NOTE: This DRAFT is co-authored by Doug Weisburger and Reemberto Rodriguez... We look forward to improving it, adding pictures, and more soon... Your comments are welcome!
Many of us think about the
global environmental crisis and wonder what we can do to right all the wrongs
that have been imposed on our environment.
We look at the deadlock at
the Federal level regarding climate change legislation; we wonder how our
efforts to reduce our ecological footprint can make a difference in the big
scheme of things…
There is a temptation to
throw up one’s hands and say, “I give up; it’s all so overwhelming.”
Of course, we cannot give
up, despite the seemingly intractable problems and despite inaction at the
national and international levels.
Indeed, we all need to do our part – government, business, and residents
– and we need to act with intention every day.
We are, in fact, global citizens with a global responsibility.
Silver Spring is endeavoring to do its part.
So many good things have
been happening in downtown Silver
Spring over the past months
that have enhanced the overall livability of this community! Much of this was
celebrated at the recent Silver Spring GreenFest (October 5, 2013.)
Like puzzle pieces,
individually, these projects and enhancements seem nice enough, but put them
all together and we get the full picture of their importance. They represent the County’s commitment to
sustainability, reducing our collective environmental impact and creating a
walkable, viable, and vital community with a real “sense of place” where all
are welcome.
To kick off the GreenFest we
had the opportunity to bring together representatives from the County
departments, agencies and private-sector and non-profit partners that have
supported that commitment and are responsible for the vibrancy that you feel in
downtown Silver Spring.
Present in the audience were
people waiting for the Fenton Street Market to open, as well as representatives
from the primary Silver Spring Area Advisory Groups:
à
Citizens
Advisory Board
à
Urban
District Committee
à
Arts &
Entertainment Committee
à
Transportation
Management Committee
The Greater Silver Spring
Chamber of Commerce also joined us.
First to be recognized were
the green and blue trash and recycling containers – in four languages no less –
that were recently installed on Veterans Plaza.
They were purchased by the Department of General Services, represented by DGS
Director David Dise, and they are emptied throughout each day by the Silver
Spring Urban District, represented by their Chief of Operations Yvette Freeman.
A few blocks away additional recycling receptacles were purchased by United
Therapeutics represented by Yuri Van
Mierlo. All the containers feature
awareness-raising environmental factoids.
Also on the Plaza you’ll see
the larger, gray “Big Belly” compactors. Some were placed here by General
Services and some by the Urban
District. It is worth
noting that both agencies used a County-based small business – Environmental
Cost Efficiencies -- that markets the solar-powered
receptacles/compactors.
Throughout the Central
Business District, you will be seeing new recycling receptacles. Though
purchased and serviced by the Silver Spring Urban District, credit for this new
recycling initiative goes to Silver Spring Green, represented on that day by Ronnie
Galvin.
Another popular addition to
downtown Silver Spring is the Bikeshare stations – 49 docks spread among
three stations conveniently placed to serve the busy heart of Silver Spring. Thanks to
the Department of Transportation, for coordinating the program coming to Montgomery County and Director Art Holmes for joining us!
Throughout the County we
have been relentless in our efforts to educate all residents about the
importance of pedestrian safety and ensuring that all possible efforts are put
forth to help ensure that residents and visitors alike can walk safely in all
areas of the County.
In Silver Spring, when DOT resurfaced Fenton Street, they made sure that pedestrian safety features were
incorporated throughout the project which will eventually be completed from Wayne Avenue to Cameron Street. Hats off to
DOT and its Pedestrian Safety staff, Jeff Dunckel.
New streetscaping is also
changing the look and feel of various parts of Silver Spring. For
instance, the Department of Housing and Community Affairs project at Fenton Village, on the east side of Georgia Avenue is enhancing that.
Rogers Stanley the staff person directly responsible for the Georgia
Avenue Streetscape project, has gotten to know all the business in the area
very well indeed!
And, the Park and Planning
Commission has also been involved in the design of all the pedestrian-friendly
streetscape designs, most recently negotiating the Cameron Street project that
will connect United Therapeutics with the Transit Station. Commissioner Casey
Anderson, an avid supporter of Bikesharing and former Executive VP of Silver
Spring Citizens Advisory Board can attest to the many years the community has
been working on these type projects.
Another thing we take for
granted is being able to use this great Civic Building for public events, community gatherings, private
meeting and other occasions. Thanks for
overseeing that operation go to Community Use of Public Facilities, and Eric
Rasch who is the new Operations Manager at the Civic Building.
When you come to Silver Spring often, you quickly learn that there is always
something going on:
à
the
entertainment provided by The Peterson Companies up on Ellsworth Drive by the fountain, thanks to the work of Brittany
Frankel, Downtown Silver Spring’s Assistant Property Manger;
à
the ambience
performances begun down here around Veterans Plaza a couple time a week by
Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. which provide an additional sense of safety and
security in the area. Lisa Martin is
their executive director;
à
the FreshFarm
Farmers Market there on Ellsworth, happening side by side with the Fenton
Street Market here on the Plaza, thanks to Reg Godin and Megan Moriarty
respectively.
Also, thanks to the
Montgomery County Conference and Visitors Bureau, under the leadership of
Director Kelly Groff, a Visitor’s Map of Silver Spring was created in
partnership with the Silver Spring Urban District Office, Peterson Companies,
and the Silver Spring Synergies Marketing Group consisting of local hotels,
restaurants, and businesses interested in promoting Silver Spring’s amenities
to both residents and out-of-town visitors. The map also is geared toward
business travelers who may be visiting major employers in the area.
Finally, our community is
fortunate to have a special group that is everywhere helping to ensure that
downtown Silver Spring is maintained in a clean, safe and attractive manner and
that a vibrant social and business climate exists: the Urban District’s Red
Shirts, Silver Spring’s Clean and Safe Team whose mission is to make sure that
all the amenities, upgrades, programs and services occur in a viable, vital
area.
All these agencies, private
sector partners, and non-profits are an integral part of the puzzle picture
that goes into creating, sustaining and improving a livable community like Silver Spring. It’s the County and your community coming together
for an even better Silver
Spring.
All of this was highlighted
at the 2nd Annual Silver Spring GreenFest, presented through the collaboration
of Silver Spring Green, Fenton Street Market and the Department of
Environmental Protection, with Director Bob Hoyt, and key staff Doug Weisburger
and Jessica Jones.
“From Awareness to Action for a Sustainable
Future” – that was the subtitle and theme for the Silver Spring GreenFest. And, as the title suggests, the event was
about learning and doing.
Silver Spring Green laid out
a program schedule that addressed some really significant issues, some of which
are uncomfortable to discuss. (That’s okay… In fact, that’s good. We need to have these difficult
conversations.)
The leadership exhibited by
Silver Spring Green -- and all the
locally based environmental organizations -- indicates a recognition that we
cannot rest on our laurels, despite having a pretty impressive track record.
That is why we should take a
moment, though -- all of us collectively -- to pat ourselves on the back, at
least a little bit. After all, we have
one of the most rigorous stormwater permits in the nation; the County Executive
recently signed into law two bills that together protect trees in our County
rights-of-way and preserve our tree canopy; the bag tax is helping us to reduce
bag litter from our streams; we have a robust Green Business Certification
Program ; and we have a nationally recognized recycling program that allows
residents and businesses to recycle 58 percent of their waste which has
prompted the County to set a goal to recycle 70 percent of the waste stream by
2020..
These are just a few of our
accomplishments but they are proof that the pressing issues of sustainability
are bringing us together to strengthen our sense of community and build a
cleaner future.
No doubt, however, some of
those pats on our backs should be pushes…
And, local jurisdictions
must lead the way. Our challenge,
through continuous improvement, innovation and courage, is to create that
“county of the future” in which we all live within our means.
Of course, we have a way to
go.
But, the GreenFest and all the other “puzzle pieces” inspire and
propel us -- government, business,
residents and civic organizations -- to do even more, and that we continue to
cut the path together to create a better world.
