N e w s l e t t er

October 2023

2023 PEPCO SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

GRANTS ANNOUNCED

Earlier this month Pepco, the region's largest utility, and EFC's Sustainable Maryland program, awarded nine Environmental Stewardship and Community Resiliency grants. Totaling $100,000, the grants were presented to the following municipalities and nonprofits at the Pepco Edison Gallery in Washington, DC:

Community Resiliency

• Town of Upper Marlboro ($8,000) – Emergency Operations and Response
• One Montgomery Green ($12,000) – Climate Explorers: A Study in Heat
• Housing Authority, City of College Park ($20,000) - Attick Towers Emergency Preparedness

Environmental Stewardship

• Glenmont Forest Neighbors Civic Association ($10,000) – Phase 2: Growing the Serenity Community Gardens at Glenmont Forest Community Park
• City of Takoma Park ($10,000) – Stuart Armstrong Pollinator Arboretum
• DC Greens ($10,000) – The Well at Oxon Run
• Edgewood Alley Green ($10,000) – Conserving Edgewood's Canopy: Expanding Alley Green Space in Northeast DC
• Centro de Apoyo Familiar ($10,000) – Eco-Promoters
• Joe’s Movement Emporium ($10,000) – CreativeGREENWorks

Read more on the Pepco press release here. 

Thank you to all of the nonprofits and municipalities in Prince George's County, Montgomery County, and Washington, DC that submitted applications. Stay tuned for the 2024 Sustainable Communities grant announcement.

MEET OUR NEW EFC COLLEAGUES

NOAH MAGHSADI

PROGRAM MANAGER - CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY

Noah has worked in climate research and development for the past five years. In his last role at the NDC Partnership, he cataloged requests for climate development projects from developing countries, designed knowledge management systems, and supported countries in updating and implementing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Previously, he worked on data platforms at the World Resources Institute. Noah holds a B.A. in Anthropology and a Master's in Public Policy, both from the University of Maryland, College Park. While attending the University of Maryland, he worked part-time with EFC. He is very excited to become re-involved in EFC's work and translate his experience providing technical assistance at the international level to the community level. Noah enjoys cooking new foods, running, and spending time with family and friends. Noah lives in Baltimore.

LIV PIERCE

PROGRAM ASSISTANT - SUSTAINABLE MARYLAND

Liv (they/she) has worked in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast addressing community housing insecurity, environmental planning and climate resilience, and food sovereignty. They spent the last year farming on both urban and rural farms, leading education and engagement events on food justice and regenerative agriculture models. She has worked for city, county, state, and federal government entities on community planning initiatives, in addition to multiple environmental non-profits and community organizations. Liv graduated from Temple University with a B.S. in Community Development and Planning and a certificate in Graphic Information Systems. They are continuing their education learning more about climate resilience and community care models created by Black and Indigenous communities that integrate ancient and modern practices of stewardship into navigating the climate crisis. In her free time, Liv is usually found making art or with their hands in the dirt. 

ANNIE O'CONNELL

CHESAPEAKE CONSERVATION AND CLIMATE CORPS

Annie is a recent graduate from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a degree in Environmental Science and Technology, a concentration in environmental health, and a minor in Spanish. Their previous work includes rotating between cover crop and sustainable farming projects at the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, as well as working as a laboratory technician conducting EPA contaminant tests on sediment from the Anacostia River. Her passions include agroecology, native edible and medicinal plants, and community focused environmental education. In their free time, Annie enjoys walking her dog Winnie, crochet, and making art with friends.

EVALUATING THE TREE STEWARDS PROGRAM: HELPING THE FIRST STATE REACH ITS TREE PLANTING GOALS

Like many states in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Delaware has ambitious tree planting goals. Its Tree for Every Delawarean Initiative aims to plant one million trees in order to combat climate change, improve water quality, enhance community green spaces, and support wildlife. Achieving this goal will take a network of partners engaged in tree planting and care. To this end, Delaware Forest Service (DFS) launched the pilot Delaware Tree Stewards program, which offers free training to Delaware residents on tree science, tree maintenance, and tree planting project development.

The pilot phase of the Tree Stewards program was completed in spring 2023. To understand what worked well – and to make the program even more successful moving forward – DFS contracted with the Environmental Finance Center to conduct a program evaluation and recommend next steps.

In collaboration with DFS, EFC conducted a participant survey, focus group, and a strategy session with potential future partners of the Tree Stewards program. Based on findings from this evaluation, EFC prepared a set of recommendations for DFS to maximize the reach and effectiveness of future phases of the program. Details can be found in this report.



DOEE LAUNCHES STREAM INDEX WEBSITE

The Stream Condition Index is a 'report card' style project grading the stream health of 25 local tributaries in Washington, DC. Learn about your local streams using the "Stream Explorer," or dive deeper into the data DOEE collects to grade stream health by using the 'Data Explorer'. You can visit the Stream Condition Index at www.tinyurl.com/DCStreamConditionIndex or scan this QR code to access the information.



You can follow EFC and some of our programs on social media: EFC is on Twitter @EFCUMD, Sustainable Maryland is on Facebook, and the Municipal Online Stormwater Center (MOST) is on Twitter @TheMOSTCenter

Jennifer Cotting, Director

jcotting@umd.edu

Mike Hunninghake, Editor

mikeh75@umd.edu

Consider.

 "The transition to clean energy is happening worldwide and it’s unstoppable."

-Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, on the powerful momentum of renewable energy