More than 250 people registered to attend the event. Forty exhibitors featured products and services for environmentally-sensitive site design and restoration of wetlands, streams and other ecosystems to public and private organizations.

The Trade Show was an initiative developed at a 2011 “Maryland Forward” forum on sustainability. It was inspired by the suggestion of Governor Martin O'Malley to bring together Maryland businesses with developers and local governments to work on cost-effective solutions to stormwater runoff pollution and other water quality issues.

 
• This year’s Smart, Green & Growing award winner was a partnership between the Maryland Port Administration’s Schoolyard Greening Program and Baltimore City Public Schools that resulted in a stormwater retrofit project for the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute’s parking lot. The environmental enhancement project converted two unused portions of existing parking lot into bioretention facilities.
• Bioretention is a stormwater filtering practice in which runoff from hard surfaces such as blacktop and sidewalks is captured and treated before entering the storm drain system. Bioretention facilities provide a natural area where runoff is first collected and filtered through a bed of soil and plants, removing pollutants such as phosphorus and nitrogen that have negative impacts on the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
• The installation of bioretention facilities also gave the students at Polytechnic Institute educational opportunities to learn about the effects of stormwater runoff on the Baltimore Harbor and Chesapeake Bay. Through coordination with the engineer, contractor and local watershed organization, students were engaged to observe the construction process and learn about design, surveying and estimating.
• MPA’s contractor, Maryland Environmental Service (MES), involved the community one step further by contracting with the Chesapeake Center for Youth Development (CCYD) to provide interns on the construction and implementation team for the project.
• The project at Polytechnic Institute is part of MPA's ongoing Baltimore City Schoolyard Greening Program. MPA has converted blacktop areas at nine City schools into valuable urban green spaces and will continue doing so annually. This partnership is used to offset environmental impacts associated with the Port’s marine terminal redevelopment projects, where these types of stormwater treatment practices are not practical due to site conditions and limited space.
• The program also provides long-term benefits to local schools and communities, providing opportunities for environmental education, outdoor learning and recreation. The new grass, garden and bioretention areas promote environmental stewardship and community pride while making the City a healthier place to live.

"I'm excited to participate in this year's Clean Water Innovations Trade Show, which brings Maryland's businesses, developers, and local governments together in order to work on cost-effective solutions to stormwater runoff pollution. All Marylanders benefit when the public and private sectors work with one another to encourage innovation and protect our natural resources. This event is an important part of that effort."
       --Anthony G. Brown, Lt. Governor, State of Maryland

“The Clean Water Innovations Trade Show presents an excellent opportunity to bring together all of the stakeholders involved in Chesapeake Bay restoration. The Bay is the geographic and economic center of our State. Our public and economic health depends on clean water – it’s absolutely critical to our future."   

Samantha Kappalman
Samantha.Kappalman@maryland.gov

Jay Apperson
Jay.Apperson@maryland.gov

410-537-3003