Princess Anne hears free sustainability program pitch from University of Maryland

On July 6, 2026, town commissioners in Princess Anne heard from Mike, director of the Sustainable Maryland Program at the University of Maryland, College Park, who invited the town to adopt a one‑page resolution to opt into the statewide program.

Mike told commissioners the program is free to municipalities and offers technical assistance, peer examples and help accessing state grant programs. “It is a completely free program,” he said, and added the program can help towns apply for energy-efficiency and renewable-energy grants administered by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA). He said municipalities that have never been funded before often receive priority consideration for some MEA opportunities.

Commissioners asked for examples of eligible projects and how the program works with university extension services and county agencies; Mike described assistance with community gardens, small grants, fleet electrification support and a certification pathway tied to municipal accomplishments. The presentation emphasized low administrative cost and referral relationships with state agencies.

President Zella Hayward said the topic would be added to the town’s July 20 work session for further review and potential adoption of the opt-in resolution.

If commissioners decide to proceed, staff told the board they would draft the one-page resolution and circulate implementation details and a contact for the program so departments and any future green team could pursue grant and certification opportunities.