MGPC Sustainability Blog

With all the discussion about the impact of the giant Columbia Town Center development project in Columbia, MD, you would think that residents would be outraged at the negative effects on traffic and resources that the over 5,000 additional residential and commercial units would cause.

Worst of all, are Howard County residents being asked to foot the bill to help subsidize General Growth Properties profit-driven project? Specifically, the development has a very good chance of pushing the wastewater system beyond its limits, with the consequences being ecologically damaging raw sewage spills into the Little Patuxent River, and its adverse effects on our quality of life, safety and comfort.

Alternatively, Howard County can use our tax dollars to expand the existing sewer lines, clear-cutting paths through park areas and leaving unsightly construction equipment, holes and mud-pits near our jogging trails, tot lots, and picnic areas.

But why should we taxpayers bear this increased tax burden at a time when we are already paying higher fuel and food costs, not to mention subsidizing our government’s bail-out of the financial system, and over $ 300 billion farm bill subsidy which only further increases food prices by handing over money to large corporate farms.
If General Growth Properties is going to benefit from construction of a mega-development project, then they should be responsible for the cost of the wastewater solution. While asking GGP to pay for or build the sewer line expansion might not be practical or entirely fair, General Growth Properties could examine more sustainable, environmentally-friendly solutions such as gray water recycling.

We at Maryland Green Power Co. are proposed a plumbing system where wash water (known as gray water) from dishwashers,showers and clothes washing machines gets pumped back to the toilets to be used for flushing. This would save over 30% in water usage and disposal. Why should clean drinking water be used to flush toilets anyway? Someday in the future, our descendants will look back on our wasteful times with dismay; after all, over 1 billion people on Earth do not have adequate access to clean drinking water, and that number will grow, and might soon include drought-ridden areas of our own country!

Yet, we have become apathetic, as the professor played by Robert Redford in the film “Lambs for Lions” tries to communicate to his gifted, but lazily comfortable student. The question is, will you write to your local, State and National politicians, or will you acquiesce to pay the ever-increasing bills you are receiving and believe the politicians when they tell you they have an “Energy Plan,” “Healthcare Plan,” etc.? The fate of our Nation depends on you. When your grandchildren ask you, “what did you do to help?” hopefully you can answer that you did more than just watch the evening news.

This summer, the U.S. Congress left Washington without addressing the energy crisis, gas prices or solutions to the climate crisis. Why did they miss that opportunity? Because YOU did not contact them before their vacation. Now our Congress is playing the fiddle while Rome burns.

You must contact your politicians today. As we have seen, tomorrow can be too late.

While you are at it, write a letter to your local and regional papers using the tools on the We Can Solve It website.

In the final analysis, General Growth Properties should be commended for their commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. If you haven’t seen it yet, the plan for Columbia’s Town Center is remarkable, and improves on an already environmentally-friendly planned community. If there were only more towns like Columbia, Maryland, the world would be in better shape.