SM August 2022 News: Pepco Grants / ACEEE Energy Efficiency Webinars

Sustainable Maryland, in a new partnership with Pepco, will offer Sustainable Communities Grant awards to eligible municipalities and nonprofit organizations. This program will provide $75,000 support to fund environmental stewardship projects and $50,000 for community resilience projects across the Pepco service area in Montgomery County, Prince Georges County, and Washington, DC.

Resiliency projects include: implementation of strategies to minimize the impact of severe weather events, natural disasters or other emergencies impacting the environment; emergency operations planning, training, and community outreach; and purchase of supplies and equipment needed to respond to emergencies including energy storage and stationary or mobile solar.

Stewardship projects include: conservation; pollution prevention; community engagement; developing or updating open space plans; improving applicant-owned open spaces such as meadows, woodlands, and riparian buffers or capital improvements for passive recreation such as installing recreation trails, boardwalks, informational kiosks, and observation platforms; acquisition of parcels of land to be used for open space

The deadline for Sustainable Communities Grant proposals is September 20, 2022.

For more information on the Sustainable Communities grants, including grant application packet, click here.

UPCOMING WEBINARS: ENERGY EFFICIENCY INVESTMENTS FOR MUNICIPALITIES

Check out these upcoming webinars that will explore key opportunities for cities to act on climate change through energy efficiency investments—including by capitalizing on new federal funding. These webinars have been organized by the Sustainable States Network (SSN) and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

Taking Advantage of Federal Funds: Local Energy Efficiency Policies and Programs to Consider

Tuesday, September 20 | 2:00pm-3:00pm ET

This ACEEE/SSN webinar will showcase leading energy efficiency programs from across the country that communities can learn from and replicate as they prepare to leverage new federal funding opportunities.

ACEEE’s Self-Scoring Tool: Results from the Community Energy Challenge

Thursday, September 29 | 1:00pm-2:00pm ET

This ACEEE/SSN webinar will show communities how they can use ACEEE’s latest self-scoring tool to measure their energy efficiency and clean energy progress, and highlight results from the most recent cohort of SSN’s Community Energy Challenge.

DOES YOUR HOMEOWNERS OR CIVIC ASSOCIATION IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY NEED SUSTAINABILITY ASSISTANCE?

SM is recruiting homeowners and civic associations in Prince George's County to assist them in forming Green Teams and developing customized sustainable action plans for their communities. Check out the communities we have worked with over the last few years here.

Please contact mikeh75@umd.edu if your community wishes to participate in this program.

2021-2022 SUSTAINABLE STATES NETWORK ANNUAL REPORT

Sustainable Maryland is proud to be part of a national network of statewide sustainability organizations throughout the country. Check out a sampling of the work from our colleagues in the Sustainable States Network 2021-2022 Annual Report.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR TOWNS TO ACCESS FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS

Submitting strong applications for federal infrastructure money can be challenging for small and mid-sized cities, towns, and villages. To assist underserved local governments with populations of approximately 150,000 or less, the Local Infrastructure Hub is offering a series of bootcamps. The bootcamps are designed to help small and mid-sized local governments take advantage of the grant opportunities available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Registration will run from August 12 to August 31, 2022. Spots are limited to the first several hundred cities that register. Click here for more information and to register your Maryland municipality.

QUOTE

"By a wide margin, this legislation will be the greatest pro-climate legislation that has ever been passed by Congress."

-Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic majority leader, in announcing the deal for $369 billion in climate legislation

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Sustainable Maryland is an initiative of the Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland. It is a free and voluntary program designed to help Maryland communities choose a direction for their sustainability efforts, improve access to resources needed to implement action, and recognize their accomplishments. Our sponsors include the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Maryland Municipal League. Sustainable Maryland is a proud founding member of the national Sustainable States Network.

For more information about how your municipality can register in the Sustainable Maryland program, plus customized Green Team training and access to student resources that are available to provide consultancy services for municipal planning, please contact 301-405-7956 or mikeh75@umd.edu

Mike Hunninghake

Program Manager

Sustainable Maryland

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