Balance, Creativity, Confidence, and Risk Assessment . . . Tree climbing has it all! Check out this list of 11 great reasons for climbing trees. And enjoy these photos from WSB’s Forest Aftercare and Nature Study program:
Summer is practically here! Be sure to check in within the next couple of weeks, we’ll be highlighting some of our sustainability initiatives and you can find out how you can help out in the school garden this summer (and get free produce!).
For now . . . . The 6th grade finished working on one of the storm drains today. Check it out!
Note: We didn’t get photos of the entire process, but in various small groups the 6th grade students came out and worked on the project. During the next school year, we will be moving down the Tamarind Road hill (towards Cold Spring Lane) and working on more educational murals on the storm drains.
We’d like to thank Blue Water Baltimore and the Cold Spring Community Association for their continued support!
Below are the details for a great opportunity to have you WSB middle school student (or alumni) head out on a grand adventure! The application deadlines for the two programs are February 6th! If you are interested in having your student participate please contact Cate Mulvihill, WSB Director of Student Life, or Michel Anderson, WSB Ecoliteracy & Sustainability Coordinator. Either would be happy to help your student with the application. Additionally, Cate has participated in the Potomac River Educators’ Expedition this past August.
Every year, Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School gives 20 Maryland students, and a dozen educators, a once in a lifetime opportunity to push themselves to become tomorrow’s leaders. This exclusive cohort is selected to participate in an exciting and uniquely challenging wilderness expedition. It is sure to be an epic adventure which will build character and skills that today’s world demands.
Get Out And Lead (GOAL)
10-day backpacking and rock climbing expedition on the Appalachian Trail
For 12 students entering grades 7-9 (~age 12-14)
Youth Leadership Corps (YLC)
14-day backpacking and canoeing expedition in West Virginia
For 8 students entering grades 10-12 (~age 15-17)
Last week, Ms. Jerram’s 4th grade visited The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. Highlights were the giraffe and monkey houses (and of course the giant tree slide), but the feature presentation was the phenomenal new penguin exhibit. Students spent a great deal of time studying and drawing the penguins. The trip was exceptionally exciting due to the surprise snow flurrying. Please enjoy these photos:
On Monday, Dec 1st WSB had the pleasure of hosting Jayna Powell from Paul’s Place. She came to speak to our middle school students about poverty in Baltimore City as well as the steps Paul’s Place is taking to combat it. She brought a series of photographs entitled “Faces of Hope” which tell the individual stories of Paul’s Place guests. Check them out — they are currently on display in the lobby and middle school classrooms. WSB is working with Paul’s Place this holiday season to help unsure our city’s residents in need have a wonderful and dignified holiday. Please consider donating to our Food & Toy Drive. It will be running until Dec 11th. Check out this list of the desired food and toys: Holiday2014 Food and Gift Shop
WSB will be explore a yearlong partnership with Paul’s Place. More info on that will be forthcoming.
On Monday our 3rd grade class started their gardening block, and to kick it off properly we went on a field trip to One Straw Farm. Our gracious hosts, Joan & Drew Norman, have been running the organic farm since 1983. Joan took us on a grand tour showing us the land, animals, and farm equipment; and she had us tasting lots of vegetables and berries along the way. She even sent us off with our pockets loaded with peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, and one giant butternut squash each! Below is a slideshow of our day on the farm. Be sure to check out & support One Straw Farm at the 32nd Street Farmers’ Market in Waverly every Saturday.
Today I want to encourage you to switch your home’s electricity supply to a clean, renewable resource. So please pull up a chair and take 4 minutes to read this post.
As you may know, the utility industry was deregulated in the State of Maryland in 1999. Before then you had no option but to buy your electricity from BGE. Over the last decade new service providers have been popping up, some of which offer green energy. In Maryland, green energy is primarily supplied by wind and solar farms that are located in the western part of the state, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Some companies tap locally-sourced energy directly into the grid and others purchase Renewable Energy Certificates which ensures the electricity you use is supplemented by renewable resources on some grid somewhere in the USA — of course, locally-sourced is great, but either one is a good thing.
BGE has made it super easy for you to switch to any supplier you want, while they maintain the responsibility of delivering your power. And there are no fancy gadgets to buy or install. Plus, you won’t get another bill every month — it will be integrated into your monthly BGE bill — everything except your supplier stays the same. So there’s really no reason why you can’t power your home with a 100% renewable resource.
The BIG Question: Is it expensive? Nope . . . according to the national average it’s typically the about the same or only a fraction of a cent higher per kilowatt-hour. So depending on your usage (which you want to reduce as much as possibly anyway) it may only add a few dollars to your monthly bill. If you can afford it, a few extra bucks is nothing for the piece of mind of knowing you’re contributing to the growth of our green industry and a clean energy future for your children.
So now that I convinced you to make the switch (I hope), I’ll tell you how to make it happen. I’ve looked at and compared all the companies that service the Baltimore region and weeded through them — I’ve settled on 3 that offer clean energy supplied through either partial or 100% renewable resources. Each company has different plans — some plans have a cancellation fee if you break the contract’s length, some don’t. Here’s my breakdown:
Clean Currents – 50% or 100% renewable fixed rate plans. Offers 1 or 2 year service contracts. There is an early termination fee of the lesser of $150 or $20 per month left on the contract; however, no fee if you move properties. This company offers both locally and nationally sourced energy plans. Clean Currents is my top choice (and you’ll find out why in just a minute).
Stream Energy – 100% renewable fixed or variable rate plans. Offers month-to-month, 6 month, or 1 year contracts. An early termination fee of $75 or $150 applies only if the 6 month or 1 year contract is broken — again, no fee if you moved.
Viridian Energy – 20% or 100% renewable fixed or variable rate plans. Offers month-to-month variable rate plans or 6 month fixed rate plans. There’s an early termination fee of up to $50 if the 6 month plan is broken — no fee if you move.
Ok . . . so there you go. All you have to do is click on one of those 3 websites and click through them to sign up — it takes only a few minutes (literally!). Have your current BGE bill handy so you can answer all the questions quickly. (If you want to do your own research, I found those companies on a list of alternate suppliers that be found HERE).
Please comment below and let me know if this info was helpful, and if you’re committed to making the switch to clean energy in your home (or business). If you’re (awesome and are already) ahead of us and made the switch a while ago, please let readers know which company you chose and why.
Within the next few weeks I will be working with a Washington Waldorf School alumna who works at Clean Currents on an incentive program that will directly benefit WSB and our garden! I’m also looking into having her come to our school on Earth Day to do some demonstrations for students and parents. So keep checking in!
Thank YOU for reading!
Michel
Tonight I will be starting the Baltimore County Master Gardener Program. Classes will run from January 22nd to April 9th on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. This is part of WSB’s effort to expand our school’s garden this coming spring. We’re hoping to make the garden a central place for our students to grow and learn. We are also looking into the possibility of opening the garden to the wider community. Please contact me at manderson@twsb.org and let me know your interest and commitment level to gardening this summer — this information will allow me to plan just how vast our garden can grow and be sustainable. This is a fantastic opportunity for you and your children to learn and grow together throughout the summer months . . . not to mention revel in the satisfaction of harvesting the bounty of your efforts (literally!). Please be in touch.
Best,
Michel
Join me this winter at Baltimore Honey’s Honeybee Stewardship Workshop.
Meme Thomas of Baltimore Honey will be teaching this course. You’ll learn about the equipment and the hive, honeybee colony dynamics, integrated pest management, all natural keeping methods, and how to enhance the honeybee environment in your backyard. Baltimore Honey is the ONLY organization in the State of Maryland that offers this type of workshop!
When: on Sundays: Feb 3rd, 17th, March 10th, 24th, and April 21st from 11am-2:30pm.
Cost is $100 for all five classes. For more information and to register for this workshop visit www.bmorehoney.org.
Students receive a 50% discount with valid student ID!
Hope to see you there,
Michel
Exciting Baltimore News! If you live in either Charles Village or Canton and have the will to compost but not not the space, you can hire Compost Cab to come pick it up for you. Compost Cab is a Washington DC based company that has been in orperation since 2010. Owner, Jeremy Brosowsky, recently expanded his business into two Baltimore neighborhoods with more to come. The service cost $32 a month and after a while subscribers are eligibe to receive enriched soil — equivilant to 10% of what they have composted. To find out more click on the image above.
Green Dragon Bytes 