Inside This Newsletter Monthly Potluck ……….p 2 CSAs………………………....p 2 Farmer’s Market……….p 3 Hiking Trail…………….....p 3 Veggie of the Month...p 4 Herb of the Month…...p 4 Community Gardens....p 5 Save the Whales………..p 6 Recycling……………….….p 6 Secret Gardens……..…..p 7 Calendar…………...……...p 8 Call To Action……..……..p 8 Contact Info…….…….….p 8 ALL underlined text are hyperlinks

May 2016 Think Green In 2016 Blogging—Breaking News Recently acquired, Josh Marx, has stepped up to contin-ue moving the HdG Green Team Blogspot forward. His first installment was April24, 2016. What did you think about his comments? You can respond directly on the blog Anonymously or log into Google+ to track respons-es. Tell us your likes and dislikes. We need to hear from our readership. In order to move us forward politically we need your voices. If you feel that you have major counter points to Josh’s arguments please weigh in. We are always looking for new talent and would love to have you join our team. The only way we will get the message out about taking care of our community is if we stand up and do some-thing! What GREEN related item do you want to see Josh blog about in the future? We don’t want this to be you!

Call To Action: Support Clean Wa-ter & The Chesapeake Bay We have noticed a lack of Water and Bay focused ini-tiatives within the Green Team. Located at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay we need to align ourselves with programs like the Anita C. Leight Estuary Center and the Maritime Museum to promote a healthy and sustainable maritime ecosystem. Please contact us via email, Facebook, or Twitter if you have any ideas or suggestions.

Potluck Spring has arrived, bees are pollinating and the Earth is regenerating, bring your best honey touched recipe to celebrate. Join us the third Sunday of the month, May 15th at 5:15pm for a time of good food, good people and commu-nity building. You'll find us at Havre de Grace First Presbyterian Church at 551 Franklin St (upstairs) we will gladly accept your donation and, as always, accept non perishable food donations for a local food pantry. You can sign up and pledge a monetary donation ahead of time via the HdG Green Team website. We look forward to seeing you!

Have You Ever Thought Of A CSA? A CSA is a locally based Community Supported Agriculture system where peo-ple purchase either a full or half share of locally grown produce and other agri-cultural products. We will be highlighting a different CSA farm each month. So please leave us a comment about who you want to see next. Tommy (Owner, Manager & Facilitator of Third Way Farms) operates an awesome 25 acre farm right here in Havre de Grace. His plan on eco-logical renewable resources, research, re-education, referral, environmentally friendly eat-ing, and sustainability put him at the top of where we like folks to be. Third Way Farm is definitely helping to turn Havre de Grace into Havre de Green!

The average cost for Third Way Farms for a full share is $575. This spans 30 weeks from May through November, averaging less than $20 a week. Payment plans are also available, which makes this accessible to all! A full share will feed a family of 4 all the nec-essary fresh seasonally fresh produce for a week.

“Eating and buying local supports your local economy.”

Falling Branch Trail (Kilgore Falls) - Rocks State Park, MD

Pay It Local At Your Neighborhood Farmers Markets

Take a short hike with a grand payoff: Kil-gore Falls, Maryland’s second-highest ver-tical waterfall. The relatively small (67 acres) Falling Branch Area of Rocks State Park remains environmentally sensitive. Once a meeting place for Susquehannock Indians, local hikers and nature enthusiasts didn’t know about it for many years be-cause it sat on private property. Fortunate-ly, in 1993, the state, with the help of many local activists including Harford County public-school children, bought the land and turned it over to Rocks State Park officials for administration. It has become one of the most attractive parcels for many miles around. More information at HdG Green Team Website.

May 7th opens 2016 Farmers Market Season from 9-noon. The market is hosted at Hutchins Park and will feature a variety of lo-cally grown and produced goods such as : lamb, fresh bread, local wine and luscious body products. For more information go to the HdG Farmers’ Market Facebook page. Enjoy your neighbors and support your local economy.

Dill - Herb of the Month

“Pickle Prep” Cucumbers - Vegetable of the Month

Dill and Dill Seed are used by communi-ty gardeners in the preservation of cu-cumbers, beets, and other vegetables grown throughout the gardening sea-son. Dill may also be used to flavor po-tatoes, breads, and many vegetables; like peas and asparagus. Dill can be planted near cucumbers and beets as well as other vegetables that may be pickled that grow in soil rich in organics but well-drained. However, keep dill away from carrots!

Cucumbers are a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family. A creeping vine that bears cylindrical fruits that are used as culinary vegetables. There are three main varieties of cu-cumber: · Slicing cucumbers have longer fruit (usually 7 to 8 inches) with a thick skin. · Pickling cucumbers bear short fruit (usually 3 to 4 inches) with thin skins and spines, · Burpless cucumbers are long and slender with a tender skin varieties have been select-ed to eliminate gas build-up that affects some people. The cucumber is originally from Southern Asia, but now grows on most continents. Once started, cucumbers will wrap around supports with thin, spiraling tendrils. The plant has large leaves that form a canopy over the fruit. The fruit of the cucumber is roughly cylindrical, elongated with tapered ends, and may be as large as 24 inches long and 4 inches in diameter. Whether for eating fresh in combination with other salad fixings, pickling or slicing, cucumbers are easy to grow if you give them good soil, full sun and sufficient moisture, and wait for weather to warm before planting.

“If you aren’t growin’, you’re owin’!”

Community Garden Time Of Growth A record 49 gardeners signed up for plots. The Market Street gar-dens are filled, but we still have two plots at Seneca Avenue. Ennise Bloom, the Seneca Avenue gar-den leader reports that “Seneca is in bloom.” Thanks to all of the gar-den volunteers and neighbors in the community. Contributions of time, material, and new ideas have jump-started our gardening energy. Come and hang out on the garden bench Ennise installed for every-one.

The Old Reservoir (OuR) garden was filled this year, and so we decided to ex-pand. We are looking for-ward to more gardeners join-ing us. A big shout out to Vul-can which again provided their manufactured sand as a base for the new plots and

spread the 20 tons of topsoil provided by Stancill’s. The new plots will be available in early May. This year all 4 garden locations will be on the 10th Annual HdG Secret Garden Tour. We will also have a tent at the Maritime Museum loca-tion during the Garden Mart. So make sure you are getting your space ready for all of the visitors. Please tell a friend and help us man our ta-bles.

Recycling the Possibilities are Endless HdG has single stream recycling. We are only at 11% which far below the state and national average. The na-tional average for recycling is 34%. The state average is 44% for recycling. Harford County is at 53% for recycling. Why are we so low in comparison na-tional, state, local average? We have programs such as the CAT Team and the Green Team working to improve our city and yet we still fall 42% below the county average. PLEASE invest in a recycling bin and help save our community!

Danger @ the Chesapeake: Ship Strikes are Deadly Saving the North Atlantic Right Whale Wednesday, May 18th, 2016 7pm @ HdG Maritime Museum 100 Lafayette St.

10th Annual HdG Secret Garden Tour May 14 & 15 (12-5pm) “The Artist In The Garden”: Come visit the special sanctuaries that in-spire local artists Tickets for BOTH days $20

“Plasticized” ~ June 17, 2016 @ 7pm Since its formulation from phenol and formaldehyde, and the discovery of cheap methods of synthesis in 1907, plastic has become a ubiquitous feature of our lives. From drinking straws, to clothing, plastic has seemingly become a component we cannot live without. Unfortunately, for the planet in general and specifically the health of our oceans, we may not be able to live with it at current levels of use. Artifacts of the plastic we use in our everyday lives move from our plates, closets, trash cans, and dumpsters, to our landfills, rivers and streams, and ultimately to our oceans. Join the Havre de Grace Green Team as we take a voyage across the southern Atlantic from Brazil to South Africa as five scientist investigate the alarming effect that our disposable culture has on the planet. The researchers sample the small particles of plastic that have infiltrated the food chain in an attempt to document the rate and extent of its dispersal throughout the oceans. Toxic organic chemicals stick to these tiny plastic fragments and wreak havoc on the ecosys-tem. What effect, if any, does recycling have? Why should I make the extra effort to make recycling and proper trash disposal part of my daily routine? Come out and watch “Plasticized” and you will find out.

Contact Us Give us a call for more information (757) 752-1828 HdG Green Team 408 North Union Avenue HdG, MD 21078 Please email us at: hdggreenteam@gmail.com Visit us on the web at http://www.hdggreenteam.org/

Trash Tzar All serious here, the Havre De Grace Green Team is actively recruiting a "Trash Tzar" - okay maybe that wasn't serious - but really we need a Recycling Coordinator Chair Person to head up our Recycling Initiative. While the HdGGT Secretary and her Web Admin can keep the page running at http://www.hdggreenteam.org/recycling-initiative.html. We need to get a person who is motivated to lead the charge and help the city and citizens realize how important this ini-tiative is. Contact us immediately if this initiative interests you!

May 2016 Calendar May 1—Nature Tales 2pm-2:30pm Anita C. Leight Estuary Center May 3—HdG City Elections from 7amto 8pm at St. Patrick's Hall on Pennington Ave. May 4, 11, 18, 25— Plankton Monitoring 10am-noon Anita C. Leight Estuary Center May 6—HdG First Friday—Washington Street, HdG May 7— Tree Identification Lab noon-1pm Anita C. Leight Estuary Center May 7, 14, 21, 28—HdG Farmers Market—9am –noon May 8 -Birding By Boat 9am-10:30am Anita C. Leight Estuary Center May 14 -Hazardous Waste Collections 8am-noon Anita C. Leight Estuary Center. May 14 & 15—Garden Mart & Secret Garden Tour 10am-6pm around HdG & the Maritime Muse-um May 15—Survival Skills—Fire 1:30-3pm Anita C. Leight Estuary Center May 18—Danger at the Chesapeake: Ship Strikes Are Deadly Saving the North Atlantic Right Whale @ 7pm at the Maritime Museum May 21—Terrific World of Trees 10am-11:30am Anita C. Leight Estuary Center May 22 -Invasionators 12:30pm-2:30pm Anita C. Leight Estuary Center May 28—Toad Adobe 10am-11:30am Anita C. Leight Estuary Center May 29— Hungry Hummingbirds 3pm-4:30pmAnita C. Leight Estuary Center