Blog Posts

15 Tips for Eliminating Single-Use Plastics

Single-use plastics are everywhere: the straw in our iced coffee, the plastic bags we use to carry our takeout home, the shampoo bottle on our shower rack. What’s more, they’re so ubiquitous—and so quickly thrown out—that they hardly register in our minds. But what is the actual cost of this prioritization of convenience over durability? The answer is pretty scary. Each year, we produce 300 million tons of plastic waste – with 8 million tons ending up in our oceans . Beyond that, microplastics in farm soils is a growing concern and is an overall threat to global human health . Not to mention, they are a contributing factor to climate change . With all that we know about the dangerous implications of our single-use plastic habit, many people are making more environmentally-conscious choices when it comes to our consumer habits. If you want to join in the fight against single-use plastic pollution, here are some tips to get started! Stop using plastic straws, even in restaurants. If a straw is a must, purchase a reusable stainless steel or glass straw . Use a reusable produce bag. A single plastic bag can take 1,000 years to degrade . Purchase or make your own reusable produce bag and be sure to wash them often! Give up gum. Did you know chewing gum creates more than 100,00 tons of plastic pollution each year. Purchase food, like cereal, pasta, and rice from bulk bins and fill a reusable bag or container. You save money and unnecessary packaging. Reuse containers for storing leftovers or shopping in bulk. Use a reusable bottle or mug for your beverages, even when ordering from a to-go shop. Some of them even offer a bring-your-own-cup discount ! Use matches instead of disposable plastic lighters or invest in a refillable metal lighter. Avoid buying frozen foods because their packaging is mostly plastic. Even those that appear to be cardboard are coated in a thin layer of plastic. Plus you'll be eating fewer processed foods! Don't use plasticware at home and be sure to request restaurants do not pack them in your take-out box. Use cloth diapers to reduce your baby's carbon footprint and save money . Make fresh squeezed juice or eat fruit instead of buying juice in plastic bottles. It's healthier and better for the environment. Make your own cleaning products that will be less toxic and eliminate the need for multiple plastic bottles of cleaner. Pack your lunch in reusable containers and bags. Also, opt for fresh fruits and veggies and bulk items instead of products that come in single serving cups. Use a razor with replaceable blades instead of a disposable razor. Skip the receipt. Thermal paper used for things like store receipts, movie tickets, and boarding passes are coated with measurable levels of BPA. We’ve a long way to go before plastic-free living becomes commonplace, but by making these simple switches in our daily life and refusing single use plastic where we can, we can each do our part to get one step closer. What switches have you made to eliminate single-use plastics from your life? Let us know in the comments!

Our Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes

It seems every home chef is talking about their air fryer or Instant Pot these days, but we’re still in love with our life-saving slow cookers! Slow cookers are great for so many reasons: they use less electricity than your oven, they fill your home with the wonderful aroma of whatever you are cooking, they bring out flavors beautifully and they are huge time savers! For these reasons and more, we turn to our slow cookers regularly. Here are some of our favorite tried-and-true recipes! Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken & Veggies This recipe ticks all the boxes – it is flavorful, super easy to make, budget-friendly and family-friendly. When you’ve got a busy day ahead of you, throw the ingredients in your slow cooker, cook on low and come home to an amazing meal. Get the recipe here . Balsamic & Honey Pot Roast This slow cooker recipe is made using chuck roast, which when cooked low and slow, becomes so tender and flavorful. Another set-it-and-forget-it recipe, this pot roast is also a great make-ahead meal. When you are doing your meal planning and prep, throw the ingredients into a freezer bag together, then pull them out when you are ready to cook! Get the recipe here . Crockpot Chicken Fajitas No need to fire up the oven or the grill; the slow cooker does all the work for this chicken fajita recipe! We love serving the fajitas in a flour tortilla with white rice, but you can also use it for quesadilla, nachos, salad, or burrito. Get the recipe here . Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup What is it about chicken noodle soup that we find so comforting? Maybe it’s the warm broth, the serotonin-boosting tryptophan , or the nostalgia of being served the good-for-the-soul concoction as children. Whatever it is, chicken noodle soup tastes even better when its homemade, and this crockpot recipe makes the already simple recipe even easier. Get the recipe here . Crockpot Swedish Meatballs We will say it – these crockpot Swedish meatballs are better than Ikea’s! Served over egg noodles and with a side of green beans, this is the ultimate comfort meal. The recipe is made using frozen meatballs, so it is easy to make. It is also a terrific crowd-pleaser. Even your pickiest eaters will love these meatballs. Get the recipe here . Crockpot Apple Dump Cake What would a list of favorite recipes be without dessert? This crockpot apple dump cake recipe is per- fection. Whether served hot or cold, topped or plain, this dessert will become your new favorite. The apple and cinnamon flavors make it great for fall, but you will love it all year round. Do you love your slow cooker as much as we do? What is your favorite slow cooker recipe? Let us know in the comments!

Five Fantastic Maryland Nonprofits to Support During National Volunteer Month

April is National Volunteer Month ! Volunteering is an immensely rewarding experience through which you not only provide vital help to your community, but can also improve your own mental and physical health ! So, if you are looking for a wonderful opportunity to give back this month, here are some fantastic nonprofits in Baltimore and beyond with which to volunteer your time! United Way of Central Maryland United Way of Central Maryland works to increase access to basic needs such as health, housing, employment, and education. Among its many programs is the nonprofit’s 211 helpline - a free, confidential 24-hour helpline that connects people of all ages and from all communities with the essential health and human services they need. 211’s call volume has skyrocketed since the pandemic, averaging more than 500 calls a day. Last year, the 211 Helpline answered more than 195,000 calls for help with housing, healthcare, employment, and more. You can help support the 211 helpline by making a donation here , or find other ways to get involved with United Way’s work here . Casey Cares Casey Cares works to keep families with critically ill children’s spirits high by arranging programming - whether it is a simple movie night and a fresh pair of pajamas or attending a major sporting event. Casey Cares aims to provide lasting memories for families throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, Florida, and portions of the Midwest. Each April, the nonprofit hosts #CaseyCaresBiggestPJParty - encouraging folks to wear pjs to work or school and to collect movie and pizza gift cards as well as new pajamas to donate to Casey Cares. Find other volunteer opportunities with Casey Cares here . The Maryland Food Bank Even before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, so many families, seniors, children, and other neighbors turned to the Maryland Food Bank for help to put food on the table. Since the start of the pandemic, that need has only grown . The food bank is the hub of Maryland’s food assistance safety net, supporting a statewide network of thousands of community partners to meet the immediate needs of hungry Marylanders while simultaneously working to create pathways out of hunger. Find volunteer opportunities with the Maryland Food Bank here . Maryland SPCA The Maryland SPCA adopts out more than 3,500 needy and unwanted pets each year, providing warmth and comfort to them in their adoption center while the animals await new homes. The SPCA’ Spay and Neuter Clinic also performs approximately 9,000 surgeries each year on animals in its adoption program, other shelters and rescue groups, low-income pet owners, and feral cats all with the aim to reduce pet overpopulation. Other lifesaving programs include a foster program, Wellness Clinic and training classes which are offered to help keep pets in homes and out of shelters. Volunteers and staff also visit area schools each year to teach kindness to animals to children. Baltimore Hunger Project Children who come to school hungry often exhibit trouble concentrating, lower math and reading scores, difficulty interacting with peers, and lower graduation rates. Baltimore Hunger Project is dedicated to eliminating the growing problem of weekend childhood hunger by providing weekend food packages to children identified as food insecure, improving their health and increasing their chances at success in school. Baltimore Hunger Project is currently supporting more than 600 children at schools throughout Baltimore City and County . All month-long during April 2021, WPM Real Estate Management and its properties are running a campaign to benefit our friends at Baltimore Hunger Project. You can help us support this worthy nonprofit by donating to BHP’s Amazon Wishlist here , or by making a monetary donation here . Additionally, WPM has set a goal to collect 1,500 Notes of Encouragement, which Baltimore Hunger Project includes in their weekly food packages. Stop by the leasing office at 500 Park Apartments before April 30, 2021 to create your own note, and we will return them to Baltimore Hunger Project! Find other opportunities to volunteer your time with Baltimore Hunger Project here . What other Baltimore nonprofits are doing great work to give back to our communities? Let us know which organizations you support in the comments!

2021 Spring Cleaning Guide

Why is Spring Cleaning Important? Spring cleaning is a chance to push the reset button on your home and catch up on all the cleaning tasks you’ve been meaning to get to. Deep cleaning your home and giving it a fresh start is necessary for both your physical and your mental health . From helping to prevent illness to decreasing stress, the tradition of giving our homes a good spring cleaning does wonders for the mind and body. If you have started feeling the urge to throw open the windows and you can feel that that new-beginning energy that comes with warmer weather and longer days, it is the perfect time to start your spring cleaning! Clear out a day or two in your schedule and dedicate the time to giving your apartment the love and care it deserves, especially after it has been your gym, office, classroom and more during the lockdowns and quarantines related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before you start, come up with a plan! Create a list of chores you want to tackle and create a schedule. Rather than committing to cleaning every item in your home, focus on the most important ones that will have the biggest impact. Here are some tactics for creating your spring-cleaning checklist so that you feel the greatest sense of accomplishment and see the most reward for your work. Choose tasks that involve multiple rooms. Choose tasks that involve more than one room or item in the house. For instance, washing all the bedding, cleaning all the doors, washing all the curtains, etc. While these tasks might not produce a visible outcome, knowing these rarely done chores are taken care of will feel good and will give you a sense of accomplishment. Put labor-intensive items at the top of your list. If you are having a hard time choosing what you will do and what you will skip, try putting the most labor-intensive tasks at the top of the list. This way, the chores that require the most out of you are getting done on a day you have dedicated to cleaning and you will not feel as much like you are missing out on something fun. Select chores that you usually dread. The momentum you get during spring cleaning makes you more likely to actually cross off those tasks that you dread (cleaning the oven, we’re looking at you). And once it is done, you will be relieved of the procrastination guilt. Put these items at the top of your list along with the labor-intensive items (we have a feeling there is probably some crossover, anyway). Having these chores at the top of your list means you will not feel as bad if you do not get to everything else. Sample Plan for Spring Cleaning in a Day Here is an example of what a designated day of spring cleaning might look like: Morning: Strip all the bedding throughout your apartment and begin laundering sheets, blankets, pillows, and comforters. Clean the mattresses while the bedding is in the wash. Empty every garbage can and recycling bin, then give them a good scrub , making sure to pay special attention to the crevices. If you have outdoor space, leave them in the sun to dry. Put bags of vinegar around shower heads. Let them soak for several hours while you move onto the next task. Slather the interior of the oven with a baking soda paste . You will want to let the paste sit overnight, so it looks like it is Chinese takeaway for dinner! Change bedding wash and dry cycles as needed. Afternoon: Dust bookshelves, the tops of cabinets, light fixtures, light bulbs, furniture, door frames, picture frames, etc. Start from the top and work your way down to the baseboards. Pay special attention to furniture legs, which often go overlooked. Polish wooden furniture. Just like you focused on using one tool while you dusted, focus on one product here: wood polish. Hit every wooden item in your home. Wipe down cabinet doors. Clean doors. You have already dusted the frames. Now take a damp microfiber cloth (and maybe a Magic Eraser for stubborn spots) to the doors themselves, including knobs. Continue changing bedding loads as needed. If you finish your loads, take down your curtains and begin washing those. Clean your windows . Take down screens, clean window tracks, and shine those windows. If you can, wash your curtains. Clean the rest of the glass in your home. Spot clean upholstery and rugs. Evening: Remove vinegar bags and scrub showers and tubs and clean the bathroom. Replace bedding. Hang curtains if you were able to wash them. Return garbage cans to their rooms. Vacuum under furniture and under rugs. Vacuum the floors throughout the house now that the dust you stirred up from dusting has had time to settle. Whistle While You Work Did you know listening to music while you clean makes the job seem more pleasurable and helps you work faster? To help your chores feel like a breeze, WPM Real Estate Management has curated a playlist of upbeat songs, ranging from throwback songs to current chart-toppers! What is on your spring-cleaning playlist? Let us know in the comments!

How to Celebrate Galentine's Day This Year

Galentine’s Day – an annual day for celebrating female friendships , normally marked with fun events like mimosas at your favorite brunch spot, spa treatments, or karaoke – is this Saturday! But, like everything else these days, the COVID-19 pandemic will change the way you celebrate with your BFFs this year. Yet, just because we’re dealing with life during a pandemic, it doesn’t mean you and your gal pals can’t celebrate at all. In fact, keeping up with your friends and loved ones—even if that means virtually – has never been more important. So, for those wanting to connect with friends this weekend, we’ve come up with a few ways to celebrate Galantines Day 2021, all while social distancing! Host a Virtual Game Night Get together virtually with the social networking app Houseparty ! With the app, you and up to seven of your girlfriends can play Houseparty Heads Up! , Trivia, Quick Draw, and Chips and Guac! If you’re already all Houseparty-ed out, check out the lesser known JackBox Games . With JackBox, you and your friends can challenge each other to games you’ve probably not already exhausted , like Drawful 2, Quiplash and You Don’t Know Jack. For even more ways to host a virtual game night, check out this list ! Throw a Virtual Spa Night Treat your BFF to this Best Friend Spa Gift Box , which includes all the essentials for a pampering night in like a moisturizing bath bomb and lavender body soap. Then, join together virtual via Zoom while you reach enjoy your spa nights from your homes while also catching up! Make sure to set the scene – pick a small room or space where you won’t be bothered, create a relaxing Spotlight playlist which you can then share with everyone , and dim the lights! Host a Virtual Karaoke Night YouTube has a plethora of karaoke videos, many like what you’d find in a bar or private room ( Olivia Rodrigo’s Driver’s License , anyone?) Make a list of your group’s karaoke favs and then create a queue of the tracks on Watch2Gether . Get together via Zoom a voila! To really recreate the traditional karaoke scene, make sure to get dressed up as if you were going to a real karaoke bar and perhaps send your besties a bottle of wine ahead of time. Bundle Up and Picnic If the weather holds up, consider getting together for a picnic (hear us out…) Let Charm City Picnics help you pull off a great picnic complete with spectacular Baltimore skyline views! After you pick your date, your location and choose a package, Charm City Picnics will handle everything else, so all you need to do is show up! Plus, Charm City Picnics is committed to using local products and supporting small businesses for the most authentic charm city experience! In addition to whichever package you choose, there are a ton of great add-ons, like gourmet cupcakes, polaroid camera and live music! So, there you have it! Don’t let social distancing stop you from having a great Galantine’s Day celebration with your best buds. Just get creative and you’re sure to create lots of fun, happy memories, even if you can’t be together.

National Bagel Day | Best Bagels in Baltimore

January 15 th is National Bagel Day and who doesn’t love a good bagel? If you find yourself with a craving for carbs today, we’ve got you covered! Here are five of the best spots in Baltimore to get your bagel fix today. Ovenbird Bakery | Little Italy Instagram/baltimorefoodscene Called a “MUST VISIT ASAP” , Ovenbird Bakery has fare so good there is a line of hungry patrons down the street before the bakery even opens! As far as bagels go, Ovenbird offers varieties such as sesame, poppy seed, spicy fennel and more. There are also plenty of other must-try treats and artisanal breads on the menu including the blueberry and lemon scone which one Yelper calls “ lifechanging ”. Bottoms Up Bagels | Better Waverly Instgram/bottomsupbagels A Best of Baltimore 2018 winner, Bottoms Up Bagels offers authentic handmade NJ style bagels (they’re boiled) with varieties that include black Russian, old bay, egg and kimmelweck. Pair one of these fresh-baked bagels with one of BUB’s savory spreads, which include sesame sriracha cream cheese, bacon horseradish cream cheese, house cured lox cream cheese and more ! “ Fresh! Fresh! Fresh!” says one Yelper! THB Bagelry & Deli | Multiple Instagram/thb.bagelry.deli With locations in Towson, Timonium, Charles Village and Canton, no Baltimore bagel list would be complete without THB Bagels . Made from scratch daily with dough made in house, the bagels at THB include chocolate chip, marble, asiago and more ! Head to THB Bagels for what one Yelper calls, “Hands down, THE BEST BAGEL SANDWICH IN THE STATE !!!!” Belvedere Bagels and Grill | Midtown Belvedere Instagram/theblogel Stop by Belvedere Bagels and Grill for one of their specialty bagels, such as their Brilliant Bagel (smoked salmon, cream cheese, onions, chopped olives & tomatoes). “OMG. This place is SO good. So so good,” Says one Yelper ! Harmony Bakery | Hampden Instgram/gfvegansamantha For gluten-free and vegan options, head to Harmony Bakery , where everything is made from scratch with “no preservatives or artificial flavors – always fresh and flavorful, using organic ingredients and local produce when available.” “Hands down the best gluten free bakery of all time,” says one Yelper ! Did you favorite bagel spot make the list? Let us know in the comments!