Grow Berlin Green

Initiative Objective

Grow Berlin Green (GBG) is a multi-year campaign to establish Berlin, Maryland and the surrounding area as a model community for participatory environmental protection, conservation and smart growth policy and practice. The campaign is managed by a coalition of Assateague Coastal Trust, Lower Shore Land Trust and Maryland Coastal Bays Program, but it is driven by community education, empowerment and action.
Objectives of the GBG campaign are to:
 Educate and engage citizens and public officials in Berlin and the surrounding area on environmental protection. conservation, and smart growth issues, activities and policies.
 Promote and facilitate community action to achieve measurable impact on a range of environmental and conservation priorities, including water resources management and conservation (e.g., stormwater management), energy conservation, waste reduction/recycling, and smart growth development; and
 Build broad-based community capacity for a sustainable movement to protect, promote and enhance the environmental quality of the Berlin area.

Major Elements of the GBG campaign will include:
 Outreach events and activities to solicit community input on priority needs and interests, and to build foundation for citizen and policymaker participation in campaign activities;
 Educational events and materials to inform community about environmental challenges and empower citizens and policymakers to engage in practical and policy solutions;
 Conservation projects (e.g., rain barrels, rain gardens, buffers) with Berlin schools;
 Neighborhood “Green Teams” to promote and facilitate practical household, neighborhood and business district conservation projects; and
 Land conservation and smart growth initiatives, including possible development of an open space “greenbelt” around Berlin.

Key Outcomes of the GBG campaign will include:
 Increased understanding, engagement and activism among citizens and policymakers in community’s environmental challenges and solutions;
 Increased conservation and quality of natural resources;
 Improved natural resources management infrastructure (e.g., stormwater, wastewater);
 Reduced waste stream and increased recycling; and
 Smart Growth principles manifested on the ground (e.g., no sprawl, preserved open space, greenway, etc.).