Chesapeake Bay Town Hall Meeting - Annapolis - Aug. 11

Following President Obama’s executive order on May 12, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and other federal officials are writing plans for watershed-wide restoration efforts. The EPA is also in the process of developing a regulatory pollution budget for the Bay watershed, known as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL).

The Chesapeake Bay Town Hall Meeting will provide a forum to show your support for strong standards, enforceable pollution limits, and increased accountability. Details below:

WHEN:
Tuesday, Aug. 11, 6:30-8:00pm

WHERE:
St. Philip's Episcopal Church 730 Bestgate Road, Annapolis, MD 21401

WHO:
Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator, invited
Chuck Fox, EPA Senior Advisor on the Chesapeake Bay
Will Baker, President, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Dr. Don Boesch, President, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Rev. Rick Edmund, United Methodist Churches, Smith Island
Brad Heavner, State Director, Environment Maryland

CONTACT:
Tommy Landers, Environment Maryland, 410-467-0439
Terry Cummings, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 410-268-8816

Environment Maryland
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Choose Clean Water Campaign
Sierra Club Maryland Chapter
Clean Water Action
Growth Action of Anne Arundel County

RSVP
www.environmentmaryland.org/baytownhall

Reflections on NOAA and B-WET

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) first national B-WET Conference. B-WET (Bay Watershed Education and Training) is a grant program administered by NOAA which funds professional development for educators as well as Meaningful Watershed Education Experiences (MWEE) for students. The program, which began in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, is now offered in seven regions which include Hawaii, California, the Pacific Northwest, the Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes, and the Northeast. The conference provided grant recipients an opportunity to share and learn from each other, gain substantive and current scientific knowledge and data from NOAA scientists, help guide the future of the B-WET program, and understand more completely the people and programs that make up NOAA.

NOAA has a treasure trove of information that educators can use to supplement and enhance their curricula. Here is a sampling:

Data for your Classroom
Climate Change Reports
Lesson Plans
Activity Books
Monitoring Procedures
Teacher at Sea Books
Curriculums - Elementary and High School
Coastal Population Trends
Nutrient Data from your Watershed

Want something, but can't find it? The scientists and other professsionals at NOAA are accessible and responsive. The Administration just completed a 20-Year Education Strategic Plan. That is a testament of their commitment to getting data into the hands of the public. I encourage you to visit www.noaa.gov and take advantage of the wonderful resource.

Submitted by Bronwyn Mitchell

Put Your Best Foot(wear) Forward

Donate Your Shoes
Reduce the Waste Stream
Help Someone in Need

MAEOE and Soles4Souls are teaming up at next year's conference with an easy way to help reduce the strain on our environment: donate your "gently worn" footwear to people in need instead of throwing them away.

Last year alone, Americans discarded more than 300 million pairs of shoes. When these shoes break down in our landfills, the toxic glue that holds the shoes together can leak into our water supply and atmosphere.

Soles4Souls will clean the shoes and ship them to needy people around the world, who will treasure the gift for years to come. Since its inception following the Asian tsunami, Soles4Souls has distributed over 4 million pairs to people in 125 countries, and our efforts have been publicized in thousands of articles, including the Green Guide by National Geographic and Runner's World.

For more information, visit the special Shoe Drive Page on the MAEOE website.

Green Building Council - Young Leader Awards

The U.S. Green Building Council is now accepting applications for the USGBC Young Leader Awards. This award recognizes individuals between the ages of 13 and 25 who have demonstrated a commitment to sustainability and effected change in their schools, communities and beyond. Honorees will enjoy an all-expense paid trip to Phoenix, Ariz. for Greenbuild from November 11-13, 2009. Additionally, honorees will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the Speak Green Festival in April 2010, where they, along with poets from the Youth Speaks Green Team, will take the stage at the Kennedy Center to be celebrated for the work they are doing to transform their communities toward a more sustainable future. The deadline for applications is August 31, 2009.

Learn about the award and download the application.