Since I live in Baltimore, it’s always nice to find out good news related to the city’s efforts to protect the environment. I just read an article in BaltimoreSun.com that gave me some hope for the city’s future.

The Growing Home Campaign

This effort is an expansion of the Growing Home Campaign, which was started two years ago by Baltimore County. This campaign aims to:

• Educate people with information about the importance of planting trees, such as:
  • Trees slow down stormwater runoff
  • They provide shade, which cools the air and cuts down on energy consumption
  • Trees provide healthy oxygen for us to breathe
  • Trees absorb harmful pollutants in our soil, such as pesticides
• Work with local nurseries and garden centers to provide healthy trees to plant
• Make sure that Baltimore waterways meet Clean Water Act standards
• Reduce the amount of trash found in the Baltimore harbor
• Create cleaner and more attractive neighborhoods for Baltimore homeowners

Most importantly, this campaign is designed to teach residents that trees play an important role in the fight against global warming, and if we want our city and urban areas of the County to stay clean enough to live in, then we need to start doing our share to save it.

Get Started on Planting Trees!

If you live in Baltimore City or County you can download the $10 coupon here and also find out which retailers are taking part in this campaign.

If you don’t live in Baltimore and you’d like to start a similar type of campaign in your city, you can contact the Growing Home Campaign coordinator, Diana Cohen, at dcohen@baltimorecountymd.gov for information to begin your city-greening crusade!