GreenBowie News October 2020:
Happy Fall!
“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree."
— Emily Brontë
October is Energy Efficiency Month and October 7 is Energy Efficiency Day!
We have proclaimed this to be honored in the City of Bowie and will be celebrating by tweeting and posting tips on social media all month long. Please follow @Green_Bowie and the City of Bowie facebook and twitter for tips and tweets, looking out for the hashtag #EEintheDMV. Please also let us know what you are doing to increase your energy efficiency at home!
Resident Spotlight:
Get to know your neighbors who work on all things "green"
Name: Sue Livera and Annellen Moore
What they do to keep Bowie green:
Sue Livera and Annellen Moore had no intention of living in Maryland let alone Bowie; rather they had intended to settle in New England. But, due to a quirk, they ended up buying a Levitt home. As educators they had the summers to begin creating the wildlife habitat their home has become. When BGE took down 5 very large trees on their hillside, they mourned the loss of their mini woods. One day, however, they were struck with inspiration to create gardens and so it began!
Their hillside garden provided a very appealing environment which successfully did and continues to attract a wide variety of wildlife. They have gradually eliminated lawn, added perennials, shrubs yielding berries through the seasons that attract birds, introduced milkweed to attract monarch butterflies which they’ve raised yearly for 9 seasons and have literally made a very comfortable “nest” of their own. They are faithful volunteers - both members of the Bowie-Crofton Garden Club, Annellen at her church and Sue of Bowie’s Green Team with special focus on the Green Schools program. Through the pandemic they help at the food pantry 3 mornings a week and can be seen managing traffic every Sunday at the Farmers’ Market.
(Sue, with Secretary of the Environment Ben Grumbles and Ashleigh Armentrout)
I would like to thank Sue and Annellen for their unwaivering commitment to the City of Bowie and to all things green! I also encourage others to follow in their footsteps, finding the thing that makes you tick and going for it. And please feel free to submit residents for this spotlight to aarmentrout@cityofbowie.org
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Climate Action Plan & More
As of 2020, with the help of the Environmental Advisory Committee and the Green Team, Council has approved our brand new Climate Action Plan to run from 2020 - 2025. View the updated Climate Action Plan here and see what actions you can take today!
S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y
Likewise, if you are looking to brush up on some reading during this period of social distancing, head over to our Sustainability page and check out the Sustainability Plan and the most recent update on where we are at as a City: https://www.cityofbowie.org/2247/Sustainability
Our FY20 State of the Environment report will also be available to view here: https://www.cityofbowie.org/Archive.aspx?AMID=41. Follow the link to find the reports from every year and see what the City of Bowie has been up to in the last year! S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y
Brand new Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure is coming to City of Bowie! The City fleet of vehicles for staff now has one Nissan Leaf, three Chevy Bolts, two electric motorcycles and four hybrids. We are also in the process of adding public chargers to both the Kenhill Center and City Hall!
Look for updates soon!
photo courtesy of Mati Bazurto
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Food Waste Program
Do you live in Belair Town II, Victoria Heights, Idlewild, Yorktown, Overbrook, Saddlebrook or Saddlebrook West neighborhoods?
If so, sign up today to participate in our food waste program!
Have your food scraps picked up weekly, saving space in your own trash can, saving your garbage disposal, and preventing excess waste at the landfill. All food waste is brought to the County facility where it is turned into Leaf Gro soil. This is first come, first served, FREE program.
Learn more about this fun and FREE program at www.cityofbowie.org/foodwaste
"So cool to think my banana peel may be represented in one of those bags!"-
Food Waste participant Narda Theobald, referring to the LeafGro soil that our food waste helps to produce!
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New Tree Program
You’re Invited to Plant One Tree on Us!
The City’s Plant One Tree on Us program, a tree giveaway aimed at increasing residential tree canopy, is now open city-wide. Online reservations for an approved tree will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, and funding is available for 100 trees. For more information, contact Tiffany Wright (301-809-3043 or twright@cityofbowie.org) or visit www.cityofbowie.org/GreenBowie
**Tree-bates was discontinued as of July 1, 2020**
Important Note: If you have utility lines near your property, it is important to pay attention to the maximum height of the tree species you are selecting by using the Plant the Right Tree in the Right Place guidelines and contact MISS UTILITY prior to planting at 800-257-7777.
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Green Bowie Biz
There are now 10 certified Green Bowie Businesses
 Are you a business looking for ways to go green? Know a business that is green and should be certified? Need assistance with furthering your goals of sustainability? You've come to the right place! You can read about all Green Bowie Businesses at www.cityofbowie.org/greenbowiebiz.
The Green Bowie Business program is modeled after the MD Green Registry program. Admission into the state program automatically enrolls you into the City program and helps you access resources from both. Learn about the MD Green Registry here.
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Upcoming & Current Events
There are not any upcoming events due to COVID-19 restrictions. Please stay safe and continue to check back for events when restrictions are lifted in Prince George's County.
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Interested in Becoming a Volunteer?
If you are looking for a way to give back to the Bowie community and to improve the environment in the process, look no farther! Both the Environmental Advisory Committee (mainly policy and programs) and the Green Team Executive Committee (mainly action and volunteer opportunities) are looking for volunteers/members. To get an idea what these groups are all about please visit:
https://www.cityofbowie.org/483/Environmental-Advisory-Committee
https://www.cityofbowie.org/653/Green-Team-Executive-Committee
https://www.cityofbowie.org/135/How-To-Apply
The City of Bowie Green Team is an excellent way to get involved in the community, gain volunteer experience and hours, and help with green initiatives. To find out more, please contact Ashleigh Armentrout at 301-809-3044, e-mail aarmentrout@cityofbowie.org OR attend a Green Team meeting.
The next virtual meeting is tentatively October 19, 2020. Check back for updates regarding COVID-19, safety guidelines, and whether these meetings are happening or not.
Recipe of the Month:
Easy plant based chili
You will need:
One 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
Two 15 oz. cans of beans of choice I recommend black and pinto
One half of a sweet onion
Two cloves of garlic
One bell pepper of choice
One cup of frozen corn
One can of diced green chilis (can omit if you do not have)
Tsp. of onion powder, garlic powder, oregano
TBSP. chili powder
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
Dash of hot sauce of your choice
Directions:
Heat a large pot or dutch oven and add olive oil
Add diced onion, bell pepper and garlic and sauté for about three minutes
Add all seasonings and stir to combine
Add both cans of beans with their liquids (do not drain) and let cook, covered, for five minutes
Add in large can of diced tomatoes, fire roasted if you like spice and diced green chilis
Let all of this simmer, covered, for 10 minutes
Add in frozen corn, dash of hot sauce of choice, and salt and pepper
Let everything simmer for at least 10 more minutes, and up to 30.
Voila, you have a quick, easy, plant based chili!
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Other Incentives
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Interested in Community Solar?
Having solar panels on your home is not the only option for obtaining residential solar! By subscribing to a Maryland based community solar farm a customer is allotted a specified percentage of the entire farm’s electricity output each month, which the customer agrees to purchase from the supplier at a price that is typically 5%-25% below the rate the utility charges.
That percentage of the overall output is then converted into a dollar amount which is calculated at the current rate that the utility charges their residential customers. That dollar amount is then reflected on the customer’s utility bill in the form of a credit.
The first and largest of these solar farms was recently completed by Neighborhood Sun in the Pepco service area and is scheduled to start generating electricity in June 2019. They also have 3 additional farms being developed in the BGE service area with 350 subscriptions reserved for households of low to moderate income with savings at the 25% rate ~ or hundreds of dollars each year.
Links to companies with community solar projects under development in Maryland are below:
Arcadia Power
CleanChoice Energy
Groundswell
Neighborhood Sun
Solar United Neighbors of Maryland (SUN MD)
- Municipal Collaboration for Home Weatherization Upgrades:
- Washington Gas is Offering an Extra 15% on High-Efficiency Natural Gas Equipment Until December 2020
Washington Gas is committed to the well-being of our customers, especially when it comes to saving money and energy. We have made a commitment to lend extra support to residential customers in Maryland by increasing Existing Home Program rebates by 15% now through December 1, 2020. Rebates are available for customers upgrading their home heating, home appliances and water heating equipment. For program details and details about the available equipment rebates, visit washingtongas.com/mdhome.
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