Under the blue sky of summer’s final day student from the Horn Point Laboratory (HPL), Cambridge City officials; Tom Carroll, City Manager, Pat Escher, City Planner, George Hyde, City Engineer and Brian Roche, First Ward Commissioner and Jodie Hardesty, the Packing House Community Manager gathered in the newly renovated Cannery Park for the dedication of a park bench. The bench provides a place to sit and enjoy the trail now connecting Washington and Cedar Streets and runs behind the Packing House. Commissioner Roche shared, “It’s important to put seating in places we care about. It’s the mark of a successful, inclusive place. We’re grateful for the donation of the recycled material bench donated by the HPL students and Eco Plastic Products of Delaware. It’s symbolic of the commitment we have to a sustainable future, the telling of Cambridge’s amazing story, and restoration of our local economy.”
Horn Point Lab Students, Cambridge City Officials and Packing House Manager dedicate the bench along the Cannery Park trail.
This bench is special because it is made of 100% recycled plastics. HPL students spearheaded a campus wide recycling program, collecting over 120 pounds of plastic caps to provide the needed material to produce the bench. Eco Plastics of Delaware (ECOP)produced the bench. Located in Wilmington, ECOP is a nonprofit that collects discarded plastics and converts them into useful and sustainable products such as, picnic tables, lumber and benches. Created in marine colors of blue, green and gray, the donated bench is a colorful addition to the Cannery Park trail. The dedication plaque reads, “Made out of 127 pounds of recycled, plastic bottle caps and gifted to the Town of Cambridge from the graduate students at the Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science”.
Anna Windle, PhD student at the Horn Point Lab, led the student effort, delivering several loads of plastic caps to Eco Plastics of Delaware. Anna spoke for the entire student body sharing, “The graduate students at Horn Point Lab study how to solve some of society’s most pressing environmental issues, one being the environmental burden of plastic pollution. In an effort to reduce plastic in our landfills and local waterways, HPL collected plastic bottle caps to be converted into a 6 ft. park bench. The bench was donated to the Town of Cambridge with the hope of encouraging residents to live a more sustainable life by reducing or recycling their plastic usage.”
Created of 100% recycled plastics, the blue, green and gray colors depict Cambridge’s connection to the Chesapeake.
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science leads the way toward better management of Maryland’s natural resources and the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. From a network of laboratories located across the state, UMCES scientists provide sound advice to help state and national leaders manage the environment, and prepare future scientists to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. www.umces.edu
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