledged this year to achieve Fair Trade certification for all their products worldwide.  Cadbury and Nestle have obtained Fair Trade status for some of their products abroad. 

Now, activists are pressing the Hershey Co. to become the first U.S.-based company to get certification that its chocolate products are made under Fair Trade practices. 

The Pennsylvania-based chocolate maker recently issued its first corporate social responsiblity report and said it was working with others in the industry through the World Cocoa Foundation to improve conditions for cocoa farming families.  The company also has an organic chocolate brand, Dagoba.  But activists fault it for not committing to the independent Fair Trade certification process to ensure its cocoa and other ingredients come without environmental or social downsides.

For more on the Reverse Trick or Treating campaign organized by Global Exchange, go here.

(Reverse trick-or-treating 2008, photos courtesy Global Exchange)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Goucher College and the University of Maryland College Park rank among the greenest institutions of higher learning in the nation on the latest College Sustainability Report Card, boosting their grades to A- on the annual rating of everything from campus food and recycling to green building and the handling of their endowments.

Greenest seven in the nation - with 'A' grades - were Brown University, Dickinson College in Carlisle PA, University of Minnesota, Oberlin College, Pomona College, University of Wisconsin - Madison, and Yale University.

Goucher and UMCP got top marks on the green-ness of virtually all aspects of campus life and operations, but got marked down, respectively, for their lack of endowment transparency and "shareholder engagement," the latter term referring to whether the school uses its stock ownership to take public stands at shareholder meetings on issues like climate change.

Johns Hopkins University, meanwhile, saw its grade slip to a C-plus this year, with just middling scores for food, recycling and green building and similarly poor assessments of its endowment operations.

Loyola University, the only other Maryland school rated, improved its grade this year to a C.

For more on the Maryland ratings or the college sustainability report card, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 1:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

While most energy-saving measures involve spending up-front (insulation) or doing without (turning thermostat down), there's one way to save energy that's cost-free and relatively painless - stop throwing away so much food.

A pair of scientists at the University of Texas at Austin estimate that Americans waste the equivalent of 350 million barrels of oil a year - or about 2 percent of the nation's annual energy needs - by discarding uneaten food or letting it spoil.

Michael Webber and Amanda Cuellar of UT's Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy figure it takes up to 1.4 billion barrels of oil to produce, package, prepare preserve and distribute a year's worth of food consumed in the United States.  Somewhere between 8 and 16 percent of the energy consumed in this country went into food production, it's estimated. 

But the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that about 27 percent of that food gets wasted, or thrown away.  Webber and Cuellar note that their estimates of food waste are conservative because the information they relied upon is incomplete and outdated.  Besides saving energy, cutting down on food waste might save us a little money, too.

According to their study, published in Environmental Science and Technology, these are the most wasted food categories, by percent:

(Volunteers glean leftover spinach from farmer's field in Sudlersville, 2001 Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

It's been illegal since the beginning of this month for Baltimore supermarkets, corner grocers and convenience stores to simply give out disposable plastic bags for carrying away merchandise. But don't bother calling 911 on any violators you see out there.

The ordinance, which took effect Sept. 1, isn't being enforced because City Hall botched the startup.   City officials were supposed to create a bag "reduction" program that would've allowed merchants to keep handing out the flimsy sacks, as long as customers asked for them.  Stores also had to offer to recycle plastic bags and encourage customers to buy or bring in their own reusable sacks.

Councilman Jim Kraft, who'd long sought a bag ban as a way to fight the litter in Baltimore's streets, streams and harbor, said city officials were late setting up the bag reduction program, so there was no way for businesses to register to avoid the ban. An online link for businesses to register was posted on the website of the city's Office of Sustainability on Aug. 27, just four days before the ban was to take effect.

"It was really a sort of snafu, where there were some misunderstandings," Kraft said, and city officials "didn't understand what they had to do....I was getting calls from these guys (retailers) saying I want to register and I can't."

As a result, he noted, "Technically, everyone is in violation. As of Sept. 1, if they're not in the program, they can't use (plastic) bags."

Merchants are still allowed to sign up for the bag reduction program and keep using plastic bags, but under the ordinance they have to pay a $500 fee now to do so. Up until Sept. 1, it was free to register, an arrangement Kraft and others had hope would provide businesses an incentive to get on board quickly.

Now, to give food dealers more time to register without paying the fee, Kraft is rushing a "corrective bill" through City Council that delays the effective date of the program to Dec. 1 and extends the free signup to Nov. 30.  Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has agreed to sign the fixup legislation, Kraft said.

"I think it's going to be fine," he concluded.

(Tip of the proverbial hat to Investigative Voice for first reporting this!)

(Washington Giant supermarket before nickel fee imposed there on nonrecyclable bags. 2009 AP Photo)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

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)
        

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" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Three companies and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation have teamed up to offer mid-Atlantic natural gas consumers a way to offset the climate impacts of their energy use while reducing truck traffic and also helping the bay.

The effort, dubbed CleanSteps Carbon Offsets, offers offsets to new and renewing natural gas customers of Washington Gas Energy Services.  The venture, involving Washington Gas Energy Services, Arkansas-based freight shipping firm J.B. Hunt, and Sterling Planet, a Georgia-based clean energy company.

Under the deal announced this morning (Sept. 13) at the bay foundation's Annapolis headquarters, all WGES residential and small business gas customers automatically get 5 percent offsets when they sign up or renew. But they'll also have the option of purchasing up to 100 percent offsets - something that WGES President Harry Warrent estimates would cost $12 per month for the average residential household.

The carbon offsets are to come from "clean air projects that result in greenhouse gas reductions, as well as other local and regional benefits," according to a news release.  Initially, though, the offsets will come via J.B. Hunt. Senior vice president Gary Whicker said the company would switch shipments from tractor-trailers to rail, which he said would reduce the amount of energy consumed and greenhouse gases released for ever ton shipped that way.

As WGES customers get enrolled in the new offset program, the Washington-based energy company and Sterling Planet will contribute to a new Carbon Reduction Fund, which would be managed and used by the bay foundation to plant trees along water ways and help farmers reduce runoff of fertilizer into the bay.  Those contributions are expected to grow to $200,000 a year.

Bay Foundation President William C. Baker called the partnership "exciting and innovative" and said it presents a way to help clean up the air and water regionally while also doing something about global climate change.  Baker predicted that projects underwritten by the fund should reduce the amount of water-fouling nitrogen getting into the bay by 40-60,000 pounds a year.  He had no comparable estimates on carbon reductions, saying "we're going to learn as we go along," but suggested they'd likely be on the order of thousands of tons a year.

For more, go here.  Or to see a streaming video of the annoucement, go here.

(2005 AP photo traffic congestion on Interstate 95 near Aberdeen)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

The defoliation of a four-mile stretch of roadside along the heavily traveled Jones Falls Expressway connecting the city with the Beltway has highlighted the extent to which exotic, invasive plants have taken over our landscape.

As I reported in The Baltimore Sun, some environmentalists aren't tickled with the State Highway Administration's decision to spray herbicide on the overgrown vines smothering the trees along the JFX, rather than hack them out manually. They aren't all wild, either, about the state's choice of trees to replace the ones it's cutting down.  SHA points out the weed killer it used is "practically non-toxic" and that the trees it's planting are to help screen the highway from nearby homes, not just to recreate a "natural" ecosystem.

But on one thing, everyone agrees: Invasive plants are a widespread problem, crowding out native vegetation and depriving native insects, birds and animals of their customary food and habitat.  The home team needs help, and it's too big a problem for government alone to deal with.

Experts advise that the problem often starts at home - our homes.  Many exotic invasives got their start as plants bought from a nursery to spruce up a yard or garden.  But true to their name, invasives don't stay where originally planted - they spread readily, and are hard to kill or contain once established.  That's why they advise us to be more careful about what we plant and vigilant about rooting out invasives in our midst.

For help in identifying what's native and what's not - and especially, what's invasive -- you can consult the Maryland Invasive Species Council, or the Maryland Native Plant Society (look under "Resources).  Also the Chesapeake Ecology Center in Annapolis and the Adkins Arboretum on the Eastern Shore.  

The Nature Conservancy has a handy "weed-watcher manual."  If you want to consult with a real person, there's always the University of Maryland Extension's Home and Garden Information Center.  And if you want to go native, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a guidebook on native plants for wildlife habitat and conservation landscaping in the Chesapeake Bay region. 

Any other favorite resources on invasives and native plants?  Please share!

(Baltimore Sun photo of defoliated stretch of Jones Falls Expressway (I-83), by Karl Merton Ferron)  

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

If you or someone you know are going to Green Mountain College in Vermont this fall, then you have some eco bragging rights. The school was ranked No. 1 in Sierra magazine's 100 cool schools. Scoring 88.6, the college earned notice for getting power from biomass and biogas.

The magazine sent out questionnaires to 900 colleges, asking about energy sources, food, waste management, academics and transportation, among other things. It ranked the 162 schools that responded.

Two Maryland schools that filled out the survey were Goucher College (114) and University of Maryland Baltimore County (156). (Click on the links to read their questionnaires.)

Earlier this month, another Maryland college earned top points on a different green schools ranking. The University of Maryland College Park made the Princeton Review's "2011 Green Rating Honor Roll," meaning it scored a 99 in the rating tallies.

I was impressed by reading about the green initiatives at the various universities on these rankings, but I wonder how much prospective students take that into account when selecting a school. How important are sustainable practices to you? Sound off in the comments.

Posted by Kim Walker at 2:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

B'more's green scene has arrived. Grist, the cheeky online journal of environmental news and commentary, has a piece saying Charm City's become a hotbed of urban agriculture.

"Baltimore's urban agriculture movement has quietly taken off in the past couple of years, with the twin forces of sustainability and economic benefits providing the boost," Christine Chenot writes.

She ticks off a list of initiatives, several of which you may already have read about in The Sun.  There's the Virtual Supermarket project, for instance, a partnership between the city and Santoni's supermarket, in which residents without grocery stores nearby can have healthy food delivered to their neighborhood library branch, where they can pay for it with cash, credit card or food stamps.

The Grist story also spotlights Great Kids Farm, the city schools enterprise in Catonsville that teaches kids how to grow their own healthy foods.  Then there's Real Food Farm, (shown at left) the hoop-greenhouse operation at Clifton Park, and the Hamilton Crop Circle, (pictured at top) the northeast Baltimore initiative planting rooftop gardens on restaurants and stores.  And more.

Of course, teaching kids to grow and eat healthy foods is no substitute for learning to read and write.  Nor will fresh veggies alone solve the city's crime and poverty.  But advocates say they sure can't hurt, bringing people together and empowering them.  

(Baltimore Sun photos by Kim Hairston and Lloyd Fox)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Tired of your gas-hog lawn mower? If you move fast, you can trade it in next weekend at Camden Yards for a battery-powered electric grass cutter.

In a "special arrangement" with the Maryland Department of the Environment and Clean Air Partners, Marylanders can buy a deeply discounted Neuton lawn mower.  You could save up to $324 on a 19-inch bagger-mulcher job that lists for $499.

If you bite, you'll do your small bit to reduce summer smog, as the old mowers get scrapped and recycled.  Gas mowers account for 5 percent of all air pollution in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates.  And an hour of mowing with one produces as much smog-forming pollution as driving 350 miles. 

This green mower may not appeal to all lawn lickers, though.  The Neuton CE 6.4 got a so-so review from Consumer Reports.  Ease of use and handling were pluses, but bagging and mulching "only fair."  CR also found the battery on its tested model only lasted 45 minutes - not suitable for a big yard.  There are other cordless electric mowers CR rated more highly, made by the usual major mower manufacturers.  But then again, you probably won't be able to find one new at the prices offered under this deal.

To get in on the "great mower exchange," participants need to register online, then bring their old gas mower (and the $$) to Camden Yards Lot C on Saturday, Aug. 14 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.  The company's only selling 1,000 of its mowers, so it's first come first served. 

(Neuton photo) 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Maryland's green building gurus have gone suburban. The state chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council has moved its headquarters from a tiny office in downtown Baltimore to more spacious, ultra-green digs in Hunt Valley.

A gaggle of green building enthusiasts and Baltimore County officials gathered yesterday at the entrance to Schilling Green to cut a green ribbon celebrating the council's move into what long ago had been a spice warehouse.   It's been transformed into one of the first office buildings in the Baltimore area to achieve a platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, rating - the highest level given by the national green building council. 

The three-story glass and brick palace boasts a green roof over the entrance, solar panels on top, energy-saving glass and insulation and waterless urinals, among other things.  Plus, there are a bunch of parking spaces near the entrance reserved for hybrid vehicles.

Why move from the city?  And what signal does that send to Baltimore's fledgling green building initiative?

Continue reading "Maryland's green building group goes suburban" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Some Harford County high school students are learning firsthand about green homes - by building them.

The Sun's Dennis Hockman reported over the weekend that students at Harford Technical High School have been teaming up with Harford Habitat for Humanity and local volunteers to build modular homes that meet standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Last year, the fourth in which the students have been working with Habitat to build homes for needy families, they put up one that met the USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for homes.  For the home they're building this year, they started out aiming for gold certification.  But with help from local businesses and the donation of solar panels, they now hope to achieve the highest possible rating, platinum.

(Photo by Matt Button, The Aegis)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

With another steamy week ahead, air conditioners will likely be getting another workout. Or will they? Eco-conscious and/or frugal people are trying to go without air conditioning for as long as they can stand it.

Take Gerald Winegrad. The Chesapeake Bay advocate tells Dan Rodricks that "if the temperature doesn't exceed 88 degrees, we try to go with fans."

And scientist Stan Cox has come out with the book "Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air-Conditioned World (and Finding New Ways to Get Through the Summer)." In it he talks about the country's dependence on air conditioning and offers suggestions for decreasing our reliance. (Read more about his book here.)

I know people who set their thermostat at 80. So what about you? In the comments tell us how high you will go before your air conditioning kicks in and your tips for surviving the heat. On Wednesday, we'll do a random drawing of commenters, and the winner will get packages of energy-efficient light bulbs sent to us from IKEA.

Baltimore Sun file photo

Posted by Kim Walker at 6:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)
Categories: Going Green
        

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)
        

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
        

I just saw this on the CNET blog Green Tech, a cell phone charger that works while you're riding your bike.

It's from Nokia and costs $18. You have to ride at least 4 miles per hour for it to work. It's available online and will be in stores by year's end, the blog says. 

It follows Motorola and Dahon in coming out with bike chargers. But Nokia is the world's largest cell phone maker, so this ought to reach a lot more people.

According to the company, the Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit contains a charger, a holder and a dynamo, or a small electric generator that uses the movement of the wheels to charge the handset through the standard 2mm charging jack used in most Nokia phones.

"Bicycles are the most widespread means of transport in many markets around the world, so this is just one more benefit to be gained from an activity people are already doing. This is a great solution to a real challenge, whether people will use it due to limited access to electricity, or to be more environmentally responsible," Nokia says.

Think this could work? Would you have one charger for the house, one for the car and one for the bike?

Photo courtesy of Nokia

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

My colleague Kelly Brewington has a thoughtful piece in the Baltimore Sun today on the dilemma people face, especially parents, in sorting through the confusing information and advice about the health hazards posed by the many chemicals used to make a panoply of consumer products.

The President's Cancer Panel recently issued a 240-page report warning that "the true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated" and urging steps be taken to reduce people's broad exposure to carcinogens. 

The panel's assertion has been disputed by the American Cancer Society, which argues that lifestyle factors like smoking and diet are the main causes of cancer, and environmental exposures are involved in only a small share of cases.

It's hard to know what to do when even health experts can't agree.  But as Kelly's story points out, some suggest people can and should look for all ways to reduce cancer, stopping or shying away from smoking, eating right and avoiding products with toxic or potentially toxic ingredients.  It can be overwhelming, though, when you consider all the things that are or might be hazardous. 

I felt that way recently after skimming through National Geographic's Green Guide Families, an encyclopedic 400-page rundown on virtually everything about which concerns have been raised, from cell phones to vaccines.  Not one thing did they advise you not to worry about, it seemed, no matter how thin or discounted the evidence of potential harm.  I finished wishing the authors or someone could provide the average person a little triage, at least a ranking of what to avoid or worry about most to least.

On some things, though, many on both sides of the environment/lifestyle cancer debate seem to agree.  More study is needed of toxic substances, and government oversight needs to be tightened to assure the safety of what's in the products we all consume, young and old.  Meanwhile, they suggest at least a little prudent avoidance.

What products do you avoid and why?  Please share if you have any tips for parents ore the rest of us about how to navigate the confusing and conflicting advice about what causes cancer and how to prevent it.

(Baltimore Sun photo by Amy Davis)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

With Baltimore's cruise business growing, here's a sobering report card for green travelers.

Friends of the Earth, in its second annual assessment of the environmental performance of cruise lines, finds many of those "love boats" still pollute the air and water more than they need to, fouling the very places they're taking vacationers to see.

"For the second year in a row, we've found that cruise lines are doing less than they can to limit the environmental impact of their ships," Marcie Keever, the group's Clean Vessels Campaign director, said in a release accompanying the report.

Only a few cruise lines, for example, have retrofitted their ships to plug into available portside electricity when docked, reducing their air pollution. About a third apparently still dump raw or minimally treated sewage overboard.  And only about a third make it easy for prospective customers to learn online about the cruise lines' environmental practices and performance. 

Cruise Lines International Association, an industry group, says on its website that recent pollution violations by cruise ships have served as a wake-up call to member companies to redouble their efforts to improve their environmental performance.

Not much has changed from last year's report card, though. Disney and Royal Caribbean improved their grades, while Holland America and Princess lost groud. 

Of the three rated cruise lines that serve Baltimore, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean got a D-plus, and Carnival a D-minus.   American Cruise Lines, which sails the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic coast from Baltimore, wasn't rated.

To see the ratings, go here.

UPDATE:  The Cruise Lines Industry Association, which disputed the Friends' earlier report card, issued a statement saying this one was flawed and arbitrary as well. The industry group says its ships treat all "blackwater" aka sewage before discharging it, and it contends its members "meet and often exceed all applicable international and federal environmental standards."  For more, go here.

(2009 Baltimore Sun photo by Algerina Perna)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Gov. Martin O'Malley isn't done handing out the 2010 awards under the Smart, Green and Growing program, but he's already calling on residents to nominate next year's winners.

Citizens can nominate their fellow citizens, local governments and organizations for recognition under the program.

“Smart, Green & Growing is both an initiative and a call to arms,” said O’Malley in a statement.  “It is about people –- governments, businesses, citizens and grass roots organizations -- coming together to create a sustainable future for our state."

He said winners were not just taking action, "but creating innovative models for sustainable agriculture, community development, natural resources restoration, smart growth and more.” 

This is the first year that citizens are allowed to make nominations. The categories include: Innovation, Community Activism and Achievement, Community Revitalization/Development/Redevelopment, Excellence in Agricultural Stewardship Award, Buy Local Agricultural Challenge, Youth Education and Awareness, School Siting/Construction/Renovation, Natural Resource Protection, Economic Development and Job Creation, Smart Moves in Transportation, and Sustainable Infrastructure/ Innovation in Stormwater Management. 

For details on the nomination process and criteria go to www.green.maryland.gov.

Continue reading "Know someone smart, green and/or growing? " »

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

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)
        

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)
        

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam)

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

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
        

Earth Hour is upon us again. At 8:30 p.m. local time on Saturday (March 27), people around the world will be turning off their lights for an hour as a show of support for taking action on climate change.  Will you be one of them?

Begun in 2007 in Australia, the global demonstration is organized by the World Wildlife Fund, which says nearly a billion people joined in last year.  Iconic structures like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Sydney’s Opera House, the Great Pyramids of Gaza and New York’s Empire State Building go dark for an hour.  As the time-lapse footage above of Shanghai shows, lights even get turned out in China, which now emits more climate-altering carbon dioxide than the United States.

Here in Baltimore, the lights will go out at City Hall and six nearby municipal buildings for an hour.  Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake issued a press release encouraging residents and businesses to join the effort, noting that energy conservation is a money saver as well as a help for the climate. The average Baltimore home could save $250 a year by trimming its energy consumption 15 percent, she points out.

Is anyone else turning out their lights for Earth Hour?  Videos of the event are being uploaded here on YouTube.   And for the Twitterati, the hashtag is '#earthhour'

Continue reading "Switching it off for the Earth" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Thought about greening your house? Collecting to runoff from your roof or composting? Need some help getting started?

The Herring Run Watershed Association , at 3545 Belair Road, has some workshops coming up (if you miss these, just check back in a bit for the next class).

The next rain barrel workshop is from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. March 18. You'll learn about construction and installation and build your own barrel. It will collect storm water runoff that would wash into area waterways and save municipal water if you use it on the garden. Cost is $55 for members and $65 for non-members. Email Ashley to register at atraut@herringrun.org or call 410-254-1577 ext. 103.

The vermiculture workshop is from 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. March 24. You'll learn about worms and build your own worm "condo." This saves on garbage when you let the worms do their thing instead of throwing away table scraps. The program is $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Same contact.

Baltimore Sun file photo

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

Ever drink a soda on a plane? Plenty of people do, and most of the resulting waste, coupled with waste made on the ground, is not recycled.  

Nearly 500 million pounds could be recycled and isn't, including half of the waste made in flight, according to a report from Green America's responsibleshopper.org.

Some airlines do some recycling, the group says. But not enough. There's lots of food that can be composted and lost of wrapping getting thrown away.

The group ranks airlines (from best to worst): Delta Airlines, Virgin America, Virgin Atlantic, Southwest, Continental, Jet Blue, American, British Airways, Air Tran, United and US Airways. 

"For concerned consumers looking to spend their travel dollars wisely, airline waste may be the ultimate example of ‘what goes up must come down,’" said Victoria Kreha, Green America Responsible Shopper lead researcher, in a statement. "The good news is that airlines are starting to pay attention to recycling; the bad news is that they have a long way to go to improve the situation.

The report looked at five areas: variety in waste recycled, future in-flight recycling plans, size of in-flight recycling program, education/encouragement of employees in onboard recycling programs, other in-flight sustainability initiatives and provides overall rankings.  No one got a grade higher than a B- overall.

About three-quarters of in-flight waste is recyclable, but only 20 percent is recycled, the group says.

The stuff tossed amounts to enough aluminum cans to build 58 Boeing 747 jets, and enough newspaper and magazines to cover a football field 230 meters deep. Recycling would also create jobs, the group says, citing a report that recycling creates six times as many jobs as sending stuff to the landfill. And some airlines aren't even living up to their own recycling policies, the group found.

Read the full report at http://www.greenamericatoday.org/go/AirlineRecyclingReport/. 

Baltimore Sun file photo of recycling bins at BWI airport/Jed Kirschbaum

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

If you're among those who worried about dumping dirty snow in the harbor, here's a chance to get involved in long-term cleanup of Baltimore's troubled waters. There's a workshop tomorrow (Saturday, Feb. 20) aimed at crafting a plan for reducing the torrents of trash and filthy water washing into the harbor from the streets and yards of southeast Baltimore.

The half-day session, originally planned for last Saturday, was rescheduled because of our blizzards. Sponsored by the Baltimore Harbor Watershed Association, the session will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Casimir's Hall in Canton. St. Casimir's is at 2716 O'Donnell St., on the corner of O'Donnell and Kenwood Avenuve.

Residents and neighborhood leaders from Canton all the way inland to Clifton Park are invited to come talk about the problem and how to make the harbor and their neighborhoods cleaner and more livable - starting by keeping trash out of storm drains, as shown in the above photo.  Helping with the workshop are the Center for Watershed Protection, Morgan State University and Parks & People Foundation.  For more on the effort, go here.

For those who want to get a taste of how the harbor has changed over time, Dr. Ray Bahr, a retired cardiologist, amateur historian and watershed activist, is giving a lecture Saturday afternoon at the Canton Library about the history of the area, once known as Harris Creek.  See you there!

(Photo by Steve Ruark/Special to The Baltimore Sun)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, Events, Going Green, News, Urban Issues, Volunteer
        

Today, a bunch of legislators and business people plan to show their support for three solar related bills being considered by the General Assembly by gathering in a state office building and explaining how they will make it easier to use solar power, how they will create jobs and how they will lessen dependence on fossil fuels, according to Environment Maryland and the Maryland Energy Administration.

Environment Maryland says a quarter of Maryland homes are ready for solar panels that could capture energy that is now going unused. The group cites information from the International Center for Sustainable Development that shows the state gets about 196,000 gigawatt-hours of solar energy on a sunny summer day. That's more than what's produced at the state's mostly coal-fired power plants here in a year.

The move could reduce greenhouse gases and air pollution, as well as make energy distribution more efficient by creating it locally. It could also save consumers money and create local jobs, the group said.

Environment Maryland describes the three bills this way:

First, Gov. O’Malley has introduced legislation that would require a quicker ramp-up of the solar portion of the state’s renewable portfolio standard. This would mean that utilities would have to get a greater percentage of their energy portfolio from solar power sooner, which would jumpstart job creation and cut down on our emission of greenhouse gases.

Second, Del. Hecht and Sen. Middleton are leading an effort to introduce legislation that would give municipalities the means by which to loan people money for solar and other clean energy projects at very low interest rates, resulting in more homeowners taking advantage of the clean, reliable electricity that solar energy generation provides.

Finally, Dels. Pinsky and Hecht are working on "net-metering" legislation, which would require utilities to pay customers back for surplus energy they create with the solar panels on their roofs.

The state and federal government already do offer incentives for people to get panels as well as make other energy saving upgrades. Anyone of you have panels now? Anyone think they'll get them? Will these bills help?

Baltimore Sun file photo of solar panels/Jed Kirschbaum

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (42)
Categories: Going Green
        

Check out this YouTube video sent to me via Baltimore Spokes. A guy took old bike and lawnmower parts and hooked them up to a couple of shovels he got at the hardware store. It seems efficient and good for the environment and the waisteline. Think we could use something like this now?

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Going Green
        

If you're truly green, it isn't something you trot out just for Earth Day. So with the card-makers' and florists' favorite holiday bearing down on us, here are a few tips we've seen recently for showing your love for Mother Nature as well as your sweetheart on Valentine's Day.

Make a fancy dinner at home. Instead of dining out, cook your own Valentine's feast, suggests Jessica Harlan at RecycleBank. Or break with tradition, she says, and give your true love a potted plant instead of a dozen red roses, with all the environmental baggage they may carry.

Rather than rush to the store for a big heart-shaped box of sweets for your sweet, Harlan advises, why not make your own truffles? She links to a few recipes here. If you're cooking-challenged (guys), she strongly suggests you shop for organic, fair-trade chocolates. Here's a rundown of brands, courtesy of Mother Earth News.

In the DIY tradition, Harlan also urges the truly green make their own jewelry and cards, rather than buy them. And if you simply must say it with diamonds, she instructs you to insist on conflict-free stones. For those more inclined to fashion gifts, she also advises where to find eco-friendly lingerie, made of bamboo (!), organic cotton, hemp and silk.

Finally, the truly committed earth lover could always skip the conventional gift- and card-giving altogether and make a green statement in his or her true love's honor. One heart-fluttering option - adopt a fin or humpback whale.

For as little as $40 per whale ($50 for a mother and calf pair), your adoption would support the College of the Atlantic's research on cetaceans. Your intended wouldn't be empty-handed, either. He or she would get a photograph of "an individually identfied whale", a personalized adoption certificate and a handy waterproof field guide to whales.

Sadly, the opportunity for this unusually green expression of love has already past - orders had to be placed by Feb. 10. But if you think it's neat anyway, here's the link.

Of course, many of these green alternatives for Valentine's Day take a little extra time and effort.  If you don't have any of those to spare, you can always take comfort as you crowd the card and candy counters in thinking about how you're stimulating our lagging economy.   And remember, it's the thought that counts.

For more to do (and buy) on Valentine's Day, check out this site at baltimoresun.com

(Valentine: AP Photo/The Rawlins Daily Times, Kathy Johnson; Whale: 2006 AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

While everyone's no doubt heard that 2010 is the year electric cars are to debut in the United States, it hasn't happened yet. So for now, at least, the greenest cars on the market are still Honda's natural-gas powered Civic GX and hybrids like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic.

That's according to the latest annual ranking of the "greenest" and "meanest" vehicles by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

The all-electric Chevrolet Volt, shown above on display at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, and Nissan Leaf aren't scheduled to appear on the market until the latter half of the year.

Other cars making the group's greenest top 12 for the first time include: Honda Insight, the Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan Hybrid and the Hyundai Accent Blue.

While "clean diesel" cars are hot in Europe, they aren't making much of a dent in the US market, the group reports, probably because of the steep sticker price.

ACEEE's "meanest" listing of least fuel-efficient vehicles hasn't changed much either, including heavy-duty trucks and SUVs and luxury European vehicles like the Lamborghini Murcielago.

To see all the listings and read the report, go here.

(Photo: Bloomberg)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

There's recycled carpet and bamboo flooring and probably a bunch of other ways to cover your floors in an eco-friendly manner. B'More Green reader Jen pointed out this "carpet," featured on the "Interior Design" Design Green blog.

It's really really more of a planter made of biodegradable fabric spun from moss. And I'm not sure you're supposed to walk on it.

Inhabitat, another blog about sustainable interior design spotted it at the Milan Furniture Show and said it's made by a Japanese company  named Terramac.

Terramac makes all kinds of other products from plant material: tea bags, garbage bags, clothes. But wouldn't it be nice to run your toes through this stuff?

Photo courtesy of Inhabitat

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

As the first decade of the new millenium draws to a close, here's our look back at some of the biggest stories in Baltimore and beyond about the environment and green living. Feel free to remind us of those we overlooked.

FIRE DOWN BELOW: A freight train carrying hazardous chemicals derails and catches fire in a century-old rail tunnel beneath Howard Street in July 2001, triggering a water main break and power outage that paralyzes downtown for days, sending thousands of workers home and canceling Orioles games. Though hydrochloric acid leaked from one car, there were no explosions or releases of more toxic chemicals, and no one was seriously hurt. The city and CSX Transportation blame each other for the disaster, which reveals not only the fragility of our infrastructure but the risks of routine transportation of hazardous materials through heavily populated areas. (Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam)

SNAKEHEADS! Dubbed "Frankenfish" for its reputed ability to breathe air and "walk" short distances out of water, the northern snakehead turns up in June 2002 in a Crofton pond. State poisons the pond in what proves to be a vain attempt to eradicate this highly invasive import from Asia. More are caught two years later in a Wheaton pond and then in the Potomac River. They are just the most sensational of a rogues' gallery of troublemaking exotics found during the decade, including emerald ash borers, mitten crabs and most recently Didymo, freshwater algae discovered in western Maryland that can blanket stream bottoms with slimy grayish mats. (Baltimore Sun photo by Amy Davis)

BAY BLUES: Far short of the goals they'd set to clean up the bay, states and the federal government agree in June 2000 to new goals for reducing pollution fouling the water and for restoring the estuary's fish and grasses, this time by 2010. By late 2007, though, officials acknowledge they're not even going to come close, as polluted runoff from farms and development remains largely uncontrolled. States pledge to accelerate restoration work and hold themselves more accountable, but set 2025 as their new cleanup target date. President Obama in May 2009 declares bay a national treasure and orders federal agencies to take lead in lagging cleanup effort. Blue crabs, meanwhile, suffer perilous decline through decade and prompt severe catch restrictions, leading to a federal disaster declaration for bay's crabbing industry. Crabs begin to rebound as decade ends, though catch curbs remain. Virginia and Maryland eye Asian oysters after diseases and pollution devastate native bivalves; but scientific concerns about another non-native introduction kill the idea. (Baltimore Sun photo by Glenn Fawcett)

CHANGING CLIMATE: UN-backed scientific panel that's been studying earth's climate since 1980s reports in 2001 that there's new and stronger evidence that planet is warming and most of it stems from human activities such as burning fossil fuels. In 2007, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issues even stronger update, finding warming "unequivocal" and humans "very likely" the main cause. Bush administration opts for more study. Maryland joins other states in adopting own goals for reducing planet-warming greenhouse gases and participates in regional "cap and trade" curbs on power plant emissions. Obama pledges US action, but UN-backed talks in Denmark in December 2009 fail to agree on new global compact.

Continue reading "A decade worth of green" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

 Do dogs take a bigger bite out of the Earth than gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles? That's the contention of a pair of academics in New Zealand, who figure that a medium-sized dog has twice the eco-footprint of a Toyota Land Cruiser.

In Time to Eat the Dog, the real guide to sustainable living, Robert and Brenda Vale calculate that it takes roughly 2.1 acres to produce all the meat and grains consumed by a typical medium-sized pet pooch in a year, compared with about an acre needed to produce the energy burned in the SUV. 

The pair, architects who specialize in sustainable living at Victoria University in Wellington, don't just pick on dogs, but go after all pets as another form of conspicuous consumption that's taking a toll on the planet. They suggest those who care about living sustainably but just can't live without a pet consider sharing one with others.  Or, they add, get pets that serve a dual purpose, of companionship and food, like say, hens.

Hmm, our two Corgis better watch out.

For more on this, go here and here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Books, Going Green, News
        

We need your help. We're working on a story about people who are going green at the holidays -- everything from recycling wrapping paper or not using paper at all to replanting or mulching their tree to sending e-cards instead of paper ones to buying local for presents.

I'm sure there are a lot of other ways to green the holidays, too.

If you'd like to offer up yourself or your greenie family member or friend for this article, please email me today or tomorrow at meredith.cohn@baltsun.com, or post here and I can contact you.

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Baltimore Sun file photo of a tree going into the chipper/Kim Hairston

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

Remember Edmonston? That's the little blue-collar town in the inner suburbs of Washington doing an extreme "green" makeover of its main drag to cut down on polluted rain water washing off the pavement into the Anacostia River.

Well, Edmonston's home to some green businesses, too, it seems.  And they're having a green gift fair this month, with a special show of reclaimed and recycled craftwork on Saturday. (Dec. 19)

Community Forklift, which bills itself as a 40,000-square foot "thrift store for home improvement," takes renovation lefotvers and gently used building materials, while providing donors with a tax deduction.  Then it sells the the materials at prices up to 90 percent below what they go for at retail outlets.  (Not unlike The Loading Dock, Baltimore's longtime center for recycling building materials.)  It's been joined in a large warehouse there by businesses selling reconditioned appliances, sustainable lumber, green home and garden products, and solar technology, among others.

This Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (weather permitting), there'll be a clutch of artisans there, including a woodworker and toymaker, jewelry makers, a stained-glass artisan and a photographer who uses scrap wood to frame her work.  There'll also be Christmas ornaments made by volunteers from salvaged hardware on display and for sale (maybe even like the granite tree ornaments pictured above, as seen on the company's Web site?)

For directions and more info, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Buy local, Events, Going Green, Shopping
        

A new University of Maryland study show that if residents improve their home heating efficiency, the state would benefit economically and environmentally in a big way.

The report was commissioned by the Maryland Department of the Environment and conducted by the university's Center for Integrative Environmental Research and others. It projects that state assistance in buying energy-efficient natural gas furnaces and water heaters and in upgrading insulation would produce:

-80,000 new jobs over 10 years;

-$11 billion in economic activity over 10 years;

-a 9 percent reduction in carbon emissions over 10 years;

-savings for homeowners of up to $400 in the first year.

“You might call this ‘cash-for-clunkers’ home-style,” said Matthias Ruth, the principal investigator and CIER director, in a statement.

“Trading in your clunker of a furnace or heater can make good economic and environmental sense for everyone concerned. We’re missing some big opportunities to lower home heating bills, improve the Maryland economy and reduce carbon emissions.”

State environmental officials asked for the report to help them decide how to spend expected revenue from its participation in the regional cap-and-trade program (pollution emitters buy permits). 

In the report, researchers concluded:

Continue reading "UM report: home heating efficiency saves big" »

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Going Green
        

I just saw a mention in OnEarth, a magazine produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council about a open-source database under construction now that will let shoppers find the products that are the most environmental based on their entire lifecycle -- including the materials used, transportation required, disposability, etc.

It's called Earthster, and it's being put together by Gregory Norris, a Harvard lecturer who co-wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times recently about the importance of looking at the whole lifecycle of a product for its environmental and social implications. That is, the importance to consumers, who want to know if one green product is more green than another, and to the manufacturers themselves, who can learn about money-saving and customer-enticing processes.

In the times article, he talks about the stainless steel bottle, which is much more harmful to produce than the plastic bottle because of the fossil fuels, emissions, metals, toxic risks, etc. Only if you use it 50 times then the climate impacts are much better than a plastic bottle used once.

No sure when the database will be up and running, but the NRDC says Walmart is a big funder and will be among the first retailers to roll out the system. So, stay tuned. The labelling may get really specific and really useful.

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

Why not get a head start on out with the old before the New Year begins? Perhaps someone in your orbit is wishing for a new laptop this holiday season? If so, gather all of those soon-to-be unwanted electronics and set them aside for Whole Foods in Mt. Washington.

On Saturday, Jan. 9 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Esquire Environmental Services, which offers certified and safe personal computer recycling, will be stationed in the parking lot behind the Starbucks (next to the Whole Foods) to collect any of the following:

•Desktop computers
•Keyboards and mice
•Laptop computers
•Mainframe computer systems, CRTs, and monitors
•Modems and telephone boards
•Hard drives, floppy disks, and CD ROMs
•Phones, fax machines, and telecommunications hardware
•Printers
•Computer boards, CPUs, and memory chips
•Circuit boards
•Connecting wires and cables

Whole Foods in Mount Washington is located at 1330 Smith Avenue. Visit their website for more information and make this post-holiday season as green as it can be.

Image courtesy of Southernpixel

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 2:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Events, Going Green
        

My husband Doug, a frequent commuter from Baltimore to Washington, just snapped a photo of the new bike parking in Union Station. It's got lockers, repair and other stuff in there, too.

The Washington Post story from this summer says it cost $4 million to build and secures 150 bikes inside and 20 outside. It costs bikers $1 a day from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. or $100 a year.

We've talked a lot about bike safety and bike security. What are the chances of getting something like this at Penn Station or downtown? Would you use it? Would you pay for it?

Photo by Doug Beizer

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

 Back in August, we told you that the state was receiving stimulus money to develop their own "Cash for Appliances" program. Details hadn't been worked out until now.

According to the folks at Consuming Interests, the program will begin in March. What appliances qualify for rebates?

• $300 for Energy Star electric heat pump water heaters

• $25 for qualifying washers and refrigerators and $50 for clothes washers (which could be combined with $50 rebates from BGE)

So, will these rebates entice you to buy a new water heater, washer or refrigerator?

Can't decide? Energy Star's web site offers a "Refrigerator Retirement" calculator to determine how much you would save if you switch.

Speaking of shopping, the Associated Press is reporting that solar panels are coming to retail stores such as Lowe's soon. The story warns that even if you are handy, the process isn't easy. A lot of paperwork comes along with installing panels. They are being sold now in California. There is no time frame yet when it will expand to other markets.

Baltimore Sun file photo

Posted by Kim Walker at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Going Green, Shopping
        

In the holiday spirit of sharing, here's a guest post from Frank Roylance, the Baltimore Sun's weather and science maven:

'Tis the season for grappling with those big white blocks of featherweight polystyrene that kept your new computer or flat-screen TV safe from harm on Santa’s sleigh. Huge volumes of the ubiquitous packing material will get stuffed into trash bags and garbage cans en route to their eternal rest in landfills where, by one government estimate, they take up one-third of the total volume of buried waste. All that plastic foam comes from petroleum, and it never really goes away.

But a pair of young entrepreneurs from Vermont say they’ve invented a “green” alternative (pictured at right)made from agricultural waste and mushrooms. After their product has done its job, they say, you could put it in your garden and watch it break down and enrich the soil.

Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre are the founders of EcovativeDesign, a New York company that manufactures a hard foam-like packaging material they call EcoCradle, which they say could eventually replace polystyrene - the generic name for foam packing material commonly (but mistakenly) called Styrofoam - which is actually a proprietary Dow Chemical Co. insulating product.

Continue reading "Hold the foam - greener packing on the way?" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Going Green, Products
        

Two Mt. Washington couples who participated in a "home energy challenge" aired on NBC's Today Show are on course to save $500 to $1,000 in energy costs in the coming year, the network reports.

Betsy Ringel and Kirk Kolodner and Joan and John Goldman did some fairly simple, relatively inexpensive things, such as installing compact fluorescent lightbulbs, adjusting their thermostats and caulking and weather-stripping leaky doors, windows and crawlspaces.

In the video below, both couples say feel more environmentally conscious as a result of their conservation steps and are ready to do more.

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

A seahorse and squid made of rope and Styrofoam won the grand prize at the eighth annual "Rethink Recycling" sculputre contest held by the Maryland Department of the Environment today.

The contest aims to encourage high schoolers to recycle by using trash to make art. The event is part of America Recycles Day, an annual effort to raise awareness of the benefits --social, environmental, and economic -- of buying recycled products and recycling.

First Lady Katie O'Malley awarded the prizes to the squid and seahorse, as well as a trash truck, baskets, a tree, and a peacock. There were more than 50 entries from 19 high schools in Maryland. The students used such items as VCR tapes, bottle caps, lawnmower wheels, cans, paper and cigarette butts.

“These sculptures are a testament to the value of art in educating the public, and they are a visual reminder of the need to recycle and to protect our environment,” O'Malley said. “I congratulate all of the participants for their creativity and ingenuity.”

MDE Secretary Shari T. Wilson said, "Reducing waste helps to protect our waters and the Chesapeake Bay. In addition to preserving natural resources and reducing pollution, recycling saves energy and reduces the greenhouses gases that contribute to climate change.”

Philip Custer, from Broadneck High School in Anne Arundel County -- and seen above in a photo courtesy of the MDE -- made his squid and a seahorse from rope, bottles, a mattress, pine cones, Styrofoam, wire and plastic bottles. He won a television and a Blue Ray player.

Continue reading "America Recycles Day inspires art from trash " »

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 5:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

The Baltimore Running Festival people, like many other major race organizers, decided this was the year to really make an effort on the environmental front. And they just reported their final numbers from the race that drew 20,000 runners out for the day.

Here's the breakdown:

*75 percent of waste either recycled or composted;

*16,640 pounds of material recycled;

*2,200 pound of material composted;

*150 pounds of heatsheets recycled;

*162 pairs of shoes recycled through Soles 4 Souls;

*48.3 tons of carbon offset;

*3 hybrid and 1 electric vehicles used;

*210 gallons of biodiesel used;

*100 trees planted.

Runners also received new Under Armour shirts made from recycled materials.

So, anyone have any feedback? Did they do a good job? Anything more they could have done?

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

Susan Reimer over at Garden Variety is blogging about the installation of her rain garden. She has a low corner in her yard where heavy rain will wash dirt, mulch, nitrogen and roof pollutants into a nearby storm drain.

So if you're considering installing one, you can follow her progress and get some tips at Garden Variety.

Does anyone have a rain garden already? Tell us about it in the comments and share your photos here.

Photo by Susan Reimer

Posted by Kim Walker at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

USA Today writes today from Detroit, where a three-day conference is going on about the future of plug-in hybrid electric cars. The big question going around is: Who would buy one?

The concensus among industry people and observers is no one, unless they're fun.

Fun?

Wouldn't the answer be people who 1)care about the planet and 2)care about saving gas and 3)have a lot of extra money to spend and 4)don't have a super long commute.

But maybe the thrill is the No. 1 thing for drivers. That would explain sports cars capable of going 50 miles over the speed limit. And maybe even Nascar.

The car guys did acknowledge that the plug-ins would be expensive, at least until the cars are bought in large numbers. And that people wouldn't want them if they couldn't rely on them to make it from home to work.

So, what would make you buy one of these plug-ins?

AFP/Getty photo of a plug-in hybird car from this year's car show in Japan

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Going Green
        

San Francisco's law requiring everyone to compost takes effect today. Residents now have three trash bins: blue for recycling, green for compost and black for trash.

Comments on the San Francisco Chronicle's story range from words of support to worries about rats, big brother and scavengers. I wonder what the reaction would be if Baltimore passed a similar law?

What do you think? Should more cities and states follow San Francisco and require composting just like they require recycling?

(AP photo)

Posted by Kim Walker at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Going Green
        

The Associated Press has an interesting follow-up on Colin Beavan and his family, who spent a year trying to have zero impact on the environment. The story looks at what the family is doing now that the year is over.

They've mostly stuck to shopping at farmers' markets, they still don't have a TV, and they mostly use their bikes. But they use toilet paper again (sorry, but I see that as a good thing), buy some packaged items from the grocery store and take some flights for work and to visit family.

This week is the HuffPost's 'No Impact Week', where people pledge to reduce their eco-footprint.  Have you signed up? How low-impact would you go or have you gone? Share your examples with us.

(AP photo of Colin Beavan, Michelle Conlin, their 4-year-old daughter, Isabella) 

Posted by Kim Walker at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Going Green
        

The numbers from the Baltimore Running Festival are in from the folks at Corrigan Sports:

--They collected 3.7 tons, or 7,440 pounds, of single stream recycled items such as bottles.

--They collected 1.1 tons, or 2,020 pounds, of compostable items such as cups and banana peels.

That's a lot of trash diverted from the landfill. They say they are happy with the numbers, which will serve as a baseline for future festivals. 

The efforts to collect the refuse from some 20,000 runners were aided by event sponsors Aquafina, which offered bottles that uses 50 percent less plastic at the event, and Under Armour, which handed out race shirts to participants that were made from 100 percent recycled materials.

They were also aided by a big group of volunteers and everyone who participated in the day's events: a marathon, half marathon, 5K and relay. Pretty amazing that people can run that far and still manage to toss their cup in the right bin.

So, did you help the effort? Think they labelled the bins well enough? What should the organizers do next year?

Baltimore Sun photo from the marathon/Kim Hairston 

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

Community "greeners" get feted on Wednesday (Oct. 21) at Parks & People Foundation's 14th annual Greening Celebration at the Inner Harbor.

The event, to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, 701 E. Pratt St., also marks the 25th anniversary of Parks & People.  The foundation has worked since 1984 to restore Baltimore's neighborhoods, expand and improve the city's parks and green spaces, notably the Gwynns Falls Trail, as well as engage youth in sports and the environment.

Admission is free, but RSVP’s are requested. For details, contact Simone Martell at (410) 448-5663 ext. 119 or simone.martell@parksandpeople.org 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Events, Going Green
        

The AP is reporting that wood and wood pellet stoves are growing in popularity as secondary heating sources. The story's pretty timely given that Frank Roylance over at Maryland Weather is reporting predictions that Maryland is in for the coldest, snowiest winter since 2002-2003.

The story says that depending on the household, these stoves, which go for $3,000-$4,500, can help cut energy costs. And the federal government is offering a 30 percent tax rebate in 2009 and 2010 for purchases of wood or pellet stoves that meet a 75 percent efficiency requirement.

Is anyone considering getting one? For those who already own one, have you found that it helped with energy costs?

(Photo of Lennox T300P pellet-burning stove courtesy of Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association)

Posted by Kim Walker at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Going Green, Products