CURRENT INITIATIVES IN SUSTAINABLE BRUNSWICK Increased recycling Bike and footpaths Wind power text amendment Planning and Zoning landscaping Implementing energy audit Forest Resource Ordinance Funds Local stream identification Transit-oriented designs Staff education Staff energy reductions Electric use spreadsheet Source: James Castle, Development Review Coordinator

Brunswick received an $8,050 grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust to map out its tree cover and pinpoint areas where trees are needed.

The city's development review coordinator is also working on ways to make Brunswick a more "green" city, figuratively and literally. James Castle presented a Power Point presentation to the council last month called "Sustainable Brunswick."

Tonight, the council is expected to vote on the Sierra Club's Cool Cities Initiative, a plan that encourages conservation measures in urban areas. Brunswick's geographical location along the Potomac River and adjacent to the C&O Canal Towpath National Historical Park makes it a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts.

From turning off lights and replacing light fixtures to a full-scale energy audit, city employees will be encouraged to conserve energy at every turn, Castle said.

Footpaths are planned for Brunswick Crossing, the 1,500-home development that is under construction, and will connect the development to the rest of Brunswick.

Brunswick Crossing will also have a bus to Brunswick's Maryland Area Rail Commuter parking lot. Frederick County's Transit bus system also increased its presence in Brunswick, Castle said.

Castle is working with Planning and Zoning Administrator Bruce Dell to implement the green measures. Dell is aiming to recapture Brunswick fees collected through Frederick County's Forest Resource Ordinance.

Brunswick's proximity to several streams that flow into the Potomac River are the focus of Castle's Stream Strategy. He is working with a local volunteer to monitor local streams for erosion and trash. They will check the water quality at various times throughout this year to measure the streams' health.

According to the ordinance, developers must pay a fee when developing land near a stream or creek, and Dell wants to bring those fees back to Brunswick to help pay for conservation measures.

"Because we are predominantly part of a watershed, we're hoping money collected from this watershed stays in this watershed," he said.

The city is also looking at using permeable asphalt for parking lots to reduce the amount of rainwater run off into local streams, Dell said. That rainwater often carries oil and chemicals, he added.

A tree canopy study will be completed in March, Castle said. The University of Vermont is conducting the study using satellite photos the Maryland Department of Natural Resources took in the summer of 2007, said Becky Wilson, urban and community forestry coordinator for the western region of the Maryland DNR Forest Service.

Any community in Maryland that wants a tree canopy study done can use the satellite imagery, she said. The City of Frederick and Frederick County Public Schools are the other jurisdictions in Frederick where the tree canopy study has been conducted. So far, more than 40 Maryland communities are participating, Wilson said.

Tree cover keeps buildings cooler in the summer, increases the amount of oxygen in streams and even extends the life of asphalt and paved areas, Wilson said. American Forests studied the loss of tree cover in the United States in the past 30 years. Development and the death of old trees has felled billions of trees in that time, and the goal is to plant billions of new trees, Wilson said.

Technology has made it much easier to plant trees in urban areas, Wilson said. "We've learned so much about urban forestry in the last 20 years," she said. "We expect this program to be even more sustainable down the road."