Reprinted with the permission of the American College of Environmental Lawyers (ACOEL) In 1959 Bethlehem Steel’s Sparrows Point facility, located on the Patapsco River near the mouth of Baltimore Harbor, was the biggest steelmaking facility in the world. With close to 40,000 employees, Sparrows Point over many decades produced the steel that built bridges, buildings…
This winter, I had the honor of serving on Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s Transition Committee on Environment and Sustainability. This committee was comprised of leaders from across Baltimore working on issues related to solid waste reduction, climate change mitigation, renewable energy, healthy food access and water – drinking water, waste water, stormwater, and the health of our waterways. It was an intense, and…
Happy Black History Month! There is a lot to celebrate this month, and as an environmental organization, we would like to highlight Black Americans’ long and continued history in the push for environmental equity. The Roots of Environmental Justice The Environmental Protection Agency recognizes environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of…
The last few months at Blue Water Baltimore have been packed with important advocacy efforts in Baltimore City. We asked you to take action in support of the city’s trees and to speak out against sewage backups — and you did big time! We have some exciting progress to share on these two issues. These…
If you follow our work at Blue Water Baltimore, you know that we are all about trees. Why? Trees clean our air and water, reduce flooding, lower temperatures and energy bills, improve public health and social cohesion, and beautify our neighborhoods. Planting trees is a critical part of our work to restore the health of…
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22nd, Blue Water Baltimore held our second annual Afternoon With Your Waterkeeper event to release our 2019 water quality data. In response to current global events, we took the event online and held our very first large-scale webinar! Our water quality monitoring program hit…
This hearing has been postponed due to COVID-19. We will share the new date as soon as it is rescheduled. Sewage doesn’t belong in our streams – or our homes. Sewage backs up into thousands of homes in Baltimore every year due to heavy rainfall coupled with the city’s crumbling infrastructure. These backups put residents’…
As you’ve probably heard, Maryland is currently in the midst of our annual Legislative Session. Our state’s General Assembly is meeting from January 8th – April 6th in Annapolis to discuss, debate, and advance legislation for the year to come. During the 2020 Legislative Session, Blue Water Baltimore is supporting two priority bills that would…
Eight attempts at a Baltimore plastic bag ban have come and gone since 2006. Today, nine times proved to be the charm. This morning, Mayor Jack Young signed the Comprehensive Bag Reduction Bill into law. The signing drew dozens of advocates, city officials, press, and community members together. In Baltimore, plastic bags are everywhere. They…
Sewage doesn’t belong in our streets – or our homes. Speak out against sewage backups into buildings in Baltimore City. Join us at Baltimore City Council’s upcoming hearing on sewage backups and a pre-hearing rally! Wednesday November 13, 2019 4pm: Rally at War Memorial Plaza (will also be livestreamed on our Facebook page) 5pm to…