Where Innovation Meets Stewardship: Baltimore Park Cleanup Project

Innovation sessions usually involve whiteboards, sticky notes, and ideas.

During a design thinking masterclass hosted by Baltimore Gas and Electric, participants in the U2030 Think-a-Thon added something different to the agenda - trash bags.

As part of the event, leaders stepped outside the classroom to participate in a community park clean-up in Baltimore. Volunteers put on gloves and collected litter, cleared debris, and helped restore a beloved space used by neighborhood families. It was a simple act, but an important one.

The Think-a-Thon itself focused on collaboration and new ways of solving complex problems. But the park cleanup served as a reminder that innovation isn’t just about ideas, it's about stewardship.

Utilities sit at the center of the communities they serve. Their work touches every home, hospital, and school. Spending a few hours caring for a neighborhood park grounded that reality.

By the end of the afternoon, the park looked different. Cleaner. Brighter. Ready for the people who use it every day.

And the leaders who had gathered there were reminded that sometimes the best way to think about the future is to start by caring for the present.