On May 11, 2022, Chesapeake Bay Trust, a nonprofit grant-making organization dedicated to engaging and empowering communities to restore natural resources of the Chesapeake Bay region announced a new community-based environmental restoration partnership with Tradepoint Atlantic (TPA), the global multimodal logistics hub and industrial center located in Sparrows Point, Eastern Baltimore County, Maryland.
The partnership, which includes a $50,000 grant to the Trust for local community projects, helps advance Tradepoint Atlantic’s commitment to environmental remediation and revitalization of the local, mostly low-income community. Sparrows Point was the site of poorly-regulated heavy industry for over a century, and so has significant contamination issues.
This partnership will make resources available for eastern Baltimore County and Baltimore City communities to lead their own community-driven projects. Community groups, civic associations, faith-based organizations, schools, and other not-for-profit entities in Baltimore County neighborhoods such as Curtis Bay, Dundalk, Turner’s Station, Watersedge, as well as surrounding areas and parts of eastern Baltimore City, will be supported through this partnership with grants for various community environmental engagement efforts.
Example projects include litter removal and source reduction strategies; stormwater management projects such as rain gardens and rain barrel installation; native plants for wildlife habitat creation; and tree planting for water quality, human health, and habitat benefit.
Since 2014, Tradepoint has been transforming the 3330-acre former home of Bethlehem Steel on Sparrows Point from the contaminated site of a crumbling, abandoned steel plant to a modern logistics campus with worldwide reach within the Port of Baltimore region, including distribution warehouses for FedEx, Amazon and Under Armour.
Tradepoint Atlantic recognizes the environmental challenges affecting our local waters and communities, especially the particularly challenging task of reclaiming and transforming former industrial lands. This new partnership will foster grants that focus on outreach and restoration projects in areas neighboring the Sparrows Point Peninsula and waterways such as Back River, Bear Creek, and Jones Creek.
“As we continue our efforts to clean up Sparrows Point, we take our role in protecting the environment very seriously,” said Aaron Tomarchio, Tradepoint Atlantic’s Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs.
“This new partnership is a continuation of our commitment to improve the health of our local waters and communities by supporting residents and organizations that are making impacts in our neighborhoods, creeks, and rivers. As we work to do our part to clean up the environment around Sparrows Point, we recognize that there are opportunities for community-based organizations to do the same, and we want to support local-driven initiatives and organizations in and around Sparrows Point that share these same values,” he added.
“We are thrilled to have developed this partnership with Tradepoint Atlantic to engage residents and promote restoration efforts near the Sparrows Point Peninsula,” said Jana Davis, president of the Chesapeake Bay Trust. “This program empowers local groups to take actions that will lead to measurable results that create greener, healthier communities to be enjoyed by all.”
The 3300-acre Tradepoint Atlantic multimodal logistic and industrial center in Baltimore is designed to offer a gateway to U.S. domestic and global markets, featuring access to deep water berths, rails, and highways. At full buildout, Tradepoint will be one of North America’s most strategic commercial gateways, generating over 15,000 jobs with $2.9 billion in economic revitalization.
The Chesapeake Bay Trust is a nonprofit grant-making organization established by the Maryland General Assembly, dedicated to improving the natural resources of Maryland and the Chesapeake region through environmental education, community engagement, and local watershed restoration. The Trust’s grantees engage hundreds of thousands of individuals annually in projects that have a measurable impact on the waterways and other natural resources of the region.
The Trust’s grantmaking is supported by the sale of the Chesapeake Bay license plate; donations to the Chesapeake Bay and Endangered Species Fund on the Maryland State income tax form; donations made by hunters, fishers, and boaters in the Maryland online natural resource licensing system; donations from individuals and corporations; and partnerships with private foundations, commercial entities like Tradepoint Atlantic, and federal, state, and local governments.
The Trust has received the highest rating from Charity Navigator for over two decades. On average, 90% of the Trust’s expenditures are directed to its restoration and education programs.
Photo of Sparrow’s Point courtesy of CBF/Bill Shewbridge.
The program is officially open with an application deadline of August 10, 2022.
Learn more and review the request for proposals.