Calvert County, MD – Counties all over the United States are trying to reduce their environmental footprint and give back to the planet. Calvert County is leading the initiative in many ways, including with the Chesapeake Beach Green Team (GT).
The Green Team is a volunteer-based committee whose mission is to help create sustainable improvements in the local Calvert County community. Funded by Chesapeake Beach, the Green Team regularly creates opportunities for community members to help improve and clean their environment.
As an example of their initiative to provide care to the environment, the GT said, “The Green Team supports native plants. We maintain a Pollinator Garden and Bee Barn along the Chesapeake Beach Rail Trail. This garden and the Trail are Bay-Wise certified. Bay-Wise means that the Trail and garden follow guidelines for a healthy buffer along the Bay.”
The Green Team is Chaired by Councilwoman Valerie Beaudin and has the support of numerous Chesapeake Beach community members. If you’d like to get involved or need assistance certifying your yard in the town of Chesapeake Beach, then you can visit the Green Team Events webpage for more information.
The Baynet’s Interview With The Green Team
Environmental initiatives are important, especially when they involve educating youth about how to keep their local environment clean. We made contact with a few members of the Green Team to ask essential questions about their environmental committee and how Chesapeake Beach residents can get involved today.
Thank you to Valerie Beaudin, Melanie Crowder, Holly Kamm Wahl, and Susan Alexander for providing answers to our interview questions.
Baynet Staff: ‘Recently, the Green Team worked with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to plant trees, educating young people in Southern Maryland about how to give back to our planet. How does involving youth in the Green Team’s efforts help create the next generation of environmental activists?’
Green Team: ‘These projects give us a chance to educate young people about the benefits of working to improve the communities they live in, to educate them about good environmental practices.
The mission of the Chesapeake Beach Green Team is to promote a vibrant and sustainable Chesapeake Beach community that fosters long-term environmental and individual health, social well-being, and economic prosperity for its residents, businesses, and government.’
Councilwoman Valerie Beaudin: ‘The Green Team is focused on education and fostering relationships in town, locally, and at the State level. Equally important are tangible results you can see throughout town: planting trees, litter pickup, & ensuring town landscaping uses as many native species as possible.’
Green Team: ‘Providing experiential, hands-on projects allows the young people a chance to put their classroom learning into real-life action and to live in the community they have helped create.’
Baynet Staff: ‘Many committees partner with other organizations to expand their horizon and tackle bigger projects. Do you work together with any other environmental programs or organizations?’
Green Team: ‘We work with the Chesapeake Beach Oyster Cultivation Society (CBOCS), Calvert Parks and Recreation, University of Maryland Calvert Master Gardeners and Watershed Stewards, Local scout troops, North Beach Wetlands Park, University of Maryland Watershed Restoration and MD Sea Grant.
We also work with the Town Landscaper to suggest native plantings in place of nonnative and invasive plants in Town Landscaping. An example is the gardens at the entrance of Bayfront Park, which incorporates the old Fishing Creek bridge railings.’
Baynet Staff: ‘The Green Team often hosts events and opportunities for community education about the environment. What are a few upcoming events or initiatives that will allow community members to get involved with the local environment?’
Green Team: ‘We offer community talks once a year, bringing in experts in various fields to provide entertaining and knowledgeable information on environmental topics. In the past, topics have included Native Bees, Invasive Plant Species, and Ospreys of the Chesapeake. On March 8, 2025, we will be offering a Rain Barrel Workshop in conjunction with the University of Maryland Watershed Restoration program to build rain barrels. Participants will take a rain barrel home.
On April 26th, 2025, we will hold a Town Cleanup with volunteers walking various community areas collecting trash. On September 27, 2025, we are sponsoring a Paddle and Pathway Pickup – volunteers come out and kayak Fishing Creek cleaning up the waterway; volunteers also clean up trash along the trail, and clean the informational signs along the trail.’
Green Team’s Melanie Crowder: ‘It is truly rewarding to work with our town to foster and develop sustainable green areas for future generations to enjoy.’
About Tree City
According to the GT, “Spurred by the Green Team, the Town of CB was recognized by Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City in 2023. Activities that support Tree City status include planting native trees with the local Scout Troops and Arbor Day Tree Walk along the Chesapeake Beach Rail Trail. The trees planted along Bayfront Park and Kellam’s field help to hold soil and filter stormwater before it enters the Bay.”
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