SMALL SYSTEMS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
FOR MD MUNICIPALITIES
Are you ready for online trainings that are more interactive? Do you learn better from a group of peers tackling similar challenges? Are you interested in meeting water professionals from outside your organization? If yes, then the Small Systems Cohort trainings are designed for you!

The Small Systems Cohort Learning Program is a new opportunity for small drinking water and wastewater systems to learn together in an interactive format. The program offers system operators, managers, and decision-makers the opportunity to:
  • Dive deeply into topics of their choosing
  • Learn with and from a group of peers tackling similar challenges
  • Meet water professionals from outside their organization

Each cohort will receive three asynchronous technical assistance sessions, as well as the opportunity to engage in three peer-to-peer discussions with other members of their cohort. All training will be delivered virtually and is offered free of charge. Continuing education credits will also be available.

Applications are currently being accepted. Please click here for more information and to sign up your community!
STAYING AFLOAT: ASSESSING THE LONG TERM IMPACTS OF SEA-LEVEL RISE ADAPTATION
Crisfield, Md. on Maryland's Eastern Shore , Aug. 24, 2018. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
The City of Crisfield is at the forefront of sea-level rise and has historically endured flooding. Nuisance flooding regularly disrupts the town’s residents, blocking travel to hospitals, schools, and businesses. Maryland coastal communities like Crisfield are
experiencing the third-highest rate of sea-level rise among the lower 48 states.
There is a vital need for communities to better understand the local impacts of sea-level rise, their unique vulnerabilities, and the potential costs and benefits of varying adaptation strategies—including no action.

EFC is working with The Nature Conservancy, George Mason University, the City of Crisfield, and Somerset County, Maryland to explore adaptation options. The project team will conduct a sea-level rise vulnerability assessment to inform the implementation of climate adaptation strategies based on sustainability, community flood-risk reduction benefits, and long-term financial impacts. The project aims to provide rural communities, such as Crisfield, with the tools and data necessary to make financially and socially responsible decisions for adapting to climate-induced flooding from sea level rise, storms, and precipitation. For more information- please visit the project website here.
WEBINAR: INTRODUCTION TO
GREEN ASSET MANAGEMENT
Green Asset Management offers a comprehensive approach to managing the green and gray components of a water, wastewater, or stormwater system - stretching limited revenues, addressing aging infrastructure, facilitating regulatory compliance, and avoiding costly component failures and service disruptions.

In this upcoming EFC training, participants will learn about how the traditional asset management approach can be applied to both the gray AND green elements of your system. Not sure where to begin? We will provide you with the tools you need to get started and walk you through the process!

Date and Time: July 27, 1:00-2:00pm

Presenters: Jennifer Egan, PG, PhD, Program Manager; and Michelle Kokolis, Program Manager, Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland

Cost: FREE


Please Note: This webinar has NOT been submitted for approval of continuing education credits. We can provide a certificate of attendance to eligible attendees, but cannot guarantee it will meet your PDH or CEU requirements. 

Who Should Attend:
  • Managers, owners, and operators of water systems serving less than 10,000 people, or wastewater systems with an average daily flow of less than 1 million gallons
  • Decision-makers for water and wastewater utilities, including mayors, finance officers, utility managers, public works directors, city councilors, board members, tribal council members, and clerks
  • Consultants and technical assistance providers serving water and wastewater systems
TWO NEW EFC REPORTS AVAILABLE
The EFC released two reports this month examining how communities in Pennsylvania are working to improve water quality while achieving additional benefits. The first, Sustainable Funding for Philadelphia's Green City, Clean Waters Plan comes from a William Penn Foundation supported research team that included EFC, the Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania, PennFuture, The Nature Conservancy, WaterNow Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Sustainable Capital Advisors. The study resulted in a set of eight recommendations to the Philadelphia Water Department to address financing challenges associated with their green infrastructure incentives programs and how to implement more projects that yield triple bottom line benefits on private and non-city public lands, especially in neighborhoods currently lacking environmental amenities. In the second report - Economic Impact: Turkey Hill Clean Water Partnership - EFC and the Center for Regional Analysis, with support from the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, examine how incentive payments from Turkey Hill to dairy farmers in their supply chain incentivize the adoption of environmental stewardship practices and act as a catalyst for additional support and resources that expand these practices.
SUSTAINABLE MARYLAND 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

2021 was a big year for the Sustainable Maryland program! It included the 10th anniversary of the program and the launch of a new website and new actions, all while maintaining a high level of engagement with municipalities and their Green Teams.

Check out the Sustainable Maryland 2021 Annual Report, a wrap-up of SM's annual certifications, events, trainings and more.



2021 by the numbers: 
  • 85 SM-registered municipalities (54% of Maryland's towns and cities) 
  • 41 SM-certified municipalities (including 2 new communities)
  • 11 New SM Action webinars
  • 7 Green Team trainings
  • 6 Virtual Connections/Happy Hours
  • 2 Sustainability Summits for Homeowners Associations (City of Gaithersburg & Prince George's County)
FOLLOW EFC ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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
The Environmental Finance Center, part of the
Contact.
Jennifer Cotting, Director

Mike Hunninghake, Editor
Connect.
Consider.
  
"Developed countries must continue taking the lead with ambitious action. The ultimate measure of climate leadership is not what countries do in times of comfort and convenience, but what they do in times of challenge and controversy."

-Barbara Creecy, South Africa environment minister, on the current challenges posed by an upended energy market and extreme heat across the planet
 
The Environmental Finance Center's supporters include: