THANK YOU from Bethesda Green

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Dear Friends:

We are preparing for a unique Thanksgiving holiday – one where for the first time in my life travel is being curtailed and everyone is being encouraged not to see family for a holiday that is historically associated with both travel and family.

Ironically, perhaps, this is simultaneously a holiday where we can focus more than ever on all that we have to be thankful for. So many people have suffered and businesses have shuttered, but with our entrepreneurial spirit and unsurpassed drive, we soldier on.

I’m certainly thankful for the Bethesda Green team, who have pivoted to working from home and running their important programs virtually this year, seamlessly transitioning to work life in times of Covid-19. I’m thankful for our recently-departed programs and communications associate, Marisa Baldine, who worked so hard for Bethesda Green this past year and a half and has now moved on to work to protect the Chesapeake Bay. I’m thankful for our new staff (see below) who will ensure her great work continues.

I’m thankful for all the important partnerships that enable our work to make Bethesda a sustainable urban ecosystem: the dedicated County Executive’s office and our County Council, our colleagues at the Bethesda Urban Partnership, the indefatigable folks at the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, the Bethesda Green community of eco-entrepreneurs building sustainability-driven businesses, our student Environmental Leaders who are preparing to assume leadership of the environmental movement when ready, the support teams at companies like CohnReznick who provide pro bono support to us, other area businesses that have sponsored our new recycling bins, and to the Bethesda Green board of directors who help inspire and shepherd our work forward… the list continues to grow!

I’m also thankful to you, the Bethesda residents and Bethesda Green supporters who embrace our mission and contribute to our success. Together, in partnership, we will achieve our mission and have much more to be thankful for in the months and years to come.

So, put simply: thank you.

Keep Bethesda Green,

Adam M. Roberts

Executive Director

PS. We need your support now more than ever to continue working for a green community. Please take a moment during this holiday season to make a vital donation to Bethesda Green. Remember, Giving Tuesday is coming up, so prepare to make a difference with your holiday donation dollars!

The Bins Are In!

Keep an eye out as you get some masked, socially-distanced fresh air, for new recycling bins throughout Bethesda. The bins, made possible with support from the Mid-Atlantic Beverage Association and various local businesses, will help contribute to responsible waste collection for the next decade or more. Click here to learn about our Bethesda Recycles campaign.

The Buses Are Out!

Bethesda Green has just completed the renewal of its Montgomery County Green Business certification – right in time for a newly branded fleet of county buses to hit the streets letting folks know about our good work. If you have to travel around town, please do so in the most energy efficient way. Keep an eye out for the Bethesda Green logo when you board your bus.

Meet Environmental Leader Emily Wu

Bethesda Green’s Environmental Leaders Program is an experiential school-year long sustainability program targeting high school students in their senior year currently offered for Montgomery County high schools. The training focuses on environmental stewardship and community engagement with local organizations and businesses.

Emily Wu is a Senior at Walt Whitman High School. Emily is interested in many environmental issues, mainly how global warming and pollution impact our local ecosystem. Read Emily's blog post analyzing the effectiveness of recycling different types of plastics here.

New Staff Announcements

Jordan Lee and Emily Bernard have moved from interns to teammates with the Bethesda Green crew. Please join me in welcoming them both as Jordan tackles our marketing and communications work and Emily handles operational and project work.

Jordan Lee | Communications Associate
Jordan grew up in Bethesda and graduated from Carleton College with a degree in Sociology / Anthropology and a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. Her post-college year in Myanmar working for a local human rights group put climate change into a global perspective and sparked her interest in sustainability. She is committed to working towards environmental justice, building a more inclusive environmental movement, and improving businesses' social and environmental impact. She's excited to use her new role to encourage sustainability within her own community.

Emily Bernard | Program Associate
Emily is a recent graduate from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor’s in Government and Politics, and a minor in Sustainability Studies. She is passionate about issues like reducing single-use plastic consumption, recycling as much as possible, and recognizing the impact of your personal carbon footprint. After interning with us for two summers Emily is becoming a part of the Bethesda Green Team, working on office administrative duties. Outside of the office, you will find Emily lounging with her dog, Cleo, or camping with her family.

B Corp 101 December Workshops

The B Corp Workshop Series offers business tools to benchmark, express and improve their triple bottom line impact (People, Planet, Profit) through B Lab’s SDG Manager and B Impact Assessment (BIA). Through this program, our region is encouraging the triple-bottom-line business philosophy, so that one day, companies thrive not only to be the best, but also to attract the best for workers, and improve communities and the environment.

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Living Canopies, Bethesda Green Residency member, featured by DC I-Corps

Our Bethesda Green Residency member, Living Canopies, transforms patios with living umbrellas. Each come with a smart, solar-powered irrigation system that knows when to water plants. You can read about their Success Story on the DC I-Corps website.

DGrid Energy's January Info Session

Bethesda Green's Innovation Lab invites you to join Eugene Faison, founder and CEO of DGrid Energy, for an information session about how DGrid's system of food-grade cold storage solutions and wash stations can help address capacity concerns for farmers, farmers markets, food hubs and food pantries around the region. Sign up here!

Incubator and Amplifier accepting applications

Bethesda Green’s Innovation Lab identifies and nurtures green, for-profit startups aligned with our vision for a sustainable, impactful, and purposeful economy. Our suite of programs support idea-stage companies through those raising Series A rounds, and we are currently recruiting.

Though applications for our Accelerator program have closed, rolling applications continue for our Incubator and Amplifier programs. Learn more about our programs here.

Questions? Contact the Innovation Lab team!

Tackle Climate Change and Rebuild MoCo's Economy

Times are tough but the work goes on. This week, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Climate, Energy, and Environment Policy Committee completed its work on a Climate and Energy Action Plan to help the region achieve shared climate action goals for the coming decade. Bethesda Green is a proud member of the Committee and looks forward to helping promote implementation of the recommendations in the coming years. Montgomery County is soon expected to release its own targeted recommendations on climate action, and we’ll update you as soon as the draft document is released.

Additionally, the County Executive’s office just released a new document outlining a roadmap for economic recovery in the County, post-Covid 19. Bethesda Green served on the Advisory Panel that contributed input into the document and, through our Innovation Lab, we hope to help the County’s economy grow sustainably for years to come.

Support Bethesda Green and Gifts Outside the Box

Bethesda Green is participating in the Department of Environmental Protection’s Gift Greener Challenge, encouraging everyone to give gifts this holiday season that reduce waste: gifts of service, donations, etc. Check out the campaign and make a commitment to gift green this holiday season!

If you plan to order gifts from Amazon, use smile.amazon.com/ch/26-1825747 to generate donations for Bethesda Green.

Restaurant Relief

In case you missed it, a new Covid-related relief grant has been launched by the County specifically to help our valued local restaurants. Do you have a Montgomery County restaurant you love? They can use your help right now! Our local favorite food establishments may be eligible for up to $10,000 in a pandemic relief grant. That includes restaurants, food trucks, caterers and wineries/breweries that directly provide food service. Visit the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) new grant webpage to learn more if you need help or mention it the next time you pick up your “to go” order…

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