Invasive Plant Pull at All Saints - July 11 & Aug. 15

The All Saints Lutheran Church Green Team is working to enhance our wildlife habitat, certified by the National Wildlife Federation. This summer, we're focusing on removing nasty invasives, mainly mile-a-minute and multi-flora rose. Removing these invasives will make room for native plants that will support the local ecosystem. Anyone is welcome to come out - learn a little about why these plants are a problem, then help prune back and dig out tagged plants. Volunteers should bring heavy-duty gloves and bring pruners and/or shovels. Long sleeves, long plants, and closed shoes are recommended - given the thorny nature of these plants. All Saints is 16510 Mt. Oak Road - at the corner of 301 South and Mt. Oak Road. We'll be out from 9 to 12 on July 11, and again on August 15. Interested? Email garden4wildlife@yahoo.com.

Transition Town Presentation

Greenbelt as a Transition Town

Let's raise awareness of sustainable living and build local
resilience in our community. Let's seek out methods for reducing
energy usage as well as increasing our own self reliance to respond
to the negative effects of Peak Oil and Climate Change.



See a Video Interview of Rob Hopkins, One of the Founders of the Transition Town Concept
as he explains the origins, concepts and approaches behind the Transition Town Movement that has now spread to over 100 communities world-wide

We will Then Break into Small Groups
to use our imagination and creativity to envision what life will be like in Greenbelt as it becomes a Transition Town and after it creates an energy descent plan and prepares to power down its carbon footprint and power up creative living. (Please bring paper and pen to write down your ideas.)

Wednesday, June 24, 7:00 pm

Springhill Lake Recreation Center
(Emperian Village)
6101 Cherrywood Lane
Greenbelt, Maryland
301-602-3987

Global Warming Legislation

Subject: Remove the Trojan Horse from Global Warming Legislation

Our representative (Hoyer) is about to vote on legislation designed to stop global warming. Unfortunately, members of the House who answer to the worst polluters have succeeded in including a Trojan Horse at the heart of the legislation - a prohibition on Obama's EPA being able to use the Clean Air Act to take additional action on CO2.

This little known, almost secret provision actually guarantees that the United States will fall short of doing what the scientists tell us must happen - a reduction of 80% of CO2 emissions from their 1990 level.

Mr. Obama ran for president on a very strong global warming platform which achieved the 80% reduction, launched a cap and trade market without giving away free permits to polluters, and set strong standards for boosting clean renewable energy. Special interests are warping his pledge almost beyond recognition.

But the worst and most important compromise - and the one most secret and hidden from view - is the crippling of EPA's powers. This is precisely what Newt Gingrich and the Republican-controlled House of the 1990s did to President Clinton's EPA from 1995 on. They simply prohibited EPA from enforcing many laws. We cannot let the House strip President Obama of his most powerful tool to stop global warming.

> I just signed a petition to tell my representative to stand up for President Obama's best weapon to fight global warming - the EPA. I hope you will, too. Please have a look and take action.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/trojan_horse/?r_by=4609-1643634-tpGGKLx&rc=confemail

New Vendor at Bowie Farmer's Market! GoGreen Cleaners

I met Susan Combs, founder of GoGreen Cleaners, at an event a few months ago. She emailed me recently to let me know that she has a booth now at the Bowie Farmer's Market!

GoGreen Cleaners offers a variety of products to clean your home and body. All products are plant-based and chemical, phosphate & fragrance free. Stop by and see her!

She will also be revamping her website soon so we'll let you know when that's ready.

Food Inc.

There's a new documentary opening this month around the country titled Food Inc. Read a summary below to learn more about this incredibly interesting film and visit the website too. Click Here for the website. There's also a petition one can sign regarding Healthy Food Choices in Schools.

-shell

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.

Smart Growth in PG County, Maryland

WHEN:

Thursday, June 11th 7:00pm

WHERE:
Goodloe Memorial Unitarian Universalist Congregation

1540C Pointer Ridge Place

Bowie, MD 20716

Directions at www.goodloeuu.org

Cheryl Cort, Policy Director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth in Washington, DC will lead a discussion on Smart Growth practices. The presentation will highlight the benefits to the entire county of development around transit stations, revitalization of our older communities and preservation of our open spaces as opposed to the current trend in our county towards sprawl, and developing healthier communities with transportation options that would cut down on automobile traffic and congestion as well as give access to opportunity to a more inclusive and diverse cross-section of our residents. Our aim is to help people understand the interconnectedness of transportation, jobs, health, housing and education and how using our assets wisely can make our county a better place for all of its residents. Hosted by BIGG (the Bowie Interfaith Green Group) and PRISCM (Partnership for Renewal in Southern and Central Maryland)

Prince George's Green County Picnic!

Prince George's Green County Picnic !!

When: Sunday, June 7, 2-5 pm

Where: Kentland-Columbia Community Park, 2411 Pinebrook Ave., Landover MD 20785

Hosted by: Councilmembers Andrea Harrison, Eric Olson, Will Campos, and Tom Dernoga & the Sierra Club

Join us to Party in the Park to network, strategize, and celebrate with fellow Prince George's environmentalists! Sierra will present the Maloney Award.

Let us know if you would like to bring a table and display info about your group's activities.

Please RSVP today to Alex Hirtle at (301) 952-5349 or ajhirtle@co.pg.md.us

Prince George's Spring --> Priming the pump of public participation

A source of vital knowledge guiding actions for our environment and
community.