The City of Frederick was one of eight Maryland municipalities honored at the Sustainable Maryland Certified awards ceremony at the Maryland Municipal League’s annual fall conference held in Solomons Island on Friday.
CONTACT: Susan S. Harding, Public Information Officer, 301-600-1385
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, October 23, 2013
The City of Frederick Receives Prestigious Sustainable Maryland Certified Award
at Maryland Municipal League Conference
Frederick, MD -- The City of Frederick was one of eight Maryland municipalities honored at the Sustainable Maryland Certified awards ceremony at the Maryland Municipal League’s annual fall conference held in Solomons Island on Friday.
The City of Frederick’s green agenda includes support for the annual Bike to Work Day; organizing stream cleanups in Rock Creek Park; creating an inventory of their preserved open space; participation in the Maryland Green Registry program; establishing a local purchasing preference policy for municipal goods and services; adoption of a Stormwater Management program; participation in the national Tree City USA program; and establishing a vibrant community garden and farmers market.
Mayor Randy McClement said, “I congratulate The City of Frederick’s staff and the dedicated group of volunteers that serve on the many committees that brought this award to fruition. They are highly committed to a sustainable future for our City and because of their efforts, we see it working.”
“As liaison to the City's Green Initiatives Team, I couldn't be more proud of the hard work of our staff and volunteers that led to achievement of this distinguished award for Frederick.” said Alderman Kelly Russell.
The attached photo shows City of Frederick representatives with the Sustainable Maryland Certified award at the Maryland Municipal League conference. From left: Alderwoman Kelly Russell, Deputy Director of Planning Joe Adkins, and City Planner Pam Reppert. Also attached is the City of Frederick’s Sustainable Maryland Certified logo.
“This award is a testament to the passion and dedication of Frederick’s volunteer residents and municipal staff and elected officials to go green, save tax dollars, and improve the quality of life in their communities” said Mike Hunninghake, Program Manager for Sustainable Maryland Certified.
To achieve Sustainable Maryland Certified status, municipalities are required to form a Green Team comprised of local residents, community leaders, municipal staff and officials; complete a variety sustainability-related Actions worth a total of at least 150 points (including two mandatory actions and two of six priority actions), and submit the appropriate documentation as evidence that the Sustainable Maryland Certified requirements have been satisfied.
The other newly certified communities included the City of Annapolis, Town of Bladensburg, City of Bowie, City of College Park, City of Gaithersburg, Town of Edmonston and City of Hyattsville.
For more information about The City of Frederick’s sustainability initiatives, please contact Joe Adkins, Deputy Director for Planning, 301 600-1655, jadkins@cityoffrederick.com
For more information about Sustainable Maryland Certified: www.sustainablemaryland.com
Sustainable Maryland Certified (SMC) is an initiative of the Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland that is designed to support Maryland's 157 municipalities as they look for cost-effective and strategic ways to protect their natural assets and revitalize their communities. Using best practices in resource areas like water, energy, planning, health, food, and economy, a municipality can earn points toward sustainability certification.
Sustainable Maryland Certified offers a customizable menu of concrete actions, allowing communities to select initiatives that best fit their specific needs. This free and voluntary program, with the support of the Maryland Municipal League, US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Town Creek Foundation, helps communities choose a direction for their greening efforts; complete their chosen actions with help from program tools, trainings, expert guidance, and other resources; and be recognized statewide for their accomplishments.
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