PA Environment Digest

Share this:

Companies, Groups Making It Their Businesses To Help The Chesapeake Bay, 5 In PA

By Corinne Stephens, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

Many indicators of water quality and habitat show that progress is slowly being made in the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.

But we would probably all agree that it will take commitment from all segments of society and a broad base of participation to be successful in sustaining the restoration effort as well as continuing to meet our goals in the long term.

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay is focused on the spirit of collaboration and local stewardship in all we do, working with a diverse array of communities, businesses, watershed and conservation groups, universities, farmers, landowners and local governments to expand the work of restoration throughout the watershed.

Because of their role as employer and deliverer of goods and services on which we all depend, the business community has great potential to influence public action.

The Alliance kicked off the new Businesses for the Bay Membership Association in 2016 and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. B4B’s mission is to encourage businesses to take voluntary, innovative and measurable actions that improve water quality and the health of Chesapeake lands, rivers and streams, as well as increase an understanding of the valuable role business members play in environmental restoration.

B4B provides a forum where businesses can make their voices heard, share best practices, facilitate volunteer opportunities for employees, save money, reach sustainability and social goals, and be more visible in their environmental efforts with associates, customers and their communities. (The 2016 B4B Annual Report is available.)

Through innovation, problem-solving, product development and marketing, technical and management experience, financial investment, and a motivated and engaged workforce, businesses are a source of power critical to the Bay restoration effort.

B4B members of all sizes and from all sectors are discovering how their actions in the watershed produce a positive impact on the Bay’s restoration. B4B members send a messages about the importance of the Chesapeake to their communities, and as momentum grows, our members serve as leadership models for others, having a lasting positive impact.

B4B also encourages businesses to tie their broader environmental and social responsibility goals to local and regional goals — all business members commit to at least one action important to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement’s five themes: clean water, fisheries and habitats, conserved lands, climate change resiliency, and engaged communities. To learn about our members’ actions, visit our online member directory.

[Note: Pennsylvania members include LandStudies, Inc., Octoraro Native Plant Nursery, Inc. and Suez Water Company and two Businesses for the Bay Networking Partners-- the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Lancaster County Conservancy.]

For example, the Luck Companies Corporate Campus team in Virginia captures all of the stormwater runoff — 4,449,506 gallons in 2016 — from impervious surfaces and uses the captured stormwater to irrigate the campus’ outdoor lawns and gardens. They have installed and maintain 5,350-square-feet of pervious pavers.

In addition, Luck Companies has instituted a wide range of office sustainability measures from energy efficiency to eliminating the use of disposable water bottles.

The Lockheed Martin-Manassas team in Virginia is creating native habitats and monitoring their use. They have installed six bee blocks and 16 songbird nest boxes for native cavity-nesting birds. In addition, they maintain a 3,700-square-foot native meadow on the site, now in its third growing season.

A small business, Dancing Grass Designs LLC in Maryland, is conserving land by planting and maintaining native trees on their property. Their objective is to connect fragmented forests, creating important wildlife corridors between their office site and a nearby Forest Conservation area.

Octoraro Native Plant Nursery, Inc. in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania has made their land more resilient to climate change not only by growing trees for sale but also by planting native shade trees next to their streams to cool the water.

Fareva Richmond, Inc. in Virginia maintains a walking trail on their property that employees can use to exercise while learning about native plants. They also celebrate Earth Day each year with a sunflower giveaway. Recipients are encouraged to plant the seeds for birds and other native wildlife.

Through B4B, the Alliance has also formed a strong network of 34 diverse governmental and nonprofit Networking Partners that participate in B4B events and share information.

Successful partnerships include the Chesapeake Bay Program, Choose Clean Water Coalition, Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, Maryland Green Registry, Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Lancaster, PA, and Virginia Chambers of Commerce, Virginia Environmental Excellence Program, and Virginia Turfgrass Council.

Our partnership with the Virginia Turfgrass Council is enriching the dialogue about watershed-wide topics and initiatives within the turfgrass industry.

Through this networking, Dr. Jorge Ribas of the Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is helping the VTC translate important pesticide and fertilizer information and providing training to Spanish-speaking VTC members and other landscape professionals.

We will continue to cultivate and grow this relationship with VTC in 2017. Engaging and helping to inform the business community is at the heart of B4B.

Bringing businesses together to learn about and create concrete solutions to local environmental issues is the purpose of a series of Chesapeake Business Forums.

The Alliance and B4B will present a forum in Smithfield, VA, on June 21. The forum, Linking Communities, Businesses and Waterway Protection, will provide a space for business leaders; local governments; and watershed, conservation and community groups to come together in a day of discussion surrounding the issue of sea level rise and coastal resiliency in the region.

The forum will also offer examples of ways that businesses, watershed organizations and landowners can work together and adapt to coming changes. It will promote collaboration, innovation and commitment to a clean and healthy watershed, as well as provide a space for networking, sharing resources and brainstorming.

If you would like to be a part of B4B or join our mailing list, contact Corinne Stephens at B4B@allianceforthebay.org, visit the Businesses for the Bay Membership Association webpage, or join our B4B LinkedIn group.

(Reprinted from the The Chesapeake Bay Journal. Photo: LandStudies, Inc. stream restoration project.)

NewsClips:

AP: Chesapeake Bay Watershed States, DC Call for Federal Support

State Leaders Oppose Federal Pullback From Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Funding

Companies Making It Their Businesses To Help The Chesapeake Bay

Latest From The Chesapeake Bay Journal

Click Here to subscribe to the Chesapeake Bay Journal

Click Here to support the Chesapeake Bay Journal

Follow Chesapeake Bay Journal On Twitter

Like Chesapeake Bay Journal On Facebook

PA Chesapeake Bay Commission Members Spotlight Need For Clean Water Fund In PA