Thank you to everyone who was able to join in on the Sustainability Committee Meeting on February 11, 2021. Delegate Robbyn Lewis gave us an update on Environmental Policies being considered in this session, and also provided a deep history of PPNA and her integral role in transforming the neighborhood to what it is today. We made sure that everyone on the call was able to correctly identify the block they live on!
Delegate Lewis shared information on how we can write letters and give testimonies on bills that we would like to support, as well as provide suggestions for policies we would like her to champion. Delegate Lewis's slides are attached below as a .pdf doc. She also encouraged us to be the change we want to see and provided examples for organizations in the city doing just that, such as Liveable Streets Coalition and Bikemore.
Our neighborhood composting initiative is a great way for our community to demonstrate the changes we believe are necessary for a more equitable and sustainable future for our neighborhood and our city.
From Allison Blood, PPNA Sustainability Chair: My WHY for composting is that the diversion of food waste from the trash stream reduces our need to landfill and incinerate trash. This leads to reductions in methane gas from landfills and carbon dioxide and other pollutants from trash incineration. Compost enhances soils and protects our watershed when added to our local soils. Compost helps grow fresh local produce to combat food deserts and can hold 5X its weight in water to reduce stormwater runoff, a major polluting factor in our local waterways. With over 50% of household trash being compostable, composting just makes sense.
Consider: Why is composting important to YOU?
Let's work on understanding WHY COMPOSTING MATTERS so we can communicate it effectively to our neighbors!
Action step: Please share the infographics (attached here) with your neighbors via email and via Facebook.
Contact Allison if you would like to help with the community composting project (sustainability@pattersonparkneighbors.org). We are planning an event at the beginning of March for a broader launch and community engagement event outdoors near the drop-off site. We will be giving away buckets to collect food scraps at home and it will be an opportunity for neighbors to ask questions about composting.
We will also need support with the project for the Plastic Bag Ban. Let Allison know if you would like to be involved. So far, we have Ideas about creating cohesive communications for neighbors and neighborhood businesses to help them prepare for the ban, and providing neighbors with reusable bags (through potential grant funds or through a potential PPNA fundraiser with branded reusable bags).
There is a lot of enthusiasm about making our neighborhood and city more bikeable. This could be a good way to get neighbors together when the weather warms and identify improvements for our neighborhood and surrounding areas!
Get in touch:
Contact Allison: sustainability@pattersonparkneighbors.org
Contact Robbyn: Email: Robbyn.Lewis@house.state.md.us, Phone: 410-841-3772
Slides from Robbyn Lewis:
Composting infographics:
