Winter break is approaching, and so is the holiday season. In the U.S., that means the average household waste generation will jump about 25% between December and the New Year. Fear not—the Green Guide is here to help you navigate this time thoughtfully! If you are planning to shop and give gifts this year, try purchasing locally, sustainably, and consciously. 

Scroll down for a list of maker's markets in the Baltimore area to help you support small-scale artisans in our community, along with a how-to on eco-conscious, recycle- and reuse-friendly gift-wrapping practices. Then, get in the weeds on urban ecology research, environmental scholarships, sustainable healthcare organizations, and more.  

The Sustainability Leadership Council is holding its fifth-annual research symposium on Wednesday, April 3, at Scotts-Bates Commons, featuring cross-disciplinary panels on green transportation, clean energy, environmental justice, food systems, sustainable healthcare, and more. Apply to share your recent work by presenting a poster, organizing a session, or speaking on a panel.

The Planetary Health Alliance is a consortium of over 390 universities, NGOS, research institutes, and government entities from 60+ countries around the world committed to addressing the impacts of global environmental change on human health and wellbeing. During the PHCA program, Ambassadors will build their planetary health network and gain leadership and organizational skills with the support of their diverse PHCA cohort, PHA staff, and Alliance Members. For questions or more information, check out the website or reach out to ursula.gately@jh.edu. 

The Udall Scholarship offers up to $7000 funding to outstanding sophomores and juniors who are committed to environmental issues and plan on a career in an environmental field. The JHU National Fellowships Program will work closely with students to shape their applications, and nominate up to four Hopkins students for the scholarship.  

SHARE collaborates with the Johns Hopkins Hospital to collect unused medical supplies that are donated to local and global hospitals in need, while also reducing medical waste from operating rooms and providing global medical relief. SHARE ships out over 9,000 lbs of supplies from the Johns Hopkins Hospital each year, and also has a shadowing program for students to learn from doctors at JH Hospital.  Check out their website and social, or send an email to get involved!

Max is a junior from Cleveland, Ohio, and has been a member of Dr. Meghan Avolio’s lab since the spring semester of his freshman year. This summer, Max assisted graduate student Eric Yee in examining how weed species adapt to the urban climates of different cities.

"A lot of people see cities as being separate from the natural world, and I think what this research shows is that humans aren’t separate...Cities are ecosystems, and we need to understand them to make sure they stay stable.” 

Environmental Humanities Research Initiative Panel

With Gisela Heffes, Christiane Frey, Nicole Labruto, and Jennifer Gosetti-Ferencei

DEC 5 | 5:30 PM | Gilman 108

Exposure Sciences, Omics, and Big Data: New Approaches For Estimating Exposures And Predicting Risk 

With Andrea Baccarelli and EHE

DEC 8 | 12:00 PM | Wolfe St Building/Virtual

Meatless Monday

With the Alternative Protein Project

DEC 11 | 11:00 AM | FFC

Climate Change Theater Action: All Good Things Must Begin 

With Climate Change Action Theater and Creative Alliance 

DEC 5 | 7:00 PM | Creative Alliance 

Speculative Fiction: Mechanical Sentience, Corporate States, and More

With Charm City Spec, Leah Ning, Jo Miles, Edward Daschle, Marie Croke, David Levine

DEC 8 | 6:30 PM | Bird in Hand

"Stolen" by Ann-Helen Laestadius

With Greedy Reads Climate Change Book Club

DEC 11 | 7:00 PM | Greedy Reads

Children’s Book Reading: “Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior” 

With Carole Lindstrom 

DEC 16 | 11:00 AM | Red Emma’s  

Winter Solstice in the Dell

With Friends of Wyman Park Dell

DEC 21 | 6:00 PM | Red Emma’s  

Shop Small Remington Crawl

With the 30+ Local Makers and Artists

DEC 9 | 11:00 AM | 27th-29th and Remington

Station North Maker's Market

With the Central Baltimore Partnership and 30+ Local Makers and Artists

DEC 9 | 12:30 PM | 12 - 30 W North Ave

Homewood Museum Maker's Market

Featuring 5+ Local Vendors

DEC 10 | 11:00 AM | Homewood Museum

Mini Holiday Market

With R House and 10+ Local Artists

DEC 16 | 12:00 PM | 301 W 29th St

Farmer's Market and Small Biz Saturday

With the 32nd St Farmer's Market; 60+ Local Produce Vendors and Artisans

DEC 9/16/23 | 7:00 AM | 32nd and Barclay

Hampden Holiday Market

With St Luke's Church and 40+ Local Makers

DEC 23 | 12:00 PM | 800 W 36th St

This podcast opens a window into the lives of residents of eastern North Carolina who live among industrial farms that house nearly 9 million hogs destined for grocery store meat departments. Stay tuned for episodes to come in this series, which will focus on topics such as worker justice, environmental justice, antibiotic resistance, meat alternatives, the relationship between the livestock industry and climate change, and more.   

As it turns out, gift wrapping is a massive industry in the U.S., holding a $5.9 billion market value this year! Of all the gift wrap sold, thousands of pounds wind up in landfills, while the rest of the bows, glittery foils, and laminated bags threaten to contaminate recycling bales. The good news is that there are plenty of other options and ways to be creative with your gift-giving.