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Stay In The Know
Get changes to the collection schedule in real time due to holiday closures or weather events by signing up today for Recycle Coach! You can also find out what is recyclable, compostable and how you help make Laurel a Greener Community! Details here> https://www.cityoflaurel.org/377/Recycle-Coach. #StayInTheKnow
2025 Sustainability Report Community Gathering and Year-In-Review
Calling All Residents! On January 29, 2026, the City will host a Sustainability Year in Review and we are looking for input from YOU! Join us for food, community, and a look at the Sustainability progress made in the City of Laurel during 2025! It will be held at the Joseph R. Robison Laurel Municipal Center, 8103 Sandy Spring Road, from 6 - 8pm and Sustainability Manager, Michele Blair and Community Leaders will be giving their reports on what's been happening to guide our city to a greener Laurel. Everyone is welcome! Small Changes = Big Impacts, so come and learn, share, and help shape Laurel’s sustainable future! There will be refreshments, so we are asking you to please RSVP so we can have a head count. Email mblair@laurel.md.us by January 23, 2026.
ARCHIVED GREEN LIVING NEWS!
Sustainability Project: Painting Trash Cans
Students in Laurel Recognized for Their Sustainability Commitment!
Congratulations, Laurel Students! The students of Laurel have proven to be committed to change:
Laurel ES, with Elyssa Atkins as the Green Team Coordinator, received their Sustainable Bronze award (5th award) for 18 years of being a Green School from the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education.
Laurel ES teacher (and Laurel resident) Amy Dunham won the Unsung Hero from the William S. Schmidt Center for her work connecting Environmental Literacy with Physical Education in PGCPS.
Laurel ES Building Supervisor (and Laurel resident) Marcus Comer received an Unsung Hero award from the William S. Schmidt Center for his work with Composting at Laurel ES.
Laurel HS students won the Envirothon competition for the 3rd year in a row, beating out all the other PGCPS High Schools. Onto regionals they go!
Laurel HS, with Nadisha Clayton - Garrison and Elizabeth Gallagher as co-Green School Coordinators, earned their 3rd Green School award from the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education.
Sustainability Manager on HP Alliance Podcast
Michele Blair, City of Laurel Sustainability Manager, talks to Healthy Power Alliance host, Pete Burden, about the practicalities of integrating sustainability into the community and city. What that means to Michele is working closely with all the stakeholders, and trying to find ‘wiggle room’. Listen to the podcast in its entirety at the link here> https://hpalliance.podbean.com/e/17-michele-blair-sustainability-in-the-city-of-laurel-maryland-usa/.
Gardening Workshop at Laurel Farmer's Market on May 29th!
Join us at the Laurel Market on Main, 378 Main Street, this coming, Thursday, May 29th, from 5:30-6:30p for a free hands-on Live Design Native Gardening Workshop, brought to you by Jimmy Rogers, owner of Vibrant Gardening (a Laurel small business) at the #LaurelFarmersMarket!
Together you will identify a section of lawn, measure the dimensions, discuss how to remove grass, and finally plan out how it might be planted with native plants. By moving around real plants in the design space, you will learn to choose plants by site conditions, height, and bloom time.
After the workshop, participants will have an opportunity to help Jimmy plant the demo plants into the Laurel Market on Main garden. If you would like to participate in this optional step, wear work clothes and bring your own garden gloves and tools if you have them.
No Mow April Returns!
Laurel Farmer's Market Back May 1, 2025!
One of Own Awarded Individual 2024 Waste Diversion and Recycling Award!
Sustainability Plan Launch Party
Join the City of Laurel as they launch their new Sustainability Plan on January 30th, 6pm, at the Joseph R. Robison Laurel Municipal Center, 8103 Sandy Spring Road. Please RSVP at cityoflaurel.org/splp so we can plan refreshments and hand outs accordingly, but if you are unable to register at this time and find you can make it, please show up and learn more about Laurel's plan to move towards a more green and sustainable community!
City of Laurel Reaches Milestone in Sustainability Plan Development
Larry T. Smith Park Pollinator Garden Build a Great Community Success!
UPDATE: Although the day was windy, we had a great showing from the community to build up the Larry T. Smith Park Pollinator Garden! A picture can say so much, so check out the images below:
Larry T. Smith Park Pollinator Garden Build
Join the City as we host a volunteer-driven garden build at Larry T. Smith Park on April 13th from 10am - 1pm. Community Service Hours available.
We look forward to having Sean Phelan on hand to help guide us through the build:
I'm just your friendly UMD IT guy by day, but come evening, you'll find me knee-deep in soil and surrounded by greenery. Growing up, my grandfather ignited my passion for gardening by introducing me to the world of potted plants and the thrill of entering shows. Fast forward to today, and I've continued to nurture that passion, especially since settling in College Park. You might spot me at the Good Neighbor Day event such as the the Edible Garden site, where I've been an enthusiastic participant for the past few years. And if you swing by the American Legion, you'll likely find me orchestrating a symphony of blooms as I tend to our vibrant pollinator garden that I built, adding bursts of color to our surroundings throughout spring and summer.
But wait, there's more! This year, I decided to take my love for gardening a step further by spearheading a youth vegetable garden program at the American Legion Post 217.
So yes, while I may spend my days troubleshooting my computer code or building a digital process to replace a paper one, my heart truly belongs to the great outdoors. After all, there's nothing quite like getting your hands dirty and watching something beautiful grow.
No Mow April Event
Join Environmental Programs and the Environmental Affairs Committee on March 18th to launch the City’s second No Mow April month! Barry Stahl from the Audubon Wildlife Habitat Program (AWHP) will do a short presentation on how to best welcome pollinators into your garden using native plants. AWHP offers guidance to homeowners on optimal native plants and design features to provide food, water, and shelter for birds, pollinators and other wildlife. Find out how you can have them come to your home!
No Mow April yard signs will be available to pick up! Residents can register at the event or on-line at https://www.cityoflaurel.org/1889/No-Mow-April.
Residents can also get a head start on spring planting by stopping by our local native plant nurseries:
- Millie Farms: https://www.strawberrygardendesign.com/milliefarms
- Chesapeake Natives: http://chesapeakenatives.org.
The 2024 City of Laurel Green Living Calendar is here! The calendar is available digitally on the City's web site here and on the downloadable Recycle Coach app. The City also has a limited number of ecofriendly, printed calendars. If you would like a printed copy for your home, please contact 301-725-5300 or send an e-mail to greenliving@laurel.md.us.
Lt. Governor Visits City of Laurel
The City of Laurel had the pleasure of hosting Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller at the Laurel Municipal Center on September 5, 2023.
She stopped by to learn more about the amazing things Laurel is doing to be Green, from FoamStream (using heat and soap to kill weeds), to how we are using native plants in our landscaping, to hearing from our local elementary children in a video about how important composting is.
Thank you to Lt. Governor Miller for your highly anticipated visit. It was a pleasure to show you how Laurel is leading the way in being environmentally conscious and meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs through our ever growing sustainability practices.
***CANCELLED*** Friends of Patuxent Pollinator Festival - September 23rd
Sustainable Saturday, September 9th, 11am - 2pm!
Native Plant Gardening and Design Webinar Recording
If you weren't able to attend the City's August 10th Native Plant Gardening webinar, never fear! Click on the link below and it will be like you never missed it. Happy Gardening!
FREE Native Plant Gardening and Design Webinar
What plants are native to you? What will work in your landscape? Which are the best plants for wildlife? And where can you purchase those plants or seed? These questions and more can be answered at the City’s free webinar, “Starting Your Native Plant Garden,” on August 10, 2023, at 7:00pm on Zoom. You MUST register in order to attend the online webinar, so scan the QR Code or visit https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8IZxi_4WR8CL2N6l2Oejig#/registration to sign up today!
It can certainly be overwhelming creating a sustainable, natural habitat using native plants, but in this webinar presenter, Benjamin Vogt, will explore accessible resources along with design and management tips to get you going as you create a beautiful habitat for both people and wildlife. Benjamin Vogt is the owner of the design firm Monarch Gardens and author of the best-selling book Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design, and he will help you learn more about native plants for this area and design tips at this Free one-hour presentation followed by a Q&A session. This presentation is funded by the City of Laurel Environmental Programs and sponsored by the Environmental Affairs Committee.
Farmer's Market at the Quill Lot
Farmer’s Market Week!!!
JOIN US at 378 Main Street for the Farmer’s Market at the Laurel Quill Lot 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. Thursday, August 3rd! #ShopSmallShopLocal
Visit The Laurel Quill Lot to see these new vendors and get goodies from your market favorites! Bella Vita Farm, Grimoire Farm and Coco & Soy Candle Company will be joining our farm favorites. Enjoy some homemade food, listen to some music and enjoy the evening.
Workshop - June 7th - Sign Up Today! Registration link here.
Seeds of Change: Connecting Laurel with Its Native Plants
Join us for a community event held at our newly renovated Farmer’s Market Lot (378 Main Street) on Saturday, April 22, 2023, 1pm to 3pm.
Residents are invited to join our City of Laurel staff to learn about the importance of native plants, how to correctly plant your natives and hands-on experience by joining together to plant native plants at our Farmer’s Market Lot.
Come and be part of a lasting change to our Market Lot landscape. Light refreshments will be served, and extra plants are available for volunteers to take home for their own gardens. The Event is free, but registration is required.
Register here: https://www.cityoflaurel.org/green/earth-day/earth-day-registration-form
No Mow April
Spring is right around the corner and that means young pollinators are emerging. The Mayor and City Council want us to do our part in creating a friendly place for young pollinators to grow. Approved February 27, 2023, Resolution No. 2-2023 allows residents to pass on mowing their lawn for the month of April. Residents can register for this free, voluntary program in-person at the No Mow April Kick-off Meeting at the City’s Laurel Municipal Center, 8103 Sandy Spring Road, on March 20th at 6:30pm, or on-line at www.cityoflaurel.org/green/no-mow-april. At our kick-off meeting residents will learn about the importance of protecting and enhancing pollinators, as well as pick up their yard sign, sign up for Bee City volunteer opportunities and sign up for the curbside organics recycling program. All residents are invited. Let's work together to help Laurel's pollinators thrive and survive!
2023 Calendar in Your Pocket!
Carry the City of Laurel’s 2023 calendar in your pocket when you download it via the Recycle Coach app.
Residents who sign up for the free app can access the full calendar on their phones. You can also get tips for setting green goals, a listing of holidays, tips on how to recycle right, schedule changes, reminders about special events and more all at your fingertips!
Click on the link to get started> https://www.cityoflaurel.org/green/recycle-coach.
America Recycles Day, November 15, 2022
City of Laurel Becomes a Bee City
Released on July 28, 2022 - 1:16pm
Laurel Mayor Craig A. Moe and the City Council have unanimously passed a resolution to become a Bee City USA® affiliate.
Bee City USA is an initiative of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon.
Bee City USA’s mission is to galvanize communities to sustain pollinators by providing them with a healthy habitat, rich in a variety of native plants and free of insecticides. Pollinators like bumble bees, sweat bees, mason bees, honeybees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, hummingbirds, and many others are responsible for the reproduction of almost ninety percent of the world's flowering plant species and one in every three bites of food we consume.
Mayor Craig A. Moe, said, “This resolution confirms that Laurel understands the importance of sustaining pollinators, and confirms our desire to make the City more pollinator friendly.“
“The program aspires to make people more PC-pollinator conscious, that is,” said Scott Hoffman Black, Xerces’ executive director. “If lots of individuals and communities begin planting native, pesticide-free flowering trees, shrubs and perennials, it will create large-scale change for many, many species of pollinators.”
As part of the City’s commitment to the Bee City USA designation, the Environmental Affairs Committee (EAC), along with the City’s Environmental Programs Manager, will hold a Sustainable Saturday event in September 2022 to highlight the importance of protecting and enhancing pollinators. The event will bring together many organizations that are involved in the City’s long-term sustainability plan.
EAC Committee Chairman Councilman James Kole will lead the volunteer force of the City’s Bee City USA initiative. The Committee will hold educational seminars, offer hands-on workshops to plant gardens throughout the City, and create Bee City USA signage for those residents sustaining a pollinator-friendly garden.
For more information about Laurel’s Bee City USA program, contact Michele Blair, Environmental Programs Manager at mblair@laurel.md.us, or 301-725-5300.
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For more information about the City of Laurel’s Green initiatives, visit www. cityoflaurel.org/green
For more information about Bee City USA, visit https://www.beecityusa.org/
For more information about the Xerces Society, visit https://xerces.org/
For information about four simple ways to help pollinators, visit https://xerces.org/bringbackthepollinators/
Laurel Highlighted in Bigbelly Blog! - June 24, 2022
Bigbelly recognized the City’s innovative ways to reach out to residents while encouraging recycling and litter control in their June 22nd edition of Beyond the Bin. Learn More About Beyond The Bin.