GreenBowie News November 2020
Happy November! GreenBowie wishes you a wonderful month including Election Day, Veterans Day (thank you to all those who have and continue to serve!), and Thanksgiving. Don't forget to:
- Turn the water off in between washing hands or dishes
- Run the dishwasher, especially an energy efficient one, instead of hand washing everything
- Compost pumpkins when possible!
- Use paper, not plastic, single use plates
- Compost when possible- compost bins ARE available at City Hall for $20
- Nudge your thermostat down a bit for the cold weather, ideally to 67 or 68 degrees
GreenBowie Spotlight:
Plant One Tree on Us!
FREE TREES: The City’s brand new "Plant One Tree on Us" program is a tree giveaway aimed at increasing residential tree canopy in Bowie. This allows you to pick a tree from an approved list, designate where in your yard you would like the tree, allow our contractor to plant it, and enjoy! Trees provide shade, carbon sequestration, beauty, habitat, and much more.
Online reservations 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
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.
**Tree-bates was discontinued as of July 1, 2020**
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Climate Action Plan &
S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y
- As of 2020, with the help of the Environmental Advisory Committee and the Green Team, the Bowie City Council approved a 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!
- We have recently broken ground on a City-owned property ("the farm") for the installation of solar panels, obtained through a power purchase agreement, to help offset the City government's energy! About 2.5 Megawatts of energy will be coming in to operate City facilities!
- 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!
- 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!
- The City of Bowie was recently highlighted by the Maryland Department of Environment's MD Green Registry program for our progressive work in regards to sustainability
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Watch this short film, Home or High Water: Elizabeth Rush on Coastal Life in the Age of Sea Level Rise, about the impacts of sea level rise.
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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
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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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Recipe of the Month
Vegetable Soup: a plant based fall favorite!
You will need:
One box/carton of vegetable broth
Half of one sweet onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 Stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 TBSP dried thyme
1 TSP celery salt
1 TSP oregano
1 TSP basil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of water
2-3 chopped potatoes (to your liking)
1 cup of frozen mixed vegetables OR frozen corn and peas
1/2 can of coconut milk (optional)
1 tsp hot sauce of choice (optional)
Rice for serving (also optional)
Directions:
Heat a large pot or dutch oven and add olive oil
Add onion, carrots, celery and sauté for 2 minutes
Add in garlic and potatoes, sauté for 2 to 3 more minutes, stirring everything around
Add all seasonings and half of the carton of vegetable broth. Let come to a simmer and simmer for 2 minutes
Add in the rest of the vegetable broth and the cup of water, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes
Add in the coconut milk, stir, simmer for 10 minutes
Add in hot sauce, more salt and pepper if needed, and your frozen vegetables
Cook for about 10 more minutes.
Serve with bread, over rice or quinoa, or on its own!
-Recipe courtesy of Ashleigh Armentrout-
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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 (policy and programs) and the Green Team Executive Committee (action and volunteer opportunities) are looking for volunteers/members. To get an idea what these groups are all about please visit the links below, e-mail aarmentrout@cityofbowie.org, or attend a meeting!
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 next Green Team Executive Committee virtual meeting is November 16, 2020. Please visit www.cityofbowie.org to check the City calendar and find the meeting link, as all City Committee meetings are being conducted via Microsoft Teams right now.
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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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