A who's who of Baltimore's enviromental organizations, agencies, and academics


BUSINESS

American Institute of Architects Baltimore: AIA Baltimore’s Committee on the Environment “promotes awareness of environmental issues and provides architects with an educational source for sustainable or ‘green’ design.”

Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance: This group “educates the public on the importance of supporting the local economy, and encourages businesses and consumers to be environmentally sustainable and socially responsible.” Projects include a “Buy Local” campaign and local business guide, and an online directory for green building resources.

Earthome: This environmental group has recently been acting as the nonprofit affiliate of the Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance, working on projects as varied as a documentary film about green architect-designer William McDonough, marketing local foods, and the “Buy Fresh Buy Local” campaign.

Maryland Hospitals for a Healthy Environment: The state chapter of a national nonprofit—now called Practice Greenhealth—this group boasts a membership comprising more than half of the hospitals in the state. These facilities have implemented innovative recycling and composting efforts, developed local food programs, reduced reliance on toxic chemicals, and established environmentally preferable purchasing policies.

U.S. Green Building Council Maryland: This nonprofit, established in 2004 as the USGBC’s Baltimore Regional Chapter, is “committed to promoting green building and sustainable practices within the Maryland community.” The U.S. Green Building Council is the organization behind LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), currently the most widely accepted independent green building certification system.



CLIMATE/ENERGY/TRANSIT

1000 Friends of Maryland: This Baltimore-based nonprofit promotes natural resource conservation, urban revitalization, mass transit, and “smart growth” statewide.

Alliance for Global Warming Solutions: This statewide alliance of environmental and student groups, churches, and businesses advocates for state-level legislation addressing climate change. Formerly called the Healthy Air Coalition, it claims to have been the force behind the Healthy Air and Clean Cars acts in 2006 and 2007.

Baltimore Climate Action Network: Not to be confused with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, this nonprofit provides regular updates on climate-related legislation on the local, state and federal level, as well as regular speakers and conference calls, “action alerts,” and letter-writing campaigns.

Baltimore Spokes: This website/ discussion forum provides an endless stream of bike/ transit/ climate-related news and commentary.

Campaign for Fresh Air & Clean Politics: This nonprofit focuses on the connections between the environment and peace, drawing connections between climate change and global conflict, for example, and advocating for a new “green economy.”

Chesapeake Climate Action Network: This nonprofit calls itself “the first grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting global warming in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.” It does this through direct political action, letter-writing campaigns, educational events, and promoting energy efficient living.

Maryland Conservation Council: This Baltimore-based group, which includes former Johns Hopkins University biology professors, argues that nuclear energy has a smaller ecological “footprint” than wind, solar, or biomass. A report on the subject, co-authored by a western Maryland anti-wind-power activist, appears on the group’s website.

Maryland Public Interest Research Group: This statewide nonprofit works on a host of issues, including mass transit and renewable energy. Much of its environmental work has been shifted to the nonprofit Environment Maryland.

One Less Car: This statewide group, based in Baltimore, “advocates for providing safe and effective transportation alternatives for all citizens through education, lobbying, and facilitation between our communities, governments, and state and local representatives.” It also sponsors a “community pace car” program, enlisting citizens to put an official sticker on their bumper—and then follow the speed limit.

Rebuilding Together Baltimore: This nonprofit (formerly known as “Christmas in April Baltimore”) is a volunteer organization “dedicated to helping low-income homeowners, through home renovation and repair.” It has recently incorporated an energy-efficiency training program and begun offering low-cost home energy audits. On the annual Rebuilding Day in April, new “energy captains” will help implement the recommendations of these energy audits.

Transit Riders Action Council of Metropolitan Baltimore: Formed in late 2004, TRAC calls itself “the new voice of transit riders in Baltimore … TRAC stands up for riders and fights to build a better system.” Looking to drill into the minute details of bus schedules and new Light Rail proposals? Look no further.



ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Baltimore Green Works: This nonprofit organizes Baltimore Green Week each April, including the EcoFestival in Druid Hill Park. It also sponsors cleanup events, a Green Winter Party, and the EcoBall—a fundraiser for the Sustainable Speaker Series, which features “national speakers, offered free to the public to inform our local community on national issues and concerns regarding sustainability.”

Baltimore Inner City Outings: This project of the Baltimore chapter of the Sierra Club was founded in 1999 “with the goal of providing under-served Baltimore City youth with educational, enjoyable and safe outdoor experiences at no cost to them.” Outings include nature hikes and orienteering, camping, canoeing, cycling and caving, initiative and confidence coursework, and community service for Baltimore’s Recreation & Parks Department.

Green School of Baltimore: This public charter school in northeast Baltimore uses an educational approach called “using the Environment as an Integrating Context,” or EIC. “EIC uses the school’s surroundings and community as the context for reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. This approach integrates learning from textbooks, problem-solving opportunities, and hands-on experiences.”

Kids on the Hill: According to founder Rebecca Yenawine, this nonprofit works with young people “to create social justice through art and media.” The website says, “Kids on the Hill youth explore the [environmental] movement, how it impacts their lives, and strive to make connections between environmental issues and issues of race and class as a way of unifying movements that often divide along race and class lines.”

Outward Bound Baltimore: The Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound Center in Leakin Park “provides a lifetime of experiences designed to inspire the future leaders of tomorrow.” Day trips and multi-day wilderness and urban expeditions support OB’s mission “to inspire character development and self-discovery in people of all ages and walks of life through challenge and adventure, and to impel them to achieve more than they ever thought possible, to show compassion for others, and to actively engage in creating a better world.”

Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education: This nonprofit seeks “to encourage, educate, support, and inspire Maryland educators to build a citizenry that understands and is responsibly engaged in advancing sustainability to address human needs and to conserve the Earth's natural resources.” Projects include the Green Schools awards and collaborating with teachers to create “schoolyard habitat.”



ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH/JUSTICE

Environmental Justice Partnership: This coalition of environmental health specialists and East Baltimore activist groups “emerged out of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as a way to link the researchers studying urban environmental issues—pollution, lead paint, disproportionately high rates of cancer, heart disease, asthma—and the communities right outside their doors that were grappling with those same problems.” According to executive director Glenn Ross, it split off as an independent nonprofit in the wake of the controversy over sewage sludge spread on Baltimore yards for lead abatement.

Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning: According to its website, this nonprofit was founded in 1986 as Parents Against Lead by the Middle East Community Organization, the Southeast Community Organization, and child health and housing advocates. Today, it “promotes programs and policies to eradicate childhood lead poisoning and further healthy homes” in the Mid-Atlantic, St. Louis, and Miami.

Maryland Pesticide Network: This grassroots coalition is “dedicated to protecting the public and the environment from toxic pesticides and promoting healthy alternatives.” The coalition's work is based on the precautionary principle, which means erring on the side of caution when faced with scientific uncertainty. It has recently worked to reduce pesticide use in schools and hospitals.



FOOD/AGRICULTURE

Baltimore Green Space: This land trust for community gardens and other open spaces was created by editor-turned-community-gardener Miriam Avins under a fellowship from the Open Society Institute Baltimore. To learn more, call 443-695-7504. Coming soon: www.baltimoregreenspace.org

Baltimore Urban Agricultural Task Force: This group has been working to create a plan for intensive farming within the city limits. While the group has been tight-lipped about its plans, this (unofficial) website (www.baltimoreurbanag.org), created by one of its members, says, “The long term goal of the Task Force is to acquire a 6-acre plot that can be farmed in Baltimore City and to create 500 new and sustainable jobs in the process.”

Living Classrooms Foundation: This nonprofit based near Harbor East sponsors the BUGS program—Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students. “BUGS is a national model program that uses activities such as cooking, gardening, creative arts and movement, and entrepreneurial projects to help increase academic performance in reading and math and improve student behavior.” Students plant vegetable and flower gardens, and have access to the only remaining wetlands on the Inner Harbor.

Maryland Cooperative Extension: The Extension Service trains master gardeners who can provide technical assistance for community gardens and beautification projects. They can also help with plant selection and rally volunteers. The Extension Service also provides gardening, cooking, and nutrition programs for school kids.

Slow Food Baltimore: This is the Baltimore chapter of Slow Food USA, a nonprofit “dedicated to supporting and celebrating the food traditions of North America through programs and activities dedicated to Taste Education, Defending Biodiversity, and Building Food Communities.” The group sponsors slow food events at restaurants around town, as well as cooking classes and the “Eat-in-Season Challenge.” The website includes a good list of ‘green food’-related resources in the Baltimore area.



GOVERNMENT (CITY)

Baltimore City Commission on Sustainability: This 21-member stakeholder group spent nine months creating the city’s new sustainability plan, adopted by the City Council in March 2009. It now oversees the plan’s implementation, and is the go-to city body for all things related to sustainability.

Baltimore City Forestry Division: This division of the Recreation and Parks Department cares for the trees that line city streets and parks. You can volunteer to help plant or care for trees, or request to have one planted on your street.

Baltimore City Health Department: The Health Department has a lead poisoning prevention program, including free blood lead testing for kids and grants for lead clean-up for qualified property owners.

Baltimore Office of Sustainability: This office in the city planning department was created in 2007 by Mayor Sheila Dixon to facilitate environmental matters such as the city’s new sustainability plan and green building standards.

Park Conservation and Community Outreach: This division of the city Recreation and Parks Department coordinates park stewardship and conservation projects “to enhance the ecological viability of our urban forests and natural resources for the benefit of all.”

Tree Baltimore: This piece of Mayor Dixon’s Cleaner Greener initiative sets out to double the city’s tree canopy—the area shaded by trees in summer—from 20 percent of the overall surface area to 40 percent.

Weatherization Assistance Program: The “WAP” helps low-income residents weather-seal their homes and make them more energy efficient.



JOB TRAINING

Civic Works: This nonprofit work corps is an affiliate of the national Americorps program. The B’more Green program trains people (many of them formerly incarcerated or drug-addicted) to clean up industrial “brownfields.” Project Lightbulb teams install energy-efficient light bulbs and water fixtures, while the 3E Team of “energy efficiency experts” installs “cool roofs” and air-seals houses to reduce air conditioning use and energy costs.

Living Classrooms: This nonprofit’s job-skills training and workforce development programs “assist disadvantaged youth and young adults to overcome obstacles including lack of education, lack of skills, poor work history, history of substance abuse or criminal behavior, and childcare and transportation barriers.” While not explicitly “green,” the programs focus on neighborhood revitalization projects.

Parks & People Foundation: The BRANCHES program trains middle- and high school-aged youth in community forestry and park restoration and maintenance.

Second Chance: This nonprofit salvage yard/work training center trains workers to carefully “deconstruct” buildings, saving every board, nail, and architectural detail for resale. Founder and president Mark Foster says the organization plans to expand job training to include solar and wind installation and home energy audits.



LIVING

Baltimore Environmental Meetup Group: This group calls itself “a growing band of environment advocates—mostly oriented around sustainability and climate issues. We're also advocacy-oriented. In other words—action! We are in kind of a hurry to change the world, and we don't take 'No' for an answer.”

Simplicity Matters Earth Institute: This all-volunteer association organizes “discussion circles” that talk about sustainable living, “voluntary simplicity,” and the like; online discussions; and the free monthly “Baltimore Green Forum” gathering.



MUSEUMS/NATURE CENTERS/ZOOS

Bragg Nature Center: The Baltimore City Schools are busy turning the old George F. Bragg Nature Study Center and Horticulture Center in northwest Baltimore into a demonstration organic farm that will produce veggies for public school cafeterias.

Carrie Murray Nature Center: This nature center, located in Leakin Park and run by the city Recreation and Parks department, features the Insect Zoo, a rehabilitation center for injured birds of prey, and live reptiles and amphibians, and a summer Nature Camp.  Year-round activities include watershed/stream conservation, wild bird rescue, and bird and bug identification classes. (The center is named after the mother of former Oriole Eddie Murray, who donated the money to create it.)

Cromwell Valley Park: This 380 acres of farm and forest land, owned by Baltimore County, features a demonstration farm and a working Community Supported Agriculture operation. Volunteers, organized under the nonprofit Friends of Cromwell Valley Park, tear out weeds, plant trees, and raise money for a nature center planned for the Merrick Farm.

Cylburn Arboretum: This 200-acre public garden and nature preserve features trails that wind through a mature piedmont forest, as well as manicured gardens. Coming soon: a new 10,000 square foot Visitor’s Orientation and Education Center. The city’s Department of Recreation and Parks manages Cylburn in partnership with the nonprofit Cylburn Arboretum Association (www.cylburnassociation.org).

Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens: Located in Druid Hill Park, the city-run conservatory features palms, orchids, and Mediterranean, tropical, and desert displays, in addition to its well-known flower extravaganzas.

Irvine Nature Center: Irvine’s new temple-of-green is located in the Caves Valley northwest of the city. The nonprofit offers nature programs for school groups and the public, “nature in the classroom” programs for area schools, and special events such as an annual native plants seminar and sale and PumpkinFest, a celebration of autumn.

Marshy Point Nature Center: This Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks facility sits on a roughly-500-acre nature preserve east of the city, home to forests, marshes and wetlands, and tidal creeks that open to the Chesapeake Bay. The Nature Center features a butterfly garden, a canoe launching dock and boathouse, walking trails, “and a powerboat for field trips,” according to the website. The center sponsors naturalist lectures, birdwatching and beekeeping classes, and a water-oriented summer camp for kids.

Maryland Science Center: In addition to the planetarium, dinosaur exhibits and hard science stuff, the nonprofit Science Center features a huge, full-color satellite image of the Chesapeake Bay and tanks full of live diamondback terrapins, native fishes, and blue crabs. Longtime fans will remember the giant mechanical crab, which has recently been refurbished.

Maryland Zoo in Baltimore: Samson the 1,000-pound baby elephant gets all the love, but don’t forget the zoo’s Wild Maryland section, which crawls with everything from river otters and a skunk to snakes and cave crickets. Kids still love the giant stump/slide and the (somewhat battered) people-sized bird’s nest—and you’ll never get this close to brightly colored wood ducks or hooded mergansers in the wild.

National Aquarium: If you haven’t been, you really need to go. On top of the amazing aquatic and rainforest exhibits and those too-bright-to-be-real miniature frogs, the aquarium sponsors volunteer days to restore rivers, wetlands, and barrier islands and clean up trash around the Chesapeake Bay. And in addition to the endless cacophony of school children, the aquarium also hosts high-school-aged summer volunteers and college-aged interns.

Natural History Society of Maryland: This nonprofit, founded in 1929, has extensive collections of Maryland flora, fauna, fossils, and minerals that were once on display in the Natural History Museum in Druid Hill Park. Hidden away in a Charles Village rowhouse in the 1970s, the collections will soon be available for viewing in a new natural history museum on Belair Road in northeast Baltimore.

Oregon Ridge Nature Center: Located on the site of a former iron mine, this nature center offers a well-stocked reading room and nature museum featuring both taxidermied and live wildlife, including a (live, though often sleepy) flying squirrel. Surrounding the nature center, Oregon Ridge Park is the site of miles of hiking trails. The Nature Center is managed by the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks and the nonprofit Oregon Ridge Nature Center Council.

Patterson Park Audubon Center: This center provides nature programs and bird walks in Patterson Park, as well as school and after-school programs for young people.

Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area: This state-owned, 1,900-acre serpentine barren west of the city is home to dozens of rare, threatened, or endangered plant species as well as rare insects, rocks, and minerals. Hikers and hunters enjoy the trails, woods, and open fields here, which, each spring are host to the annual mating “dance” of the American woodcock. There’s also a visitor’s center and picnic grounds.



NEIGHBORHOOD GREENING

Alley Gating and Greening: Thanks to a 2007 ordinance, the city Department of Public Works can close off certain alleys and turn them into green spaces. According to the website, “Generally, alleys are eligible if the adjacent structures are mostly residential; the alley is no longer needed for through pedestrian or vehicular traffic; and the gating and/or greening will promote public health, safety or welfare.”

Be-more Productive Baltimore: The product of an Urbanite Project collaboration, Be-more Productive Baltimore “encourages Baltimore residents to take a second look at community and neighborhood spaces and re-think possibilities for green productivity.” The website includes a downloadable resource guide called The Neighborhood Diagnostic Tool.

Charm City Land Trusts: This organization was formed to help neighborhoods provide permanent protection for community green spaces. It has partnered with community groups at the Amazing Port Street gardens, the Kensington Community Garden, and Woodland Nguzo Saba, a green space created from vacant lots on the 3300 block of Woodland Avenue in Park Heights.

Civic Works: This nonprofit has a “Community Lot” team that helps community groups plan and install ornamental and other gardens. Civic Works also has a perennial flower and vegetable plant giveaway to community gardeners a couple of times each year.

Clean Block Campaign: This competition, launched by the Afro-American newspaper in the 1930s and held each spring, is designed “to encourage residents to beautify Baltimore through cleaning and greening projects,” according to the Afro’s website. Contact Diane Hocker: 410-554-8243.

Cleaner Greener Baltimore: Mayor Sheila Dixon launched this campaign to clean up streets and parks, and promote recycling and tree planting projects. The “Pitch In” program lends shovels, rakes, and brooms to community groups, and can provide trash pick-up and light earth grading.

Community Greening Resource Network: This joint program of the Parks & People Foundation and the Maryland Cooperative Extension Service provides community gardens in Baltimore City with seeds, plants, tools, networking opportunities, and educational workshops.

Neighborhood Design Center: This nonprofit provides pro-bono design and planning services for community-sponsored initiatives. According to the website, “Architects, planners, landscape architects, engineers, and other design professionals … donate their professional services to help groups in the initial stages of neighborhood revitalization efforts.”

Parks & People Foundation : Through the “Revitalizing Baltimore” program, a government-private-nonprofit partnership, Parks & People provides technical assistance for community greening projects, from gardens to street trees. The organization also publishes the Guide to Neighborhood Greening. Their twice-yearly Community Grants program provides small sums for neighborhood greening efforts.

Tilt Foundation: This nonprofit arm of the green design firm Tilt Studios “initiates large-scale community-based projects to create environmental awareness” and “promotes environmental sustainability through visual communications, marketing, research and educational initiatives.”



PARKS/FORESTS

Friends of Clifton Park: This group “is dedicated to the preservation, protection and improvement of Clifton Park, its historic structures, landscapes, athletic fields and waterways.” Activities include volunteer clean-ups and fund-raising for the ongoing restoration of the historic Clifton Mansion.

Friends of Druid Hill Park: “The mission of the Friends of Druid Hill Park is to protect and maintain its magnificent woods and arbors, to preserve its historic monuments and buildings, and to reinvigorate the park as a central recreational, cultural and educational institution.”

Friends of Maryland’s Olmsted Parks and Landscapes Inc.: This all-volunteer, nonprofit organization “encourages the revival of Olmsted's comprehensive approach to parks and other landscapes as essential to the quality of life in our communities.” The group offers walking tours of such local oases as Druid Hill, Carroll, and Herring Run parks, and collects and archives park-related drawings, photographs and documents.

Friends of Patterson Park: “The Friends of Patterson Park is a non-profit membership organization formed in 1998 to promote, protect and advocate for our treasured common ground so that it can be enjoyed for generations to come.” The group organizes teams to plant trees, maintain gardens and the historic pagoda, and test and clean the water in the boat lake.

Friends of Wyman Park Dell, Inc.: “A group of Charles Village and Remington neighbors established the Friends of Wyman Park Dell in 1983 to promote a greater appreciation of the Dell’s historical significance and to help revive the park and its adjacent green spaces.” The group organizes activities such as periodic clearing of invasive weeds.

Gwynns Falls Trail Council: The purpose of this public-private partnership is “to publicize, raise funds for, generate volunteer involvement in, monitor the City's management of, and in other ways support and improve the Gwynns Falls Trail.” The 15-mile trail runs from Leakin Park to the Inner Harbor.

Parks & People Foundation : Through the “Partnerships for Parks” program, this nonprofit works with the Baltimore City Recreation and Parks Department to rally volunteers to maintain and restore city parks.

Woodberry Land Trust: This nonprofit works to protect the more-than-130-acre “greenbelt” along the Jones Falls that connects Druid Hill Park to the Cylburn Arboretum. The group has pushed to move public land in the area from the Planning and Housing departments to Recreation and Parks, and has done a watershed assessment and land-use plan.



POLITICS

Baltimore City Green Party: This local political party (a chapter of the Maryland Green Party) is dedicated to changing “the corrupt, corporatized ‘two-party’ system.” According to its website, “In the 2007 City Council elections, the Green Party won more votes than the Republican Party.”

Maryland League of Conservation Voters: This nonpartisan “watchdog,” based in Annapolis, “advocates for sound conservation policies, promotes pro-environment candidates for public office, and holds elected officials accountable for the decisions they make affecting our air, water, lands, and quality of life.”



RELIGION AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Baltimore Jewish Environmental Network: This organization, formed in 2006, has a dream of “re-imagining Eden” by promoting “a deep understanding of Jewish environmentalism” and “mobiliz[ing] the wisdom, energy and resources of the Jewish community to improve the condition of the local environment.”

Chesapeake Covenant Congregations: This network of churches within the Chesapeake Bay watershed works “in covenant with God to establish healing ministries for lands and waters, to revere and cherish the Earth, and restore the ability of the Chesapeake Bay to sustain all life.”

Episcopal Diocese of Maryland’s Environmental Initiative: Committed to “heal[ing] the ecosystem,” this group has set out to develop environmental education tools for congregations and churchgoers and conduct “environmental audits” of parishes to help them become more eco-friendly.



RESEARCH/ACADEMICS

Baltimore Ecosystem Study: Baltimore is one of two cities included in the National Science Foundation's Long-Term Ecological Research Network. This multi-disciplinary scientific collaboration “seeks to understand how Baltimore's ecosystems change over time.”

Biological Science at Goucher College: Biological Science majors working on a bachelor’s degree at Goucher can emphasize environmental science. “The goal of the biological sciences faculty is to promote scientific curiosity, critical thinking, and intellectual maturity in our students through a rigorous curriculum which explores the major disciplines in biology and examines both the diversity of life and the functional aspects of living systems.”

Biology at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland: Notre Dame offers bachelor’s degrees in biology. “The Biology Department … is distinctive in its emphasis on ‘doing,’ rather than just ‘reading about,’ biology. Courses throughout the curriculum—from the introductory courses through the upper divisions—provide opportunities to learn about science by conducting independent research projects.”

Biology at Coppin State University: Coppin’s Department of Natural Sciences offers bachelor’s degrees in biology. “The Biology program provides instruction in the fundamental theories, principles, and techniques of biological science. The courses are especially designed for students who are interested in engaging in fundamental and industrial research, teaching biology, allied health professions, environmental sciences, bio-technology, the medical, or dental professions, or veterinary medicine.”

Biology at Loyola College in Maryland: Undergraduates at Loyola can earn a bachelor’s degree in biology “designed to provide the depth, scope, and skills necessary for admission to graduate and professional schools or for the job market.”

Biology at Morgan State University: Morgan State offers both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology. One of the biology department’s objectives is “to develop an intellectual and creative appreciation of living things as objects of beauty and as products of years of adaptation to environment through evolution.”

Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins University: This center conducts “research, educational outreach, and community action,” and offers graduate-level courses “connecting food systems, the environment and public health.” “All of our work is driven by the concept that diet, health, food production, the environment, population and equity are all elements of a single complex system.”

Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University: The Morton K. Blaustein Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences offers programs “in the basic Earth sciences”: geology, geochemistry, hydrogeology, geophysics, physical oceanography, atmospheric sciences, paleoecology, and evolutionary biology.

Environmental Engineering at Johns Hopkins University: The Whiting School of Engineering’s Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees, and a part-time degree program. “Our core mission is to improve the human condition through the development and promotion of sound, sustainable environmental practices, and to educate future generations of environmental leaders.”

Environmental Health Sciences at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Bloomberg’s Environmental Health Sciences department offers a range of master’s and doctorate degrees in a “quest to discover, translate, and disseminate new knowledge critical to understanding the impact of environmental factors on individuals and human populations.”

Environmental Law at the University of Maryland, Baltimore: The School of Law offers an environmental law certificate “drawing on the University of Maryland's extensive expertise in law, science, and other disciplines to address the rapidly changing challenges of environmental policy.”

Environmental Nursing at the University of Maryland: The School of Nursing’s Community/Public Health specialty offers full-time, part-time, and post-master’s programs in environmental health. “The Environmental Health option prepares nurses to address the human health effects associated with environmental risks. Special vulnerabilities of children, pregnant women, older adults, minorities, and the chronically ill are explored.”

Environmental Science and Studies at Towson University: Undergraduates in this program “develop the multidisciplinary background and skills required to address the complex environmental issues/problems that confront us today.  The program draws on … faculty across the campus including the College of Science and Mathematics, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Business and Economics, and the College of Health Professions.”

Environmental Science and Studies at University of Maryland, Baltimore County: UMBC’s Geography and Environmental Systems department offers bachelor’s degrees in environmental science and environmental studies, and a master’s degree that focuses on environmental systems, human geography, and geographic information technology and remote sensing.

Environmental Sciences and Policy at Johns Hopkins University: “The School of Arts and Sciences part-time graduate program in Environmental Sciences occupies a broad position centered at the juncture between science and policy. Graduates of the program emerge with a combination of expertise in science and policy that enables them to assume key positions in public and private entities responsible for safeguarding our environmental future.”

Urban Environmental Research at the University of Maryland Baltimore County: The Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education conducts research and outreach “to advance an interdisciplinary understanding of the urban landscape.” The website also includes a guide to environment-related degree programs at UMBC.



WATER/WATERSHEDS

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay:
This regional nonprofit calls itself a “neutral facilitator” that “bring[s] government, business, academic, and non-profit players to the table.” It sponsors restoration work and an annual watershed forum, and publishes the Bay Journal, a free publication dedicated to Bay issues.

Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper: Environmental attorney and Baltimore native Eliza Smith Steinmeier, the executive director of this nonprofit, scoots around in a boat, acting as “the eyes and ears” of the Baltimore Harbor and Patapsco River. Her mission, in a nutshell: to crack down on polluters and make the waters safe for swimming and fishing.

Baltimore Harbor Watershed Association: This nonprofit sets out “to protect and improve the environmental quality and natural beauty of the Baltimore Harbor and its tributaries” by installing trash collection facilities on harbor tributaries and sponsoring trash cleanup events.

Baltimore Sanitary Sewer Oversight Coalition: Founded in 2000 and supported by the city’s four watershed organizations, this group aims simply “to keep sewage from the streams that flow through the city of Baltimore.” Contact Guy Hollyday, chairman: 410-366-6827 or guypamsh@bcpl.net.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation: The big man on the Bay, this regional nonprofit has fought for tough legal restrictions on pollution and over-fishing. It also runs one of the largest environmental education programs in the country, and in recent years, has begun working cooperatively with farmers to reduce nutrient runoff.

Clean Water Action: This national nonprofit has been active in Maryland fighting to enforce environmental laws and to stop road projects such as the Intercounty Connector.

Environment Maryland: This statewide nonprofit advocates for “clean air, clean water and open spaces.” The organization’s Research and Policy Center has taken over much of the environmental work of the Maryland Public Interest Research Group Foundation.

Gwynns Falls Watershed Association: The watershed that cuts into the city from the northwest is this nonprofits’ turf. It’s goal, according to its website, is “to promote and enhance the value of the Gwynns Falls and its tributaries as a recreational, aesthetic, educational and natural resource” by sponsoring stream restoration projects, park clean-ups, trail building sessions, and the like.

Herring Run Watershed Association: Working out of a newly renovated, green-roof-topped office building in northeast Baltimore, this nonprofit works “to improve the environmental and aesthetic quality of the Herring Run Watershed by conducting stewardship and education programs, and by mobilizing volunteers for monitoring, restoration and advocacy.” Events include annual native plants sales and a native berry festival.

Jones Falls Watershed Association: This nonprofit is here to remind you that the Jones Falls is more than just an expressway. According to the website, the group’s mission is “to protect and restore the health and beauty of the Jones Falls Watershed through restoration, monitoring, advocacy, and citizen awareness.” It also sponsors the every-other-year Rally for the River, when bikers and pedestrians are the kings of the road, which is closed to cars for a few hours.



WILDLIFE/ANIMALS/PLANTS

Baltimore Birding Club: This chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society provides weekly bird-watching outings, as well as field trips and an impressive collection of taxidermied birds, housed at the Cylburn Arboretum.

The Humane League of Baltimore: This nonprofit organization is dedicated “to exposing and ending animal cruelty and promoting compassionate, healthy and environmentally responsible living through public awareness projects and targeted campaigns.”

Maryland Native Plant Society, Greater Baltimore Chapter: This group’s mission is “to promote awareness, appreciation, and conservation of Maryland's native plants and their habitats.” It sponsors monthly meetings, speakers, field trips, and workshops on plant ID and seed collection, among other things.

Audubon Maryland-D.C.: This regional affiliate of the National Audubon Society runs the Patterson Park Audubon Center and several others, and works to identify and protect “Important Bird Areas.” Its mission, according to its website, is “to restore the natural ecosystems of Maryland and the District of Columbia, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats.”







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