Town of North Beach Receives Prestigious Sustainable Maryland Certified Award

Press Release

Contact: Mike Hunninghake, Program Manager, Sustainable Maryland, 301-405-7956, mikeh75@umd.edu

Town of North Beach Receives Prestigious Sustainable Maryland Certified Award at Maryland Municipal League Conference

College Park, MD (October 16, 2017) – The Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland announced that the Town of North Beach was one of 13 Maryland municipalities honored at the Sustainable Maryland Awards Ceremony at the Maryland Municipal League’s annual Fall Conference last Friday in Rockville, Maryland.

A detailed summary of North Beach’s sustainability Actions can be found in their Certification Report.

This is North Beach's first Sustainable Maryland Certified Award.

Highlights of North Beach’s accomplishments:

·      The North Beach Sunrise Garden, opened in 2015, is a 30,000-square-foot parcel of reclaimed waterfront area owned by the Town of North Beach.  The park features pedestrian walkways; public seating; landscaping with native plants; water features consisting of rain gardens, shallow ponds, and waterfalls; a public gazebo; rotating public art displays; and more.

·      Innovative municipal initiatives include solar panels at the Public Works building and a green roof on Town Hall.

·      Every year the town of North Beach hosts several events that showcases local cuisine, promote local businesses, and supports local nutritional assistance programs.  In 2017, these events included “Drink Maryland”, “The End Hunger Dragon Boat Festival”, and an annual “Polar Bear Plunge” co-sponsored by Calvert County Meals on Wheels.

·      In 2016, North Beach secured grant funding from the Fish and Wildlife Foundation to complete a 60-foot living shoreline project inside the Walton Beach Nature Preserve.

“The growing number of municipalities that share a vision for state-wide sustainability is a testament to Maryland’s commitment to a resilient future,” said Dan Nees, director of the Environmental Finance Center. “Now more than ever, it is critical for local leaders and advocates to take charge of moving their communities towards becoming healthier and more sustainable. It is exciting to see our Sustainable Maryland Certified program continue to empower elected officials and citizens with every new community we welcome.”

“As a Town located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, we have always been acutely aware of our responsibilities toward the environment,” said Mayor Mark Frazer.  “For the past year, however, we have worked diligently to identify and focus our efforts toward earning this important recognition.  North Beach is both pleased and proud to join the ranks of Maryland’s officially designated Sustainable Maryland Certified municipalities.”

The photo shows (from right) Veronica Owens, Development Specialist; Allan Creamer, Environmental Committee; Council Member Jane Hagen; and Councilmember Mike Benton with the Sustainable Maryland Certified award at the Maryland Municipal League conference last Friday.

For detailed information about North Beach’s sustainability initiatives, please contact Stacy Wilkerson, Town Clerk, northbeach@northbeachmd.org, (301) 855-6681

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sustainable Maryland Certification: To achieve certification, 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 Sustainable Maryland Action Menu can be seen here: http://sustainablemaryland.com/actions-certification/actions/

The complete list of 2017 newly certified and re-certified (denoted by *) communities includes:

*Town of Bel Air (Prince George’s County; first certified in 2014, re-certified in 2017)

*Town of Berwyn Heights (Prince George’s County; first certified in 2014, re-certified in 2017)

*Town of Boonsboro (Washington County; first certified in 2014, re-certified in 2017)

Town of Burkittsville (Frederick County)

*Town of Chesapeake Beach (Calvert County; first certified in 2014, re-certified in 2017)

*Town of Cheverly (Prince George’s County; first certified in 2014, re-certified in 2017)

City of Frostburg (the first municipality to be certified in Allegany County)

*City of Greenbelt (Prince George’s County; first certified in 2014, re-certified in 2017)

Town of Mount Airy (Carroll/Frederick Counties; the first municipality to be certified in Carroll County)

Town of North Beach (Calvert County)

*Town of Riverdale Park (Prince George’s County; first certified in 2014, re-certified in 2017)

*City of Takoma Park (2017 “Sustainability Champion” for highest point total award; Prince George’s County; first certified in 2014, re-certified in 2017)

*Town of University Park (Prince George’s County; first certified in 2014, re-certified in 2017)

According to Mike Hunninghake, Program Manager for Sustainable Maryland, “In a time when municipal leadership is critical to driving change across a number of social and environmental issues, we are pleased to see municipalities throughout Maryland continue to do the hard and necessary work to be good stewards of their communities. This year’s class of Sustainable Maryland Certified communities serve as beacons along a path forward during these uncertain times.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sustainable Maryland Certified Municipalities as of 2017 (6th full year of the program):

      Number of Municipalities Sustainable Maryland Certified: 39 (25% of Maryland’s municipalities)

      Number of Municipalities Sustainable Maryland Registered: 68 (43% of Maryland’s municipalities)

About Sustainable Maryland: Sustainable Maryland is an initiative of the Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland that is designed to support Maryland's 157 municipalities as they look for cost-effective and strategic ways to protect their natural assets and revitalize their communities. Using best practices in resource areas like water, energy, planning, health, food, and economy, a municipality can earn points toward sustainability certification. Sustainable Maryland offers a customizable menu of concrete actions, allowing communities to select initiatives that best fit their specific needs. This free and voluntary program, with the support of the Maryland Municipal League, US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Town Creek Foundation, helps communities choose a direction for their greening efforts; complete their chosen actions with help from program tools, trainings, expert guidance, and other resources; and be recognized statewide for their accomplishments. For more information about Sustainable Maryland: www.sustainablemaryland.com

###