Green never happens in a vacuum. That’s especially true when you’re dealing with an entity as complex as a church, or another community of faith.

But at the same time, communities of faith are natural incubators for the environmental movement. A commitment to caring for creation, working together, setting a positive example, and simply doing the right thing are all woven deeply into countless spiritual lives.

That is not to say, of course, that it’s easy; it isn’t. Tight budgets and dwindling volunteer hours can often mean that these kinds of communities are struggling to maintain what’s already on their plate—or, in some cases, just keep their doors open. Why start something new?

Becoming a Green Parish

At St. James’ Episcopal Church in Potomac, a little patience and a little persistence went a long way. With a lot of help from experts at Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection and elsewhere, we have put good intentions into action, and thanks to efforts undertaken over the past three years, we are now proud to call ourselves a green parish.

A major lighting retrofit and other appliance replacements completed last year now save us hundreds of dollars a month while keeping carbon out of the atmosphere. We just wrapped up a special series of six Eastertide services entirely focused on environmental topics. We participate in stream cleanups and, recently held a successful e-cycling drive.

The Big Idea: A Rain Garden

Our crowning achievement, though, is probably our rain garden. Installed last spring, the garden captures much of the stormwater runoff that used to flow through our rear parking lot and, ultimately, into our local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. It has also made our parking lot safer, and added a beautiful common area to a strip of previously seldom-used land between our two parish buildings.

Talk, Listen and Build a Community

From the time we first hatched the idea to the metaphorical ribbon-cutting, the garden took a year and a half to complete. How did we get started? St. James’ was fortunate to have an Earth Stewardship Commission, which provided a forum for these kinds of discussions. The commission members began the conversation among ourselves, then found allies in the parish one by one. We didn’t just talk; we listened. We found one friendly ear, then, with our group one person larger, had that much wider of a net to find our next friend.

It was a slow process. But the more we learned and the more we listened and the more we talked, the clearer the need became, even to those not predisposed to “thinking green.” Rainwater fell from the roofs of both our buildings and flowed down a steep hill from our front parking lot toward the back of our property. Combined, it all formed a fairly fast-moving stream that ran through the land and the asphalt. That stream would freeze in winter, causing a safety issue. (That was part of what allowed us to spark a wider discussion.)

Even though everyone saw the benefits once the idea was laid out, there was still the little matter of how to pay for it. Unless the numbers made sense, the idea would forever remain impractical. The Earth Stewardship Commission’s annual budget is $300. The price tag for the project was north of $15,000.

How would we bridge the gap? How did we navigate the sometimes-choppy waters of church politics?

I’ll be addressing those issues in more detail in subsequent posts in June and July. In the past few years, we’ve learned a great deal about not only what to do but how to do it. It’s the latter challenge that often tells the tale of success or failure, especially in a community as complex as that of a community of faith.

By Scott Harris

This post is the first of three guest blogs by Scott Harris.  Scott is a vestry member and the chair of the Earth Stewardship Commission at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Potomac.  

The post How We Greened Our Church: Step One appeared first on My Green Montgomery.

Energy awareness tools that are available for loan.

Tools available in the library include:

• Kill-a-Watt Meters for identifying energy “vampires”
• IR Thermometers for identifying heating and cooling losses through leaks and drafts
• Light meters for determining the most energy efficient and proper light level for home or business
• Ballast checkers for identifying old, inefficient fluorescent lighting fixtures
• Digital “heat watch” for making minor tweaks to thermostats and dehumidification. The watch has a thermometer and hygrometer.

Susanna Parker of Bethesda Green and Eric Coffman of the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection launched the Lending Library at the Solar and Green Home Expo. They provided a “how-to” demonstration and introduced attendees of the Expo to these helpful, energy-saving devices.

Each tool in the Lending Library comes with simple instructions, sample exercises, energy efficiency tips and a feedback card so others can learn about energy savings opportunities consumers are finding in their communities.

How to Borrow an Energy Tool

The tools are available for loan by simply visiting Bethesda Green and providing a simple deposit via cash or check.

When you return the equipment your deposit will be returned to you. It is best to email Bethesda Green first to check on equipment availability info@bethesdagreen.org.

Learn more about the Energy Awareness Tool Lending Library.

Additional lending libraries may be established at other local green organizations in the near future.

The post Borrow Energy Awareness Tools Today appeared first on My Green Montgomery.

Rain gardens filter polluted stormwater and send it back to our streams clean and clear.  The more plants growing in rain gardens, the more water that gets cleaned. Stormwater planners are excited to see the plants bounce back after a long winter with road salt, sediment, and bacteria potentially risking the health of even the hardiest plants.

If you look closely at roadside rain gardens along streets in White Oak, Forest Estates, or Aspen Hill, you’ll notice that many of the plants are similar.

Common plants in roadside rain gardens include:

• Switchgrass
• Iris
• Reeds
• Black-eyed susans
• Dogwoods
• Sweet pepperbush

The above plants are chosen for specific places in Green Streets rain gardens, because they capture sediment, slow stormwater, or anchor the soil with roots.  Rain garden plants also have to be able to handle extreme conditions, including road salt, polluted waters, frequent flooding, and extreme drought. Believe it or not, Green Streets rain gardens are often more dry, than they are wet, meaning that the plants have to be pretty hardy to survive periods without a regular source of water.

Look even closer and notice Green Streets rain gardens use plants native to the area—not only are they hardy, but they provide habitat for pollinators in the area, and blend in with our natural and urban areas.

As these rain gardens drain to the streams, the Department of Environmental Protection will focus on weeding and removing invasive plants from stormwater facilities.  You’ll see crews through the summer, not only weeding, but cleaning sediment from the inlets and caring for plants.  By then, the plants might be tall, but now is the time to check out the new spring growth, and watch the rain gardens change with the seasons!

For those of you who are students or parents, stay tuned for an upcoming blog just on Schools rain gardens.

The post Rain Gardens have Sprung to Life appeared first on My Green Montgomery.

We originally found out about the WEED Warrior program through the C and O Canal National Park.  The reason we got involved with this program is because of our field based Global Ecology program at Poolesville High School.  Alumni from our high school encouraged our participation in the Montgomery Parks WEED Warrior program.

The WEED Warrior program deals with the removal of invasive plant species. Invasives are plants, usually from other countries, that take over native species’ habitats by rapid growth.  The seven focus invasive species at the C and O Canal are: English ivy, wineberry, Japanese honeysuckle, Multiflora rose, Oriental bittersweet, bush honeysuckle and garlic mustard.

The two invasive species we focused on were Multiflora rose and wineberry. We chose to focus on these two species because they were the most prevalent and easiest to remove. We wanted to make the largest impact on the environment as possible. The Multiflora rose and wineberry are pretty easy to identify and are not easily mistaken for native species.

We thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the WEED Warrior program and we strongly encourage others to participate. Volunteers get to enjoy the outdoors while making an impact on the local environment. It is a program that allows you to see an immediate result which is very rewarding. Native species will be allowed the chance to thrive through the work volunteers do.

The Poolesville High School Global Ecology program engages students with the sciences and allows us to go on a lot of field trips to reinforce class room learning as well as give back to our community. The WEED Warrior project was one of many rewarding parts of the Global Ecology program.

To find how to get involved with WEED Warrior program, go to the Montgomery Parks webpage.

The post High School WEED Warriors appeared first on My Green Montgomery.

Ride-on buses with the above slogan will soon be seen throughout Montgomery County. But what is it all about?

Certified green landscaping companies utilize practices that both help the environment and provide beautiful gardens.

The popular Green Business Certification program is expanding its eligibility beyond office-based businesses to include landscaping companies. Landscapers, such as garden centers and those offering design, installation or maintenance services, can now be recognized for their efforts to reduce their environmental impact.

Certified Green Landscapers go beyond greening their own operations to emphasizing how their clients can green their properties too, including:

• reducing or eliminating pesticides and fertilizers;
• planting native canopy trees;
• installing rain gardens to capture and filter stormwater;
• creating conservation landscapes;
• reducing mowing areas to cut emissions; and
• conserving water.

Inaugural Green Landscapers

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett spoke about the importance of the Certified Green Landscaping Program.

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett recognized the first seven businesses to be certified under the County’s new Green Landscape Business Certification Program at a press event on April 29th.

To be certified, Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection staff visit an applicant’s office and two to three of its worksites to confirm they are meeting sustainable practice guidelines. The seven certified landscape businesses in the inaugural group are:

• The Abundant Backyard
• A.I.R. Lawn Care
• Backyard Bounty
• The Brickman Group, Ltd
• Gracefully Green, LLC
• Green Scene Landscaping, Inc.
• Kit Gage – Gardener’s Adviser

Green Business Certification

Rain gardens help capture and filter rainfall runoff.

The Green Business Certification program recognizes businesses that have taken voluntary steps to protect, preserve, and improve the environment. Certified Green Businesses operate in a manner that demonstrates a commitment to environmental stewardship. Currently, 50 businesses are certified, including the 7 newly certified green landscapers. 

The Green Business Certification program is a collaboration between the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and Montgomery College.

The Landscape Business Certification application and other information is available on the Green Business Certification website at mcgreenbiz.org.

To view more photos from the launch event, visit the My Green Montgomery Facebook photo album.

By Douglas M. Weisburger, Manager, Green Business Certification Program

The post Certified Green Landscaping Companies appeared first on My Green Montgomery.

Volunteers formed a chain to move tires out of the park.

50 volunteers were able to collect 100 bags of trash and 58 tires! A few bulky metal items were also collected, including the most interesting item found, a U. S. Navy synchro generator. A dedicated group of high school volunteers were also able to install 48 storm drain markers around the neighborhood.

Photo by Yichao Peng

The cleanup was one of more than twenty held that morning in conjunction with the Anacostia Watershed Society‘s Earth Day Cleanups.  The DEP event was located in the White Oak neighborhood of Silver Spring, in and along the banks of a stream that flows into Paint Branch and eventually into the Anacostia River.

Strangest find of the day: a U.S. Navy generator

Area community groups played an active role in the cleanup, including the White Oak Basketball group and the Housing Opportunities Commission Georgian Court Teen Club. All of the volunteers worked diligently throughout the day to pick up as much trash as possible from the area.

Our volunteers were amazing!

Storm drain marker
Photo by Yichao Peng

Once the cleanup was finished, participants were invited to join DEP and local watershed group, Eyes of Paint Branch, for a celebration at the White Oak Community Center. June Henderson, a local resident, generously organized a lunch for everyone to enjoy after a hard day of work. At the party, different groups of volunteers connected to discuss their service projects and potential future events for the neighborhood. Everyone agreed, the White Oak Earth Cleanup was a success and served as an inspiration for everyone to be better environmental stewards.

Volunteers collected 100 bags of trash and 58 tires!

Thank you to Eyes of Paint Branch for being our partner on this event. More photos can be found at the My Green Montgomery Facebook page or the @MyGreenMC Twitter page.

By Leslie Wilcox, Watershed Outreach Planner, DEP

The post The White Oak Earth Day Cleanup was a Success appeared first on My Green Montgomery.

greeNEWit staff performing a quick home energy checkup.

Several states have enacted legislation to reduce energy usage and costs. For example, the Empower Maryland Act of 2008 mandates statewide reductions of 15 percent by 2015. One popular program is the Quick Home Energy Checkup (QHEC) for multifamily and single family properties.

The QHEC allows homeowners and tenants to get energy efficient products such as CFLs, efficient-flow showerheads, smart strips, and more, installed at no additional cost to their usual utility bills. As existing customers of utility companies, owners and tenants bear no additional cost for these energy conservation measures.

Whether you reside in a house, condo, townhouse or apartment, as long as you have an active utility account in the state of Maryland, you’re likely eligible for the energy and water saving upgrades. They are a fast, easy way to increase the energy efficiency of your home and help you start saving immediately. At the bottom of your bill, you can see a percentage of the existing costs going toward this program that is now redirected back to you and your community.

Park Station at Olde Towne is a residential apartment building in PEPCO territory located in Gaithersburg, Maryland that has participated in the QHEC program. greeNEWit, one of several Maryland energy solutions contractors, inspected 273 units within Park Station and implemented energy saving solutions. They installed a total of 4,300 CFLs, 613 faucet aerators, 386 showerheads and 254 counts of pipe insulation that will prevent nearly 122 tons of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere. The CO2 saved is equivalent of nearly 607 trees being planted. According to greeNEWit, Park Station will experience annual cost savings of $58,739 for electricity, water and gas, equaling $215 per unit.

Park Station at Olde Towne

Inefficient apartment buildings and single family homes cost our nation billions in lost dollars and keep us from reaching sustainability. With programs such as the Quick Home Energy Checkup, we can maximize energy efficiency, create the healthiest environment possible and minimize the environmental impact.

By Sarah Frye, greeNEWit

The post Start Saving Money Today with a Quick Home Energy Checkup appeared first on My Green Montgomery.

In 2012, DEP installed 46 rain gardens along roadways and parking lots at Forest Estates, White Oak, Dennis Avenue, Arcola Avenue, Aspen Hill Library, and Kensington Library. These rain gardens and other vegetated improvements were installed to reduce and filter rainfall and pollutants that wash off surface areas (stormwater runoff). Rain gardens like these help to keep our local streams and rivers healthy.

If you are curious to see these gardens absorb & collect stormwater, just grab your umbrella, and take a walk along one of our new Green Streets during a rain storm!

To keep these rain gardens looking good and functioning well, DEP hired a maintenance contractor to visit the sites monthly. So, if you see a couple people working around the rain gardens, they are:

• weeding, 
• removing trash and debris, such as leaves, branches, acorns, etc.,
• removing sediment from the inlet,
• raking mulch that has moved, and
• as-needed seasonal maintenance, such as replacing plants (as we plan to do this Spring at Arcola Avenue and Aspen Hill Library)

DEP’s contractor completed winter pruning of the plants during their monthly maintenance in March. In May, we are replenishing mulch to a 3” depth to help prevent invasive weeds. It is important to do this routine maintenance regularly to make sure the rain gardens continue to filter stormwater from roads, parking lots, driveways, and roofs.

Thanks to all the neighbors who live along our Green Streets who have been helping us pick up trash and carefully mow grass along the edges of the stormwater facilities. With spring pruning done and the weather warmer, you should keep an eye out for these to turn green and spring back to life over the next few weeks!

If you have a rain garden in your own yard and would like more information on how to maintain it, view the Rain Garden Maintenance on Private Property fact sheet.

The post Green Street Rain Gardens are Ready for Spring! appeared first on My Green Montgomery.

The Litter Prevention Video Contest is looking for 30, 60 or 90 second videos about litter prevention and the need for a trash free Potomac Watershed.  The winner of the contest will receive $1,000 and have their video used as a PSA for the Regional Litter Prevention Campaign.  Videos will be judged on their effectiveness at conveying the anti-littering message to the public, how effectively the video references the Campaign, originality and creativity.

The contest is open for submissions through May 15, 2013. For complete Rules, Eligibility and other resources, visit the Video Contest website.  Judges will choose the top five videos.  They will be posted on the Alice Ferguson Foundation website where the public can vote on a winner.

The Regional Litter Prevention Campaign is a public education and awareness campaign to change the behavior of those who litter.

The post Litter Prevention Video Contest appeared first on My Green Montgomery.

The Natural Resources Career Camp, NRCC, is a partnership with Allegany College of Maryland and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources – Forest Service, and has been in operation for more than 30 years. High school students will learn from industry professionals and develop contacts that could lead to future employment and a career in natural resources.

Maryland Forestry Board Members measure an oak tree’s diameter

Camp activities include:

• Hands-on classroom and field activities in forestry, wildlife, ecology, fisheries, watershed management, natural resources management and conservation.
• Talks with natural resource professionals about college programs.
• Using GIS, GPS, computer simulation, and other field tools related to careers in natural resources.
• The potential to acquire eligibility for college scholarships in a natural resources field.

High school students who reach age 16 before the end of the week of camp may choose to earn two college credits (fees required) from Allegany College of Maryland. To be eligible, students must complete a short exam, and present a team management plan. The two college credits will transfer to most community colleges in Maryland and several four year colleges and universities.

The Montgomery County Forestry Board offers scholarships to Montgomery County residents to attend the camp.

Interested student can apply to the Natural Resources Career Camp, NRCC, online.

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