Environmental Committee:

Jenny Lee Freebery – Chair
Secethia Boardley-Davis
Jim Bogden
Andy Goddard
Erin Heckles
Krista Lamoreaux
Joe Maisano
Annie Richards
Ford Schuman
David Sobers
Darran Tilghman
Carole Trippe
Wendy Wander
Kevin Denice – Washington College Liaison

Committee meets every 2nd Thursday of the month at 7:30pm.

The public are welcome to attend committee Zoom meetings. To join Zoom please email jenneyelee09@gmail.com

Environmental Committee – Minutes & Agendas

Our Mission

The Chestertown Environmental Committee promotes careful stewardship, research, and wise use of natural and economic resources with the goal of achieving an improved quality of life for the community and future generations through sustainable initiatives. For more information contact us at chestertownenviro@gmail.com

Our Goals

Improve Chestertown’s natural environment through the incorporation of sustainable best practices for the Town’s land use and management, stormwater infrastructure, watershed stewardship, and tree canopy.
Strengthen the Town’s economy through initiatives that foster sustainable business practices, reinvestment in vacant storefronts, and green purchasing policies.
Encourage healthy living for the Town’s populace through the expansion of parks, walking trails, bicycle lanes, and wellness programs.
Reduce the Town’s carbon footprint through the expanded use of alternative energy systems, energy-saving practices, and recycling programs.
Vision, Goals, and Suggested Tactics based on community feedback collected throughout 2016-2017 environmental events

The Chestertown Environmental Committee engaged in a strategic planning exercise in November, 2018. Committee member Greg Farley led the exercise, using the Appreciative Inquiry method. Click here to read the final draft of the CEC Strategic Plan.

2019 Environmental Events
4/20: Earth Day
Family fun and environmental programming at Memorial Row, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

2018 Environmental Events
All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. This programming is intended to facilitate an ongoing conversation about environmental topics in our community.
2/1: Merchants of Doubt
Spin doctors spread misinformation and confusion about global climate change.
3/1: How to Change the World
The early days of Greenpeace illustrate how to mobilize community.
4/5: Wasteland
Garbage pickers in Rio de Janeiro become subjects mimicking famous paintings.
5/3: Garbage Dreams
A look into the lives of Egyptian trash collectors.
7/5: A Place at the Table
Hunger poses economic, social and cultural implications for our nation.
8/2: Deeply Rooted
John Coykendall’s seed preservation inspires us to reconnect with the land.
9/6: Tapped
An exploration of the financial and ecological impact of the bottled water industry.
10/4: Hempsters
Seven activists fight to legalize industrial hemp in the United States.
11/1: How to Let Go of the World
A riveting account of the dramatic changes occurring due to climate change.
12/6: Racing to Extinction
Exposing the forces that are leading our planet to its next mass extinction.

2017 Environmental Events
Download a flyer of all events in the 2017 Shore Homesteading series (PDF)
March 2: Garbage Warrior
A documentary that explores working with reclaimed materials in sustainable design and disaster relief. View feedback
4/6: Seed: The Untold Story
Follow passionate seed keepers who are protecting a 12,000 year-old food legacy. View feedback.
4/22: Earth Day
Family fun and environmental programming at Memorial Row, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
5/4: The Power of Community
A documentary about how Cuba survived Peak Oil.
Figg’s Ordinary, 101 S. Cross St.
6/1: We Feed the World
A film about how corporations affect farmers, fishermen and the food supply. View feedback.
7/6: Wendell Berry, Poet and Prophet
A sensible, no-compromise plan to save the world. View feedback.
8/3: Fresh
New ways to think about how and what people eat. View feedback.
8/19: Tomato Tasting
Vote for the best tasting tomato.
Lockbriar Farms, 10051 Worton Road, 11am-1pm
9/7: Urban Permaculture
Regenerative design in the city.
View feedback
9/23: Permaculture Open House
Student-guided tours of the Washington College Campus Garden, a food forest and wildlife sanctuary.
1-3pm, parking behind 508 Washington Ave.
9/26: The Backyard Medicine Cabinet
Plants throughout history have healed wounds, settled tummies and soothed coughs. Learn which plants to cultivate in your own living medicine cabinet, their historic uses and simple ways to prepare. Washington College, Hynson Lounge, 6:30-7:30pm.
9/30: An Eastern Shore Oktoberfest
Live music and children’s activities to benefit Colchester Farm CSA. Buy tickets online.
10/5: Passive House Revolution
How to maximize energy efficiency in home construction and remodeling.
View feedback.
10/11: Introduction to Yoga
Yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and therapeutic touch create meaningful connections in everyday life. A discussion of how your body works, why yoga supports health, and easy techniques to practice at home.
10/19: Natural Pest Prevention
Permaculturist Shane Brill on ecological tactics for healthy landscapes.
10/24: Food Day
How sustainable is your chocolate?
10/28: Make a Movement
A community performance art piece to inspire action on climate change.
10/30: Trashed
Explore the extent of global waste.
11/2: Bag It
A film about reducing plastic in our lives.
View feedback
11/14: Straws and Stuff
Two short films and community visioning about the reducing waste in Chestertown.
Washington College, Hynson Lounge, 6:30-8:00pm.
12/7: The Clean Bin Project
Can we live completely waste free?
View feedback

2016 Environmental Events
Download a flyer of all events in the 2016 Shore Homesteading series (PDF)
January 7: Ed Minch
Are your energy bills hurting your wallet but your home is still cold? In this session you will learn the common sources of heat leakage and how to correct this problem.
February 4: Eric Buehl
How homeowners can improve regional water quality by using rain barrels, rain gardens, native plants, and the proper use of pesticides.
March 3: Dirt: The Movie
A story with heart and soul brings to life the environmental, economic, social and political impact that the soil has.
April 7: Vanishing of the Bees
Follows commercial beekeepers as they strive to keep their bees healthy. Bees pollinate a third of the food we eat but they are vanishing from their hives at an alarming rate.
May 5: Chasing Ice
Chasing Ice is the story of one man’s mission to change the track of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet.
June 2: Andrew Ristvey
Discussion on niche crops with an emphasis on introducing aronia as a viable crop in this region. View feedback.
July 7: Lyle Almond
A review of CCLC’s Eight Essentials of Conservation Landscaping and aesthetic and ecological principles of woodland gardening.
August 4: Blue Gold
Blue Gold wars of the future will be fought over water, not oil, as the source of cell life enters the center stage on the global political arena for control of our dwindling fresh water supply.
September 1: Just Eat It
A food waste story. Americans toss and the equivalent of $165 billion in food annually.
September 20: Growing and Cooking with Herbs
Join Master Gardener Sabine Harvey for a talk on how to produce, preserve, and use herbs to spice up home cooking.
October 1: Backyard Ecosystems
Certified Horticulturalist Cindy King will share a presentation followed by a question and answer session.
October 6: Olamana Gardens
Get inspired by several do-it-yourself projects including worm cultivating, soil-blocking, and aquaponic garden designs. View feedback.
October 8: An Eastern Shore Oktoberfest
Live music and children’s activities to benefit Colchester Farm CSA.
October 12: Wild Homebrewing
From apple cider to dandelion and elderflower wine, learn how to homebrew using foraged fruits and flowers with Tara Holste.
October 17: Composting 101
Learn how to turn kitchen scraps, fallen leaves, and grass clippings into soil fertility with Master Gardener Denise Malueg.
October 24: Feast and Famine: The Food System of the Mid-Shore
Join this intensely interactive workshop to learn the realities of life here on the Shore, how the “system” really works, and what you can do to help.
November 3: Inhabit: A Permaculture Perspective
An introduction to permaculture, an ecological design method for solving issues related to agriculture, economics, and governance. View feedback.
November 15: The Versatile Cabbage
Explore the many variations of this easy-to-grow and highly nutritious plant family.
December 1: Alone in the Wilderness
Follow the mesmerizing story of Dick Proenneke, a man who ventures into the Alaskan wilderness to live a simple life in the natural world.