EVENTS
Sat, Jun 21Holly Hills | Howard EcoWorksJoin us for Pollinator Week with a day of volunteering with EcoWorks at Holly Hills! RSVP to register!
Sat, Sep 27Howard CountyParticipate in self-guided native garden tours with free plant giveaways!
PAST EVENTS
Earth Day 2025
On April 19th, 2025 we hosted our first Earth Day event at Holly Hills and launch of Seeds of Change opening at our new property. We gave away native seeds harvested by our team with the purpose of distributing local ecotype plants. We also hosted educational activities such as a native seed processing demo and native plant coloring table. Additional activities included hosting volunteers to help us with forest management and invasive plant removal behind the barn area. And lastly, we held a native tree ID tour around Holly Hills with out Natural Resource Specialist, Zsuzsanna Cooke, including a talk about biochar with Lori Lilly, Direct & Founder of EcoWorks.
Open House Night 2025
On Feb. 13, 2025, Howard EcoWorks hosted it's 3rd annual Open House Night. This was an opportunity for the public to connect with our organization and our resources. Our evening was kicked off with an introduction from our Founder & Executive Director, Lori Lilly. This was followed up with a talk on our programs and services by Programs Coordinator, Matt Hemler, which ended with talks from Brent Levin, AmeriCorps Program Leader, and Elura Morris, Marketing and Communications Coordinator.
The evening ended with a presentation from our guest speaker, Sherry Russell, Sustainable Landscape Designer, where participants learned about, “Principles of Environmental Landscape Design.” This presentation explored how homeowners and landscapers can incorporate environmentally sustainable practices using native plants and thinking about stormwater management.
This event also served as an open job interview for our Spring UpLift program and a chance for potential participants to meet our team. Additionally, it was an opportunity for the community to support our organization, learn more about our resources, and our partners.
SOAK IT UP 2024
SOAK IT UP is Howard EcoWorks annual fundraiser. On June 04, 2024, we hosted our second event to support our mission of empowering communities and diverse workforces to respect and restore our natural systems for future generations.
We were joined by Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, Senator Guy Guzzone, and Howard County Council members, along with guest speakers, supporters, sponsors, and alumni.
Learn more about this evet here.
Kill Your Lawn Viewing
Kill Your Lawn is a series created by Joey Santore, Al Scorch, and Empty Quarter Studios where they comically search for lawns to kill and replace with native gardens that benefit the environment. In October 2023, the duo visited Maryland and chose Howard EcoWorks and St. Peter’s Episcopal to feature in one of their episodes, with St Peter’s hosting the new garden that would be installed, and EcoWorks staff and crew implementing the project. This was a massive undertaking replacing 1,700 square-foot of turf grass into a conservation landscape featuring native plants that will benefit the local ecosystem!
In May 2024, we celebrated the release of the episode and the gardens first spring blooms. The event had food, beverages, and information table. The event was kicked off by Revered Derek welcoming the community, an educational talk from Lori Lilly, founder and director of EcoWorks, on the project and how it's positive impacts. Then we were joined by Rev. Dina Van Klaveren, Canon for Development and Stewardship-Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, who gave kind remarks on this project. Rev. Derek then led a eulogy for the lawn that was both comedic and inspiring, and this was lead by communal spreading of biochar to the garden. And then the evening ended with the viewing of the episode. You can find it on season 2 on Earth TV.
Open House Night 2024
On Feb. 22, 2024, Howard EcoWorks hosted an open house night. This was an opportunity for the public to learn more about our organization, and the evening served multiple purposes. We had three speakers talk on conservation landscaping: Lori Lilly, founder & director of HEW. Andres Ovalle, conservation & restoration director. And guest speaker Lauren Hubbard, president of the Maryland Native Plant Society and owner of Native by Design. Additionally we hosted interviews for the following UpLift season, and hosted an Alumni gathering for previous participants.