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Lakewood Elementary School in Rockville is one of four county schools certified as Maryland Green Schools this year by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education.
The certification program recognizes schools that use environmental issues in the classroom and utilize green practices like low-flow devices on sinks.
A record 69 schools were honored this year, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. About 270 schools have received the designation since the program began in 1999, and about 75 percent of schools get recertified every four years.
There are 24 green schools in the county, according to Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education's Web site.
Other county schools recognized this year are Rosemary Hills and Woodlin elementary schools in Silver Spring and Kingsview Middle School in Germantown.
As part of its effort to go green, Lakewood dedicated an organic garden in April in honor of Earth Day.
Called the Discovery Garden, the plot, which is one-eighth of an acre in size, contains plants native to Maryland, including flowers, trees, vegetables and herbs.
"The idea is that it will be a garden for everyone," Lynn Palmer, who leads the school's Eco Response Team (SERT) and its Conservation Club, told The Gazette in a previous report. "And the kids love working on it."
Students and teachers at Lakewood rolled up their sleeves and got their hands dirty all year in the hopes of earning green certification.
"We want to do anything we can to teach them when they're young because it will help them to be environmentally conscious when they get older," Erica Fox, a fourth grade teacher who assisted Palmer with the garden, told The Gazette.
And speaking of green …
The fields won't be the only thing green at the Capitol Polo Club grounds this month.
The third annual Green Cup of Polo, the first event in the Washington area to be certified carbon-neutral by the nonprofit Leonardo Academy, is set for July 18 at the Poolesville polo grounds, 14660 Hughes Road.
Gates open at noon, the event starts at 1 p.m. Attractions will include two polo games, equestrian demonstrations, live music and an opening speech by Philippe Cousteau Jr., president and CEO of nonprofit EarthEcho International and grandson of Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
Environmentally friendly features include sustainable food and beverages, carbon credits to offset the event's carbon footprint, composting and recycling, and supplies such as T-shirts, cups, plates and utensils made from biodegradable or organic materials. Between 1,200 and 1,500 people are expected to attend.
Ticket prices begin at $35 and will benefit the American Council on Renewable Energy, Equestrian Partners in Conservation and EarthEcho International.
For more information, visit www.greencuppolo.com.
This artist is not hidden
any longer
The photography of Richard Montgomery High School student and Rockville resident Samantha Brown will be on display through July 31 at the new Thomas Farm Community Center, 700 Fallsgrove Drive.
Brown was selected as part of the city's Hidden Rockville Program, which recognizes new local artists and provides a venue for their work.
Brown creates images in black and white or color, and uses only the image captured by the camera without computer manipulation. She has been taking pictures for three years and has won awards from the Montgomery Women's Club, City of Rockville Student Art Show and the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, among others.
For more information about her work, visit www.home.comcast.net/s
~SamiBrownPhotoZ.
For exhibit information, go to www.rockvillemd.gov/thomasfarm
or call 240-314-8840.
Items appropriate for this column should be sent to Judith Hruz, Editor, The Rockville/Aspen Hill Gazette, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Md. 20877; faxed to 301-670-7182 or 301-670-7183; or e-mailed to jhruz@
gazette.net. Deadline is Thursday at 5 p.m. for consideration for the following week. Items are subject to editing and used on a space-available basis.
-Federal, state and county offices will be closed Friday in celebration of the Independence Day holiday.
-Banks, libraries and courts will be closed Friday and Saturday.
-MCPS administrative offices will be closed.
-Recycling and trash will be picked up on the regular collection schedule. County's waste transfer station will be open Friday, but closed Saturday.
-Ride On and Metrobus will operate on Saturday schedule July 3 and July 4.
-Metrorail will operate on its Saturday schedule July 3, supplemental service on July 4.
-MARC trains will not run.
-County liquor stores will be open Friday. All stores will be open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.
-Parking is free at county lots, meters and garages.