environment/health Archives - Baltimore Sister Cities

Apr 1 / Hanami: Baltimore’s Cherry Blossom Picnic

Join us for the annual Hanami picnic hosted by the Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City Committee

Hanami community picnic in Baltimore - girl with kites by trees with cherry blossoms, and people sitting on blankets under cherry blossokm trees enjoying their picnics.

Date: April 1, 2023
Time: 2-4pm ET
Location: Fort McHenry Park, 2400 E. Fort Ave, Baltimore MD 21230
Admission: Free. Bring your own picnic.
More information & to register: Eventbr ite page

Hanami is the Japanese tradition of enjoying cherry blossoms in full bloom with a picnic under the cherry trees. Fort McHenry park has two lovely groves of cherry trees for us to relax under. Bring your blanket, a picnic lunch, and cultural curiosity. Baltimore-Kawasaki committee members will be ready with some extra Japanese finger foods and tea.

You can park in the Fort McHenry parking lot and walk through the Visitor’s Center to reach the East Lawn Cherry Tree Grove. Beer and sake are allowed as per park rules. We anticipate good weather but, rain or shine, we will be present. And bring your camera for blossom selfies. The event is free but please register.

Organized by Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City Committee (BKSCC)

Ryokucha Japanese Tea Tasting Workshop, preceding Hanami

Date: April 1, 2023
Time: 12-2pm ET
Location: McHenry Row Conference Center, 1215 E. Fort Ave, Baltimore MD 21230
More information & to purchase tickets: Eventbrite page

Nippon Motion hosts a Ryokucha Workshop with Japanese Green Tea. Learn about loose-leaf, matcha, and ready-to-drink tea. Sample over 10 authentic varieties. Receive a Japanese-made yunomi (ceramic tea cup). This is a great opportunity for both beginners and existing fans of Japanese tea to expand their knowledge and get first-hand experience with the world of Ryokucha!

The Ryokucha Workshop takes place near Fort McHenry Park, so attendees of the Ryokucha Workshop can come join the Hanami event in McHenry Park after the workshop.

Organized by Nippon Motion. Co-promoted by Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City Committee (BKSCC).

Go ahead and plan a great day of Japanese culture — start with a Ryokucha Workshop from 12-2pm and head over to the Hanami picnic from 2-4pm. Wonderful scents, sights, and tastes!

Baltimore-Rotterdam architecture exchange 2023

Morgan State University Students March 2023 Trip to Rottrdam in the Nethelands, the City of Architecture. Logos of MSU SA+P, Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister Cities, RAvB. Photos of Erasmus Bridge and Kop van Zuid; Depot Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (designed by MVRDV); Rotterdam Central train station.

Students and faculty from Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning (MSU SA+P) will travel to Baltimore’s sister city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands during March 12–19, 2023. The trip includes visits to architecture / landscape architecture / urban design firms such as OMA and MVRDV, visits to architecture schools, architecture tours, lectures, and more. Side trips are planned to other cities such as Amsterdam or Antwerp in Belgium. Environmental sustainability will be a focus during the trip. The students will also participate in activities at Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Urban Design (RAvB).

In April 2023, RAvB students will reciprocate the exchange by coming to Baltimore to study infrastructure sites similar to the Rotterdam site in their design studio, and learn about Baltimore’s efforts to heal the divides caused by past infrastructure projects. The 2023 exchange continues an ongoing collaboration between MSU SA+P Professor Cristina Murphy and RAvB since 2019.

Related events

February–March 2023: Baltimore-Rotterdam Designing Cities webinar series
Coordinated by Professor Cristina Murphy, with speakers from Baltimore and Rotterdam; it is part of MSU SA+P’s spring lectures. AIA Baltimore continuing education credits are available for these webinars.

March 17, 2023: Baltimore lecture & reception at Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Design
17.00-18.30 CET at Pieter de Hoochweg 129 in Rotterdam. A talk about Baltimore’s cityscape presented by Klaus Philipsen from Archplan, followed by an informal reception — free and open to the public. This special event is held during the visit of Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning’s faculty and students to Rotterdam. Come meet architects and architecture faculty and students from both Baltimore and Rotterdam!
To register: Event page

Sponsorship opportunities

We invite your firm to become a sponsor to help cover the costs of Morgan State University students and faculty’s participation in this educational travel exchange program to Rotterdam. There is also an opportunity for sponsors to join us on the trip to experience the culture and innovative architecture in the Rotterdam region. Sponsors welcome to stay longer than the dates of March 12–19 and visit even more cities, such as Brussels, Delft, and Utrecht.

Experiential travel education is an impactful opportunity for students to gain global understanding and exchange ideas about architectural design, planning, resiliency, and sustainability. Students who attended past Baltimore-Rotterdam exchanges shared that it was “eye-opening” and appreciated the “exposure to different environments and design” and the “opportunity for creative dreaming.” Morgan State is a leading HBCU (Historically Black College / University). The architecture and urban design profession suffers from a longstanding lack of diversity — your support will help enrich these students’ education and thereby help bring more Black students into this profession.

The Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee is leading this fundraising campaign on behalf of the students and faculty.

Why be a sponsor?

Your support ensures that students and faculty will be able to travel abroad.
Opportunity for you to meet potential interns and new hires through this program.
Great visibility — reach people in the architecture and real estate industries in Maryland and internationally.

Sponsorship levels & benefits

Sponsorship levels: Bronze $300; Silver $500; Gold $1,000; Platinum $1,500. All levels receive: Promotion on social media and post-trip report; ticket to event in April 2023. Silver, Gold, Platinum levels also receive: CityScape sculpture made by the students*; recognition in the webinar series. Gold, Platinum levels also receive: opportunity to participate in the trip to Rotterdam in March 2023 **. Platinum has opportunity for custom meetings in Rotterdam ***.

* Sister CityScape sculpture — Students are creating laser-cut sculptures of Baltimore and Rotterdam landmarks and city skylines as thank yous for the sponsors! For a $1,500 sponsorship your firm even has the option of requesting a unique building, e.g. one that your firm has designed.
** Opportunity to participate in the trip — Sponsors may take part in our customized tours and visits. You will be responsible for your own airfare, accommodations, and meals; we will be happy to point you to inexpensive options. This is a unique opportunity to partake in a low-cost architecture-focused overseas trip!
*** Custom professional meetings — If you have a special request for a meeting or sightseeing, we will do our best to help arrange it for you.

For more information

See our Sponsorship Benefits PDF

Contact us to become a sponsor

Email .

The Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (part of Baltimore Sister Cities) is leading this fundraising campaign. Baltimore Sister Cities is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

The Morgan students are also doing fundraising!

The faculty and students have been creating charming Baltimore-themed “CityScape” ornaments and magnets to sell at holiday market tables and other events this winter.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT:

Trip Sponsors

PLATINUM

PLATINUM

GOLD

Gary A. Bowden FAIA, Architect Emeritus

SILVER

brennan+company architects
CallisonRTKL
Jerome C. Gray Architect
Unknown Studio

BRONZE
hord | coplan | macht
Vertical Architecture

Promotion Partner

Donor

The Doctrow Family Endowment Fund

2021 Year in Review: Baltimore Sister Cities

Annual Report & Plan

Baltimore Sister Cities Annual Accomplishments Report for 2021 (PDF, 3mb)

Baltimore Sister Cities Annual Plan for 2022 (PDF, 1.3mb)

Some of our 2021 highlights:

Photo collage of Baltimore Sister Cities 2021 activities - the activities are described in the report.

2nd photo collage of Baltimore Sister Cities 2021 activities - the activities are described in the report.

Baltimore+Rotterdam: Designing Cities

A webinar series all about design — spanning Baltimore and Rotterdam!

Each week this spring, two design groups, one from Baltimore (Maryland, USA) and one from Rotterdam (the Netherlands), paired up to discuss architecture, urban design, and how design and policy can improve the built environment for all residents. We observed how different architecture offices operate, to design in the city and improve the inhabitants’ experience of space. This is a unique opportunity to hear how different types of architecture firms approach design in two cities with similar historical legacies (working class cities with port industries).

Designers were paired up to reflect similarities in size, projects and methodology. Through presentations, moderated dialogues, and exchanges with the audience, we explored if and how the environment (historical, political, economical, social, environmental, economies, …) is truly determinant to the fail or success of a project and what that really means for the city, its residents and their well-being.

This series was designed and coordinated by Cristina Murphy, Assistant Professor at Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning (MSU SA+P) and Adjunct Professor at Virginia Tech School of Architecture + Design’s Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center.

Dates: Every Tuesday from February 15 to April 12, 2022
Format: Online webinar; designers’ presentations followed by a moderated panel discussion and Q&A
AIA Continuing education credits: 1 LU

The series has ended, but you can watch recordings of each webinar below!

FEBRUARY 15

Jerome Gray Jerome C. Gray Architect (JCGA) (Baltimore)
Zico Lopes Spatial Codes – Studio for Architecture & Inclusion (Rotterdam)
Moderated by Roberto Rocco, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Spatial Planning and Strategy at Technical University Delft

Video recording: youtu.be/JMrRaw78Wg8
Event info page

FEBRUARY 22

Evan Wivell EastWing Architects (Baltimore)
Felix Madrazo IND [Inter.National.Design] (Rotterdam)
Moderated by coleman a. jordan Assistant Professor at Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning (MSU SA+P)

Video recording: youtu.be/UZ3dpkwhASg
Event info page

MARCH 1

Pavlina Ilieva PI.KL Studio (Baltimore)
David ter Avest Urban Geographer; Lecturer, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (RUAS) (Rotterdam)
Moderated by Thijs van Spaandonk Dean of Urban Design, Rotterdamse Academie van Bouwkunst (RAvB)

Video recording: youtu.be/a0DMfnkYeAI
Event info page

MARCH 8

Megan Elcrat Present Company (Baltimore)
Elina Karanastasi ExS Architecture (Rotterdam)
Moderated by Tonya Sanders, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning (MSU SA+P)

Video recording: youtu.be/gSn4-O4E-TM

Event info page

MARCH 15

Paul Riley & Utku Akbulut Marshall Craft Associates (MCA) (Baltimore)
Duzan Doepel DoepelStrijkers (Rotterdam)
Moderated by Matteo Bettoni Barcode Architects
12-1:10pm ET (US) | 5-6:10pm CET (NL)

Video recording: youtu.be/M9JQtiA4-Vg

Event info page

MARCH 22

Steve Ziger Ziger|Snead Architects (Baltimore)
Jan Knikker MVRDV (Rotterdam)
Moderated by Sinisha Brdar Professor, Université du Québec à Montréal

Video recording: youtu.be/oyhBVyNgFXY

Event info page

MARCH 29

Taejun Kim Hord Coplan Macht (HCM) (Baltimore)
Maarten van Bremen GROUP A Architects (Rotterdam)
Moderated by Chris van Langen Program Manager for Spatial Design Action, Creative Industries Fund NL

Video recording: youtu.be/1ua84VHCMtc

Event info page

APRIL 5

Tyler Miller Gensler Baltimore (Baltimore)
Kees van Casteren Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) (Rotterdam)
Moderated by Marc Verheijen Rotterdam City Architect

Video recording: youtu.be/imszYff-lU8

Event info page

APRIL 12

Fiver Soraruf Design Collective(Baltimore)
Jan Jongert Superuse Studios (Rotterdam)
Moderated by Selina Abraham Doctoral Researcher, University of Amsterdam

Video recording: youtu.be/-bYhZOsUxlo

Event info page

RELATED WEBINAR SERIES

2023 webinar series

2021 webinar series

Co-hosted by Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC).
Event Partners: AIA Baltimore, Rotterdamse Academie van Bouwkunst (RAvB)

Logos of Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee, AIA Baltimore, Rotterdamse Academie van Bouwkunst, Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning

A special thank you to these firms for having supported Morgan State University SA+P students in their Baltimore-Rotterdam activities via sponsorships in 2019-2020:

Penza Bailey Architects

Quinn Evans

CallisonRTKL Inc.

Twopoint Studio

BCT Architects

hord | coplan | macht

Jerome C. Gray Architect

Vertical Architecture Enterprises

Recent webinars

Did you miss any of our webinars? Recordings are available on Baltimore Sister Cities’ Youtube channel and they include:

Growth Opportunities for AgriTech between Maryland and the Netherlands (January 2022)
https://youtu.be/n_NKBwvQt60

Can We Show Empathy on Our Devices – with Rana el Kaliouby (April 2021)
https://youtu.be/R2jr0jw8_0U

Food Resilience in Maryland (May 2021)
https://youtu.be/_-WyWs2O6Dk

Our Home Too: Forum in Support of Asian American Pacific Islander Communities (May 2021)
https://youtu.be/XI38KYsLbpA

Photo collage of Asian Americans; Photos of the speakers; event title; partner logos

Jan 27 / Growth Opportunities for AgriTech between Maryland and the Netherlands

Indoor farm with racks of vegetables and purple grow lights; logos of event partners; title, date & time of the webinar

Webinar for Dutch and Maryland agtech companies interested in expanding operations or finding partners overseas. Topics include:

Overview of the AgTech landscape and expertise in both regions, with a focus on controlled environment agriculture and on cybersecurity in agriculture
Areas of opportunities for Maryland and Dutch companies
Resources and facilities available to support doing business in Maryland and the Netherlands

Event page

Video recording

Speakers include:

Signe Pringle / Deputy Secretary, Maryland Department of Commerce
Eric Egberts / CEO, Dutch Greenhouse Delta
Bert Feskens / Senior Security Programme Manager – Innovation Liaison, Security Delta (HSD)
Steve Connelly / Deputy Secretary, Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA)
Ewing McDowell / Maryland Department of Commerce
Chris Hlubb / Program Director, F3 Tech
Nina Lamba / Assistant Director, Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET)
Andrew Rose / Managing Director, CyberAg
Andrew Kreinik / Maryland Department of Commerce
Rolf Karst / Project Manager Internationalization, InnovationQuarter
Mike Thielke (Moderator) / Executive Director, Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center (ESEC)

Co-organized by Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC).

BGE provides Green Grant for Baltimore Sister Cities educational program

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) has provided a BGE Green Grant of $2,500 to Baltimore Sister Cities for the “Operation Trash” educational exchange project.

In this project — a collaboration between the Baltimore Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC) and Kathie diStefano from Rotterdam-based Avalanche Arts — students from schools in Baltimore and Rotterdam engage in a virtual exchange centered around the topic of trash pollution, and conduct research about the trash in their communities. They study trash reduction and recycling strategies and make presentations to share with their counterparts overseas, and take part in a community cleanup. The program is designed to inspire them to become environment stewards for their communities. The next edition of Operation Trash is planned for spring of 2022 with middle school students.

Baltimore Sister Cities is grateful for the grant provided by BGE, as projects like Operation Trash would not be possible without their generous support.

For more information:

Maryland bluetech | greentech business delegation to Europe

The Maryland Department of Commerce and several Maryland environmental tech and water tech companies are participating in a business delegation to the Netherlands, including Water Tech Europe trade show and other site visits, during the week of September 19 – 24, 2022.

The trip includes:

1. Participation in the Water Tech Europe trade expo and the accompanying Wetsus Congress at European Water Technology Week (EWTW) which brings together sessions and field visits focused on topics like sustainable water supply, wastewater treatment and reuse, circular economy, energy production from water, climate resilience, and new water sources. This is the place for professionals working on solutions for tomorrow’s water issues. EWTW attendees include universities, research institutes, innovative companies and corporate end-users, government representatives, and water clusters from Europe and around the world, including water clusters from the U.S. like the Milwaukee Water Council. European Water Technology Week takes place in Leeuwarden in the northeast region of the Netherlands. The Maryland Department of Commerce has a pavilion at Water Tech Europe for environmental tech businesses from Maryland.

2. Site visits — Maryland has planned networking opportunities and field visits to sites in The Hague / Rotterdam in the western region of the Netherlands for the delegation to learn about innovative technologies and meet potential business partners. The program is tailored to the focus sectors of the participating companies. Maryland Commerce consultants in Europe are providing free networking assistance to participants.

3. Maryland break-out session and networking event — Free, in-person event on September 22, 2022 at 5-8pm CET at Venture Café Rotterdam. An opportunity for Dutch entrepreneurs to meet the Maryland delegation and learn about opportunities to soft land their business in Maryland, your gateway to the U.S.A. Event info page

Delegation goals

Help Maryland firms explore business opportunities abroad
Find international business partners to bring innovative technologies to Maryland
Network with U.S. and European firms, innovation hubs, and research institutes
Raise the international profile of Maryland companies

Focus sectors

The program and topics is tailored to the focus areas of the participating companies, but it includes topics like:

Drinking water and wastewater management
Urban water management and climate resilience
Water in agriculture
Maritime technologies
Aquaculture
Renewable energy
Nature-based solutions for climate adaptation
Circular economy; water conservation and re-use technologies
Pollution; plastic soup
Digitalization

Potential site visits include:

Business networking events in Rotterdam/The Hague region
The Green Village at Delft Technical University (field lab for sustainable innovation)
Port of Rotterdam; Port XL maritime tech accelerator
Envirotech testing facilities
Stormwater water infrastructure; storm surge barriers
Aquaculture sites
In addition, the EWTW Wetsus Congress includes field trips related to resource recovery from wastewater, energy production from water, circular water systems, and horticulture. Tours start from WaterCampus in Leeuwarden.

Eligibility

Eligibility: Participation is open to Maryland firms — firms that have their business operations in Maryland.
Financial assistance: Maryland businesses can apply for the Export MD grant to cover a portion of their trip expenses (up to $5,000 reimbursement). The deadline to apply for this grant has passed.

Participating Maryland companies

Early Charm • Tetrahedron, Inc. • Innovatreat • Blue Sources • GaiaXus

Are you a Dutch company looking to do business in Maryland?

Maryland is the ideal place to expand your business to the USA, and for you to find Maryland partners to assist in addressing the environmental challenges facing us all.

Maryland has developed innovative programs and incentives to help international companies interested in developing a presence in the U.S. market, including the Maryland Global Gateway soft landing program: https://commerce.maryland.gov/softlanding which is available to companies in any sector, not only environmental technology.

The soft landing program is available year-round, but if you apply by Oct 31, 2022, your company may be eligible for additional financial assistance and support (press release about the Oct 31 application deadline)

For more information

Contact the delegation’s leader:
Andrew Kreinik, Regional Manager for Europe and Australia at Maryland Department of Commerce: andrew.kreinik@maryland.gov (or contact Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee for information).

Maryland Commerce’s blog post:
https://open.maryland.gov/blog/maryland-blue-tech-sector-on-full-display-at-european-water-technology-week

Learn more about doing business in Maryland:
https://open.maryland.gov/information-for/international-business

Logos of the Maryland companies in the delegation: Early Charm, Tetrahedron, Innovatreat, Blue Sources, GaiaXus

Sister Cities International Annual Conference

Date: July 15–16, 2021
Format: Virtual
Admission: Free (advance registration required)
More info & to register: www.sci-ac.org

This year’s theme is “Building Stronger Ties for an Interconnected World” and features breakout sessions on economic, education, humanitarian, sports, and other themes.

Food Resilience in Maryland

Empty plate with fork and knife. Event title, date, and logos of the participating organizations.

Did you miss our recent webinar about Food Resilience in Maryland? Watch the recording here: youtu.be/_-WyWs2O6Dk

Featuring these speakers:

Holly Freishtat – Food Policy Director, Baltimore Office of Sustainability
Meg Kimmel – Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer, Maryland Food Bank
Eric Jackson – Founder and Servant-Director, Black Yield Institute

About this event

Food insecurity is rampant in Baltimore, with nearly a quarter of the city’s residents struggling to acquire healthy, affordable food. While local urban farmers, religious leaders, and advocates are fighting for food justice in the city, accessibility and availability to food remains a concern to many residents. The COVID-19 pandemic has only served to exacerbate the problem by increasing the number of people in need.

In this webinar the problem of food insecurity is discussed. What is food insecurity/resilience? Whom does food insecurity primarily impact in Baltimore? What is Baltimore currently doing to move from food insecurity to food resilience? How has COVID-19 impacted food insecurity/resilience? How do we build resilient food systems in Baltimore?

And we encourage you to support the great work these organizations are doing to bring healthy food to our community:
Donate to Maryland Food Bank
Donate to Black Yield Institute

Join us for the annual Hanami picnic hosted by the Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City Committee

Ryokucha Japanese Tea Tasting Workshop, preceding Hanami

Related events

Sponsorship opportunities

Why be a sponsor?

Sponsorship levels & benefits

For more information

Contact us to become a sponsor

The Morgan students are also doing fundraising!

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT:

Trip Sponsors

Promotion Partner

Donor

Annual Report & Plan

Some of our 2021 highlights:

A webinar series all about design — spanning Baltimore and Rotterdam!

FEBRUARY 15

FEBRUARY 22

MARCH 1

MARCH 8

MARCH 15

MARCH 22

MARCH 29

APRIL 5

APRIL 12

RELATED WEBINAR SERIES

The trip includes:

Delegation goals

Focus sectors

Potential site visits include:

Eligibility

Participating Maryland companies

Are you a Dutch company looking to do business in Maryland?

For more information

Featuring these speakers:

About this event

Contact Baltimore Sister Cities

Donate