Congratulations, Wilde Lake Middle School, for committing to zero net energy consumption from heavy polluters such as coal, fracking and incineration ("Wilde Lake Middle prepares for new building," Aug. 24). You join The University System of Maryland Foundation, which recently cleaned up its endowment by steering all future energy investments away from carbon industries. The Ravens training facility in Owings Mills is also covered with solar panels. Hopefully more equally large institutions — schools, corporations, wings of government, etc. — will promptly jump in line for the future.
Our most valuable long term security is environmental sustainability because of the way it coincides with socio-economic sustainability. Education about environmental stewardship (or anything) takes place primarily through example, and most urban schools only demonstrate consumption — of energy and food. Visible solar panels and classes in urban agriculture are clearly needed. When teaching environmental stewardship at an elementary school in Baltimore, I realized my students didn't understand the language. I partly fixed that by sharing many National Geographic videos. Suddenly, conservation was a palpable concept to them.
Apparently, your demolition of one site will yield a parking lot and baseball field. Have you thought about adding a solar canopy to that parking lot? Now that would be a baseball park even prettier than Camden Yards.
Kevin Kriescher, Baltimore