Today at Perdue’s Salisbury, Md., headquarters, Governor Martin O’Malley and other officials will help the company celebrate the completion of one of the largest solar energy power systems on the East Coast.

The two-phase, two-site project installed more than 11,000 solar panels at the corporate headquarters in Salisbury and a feed mill in Bridgeville, Del. The Delaware facility was completed in August, and the ribbon-cutting for the corporate project is being held today.

Standard Solar Inc. of Rockville, Md., installed the ground-mounted solar panels, covering the equivalent of approximately 10 football fields, on Perdue property. Almost half are at the Perdue corporate offices in Salisbury and are visible to passers-by on westbound U.S. Route 50. The others are at the company's feed mill in Bridgeville, Del.

The systems, which will be owned and operated by Washington Gas Energy Services, Inc. (WGES), will generate an average of 3,700 megawatt hours of electricity each year, or the amount of power used by 340 typical U.S. homes. At peak production, the panels will produce as much as 90 percent of the electrical demand for each facility.

Perdue has entered into a 15-year agreement with WGES to purchase electricity generated by the solar panels at guaranteed prices.

"Stewardship is one of our company's core values, so this is a perfect fit for the way we do business," said Steve Schwalb, Perdue's vice president of Environmental Sustainability. "Using solar power means we'll have a clean energy source that doesn't pollute or create greenhouse gases, while lowering Perdue's energy costs over the life of the project."

Schwalb estimated the clean electricity from the solar panels will reduce Perdue's carbon footprint by 3,000 tons per year, the equivalent of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from 300,000 gallons of gasoline per year, or nearly 4.5 million gallons through the life of the contract.

The solar proejct is Perdue's latest step in its commitment to being environmentally friendly. Last year, Perdue announced a renovation of its corporate office that is expected to earn a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Gold rating for environmental leadership from the U.S. Green Building Council. Three years ago, Perdue signed a first-in-the-industry Clean Waters Environmental Initiative with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help poultry growers adopt best pollution prevention practices. Ten years ago, Perdue built the nation's first commercial poultry litter processing plant, the only process that is verifiably removing excess nutrients from the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

"By hosting this project, Perdue is also helping both Maryland and Delaware achieve their statewide solar energy goals," said Harry Warren, president of WGES of Herndon, Va. "The Maryland and Delaware Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards Acts call for a growing contribution from solar energy each year through at least 2022, and Perdue's project will contribute significantly to Maryland's and Delaware's total solar power production goals for 2012 and beyond."

Changes affect farm preservation and farm-to-school programs, invasive plants and veterinary practices

Five new agriculture laws went into effect Oct. 1 in Maryland. The laws impact farmland preservation, invasive plants, veterinary practice regulations, and farm-to-school reporting requirements.

"All five bills are important to the work and mission of the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA)," said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. "We are pleased to have the tools these bills provide to strengthen our programs and our abilities to serve the citizens of Maryland. We thank Governor O'Malley and the General Assembly for their support of our important work."

The agriculture-related laws adopted during the 2011 General Assembly Session that took effect are listed below.

HB 214  Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) Critical Farms Fund Allows MALPF to fully implement a statewide Critical Farms Program by finalizing the criteria a property must meet to be considered a "critical farm." As of Oct. 1, MALPF is authorized to provide interim or emergency financing (if funding is available) for easement acquisitions or fee simple acquisitions of a critical farm. Funding remains discretionary, but the bill also allows MALPF to solicit funds from other
sources.

HB 831  Agriculture - Invasive Plants  Prevention and Control Requires MDA to establish an Invasive Plants Advisory Committee (IPAC) that will advise the secretary on regulations that should be adopted to establish a risk assessment protocol for invasive plants within one year, and establish lists of invasive plants using the protocol within two years.

HB 751  Agriculture - Jane Lawton Farm to School Program Reporting Requires each local educational agency that participates in the Jane Lawton Farm-to-School program (i.e., also known as Homegrown School Lunch Week) to report to MDA by Jan. 1 of each year about the types and amounts of farm products they purchased from Maryland farms.

SB 322 State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners - Registered Veterinary Technician Gives the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (SBVME) authority to adopt regulations that allow registered veterinary techs to perform certain medical procedures while working under the direct supervision of a veterinarian. Although the law took effect Oct. 1, the
SBVME must amend its current regulations to articulate what those procedures are before a veterinarian can delegate those additional medical-related tasks. The Board¹s Veterinary Technician Committee is researching other state laws and regulations and will make recommendations for the Board's consideration.

SB 146 State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners  Licensing Permits the SBVME to direct an applicant, veterinarian or veterinary practitioner to submit to a mental or physical exam when the Board has reasonable evidence
indicating that an individual is incompetent to practice veterinary
medicine.

Through a partnership with the Suitland Family and Life Development Corporation, students at Drew-Freeman Middle School, Suitland, can take part in science enrichment programs through the new Climate, Ocean, and Weather (COW) Institute at their school.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture will expand mosquito control services in the Severna Park area of Anne Arundel County due to West Nile virus activity found in the area. Spraying will be done by truck over two different days.

Areas to be sprayed include the following:

• Arden on the Severn and Herald Harbor communities, which are south of the Severn River, will be sprayed on Monday, Sept. 26, and again on Monday, Oct. 3, weather permitting. See a map of the spray area:
www.mda.state.md.us/pdf/Monday_Sept26.pdf.

• Areas north of the river, along Benfield Road between Governor Stone Blvd. and Ritchie Highway, will be sprayed on Thursday, Sept. 29, and again on Thursday, Oct. 6, weather permitting. See a map of the spray area:
www.mda.state.md.us/pdf/Thursday_Sept29.pdf.

Spraying will begin after 8 p.m. and is expected to last until the early
morning hours. People should avoid outdoor activities on spray nights.

For more information, visit the MDA website or call MDA’s Mosquito Control Program at 410-841-5870.

A new report from Environment Maryland shows that urban areas of the Free State are among the most unhealthy in terms of air quality.

The report, "Danger in the Air: Unhealthy Air Days in 2010 and 2011" ranks metropolitan areas for their unhealthy air days in 2010 and 2011. Maryland was among those that had at least 30 days in 2010 when part of the state experienced smog levels exceeding the health standard–as many as a month’s worth of days when breathing the air could put people’s health at risk.

The Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia metro area ranked among the top five areas with the most smog days so far this summer, through August 21, 2011.

Studies show that on days with high concentrations of smog pollution in the air, children and adults suffer more asthma attacks, increased respiratory difficulty, and reduced lung function. Exposure to smog pollution can exacerbate respiratory illness and even cause premature death. Sensitive populations including children, the elderly, and people with respiratory illness are particularly at risk of the adverse health effects of
air pollution.

Read the full report here.

Good news when measuring Maryland’s genuine progress in the areas of environment and society

Maryland’s Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI)―the first state government sanctioned tool of its kind―has been updated to include 2010 data. According to the new data, Maryland’s total consumer expenditures improved while the state’s GPI reaped only a very slight increase.

“Measuring our progress in terms of how it impacts our environment, our economy and our society will help us create a more sustainable future that reflects the values of our citizens and the importance of an improved quality of life,” said Governor O’Malley. “With three years of data now compiled, we are looking at the best ways to incorporate these values into decision-making and we encourage our local partners to do so as well.”

For 2010, Maryland’s actual Gross State Product (GSP) was $295.3 billion, a 1.23 percent increase over 2009; Maryland’s Genuine Progress, however, increased only 0.25 percent to $146.9 billion. This means that while Marylanders spent more money, they were not necessarily seeing comparable social and environmental benefits.

Even more telling of current national economic trends is a comparison of 2008 to 2010 data. During that period, Maryland’s GSP increased 5.12 percent while the State’s GPI decreased 1.83 percent, adjusted for 2000 dollars.

“Similar to last year, these results are not that surprising,” said project leader Sean McGuire of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Office for a Sustainable Future. “Money is exchanging hands and economic activity is still occurring, yet we are not experiencing the same increase in our overall societal and individual well-being.  The GPI affords us insight to that condition, the ability to measure this disconnect, and hopefully will inspire us to make the changes necessary to alter this pattern.”

Governor O’Malley launched the Maryland Genuine Progress Indicator in February 2010. This innovative online tool allows policymakers and citizens to more accurately measure the State’s standard of living by including indicators of social and environmental health along with traditional economic calculations.  Developed by experts from several State agencies, the Governor’s Office and the University of Maryland, the GPI is designed to complement – but not replace – traditional economic measurements, such as the Gross State Product.

The GPI incorporates 26 factors in three categories–economic, social and environmental–from the costs of crime to the costs of ozone depletion. Costs and values used in calculating the GPI are based on academically reviewed studies. These numbers are not presented as the ultimate value to society, but rather as a standard against which to measure yearly changes. Maryland presents the GPI as an educational tool designed to allow the public and policymakers to better balance the true costs and benefits of resource decisions.

The decades-long trend of class separation is among the reasons the GPI has only nominally increased. For instance, the higher Income Inequality–an indicator that assesses wealth distribution–the greater the divide between the rich and poor. Another reason is a marked increase in Cost of Underemployment, even though Maryland’s rates are considerably lower than national averages:  From 2008 to 2010, Maryland’s unemployment rate rose from 4.4 to 7.5 percent, and the underemployment rate rose from 8.2 to 11.2 percent.  The downturn in the economy also had significant impacts on Cost of Lost Leisure Time (up 2.55 percent at $12.6 billion) and the added Value of Volunteer Work (down 3.15 percent at $3.3 billion).

The new data does offer plenty of good news when measuring Maryland’s genuine progress in the areas of environment and society. Both wetlands and forested acres increased, and actual carbon dioxide emissions decreased markedly (8.4 percent from 2007 to 2009), even though the monetary valuation held steady.  A 3 percent decrease in the Cost of Crime (to $1.35 billion) is attributed to a coordinated effort across Maryland state government that has, among other things, resulted in the lowest rates of violent and property crime since 1975. The Cost of Motor Vehicle Crashes was also down significantly, by nearly 7 percent over last year and 22 percent since 2002. Improved health care and emergency response, as well as police crackdowns on aggressive driving, have likely contributed to this measure, which includes a nearly 25 percent reduction in fatalities over the same time period.

According to New Economics Institute, Maryland is the only state to have officially adopted the Genuine Progress Indicator, and Governor O’Malley is the first elected official to advocate for the use of the GPI.

“Governor Martin O'Malley and the state of Maryland are to be commended for taking a path-breaking approach with the implementation of the Genuine Progress Indicators,” said John Cavanaugh, director of the Institute for Policy Studies. “These indicators will help all of us measure and preserve the things we truly value―like time with our families, clean water and investment in our communities.”

For the 2010 update, the Maryland GPI Working Group conducted an intensive reevaluation of the data and methodology and recalibrated several of the Indicators, resulting in a change to previous years’ calculations. The Working Group will continue to critically examine methodologies and data of the GPI, and members will also provide important societal elements, such as human health impacts, community engagement and governance.

The Maryland GPI is based on models developed and published by academic institutions as a means for nations, states and local governments to more accurately measure their standard of living by taking into account economic, social, and environmental well-being. To date, several nations and states have calculated their GPIs, but no other state has developed and applied it as a public, web-based, and yearly updated tool as Maryland does today.

The GPI joins a host of innovative interactive tools―such as GreenPrint, BayStat and the Maryland Green Registry―that have been developed for Maryland citizens under Governor O’Malley’s Smart, Green & Growing Initiative. The GPI ― along with a helpful new video that explains the indicator―is available at the State’s Smart, Green & Growing website, www.green.maryland.gov/mdgpi.

American Public Media’s Marketplace with Kai Ryssdal aired an interview with Governor O’Malley Sept. 19 on National Public Radio. Click to listen on demand here.

A scientist at the University of York in Great Britain has announced a new project aimed at producing valuable biomass-derived chemicals, materials and fuels from orange peels.

Yep. You read that right. Oranges. Professor James Clark, of the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence in the university’s Department of Chemistry, said the project will examine ways of extracting value from orange peel using safe and sustainable chemistry. Christened the Orange Peel Exploitation Company (OPEC), the project is a partnership between researchers from York, the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil and the University of Cordoba, Spain.

Professor Clark says: “Waste orange peel is an excellent example of a wasted resource. In Brazil, the world’s largest producer of orange juice, half the orange fruit is left as waste once the juice has been recovered. This corresponds to three million tonnes a year of orange peel that can be used to produce chemicals, materials and fuels.”

OPEC will target products including bio-ethanol, the widely used additive in domestic products d-limonene, and mesoporous carbons that can be used as water purifiers, as well as chemical commodities such as cresol, all of which have the advantage of being bio-derived.

Professor Clark says: “The by-product of the juicing industry therefore has the potential to provide a range of compounds, offering a more profitable and environmentally valuable alternative to current waste use practices. We are seeking to do this by harnessing the chemical potential of food supply chain waste using green chemical technologies and use nature’s own functionalities to obtain sought-after properties in everyday products.

“Waste is a problem worldwide. Food residues and by-products are being generated in very significant quantities by the food industry and the agricultural sector. Though they are sometimes used in low-value applications, they are often landfilled, which is economically and socially unacceptable as well as representing a major loss of resource.

“The increasing demand for renewable feedstocks is encouraging the re-use of organic waste from the food supply chain for the production of novel added-value materials, chemicals and fuels.”

Find more information about the Green Centre of Excellence at the University of York at www.york.ac.uk/chemistry/research/groups/green

For the first time, farm operators statewide will be able to dispose of unusable or unwanted agricultural pesticides this year under a program sponsored by the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) in cooperation with the Maryland Department of the Environment, the University of Maryland Extension and various agricultural organizations.  

“This is an excellent opportunity for growers to safely dispose of old,
banned, unwanted or unusable pesticides that may have been stored on their property for years,” said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance.  “This
beneficial program helps to protect the Chesapeake Bay and keep Maryland
smart, green and growing by removing potential contaminants from the
environment through proper disposal.”

The Pesticide Disposal Program has been available to Maryland farmers and
agricultural commodity producers since 1995 on an annual rotating basis.
This is the first year the program will be open to operators statewide. More
than 170,000 pounds of unusable or unwanted pesticides have been collected from more than 330 farm sites throughout Maryland since the program was first initiated. The program is funded through registration fees collected from pesticide manufacturers and registrants.

Maryland’s 2011 pesticide disposal program is available free of charge to
all farmers, nurserymen, greenhouse operators and Christmas tree growers.
Registration forms to participate in the program are available online at
MDA’s website: www.mda.state.md.us/pdf/regform.pdf or from University of Maryland Extension offices. The deadline for registration forms to be
submitted to MDA is Jan. 16, 2012.

Once producers submit a registration form listing the types and quantities
of pesticides to be disposed, MDA inspectors visit the storage site to
estimate the weight of the materials and to tag the pesticide containers for
collection. A contract is awarded by MDA to a certified hazardous waste
hauler who makes arrangements with the grower to pick-up the pesticides.
The entire process from registration to pick-up takes approximately eight to ten months.

In addition to the unwanted pesticide disposal program, MDA operates an
annual empty pesticide plastic container inspection and collection program
open to the public in at least seven locations statewide from June through

September. In addition, 14 pesticide dealer sites participate in the program. During 2011, 42,000 containers, weighing 20 tons, were collected from about 110 participants.  The pesticide containers are collected, chipped, processed and remanufactured into new pesticide containers by a contractor hired by the pesticide manufacturing industry. Since the program began in 1993, MDA has collected 700,000 empty pesticide containers—weighing approximately 300 tons—for recycling.

For additional information, contact Rob Hofstetter, special programs
coordinator, Pesticide Regulation Section, Maryland Department of
Agriculture, Annapolis, MD 21401, telephone 410-841-5710.