The Potomac River Association
and
The Center for the Study of Democracy
The Potomac River Association (PRA) in conjunction with the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) at St. Mary’s College of Maryland is pleased to hold the first annual competition for the Jansson Prize for Environmental Writing. Dedicated to the memory of Holger, Mary and Eric Jansson and their contributions to the betterment of the environment and culture of St. Mary’s County, the prize will be awarded each year to the best essay on important topics related to the environment and environmental affairs.
The 2010 topic asks for essays reflecting on the relationship between property rights and Maryland’s critical areas regulations.
HEALTHY PLATE, HEALTHY PLANET!
Take the Buy Local Challenge July 17 – 25, 2010
What if you could make one simple change every day for a week that would have a positive impact on your health, your local economy and the health of the planet? Join the thousands across Maryland who will take the Buy Local Challenge (“I pledge to eat at least one item from a local farm every day during Buy Local Week”) from July 17 – 25 and enjoy food that’s fresh and nutritious while you support local farmers.
The Buy Local Challenge (always the last full week in July) will celebrate its fourth anniversary in 2010. One of several SMADC programs geared to boost the local farm economy the Challenge was designed to highlight the environmental, health and economic benefits farms provide. Participants are encouraged to shop at farms, farm stands, farmers’ markets and grocers that offer locally grown food and wine, and dine at restaurants that include local farm food and wine in their menus.
“The Buy Local Challenge is gaining incredible momentum,” said Christine Bergmark, executive director of the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC). “It’s easy for anyone to make this simple commitment; individuals, families, even businesses and institutions”, she commented. “But our goal is also to remind people that local farms need consumer support to thrive and ensure they survive for future generations. We see this Buy Local Challenge concept spreading beyond Maryland and continuing to fuel the growing trend toward healthy choices for ourselves and our planet.”
The Buy Local Challenge Web site www.buy-local-challenge.com includes an interactive feature that allows participants to make a more official commitment to ‘take the challenge and be counted’ by adding their name to the up-to-the-minute tally of people who have pledged to eat local during the 2010 Buy Local Week. Those who take the official pledge receive a personalized, downloadable certificate.
There are many ways to get involved in the Buy Local Challenge beyond taking the pledge and shopping for locally grown food during Buy Local Week. Many restaurants and stores are featuring ‘local’ menus and locally grown foods and wines, and businesses and organizations are encouraging members to take the challenge as a group. Close to one third of Maryland’s hospitals participated in the 2009 Buy Local Challenge offering locally grown food in their cafeterias and hosting farmers’ markets on their premises during Buy Local Week.
The Buy Local Challenge Web site also incorporates a separate, interactive sub-site (the BLC Online Community) designed to host user-generated content. This site allows users from anywhere in the nation to upload information about BLC events, submit photos, tips or recipes, to chat or generally interact with other users across the country. Participants can also download free resource material including official BLC logo files, fliers and generic press releases. This sets the stage for a cohesive nationwide annual observance of Buy Local Challenge Week throughout the U.S.
The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) was established to promote diverse, market-driven agricultural enterprises, which coupled with agricultural land preservation, will preserve Southern Maryland’s environmental resources and rural character while keeping the region’s farmland productive and the agricultural economy vibrant. To learn more about additional programs and resources, contact SMADC, P. O. Box 745, Hughesville, MD 20637; phone: 301-274-1922; fax: 301-274-1924; email cbergmark@smadc.com; or visit www.smadc.com.
Chris Parts of the Maryland Chapter of the US Green Building Council congratulates Dr. Michael Martirano and Kim Summers on Evergreen Elementary School achieving LEED Gold certification.
LEONARDTOWN, MD – During the November 3, 2009, dedication ceremony for Evergreen Elementary School, the United States Green Building Council recognized St. Mary’s County Public Schools for their outstanding achievement in designing and building Evergreen Elementary School and named the school as a Gold-rated Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) project. LEED is the nation’s premier program for design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. Only some 3,400 buildings nationwide are LEED certified, with only 1,100 of them achieving gold certification. Evergreen Elementary School is the first LEED primary school in St. Mary’s County.
“We are extremely pleased with our final product,” said Dr. Michael J. Martirano, superintendent of schools.”Not only is Evergreen Elementary an example of energy conservation at its best, but it is also a hands-on learning environment for every student who walks through its doors. I thank every partner who played a role in the funding, design, and construction of this magnificent facility which is certain to serve as a prototype for future school construction throughout the state.”
The Evergreen Elementary design utilizes the LEED scorecard and includes a geothermal pilot project in which a portion of the two-story section of the building has geothermal heating and cooling and the other portion has a more traditional system. This allows for comparison to see if the future schools in our county should have geothermal heating and cooling, and also provides an opportunity for the students to evaluate the systems as instructional components. The building is also designed with natural daylighting in all instructional spaces. Evergreen Elementary School is unique because it incorporates green building concepts, and uses those concepts as teaching tools for a greener tomorrow.
Polluters are lobbying hard to weaken the ‘Cap & Trade Climate Change Initiative’ bill, in ways that will waste our best chance for a clean energy economy. Congress claims they aren’t hearing enough from us!!! Let’s tell them how we feel-we have only two weeks!!!
Come join your neighbors at a special power point presentation on the original bill, the bill’s current status, and how we can make our voices heard over the special interests’ lobbyists’ voices.
DATE: Monday, June 8
TIME: 6:30-8:00pm
WHERE: Charlotte Hall Library Meeting Room
WHAT: Update & Take-Action Meeting on the Waxman-Markey bill (a.k.a. the Cap & Trade Climate Change Initiative).
At this moment, we have an opportunity to help our country make great strides in curbing global warming with this unprecedented bill that is now being debated on the house floor. It is under attack by special interests (big polluters) as it struggles to survive. By July it will all be over. Learn the latest status of the bill’s progress, plus join in a letter & fax-writing campaign to support the bill’s passage in congress. If we do nothing, we go backwards, and none of us can afford that.
This is a quick 20 minute talk on urban sprawl and how we need to redesign our cities in response to the coming end of oil. Kunstler clearly and concisely states we will not be saved by some great technology soon to be discovered. We must change our behavior drastically, redesign our cities, and invest in public infrastructure. Furthermore we must stop referring to ourselves as consumers and become responsible, neighborly citizens. The days of the 3000 mile Caesar salad are numbered.
Warning: Mr. Kunstler drops the F-bomb during his discussion and has some other commentary that may not be suitable for children.
Saint Mary’s County Quality of Life & Stormwater: A Citizens Guide to Preserving Aquatic Assets by Maximizing Stormwater Management Benefits
The Association approved and commissioned the publication of this citizens guide and the accompanying training presentation in response to the critical area report developed by Community & Environmental Defense Services (CEDS).
CEDS recommended developing a program to recruit and train volunteers in methods for evaluating stormwater facilities for maintenance needs. In the past, similar programs have been highly effective in both identifying key opportunities to enhance environmental protection and in generating a countywide base of public support. This support then made it possible for government agencies to enhance existing protection efforts or to launch new initiatives. The Association approved the recommendation and commissioned the publication of this citizens guide and the accompanying training presentation.
Green Southern Maryland promotes environmental awareness within the Southern Maryland region of Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's counties by providing environmental news, a calendar of events, a directory of green organizations and businesses, discussion forums and more. The site provides a single aggregating point for environmental activities in the Southern Maryland region serving as a supplement and link to the many environmental resources, organizations, and businesses that are currently serving the community. Green Southern Maryland is dedicated to environmental awareness, community building and sustainable living. When someone is new to the community, or simply woke up one day and decided they wanted to save the world, GreenSomd.com will point them in the direction of regional organizations, activities and businesses working toward an ecologically balanced and sustainable future.
