It’s time to update Charm City’s Sustainability Plan and the Office of Sustainability wants your voice and your story to be the plan’s foundation. With the recently launched Every Story Counts and Community Ambassador initiatives, along with the newly-awarded Partners for Places Equity Pilot grant, our next Sustainability Plan will ensure Baltimore will be sustainable and resilient for all neighborhoods.
Since their launch in 2009, the Office of Sustainability team has been busy developing and executing projects focused on: Energy efficiency in homes and businesses, disaster preparedness, renewable energy, trash and recycling, clean air and water efforts, urban food systems, and alternative transportation.
Baltimoreans are saving energy and cash with help from the Baltimore Energy Initiative. Vacant and trash-filled lots have been transformed into community gardens with turnkey help from the Growing Green Initiative. The Office of Sustainability also developed a comprehensive climate change Disaster Preparedness Plan – a must-read for every Baltimore-area resident. Baltimore City government is developing strategies to adapt to rising sea levels, super-hot temperatures, and lots of rain.
Six years later, it’s time to update the Sustainability Plan. A key focus this round is expanding the definition of sustainability and making sure that social justice is front and center. Baltimore was recently awarded a Partners for Places Equity grant to ensure that policies and projects are fairly distributed across neighborhoods, including disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Here’s your chance to get involved:
Every Story Counts: A citywide campaign, this new platform gives residents the opportunity to share what individuals are doing to make Baltimore better. Have you mentored a young person? Organized a community clean up? Taken care of a neighbor when they were sick? The real power in telling our stories is a critical question asked by the Office of Sustainability: What are the challenges and obstacles in your way? What tools and resources do you need?
Take a few minutes and add your voice to our City’s Sustainability Plan.
Sustainability Community Ambassadors: For each of the city’s ten districts, a community ambassador will be the point person for that community’s sustainability outreach and research gathering. The Office of Sustainability has developed a comprehensive community ambassador program to ensure that local input is incorporated at all levels of the Plan.
If you are interested, sign up here.
