Sustainability Roundup: A Local’s Guide to Green Initiatives in Ocean City

The Ocean City Convention Center is leading the way in hosting eco-conscious meetings and events. By integrating sustainability practices, it ensures that large gatherings have a minimal environmental impact.

• Sustainability Event Certification: The Convention Center is dedicated to hosting events that meet stringent sustainability standards, reducing waste and energy consumption.
• Event Composting: Organizers now have access to composting options, allowing food waste to be composted with the help of Go Green OC instead of being incinerated. In 2024, the Convention Center diverted over 100 32-gallon cans of compostable materials!  If each can hold 2 plastic bag liners, our Convention Center saved over 200 plastic bag liners from being used.
• Compostable Dining Ware: Events held at the center utilize compostable plates, cups, straws, utensils, and napkins, helping to cut down on single-use plastics.

Go Green OC is making huge strides in promoting sustainable practices in Ocean City’s restaurant and hotel scene.

• Local Business Partnerships: Several Ocean City businesses have joined forces with Go Green OC to implement composting in their practices to reduce food waste. You can think about your next Orange Crush at Fish Tales going towards a great cause!
• One Million Pound Compost Event: Thanks to the dedication of local businesses and organizations, Ocean City has successfully diverted over a million pounds of waste from incineration through composting. RSVP to join us at this huge milestone on May 23rd here!

Protecting our beaches is a community effort, and the Ocean City Surf Club and Beach Heroes regularly organize cleanups to keep our shoreline pristine. Volunteers can join scheduled events throughout the year to help remove litter and debris, ensuring a safe and clean environment for residents and visitors alike. You can visit their websites to help out with their cleanups!

As part of Ocean City’s commitment to sustainability, volunteers from Braemar Towers Condominium and students from Stephen Decatur High School planted over 3,300 dune grasses near 131st Street. This restored a secondary dune previously overrun with invasive bamboo, which was removed by Public Works and Recreation and Parks staff.

Funded through Critical Area fee-in-lieu contributions, the project strengthens Ocean City’s dune system—vital for coastal protection. Students also participated in a beach cleanup, supporting the Litter Free OC mission to keep our community clean through awareness, accessible waste disposal, and active engagement.