The City of Annapolis was one of eight Maryland municipalities honored at the Sustainable Maryland Certified awards ceremony at the Maryland Municipal League’s annual fall conference held in Solomons Island on Friday.
The City of Annapolis demonstrated its commitment to local food production by partnering with a local non-profit, Fresh Farm Markets, to establish a downtown farmers market; partnered with another local non-profit, Grow Annapolis, to establish the City Dock Community Garden on its waterfront, and also passed an innovative ordinance permitting the keeping of urban backyard chickens. Other initiatives in Annapolis included the creation of a Community Climate Action Plan; participation in the national Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Counties program, whose mission is addressing the childhood obesity epidemic; and the creation of a municipal stormwater utility fund, which provides for the design, construction and maintenance of public stormwater management systems.
“This award is a testament to the passion and dedication of Annapolis’ volunteer residents and municipal staff and elected officials to go green, save tax dollars, and improve the quality of life in their communities” said Mike Hunninghake, Program Manager for Sustainable Maryland Certified.
To achieve Sustainable Maryland Certified status, municipalities are required to form a Green Team comprised of local residents, community leaders, municipal staff and officials; complete a variety sustainability-related Actions worth a total of at least 150 points (including two mandatory actions and two of six priority actions), and submit the appropriate documentation as evidence that the Sustainable Maryland Certified requirements have been satisfied.
The attached photo shows City of Annapolis representatives with the Sustainable Maryland Certified award at the Maryland Municipal League conference. From left: Maria Broadbent, Director, Department of neighborhood and Environmental Programs; Alderwomen Classie Hoyle; and Alderwoman Shelia Finlayson. Also attached is the City of Annapolis’ Sustainable Maryland Certified logo.
The other newly certified communities included the Town of Bladensburg, City of Bowie, City of College Park, City of Frederick, City of Gaithersburg, Town of Edmonston and City of Hyattsville.
Joanne Throwe, Director of the Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland at College Park, congratulated the certified towns: “These communities are municipal leaders that are making important strides towards the long-term goal of a sustainable Maryland. Their efforts will serve as models for other Maryland communities seeking to ensure a more environmentally and economically resilient future for their residents.”
