One Congregation’s Vision for a Sustainable Future
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One Congregation’s Vision for a Sustainable Future

Just miles from bustling downtown Baltimore City, Stillmeadow Community Fellowship sits on 10 acres of serene, undisturbed forest land. The land serves as a community peace park—with open trails and thousands of healthy trees. In the Fellowship’s parking lot and back areas, rain barrels and cisterns collect rainwater, repurposing it to water trees and plants…

Amazing Grace
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Amazing Grace

Last week marked the completion of a 16-month restoration effort on the grounds of Amazing Grace Lutheran Church, in McElderry Park! Thanks to funding from special partners, Blue Water Baltimore was able to help install: a pollinator garden 1,000 square foot rain garden, and replace more than 1,500 square feet of unused road with grass This project…

McElderry Park Stormwater Projects Are Underway

McElderry Park Stormwater Projects Are Underway

We are excited to announce that we have begun construction of two faith-based stormwater projects in the McElderry Park neighborhood in southeast Baltimore. These projects, located at the Prince of Peace Baptist Church and Amazing Grace Lutheran Church, will add significant green space to the community and substantially reduce stormwater runoff at the churches. Construction at…

Five Plants You Think Are Native But Aren’t

Five Plants You Think Are Native But Aren’t

Because native plants have a long co-evolutionary history with the native wildlife of a location, they are uniquely well-suited choices for the modern garden. In this age of climate-change and habitat destruction, our gardens should do more than just look good: they must do good as well. Whether that means providing food and shelter for…

Grant Program Helps Congregations Cut Stormwater Pollution
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Grant Program Helps Congregations Cut Stormwater Pollution

With funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Blue Water Baltimore and Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake have developed Blue Water Congregations, a program to identify and implement stormwater reduction strategies at faith-based institutions in Baltimore. Through the program, Blue Water Baltimore engages and educates congregations about…

Five Salt-Tolerant Native Plants for Rain Gardens
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Five Salt-Tolerant Native Plants for Rain Gardens

Rain gardens are often the best solution for reducing the amount of polluted runoff your property generates. They capture the stormwater before it leaves  your land, allowing it to soak gently back into the earth. This process helps the water cycle, reducing stream flooding during storms and recharging ground water, and also traps pollutants so…

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Reducing Stormwater Runoff by Partnering With Places of Worship

Today, Blue Water Baltimore is proudly announcing a new faith-based initiative – fueled by a $250,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation – to reduce polluted runoff in Baltimore’s watersheds. Uncontrolled, polluted runoff is the only source of water pollution still on the rise in the Chesapeake Bay. Stormwater running off hard surfaces…

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64,000 Rain Gardens for the Chesapeake Bay?

Do rain gardens really work to protect aquatic wildlife? Researchers at Washington State University decided to find out for sure, and set up a pretty simple but clever test: salmon.  They collected storm water from around the Seattle region and filtered some of it through soil similar to that in a typical rain garden.  They…

Baltimore needs a fair stormwater pollution reduction fee

Stormwater runoff is a long-ignored and growing source of pollution and sediment—which hurts the quality of our streams, the harbor and the entire Chesapeake Bay—and causes flooding and property damage.  Our 2012 Healthy Harbor Report Card grade of C- illustrates the impact that stormwater pollution can have even in a relatively dry year. Baltimore City…