The Green Group ~
The Green Group is a gathering of Annapolis Friends who ardently embrace the Quaker testimony of stewardship. We invite you to join us in our Spirit-led work. Using our individual and collective resources, we educate ourselves and each other about the best ways to protect our natural resources to support biodiversity, environmental justice, and living more simply and sustainably. We welcome you to join us.
Our group began informally in 2023 when a few friends signed up for the Green Leaders Training Program offered by the Interfaith Partners of the Chesapeake (IPC). We formally launched our group with the IPC Partner’s Pledge Ceremony in May 12, 2024. We feel there’s much to do and invite Spirit to guide us, and welcome you to join us for a meeting, and if you like it, return!
Green Group (GG) Activities
Spring and Summer 2026
We now have native flowers on the patio! Thanks to Sylvia for selections, plantings, and to her tender care, and others in the GG, we’ve enjoyed a colorful display all summer – and the humming birds and pollinators, have, too!
Check out the photos from the GG Spring Bird Walk with IPC’s
Chris Eberly, Saturday. May 30th, 2026
On Earth Day the Green Group was pleased to partner on a Rain Barrel Workshop with St. Philip’s Church – April 22, 2026
AFM and the Green Group were pleased to Partner with St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Bestgate Road, Annapolis.
Friends of Quiet Waters Park, Earth Day Celebration, April 18th
AFM and the members of the Green Group participated in Quiet Waters Park - Earth Day celebration.
Invitation for the Spring Migration Bird Watch – with Chris Eberly
Flat shoes. Bring binoculars if you have them. Come when you can, we’ll start at 8am – 10am.
The GG Native Plant Nursery – Comes into being on the Patio 2025 -2026
Summer/Fall Activities
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- A Hydroponic Garden Demonstration and a season of growing is sponsored by Children’s Religious Education. The Hydroponic Garden Team has produced an abundance of lush, healthy, greens! Visit the set up on the bookcase in the Children’s Classroom.
Winter-Sowing for 2026? – We’ve got our milkjugs ready!
Last year’s winter milkweed seedlings did well at first but then were overwhelmed by water in our carts that had inadequate drainage. Holes are to be drilled in our carts before this year’s planting.
Activities – 2025
Fall 2025 – Seed Collection at Annapolis Friends Meeting – Come shake our Trees!
The Green Group and Friends with the the Interfaith Partner of the Chesapeake, and the Department of Natural Resources had a first ever Seed Collection event at Annapolis meetinghouse. On a weekday in September Friends helped to harvest the seeds of our mature Flowering Dogwood and Eastern Redbud trees. The seeds we collected went to the Maryland state seed bank to help replenish their collections. With thanks to our trees and our partners in stewardship!
Oct 2025 – World Quaker Day, the Green Group had a display “Love Your Neighbor – Love Our Planet” around the 2025 WQD theme.
On October 5th, at the monthly potluck following 11am worship, the Green Group presenting an eco-friendly display and discussion.
December 2025 – Quaker Holiday Market, supported market by preparing paperwhites for early bloom to promote sales.
Earth Day 2025. The Green Group hosted the first in-person Movie Night at AFM since the pandemic with thanks to the technical savy of young Friends!
The Green Group and Friends shared the award-winning documentary about regenerative agriculture, “Kiss the Ground” with an accompanying eco-friendly product display, native plant door prizes, an AFM Library book display, and refreshments.
2024
November 2024 – The planting of the Edible Trail at Annapolis Friends Meeting
Special thanks to all Friends who took part, the Meetinghouse & Lands Committee, members of the Green Group, and our partners - the Interfaith Partners of the Chesapeake, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources!
We invite you to come for a tour of our trail-in-progress and welcome your help in caring for our meandering nursery of paw paws, persimmons, and other natives! Most of our trees have now made it through their second winter, but we need to do more caging and recaging of trees to protect them from deer browse.
Planted with the help of Friends (see them here), we have thirty plus native fruit and nut-bearing trees and shrubs, representing thirteen species, that now encircle the meetinghouse. As they mature they will offer food for us and wildlife and will help us maintain and increase biodiversity on the land we steward. We welcome your help in caring for them watering, weeding, mulching, and adjusting cages. We also invite you to join us as we learn more about these native trees and consider the educational opportunities they present.
A downloadable .pdf brochure for the Edible Trail (three panel, two page)
with map and species identified, is available here.
Interfaith Partners of the Chesapeake (IPC) Pledge Day Ceremony and Celebration
This program included a Meeting for Learning Program “Making Peace with Mother Nature” by Fran Palmeri, a tree planting, and Sacred Chant & Dance with Sylvia Oliva. Mother’s Day, May 12, 2024