Earth Day, Every Day in Talbot

Earth Day, Every Day in Talbot 

Everyone knows the old adage, “Think globally, act locally” but sometimes it is hard to find local ways to do more than recycle. A new interfaith group, Talbot Green Hands, is all about changing that. 

Talbot Green Hands has compiled a data-base of dozens of volunteer opportunities for Talbot residents, young and old, who want to give back to our local environment. 

Some positions are long term, for example, the ‘citizen scientists’ who test the bay for dangerous aquatic microbes, or short-term such as a day of planting native trees at a church or school. 

Other positions are 90% work-at-home while some involve serving on boards or speaking at public meetings. Most are for adults but more than a few could be great for children and teens. Whether you are a high school senior who needs community service hours or a retiree who wants to get outside and meet new people, you can ‘shop’ for just the right fit for yourself. 

Talbot Green Hands is the local chapter of the Interfaith Partners of the Chesapeake (IPC) which has 166 other chapters in Maryland, Virginia, DC and Pennsylvania. Most are synagogues, mosques and churches but Buddhists, Hindu and Baha’i faith communities are also present. IPC works to engage congregations in ‘creation care’ – being good caretakers of our shared watershed.

If you’d like to get to know local pro- environmental organizations and people, the database also includes a listing of sustainability events in Talbot Co. such as programs at Atkins Arboretum, vine and invasives removal trainings by the DNR, Shore River’s ‘Ride with a River Keeper’ and the farm animal feeding tour at Cottingham Farms. 

Talbot Green Hands has its own creation care projects. Mary Yancey, Co-Coordinator, says, We had a very successful vine clearing event at Third Haven Friends Meeting in November. Several experts from the Maryland DNR Forest Service came and tutored us on identifying and clearing invasive vines (in the winter when the leaves are off!) The following day about 20 participants cleared 11 pickup loads of vines off the trees at Third Haven. We had fun and ate together afterwards. We plan to make this an annual event.” 

Also last year, ‘Green Hand’ Terry Price, of the Presbyterian Church of Easton, organized a tour of community gardens in Easton. Talbot Green Hands helps at the community garden and composting site of the Presbyterian Church of Easton. 

The locations of up-coming Green Hand events will be posted on the Mid Shore – Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake Facebook page