Get Involved

Sign Up for the UMB Sustainability Newsletter

Please fill out the form at the link below to receive our monthly newsletter, which details all things sustainability at UMB! The newsletter is sent out the last Wednesday of each month.

UMB Sustainability Newsletter Sign-Up Form

 

Use the form at the link below to submit an event, opportunity, project, or story that you would like featured in our monthly newsletter. The newsletter is sent out the first day of each month, so submissions for the newsletter must be sent by the Friday before the first day of each month.

UMB Sustainability Newsletter Submission

 

View our 5 most recent newsletter issues using the links below:

September 2024 

October 2024

November 2024

December 2024

January 2025

Recognize a Sustainability Champion

Sustainability Champions Series in The Elm 

5 Most Recent Champions

Do you know someone or a group of people who display sustainable actions and are advocates for change? Tell us! Please fill out the form linked here. Self-nominations are welcome.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering around UMB and locally benefits the greater Baltimore community.

MSTF Community Garden

There is a community garden installed on the Medical School Teaching Facility building. If you would like to get involved, fill out this form. People standing in front of community garden

GreenSON

GreenSON is the School of Nursing’s green team. Students, staff, and faculty come together to actively identify, recognize, and promote conservation-minded initiatives and activities. If you would like to join, email Lorrie Voytek at lvoytek@umaryland.edu. Learn more on the School of Nursing’s sustainability webpage.

HSHSL Sustainability Task Force

The HSHSL Sustainability Task Force works to implement sustainability projects at the Health Sciences and Human Services Library (HSHSL) on UMB’s campus. If you would like to join, email Jerry Anthony at jlanthony@hshsl.umaryland.edu

Via the Office of Community Engagement

Mission: To leverage UMB’s economic resources and human capital to engage with the community through direct service and systemic change to improve quality of life in West Baltimore and beyond.

UMB Volunteer Initiative 

UMB will allow full-time faculty and staff to use four hours of paid leave if they wish to volunteer at a qualifying nonprofit organization of their choice during each calendar year. All regular full-time state faculty and staff employees are eligible to participate. In support of this initiative, UMB’s Office of Community Engagement has developed a website capturing potential volunteer opportunities with existing community partners to help employees in identifying appropriate volunteer opportunities close to campus. While faculty and staff are encouraged to volunteer individually, we also encourage staff to volunteer as a group/department for one of the opportunities listed here.

Via Intercultural Leadership and Engagement

Intercultural Leadership and Engagement (ILE) 

Intercultural Leadership and Engagement (ILE) aims to provide academic and social support to historically underrepresented populations while enhancing skills for intercultural development and intergroup dialogue.

President's Student Leadership Institute (PSLI) 

President's Student Leadership Institute (PSLI) is an interprofessional program that creates opportunities for leaders in health, policy, and human services who are increasingly compelled to partner with communities to effect positive change. Changes in health funding and shifting expectations of corporate citizenship demand emerging leaders to integrate social justice and cultural sensitivity with technical savvy. In this track, student leaders will learn from, and with, community leaders about power, race, and positive change.

In the Baltimore Community

4MyCiTy 

4MyCiTy Mission: “ ... our focus is on the importance of environmental sustainability. Primarily the sustainable management of food in relation to reducing organic waste. Our program limits the harmful effects caused by organic waste on our environment while improving food security for families within our communities."

Blue Water Baltimore 

Blue Water Baltimore Mission: “ ... to restore the quality of Baltimore’s rivers, streams, and harbor to foster a healthy environment, a strong economy, and thriving communities.” 

Friends of Great Kids Farm 

Friends of Great Kids Farm Mission: “ ... created to support and promote Baltimore City Schools’ Great Kids Farm. The Farm, occupying 33-acres of abundant fields and forest just west of the city, engages students with good food from farm to fork and prepares them to lead sustainability efforts in their communities.”

Living Classrooms 

Living Classrooms Approach: “Living Classrooms has developed a distinct competency in experiential learning [learning by doing]. ... We utilize our environmental campuses, athletic fields, community centers, and historic ships as ‘living classrooms.’ We work ... to identify existing barriers towards success and provide skills training, resources, and opportunities.”

Baltimore Department of Recreation and Parks 

Baltimore Department of Recreation and Parks Mission: “To improve the health and wellness of Baltimore through quality recreational programs, preserving our parks and natural resources, and promoting fun, active lifestyles for all ages.”

Baltimore Green Space 

Baltimore Green Space Mission: “Baltimore Green Space is Baltimore’s environmental land trust. We promote vibrant neighborhoods and a healthy environment through land preservation [of community gardens, pocket parks, and urban forests], research, and community advocacy.”

UEmpower of MD 

UEmpower of MD: "Our flagship program, The Food Project, addresses two key challenges in our community: food insecurity and youth unemployment to help stop the cycle of poverty. The Food Project hires at-risk youth to produce and distribute meals each week and run a popup market to distribute food and resources to the community."