Carbon Pollution and Social Justice

     On Sunday June 3rd, Ark and Dove will be welcoming a guest preacher-- Reverend Dr. J Herbert Nelson, II.  Dr. Nelson serves as the Director of the PCUSA Office of Public Witness which is charged with implementing the social justice and peace agendas of the Presbyterian Church.  "Its task is to advocate, and help the church to advocate, the social witness perspectives and policies of the Presbyterian General Assembly".  Dr. Nelson has become an educator in how Presbyterians can influence public policy to align with the moral and ethical issues that we believe in.

    In conjunction with Dr. Nelson's presence, we just happen to be offering a small advocacy opportunity after each of the services.   Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light is in the process of lobbying the EPA to adopt the proposed Carbon Pollution Standards for New Power Plants.  The EPA is currently reviewing and accepting public comment on these new carbon pollution safeguards and performance standards.  GWIPL would like you to sign a postcard that says you support these new standards.  They will then deliver your note of support, along with thousands of other notes from a wide variety of congregations and faith based organizations to the EPA to show that protecting our environment and our communities is important to us.

  While the Clean Air Act of 1970 does put a limit on certain hazardous air pollutants, "there are no limits on the amount of carbon pollution that can be released from power plant smokestacks".  The intent of the new standards will be to reduce carbon pollution, thereby reducing smog, and to shift to less polluting technologies in future power plants.  This is an opportunity for you to show your support for something that will improve the environment of communities across the country and lessen the health effects to those who are most vulnerable to poor air quality.  As Interfaith Power and Light notes, this "is a critical and historical step forward to directly address climate-changing pollution".  Dr. Nelson, in his blog from 2011, reminds us that John Calvin, the founder of Presbyterianism believed that "the Church had a responsibility to provide guidance to political leaders and structures in an effort to assist them in the implementation of Godly leadership".

   We hope that you will add your name to the list of those who support these new Carbon Pollution standards this Sunday. You can find more information in the links below.

Clean Air Act of 1970

New Carbon Pollution Standards

Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light

2012 Living Planet Report

     Earlier this month WWF International released the 2012 edition of its Living Planet Report.  This report is a survey of human demands on Earth's resources and analysis of its health. The report is created by "tracking 9,000 populations of more than 2,600 species, and the Ecological footprint; the demand on natural resources.

     What WWF has determined, is that we are living in an unsustainable manner by using 50 percent more resources than the Earth can produce.  Some have noted that we are living as if we have an extra planet at our disposal.

     The Director General of WWF International believes "We can create a prosperous future that provides food, water and energy for the 9 or perhaps 10 billion people who will be sharing the planet in 2050.  Solutions lie in such areas as reducing waste, smarter water management, and using renewable sources of energy that are clean and abundant-- such as wind and sunlight."

     Are we doing our part to create a future that will be viable for ourselves and the others on this planet?  Are we exploiting nature and our neighbors, or are we promoting justice and equality for all?  Every effort can start with the smallest of steps.  How will you help?

Bay-Wise Maryland Yardstick Program

     Back in March,  we posted about how you could get your yard certified as a Wildlife Habitat by Maryland DNR.  Here is another similar opportunity sponsored by the University of Maryland Extension office and the Maryland Master Gardener program.  The BayWise program wants to encourage you to use sustainable management practices in your yard and garden which will help improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay.   Through this program you are encouraged to:
           Control Stormwater Runoff
           Encourage Wildlife
           Protect the Waterfront
           Mow Properly/ Water Efficiently
           Manage Yard Pests with Integrated Pest Management
           Mulch Appropriately/ Recycle Yard Waste
           Fertilize Wisely
           Plant Wisely

    Within each of these categories there are specific activities which you are asked to practice and implement.  As a measure of your progress you get credits for each action that you complete which are equal to "inches" on the Bay-Wise Yardstick.  Your goal is to achieve at least 36 inches on the yardstick, at which point you can request a Master Gardener to come to you property to review your progress.  If you are approved by the Master Gardener, then your property will be Certified as "BAY-WISE" and you will receive a small yard sign to show for your efforts.  See the links below for the program information and the Yardstick checklist.  If you are interested in applying for certification for your property, the application is at the bottom of the website page.

Bay-Wise Yardstick Program

Bay-Wise Yardstick Checklist.pdf

Recycling Medications

     In another effort of "you really can recycle everything"....  Anne Arundel County Police have installed a permanent MedReturn Drug Collection Mailbox in the lobby of the County police Western District office at Route 170 and Route 32.  This effort is intended to "collect unwanted or expired household prescription, over the counter and other unused medicines for destruction".   Past advice has been to flush your unused medications, or just throw them away.  In either case, those medications have the potential to either be consumed by wildlife or enter the watershed and our drinking water.  "Recent research by the U.S. Geological Service now confirms that some drugs pass largely unaltered through our wastewater treatment plants and enter our Bays and other waters."  Even if, as some studies belive,  the levels of these contaminants are too small to be of a concern for human consumption, they still have substantial impact on the fish, crabs and other wildlife in and around the Chesapeake Bay.  

     Many local jurisdictions have already started prescription drug take back programs where the medications are disposed of properly.  Now that we have this resource in our community, please consider using it.  Some of the details of the program are below.

• This program is anonymous and no requests for identification will be made.
• Participants may dispose of medication in its original container or by removing the medication from its container and disposing of it directly into the disposal box. If an original container is submitted, individuals can remove any identifying information from the prescription label.
• All solid dosage pharmaceutical product and liquids in consumer containers may be accepted. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container. The depositor should ensure that the cap is tightly sealed to prevent leakage.
• Intra-venous solutions, injectibles, and syringes will not be accepted due to potential hazard posed by blood-borne pathogens.
• Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative and should not be placed in collection containers. 

People's Garden Initiative

     In 2009, the US Department of Agriculture started the People's Garden Initiative program.  This program is a collaborative effort of community organizations to establish community gardens across the country.  The USDA believes that " the simple act of planting a garden can help unite neighborhoods in a common effort and inspire locally-led solutions to challenges facing our country-- from hunger to the environment."
     A People's Garden project can be everything from a community run vegetable garden that donates it's food to a local shelter or food pantry, to a recreational space that encourages wildlife, native plants and water conservation.  In order to qualify for designation in the initiative, gardens must fulfill three requirements.  They must benefit the community, they must be collaborative-- created and maintained by a partnership of organizations, and they need to incorporate sustainable practices.
     This is another example of how living an environmental friendly life, engaging in sustainable practices and caring for God's creation serves the dual purpose of helping others. Check out the links below to find out more information on this program.

     What are you doing today to sustain God's Green Earth?

USDA People's Garden Website

People's Garden Brochure

Sacred Acts

A couple of weeks ago, we shared a book review from the Presbyterian Eco-blog for a book called Sacred Acts.  We are in the midst of reading that collection of essays right now, and it is very powerful.  Each chapter is by a different author, and all of the writers make you dig deep to figure out how you will address the issues that face God's Green Earth.  The themes often come to the conclusion that we cannot sit idly by and wait for someone else to act.  We must take action ourselves, no matter how small, to create a change in attitudes, beliefs, and understandings before it is too late. We wanted to share a couple of short quotes from Sacred Acts with the hopes that you too will be interested enough to pick this book up and challenge yourself.

     "How can we quickly, effectively, and affordably reduce the effect we are having on our planet?  How can we restructure our economy, our infrastructure and our society so that it can adapt to coming change?
     We can teach ourselves, our children and our communities to be good stewards of the bounty God has given us and in doing so to care for the welfare of our less fortunate brothers and sisters around the world.
     We can prepare for what we can't avoid by conserving the resources we have and making wise decisions to reduce our vulnerability to climate-related change in the face of an uncertain future. 
     We can limit our own impact on the planet by making responsible choices that improve our quality of life at the same time as they help others.  Often we feel that doing something about climate change involves pulling the plug on everything-- our televisions, our showers, our air conditioning, even our cars.  That's not true.  It's about starting with what we have and making it known that we want more options."
      Katherine Hayhoe, Director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University

     "If we are to live better in this world we need to appreciate that where we are is the garden, or farm, of God.  If we want to address problems such as climate change, soil erosion, deforestation, desertification, species extinction, the pollution of our waters and the abuse of animals-- all problems that spring from the same distorted vision and understanding-- then we need to recover a strong sense of God's presence as the Gardener and Farmer of the world.  Without this understanding, our temptation will be to think that God has left the world and does not deeply care about what happens in or to it.
     "When we take seriously the image of God as the eternal Gardener or Farmer we also discover that God has always been and continues to be present to the world as the source of its nurture and life.  God still holds the soil of our lives in her hands, still waters the furrows of our crops and still breathes the breath of life upon all of us.  That we are here today, able to grow and enjoy good food, is the confirmation of that.  Though we may do much to assault the Earth, God has not ever stopped being a gracious and hospitable host to the world."
     Norman Wirzba, Research Professor of Theology, Ecology, and rural life at Duke Divinity School

You Can Really Recycle Anything If You Want To....

Thanks to some friends, (thanks Linnie and Greg!) we have two recycling opportunities to share today.  Both involve recycling things that maybe you were uncertain of how to recycle.  The first opportunity is an event that will happen next Saturday at Arundel High School.  Anne Arundel County Police will be sponsoring their Sixth Annual Shred-A-Rama from 9am to 1pm.  This is a good opportunity to safely get rid of personal private documents such as old tax documents, financial records or medical records.  Each resident is allowed to bring up to four file boxes of paper and have it shredded for free.  You can bring additional boxes, but additional boxes will cost $2 each for shredding.

(Editor's Note-  I happen to know that Saturday is also Arundel Soccer Association (ASA) Day at the fields next to Arundel High School.  Don't be surprised if things are a bit crowded getting in and out of there on Saturday... or plan to stay a while and watch some kids soccer and play on the inflatable slide.)

The other opportunity is for styrofoam recycling.  Styrofoam is one of the few things that the County will not take in your curbside pickup.  However, did you know that there is a nationwide EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) organization located locally in Crofton, and their mission to promote recycling and awareness of styrofoam recyling among manufacturers and the community?  Not only that, but yes!  they accept styrofoam packaging for recycling at their Crofton location.  They will take the blocks of foam that come in electronics packaging, sheets of styrofoam, and egg cartons.  They do not, however,  take used food service products.  Give them a call if you have further questions, or go drop off your stryrofoam today at the address below.

Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers
1298 Cronson Blvd, Suite 201
Crofton, MD 21114
410-451-8340

EPS Packaging- Crofton

If you are interested in recycling other hard to recycle materials, check out the Earth911 link to the right.  There are many resources there for finding ways to keep your stuff out of the landfill.  With all of these options for recycling, we have little excuse to send anything to our landfill.

BGE Smart Savers Rebates

Save All Summer Long Join PeakRewardsSM and you can save up to $200 in summer bill credits for helping reduce energy demand in our region. We’ll install an outdoor air conditioner switch or programmable thermostat at no cost to you. If you choose the thermostat, you could save up to 15% on energy costs year-round, and you’ll be able to manage your settings from a smartphone or any Internet browser. Click or call 888.309.PEAK (7325) to learn more. Memorial Day Appliance Rebates Here’s one more reason to take advantage of Memorial Day weekend sales: You can take home a bundle of savings on ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances. BGE’s Smart Energy Savers Program offers rebates up to $350 on high-efficiency water heaters, clothes washers, refrigerators, room A/C units, dehumidifiers and more. Plus, let us pick up and recycle an old (working) refrigerator or freezer, and we’ll give you $50! Click for details and rebate forms. Choose a STAR Performer If the warm weather’s got you perusing new properties, look for homes bearing the ENERGY STAR label. These homes are at least 15% more energy efficient than those constructed to Maryland’s building code. They use less energy so you’ll save hundreds in electricity costs annually — thousands over the years you live in your home. Click to find your dream home builder.

Fertilizer Act of 2011

Did you know that one year ago, Governor Martin O'Malley signed a law that restricts the use of fertilizers in Maryland in an effort to keep excess nutrients out of the Bay.  The law limits what and when homeowners are allowed to use on their lawns and landscapes.  Below is a link to the full information, but here is the quick version.  The Fertilizer Use Act of 2011:

• Prohibits using lawn fertilizer on impervious surfaces.
  Prohibits using fertilizer:
  • Between November 15 and March 1
  • When the ground is frozen
  • Within 10 to 15 feet of waterways
• Restricts the amount of phosphorus applied to turf, with allowances when soil tests indicate low or medium phosphorus levels or when the homeowner is establishing a new lawn or repairing or reestablishing a lawn.
• Establishes maximum application rates for total nitrogen and water soluble nitrogen.
• Establishes maximum application rates for enhanced efficiency controlled-release products.
• Authorizes the county, municipality or the Maryland Department of Agriculture to enforce these requirements.

Please be aware of what you are putting into the Chesapeake Bay.

Maryland Fertilizer Act of 2011