The Environmental Finance Center (EFC) at the University of Maryland announced the fourteen municipalities that achieved Sustainable Maryland Certified status for 2016, including eight that were re-certified from 2013. The certifications were bestowed at the Sustainable Maryland Awards during the annual Maryland Municipal League Conference on October 14 in Solomons, Maryland. The Sustainable Maryland program provides support and guidance to municipalities looking 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 earn points toward sustainability certification. Currently, 66 of the state’s 157 incorporated municipalities have registered with the program to seek this award designation, with 36 achieving certification as of this year. “Every year, the Environmental Finance Center is proud to welcome more municipalities to the Sustainable Maryland community,” said Dan Nees, director of the Environmental Finance Center. “The incredible growth of this program demonstrates that so many communities across the state are dedicated to healthier, more sustainable futures. The shared commitment of local elected officials, municipal staff and Green Team volunteers in these diverse towns and cities are a testament to Maryland's vision of resilience." The newly certified and re-certified (denoted by *) communities are listed alphabetically below, followed by a notable achievement from their local sustainability efforts:
A full report on each certified community’s Actions can be viewed here: http://sustainablemaryland.com/actions-certification/participating-commu... According to Mike Hunninghake, Program Manager for Sustainable Maryland, “This year’s Sustainable Maryland Certified municipalities featured both large cities and small towns, from both urban and rural parts of the state. These communities, while differing in scale and demographics, all recognized the importance of addressing sustainability issues at the local level. We are especially pleased by the successful re-certification of all eight Sustainable Maryland Certified municipalities from 2013, which demonstrates the value communities place on our certification designation and the municipal Green Team/Action Plan framework. With the support of the Maryland Municipal League, US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Town Creek Foundation, Sustainable Maryland is a free and voluntary program that 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 get recognized statewide for their accomplishments. For more information about Sustainable Maryland, please visit www.sustainablemaryland.com. The Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland works to equip communities with the knowledge, resources and leadership needed to empower decision-making that advances resource management priorities in an innovative and efficient way. Through direct technical assistance, capacity building and program and policy analysis, it strives to move communities towards a more sustainable and resilient future. For more information about the Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland, please visit www.efc.umd.edu.
October 21, 2016 Prev Next |
Fourteen Municipalities Awarded Sustainable Maryland Certified Status for 2016
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