News & Opinion

By now you have probably read the sad news about the passing of Nick DiPasquale on Thanksgiving Day. There have been several tributes to him in the past few days. Links are below. I would like to add our memories of Nick here. When Nick came to Annapolis as the newly appointed head of the […]

Sometimes our Climate Change and environmental problems seem overwhelming. But there are a lot of people working on solutions. Here are just two stories to inspire you.

It’s not all about us. There are many local environmental organizations doing great things… along with us, of course! Here’s a sampling. Magothy River Association If you’re a fan of the Magothy, you might like to know that MRA has several unique holiday gifts available including a Magothy Trivia Game and a frameable watershed map […]

On August 5, the Annapolis Rotary Club will bring back an iconic Annapolis tradition by holding its 77thAnnual Crab Feast – in person – after two years of carry out crabs. This “World’s Largest Crab Feast” at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium concourse has historically brought together several thousand “feasters” to enjoy crabs, crab soup, […]

Bees, butterflies… they fly all around us but do we notice? We should because without them our food supply would suffer irrevocably. Saving pollinators is really about saving us.

At Annapolis Green we’ve discussed composting in terms of Nature’s circle of life: animals and plants begin life, they mature and flourish, they die, and the remains are returned to the Earth, starting the cycle anew. This is how things worked for eons before human hubris decided that we know better. Human population growth sparked […]

How well do you think you know other species that roam this incredible globe? We realize that to fully embrace the diversity of life on this planet, both flora and fauna, we could spend some time learning about some of them. We enjoyed a lighter read this past month, The Soul of an Octopus: A […]

Today’s Sustainable Action: Stop buying from fast fashion stores. One action you could take to be more sustainable is not purchasing from fast fashion stores! Fast fashion is a highly-profitable and exploitative business in which high-fashion designs are mass produced at low costs. The ramifications of this industry are a high amount of carbon emissions, […]

According to a recent article in the Bay Journal, “The Maryland darter, one of the rarest fish in the world, has been missing in action for 33 years. Now, it is headed to the extinction list.” And what is the reason? “According to an evaluation by the [US Fish & Wildlife Service] USFWS, the largest […]

I see many messages on social media these days to leave the leaves. While we’re at it, we can also leave flowers such as the spent purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) because the Goldfinches love the seedheads. We could leave the winged sumac (Rhus copallinum) for the Eastern Bluebirds who eat the berries in the winter. […]

Join the Plogging movement by picking up as you Run/Walk/Exercise Imagine what we all can accomplish lending a hand together! We are excited to introduce you to Girl Scout Cadette Isabella Taylor and her Silver Award project. The Silver Award is comparable to an Eagle Scout award that only 10% of Girl Scouts achieve. Here […]

You love our Chesapeake Watershed. You love your neighborhood. Why not bring those two passions together and become an Anne Arundel County Watershed Steward. The Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards Academy (WSA) is recruiting the next class — the 14th — right now. You can be part of it and of this amazing environmental group […]

by Tom Guay, Executive Director Severn River Association Boy, do we have some great restoration news in the Severn River! Thanks to donors who love oysters, the Severn River Association and the Oyster Recovery Partnership just planted 24 million baby oysters and created a new oyster restoration reef. The new bivalve arrivals are now ensconced […]

“We basically have three choices: mitigation, adaptation, and suffering. We’re going to do some of each. The question is what the mix is going to be.” – John Holdren, a Harvard energy expert, as quoted in the book, The End of Ice. The End of Ice by Dahr Jamail was a challenging read for many […]

We all love giving appreciation and celebration toward our loved ones, but birthday cards and thank you notes are most likely to be thrown away and are wasteful. So instead of the traditional card, or gift, maybe try a more sustainable option! This could mean making a PowerPoint presentation to give thanks on Mother’s or […]

For years we’ve done our best to bring the global issue of Climate Change to you at the local level as we increasingly see the effects of what we should now call Climate Disruption right here where we live. At the global level, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its sixth report […]

If you have a yard, then this tip is perfect for you. Along with other plants, you can grow species that attract butterflies! Plants such as Black Eyed Susans, Lavender, and different variants of Milkweed are some examples. These provide habitat and food for the butterflies. Butterflies are an important pollinator, so increasing their habitat […]

After over a year of seeing an avalanche of plastic, particularly single-use plastic, everywhere in the name of COVID, we are happy to see that one local company is forging ahead with plant-based alternatives. BioSafe, the local company that created the black straws with a blue stripe that you might have seen in local restaurants, […]

On July 17 we went on a field trip to Ard Brac Acres, a small regenerative farm in Pittsville, Maryland on the Eastern Shore. The inspiration for checking out a regenerative farm came from reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma where we were introduced to the methods of Joel Salatin. We were curious about how the operations […]

Today’s Sustainable Action: Reusable and Washable Masks! Throughout this pandemic it was probably an easier option for most people to use disposable masks, but as the pandemic winds down please consider using washable masks. These are less harmful to the environment, for disposable ones often end up in waterways and in the ocean. They also […]

An online, collaborative initiative to raise funds for and increase awareness of 10 local, small environmental organizations… We have always said that we a tad different, “a different shade of green,” making us a unique partner in the GreenGive group. Our mission is to bring the community together, for the Greener Good, and we’ve been doing […]

Today’s Sustainable Action: Using Reusable Bags! Instead of using single-use plastic bags, you can use reusable bags. These can either be reusable plastic containers or reusable sandwich bags; these can be used for lunches and other everyday things. Using these cuts down on the amount of waste you produce that ends up in the landfill. […]

Rarely does a book come around that fills me with hope and inspires me with possibilities, much less shift my perception. In the shit storm of suffering that was 2020, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer was that book for me. Kimmerer is a lovely writer […]

Founding One Hundred Spotlight Our partner in Pumpkin Spice Compost and all our composting since we started is Founding One Hundred supporter Veteran Compost – a wonderful local company owned by a Gulf War veteran. We can’t exactly remember “the when, ” but all it took was meeting owner Justen Garrity, a charismatic Army vet […]

You may know that we have a great relationship with the Waste Management (WM) company – the firm that runs the recycling facility that services Anne Arundel County and Annapolis. Most notably, we worked with WM during our Greening of the Brick Companies’ (a Founding One Hundred supporter) TBC Classic Golf Tournament over the years […]

The Green Reads book group discussed E.O. Wilson’s Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life. What a thought-provoking read from a highly respected biologist and renowned naturalist. He methodically laid out facts and observations in a way that reminded me of a spider weaving a web. Next thing I knew I was the meal at the […]

Are you doing your part to keep plastic out of the landfills? Join the more than 30 Maryland marinas recycling their shrinkwrap a message from We understand that your busiest time of year is when the wrap comes off. We know it can be a real pain to deal with piles and piles of plastic […]

Rather than put your natural Christmas tree on the curb for collection, put it in your garden as a bit of habitat for birds to help them survive the winter. Our little feathered buddies take protection from cold and wind in evergreens. Your holiday tree, wreaths and garlands can provide that protection too. Just take […]

We gave your Halloween jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins a dignified demise, back to the Earth. We’re turning them into Pumpkin Spice Compost that you can order now for delivery in a couple of months! NBC4 Washington featured our pumpkin collection during Meteorologist Amelia Draper’s climate segment on food waste. Five tons of pumpkins are now “cooking” […]

News from Plastic Free QAC (Queen Anne’s County) Maryland’s Foam Ban Goes into Effect As the first state in the country, October 1 marked the date Maryland’s ban on Styrofoam (polystyrene), went into effect. This means that restaurants, schools, and other foodservice outlets are prohibited from using foam containers for take-out food and foam cups for […]

by Karen Grumbles You know the experiences where you are walking through a nature area and you hear the sounds of many birds, see all the different bugs skittering around on the ground and the strikingly beautiful butterflies fluttering around above the shrubs? We all tend to gravitate to places like Quiet Waters Park and […]

by Elvia Thompson (October 19, 2020) – The Severn River Association has been monitoring water quality in the creeks and main stem of our capital river for several years. This year it’s been doing this since early spring – even with the pandemic. Yesterday I joined in so see how it’s done. SRA executive director […]

by Rob Savidge The Tesla website allows you to put in the exact features you want and it searches its inventory across the entire country. You can do the same thing for used Teslas. That’s what I did and I bought a 2018 Model 3. I submitted my payment online and after that, the worst […]

Get outside and help clean up your local waterway or community! by Jocelyn Fillius Coastal Conservation Association Maryland (CCAMD) Seasonal Assistant & Lead of Chesapeake Clean-Up Week In partnership with the iAngler Tournament cellphone app, anglers (and all others) are being encouraged to photograph and track litter picked up shoreside or aboard a boat. Normally the […]

Join fellow gardeners, butterfly watchers and native plant enthusiasts in the butterfly garden. Volunteers weed, water, prune and otherwise maintain the Butterfly Garden at the Glendening Preserve’s Plummer House at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary. Volunteers learn all about which plants support our native pollinators and how to take care of a vibrant and healthy garden. […]

On Sunday, June  14, GreenGive organization members and volunteers, including Annapolis Green, followed the “Wade In” tradition started by State Senator Bernie Fowler 33 years ago in the Patuxent River by wading into Annapolis’ four creeks to assess water clarity. The waders move into the water until they can no longer see their feet or […]

50th Earth Day calls for a new, better normal by Elvia Thompson and Suzanne Kilby Etgen As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, it’s clear that the struggle to restore our environment — to heal the Chesapeake Bay — is not unlike the struggle we have faced for the last six weeks. The […]

The Earth is drowning in plastic, especially the disposable, single-use kind—bags, bottles, cutlery and straws.