energy saving

Since 2010, about 400 Marylanders complained to state regulators about property damage they said utility companies or their contractors caused, from scratched driveways and dug-up lawns to fried appliances. Opportunities for more damage are poised to mount as electric and gas utilities pick up the pace of infrastructure work.

Howard County's James & Anne Robinson Nature Center has won the Maryland Office of Tourism's 2013 Green/Sustainable Tourism Award. State officials announced the win late last week at the annual Maryland Tourism and Travel summit.

Howard County is set to begin work this week installing about 740 photovoltaic panels at its Little Patuxent "water reclamation" plant in Savage. The $1.5 million project will generate just a fraction of the power needed by Maryland's fifth largest wastewater treatment plant.

Customers have recycled 30,000 appliances through BGE's Smart Energy Savers Program.

Last week, Prince George's County became the first jurisdiction in Maryland to fund clean energy systems in all new county buildings as well as major renovations for existing public buildings.

Charles Village home for sale

The Baltimore Ravens' home field, M&T Bank Stadium, has earned a "Gold" rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, the highest rank the Washington-based nonprofit group has awarded to any existing NFL stadium to date.

Ways to celebrate the season

Maryland regulators approved on Tuesday about $95 million in funding requests for energy-efficiency programs run by utilities, including nearly $47 million aimed at Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers.

Maryland retained its ninth-best ranking on a national comparison of states' energy-efficiency efforts, but a separate report also out Wednesday said Maryland must up the ante if it doesn't want to fall short of its own goals.

As more customers and companies jump into Maryland's electricity-purchase market, problems and outright scams are mounting. But the options for getting a good deal on power are rising, too.

Lessons from Hurricane Sandy are still being put into action, but officials in Crisfield and Garrett County, the hardest-hit areas of Maryland, say they are better prepared for future disasters.

Monday morning, almost one year after the Hurricane Sandy disaster, Ulman broke ground on an $8.1 million electrical protection system that will work to prevent future power-outage-related overflows at the county's wastewater treatment plant in Savage.

Cool roofs

Last Sunday, I went to watch a documentary called "Medora" at the Bel Air Film Festival, about a small, dying town in Indiana and its underdog high-school basketball team that ultimately ends its embarrassingly deep losing streak.

In a northern city like Baltimore, the energy savings from an 'eco-roof' may not pan out.

Crary, 53, is a general practice attorney running for one of two seats in Ward 2. She, along with fellow Ward 2 incumbent Fred Smalls, are running with the other three incumbents on Team Laurel. Newcomer Thomas Matthews, who is on the same ticket the other two challengers, is also running in Ward 2.

Harford County school officials announced Wednesday that a tentative agreement has been reached with the members of the Harford County Educational Services Council on a one-year contract and a memorandum of understanding to provide employees in that bargaining unit with two paid days off.

A new report by the Abell Foundation suggests white or cool roof systems like hers could help fight global climate change while also making the city a healthier place to live – but local and state governments need to do more to expand installation efforts.

According to Columbia Association's Assistant Director of Open Space Sean Harbaugh, the "floating wetlands," as they are called, are CA's latest attempt to increase the sustainability of its lakes and ponds.

When Dan and Margo Duesterhaus moved into their Ellicott City home 12 years ago, the solar power movement was still more concept than reality. But the couple had always been environmentally conscious, and they put their ideals into action.

When Dan and Margo Duesterhaus moved into their Ellicott City home 12 years ago, the solar power movement was still more concept than reality. But the couple had always been environmentally conscious, and they put their ideals into action.

The members of the Harford County Board of Estimates recently voted 5-0 in favor of an $84,487 contract with BGE to cover the county's portion of the costs of building electric infrastructure for the new Department of Emergency Services facilities north of Bel Air.

The state is about to double the size of its Park and Ride lot in Davidsonville to accommodate an increase in commuters who use the lot.

Columbia's James & Anne Robinson Nature Center is a certified "green" attraction, County Executive Ken Ulman and the Department of Recreation & Parks announced Sept. 27.

This year, Chip and Monica Gribben's house on Holger Court in Laurel is one of more than 50 solar and green homes — including six in the Laurel area — featured on the annual Washington Metropolitan Area Tour of Solar Homes. The homes will be open this weekend, Oct. 5 and 6, to homeowners interested in taking the solar route themselves.

Barn homes in Maryland

Maryland's Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley and Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin joined environmentalists in praising the Obama administration's announcement Friday that it is moving to curb carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants.

With their lawsuit to upend EPA regulations failed, farmers should now jump on the bay clean up bandwagon

Andrew Cassilly Recently Announced His Candidacy for a Seat in the Maryland State House of Delegates, District 35 B.

Baltimore transit gets a big boost with $1.5 billion for Red Line and millions more for rail projects that will help define the city's future

A burst of heat and humidity prompted early school closings and electricity-saving measures across the region Wednesday, but a snap back to fall-like weather lies ahead Friday and through the weekend..

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company has awarded more than $400,000 to 46 area nonprofits that have initiatives dedicated to improving the environment.

Howard County real estate

The uncertainty surrounding America's intentions in Syria threatens growth, and President Barack Obama's weakness on the international stage emboldens our competitors.

BGE customers are collectively saving nearly 1.5 billion kilowatt hours of electricity a year through energy-efficiency incentive programs. It's enough energy to power 156,000 homes for a year, or the equivalent of a year's worth of greenhouse gas emissions from 230,000 cars.