Berlin Again Gains Sustainable Award

Berlin Again Gains Sustainable Award

BERLIN – The Town of Berlin was re-certified as a Sustainable Maryland community this week.

On Tuesday, Berlin was awarded re-certification as a Sustainable Maryland community for the 10th year in a row. The program recognizes municipalities that want to go green and take steps to sustain quality of life long-term.

“It’s a pretty big deal,” Town Administrator Jeff Fleetwood said. “It helps out a lot when we apply for grants.”

Berlin was the first municipality in the state to receive the Sustainable Maryland designation 10 years ago. It’s been re-certified every year since. Fleetwood said that as of 2020, there were 157 municipalities in the state and that 79 of them had registered for the program but only 39 had been certified.

“It’s well worth the effort I can tell you that,” he said.

Ivy Wells, the town’s economic and community development director, traveled to Ellicott City Tuesday to receive a new bronze plate to add to the town’s wooden Sustainable Maryland plaque, which adorns the wall at Berlin Town Hall.

“Sustainable Maryland is an initiative of the Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland that is designed to support Maryland’s 157 municipalities as they look for cost-effective and strategic ways to protect their natural assets and revitalize their communities,” Wells said. “By using best practices in resource areas like water, energy, planning, health, food and economy, a municipality can earn points toward sustainability.”

Wells said the program allowed towns to engage in initiatives that best suited their specific needs. She added the program offers tools, training, guidance and other resources to participating jurisdictions.

“By achieving the certification it also allows us to take advantage of certain grant opportunities,” she said.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.