Gov Martin O'Malley unveiled a new publication designed to provide insight and instruction on best practices to foster Smart, Green & Growing planning and revitalization activities in Maryland's cities and towns.
Developed jointly by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), "Going Green Downtown: A Sustainability Guide for Maryland's Main Streets" (the "Green Guide") is intended to give communities throughout the state an important set of principles, guidelines, and examples of how to pursue and implement sustainable practices that focus on environmental conservation and economic growth.
"Over the past 30 years, the increase in Maryland's population has led to rapid consumption of land, pulling vital resources and people away from traditional business districts," said Governor O'Malley. "Increasingly, these trends of sprawl and chronic overdevelopment threaten not only the economic survival of our cities and towns, but also our environment and the health of the Chesapeake Bay. With the Smart, Green & Growing initiative and tools like this new guide, we will promote sustainable growth, protecting our natural resources and strengthening the character and economic vitality of our communities for future generations."
The advice and insight found in the Green Guide is based in large part on expertise of DHCD and DNR, as well as the best practices of the 23 designated communities under the Main Street Maryland program, but it has been written to be applicable to any Maryland community that seeks to "Go Green." The guide provides cities and towns with advice to address challenges like increasing population, rising energy costs, limited resources, water and air pollution, and climate change, and it provides information on available State programs and resources.
"Main Street Maryland has been an extremely effective program for comprehensive downtown revitalization," said DHCD Secretary Raymond A. Skinner. "By promoting these successful practices, we hope to provide a comprehensive set of examples to encourage green approaches and environmental protections that will also foster neighborhood revitalization and economic growth."
Sustainable and green communities seek to conserve resources; provide open spaces and parks for recreation and cultivation; offer multiple options for transportation; and use natural and cultural resources wisely to conserve for future generations. Specific areas addressed by the Green Guide include:
- Green building
- Historic preservation
- The "3 R's" � Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Energy conservation
- Planting trees and creating green space
- Water conservation and stormwater management
- Sustainable transportation options and alternatives
- Engaging citizens in green events and practices
"Each of us has a role to play in helping to create a smarter, greener future for our State," said DNR Secretary John Griffin. "Our Going Green Downtown Guide � which was federally funded through our Coastal Zone Management Program � will help our communities take their sustainability efforts to the next level, and hopefully inspire individual citizens to do the same."
The Green Guide has already been lauded by National Trust Main Street Center Director Doug Loescher who called it, "one of the nation's most comprehensive guides yet produced on this topic that could serve as a great model for other states to emulate." To provide additional support and promotion of the concepts outlined in the Green Guide, DHCD and DNR have offered several training sessions over the past year including: Creating Green Spaces in Your Main Street; Historic Preservation & Green; Greening Main Street Merchants; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; and Green Building Certification: How to Get It and Use It. A second round of trainings kicked off in September with an educational session on stormwater management.
For more information or to download a copy of the Green Guide. News updates also are available by following DHCD on Twitter and Facebook.
Click here to download Going Green Downtown: A Sustainability Guide for Maryland's Main Streets
Source: Gov. Martin O'Malley
Writer: Walaika Haskins