HARBOR REFRESH

This fall, Baltimore City approved a $17-million redevelopment of Inner Harbor’s Rash Field Park between the Maryland Science Center and the Rusty Scupper restaurant. The first phase of the urban greenspace’s major makeover will include the creation of a children’s nature park, kinetic playground, shade lawn, a dedicated skatepark, and a pavilion with an overlook and outdoor café. Construction is set to begin in January 2020 and completed by spring 2021. Fundraising efforts are also underway for Phase II, which is slated to include an updated beach volleyball court and beach, jogging lanes, and a bird and butterfly lab. The goal is to create “a safe and central place for families city-wide,” according to the Waterfront Partnership website. The nonprofit has been working on this 7.5-acre project since 2015.

NO BAGGAGE

In late November, the Baltimore City Council approved a citywide plastic-bag ban, which will prohibit single-use plastic bags at retail locations. Shoppers will now be chargeda five-cent fee per bag taken at checkout, including plastic, paper, and compostable bags, which lawmakers hope will reduce plastic bag waste and encourage the use of reusable bags. After eight prior attempts at plastic bag reduction ordinances since 2006, the current bill passed 13 to 1, and it now advances to the desk of Mayor Jack Young, who has expressed support for the initiative.

FOAM FREE

In late October, Baltimore’s ban on Styrofoam containers went into effect, prohibiting the use of polystyrene foam to-go boxes, trays, bowls, cups—we’re looking at you, snowballs—and more, with fines for restaurants, grocery stores, and other food providers failing to comply starting at $200. Maryland will become the first state in the country to take such measures when its statewide ban, approved in late May, goes into effect next year on July 1, 2020. Maine passed similar legislature a few weeks prior, with its bill going into effect on January 1, 2021. The moves are seen as a win for environmental advocates as the material often ends up in the Chesapeake Bay and does not break down.

UP, UP, AND AWAY?

Months after the Eastern Shore’s Queen Anne’s County passed a legislation that imposed a civil fine of $250 on the release of helium-filled balloons, becoming to the first county in Maryland to approve such measures, Senator Clarence Lam of Baltimore and Howard counties introduced legislation in late November that would impose similar sanctions statewide. Advocates argue that released balloons are an environmental hazard, often polluting nature and waterways, with the potential for harming wildlife if ingested. The bill will be considered during the next legislative session, beginning in January 2020.

BIRDS IN FLIGHT

Shortly after it was announced that the Trump administration is considering dramatic cuts to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, a new study published in the journal Science reported that North American bird populations have plummeted by nearly 30 percentsince 1970. That’s the loss of some three billion birds over the past half century, which avian experts have called a “full-blown crisis.” Myriad causes likely include habitat loss, building construction design, and use of pesticides. The Endangered Species Act is noted for helping to recover wildlife such as the bald eagle—an icon of the Chesapeake Bay whose populations had been dramatically impacted by the use of pesticide DDT. According to the study, two out of five Baltimore orioles have disappeared.

TREES OF LIFE

In late October, Blue Water Baltimore planted more than 70 trees in honor of late Baltimore native, Congressman Elijah Cummings, who passed away in October. In collaboration with the Port of Baltimore and the HeartSmiles youth program, nearly as many volunteers, including the likes of Congressman John Sarbanes, planted oak and evergreen saplings along Broening Highway. “Congressman Cummings advocated for all of Baltimore and for a greater degree of civility and compassion in all our collective work,” said BWB executive director Jenn Aiosa. “Coming together for this tree planting represents his vision and what he stood for.”

It has taken Baltimore City a little longer than some of its national counterparts to come around on banning plastic bag use in retailers across town. But, with a widely supported new bill that is likely to advance in the city council Monday, that’s about to change.

Baltimore has tried with no avail to pass several different versions of a bill that, at one point, would have banned plastic bags altogether. Now, with the new Comprehensive Bag Reduction bill, a ban on plastic bags and a five-cent fee on paper and compostable bags would be imposed to help the city and retailers recoup costs.

“We’ve reached a point where most people accept the fact that this issue is one where the time has come,” says city councilman Bill Henry, a champion for this issue. “In previous iterations, there were people who raised the issue over whether we needed to do this at all. That has not been part of public debate this time.”

As city leaders and concerned citizens search for ways to curb pollutants across town, reducing the amount of plastic bags has become widely accepted as the prudent thing to do.

The piece of legislation—which will be brought to a second reading vote Monday night should the city council agree upon amendments relating to agency jurisdiction and fees—is a concrete step to doing just that. Henry’s hope is that the bill will be brought to a vote on Monday, however, in the off chance that procedural issues aren’t sorted out (technically the council is not advised to vote on a bill the same day it comes out of committee) it could be further delayed.

From there, there are a few more hoops to jump through before it reaches the mayor’s desk, but Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young has voiced support, and Henry is optimistic that the issue he’s been championing since 2008 will finally see the light of day: “This is how civilization works,” Henry says. “We ban the things that are not good.”

Under the law as currently written, businesses would have a year to go through their current stock of plastic bags and make the necessary adjustments. Retailers have come out in support of the initiative, taking their own steps to adjust to its parameters. Local grocery store Eddie’s of Roland Park, for example, has already begun offering shoppers a five-cent credit for each reusable bag they provide for their groceries.

“As we continuously look to improve the shopping experience at Eddie’s with an eye towards environmental responsibility, we felt this was a natural place to make an impact,” says Andrew Schaffer, co-owner of Eddie’s in a press release. “We want to reward customers for supporting green efforts.”

If the bill passes, Henry expects that the city will do its part to educate citizens on how to reduce their plastic bag usage. He hopes that officials will also encourage shoppers to bring their own reusable bags, and even go as far as handing them out to those who might not have the means to acquire their own.

Under the ban, a five-cent fee will be applied to paper or compostable bags, with the city keeping one cent of the fee and retailers retaining four. Henry thinks that the city could start to see the effects of the ban by late next year. When it comes to the city’s current intake, Baltimore’s Mr. Trash Wheel has collected more than 650,000 plastic bags since 2014. Activists hope that the famed garbage collector will see less work should a ban be instituted.

“We’re now looking for ways to be more proactive for sources of some of the pollutants entering our streams, streets, and harbor,” says Jenn Aiosa, executive director of Blue Water Baltimore, an organization that takes a holistic approach to promoting clean waterways in the city. “Folks are having to consider what the alternatives might be to plastic bags, and they’re thinking about the impact of their choices on a daily basis.”

Baltimore’s pollutants don’t just come in from the city, but also its surrounding areas, and this ban is the start to fixing a larger problem. With this in mind, Aiosa is also quick to caution that a piece of legislation isn’t going to be a be-all-end-all solution.

“Sometimes it takes several tries before an idea catches on,” Aiosa says. “This is an awesome opportunity to reconnect with the notion that simple changes can have an impact on the world around us.”