Working for a More Sustainable Mount Rainier Maryland

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Joe’s Stream Team Call to Action

The Creative Works Stream Team out of Joe’s Movement Emporium has been working diligently to maintain consistent clean-outs of the litter trap in the local Arundel canal right here in the city of Mount Rainier. The Arundel canal is a tributary of the Anacostia River and its watershed. Those who know of the Stream Team and our work should know that our focus is litter reduction overall but particularly in the local waterways. The “big picture” goal is to have a fishable and swimmable Anacostia River. We are calling on the people, the citizens, the residents, the families, the community of Mount Rainier to step up, step in, and help us with what seems to be a never-ending battle against polluters and litter.

Many people tend to not connect the dots between litter found on land (“Land-Litter”) and Litter found in Oceans, Bays, Lakes, Rivers, and Streams (“Water-Litter”). What is on the land can and usually will end up in a current somewhere and eventually in a larger body of water where it can potentially harm wildlife and negatively affect the water quality. While the Stream Team are doing its part, this is a task that really lives up to the saying of “it takes a community.” We are giving a heads up to the community of Mount Rainier that the Creative Works Stream Team will be canvassing, door to door, throughout Mount Rainier, in the near future. Our purpose will be to seek Block Leaders: individuals in the community who are willing to become part of a network we hope to create through this city. 

This network will be similar to Neighborhood Watch or Crime Watchers only we’ll be asking folks to report on a consistent basis of how much if any litter accumulates on your particular block in the city. Blocks with high volumes of litter we can zone as “litter hot spots” and work to solve the litter problem, perhaps by hosting and leading a clean-up of your neighborhood.

If you see people in sky blue shirts at your door, don’t be alarmed, it’s only the Stream Team coming to try to defend our beautiful neighborhoods from pollution. Once we have attained a dedicated community group we’ll follow up with details on our overall community environmental protection plan. As always, to learn more about Joe’s Stream Team or to keep up with the efforts, please, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @JoesStreamTeam. Send us an email if you would like to at StreamTeamPG AT gmail DOT com with any questions or concerns.

Stop by the Green Team Meeting 8/12

The Green Team is hosting its monthly meeting on Monday, 8/12 at City Hall from 7-9 PM.  We will be talking about composting, park upgrades and fall activities.

You can also send us a message if you are interested in learning more, but cannot make the meeting

Stop by the Green Team meeting 7/8

The Green Team is hosting its monthly meeting on Monday, 7/8 at City Hall from 7-9 PM.  We will be talking about composting, bicycle facility upgrades, mosquito control and our parks.

You can also send us a message if you are interested in learning more, but cannot make the meeting

Stop by the Green Team Meeting 6/10

The Green Team is hosting its monthly meeting on Monday, 6/10 at City Hall from 7-9 PM.  We will be talking about updates to bike and pedestrian paths, composting and recycling education and planning for summer events.

You can also send us a message if you are interested in learning more, but cannot make the meeting

Summer Haze Got You Down?

Summer is here and it is time to be air aware.  In our region the worst air quality is seen in the summer and breathing the air can lead to health problems, especially for sensitive groups like the elderly, children, and people with immune system problems. Here is makes the air bad, how it can affect Mounties, and what Mounties can do to help make it cleaner.

Over the years air quality has gotten much better due to Federal and State regulations but there are still problems in the DC area. The two main types of pollution we are concerned about are fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone, which together often get called haze or smog. Ozone and PM2.5 have been linked to premature death, heart attacks, lung disease, and asthma, there are other potential effects that are still being researched. The DC metro area is not meeting the Federal ozone standard and while it is technically in compliance with Federal PM2.5 standards many scientists say the standards should be stricter.

The air is not bad every day but there are days when air quality is a concern, mostly during the summer during the late afternoon and early evening. To get forecasts and alerts of when the air is bad you can sign up for email alerts here http://enviroflash.info. “Code orange” means the air is bad for sensitive people and “code red” means it is bad for everyone.

Much of the pollution is caused by burning fuel or releasing volatile gases. To help reduce pollution on bad air days, you can:

  • Take public transit or bike – cars are the #1 cause of air pollution in the DC area
  • Put off yard work if you use gas equipment or go electric
  • Don’t refuel your car since the gas vapors are volatile
  • Don’t paint or use turpentine since the vapors are also volatile

Even if it isn’t a bad air day, if your check engine light is on in your car, get it fixed: that light means your car probably is a big polluter.

So this summer be air aware, know when the air is bad, keep you and yours safe when it is, and do your part to keep our air cleaner.

Stop by the Green Team Meeting 5/20

The Green Team is hosting its monthly meeting on Monday, 5/20 at City Hall from 7-9 PM.  NOTE: This is a change from the usual meeting date! We will be talking about composting and recycling education and planning for summer events.

You can also send us a message if you are interested in learning more, but cannot make the meeting.

Rent? Lease? You can still get solar energy!

This event is for renters, homeowners, and leasers alike! Come learn about community solar with Neighborhood Sun! Tenants, shaded households, & others can tap into a local, shared solar project. You don’t need to have a sunny rooftop to support local solar. Just join hundreds of neighbors like you, and save some money & the environment at the same time!

Our Panorama Landfill project for Pepco utility residents already has over 800 subscribers and there is a limited number of spots remaining. So, chat with a solar specialist at this event and learn how you can take 15 minutes to make the easy switch to solar. No fees to be a subscriber, no panels on your property, no hassle to join.

PLUS! We’ll be with the Mount Rainier Green Team and Joe’s Creative Works Stream Team! You can get your solar fix while learning how the revolutionary “Bandalong” Litter Trap is keeping waste out of our waterways. These groups focus on educating communities on environmental friendly behaviors while working to combat litter in our water, one stream at a time. #NoLitterLeftBehind.

To register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rent-lease-you-can-still-get-solar-energy-tickets-59018712558

For more information:

Introducing Joe’s Stream Team

Since 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency has given the Anacostia River a failing grade for cleanliness. In early 2018, the grade moved up to a D-. Properly caring for the creeks, streams, and rivers that make up the Watershed is vital to the health of area residents, to the water’s wildlife inhabitants, and for future generations for leisure activities such as fishing and swimming.

Joe’s Movement Emporium is a non-profit organization in Mount Rainier, Maryland with a focus on the creative arts. They have branched out into the environmental realm with the Joe’s Creative Works Stream Team project. Joe’s Stream Team is an environmental group, founded in June 2018, dedicated to the reduction and elimination of litter in the Anacostia River Watershed. The Stream Team is funded by a grant from Prince George’s County, allocated through The Clean Water Act. Joe’s is not alone in this effort: local area environmental groups such as the Anacostia River Keepers, Anacostia Watershed Society, Chesapeake Bay Trust, and the Prince George’s County Department of Environment are vital partners.

RichieMonLitterTrap

Joe’s Stream Team clearing trash out of the bandalong.

The exciting and innovative “bandalong” device is a focal point of the Stream Team’s cleanup efforts. Introduced by the environmental engineering firm, Storm Water Systems, the bandalong device is a floatable litter trap built into a canal, stream, river, or water way. Its overall function is to capture litter in the water whether it is thrown in directly or carried by rain storms or wind. Mount Rainier’s bandalong is the first in the state of Maryland and only one of 17 in the entire United States. Joe’s Stream Team is responsible for cleaning and maintaining the litter trap on a weekly basis, sorting captured litter into recyclables and garbage, and reporting litter data to partner organizations and the county.

SortPile3

Joe’s Stream Team sorting waste and recyclables captured in the bandalong.

Recording the data recorded tells us what materials frequently wind up as litter in our communities. Currently plastic bottles, plastic bags, and food and drink packaging are in the lead. This helps the Stream Team know how to best move forward for a cleaner, healthier, litter free environment. On an average weekly clean out, approximately 6 lbs. of garbage and 4 lbs. of recyclables are pulled out of the bandalong. That adds up to 40 lbs. of litter a month and 480 lbs. of litter per year just from one bandalong. The Anacostia Watershed has hundreds of canals, creeks, and streams that connect to the main river body. With only one litter trap in the entire state, this is a mission that will take a lot of planning and support.

SortPile2

Overview of the trash and recyclables pulled out of the bandalong and prevented from flowing further into our waterways.

The Stream Team is a small yet energized group, hoping to grow in the future and gain the support of the community. Kevin McNeill, a resident of Mount Rainier, is the crew’s supervisor and project coordinator. Richie Mon and Raymond Schulter, both graduates of the Creative Works Program based out of Joe’s Movement Emporium, are current crew members. Executive Director of Joe’s Movement Emporium, Brooke Kidd, has been a catalyst for this project existing in Mount Rainier. The team color is blue to represent clean water. The Stream Team likes to say they are nature workers who combat litter and its underlying causes, mainly in our water ways.

The Stream Team has been dedicated to engaging the public about litter prevention education, awareness, and engagement. The Team’s Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was held in Mount Rainier in July 2018, where a number of community members and partner organizations were in attendance. The Stream Team had its first batch of volunteers in August 2018. Campers from the Mount Rainier Nature Center Summer program, aged 8 to 10, learned the difference between garbage and recyclables, and learned about the negative effects of pollution on wildlife and the environment.

In September of 2018, The Washington Post visited with and interviewed the Stream Team to get a firsthand look at the new bandalong technology and how the clean outs contribute to litter free waterways. The Stream Team has also been active in the surrounding communities of Mount Rainier. A noteworthy event was presenting at the Prince George’s County Department of Environment’s Student Environmental Alliance Summit, where the Team was able to engage with and educate over 150 students from high schools across Prince George’s County. In October of 2018, the Stream Team attended Festival Del Rio in Bladensburg, Maryland and pulled over 40 lbs. of litter from the shore line in just two hours. That was only a couple hours of work in one small spot of the river. The Anacostia River is over 8 miles in length, connecting to other major bodies of water before it feeds into the Atlantic Ocean.

Until communities are on the same page with awareness and action towards properly disposing of items, rather than creating littered streets, parks, playgrounds, yards, sidewalks, and water ways, groups like the Stream Team and devices like the bandalong litter trap are a necessity. In Spring and Summer of 2019, the Stream Team has plans to call on the help of the Mount Rainier community to lead by example for other towns and cities towards maintaining clean and healthy neighborhoods. The Stream Team is always looking for volunteers and partners to join in the fight against litter. This project is only on contract from June 2018 through June 2019, but the team is confident that with the proper amount of community support, the funding needed for this good work can be replenished.

You can reach the Stream Team directly by sending an email to StreamTeamPG@gmail.com, visiting the Facebook page at http://bit.ly/2I65wAF, or connecting with @JoesStreamTeam on Twitter and Instagram. Stay connected, stay involved, and let’s keep Mount Rainier clean together!

Fundraiser for the Mount Rainier Community Garden

On Monday, March 18th stop by Franklin’s in Hyattsville and enjoy great food and drinks while supporting our friends at the Mount Rainier Community Garden!

All you have to do is drink, eat or shop at the restaurant, bar or General Store and let your server or the host know that you came to support the Community Garden. Franklin’s will donate a portion of your bill to the Garden–all day long!

For more information: Garden FundRaiser Happy Vegggies6

Stop by the Green Team Meeting 2/11

snow ice winter cold

Photo by Valeria Boltneva on Pexels.com

The Green Team is hosting its monthly meeting on 2/11 at City Hall from 7-9 PM.  We will be planning for 2019 Spring events and talking about trash cans and composting.

You can also send us a message if you are interested in learning more, but cannot make the meeting.

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