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April 2022
Brookside Gardens is a wonderful place to visit and explore any time of the year. On Saturday, April 23, Brookside Gardens will be hosting GreenFest from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. The free event, one of the country’s largest Earth Day festivals, is a chance for residents, businesses and nonprofits to share ideas and have fun. The event will feature activities for children, plant and tree giveaways, an environmental arts and crafts fair, and an electric vehicle show. Walk the trails, relax on the fields, and explore the neighboring Brookside Nature Center, all while discovering how you can go green at home and in the community.
The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection is hosting an entire month of events that are fun, educational, and important for the environment. Visit here for more information on Earth Month events in Montgomery County.
“MoCo Made” is an initiative that highlights our county’s vibrant local food and beverage sector by increasing the visibility and awareness of the diverse products made and grown here in Montgomery County. More than 20 local retailers, farmers markets and breweries are now displaying MoCo Made branded window decals, shelf signage, and stickers to make it easier for residents to identify Montgomery County products, and to support the farmers and artisans producing foods and beverages here in our county.
Check out the searchable “MoCo Made” map, which includes 77 food and beverage businesses; 47 of which are women-owned, 16 are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC)-owned, and 22 are food producing farms.
What do the numbers on plastic bottles, jars and containers mean? The number identifies the type of plastic it is made from, but not every kind of plastic is recyclable in Montgomery County.
One particular type of plastic – plastic #6 – is not capable of being recycled. This type of plastic, known as polystyrene, is typically made into rigid foam products like styrofoam.
Click here to learn more about the types of plastic material that can be recycled in the blue bins.
Over the past two years many of us have enjoyed dining outdoors at restaurants located near Montgomery County’s streeteries, which are part of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation’s Shared Streets program. First created in response to the COVID-19 health crisis, I’m pleased that the pedestrian-friendly program in Bethesda, Silver Spring and Wheaton will be extended through Labor Day. I’ve been working with other communities to open more streeteries and will continue collaborating with restaurants and small businesses where we are able.
The program supports residents and businesses by closing streets to vehicular traffic and providing for in-street activities such as biking, walking, outdoor dining and retail activity. Whether we call them streeteries or streateries, I’m glad that residents continue to enjoy them.
In case you missed it, I recently had the pleasure of joining The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi on WAMU 88.5 to talk about public safety and our efforts to enact pedestrian, bicycle and street safety initiatives, among other issues. You can listen to the broadcast here.
A Silver Spring resident reached out to me after observing sediment build up in a creek near Indian Spring Terrace Local Park. Concerned about potential ecological impacts, I requested that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) investigate the area. DEP staff conducted an environmental survey and applied various tests for chlorine and detergents that would be indicative of a water main break or sewage leak. Thankfully staff determined the pH of the waterbody was normal and that it did not pose a threat to the area.
Whether your concerns are related to housing, food or the environment, please feel free to reach out to me about any assistance you might need: Councilmember.Glass@montgomerycountymd.gov
Montgomery County will install shade trees and provide aftercare guidance —all for free. The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection is looking for locations to plant shade trees, including yards of single family homes, around parking lots, and multi-family communities. When installed, the trees will be more than 10 feet tall and they will eventually grow to more than 50 feet tall.
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