Earth Day Events

In the previous post, we told you about the Earth-Water-Faith Festival in Annapolis on April 28.  If you did not read about it, go back and check it out.  There are however, plenty of other events surrounding Earth Day in our area.

On April 7, at 7pm the First Presbyterian Church in Annapolis will host a presentation by Rev. Dr. Carol Bechtel called "All Nature Sings: The Psalms and Creation Care".  Rev. Bechtel is a Professor of Old Testament at Western Seminary in Michigan.  The presentation centering around Psalms 96, 104, and 148 with prayers and music, will consider issues relevant to local organizations with perspectives on the care of creation and Celtic spirituality.

This is a free event and questions about the event can be directed to Annapolis Presbyterian at  (410)267-8705.  Annapolis Presbyterian is located at 171 Duke of Gloucester Street in Annapolis.

On April 6, and weekends throughout April, participate in Project Clean Stream.  This is a day of service coordinated by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to beautify local parks, streams and rivers, while creating awareness about the environment.  You can find a Clean Up project near you by going to Project Clean Stream  .

On May 4th, you can participate in the Run for the Bay 5k at Chesapeake Beach.  Proceeds from this race will go to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Even if you don't run, you can come enjoy some entertainment and support those who are running. You can find the information on registering for the race at Run for the Bay 5K .

There are so many more opportunities for you to participate and learn-- just do an internet search for Maryland Earth Day events.  What will you do this year to show your support for the environment?  How will you educate yourself about the world around you, and the impacts that we have on the Earth?

Watershed Stewards Academy

     The Anne Arundel Department of Public Works and Arlington Echo have joined forces to create the Watershed Stewards Academy.  This program is intended to "train community leaders...to reduce the negative impacts of stormwater runoff in Anne Arundel County."  Participants go through 12 training courses over the course of 5 months that culminates in a community Capstone Project.  Most classes take place locally at Arlington Echo.  Once completed the certification, participants will be qualified as Master Watershed Stewards and will serve as a resource to the community at large as to how to keep our waterways clean and protected.  If this interests you, there are only two more informational sessions left (one is tommorow) which you must attend one of in order to register for this program.
     Even if you are not interested in becoming a Master Watershed Steward, you can certainly use the resources of those who already have completed the certification.  Use the website below to find and contact local stewards.  They can talk to you on subjects such as Reducing Pollution, Capturing Stormwater, Cleaning up invasive species, and Land Preservation.
What can you do to protect our waterways today?

Anne Arundel Watershed Stewards Academy

Buy Local Challenge

   This week is the annual Buy Local Challenge.  What do you have to do in order to participate?  Buy local food.  This effort, which was launched 5 years ago by the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission, encourages Marylanders to buy local produce from local farms at Farmers Markets, or participating shops and restaurants.  Buying locally is not only good for the environment, but it promotes your local economy.  The added benefit is that you get to know where your food comes from and often are able to talk directly with the farmers.
    Just because the challenge is running this week, does not meant that you cannot participate any time during the year.  Be aware of what you are buying, know where it comes from, and help the environment at the same time.
    Below are links to the Buy Local program website, and a list of local farmers markets.

   Buy Local Challenge

Anne Arundel County Farmers Markets

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

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.

Earth Week Events

This coming sunday is Earth Day. How will you celebrate God's creation? Here are a couple of events that you may be interested in. On Sunday afternoon at the Annapolis Towne Center, the Chesapeake Interfaith Environmental Group will be sponsoring the Earth, Water, Faith Festival. This will a combination of music, food, and educational opportunities, and it is free. Check out the link to the right for more information.

Then, starting on Sunday and running throughout the week, there will be a national level interfaith conference on the Poenvironment in Washington, D.C.. This event will include a service at the National Cathedral, many associated talks and lectures, and a morning prayer vigil. This event does cost a small amount, and require registration, but includes a weeks worth of opportunities. We hope that you will attend one of these events, or find, or create your own.
The important part its that you find a way to celebrate, and learn more about what you can do to help preserve what has been put in our care.

NRCC Washington Week 2012

Faith and the Environment

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Annapolis Presbyterian Church are sponsoring a unique lecture and discussion on Faith and the Environment on Sunday evening March 11.  They will be "exploring what the Biblical concept of covenant between God, humanity, and the Earth means for us today as we face issues of climate change, eroding habitats, and an increasingly "post agricultural" society." 
The lecture will be held at the CBF headquarters in Annapolis, and  they are asking you to register for the event.  More details are at the link below.  We encourage you to attend and find out how God is calling you to care for His creation.

Faith and Environment Lecture

Hazardous Chemicals

Do you have hazardous chemicals around your home that you don't know how to get rid of?  These chemicals could include oil based paints, solvents, pesticides, oil or items containing mercury that come from any of the standard household products that we usually don't even think about.  Did you know that "the average home can accumulate as much as 100 pounds of Hazardous Waste in the basement, garage, and other storage areas"?
Anne Arundel county is offering a Hazardous Waste drop off in Millersville on April 21.  You can take any of those hazardous materials to them and they will dispose of it correctly for you.  This is a great service, but even as the county points out, there are plenty of alternatives for many of the items that need special disposal.  Please consider using an alternative the next time you need to buy cleaners or disinfectants of any kind.  Alternatives are good for the environment, and they keep our local taxes going towards more useful things.  Check out the pdf attachment, or visit the county DPW website.

AA County Hazardous Waste PDF

AA County Department of Public Works