Faculty, Alums Make Forbes’ “Residential” Experts List
When it comes to residential projects, choosing the right architect can determine whether a home becomes the stunner—or the scourge—of a neighborhood.According to Forbes, the key is to shop local. Last week, the magazine debuted its 2025 America’s Best-In-State Residential Architects, 400 designers that go beyond mastering curb appeal by centering their practice on place, from materials selection and climate to functionality and neighborhood esthetic.
Join Region III TCTAC Mailing List & Support Environmental Justice Initiatives
On April 13, 2023, the EPA announced the TCTAC initiative, which aims to provide grant funding to eligible applicants for the establishment of technical assistance centers nationwide. These centers will offer critical support to communities facing environmental justice concerns, as well as their partners. In partnership with the DOE, the EPA has allocated $177 million to assist overburdened communities across the country.
Celebrating a Sustainable Partnership
By Tom Reynolds, MML Senior Director, Leadership Development
Congratulations to the Sustainable Maryland Class of 2023!
Sustainable Maryland honored 16 Maryland municipalities at the Maryland Municipal League’s annual Fall Conference on Monday, October 16. This Awards Ceremony marks Sustainable Maryland's 11th year of helping communities build a more sustainable future.To date, 89 municipalities, or 57% of the state's 157 towns and cities, participate in the program, and 26% have achieved the "Sustainable Maryland Certified" designation.The complete list of newly certified (denoted by *) and re-certified communities includes:
Clearing Up the Runoff
Assistant Professor Marccus Hendricks, along with colleagues from the National Center for Smart Growth, the iSchool, the A. James Clark School of Engineering, Facilities Management and others will study stormwater runoff from campus into regional waterways using new outdoor sensors, which provide a real-time view of water quality and quantity as well as infrastructure performance on campus. Read more about this project in Maryland Today.
Witnessing History at the White House
Associate Professor Marccus Hendricks admits he is still processing his recent one-year appointment as a Senior Advisor of Climate and Community Resilience at the White House.After experiencing a couple of highlights, such as working on the inaugural Environmental Justice team, serving under an administration with the first Black woman vice president or even gazing out of his office window to casually see democracy in action, you can understand why.
2022 (February)
Mispillion and Cedar Creek Natural Resource Evaluation and Management Plan
The Mispillion River and Cedar Creeks drain to the Delaware Bay in Kent and Sussex County Delaware. The vast marshes connecting them are part of an international flyway for migrating birds and a horseshoe crab sanctuary, which brings tourist dollars to the area and secures land value for residents. In addition, the marshes act as a “coastal stronghold” for managing the effects of sea level rise, including reducing property damage from flooding. Together, these resources produce multiple benefits to the state of Delaware, and the towns of Milford and Slaughter Beach.
2021 (June)
Ecotourism and Resilience Investment Strategy for the Mispillion and Cedar Creek Watersheds Kent and Sussex Counties, Delaware
The state of Delaware is in the midst of explosive population growth and development at a time when it faces increasing risks of flooding from sea level rise and climate change. A coalition of partner organizations called the Waterways Infrastructure and Investment Network (WIIN) recognized that natural infrastructure (in the form of wetlands, rivers, creeks, open space, and bay beaches) provide a multitude of benefits that can mitigate some of the impacts of climate change while contributing to biodiversity, community way of life, and the economic health of the region.
2024
Economic Benefits of Nature Based Solutions and Landscape Architecture
The American Society of Landscape Architecture (ASLA) believes that landscape architects maximize the benefits of nature-based solutions through design. Nature-based solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss are more than mangroves, forests, and grasslands. Using landscape architecture strategies, they can be woven into places where people live. They take the form of parks, recreation areas, streets, coastal infrastructure, and more. Through inclusive design, they can provide even greater benefits to people and support the healthy urban ecosystems people rely on.
2023 (August)
Delaware Tree Stewards Pilot Program Evaluation: Findings and Recommendations
In 2023, UMD EFC assisted the Delaware Forest Service (DFS) in evaluating the pilot phase of the Delaware Tree Stewards program, which offered training on tree science, tree maintenance, and tree planting project development, with the goal of equipping volunteers to plant and care for trees in Delaware communities. EFC's program evaluation consisted of a participant survey, focus group, partners strategy session, and a review of program material.