>For the Cumberland Times-News
Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Sat Apr 23, 2011, 11:03 PM EDT
— CUMBERLAND — Four local programs will receive EcoStar grants from Constellation Energy for their efforts in environmental stewardship projects in states where Constellation Energy does business.
The grants of up to $5,000 each will fund community-based projects that support Constellation Energy’s long-standing commitment to protecting the environment.
Evergreen Heritage Center Foundation in Mount Savage was recognized for its Evergreen Environmental Education: Community Outreach. The foundation recently partnered with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Trust to promote awareness of the relationship between Western Maryland watersheds and the bay through education experiences for students and educators. The program includes lessons on the impact of water runoff as well as a rain garden restoration project for participants in YMCA, Head Start and Juvenile Services programs.
Frostburg State University’s Learning Green Living Green Campus Energy Audit was recognized for energy efficiency. A campus-wide committee and Liberal Arts and Sciences, a student-led initiative, will be launched to complete energy audits including academic and residence hall buildings. A team of students will be selected through FSU’s sustainability minor and trained to complete energy audits. Upon completion, they will provide follow-up recommendations to the vice president for administration and finance, the President’s Executive Cabinet and facilities management.
The Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts’ 2011 Maryland State Envirothon is a competitive natural resource education program for high school students. The event offers hands-on, field-based instruction led by natural-resource professionals in five areas: forestry, aquatics, soils, wildlife and a current issue, which changes annually. Students compete for scholarships and prizes at the school, county, state and North American level.
Friends of Deep Creek Lake will assess storm drains and road culverts and provide recommendations for the reduction of pollution runoff into Deep Creek Lake. The educational outreach model is that stakeholders will choose to act in more positive ways to preserve and protect the lake and watershed if they understand the challenges to the health of the lake. This project will engage multiple community groups working in the field as citizen scientists. The groups will analyze and integrate the data into recommendations for a watershed action plan, brief the public and local officials, and address runoff challenges to improve water quality in Garrett County.
Funding was provided by the Constellation Energy Foundation, which launched the EcoStar Grant program in January 2010. A total of 85 EcoStar grants worth $355,000 are going to nonprofit organizations whose projects fit into one or more of five stewardship categories: pollution prevention; education and outreach; energy efficiency; conservation; and community activism. The awards went to recipients in 17 states and will support a variety of initiatives, ranging from community gardens and habitat restoration projects to innovative programs promoting energy efficiency, storm water management and improved air quality, among many others.
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